On January 24, 1999, the World Wrestling Federation ran their annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view from the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California - the site of two WrestleManias - 12 and 16.
This Royal Rumble was primarily to continue the storied rivalry of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon, and that made for a pretty brutal Royal Rumble match looking back.
Nick Piccone and Vaughn Johnson take a deep dive into a show that's best known for what The Rock did to Mankind during their "I Quit" Match, and not so much the actual Royal Rumble match itself. In fact, many wrestling fans and pundits agree the 1999 Royal Rumble match is one of the worst, if not THE worst, of all-time. The undercard was less than stellar, but it didn't matter at the time - the WWF was on fire and just beginning their ascent to the peak of wrestling ratings during this time.
Of course, this event is also famously known for the 10 chair shots that Mick Foley took, unprotected, to the head by way of The Rock. If you've ever seen "Beyond The Mat," you already know how this played out backstage. But reliving it knowing what we know now about head injuries, it was a very difficult thing to watch, and we talk more about it on the show.
Although, I have to wonder - if WWE includes the Greatest Royal Rumble in Royal Rumble canon, shouldn't they also count the Corporate Royal Rumble, which took place two weeks before this on Monday Night Raw? And shouldn't they declare Chyna was the first woman to ever win a Royal Rumble match?
There were 10 entrants. That shouldn't matter. It was a Royal Rumble match. I'm just saying.
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