10 Great WWE Moments We Came Agonisingly Close To

8. Steve Austin Vs. The Rock. Vs. Triple H - Survivor Series 1999

Rousey Lynch
WWE.com

Somehow, the events of Survivor Series 1999 become even more irritating as the years pass by.

In 2017, with his promotional powers fading badly, Vince McMahon finally called bullsh*t on the hopeless non-starter that was the Jinder Mahal experiment, ending the nightmare with a legit dream match between Brock Lesnar and new WWE Champion AJ Styles.

In 2018, as his wider product almost worsened in quality, Vince reacted to the pulled Becky Lynch Vs. Ronda Rousey match by finally pulling the trigger on Daniel Bryan Vs. Brock Lesnar.

In 1999, with Vince at his second creative zenith, he falsely advertised the injured Steve Austin for Survivor Series, and replaced him on the night with The Big Show— a performer gigantic only in disappointment. Worse still, he put the strap on him after a poor, lumbering main event that paled in contrast to the promised all-action, ultra-heated, totally unpredictable war that felt WrestleMania-big. It was significantly bigger than the main event we got at the next WrestleMania.

This cruel carny trick did unleash the awesomeness that was the Big Boss Man’s savage heel schtick—but that Triple Threat guaranteed in-ring poetry, which is probably better than a poem about worms eating dead daddies.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!