10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 1999
4. There Was A Surprising Number Of Empty Seats
Remember that "monster business" line in the previous entry? Yeah, it doesn't exactly jive when watching the 16 September 1999 episode of SmackDown.
Despite loading the show with a Steve Austin challenge for Triple H, a special appearance from internet babe Cindy Margolis, a five-man mini-Rumble involving The Rock, Big Show, Mankind, Kane and The Undertaker, and Vince McMahon winning the WWF Title from Trips in the main event, there were some empty seats.
See those red blocks in the pic above? Those are the offending empties, and they're visible when the camera changes to wider shots too. The 16 Sept edition took place in Las Vegas, so maybe some fans skipped the show and decided to play some blackjack instead. That's just a guess, but it's as good as any.
Gaps like these are the ones most would expect to see in WCW around this time, not the WWF. The Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas wasn't exactly rammed though. At least it was a one-off.