Reviews of every WWE “B” PPV event from 1999 including “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”

Let’s discuss the WWE “B” PPV events from 1999. At this point, WWE had become dominant in the wrestling market as WCW’s numbers started to decline.

In Your House: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1999)

Technically still branded In Your House, though only in small print. Austin vs. McMahon in a steel cage was pure entertainment. Vince took a brutal bump through a table, got busted open, and kept going.

Big Show (Paul Wight) debuted by tossing Austin through the cage wall, accidentally giving him the win. Brilliant finish. The Hardcore Match between Al Snow and Bob Holly ending in the Mississippi River was also memorable.

Rock vs. Mankind was great but had a terrible double-knockout finish. Still, The Rock singing “SmackDown Hotel” was classic.

In Your House: Backlash (1999)

The final In Your House event, held in Providence, Rhode Island. Austin vs. The Rock with Shane McMahon as referee was an excellent main event—on par with their WrestleMania match.

Vince turned face by helping Austin beat Shane and retain the title. The Rock using a handheld camera during the match was a great touch, leading to Austin stunning him in perfect timing.

The rest of the show was typical Russo-era chaos—short matches, lots of interference—but entertaining overall.

Over the Edge 1999

It’s not really fair to criticize or critique this pay-per-view because of the circumstances. Over the Edge 1999 is, of course, the show where Owen Hart had his tragic accident and lost his life.

The first two matches were fine. The hardcore match with Al Snow and Hardcore Holly was very entertaining, and the atmosphere early on was energetic. The announcers were excited, but after the second match you notice a sudden change in tone. WWE edited out all references to Owen Hart from the network version, but the shift is obvious. The crowd clearly wasn’t into the rest of the show, and rightfully so.

I’m not going to critique the matches that followed — it just isn’t appropriate to judge the work of the performers who had to go out there after what happened.

Fully Loaded 1999

The “End of an Era” First Blood match between The Undertaker and Steve Austin was solid. I liked the storyline detail that Undertaker kept trying to protect an existing cut, and the angle where Austin attacked him beforehand added to it. But obviously, it was not actually the end of an era. The stipulation said Vince had to step away from the company if Undertaker lost, but Austin brought him back two months later. WWE not following through on stipulations was nothing new.

The rest of the show was decent. Triple H vs. The Rock in a strap match was good, especially since this was during Triple H’s transition from fun-loving DX member to the more serious “Game” character.

DX vs. Billy Gunn & Chyna was fine. Hardy Boyz vs. The Acolytes is notable because the Hardys were still early in their run, managed by Michael Hayes. There was also an early version of a parking lot brawl with Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman — nowhere near as good as the Cena one years later.

A solid but not spectacular show.

Unforgiven 1999

This was the last PPV Vince Russo wrote before leaving for WCW.

The most infamous part of the show is the Kennel From Hell match — one of the all-time worst matches. The dogs fought each other, relieved themselves on the outside, and completely ruined the concept.

The Dudley Boyz had their first WWE PPV match here. Chris Jericho also wrestled X-Pac in what was supposed to be Jericho vs. Shamrock. It ended up being a throwaway match but still good.

The Six-Pack Challenge main event was entertaining, with Steve Austin as the enforcer. Triple H won the title, forcing Austin to count the fall — setting up their future feud. Good match, but not an all-time classic.

No Mercy 1999

The Good Housekeeping Match with Chyna beating Jeff Jarrett for the IC title was historic — she became the first woman to hold the title, and it was Jarrett’s final WWE appearance before showing up on Nitro the next night. The behind-the-scenes payout dispute added to the drama.

The real standout, though, is the first-ever Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian ladder match. The crowd didn’t care about them at the start due to the silly “Terry Invitational Tournament,” but by the end the fans were on their feet. A star-making match for both teams.

Triple H vs. Austin was good, primarily to set up Survivor Series. The Rock’s accidental involvement moved the storyline forward.

A very strong PPV overall.

Armageddon 1999

A good PPV.

Miss Kitty flashed the crowd (edited off the network). Too Cool and Rikishi had early PPV appearances here and were getting over quickly. Kurt Angle was only in his second PPV match and was already becoming a top heel.

The Big Show vs. Big Boss Man WWE Title match was terrible, despite the entertaining—though ridiculous—storyline leading up to it (Big Show’s father’s funeral, etc.).

The most memorable part was the Triple H vs. Vince McMahon match with the sledgehammer finish. Stephanie “accidentally” hit Vince, but then aligned with Triple H, beginning their on-screen (and eventually real-life) partnership.