Back in the wrestling wonderland that was 1999, all was right in the wrestling world. Steve Austin was kicking ass, The Rock was raising eyebrows and fans of the grapple game were treated to the darkest incarnation of the Undertaker the wrestling world had ever seen; including such questionable acts as crucifying Steve Austin, hanging the Big Bossman and generally employing the likes of Mideon and Viscera. So when it was discovered that the Deadman himself had been answering to a higher power all along, one thing was for sure this guy was going to be one sick, sadistic SOB. So who would it be; who was so evil and satanic that even the Demon of Death Valley had to drop to a knee? Was it The Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan? Abdullah the Butcher, perhaps? Hell, why not even throw Waylon Mercy into the hat as a ringer? Guess again, as the puppet master pulling all the strings was in fact revealed to be none other than Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself. Thats right folks; the same Vinny Mac that had been at odds with Taker for weeks trying to protect his own daughter from the demonic deeds of The Phenom. Despite being a classic example of Attitude Era TV (the It was ME, Austin! line is still a cool moment despite the nonsense that surrounds it), the revelation that Vince McMahon had been tormenting his own family and repeatedly putting his daughter it harms way purely to stick it to his most hated employee made about as much sense as an Ultimate Warrior promo and the whole storyline had more holes than Swiss cheese. What made matters worse is the fact that the unveiling had largely been rumoured to be none other than Jake The Snake Roberts, who would have been beyond perfect in the role. Just imagine, the darkest character ever to set foot in an industry full of dark, seedy characters heading up a faction built on darkness. The Snakeman of Stone Mountain was almost too perfect for the role, leaving the end result as a prime example of fantasy booking overshadowing the reality.
Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack.
@MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!
