Alternative WWE: 23rd June RAW

1997
As 1997 came, the roles had changed positions, the WWF were now what the NWA had been seven years prior, and WCW was now the number one promotion in the world. As Royal Rumble began to come near, the WWF signed 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in freestyle wrestling, Kurt Angle to take place in a feud between Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid. On the first RAW of 1997, Kurt Angle was introduced to the WWF audience, giving a speech on how he hoped to be in this ring in several months. However things got cut short, mainly because the WWF Champion had arrived in the arena. Sycho Sid came to the ring and nailed the gold medalist with his Powerbomb before posing with his belt. Whilst later on in the show, Shawn Michaels defeated Faarooq to gain contention to the WWF title. On the January 13th edition of RAW, Michaels took out Sycho Sid after a match against Charles Wright [later known as Kama Mustafa] whilst dressed as a cameraman, the Heartbreak Kid vowed to win at the Royal Rumble for his home town, his state, his country and for Kurt Angle. On the January 20th edition of RAW, Sid crushed Marty Jannetty, the challenger's former partner and best friend. The feud all came to a head on January 27th as Shawn Michaels defeated Sycho Sid with the assistance of Kurt Angle who nailed Michaels with the WWF title, getting Shawn the 'W' in his home town. Also on the card, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Marc Mero brawled to a double count-out, Faarooq and PG-13 of the Nation of Domination defeated Ahmed Johnson and the Legion of Doom. Brian Pillman also took Steve Austin to the limit but Austin won when it was all said and done with. Tag Team Champions, Owen Hart and British Bulldog also wrestled on the card, defeating the Godwinns to retain the gold. And of course, in the Royal Rumble match, it came down to Bret Hart and Undertaker, Bret Hart being the one thrown over the top rope following assistance from the man previously eliminated, Big Van Vader. And so Undertaker was on his way to WrestleMania 13.

On the January 27th edition of RAW, Sycho Sid demolished Kurt Angle [before he was carted to the developmental territory on a stretcher] before demanding that he get another WWF title shot. This didn't work however as Sid was met by Bret Hart, who told Sid that he lost fair and square because the referee didn't see Angle attack Sid. Sid challenges Bret Hart to a match next week on RAW before Hart ducked a clothesline and escaped the ring. Also on the show, Shawn Michaels had a heated promo regarding the Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble. Michaels was then interrupted by Steve Austin who informed and reminded Michaels of another pay-per-view coming up in a two weeks and six days. Austin then challenged Michaels to a match at In Your House #13: Chaos in North Carolina. In other action, Phil LaFon and Doug Furnas defeated PG-13 to gain contention to the WWF Tag Team Championships at Chaos in North Carolina, after the match champions, Owen and Bulldog attacked the Can-Am Express. And in the main event, Goldust and Marc Mero fought to a double disqualification as Hunter Hearst Helmsley attacked both men. On February 3rd RAW, Rocky Maivia returned to television after a month dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, defeating Crush in singles action. After the match, PG-13 and Faarooq attempted to attack the youngster just to get knocked down to the canvas but Crush attacked Maivia from behind. Luckily, Ahmed Johnson was there to break up the fight and help Maivia. Also on the show, Brian Pillman came out to the show and cut a promo telling the world how much he has suffered and that Austin broke his wrist. Pillman tells the world that he will be back and will be behind Bret Hart every step of the way against Big Van Vader. At the main event, it was Sycho Sid defeating Bret Hart thanks to Vader's interference. Hart vs. Vader was also scheduled for Chaos in North Carolina. On February 10th RAW, the show was given a second hour as the show opened with Phil LaFon taking on Owen Hart with Owen coming out on top thanks to interference from Bulldog. Post match, Doug Furnas came in to help LaFon out, leading to a match between those two in which Furnas won by count-out. In other happenings on the show, Rocky Maivia fell to Hunter Hearst Helmsley in non-title action. Goldust then came in to get some of Hunter but Marc Mero also got involved and Goldust and Mero battled as Helmsley ran for his life. In a promo, it was Sycho Sid challenging anybody on the planet to a match at Chaos in North Carolina. In other action, Faarooq defeated Rocky Maivia by DQ after Maivia nailed Faarooq with Crush's chain. And in the main event, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin and Vader. Post match, a promo aired on the screen, previewing Undertaker's return to RAW next week. At In Your House, Ken Shamrock was the one to accept Sid's challenge. He took great pleasure in taking down Sycho Sid in a ten minute challenge. Owen Hart and British Bulldog defeated Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon by count out after Hart clocked Furnas with the Slammy trophy while outside the ring. In a unique triple threat match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Marc Mero and Goldust after a black haired strong woman came in and body slammed Mero before attacking Marc Mero's valet, Sable and Goldust's wife, Marlena. Helmsley followed with a Pedigree for the win. In a three-on-two handicap match, Ahmed Johnson and Rocky Maivia defeated Faarooq and PG-13 by DQ after Crush interfered. Bret Hart took on Vader but it never began as turned heel only an hour into his debut in the WWF, taking down Hart with Vader winning. In the main event, Steve Austin took on Shawn Michaels to a no-contest as Undertaker gave Austin a Tombstone and Michaels and Taker stared each other down.

On February 17th edition of RAW, Undertaker cut a promo on Shawn Michaels, warning Michaels about what he will suffer at WrestleMania 13 and telling Michaels to stay away tonight when he takes on Vader. Owen Hart and British Bulldog unexpectedly dropped the Tag Team titles to the returning Legion of Doom after Owen smacked Bulldog with they Slammy trophy instead of Animal followed by the Doomsday Device. Owen and Bulldog argued post match [however it ended unsuccessfully as Owen Hart suffered a knee injury the Sunday before the 24th February edition of RAW. In the back a fight had apparently broken out between Sable and Marlena. Goldust and Mero dragged the divas off each other, Mero and Goldust holding the women back. Ahmed Johnson defeated Crush in a no holds barred match before getting attacked by the Nation of Domination and in other action, Ken Shamrock and Sycho Sid defeated Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon before Bret Hart attempted to get to Shamrock only to have Sid double team Hart. In the main event, Undertaker defeated Vader by DQ after Mankind returned from shoulder injury and attacked Undertaker. However the assault was saved by Shawn Michaels who assisted Undertaker in taking Vader and Mankind out. On February 24th RAW, Goldust defeated Marc Mero after Marlena stripped Sable to her bra and panties, distracting Mero for the Curtain Call, Sable then returned the favour to Marlena. Steve Austin called out Hunter Hearst Helmsley after cutting a promo about how the man has been holding him down, thus turning him face. Helmsley and Austin argued for a while before Austin gave him a stunner. Also in the main event, Vader and Mankind defeated the Legion of Doom in a non-title contest, paving the way for their WrestleMania 13 clash. The show came to a close when Shawn Michaels noticed Undertaker lying unconscious, a bloody mess in a dark room. Michaels denys attacking 'Taker and shouts for EMTs. On the March 3rd edition of RAW, the Headbangers made their debuts, two arrogent metalheads that came out to the instrumental of some Marilyn Manson song. The two then squashed the Hardy Boyz in the opener. Ahmed Johnson also made his prescense felt as he defeated Crush and Faarooq with Rocky Maivia in tag team action. After the match however, it was the former Sultan interfering and destroying both of the babyfaces, declaring himself as 'Fatu' and joining the Nation of Domination. In singles action, Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated the former Bastion Booger, now a man with a school bully-style look. Helmsley squashed him in minutes before telling Chyna and the world that he would overcome Steve Austin's power and technique and win at WrestleMania 13. Marc Mero and Goldust attempted to patch up their checkered history as they teamed up to challenge Mankind and Vader. They were unsuccesful however as Sable distracted Goldust leading to the Mandible Claw, making Goldust tap in seconds. Post match, the Legion of Doom cut a promo, challenging Mankind and Vader to a match at WrestleMania. And in the main event, Shawn Michaels defeated Ken Shamrock after interference from Bret Hart. On the March 10th ediiton of RAW, the show got a makeover, giving the whole show a different look, a far more larger stage and logo. The opener saw the Headbangers defeat the Can-Am Express, continuing their dominance in their second match on WWF RAW. Sycho Sid was also on the show, shouting his mouth off at the WWF for at one point being WWF champion and next thing being the loser to a guy half his size. Sid then decides to go into business for himself, and he does, destroying Steve Austin shortly after, during a match between Austin and Crush. Fatu defeated Rocky Maivia in singles action, thanks to the introduction of yet another Nation member in the former King Mabel. However this time, Ahmed Johnson was on the scene and he sure as hell wasn't alone. Ahmed along with the Godwinns were on the scene to make the save. In other happenings, Marc Mero took on Ken Shamrock to a non-finish after Goldust and Marlena attacked Sable, causing Mero to go after them. There was no official ten count out. And finally in the main event, a three way tag team non-title match, the Legion of Doom defeated Vader and Mankind & Shawn Michaels and Undertaker after Michaels gave Undertaker some Sweet Chin Music and Animal got the win. The show was pre-empted on March 17th, being replaced with a WrestleMania 13 build-up. At the actual WrestleMania 13, Sable and Marc Mero defeated Goldust and Marlena; Ahmed Johnson, Rocky Maivia and the Godwinns defeated Faarooq, Crush, Fatu and Mabel of the Nation of Domination; the Legion of Doom defeated Mankind and Vader in no holds barred rules; Steve Austin downed Hunter Hearst Helmsley for the Intercontinental Championship; in an impromptu match, the Headbangers defeated Can-Am Express; Sycho Sid squashed Perry Saturn; Ken Shamrock defeated Bret Hart and finally, Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Championship for a second time.

As the Attitude Era in the World Wrestling Federation began, all wasn't grand in World Championship Wrestling as Roddy Piper left WCW out of disappointment over having to fall to Hogan a second time, unhappy enough that he didn't win their match at Uncensored. Dean Malenko's contract was also up for grabs, and guess who picked it up. The WWF won Malenko's contract and Malenko would be heading over to the Federation in two months time. Also around this time, the team of Wolfie D and JC Ice had fallen on hard times in the company as they dissed the staff in the back by accident before getting released in mid February.
On the March 24th edition of RAW, Shawn Michaels chose to leave the WWF out of protest over not getting a rematch. Michaels formed a large group of people to surround the arena with picket signs, dissing the WWF's name. Paul Bearer was also having problems with his alliance and association with Mankind and Vader as the two argued after losing a WWF Tag Team Championship rematch to the Legion of Doom, twenty-four hours after their no holds barred fight. Bret Hart was also on the show, not happy with the result at WrestleMania 13, telling how it was bull **** that he lost to the MMA fighter, Ken Shamrock by submission when Hart clearly had his foot on the rope. In a WWF Intercontinental Championship match, Steve Austin successfully retained the gold against Goldust, it is also good to note that Goldust was booed out of the building, obviously turned heel. Post match, Bret Hart returned to the show, attacking Austin from behind. In the opener of the WarZone, the Headbangers defeated the Godwinns in tag action to continue their winning streak. Post match, the Nation of Domination ran to the ring and beat down the Godwinns, trying to make it a sign to Ahmed Johnson and Rocky Maivia who had the night off. The British Bulldog returned to the WWF after having a month off along with Owen Hart and his injured knee. He was accompanied by Jim Cornette and it seemed as though the face turn had been cancelled along with Camp Cornette. Bulldog squashed Bob Holly in a minute and a half before challenging anybody in the locker room to a match next week. Marc Mero also showed his face, losing to Jerry Lawler by count out after chasing Hunter Hearst Helmsley to the back after Chyna attacked Sable. And finally in the main event, Undertaker defeated Ken Shamrock in non-title action before Shawn Michaels showed his face, appearing with ECW World Champion, Raven. On 31st March edition of RAW, Shawn Michaels reminded everybody that this day last year he was WWF champion for the first time. Michaels went on to say that the management denied access to a rematch with Taker. He then stated that Michaels will continue bringing in crazy hardcore guys until Taker finally cracks and fires back with a title match. In the opener of RAW, the Headbangers continued their streak as Mosh defeated Henry O. Godwinn thanks to a little help from Thrasher. Also, Hunter Hearst Helmsley teamed with Chyna to defeat Sunny and Billy Gunn in mixed tag action. After the match, Marc Mero's valet Sable nailed Chyna in the back with a chair. In the main event of RAW, British Bulldog's challenge was met with Sycho Sid, newly turned face, Sid sent Bulldog running after a decent match, Bulldog rushing to the back getting Sid a countout victory. To start off WarZone, Raven made his official debut in the WWF, squashing Duke Droese before slamming a barbwire 2x4 over his spine. Raven cut a promo to Undertaker, telling that he will be coming for him at In Your House #14: The Gauntlet. Bret Hart also exchanged heated words with Shawn Michaels, telling of how unprofessional he is. Fatu and Mabel defeated the Legion of Doom in an impromptu sneak attack of a match following an attack from Faarooq and Crush. Rocky Maivia and Ahmed Johnson then helped the Legion out, clearing the ring of the Nation. And finally, Ken Shamrock made Ahmed Johnson tap out, after the match Bret Hart challenged Shamrock to a no holds barred match at The Gauntlet, Hart however was ignored as the Intercontinental Champion came to the ring and attacked Bret Hart and Ken Shamrock. On the 7th April RAW, Vader and Mankind tried to patch up on their team work only to fall to the Godwinns after Vader accidentally Vader Bombed Mankind. Mankind then applied the Mandible Claw on Vader on the stage before falling off of the stage, Paul Bearer was furious. Chyna destroyed Sable in a useless womens match followed up with a brawl between the women and Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Marc Mero, the couple was then joined by Goldust and Marlena suprisingly. Shawn Michaels stated in a pre-taped interview viewed in black and white without the WWF logo, that Undertaker will crack soon, and that on April 13th, Michaels will be at ECW's first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, where his boy Raven will take on Taz for the ECW gold. And in the main event of RAW, Faarooq defeated Animal of Legion of Doom followed by interview from Hawk, Maivia, Ahmed and the Nation. To follow up from RAW's main event on WarZone's opener, Hawk defeated Crush following interference from Animal. Also, Steve Austin defeated Ken Shamrock following interference from Bret Hart, who proceeded in attacking Steve Austin. And finally, British Bulldog and Undertaker fought to a no contest as Raven threw a thumbtack in Taker's eye as Sid attacked Bulldog on the other side of the ring. Sid's attack backfired however as Bulldog took Sid down and slammed the steps over his foot. Meanwhile, Undertaker was left holding his left eye. At ECW Barely Legal, Michaels cut a promo with Raven after the opener, mentioning both Undertaker and Taz. As the main event played on, Michaels nailed Taz with the Sweet Chin Music to gain heat from the crowd. However this backfired as darkness struck the arena and when the lights returned, Shawn Michaels had disappeared and Taz was standing behind the confused ECW champion. Taz applied the Tazzmission and we immediately had a new ECW Champion. The April 14th RAW was pre-empted with a hype hour for In Your House #14: The Gauntlet. At The Gauntlet, Hunter Hearst Helmsley gained an Intercontinental Championship shot by teaming with Chyna to defeat Sable and Marc Mero & Goldust and Marlena; Vader and Mankind brawled to a double DQ as both men used baseball bats on one another; The Legion of Doom retained the Tag Team Championships by defeating Faarooq and Crush of the Nation; Whilst Rocky Maivia and Ahmed Johnson defeated Fatu and Mabel; British Bulldog defeated Sycho Sid by forfeit as Bulldog hurt Sid's bad foot again; Steve Austin retained the Intercontinental Championship as he defeated both Ken Shamrock and Bret Hart; Finally, Undertaker defeated Raven in a bloodbath of a no holds barred match, Shawn Michaels then came in with his new hardcore maniac, known as Tommy Dreamer.

On April 21st RAW, Shawn Michaels chose to hide from Undertaker, not showing at the arena but at his home in San Antonio, Texas. He cut a promo about Dreamer facing the new ECW Champion Taz tonight in an unsanctioned ECW title match. Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Leif Cassidy in the opener as he had Chyna distract Cassidy for the Pedigree. Post-match, Steve Austin appeared on the TitanTron, calling out Helmsley to a street fight in the parking lot but Helmsley joked, Austin turning around to get attacked by two of the Nation, Fatu and Mabel. Speaking of the Nation, Faarooq was in action as he took on Rocky Maivia in a match ended in a double count-out. Maivia then vowed to put an end to the Nation whether it was to take a week up to a year. In the main event of RAW, British Bulldog defeated Marc Mero, followed by injuring the foot of Mero in the same method he did to Sycho Sid and that was by crushing the right foot of Mero under the steel steps. At the beginning of WarZone, it was announced that Brian Pillman would return to the WarZone next week. In the opener, the Headbangers gained themselves a shot at the Legion of Doom by defeating the Godwinns and the Can-Am Express to gain contention to the WWF Tag Team Championship at In Your House #15: A Cold Day in Hell. Also on the show, Vader defeated Adam Copeland in a squash match, which followed up with Mankind attacking Vader from behind, dressed as Cactus Jack [then unknown to the entire arena]. In the main event, Taz defeated Tommy Dreamer in a brutal bloodbath following Undertaker turning the lights out for a moment. On the April 28th RAW, Undertaker declaring that Shawn Michaels will not cause him furious anger and tells Shawn to bring in every guy he knows because they would fall to him. Headbanger Mosh continued the Headbangers' undefeated streak as he defeated Animal following distraction by Thrasher on the outside. Hunter Hearst Helmsley was also in action as he defeated Goldust in singles action, post match Goldust shoved Marlena down disgusted by his own loss, heading to the back. And in the main event, Ken Shamrock defeated Ahmed Johnson thanks to help from the Nation. On the open of WarZone, British Bulldog defeated Jim Neidhart in Neidhart's return to the WWF. Post match, Brian Pillman attacked Bulldog from behind, angry that Bulldog was trying to hurt his former friends, his family members. Bulldog shows no sign of anger himself, instead rushing to the back. Steve Austin cut a promo after a match with Crush. And in the main event, Undertaker teamed with Bret Hart to defeat Ken Shamrock and Tommy Dreamer by DQ after Dreamer attacked Undertaker with a chair countless times.

The brief begins...

At In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell, May 12th; Shawn Michaels cost Undertaker a non-title cage match against Tommy Dreamer, officially setting up for the Heartbreak Kid's return to the ring for the first time in two months. Also on the card, Brian Pillman defeated British Bulldog following interference from Bret Hart after he won a match against Ken Shamrock. Hunter Hearst Helmsley fell victim to another loss from the same guy as Steve Austin defeated him to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The Legion of Doom also defeated the Headbangers to retain the Tag Team Championships, giving the Headbangers their first loss in the WWF. The Nation were also in action as Crush fell to Rocky Maivia and Ahmed Johnson defeated Faarooq. And finally, Cactus Jack beat Vader to a pulp in a street fight after giving Vader a double arm DDT off of the apron into a dumpster.

The King of the Ring was meant to end alot of rivalries in the WWF. It was supposed to be a traditional tournament to see which man was better out of a selected sixteen members. However this all went wrong... Bret Hart got involved in an intense rivalry with British Bulldog over Bulldog's recent decisions to take out all of the Hart Foundation and Hart Family members. Steve Austin got involved with Goldust in a bizarre feud to say the least. The Headbangers were also a threat once again to the Tag Team Champions, Legion of Doom. It all happened at King of the Ring 1997...Dean Malenko made an impromptu appearance on the Free-4-All, announcing his debut only to get interrupted by Ken Shamrock, the two argued until Free-4-All ended...In the King of the Ring semi-finals, Mankind defeated Vader after interference from Paul Bearer, smashing his urn into Mankind's back, and Ahmed Johnson defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley only to be attacked by the Nation of Domination after the match, immediately sending Hunter Helmsley to the finals...Steve Austin was successful in retaining the WWF Intercontinental Championship as he defeated Goldust...Bret Hart defeated British Bulldog following inteference from the returning Sycho Sid...The Legion of Doom retained the WWF Tag Team titles against the Headbangers...Hunter Hearst Helmsley had a victory in the finals by DQ as Mankind's substitute, Marc Mero fought with Hunter until Helmsley went for the win only for Mankind to break it up...And finally, Shawn Michaels defeated the Undertaker to win the WWF Championship for a third time thanks to ECW stars Raven and Tommy Dreamer.

Alot of things were serious question marks in the WWF. First off, it was if Shawn Michaels could defeat the Undertaker again after being screwed at the King of the Ring. Another was if this match between Dean Malenko and Ken Shamrock was actually going to happen and when. Whenever Undertaker tried to get his hands on the new WWF Champion, it was the Heartbreak Kid's sidekicks Raven and Tommy Dreamer who continuously held Taker back. Undertaker made a stand-point position and decided to put the new WWF Champion's reign to a short end as he began to build for himself to win back the WWF title at Summerslam. The match was going to be a 10-man no holds barred tag team match and was to be panned out like War Games only without the steel-caged two rings. Two men would enter and another man would enter five minutes later before pinfall could appear anywhere inside the arena for the win. The stipulation was that if Undertaker was to lose then he would not have another chance at the WWF title while the Heartbreak Kid was champion. At In Your House: All-Out War...Marc Mero defeated Dean Malenko following interference from nemesis Ken Shamrock. Mero was now playing the heel, using Sable as his slave...Ahmed Johnson and Rocky Maivia won a tag team title battle royal after eliminating Faarooq to pick up the win; Faarooq and Crush as well as the Legion of Doom were not pleased. Stone Cold Steve Austin retained the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Ken Shamrock after interference from Dean Malenko... Taka Michinoku was victorious over Yoshihiro Tajiri in a Light-Heavyweight title tournament...And lastly, the Undertaker's team of Mankind, Sycho Sid, Taz and Bret Hart defeated Shawn Michaels' team of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, British Bulldog, Raven and the returning Owen Hart.

As the Undertaker's team gained victory at In Your House #16 in July, this meant that he could now challenge Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship at Summerslam. However the finish of the ten man tag team war brought on alot of confusion. In the finish of the match it was Bret Hart forcing British Bulldog into submission. Hart felt that he was being screwed out of the title just like he was at WrestleMania XII. Hart and Michaels, both rivals stood face to face, 18 months since their last match before being met by the lightning of the Undertaker. After several matches for the three in the space of two weeks it was announced that the three would all be in the WWF title match at Summerslam. On another part of the show, uprising international lightweight, Taka Michinoku was storming his way through the Light-Heavyweight division, now reaching the finals. There he would be forced to face his toughest challenge in the WWF as he met Brian Christopher. On the youngest 'big four' event of the year, Brian Christopher defeated Taka Michinoku following interference from his real life father, Jerry Lawler to become the first ever Light-Heavyweight Champion...Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Mankind following interference from Paul Bearer...Sycho Sid and Brian Pillman fought British Bulldog and Owen Hart to a double disqualification...Steve Austin defeated returning lightweight, the mysterious Hakushi to retain the Intercontinental title...Faarooq and Crush defeated Legion of Doom & Rocky Maivia and Ahmed Johnson after Maivia turned on Ahmed Johnson, debuting his finisher the Rock Bottom...Dean Malenko fought Ken Shamrock to an unforgettable 30-minute draw...And finally, Bret Hart defeated Shawn Michaels & Undertaker to win the WWF Championship.

Around this time, USA Network was very impressed with the recent ratings RAW and WarZone were receiving. They were beating WCW's Monday Nitro by an average of 0.50 in the States but internationally, Nitro was barely beating Raw. Meanwhile, the cult known as Extreme Championship Wrestling ended its partnership with the World Wrestling Federation and were doing good in business wise. They had just under a million dollars as a whole in money-wise. Back in WCW, it was safe to say that business in the promotion was at its peak. Sting had had a sudden change of heart and gimmick, replacing his colorful facepaint and tights to wearing black and white, the trademark colors of the nWo. However many fans seemed that this wasn't a sign of Sting turning heel, instead an uprising for the WCW in its kayfabe battle with New World Order.

As summer turned into winter slowly, the WWF were hot coming off the heels of the spectacular known as SummerSlam. There was a new WWF Champion by the name Bret "Hitman" Hart. He came out and gloated to the world that he was the WWF Champion, remaining the fan favourite simultaneously. Hart was interrupted however by the arrival of the WWF Intercontinental Champion, his former rival Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin joked about the fact that Hart was always switching back and forth between the fan favourite and rule breaker. He told Hart that the only way he became the WWF Champion was because he bitched his way into the match at SummerSlam. Bret fired back with a hard slap across the face, leaving the two to have a face-off that the fans went wild for. The two were interrupted however by Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart. Michaels told Austin that he was doing exactly what Hart did and that was to make his prescense known in order to sneak his way to the WWF title himself. Owen told Bret that he is the champion but Owen says that he will not be champion for long. This set up a match for Ground Zero, a tag team match with Owen and Michaels against Steve Austin and Bret Hart. In other action, Brian Christopher was the Light-Heavyweight Champion all thanks to his secretly known father Jerry Lawler. After countless weeks of Christopher winning and retaining the title, the loser from SummerSlam, Taka Michinoku planned on getting retribution, challenging Christopher to another match at Ground Zero, with Jerry Lawler stationed in a glass box above the ring deja vu of RAW from 1995. At Ground Zero...Dean Malenko fought Ken Shamrock to yet another time limit in yet another unforgettable match, post match it was decided that the feud would be forced into ending at Badd Blood inside a steel cage...Taka Michinoku defeated Brian Christopher to win the Light-Heavyweight Championship, post match Hakushi returned making his first appearance in the WWF since Summer Slam by attacking Michinoku from behind...Sycho Sid defeated British Bulldog in no holds barred rules...Rocky Maivia and Faarooq defeated Legion of Doom in non-title action setting up for Badd Blood, after the match, Ahmed Johnson attacked Maivia from behind. Mankind and Brian Pillman defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna, Chyna looked pretty decent in this match...And finally, Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart defeated Bret Hart and Steve Austin after Austin gave Hart a stunner as Michaels covered Hart.

Things were still pretty hot in the WWF as things pulled into October. At the beginning of the month, the Godwinns were let go from their contracts. But it wasn't only the WWF that was on fire, WCW had a new star that was on a role in World Championship Wrestling, going by the name of Bill Goldberg. He debuted on Nitro, September 23rd and destroyed veteran Hugh Morris. ECW signed Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon to open contracts also around this time, LaFon and Furnas planned on going with ECW and WWF depending on which company gave them a better time. After they ended up on the losing side of a squash match with the Legion of Doom, they easily decided to go with Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Back in the Federation, Steve Austin had to explain to the fans why he Stunner'ed Bret Hart at Ground Zero. Austin told the audience that he wasn't going to let Hart take Austin's credit to get the victory [Austin had previously gave Owen Hart the Stunner prior to Hart getting a stunner]. Bret Hart came out to the ring and the two traded insults in an intense angle only to be interrupted by the arrival of the Undertaker, his first appearance since SummerSlam. Undertaker challenged Hart to a title match at Badd Blood under no disqualification rules as Austin walked out. In the main event of that broadcast it was Rocky Maivia who won the Intercontinental Championship from Steve Austin thanks to interference from Shawn Michaels. And so a double main event was scheduled for In Your House: Badd Blood, on one side it was Undertaker against Bret Hart two fan favourites facing off for the WWF Championship. On another side it was Shawn Michaels taking on Steve Austin. The undercard was hot also, filled with matches like Rocky Maivia defending his Intercontinental title against Ahmed Johnson and Taka Michinoku taking on Hakushi. At Badd Blood...Taka Michinoku defeated Hakushi following interference from Devon Storm...Owen Hart and British Bulldog defeated the Legion of Doom to win the WWF Tag Team Championships...Rocky Maivia defeated Ahmed Johnson following interference from two unknown Nation of Domination members and Faarooq [D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry]...Mankind defeated Goldust in a bizarre match...Marc Mero defeated Vader [who was extremely over] as a result of a disqualification...Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin to gain contention to the WWF title at Survivor Series...And finally, Bret Hart defeated Undertaker following interference from a man dressed in red and black with a mask.

There was a major disappointment and loss in the company after Badd Blood. To start off, Dean Malenko was injured on the RAW prior to Badd Blood [he was scheduled to take on Ken Shamrock in a steel cage match] and secondly, Brian Pillman passed away in his hotel room. He wrestled his last match on the RAW before the event, defeating Rocky Maivia. There was an interview with Pillman's widow the night after and had no charisma.

The Survivor Series was scheduled to be the biggest event since WrestleMania XII. The main event was scheduled to be Bret Hart [who defeated Undertaker at Badd Blood] to take on Shawn Michaels [who defeated Steve Austin at Badd Blood]. These two had only faced off at Survivor Series 1992 and WrestleMania XII, two times on pay-per-view and national television. However Steve Austin still wanted the WWF title, having wanted to get his title shot for two months now. Instead he found an old enemy, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a member of Shawn Michaels' new faction, D-Generation X. Helmsley called Austin unworthy to get his hands on the WWF title and the two feuded back and forth all month long, setting up for a four-on-four elimination tag match at the Survivor Series. Helmsley chose Chyna and a new team, the New Age Outlaws [Jesse James and Billy Gunn] to fight Austin's newcoming woman, Starla Saxton and Legion of Doom. Rocky Maivia and Ahmed Johnson were also still having problems as Johnson plotted to finish the Nation of Domination once and for all at Survivor Series. At the Survivor Series...Taka Michinoku, Aguila, Marc Mero and Flash Funk defeated Hakushi, Brian Christopher, Jerry Lawler and Devon Storm in the first elimination tag match of the night...Jeff Jarrett defeated Goldust in his return to the WWF...In an open challenge set by Paul Bearer, Kane defeated Sycho Sid following interference from Bearer. The lights were dimmed and shined red in the arena. Afterwards, Kane went to set Sid on fire on the aisle only for Cactus Jack to run out and nail Kane with the barbwire baseball bat only for Kane to give him a Tombstone Piledriver on the thin carpeting...The Nation of Domination [Rocky Maivia, Faarooq, D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry] defeated Ahmed Johnson, the returning Skip and Zip of the Bodydonnas and Crush...Hunter Hearst Helmsley's team of Denerates defeated Steve Austin, Starla Saxton and the Legion of Doom. Saxton looked fantastic...Owen Hart and British Bulldog defeated ECW guests Rob Van Dam and Sabu in an unsanctioned tag match...And finally, Bret Hart retained the WWF title from Shawn Michaels.

As winter pulled in, several questions were left unanswered. For one question, was Stone Cold Steve Austin ever going to get his WWF title shot after two or three months of chasing it. Another was if Undertaker was going to continue hiding away while Kane and Paul Bearer were ruling the land. Bret Hart gave Shawn Michaels respect after having a fantastic match at Survivor Series. Hart was interrupted however by the arrival of Shawn Michaels' partner, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Helmsley told Hart that Michaels was injured thanks to a heinus Piledriver that could of broken his neck, Helmsley went on to inform that his lawyers will take legal action for his doings. Hart told Hunter to back off and the two ended up brawling. It took several minutes to stop the brawl and it took almost the entire locker room to break them apart. It was made by owner Vince McMahon that a battle royal would take place that night, and it was won by Hunter Hearst Helmsley after eliminating Steve Austin. In other happenings leading up to D-Generation X, it was announced that Steve Austin would be the next in line for a title shot, most likely at Royal Rumble and authorities put Austin in charge as the official in Hart and Helmsley's match at D-X. Kane's manager Paul Bearer challenged anybody to fight Kane at D-Generation X also, before the lights dimmed countless times hinting that Undertaker would accept the challenge. At D-Generation X...Rocky Maivia defeated Goldust to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship, after the match Goldust was so pissed that he walked out on everybody...The New Age Outlaws defeated the Legion of Doom and the British Bulldog and Owen Hart to win the WWF Tag Team Championships, Bulldog and Owen were unusually over in this match...Ken Shamrock defeated Ahmed Johnson following interference from Rocky Maivia...Kane defeated Cactus Jack in a violent match, the lights were dimmed and red yet again...Taka Michinoku defeated Devon Storm to retain the Light-Heavyweight Championship...And finally, WWF Champion Bret Hart retained by defeating Hunter Hearst Helmsley with Steve Austin as the referee. Austin and Hart stared each other down afterwards.

1999
Well, as 1998 came to a close, the last year of the 20th century drew near as 1999 hit calendars everywhere. And what a way to kick it off, what with the Royal Rumble coming up on the 24th of January. The Road to WrestleMania XV was approaching with Vince and Shane still desperate in trying to eliminate Steve Austin from the WWF Championship equation. However since Triple H of D-Generation X had the power to make matches and change matches in his in-ring absense, he decided that it'd be fun for Austin to enter the Royal Rumble and fight the man who screwed him out of the WWF Championship on two occasions, the Rock. But Vince McMahon changed Shawn Michaels' change by putting Steve Austin against a mystery wrestler and in the Royal Rumble. Elsewhere on the scene in the World Wrestling Federation, Dean Malenko and Taka Michinoku had serious heat between each other, Malenko and Michinoku former friends torn apart by the jealousy and the involvement of the Light-Heavyweight Championship. In other action, the Dudley Boyz and Big Bossman & D'Lo Brown were put in an 8-man tag match to take on the New Age Outlaws and the Devil's Henchmen. Kane was entered into the Royal Rumble by the McMahons in another attempt to eliminate Austin from the WWF title equation. At Royal Rumble...Dean Malenko defeated Taka Michinoku after a cheap finish...In the debut of the Hardcore Championship, Bob Holly outlasted Al Snow, the Headbangers, Test, Blackdust, Bob's cousin Crash Holly & Gangrel, Edge and Christian of the Brood. Test debuted at this show and was slightly over...Mankind retained his Intercontinental Championship by defeating Val Venis...Shawn Michaels teamed with Jeff Jarrett to defeat the Hart Brothers...The Devil's Henchmen and the New Age Outlaws defeated D'Lo Brown and Big Bossman & the Dudley Boyz; Billy Gunn pinned D'Lo resulting in a title shot for the Outlaws at St. Valentine's Day Massacre...Mona Greenwald cut a promo on every woman in the world and how she was the only woman on the Top 100 Wrestlers list during 1998. She was interrupted by the former Miss Angelica in ECW, Lita...Steve Austin's mystery opponent turned out to be former WCW star, the Giant. He was known as Paul Wight tonight. The two battled to a no-contest...And finally, Undertaker won the 1999 Royal Rumble by eliminating Steve Austin following help from the Rock yet again.

The Royal Rumble resulted in yet more changes in the World Wrestling Federation. Around this time, WCW was averagely getting 4.50 on Monday Nitro whereas RAW is WAR was receiving around 6.20 as January turned into February. The Rumble also showed us some new faces in Crash Holly, Test, Lita, Paul Wight as well as the first push of Bob Holly and the debut of the Hardcore Championship. As a result of the Royal Rumble match, it was confirmed that Undertaker was going to WrestleMania XV to fight his brother, Kane. Both who were involved in factions. However first, Kane had to team with the Hart Brothers and the Rock at St. Valentine's Day Massacre to fight Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett and Steve Austin; Austin and Shawn as well as Shawn and Taker not being known as the best of friends. In other action, it was Lita who stepped up to Mona Greenwald and her bragging about how she is the best female wrestler in the world. But Greenwald wasn't the only bragger in the WWF, as Kurt Angle showed his face everywhere, getting into a feud with Intercontinental Champion, Mankind. At St. Valentine's Day Massacre...Mona Greenwald defeated Jacqueline to retain the Women's Championship, the match was changed after Shane tried to woo Mona by swapping Lita on purpose with Jacqueline...Taka Michinoku defeated Bob Holly to win the Hardcore Championship despite interference from Dean Malenko [Bob Holly regained the Hardcore gold the next night on RAW]...Paul Wight of the Corporation defeated fan favourite, Test...Mankind fell to Kurt Angle, giving Angle his first singles title, winning the Intercontinental title gold...The New Age Outlaws defeated D'Lo Brown and Big Bossman following interference from the Devil's Henchmen, the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz...And finally, the Hart Brothers, Kane and the Rock of the Corporation defeated Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett, Undertaker and Steve Austin after Kane pinned his brother.

And so WrestleMania XV was closing in fast. The weeks came and went with several matches set up for the grandaddy of them all. Firstly there was Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, a feud that had exploded several times over the previous few years. Then there was Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart, two men who idolised different men, Jarrett with Shawn Michaels, Owen with Bret. On another note there was Undertaker and Kane, a serious feud set to end inside the first ever hell in a cell match. And then there was Steve Austin vs. the Rock, Rock had previously cost Austin matches on six or seven different occasions. It was a quad-main event set, with a delicious under coating. Dean Malenko and Taka Michinoku's feud was to end at WrestleMania XV, the Light-Heavyweight Championship on the line. Tag Team Champions, Big Bossman and D'Lo Brown were set to defend their titles in a tag team turmoil match against the Brood, the Hardys, the Bodydonnas, the Dudleys, the New Age Outlaws and the Devil's Henchmen. At WrestleMania XV...X-Pac defeated Gangrel to retain the European Championship...Big Bossman and D'Lo Brown defeated the Headbangers, the Hardys and the Bodydonnas before being defeated by the New Age Outlaws, who then went on to defeat the Henchmen & Edge and Christian...Dean Malenko fell to Taka Michinoku, Taka winning his Light-Heavyweight Championship gold back...Molly Greenwald defeated Lita to retain the Women's Championship...Kurt Angle successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship in a four-corner elimination match overcoming Paul Wight, Test and Mankind...Blackdust won the Hardcore Championship in a battle royal pitting everybody unused at WrestleMania...Owen Hart defeated Jeff Jarrett...Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart following interference from Owen Hart who backstabbed his brother, Michaels then gave Owen the Sweet Chin Music and helped Bret up...Steve Austin defeated The Rock to get revenge after Rock cost him matches between November and February...And finally in a gruesome Hell in a Cell match, Undertaker settled the score with his brother Kane to win the WWF Championship.

The fallout of WrestleMania XV was highly positive as WCW Nitro ratings dropped to an average of 4.05 to RAW's 6.50. WCW struck back however as they stole Jeff Jarrett from the WWF back to World Championship Wrestling. Steve Austin was still trying to get his hands on the WWF Championship but Vince McMahon continued to screw Austin out of the WWF gold. This came to a stop however when Triple H made the main event at Backlash: In Your House a triple threat match between Steve Austin, the Rock and Undertaker. Speaking of Undertaker, his brother had pretty much disappeared off of the planet. Elsewhere, there was problems within the Hart Family, almost deja vu from the rivalry in the cold winter of 1993. The night after WrestleMania XV, Triple H returned to action, siding with Shawn Michaels in his quest to shoot down the body of the Corporation, finding rivals in Big Bossman and D'Lo Brown, the former Tag Team Champions. Elsewhere, X-Pac was digging big, almost winning the Intercontinental Championship from Kurt Angle only to get attacked by Val Venis. Elsewhere, Mankind got injured by accidentally hitting Big Show when trying to get his hands on wannabe hardcore, Bob Holly. Wight was after Mankind's blood and he knew that he would get it at Backlash: In Your House. At Backlash: In Your House...Val Venis defeated X-Pac after cheating his way to the European Championship...Taka Michinoku retained the Light-Heavyweight Championship against Goldberg impersonator, Gillberg. After the match, Taka was attacked by a man with red hair and wearing tights, named Essa Rios...Kurt Angle retained the Intercontinental Championship beating Godfather...The New Age Outlaws defeated Viscera and Mideon by DQ to retain the Tag Team Championships after interference from the Hardy Boyz, lead by Michael 'P.S' Hayes...Paul Wight defeated Mankind by disqualification...British Bulldog [under orders of Owen Hart] defeated Bret Hart...Big Bossman and D'Lo Brown defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels after Triple H left Shawn Michaels to drown against the two Corporation men...And finally, Undertaker retained the WWF Championship defeating Steve Austin and the Rock.

After Backlash ended, everybody knew what the consequences for Triple H would be the next night, a cold hearted meeting with D-Generation X, his old pals and friends. However when it came to RAW is WAR the next night, it wasn't D-Generation X against Triple H however, it was D-Generation X against Shawn Michaels. The roles had changed, D-X now split between its founders; X-Pac on Shawn Michaels' side, Chyna on Triple H's side whereas the New Age Outlaws seemed to have vanished from the whole idea of being a part of D-Generation X as they continued to be a fan favourite wherever they went. Vince McMahon plotted to put an end to the Undertaker's reign as WWF Champion. After several weeks of sending his Corporation members on the WWF Champion, McMahon decided that he would end the reign through his enemy, Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon seemed to have brainwashed Steve into becoming a part of his alliance, but just two weeks away from Over the Edge, Austin turned on Vince. This sparked a little confusion as to who the crowd would be chanting for as both Austin and Undertaker were fan favourites. At Over the Edge...Essa Rios defeated Taka Michinoku to win the WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship, thanks to Dean Malenko who was now Rios' mentor...Viscera won the WWF Hardcore Championship, defeating Al Snow...The New Age Outlaws retained the WWF Tag Team Championships from the Hardy Boyz, after the match, Brood members Christian and Edge attacked the Hardy Boyz...Mankind overcame the Corporation and the Ministry of Darkness to gain a shot at the WWF Championship for King of the Ring...Kurt Angle defeated Jeff Jarrett to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship and advance to the Quarterfinals of the King of the Ring tournament...Val Venis defeated Test to retain the European Championship...Owen Hart fell to Jeff Jarrett after interference from Bret Hart...Shawn Michaels and X-Pac defeated D'Lo Brown and Big Bossman as well as Chyna and Triple H to gain contendership to the WWF Tag Team Championship [the stipulation was added by Vince McMahon after the match, a villainous move since HBK and X-Pac only wanted to get revenge on HHH and Chyna]...The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin after an attack from Big Show, who then attacked the Undertaker and the man trying to help Austin and Taker, Mankind.

And with that, more controversy struck the World Wrestling Federation. The 1999 King of the Ring tournament was fast approaching. After the return of Vince McMahon on RAW is WAR after Over the Edge, he decided to make things a living hell for Steve Austin. He put Austin in a best of three falls matches with Paul Wight, Wight winning 2-1 before placing a handicap match between Steve Austin and the McMahons in a cage match, only with a roof on top of the cage, submission being the only key to victory; entitled the Ring of Torture. Elsewhere on the show, Big Show injured Mankind. This made things more interesting as the Undertaker was supposed to face Mankind at King of the Ring. With their creative control, Shane and Vince decided to replace Mankind with the Big Show. Kurt Angle was set to take on Dean Malenko for the Intercontinental Championship in one King of the Ring semi-final as well [this was going to be unique as both men were not liked by the crowd] as Val Venis to fight Cactus Jack in non-title action [apparently Cactus Jack wasn't the same guy as Mankind]. And also, Bret Hart was to face Owen Hart and the New Age Outlaws had to fight former DX members, Shawn Michaels and X-Pac for the Tag Team Championships. At King of the Ring...Essa Rios defeated Shane Helms to retain the Light-Heavyweight Championship [Helms was only on an open contract, also being with Extreme Championship Wrestling]...Kurt Angle defeated Dean Malenko in a classic match to retain the Intercontinental Championship and advance to the King of the Ring finals [Malenko played the role of the fan favourite in this]…Al Snow defeated Hardcore Champion Viscera, Mideon and Steve Blackman to win the belt/trash…Val Venis fell before Cactus Jack in a brutal brawl not featuring any weapons…Owen Hart defeated Bret Hart after a roll up with his feet on the ropes…Shawn Michaels and X-Pac fell to New Age Outlaws, after the match both teams embraced before they were attacked by both Triple H and Chyna as well as D’Lo Brown and Big Bossman…Kurt Angle defeated Cactus Jack in another brutal match, Angle retained the Intercontinental gold…The McMahons defeated Steve Austin after interference from the Rock…And finally, Undertaker retained the WWF Championship, defeating Big Show.

Around this time, World Championship Wrestling were very slowly gaining back the momentum they had lost one year prior. A main point of this was because WCW had gotten to Bret’s brother and rival at the time, Owen and got him to sign a three year deal over in WCW. Owen was scheduled to leave the World Wrestling Federation on August 27th, meaning he could stay for a little while. WCW was averaging around what it had the year prior; in the 6.00 region alongside WWF which was mixing between the 5.75 point and the 6.50 area. The Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness was slowly shattering around this point, Viscera and Mideon feuding over the Hardcore Championship, and the Devil’s Henchmen having turned into the Acolytes and having almost no connection with the Ministry in promos. Undertaker’s title reign also became in jeopardy as the Rock was high on his chase. Kurt Angle was high on confidence after becoming the 1999 King of the Ring winner. He became so cocky he underrated everybody he faced and treated everybody as though they were his slaves. However, the one man that didn’t agree with ‘King Kurt’s method of cockiness was Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was intent on making Angle’s career a living hell, but it wasn’t that easy because of course whenever Steve Austin was involved with something, the McMahons would always be against him. The two owners vacated Kurt Angle’s Intercontinental Championship to his pleasure and protection from Steve Austin’s hands. They put the second most prestigious solo title up for grabs in a battle royal at Fully Loaded. In the destruction of D-Generation X and its spreading into three pairs of two, this made a lot of interesting situations in the WWF Tag Team Championship division. Especially in the younger teams. On the RAW is WAR two weeks before Fully Loaded, the New Age Outlaws dropped the gold to the Dudley Boyz [who in which period of time had taken time off, due to D-Von’s arm problems]. At Fully Loaded…Essa Rios, Molly Greenwald and Dean Malenko defeated Taka Michinoku, Lita and Funaki in six person tag team action…In a contenders battle royal for the Womens championship, the several inforcements of new talent, Miss Kitty, Ivory, Jacqueline and Tori among other greats such as the former Marlena; Terri Runnels, and Sable fought a drag out brawl [the stipulation was that the last woman standing who had not been stripped to her bra and panties was the winner] until it was Jacqueline who won, stripping Ivory lastly...The Dudley Boyz retained the Tag Team Championships in tag team turmoil rules outlasting the Acolytes and the Hardy Boyz as well Brood members Edge and Christian [who weren’t dressed in Brood fashion and noticeably without Gangrel]…Val Venis defeated Steve Blackman to retain the European Championship…X-Pac won the Intercontinental Championship in a battle royal last eliminating Big Show…Steve Austin defeated Kurt Angle in a match that went shorter than expected…Mideon defeated Viscera to win the Hardcore Championship before being smacked in the head with a baseball bat, knocking him off the entrance ramp. Cactus Jack then hit a diving elbow drop onto him and a referee was there to count the fall…The New Age Outlaws defeated Triple H and Chyna & D’Lo Brown and Big Bossman [Shawn Michaels managed the Outlaws]…And finally, The Rock defeated the Undertaker to win the WWF Championship. And also in other notes, Bret Hart chased Owen Hart throughout the arena in various different segments within the night.

Around this time, things had seemed to have changed for the better in the World Wrestling Federation. Fully Loaded featured the last appearances of Terri Runnels, Mideon and Viscera as elsewhere, Gangrel disappeared off the face of WWF television. Kane returned to the WWF the night following Fully Loaded and seemed to have had a change of heart now batting for the fan favourites. The next week, Chris Jericho debuted on RAW is WAR, destroying Goldust [in his final WWF appearance] and claiming that he was here to purify and to save the WWF. And the week after that, SmackDown debuted. SmackDown was the exact same as RAW is WAR, having the usual two hours and being filled with the top stars in the Federation and was WCW Thunder’s rival. SmackDown also had every characteristic Thunder had, being focused more on the color blue, and being known easily for its unique OvalTron as opposed to RAW’s TitanTron. Everything was started to spike temperature wise as the World Wrestling Federation was about to pull into SummerSlam. The pay-per-view event was headlined on Bret Hart and Owen Hart’s final showdown inside a steel cage, a rematch of their cage match at the event five years earlier. Another match headlining the event was Shawn Michaels against Triple H, followed by the WWF Championship WrestleMania XV rematch between Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock. At SummerSlam…Taka Michinoku defeated Essa Rios to regain the Light-Heavyweight Championship…Jacqueline fell short of the win, falling to Women’s Champion, Molly Greenwald…The Dudley Boyz retained the Tag Team Championship defeating Edge and Christian [who were now full grown fan favourites, that were not vampires]…The New Age Outlaws defeated D’Lo Brown and Big Bossman to end the Bossman/Brown faction…Big Show destroyed X-Pac after a match, retaining the Intercontinental Championship from Kurt Angle…Kane and Undertaker teamed up to defeat the Acolytes…Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart in a steel cage match, this was to be Owen’s send off match…Chris Jericho defeated Jeff Jarrett to gain contention to the Intercontinental Championship…Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels by disqualification after Michaels hit HHH with a chair…And finally, Steve Austin defeated the Rock to win the WWF Championship. The Rock proceeded in turning face after the match.

And there it was, the Fall of 1999 had approached. A lot of things had changed between August and September. The first of it all was Cactus Jack retiring after Hardcore Holly accidentally gave him serious brain damage with a stiff legitimate kick to the head. WCW gained more ratings as Nitro gained 0.1 more viewers each week following the arrival of Owen Hart in WCW. WWF would then counter WCW, by taking Juventud Guerrera and WCW US Heavyweight Champion, Ken Shamrock away from the company. In a response to Madusa throwing the WWF Womens title away on WCW Nitro back in December 1995, Shamrock dumped the US title belt into a machine on an edition of SmackDown. Shamrock quickly engaged in a feud with Dean Malenko, his old nemesis. Elsewhere, Bret Hart had became stuck in the middle of the giant mismatch of a feud which was known as X-Pac vs. Big Show. Hart aligned himself as being X-Pac’s ally and the match was turned into a handicap match at Unforgiven. In other happenings, Triple H had upped his game, giving Shawn Michaels a torn hamstring on an episode of RAW is WAR. The Game made use of this actual accidental injury by challenging Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. The Rock in other ways saw Triple H as more of a threat to him, his arrogance bringing him forward towards the WWF Championship. So, the match between Triple H and Steve Austin was forwarded into a triple threat match, however this changed once more as Mankind returned from retirement as a prank on the SmackDown prior to Unforgiven, making the match a fatal 4-way title bout. At Unforgiven...Juventud Guerrera defeated Taka Michinoku to win the Light-Heavyweight Championship [this was a move made to get Taka more higher up the card, into the tag team ranks along with Sho Funaki]...Dean Malenko defeated Ken Shamrock as a result of disqualification...Chris Jericho defeated X-Pac to win the Intercontinental Championship, Jericho was met by an unholy attack from Kurt Angle [Jericho was cheered throughout his appearance on the show]...Molly Greenwald retained the Women's Championship defeating Tori...Val Venis lost the European Championship to Test...The Acolytes defeated the Dudley Boyz and New Age Outlaws in a three way by disqualification, the Dudleys of course got to retain the belts...In a continuation of their feud, Jeff of the Hardys fell to Christian of E&C...Big Show and Bret Hart brawled to a double count out...And finally, Steve Austin retained the WWF Championship overcoming Triple H, Mankind and The Rock.

It was noticeable that the World Wrestling Federation had change within the span of two or three months. It became noticeable at first when SmackDown debuted but from that point on, but things also got a tad more sketchy and it wasn't long before Raven was brought in with an actual contract with the Federation. For the whole of September and October, his debut was heavily hyped on every show, telling us of his new found ways and religion, always ending with a mysterious catchphrase 'Quothe the Raven Nevermore'. The feud between Edge and Christian & the Hardy Boyz got so intense that the final bout had to be settled in a best of three falls match, the third match if neccessary, a ladder match, all for a Tag Team title shot at Armageddon in December. Going into No Mercy, Steve Austin was finally going to get his hands on Triple H, also at No Mercy it was set to be a tag team match between the Dudley Boyz and the new found team, the Rock n Sock Connection. Adding to this, it was Chris Jericho taking on Kurt Angle among other matches. At No Mercy...Kaientai defeated Too Much...Molly Greenwald finally dropped the Womens Championship to Ivory in a match also featuring Lita and Tori...The Hardy Boyz defeated Edge and Christian in a fantastic best of three falls match, ending in a fabulous ladder match...Chris Jericho managed to retain the Intercontinental Championship from Kurt Angle after help from a woman we hadn't seen in several months, Chyna...The New Age Outlaws and Al Snow defeated Big Bossman and the Acolytes [Bossman and Al Snow were added late on, as a result of Bossman and Snow feuding over the Hardcore title], the finish came when Snow hit a Snowplow and two referees counted the win...Test dropped the European Championship belt to D'Lo Brown, Test then vowed that he would find something else to love...Dudley Boyz defeated the Rock n Sock Connection in a tables match to retain the Tag Team titles...Bret Hart and Big Show brawled to a double count out after Kane attacked Show [Show had previously attacked Kane on RAW]...Ken Shamrock defeated Dean Malenko by submission...And finally, Triple H defeated Steve Austin to win the WWF Championship.

This was going to all come to a head at Survivor Series as in two elimination style matches, in one, the New Age Outlaws, Kane and Undertaker were set to take on the Acolytes, Big Show and Kurt Angle however the Undertaker went down with injury the night following Unforgiven. Undertaker was replaced with Chris Jericho who then decided to put the title on the line against Kurt Angle if any of Angle's team pinned him. In another, the Hardy Boyz, Too Cool [the team Too Much were repackaged as babyface dancers alongside Phatu] and Rikishi to take on Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boyz and D'Lo Brown. And in the actual Survivor Series main event, it was to be Triple H taking on Mankind. Elsewhere on the card, Test found his new love in Stephanie McMahon, however before he could get to her, he had to get through co-owner, Shane McMahon. This plus a Hardcore title invitational. At Survivor Series...Crash Holly won the Hardcore battle royal to become the new Hardcore Champion [Crash would go on to create the 24/7 rule]...Ivory retained the Womens Championship, defeating Lita...Kurt Angle, Big Show and the Acolytes defeated Kane, New Age Outlaws and Chris Jericho after Angle pinned Jericho last...Angle followed up by winning the Intercontinental Championship from Jericho, Angle was then ran off by Chyna...D'Lo Brown, the Dudley Boyz & Edge and Christian fell to Too Cool, Rikishi and the Hardy Boyz...Bret Hart defeated Big Bossman to gain contention to the WWF Championship...The Rock defeated Raven in Raven's heavily hyped debut by disqualification...Test defeated Shane McMahon to get to ask Stephanie McMahon to marry him...And finally, Steve Austin disrupted the WWF title match between Triple H and Mankind as he brawled with HHH out into the parking lot before he was suddenly ran over by somebody in a limousine. Austin looked hurt as many wrestlers helped him up and Triple H ran away.

With Austin being ran over at the Survivor Series, yet more things changed in the World Wrestling Federation. But something else that changed was that on the December 12th edition of RAW is WAR, the show was given a change in stage and arena, having the same stage and tron but several support beams holding up the tron over the curtan, and the two towers on either side in a glowing red format being replaced with two more screens. But now this meant that the last WWF pay-per-view of the 20th century was nearing, and we was about to dive into the 21st century and 2000. Vince McMahon disappeared from the scenes for December and Shane McMahon called the shots, Stephanie McMahon making a little assistance. At Armageddon, Triple H was set to take on Bret Hart for the WWF Championship, the last time this happened was at a pay-per-view in Spring 1998, but alot had changed in a year and a half. At Armageddon...Test defeated Kurt Angle to win the Intercontinental Championship. Test then proposed to his manager, Stephanie McMahon in which she replied with 'yes'...In a tag team battle royal, the Acolytes gained contendership to the Tag Team Championships at the Royal Rumble...Ken Shamrock defeated Chris Jericho, afterwards Shamrock was jumped by Dean Malenko...Juventud Guerrera defeated Essa Rios to retain the Light-Heavyweight Championship...D'Lo Brown cheated his way to retaining the European Championship against Rikishi...Raven and The Rock brawled to a non-finish in a brutal last man standing match...And finally, Triple H retained the WWF Championship defeating Mankind.

And that was that. The bell chimed twelve times worldwide and just like that, we had jumped into the new millenium. 2000 was going to be one hot momma of a year for the World Wrestling Federation...