10 Underrated Elements Of WCW In 1999

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.