10 Underrated Elements Of WCW In 1999
Contrary to what history tells us, not everything about 1999 WCW sucked!
Much has been made of WCW's failures as a company late in the 1990s and how the promotion lost millions at an alarming pace, ultimately leading to its sale to Vince McMahon.
There have been books written, documentaries produced and an entire 10-part WWE Network series about how colossally Ted Turner and the men he chose to run his billion dollar wrestling empire managed to f*ck up the juggernaut.
The downfall was quick and merciless, beginning in 1999 with the infamous "Fingerpoke of Doom" and continuing through the hiring of Vince Russo. The overexposure of ageing headliners like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Roddy Piper and Randy Savage had a lot to do with it but, as bad as things were at different points throughout the final year of the Millennium, there was still plenty to love about the promotion.
History tells us that everything about the promotion was doom and gloom, that ridiculous promotional tactics like the hiring of rapper Master P and the No Limit Soldiers defined WCW in 1999, but did they really?
Fresh faces, inspired performances and a focus on one division in particular helped WCW deliver programming that may not have always been consistently great but upon revisiting it, is significantly more fun than it gets credit for.
Which stars, matches and elements of 1999 WCW are wildly underrated?
Take a look for yourself.
10. Rey Mysterio: Giant Killer
Rey Mysterio had an eventful 1999. Early in the year, he was unmasked in a controversial angle. What could have been a career-ending booking decision reinvigorated the young star and helped him enjoy what was, to that point, the greatest push of his career.
For a short time early in the year, Mysterio became recognised as "The Giant Killer" on the strength of victories over much larger competitors. One in particular, a win against former World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Nash, ranks among the biggest of his WCW tenure.
Bam Bam Bigelow and Scott Norton also experienced upset at the hands of Rey-Rey, who turned a difficult situation into a major positive.
Factor in a series of extraordinary matches against Billy Kidman throughout the spring, a team with Kidman that netted him his first Tag Team Title reign, a high-profile angle in which he and Konnan battled rap-hating country boys The West-Texas Rednecks and formed The Filthy Animals with Kidman, Konnan and Juventud Guerrera.
As much as WCW did wrong in 1999, including the overexposure of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, it also seized the opportunity to take a tremendously skilled performer like Mysterio and appropriately shine the spotlight on him.