| Date: October 2nd, 1999
| Venue: The National Indoor Arena | City: Birmingham, England
| Attendance: 13, 500

Welcome to the first ever Rebellion PPV! It’s being held in Birmingham, England and yours truly was there. Only 1 of 2 PPV’s I have attended. The other was Wrestlemania 30. As I write this, Rebellion 1999 was nearly 17 years ago so besides the main event, I cannot remember a single match. And because it’s a UK only PPV, there has been no build towards on it on the Raw and Smackdown since Unforgiven. So we’re going in blind. What I will tell you is that in a dark match before the PPV Christian defeated Crash Holly. There have been no title changes since Unforgiven and there isn’t much to report so let’s get straight into it.

A video package kicks off announcing Triple H vs. The Rock in a cage match for the WWF title tonight. There’s a British voiceover that sounds like an American putting an accent on and some quotes taken out of context to hype the match from Rocky and Helmsley. Then we have some cool opening titles featuring the likes of The Rock and Chris Jericho. Jim Ross welcomes everybody to Rebellion, he’s joined by Michael Hayes live at the “Neck” Arena in Birmingham, brilliant. Three titles on the line tonight apparently.

Jeff Jarrett comes out and gets on the mic before the match and challenges any woman to come into the ring and win £1000. He berates a couple of women at ringside and then one on the front row gets in the ring. He gives her a hoover and she hoovers some crap up in the ring but misses most of it. She really struggles. Jarrett then pushes her over and locks on the figure four but Chyna runs out and breaks it up. She clotheslines Jarrett out of the ring and the crowd like that. There is a coin toss to decide which title will be on the line in the upcoming contest, the Intercontinental or European title.

Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. D-lo Brown – Intercontinental Title Match

D-lo is announced to be residing in Birmingham, England which gets a pop. This is a rematch from Summerslam and D-lo goes right to work on Jarrett. He hits a cross body and a powerslam for a two count. It’s all D-lo as he hits a sit-out powerbomb for another two count. Jarrett slows down the pace by leaving the ring and grabbing his Intercontinental title. D-lo follows and throws Jeff back in the ring. That backfires though as Jarrett locks on a sleeper. D-lo gets out of it and hits a suplex and then goes to the top but Jarrett sees it coming and dropkicks D-lo in mid-air. D-lo gets back into the match with a powerslam and his trademark legdrop for a two count. D-lo then hits a superplex but Jarrett rolls up D-lo for a near fall. IT’s been a fast paced match up so far. Jarrett goes for a figure four but D-lo kicks him out of the ring. Miss Kitty then gets up on the apron distracting D-lo and the referee, allowing Jarrett to grab the vacuum cleaner from ringside and he smashes D-lo with it! And that’s enough for the three. Jeff Jarrett wins the match and retains his Intercontinental title. Great start to the show, really enjoyable fast paced match. After the match Jeff Jarrett challenges Chyna tonight!

Rating: 7.25/10 

The Godfather vs. Gangrel

It’s been a long time since either of these men fought on PPV. Gangrel has been more of a manager recently to the Hardy Boyz. Gangrel wants a hoe but the Godfather says he wants to kick his ass instead. Godfather uses his strength to get the early advantage, hitting a shoulder block and a clothesline. Gangrel gets back into it with a DDT then lays into Godfather in the corner. The Godfather hasn’t been up to much since losing the Intercontinental title a few months ago. Gangrel hits an elbow drop for a two count. He then nails Godfather with a clothesline from the second rope for a close two count. Gangrel goes back to the middle rope but this time The Godfather gets out of the way. This is a first time meeting between the two on PPV. Godfather starts a comeback with a powerslam and a legdrop for a near fall. The former Intercontinental Champion then nails Gangrel with the Hoe Train and the Pimp Drop to take the match! Big win for The Godfather who looks to get back on track. The hoes celebrate with The Godfather and referee Tim White after the match.

Rating: 4.5/10

Backstage Michael Cole is with Chyna. Chyna accepts Jeff Jarretts challenge for tonight and says that Jeff has Chyna envy. The British Bulldog then walks in and says nobody has come to see Chyna, they’ve come to see The Bulldog. Chyna says he looks like a bulldogs ass. He’s not interested in fighting X Pac tonight, he wants a WWF title match!

Val Venis vs. “Sexual Chocolate” Mark Henry

Val Venis gets on the mic before the bell and says that he and the game of Rugby have a lot in common, the game is played with balls, sometimes it can get a little rough and the object of the game is to always score. Not bad but not his best. This is a first time meeting between these two men on PPV. They have met in tag team action but never in singles. Val tries to get Henry off his feet early but fails. Henry hits a powerslam for the first near fall of the match. Venis then back body drops Henry outside the ring before hitting him with a baseball slide and laying into him outside of the ring. Val makes the mistake of going for a powerslam but Henry makes sure that doesn’t happen and drops the former Intercontinental champion on the guardrail. Back in the ring and Val goes back to trying to get Henry off his feet. He finally manages to do that with a side Russian leg sweep which also gets him a two count.

Val won his last PPV match over Steve Blackman at Unforgiven. He takes Henry off his feet again and then nails him with a few elbow drops. Venis then goes to the top and nails the Money Shot! And that’s enough for the three! Val Venis gets a big win over Mark Henry!

Rting: 4/10

British Bulldog is backstage looking for Vince McMahon. He finds Vince who is with Shane and Stephanie. Bulldog wants a title shot and throws a bin across the office but he nails Stephanie with it! Bulldog leaves whilst the other McMahons call for a medic!

Ivory (c) vs. Tori vs. Jacqueline vs. Luna – Women’s Title Match

A first ever fatal four way women’s title match on PPV now. Tori and Luna have had their shots at Ivory recently but haven’t had any luck. Luna goes right for Ivory but Tori shoves her off and hits a suplex on Ivory but Jacqueline is quick to break up the cover. Tori and Jacqueline pair off as do Luna and Ivory. Ivory cuts a deal with Jacqueline but it’s Jacqueline that does all the work, hitting powerslams and suplexes on both Luna and Tori. It’s just a case of first pinfall wins the title here. The champion is at a big disadvantage but she just watches from the outside. Ivory finally gets in the ring and berates Jacqueline! They go at it and it’s every woman for herself. Ivory locks a sleeper on Jacqueline, then Luna locks a sleeper on Ivory and then Tori locks a sleeper on Luna. All three girls take it in turns to pin Ivory. Then Ivory nails Jacqueline with the title behind the referees back! And that’s enough for the three! Ivory wins the match and retains her title! This match could have been better given more time.

Rating: 3.75/10

Stephanie McMahon has a neckbrace on and is being taken away on a stretcher. Michael Cole is with the British Bulldog who says that Vince McMahon owes him an apology and the Stephanie incident was an accident.

The Road Dogg vs. Chris Jericho

Road Dogg goes right after the man that put him on the shelf, attacking him in the entrance way. The two then battle into the crowd where Road Dogg lays into Jericho. This is only Jericho’s second PPV match but he’s looking for his first win having previously fought and lost to X Pac. The two battle into the ring where Jericho stomps away at Road Dogg and knees him to the face. Road Dogg gets back into the match with a hotshot, a right hands and some kicks in the corner. Jericho reverses an Irish whip and hits a clothesline in the corner. Road Dogg reverses an Irish whip and Jericho manages to get himself caught upside down in the corner where Road Dogg hits a dropkick. It’s a quick back and forth match at the moment and Road Dogg finds himself on the apron allowing Jericho to jump off the top with a dropkick. Jericho then distracts the referee allowing Mr Hughes to get involved outside.

Jericho has a double arm bar on Road Dogg, pulling his arms behind his head. Road Dogg manages to reverse it but Jericho gets out of it with a reverse dropkick type maneuver. Jericho hits a diving splash but Road Dogg gets his foot on the rope, breaking up the pinfall. Jericho hits a bulldog, again for a near fall. Jericho applies a chinlock to one half of the tag team champions. Road Dogg gets out of it and hits an impressive superplex from the top! It’s all Road Dogg now as he hits right hands and a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Jericho catches Road Dogg as he bounces off the ropes and tries for the Walls Of Jericho but Road Dogg quickly gets out of it. Jericho misses with a springboard moonsault allowing Road Dogg to hit some of his trademark jabs. Jericho ducks the last one and Road Dogg accidentally nails the referee. That allows Mr Hughes to get in the ring and nail Road Dogg with a chair. Jericho covers Road Dogg but the Dogg kicks out (arguably). Road Dogg then nails Jericho and Hughes but as the referee is distracted by Hughes, Jericho hits Road Dogg with a low blow. He covers the tag team champion which is enough for the three! Chris Jericho wins on PPV for the first time tonight in a good match spoilt a bit by the finish.

Rating: 7.25/10

Chyna is out next for the challenge made by Jarrett. I’d be surprised if Jarrett is pulling double duty tonight.

Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Chyna – Intercontinental Title Match

Well the match is on. Chyna goes right to work on the man that beat her at Unforgiven. Jarrett comes off the middle rope but Chyna hits him with a low blow. Chyna then goes for the Pedigree but Jarrett counters it by slingshotting Chyna into the top rope. Chyna gets Jeff up on her shoulders and falls backwards, dropping the champion on his back. The British Bulldog then comes out and hits Chyna with a clothesline to boo’s. He then hits her with a running powerslam! Jarrett then locks a figure four on Chyna! This one didn’t get going. Presumably a DQ win for Chyna though!

Rating: N/A

The Big Show vs. Kane – No Disqualification Match

This is a big match between two of the biggest competitors in the company. It’s their third PPV match against one another and at the moment they are tied at one all. Kane beat Big Show at King Of The Ring after nailing him with a chair and then at Fully Loaded The Big Show got his win back with help from special guest referee Hardcore Holly. Kane has his old wrestling gear on. Big Show hits a big dropkick in the early going, sending Kane out of the ring. Kane lands on his feet and gets back in the ring and hammers away at The Big Show. Big Show just shoves Kane off him and then lays into him with knees in the corner. Kane hits a dropkick of his own but he can’t get Big Show off his feet. Big Show hits a double armed chokeslam for a near fall. This is the fifth PPV in a row that Big Show and Kane have been on the opposite side of the ring to one another. The other two not previously mentioned were the 6 pack challenge at Unforgiven and tag team title match at Summerslam where Big Show and The Undertaker beat Kane and X Pac.

Big Show chokes Kane in the corner with his boot before hitting some big chops on Kanes chest. Kane blocks the third chop and hits some right hands on The Big Show but Show reverses an Irish whip and hits a reverse DDT for a near fall. Only X Pac and Billy Gunn have fought on more consecutive PPVs than Kane and Big show currently. We’re yet to see Billy Gunn but know that X Pac will fight the British Bulldog later. Big Show locks on a Boston Crab but lets go as Kane starts to crawl away. Kane hits an enzeguri and then goes for a powerslam but he can’t get Show up and the big man just lands on him. Show then goes for an elbow but Kane sits up and avoids it. Kane hits a DDT and then goes to the top where he hits a clothesline. The Big Red Machine then motions for the chokeslam but Big Show breaks the choke and sends Kane to the outside where he throws the former WWF Champion into the ring steps. Show grabs a steel chair and in the ring he attempts to use it but Kane kicks it into Shows face. Kane then hits a powerslam and pins Show for the three! Kane wins with a powerslam! And a chair shot. Definitely the best match I have seen between the two. I don’t think the no disqualification stip was necessary though.

Rating: 6.75/10

Michael Cole is with Triple H who doesn’t give a crap about Jarrett, Chyna or The British Bulldog. He just cares about the WWF title. He just knows that he’ll be beating The Rock tonight.

X Pac vs. The British Bulldog

This is a first time meeting on PPV between The Bulldog and X Pac. They’ve both been around for a long time but have managed to avoid each other. They were actually on the same Survivor Series team back in 1995. X Pac is the only man to have fought on all 11 PPVs of 1999 so far. Bulldog uses his power early on, shoving X Pac accross the ring. X Pac comes back with an arm drag. Bulldog applies a head lock which X Pac struggles to get out of. H does eventually but finds himself on the mat courtesy of a shoulder charge. Bulldog catches X Pac and hits a slam before throwing him to the outside. Only four men in history have wrestled more PPVs to this point than the Bulldog. Undertaker, Bret Hart, Owen Hart and Shawn Michaels aren’t scheduled for action tonight. Back in the ring the Bulldog hits a stalling suplex. That gets Bulldog a near fall. He then applies a sleeper. X Pac gets out of it but Bulldog hits him with a knee before going back to the sleeper. Bulldog made his PPV debut at The Wrestling Classic back in November 1996. X Pac hits him with two spinning heel kicks and then hits the Bronco Buster but he can’t capitalise. The Bulldog drops him on the top rope and then scoops him up and hits the Running Powerslam for the three! The British Bulldog gets the bg win in Birmingham!

Rating: 5.75/10

Hardcore Holly and Crash are backstage. Crash is weighing himself and claims to be 35 stones. Holly doesn’t care nor does he understand what stones are.

Edge & Christian vs. The Holly Cousins (Hardcore & Crash) vs. The Acolytes (Bradshaw & Faarooq) 

Jim Ross claims that Edge and Christian are the number one contenders to the Tag Team titles already but I’m pretty ure he’s wrong as they had their match at Unforgiven. This is a number one contenders match to the tag team titles though. I love how the Holly Cousins are announced to be weighing in at over 800 pounds. The tag team division is thriving right now. You’ve got these three teams, The Hardy Boyz and The New Age Outlaws as the main five teams. Hardcore and Crash argue in the beginning of the match but it’s Hardcore that will start against Edge. Hardcore takes Edge off his feet but then Edge hits a back body drop and a dropkick. Hardcore hits his trademark dropkick and tags in Crash. Edge tags Christian who comes in off the top. Christian gets a couple of near fall and Crash tags Hardcore back in. Faarooq is also tagged in and he hits a powerslam on Hardcore. Faarooq then goes for the Dominator but Hardcore slips down the back and hits a suplex. Bradshaw and Crash are tagged in and Bradshaw goes for a powerbomb but Hardcore clotheslines him.

Crash goes to the top but Faarooq crotches him. Bradshaw then goes up with him and hit a belly to back suplex from the top! Impressive. Crash tags Hardcore who hits a Falcon Arrow on Bradshaw. Faarooq then comes in but Hardcore clotheslines him out of the ring. Bradshaw then hits a clothesline from hell on Crash which eliminates the Holly’s from the match! Edge comes in with a cross body and a neckbreaker. Edge tags Chrstian and both men come off the middle rope with shoulder blocks. Bradshaw hits a boot on Edge. It’s hard to keep up with who is the legal man. Bradshaw tags Faarooq who lays into Edge. Edge hits a spinning heel kick and both men look to make tags. Faarooq tags Bradshaw and he makes sure Edge doesn’t make the tag. Bradshaw looks for a powerbomb but Edge back body drops him. Edge tags Christian and Christian goes for a splash in the corner on Bradshaw but the big Texan catches him and hits a fallaway slam before tagging out to Faarooq. Faarooq applies a bear hug to Christian but hristian fights his way out of it before Faarooq hits him with a spinebuster.

Faarooq tags Btradshaw and the two men hit a double spinebuster for a two count. Bradshaw hits a big Irish whip and tags Faarooq. Faarooq goes for a Dominator but Christian slips down and hits a DDT. Both men make tags! Edge hits dropkicks to both men but Bradshaw hits Edge with a Clothesline From Hell! Christian breaks up the count and then Bradshaw props Edge up on the corner but Edge hits a spinning DDT! He covers Bradshaw and wins the match! Edge and Christian are number one contenders to the tag team titles!

Rating: 7.5/10

Next is a long video package showing the recent history betwen Triple H, The Rock and The British Bulldog. It’s a round up from Unforgiven, Raw and Smackdown. I’m guessing it’s so long because it gives the crew time to set up the steel cage.

Triple H (c) vs. The Rock – WWF Title Match

This is the 6th PPV singles match between these two men. No other two men have met this many time on PPV to this point. Both men have won 2 of the previous 5 matches and they drew the other. The Rock cuts a promo on Triple H before the bell telling The Game that he has spent too much time in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. He then tells Triple H what he’s going to do with an Oompa Lumpa. I’ll leave you to guess what that is. The cage is similar to the old school cage but black. The Rock hits some big right hands in the early going but makes the mistake of lowering his head and gets caught with a boot. Triple H takes the advantage with right hands a boot and then climbs the cage very slowly. Rocky pulls him down and levels him with a right hands and a clothesline. I love The Rocks trademark kicks and he uses them on Triple H in the corner. I’m pretty sure the only time a title has changed hands in England was at Summerslam 92 when The British Bulldog beat Bret Hart for the Intercontinental title at Wembley Stadium.

Triple H takes the advantage with right hands in the corner and a high knee. The two men exchange right hands and The Rock hits a neckbreaker. The Rock then climbs the cage for the first time but Triple H pulls him off. Triple H throws The Rock into the cage in what has been a slow match so far. Triple H has a knee brace on his right knee, similar to the one Steve Austin wears. The Rock hits a Samoan Drop and both men are down. Triple H hits a knee to the face and a clothesline. This is Triple H’s first WWF title defence since winning the belt for a second time at Unforgiven 6 days ago. We know Steve Austin will meet the winner of this at No Mercy  in 2 weeks. Triple H climbs the cage but The Rock hits a big suplex from the top of the cage. Rock climbs the cage now and gets one leg over but Triple H pulls him back into the ring. Both men fall onto the top rope, crotching themselves. Triple H goes to the top rope and flies off but The Rock catches him and nails him with the Rock Bottom! Both men are down for a while and Rocky can’t take advantage.

The two men slug it out resulting in The Rock hitting a powerslam. He then climbs up the cage which is moving around a lot. Helmsley pulls him back into the ring but The Rock goes for Rock Bottom. Triple H elbows his way out of it and nails him with the Pedigree! Michael Hayes has been good on commentary. Triple H crawls to the cage door but The Rock stops him from going out. Convenietly there is a steel chair right next to the cage door and Triple H grabs it. Referee Earl Hebner grabs the chair off him and Triple H nails him! The Rock then exits the cage! But the referee is down and so doesn’t see it. Triple H exits the cage and the two men go at it at ringside and The Rock grabs a microphone. He gives Triple H and Earl Hebner some abuse and then grabs a chair and smashes it into Triple H’s face. Triple H bleeds from the head and The Rock gets on the mic and says monkey piss is ooving from Triple H’s head. Rocky puts Triple H on the announcers table and then climbs up the side of the cage and jumps off. Would have been more impressive if he went to the top.

The Rock puts Triple H back into the ring and goes in with him. He throws Triple H into the inside of the cage three times before nailing him with a DDT. Earl Hebner starts getting up and The Rock climbs the cage but out comes the Bulldog! He puts The Rock back into the cage but out comes Shane McMahon who lays into the Bulldog! Bulldog hits him with a low blow and a running powerslam! Gerald Briscoe and Pat Patterson are out but Bulldog fights them off too. Bulldog then gets in the ring and lays into The Rock but Rocky hits a low blow on him and then a Rock Bottom on Triple H! Rock crawls for the door but Chyna runs out and slams the door in his face! Triple H climbs up the cage and over it but The Rock grabs his hair and pulls him back into the ring. Chyna then climbs up the cage but The Rock lands her with a right hand. Bulldog then pulls The Rock down back into the ring allowing Triple H to climb down the cage and win! Triple H retains the WWF title and leaves with the person he doesn’t give a damn about, Chyna.

Vince McMahon comes down and locks the cage with The British Bulldog and The Rock in. He gives Bulldog the middle fingers and The Rock nails Bulldog with a Rock Bottom and a People’s Elbow.

Rating: 8/10 

 

Well, Rebellion 1999 was a thoroighly enjoyable watch. It seemed like a big improvement on a lot of 1999’s PPVs despite no storylines going into it. Jeff Jarrett kicked off the show with a great, fast-paced match that was a slight improvement on their good match at Summerslam. Jarretts title was on the line but he managed to retain it. These two men definitely have chemistry and it’s a shame we haven’t seen more contests between the two on PPV. It would be naive to expect a title change on a UK only PPV and we didn’t get one. The two matches that followed showcased the lower card with The Godfather beating Gangrel and Val Venis defeating Mark Henry. Val Venis does seem to be caught up in a feud with Mankind on Raw so it made absolute sense for him to win. Godfather and Gangrel could have gone either way and actually, Gangrel is featured more on Raw, albeit in a managerial role, than the Godfather. Who doesn’t love The Godfather though? Great to see him pick up a win.

Next up was the Women’s title match. Again, title changes don’t tend to happen on UK only PPVs so it was Ivory that retained her belt. Jacqueline and Luna are two experienced grapplers who are great to have around and blood younger talents like Tori. This match showed glimpses of a very good match but for the most part it wasn’t great. It was a bit messy and way too short. It gave Ivory a successful defence though and I like her as champion, she’s a solid wrestler and not just there to look at. Chris Jericho beat The Road Dogg next in a match with a lot of history. It was nice to have this match actually as they don’t seem to be going down that route into No Mercy. I’m not sure why Billy Gunn wasn’t on the card, he, Mankind and Steve Austin were missed. This also gave us Jericho’s first PPV victory which was the right call. A decentmid card match. Chyna then defeated Jeff Jarrett by DQ in less of a match and more of an angle. I’m not sure why British Bulldog is targetting Chyna at the moment unless it is to turn her babyface which looks like the way they’re going.

Kane defeated Big Show next in a match that essentially ended with a powerslam. This was the best match I have seen between the two and the result could have gone either way. They are both sort of floating at the moment with Big Show potentially feuding with lower carder Albert and Kane teaming up with X Pac. I don’t think the no disqualification stip was necessary in this one but it did play into the finish with the chair shot. British Bulldog then beat X Pac and since returning, The Bulldog has had one hell of a push having already won the Hardcore title, competed in the Unforgiven main event and now beating X Pac cleanly at Rebellion. I don’t mind the result, it shows they have plans for Bulldog whilst not affecting X Pacs steam too much. The limination tag team match was then very entertaining as the tag team division goes form strength to strength. Edge and Christian win number one contendership and look to avenge their loss against The Outlaws at Unforgiven. I love the Holly Cousins, they have such a unique dynamic and are entertaining as hell.

Then in the main event Triple H defeated The Rock in a cage with help from The Bulldog and Chyna. I didn’t like The Rock exiting the cage and winning, it didn’t sit right. If Tom Prichard can come out at Unforgiven and disqualify Chyna in her match then why can’t somebody come out and reverse the decision in this one? Helmsley retains his title and goes on to defend against Austin at No Mercy in two weeks time.

Overall Rating: 60.8/100 (ranked 18th out of 101)

Match Of The Night: Triple H vs. The Rock
Worst Match Of The Night: Women’s Title Match
Surprise Of The Night: The Godfather beats Gangrel
Worst Booking Of The Night: The Rock escapes the cage
Superstar Of The Night: The British Bulldog
Rebellion 99 Will Be Remembered For: The British Bulldog chucking a bin at Stephanie McMahons head.