Background: The long-standing feud between The Rock and Triple H continued throughout the spring of 1999, resulting in The Rock besting both The Undertaker and HHH in a Triple Threat match on “Raw” after the latter had an altercation to become the number one contender to the WWF World Championship held by ‘Taker.
King of the Ring ‘99
Greensboro, NC
June 27, 1999
The Undertaker vs. The Rock
The Rock did what he did best by mouthing off at the champion. And the champ decided to just deck the referee before he could ring the bell. Why? To feel the Rock Bottom without the official to make the count. Another referee came out, but the champion’s manager Paul Bearer pulled him out of the ring and knocked him out. In the ring, the original referee got up just in time to count down The Rock after the challenger felt the chokeslam. The Rock kicked out right before the three count as the crowd started chanting in the challenger’s favor. Rocky fired back with right hands that sent ‘Taker gingerly walking up the aisle where The Rock followed to do battle near the crew and fans. The referee was being very lineate with the count, opting to follow both wrestlers as they fought around the arena. The action finally made it back into the ring where The Undertaker was in complete control. Going for a big boot cost the champ as The Rock duck and caused The Undertaker to crotch himself on the top rope. After spitting in ‘Taker’s face, The Rock took the fight into the crowd where Rocky used someone’s water bottle to drench the champ yet again. A short elbow stopped The Rock’s assault, only for the challenger to turn things around when they made it back to ringside. Grabbing a chair, The Rock wanted to bash The Undertaker’s skull. Little did The Rock know, ‘Taker had grabbed the ring bell. Swinging in retaliation, The Undertaker knocked the chair back, causing it to crack his opponent right between the eyes.
To add insult to injury, Bearer used some maneuvering to whack a prone Rock with his shoe. The Rock refused to stay down even after maneuvers such as the DDT and the sleeper. Fighting through the champ’s onslaught, The Rock utilized a Samoan drop that set the stage for a double down. Though the champion was the first to get up, it was The Rock who gained the advantage courtesy of his own DDT. Just when it seemed The Rock had this in the bag, he ran into the referee prior to hitting the People’s Elbow on The Undertaker. And yet again the referee was down and unable to count down the titleholder. Bearer had a rag soaked in ether ready to put The Rock down, but “The People’s Champion” was able to stop what occurred by turning the tables on The Undertaker. Suddenly, Triple H ran out to Pedigree the unprepared Rock. By the time the referee and The Undertaker got up, The Rock was still woozy and prone to the Tombstone Piledriver for a three count in the champion’s favor.
Winner: The Undertaker (19:47)
Is It A Classic: I consider “King of the Ring ‘99” one of the worst pay-per-views in wrestling history and, unfortunately, the WWF title match couldn’t make it any better. The Undertaker and The Rock worked hard, but something just didn’t click. Add that to the fact the referee bumps were numerous and unnecessary during a time where almost anything went in any given match. It’s not a bad match (especially compared to some of the other stuff on the show), but it’s not very memorable either.
