WWE SmackDown arrived on the wrestling scene in 1999. The first show of the blue brand hit the TV screens in April. It soon became one of WWE’s most popular programs. The original SmackDown used to be taped in advance and air every Thursday on tape delay.
The show got its name from The Rock’s iconic “layeth the SmackDown” catchphrase. The Great One regularly appeared on the show to deliver some great action and a dose of electrifying entertainment.
That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best WWE SmackDown matches of 1999:
8-Man Survivor Series Elimination Match (WWE SmackDown – November 4)
Tag team wrestling was huge during the Attitude Era. Vince McMahon used to regularly book multi-man matches on both RAW and SmackDown. The promoter pitted two stacked teams against each other in the lead-up to Survivor Series 1999.
The Rock, Steve Austin, Kane, and Shane McMahon joined forces against D-Generation X. A miscommunication between Vince and Austin caused the Rattlesnake to take the final pinfall loss in the match.
Rock ‘N’ Sock Connection vs. New Age Outlaws (WWE SmackDown – September 23)
The Rock received a huge pop as his entrance music hit for the WWE Tag Team Championship match between Rock ‘N’ Sock Connection and The New Age Outlaws. This match took place a few weeks before the infamous tag team Buried Alive Match.
The crowd was red hot from bell to bell for the action. Both teams did some great storytelling work. The New Age Outlaws worked tremendously as a unit. Billy Gunn and Road Dogg pulled off a huge upset over the champions.
Triple H vs. The British Bulldog (WWE Championship Match – September 30)
Fans only got five minutes of exchange between Triple H and Bulldog in this match. That being said, The Rock’s charismatic performance as the special guest referee emerged as the highlight of the night.
The Great One pulled off double duty during the match. He did some commentary in between officiating the match. This match also featured Rock’s one of the greatest “It doesn’t matter” moments on WWE television.
Undertaker & Big Show vs. Rock ‘N’ Sock Connection (Buried Alive – September 9)
WWE showcased a lot of gimmick matches in 1999. Between January and December, the company aired Hell in a Cell, Steel Cage, and Buried Alive, as well as some other notorious matches on weekly television.
The first-ever tag team Buried Alive Match on WWE SmackDown took place between The Unholy Alliance and Rock N Sock Connection. The Rock and Mankind had defeated The Undertaker and Big Show for tag team titles on RAW in August 1999.
All four men did a fantastic job pulling off the otherwise difficult Buried Alive Match. Mankind took a nasty bump when he got tossed into the grave by The Big Show. Triple H and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin also made their presence felt during the match.
Triple H vs. The Rock (WWE Championship Match – August 26)
The aforementioned April 29 edition of WWE SmackDown was supposed to be a one-off episode of the blue brand. However, Vince McMahon decided to bring SmackDown as secondary programming to Monday Night RAW.
The official first episode of SmackDown hit the TV screen on August 26. The one-hour broadcast featured plenty of matches. Chis Jericho also made his WWE in-ring debut that night. Y2J lost to Road Dogg via DQ.
The main event pitted The Rock and Triple H against each other for the WWE Championship. Both men had risen from the mid-card status to become main event players. This is considered one of the greatest WWE SmackDown main events.
Both men went back and forth for nearly 14 minutes. The Rock got extremely close to taking out Triple H with the People’s Elbow. Unfortunately, the Great One lost the match due to a Sweet Chin Music from special guest referee Shawn Michaels.
Also read: Best WWE SmackDown Matches Of 2002
More must-reads: