WWE RAW turned the tide on WCW in its first episode of 1999. Tony Schiavone dropped the main event result from the January 4 episode of the red brand on Nitro. The announcement, however, prompted nearly 600,000 viewers to switch channels to watch Mankind defeat The Rock for the WWE Championship. The rest was history.
In the months that followed, WWE RAW continued to crush Nitro in the ratings. The red brand also welcomed two huge names into its fold as both Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho signed with Stamford. Angle made history as the first Olympic Gold Medalist to join Vince McMahon’s promotion. Y2J jumped ship from rival WCW and had one of the greatest debuts on television.
Regarding matches, WWE’s flagship show put on several noteworthy bouts between January and December. Let’s take a look at some of the best WWE RAW matches of 1999:
Al Snow vs. Road Dogg (WWE RAW – January 4)
The aforementioned January 4 episode of WWE RAW featured some incredible action. It also featured a hard-hitting match between Al Snow and Road Dogg for the now-defunct Hardcore Championship.
Both men beat the life out of each other in this nearly nine-minute match-up. The use of foreign objects was on full display. WWE named this match one of the 50 greatest matches of RAW in a 2012 compilation.
Undertaker and Big Show vs. The Rock N Sock Connection (WWE Tag Team Title – August 30)
The Rock and Mankind had tried to end each other on multiple occasions prior to this match. The People’s Champion nearly took Mick Foley’s head off with the brutal chair shots in their infamous I Quit Match at the 1999 Royal Rumble.
Come summer, the two decided to work out their differences and form an unlikely pairing against then-WWE Tag Team Champions The Undertaker and The Big Show. Thus began one of the shortest yet most popular tag team title runs.
Triple H vs. Mankind (WWE Championship Match – August 23)
The WWE Championship switched hands many times in 1999. Mankind, The Rock, and Triple H were three of the many men who held the richest prize in sports entertainment that year. Ever Vince McMahon had a short reign with the title.
Triple H kicked off his title run on the August 23 episode of WWE RAW. The Game defeated Mankind in a match with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee. The two would have many great battles in the new millennium.
Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker (WWE RAW – June 28)
Steve Austin lost his control of WWE to the McMahons in a Ladder Match the night before at King of the Ring. Meanwhile, the Undertaker retained his WWE title against challenger The Rock.
The Rattlesnake challenged the Phenom to put his title on the line in the main event of the June 28 episode of WWE RAW. Both men put on a solid show that ended with Austin defeating Taker to win the title.
Mankind vs. The Rock (WWE Championship Match – January 4)
WWE RAW has delivered some iconic moments during the course of the past 30 years. From Steve Austin’s stunner to Vince McMahon to the nWO’s arrival, the red brand has created moments that fans continue to cherish to this day.
One such moment, or match, became so huge that it practically enabled the promotion to turn the tides of the Monday Night War. The aforementioned Mankind versus The Rock match was taped on December 29 and aired a week later on January 4.
The match is noted for the monstrous pop “Stone Cold” Steve Austin received upon his arrival. The Rattlesnake took care of the corporation before taking out then-champion The Rock with a chair shot – allowing Mankind (aka Foley) to capture the WWE Championship.
Also read: Best WWE RAW Matches Of 2000
