The 1999 Unforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the second annual Unforgiven and took place on September 26, 1999, at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first Unforgiven event was held under the In Your House series in April 1998, but following the discontinuation of the In Your House shows after February 1999, a second Unforgiven event was scheduled as its own PPV, but in September, thus being the third former In Your House event to do so, after Over the Edge and Fully Loaded, and becoming the annual September PPV. Unforgiven was presented by Wizards of The Coast who were promoting the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.
The main event was a Six-Pack Challenge–a non-elimination match consisting of six wrestlers for the vacant WWF Championship. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin served as the special outside enforcer for the match. The match included Triple H, The Rock, Mankind, Kane, Big Show, and British Bulldog. Triple H pinned The Rock after a Pedigree to win the WWF Championship. The undercard featured X-Pac versus Chris Jericho, a Kennel from Hell match between champion Al Snow, and challenger Big Boss Man for the WWF Hardcore Championship, New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) versus Edge and Christian for the WWF Tag Team Championship, Ivory versus Luna Vachon in a Hardcore match for the WWF Women's Championship, The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw) versus The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley), Jeff Jarrett versus Chyna for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, Mark Henry versus D'Lo Brown for the WWF European Championship, and Val Venis versus Steve Blackman.
The matches of the event featured special guest referees, due to the WWF officials being out on "strike" due to continuous assaults on them by wrestlers. However, only one WWF official, Jim Korderas, served as the referee of the event. He refereed Dudley Boyz vs. The Acolytes, the WWF Tag Team Championship match, and the WWF Championship match.
The Kennel From Hell match is widely regarded as one of the worst matches ever. It is jokingly included on Mick Foley's Hard Knocks And Cheap Pops as a shot at Al Snow, who Foley has repeatedly ribbed over the years.
Production Background From May 1995 to February 1999, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ran a series of professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) events titled In Your House. They aired when the promotion was not holding one of its then-five major PPVs (WrestleMania, King of the Ring, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble) and were sold at a lower cost. Following the St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House event in February 1999, the WWF retired the In Your House branding and transitioned to giving each monthly PPV a permanent identity. Prior to the discontinuation, the WWF held Unforgiven: In Your House in April 1998, which was the 21st In Your House event. The following year, the WWF scheduled a second Unforgiven, but pushed back to September on September 26, 1999, promoting it as a standalone event held at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, thus establishing Unforgiven as the annual September PPV. It was the third former In Your House event to continue as its own distinct PPV series, after Over the Edge and Fully Loaded.
Storylines Unforgiven featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that were played out on Raw is War, and SmackDown!—World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain or a hero as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The main rivalry heading into the event was between Triple H, The Rock, Mankind, Kane, Big Show, and The Undertaker over the vacant WWF Championship. At SummerSlam, Mankind defeated "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Triple H in a Triple Threat match for Austin's WWF title, only to lose it to Triple H the following night on Raw is War. On the September 13 edition of Raw is War, the WWF CEO Linda McMahon announced that The Rock, Kane, Mankind, Big Show, and The Undertaker would compete in a 5-Way match to determine the #1 contender for the title at Unforgiven. However, the match resulted in a no-contest after Mideon, and Viscera attacked Mankind. As a result, all five of the wrestlers attacked several WWF referees, and many of the WWF wrestlers interfered in the brawl. As a result of the attack, the referees went on an on-screen strike, and all the five competitors were named contenders for the title, making it a Six Pack Challenge for the title at Unforgiven, meaning that two wrestlers would begin the match, and a wrestler could become legal if he was tagged in. On the September 16 edition of SmackDown!, the WWF Chairman Vince McMahon defeated Triple H for the WWF title, with the help of his son Shane, who served as the special guest referee for the match. However, Vince vacated the title on the September 20 episode of Raw is War, and named Triple H as the sixth competitor in the Six Pack Challenge at Unforgiven. On the September 23, 1999 edition of SmackDown!, however, McMahon decided to place Triple H in a gauntlet series of matches against the other five competitors in the match. He would have to wrestle Big Show in a Chokeslam Challenge match, Kane in an inferno Match, The Undertaker in a casket match, Mankind in a Boiler Room Brawl, and The Rock in a Brahma Bull Rope match, and if he failed to win three of the five matches, he would be out of the match. Triple H lost the first match due to his inability to lift the massive Big Show. He managed to beat Kane when Kane was distracted by Mideon, and Viscera, The Undertaker's allies, long enough to accidentally set himself on fire, but lost the casket match after The Undertaker, who orchestrated the distraction on Kane, walked out, and was fired after refusing to wrestle; the match became a handicap match, and Triple H could not put both Mideon, and Viscera in a casket before they did it to him. He managed to escape the boiler room to even up the gauntlet and bring it to the deciding match with The Rock. The British Bulldog, who was named as a replacement for The Undertaker in the Six-Pack Challenge (in kayfabe, The Undertaker walked out of the WWF, but in reality, he needed time off to deal with a severe groin injury and would be gone for nine months while he recovered), served as the guest referee and assisted Triple H's victory by turning on The Rock, giving Triple H the necessary three wins he needed to keep his spot in the main event.
Another predominant rivalry heading into the event was between Al Snow and The Big Boss Man over the WWF Hardcore Championship. At SummerSlam, Snow defeated Boss Man to win the Hardcore Championship. The following night on Raw is War, Snow was attacked by Boss Man during a title defense against Road Dogg, who had left the match to brawl with Chris Jericho. Boss Man stole Snow's dog Pepper and escaped with it. On the August 26 episode of SmackDown!, Boss Man defeated Snow to win the title and escaped with Pepper. The following week, Snow ate some food until Boss Man told him that it was Pepper. On September 9, British Bulldog defeated Boss Man for the title and awarded it to Snow. On Raw is War on September 13, Snow challenged Boss Man to a Kennel from Hell match for the Hardcore Championship at Unforgiven, which Boss Man accepted.
At SummerSlam, Mark Henry turned on his partner D'Lo Brown by costing him the WWF Intercontinental Championship and the WWF European Championship against Jeff Jarrett. The next night on Raw is War, Jarrett awarded the European Championship to Henry. Henry and Brown wrestled each other in several tag team matches and attacked each other on many occasions, leading to a European Championship match at Unforgiven.
Following his WWF Intercontinental Championship victory at SummerSlam, Jeff Jarrett offered an open contract to any WWF wrestler for an Intercontinental Championship match at Unforgiven. Chyna signed the contract but Billy Gunn offered Chyna to hand him over the contract for the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship at Unforgiven. On the September 2 episode of SmackDown!, Chyna defeated Billy Gunn to retain her status as the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship.
On the September 2 episode of SmackDown!, a Tag Team Turmoil match was held to determine the number one contenders for the WWF Tag Team Championship. The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw) and Edge and Christian were the remaining two teams in the match and were attacked by the debuting The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley). As a result, the match ended in a no contest. On September 6, on Raw is War, Edge and Christian defeated The Acolytes to become the number one contenders for the Tag Team Championship, after further interference by Dudley Boyz. As a result, a match was made between Dudley Boyz and Acolytes at Unforgiven. The Tag Team Championship changed hands many times after Edge and Christian were made the contenders. On the September 23 episode of SmackDown!, the final title change before Unforgiven occurred when the New Age Outlaws (Mr. Ass and Road Dogg) defeated Rock 'n' Sock Connection (The Rock and Mankind) for the Tag Team Championship.
On the August 26 episode of SmackDown!, Luna Vachon involved herself in the WWF Women's Champion Ivory's Evening Gown match against Tori. Luna later got involved in a brawl between Ivory and Tori on Raw is War on September 6. A week later on Raw is War, Luna was attacked by Ivory during her match with Jeff Jarrett. This led to a match between Ivory and Luna for the Women's Championship at Unforgiven. On the September 23 episode of SmackDown!, Luna offered to make their bout a Hardcore match which Ivory accepted.
At SummerSlam, Ken Shamrock defeated Steve Blackman in a Lion's Den match. On the September 2 episode of SmackDown!, Blackman tried to attack Shamrock after Shamrock's match with Val Venis but Shamrock attacked Blackman. When Blackman recovered, he vented his anger on Venis by attacking him. Blackman attacked Venis again after Venis' match against Big Show on Raw is War on September 6. Venis took his revenge by costing Blackman, a WWF European Championship match against Mark Henry and a standard match against Shawn Stasiak, leading to a match between Venis and Blackman at Unforgiven.
At SummerSlam, Road Dogg announced that he would challenge the winner of the WWF Hardcore Championship match between Al Snow and Big Boss Man on the following night on Raw is War. However, Road Dogg was interrupted by Chris Jericho and as a result, Jericho and Road Dogg began feuding with each other. During Road Dogg's scheduled Hardcore Championship match against Al Snow on Raw is War, Jericho began brawling with Road Dogg. As a result, the match resulted in a no-contest. On the August 26 episode of SmackDown!, Jericho powerbombed Road Dogg through a table during a match between the two. Jericho continued to assault Road Dogg after the match by applying the Walls of Jericho. On the September 2 episode of SmackDown!, Road Dogg's D-Generation X (DX) teammate X-Pac wrestled Jericho as he attempted to avenge Jericho's assault on Road Dogg but the match resulted in a no contest after interference by the Unholy Alliance (The Undertaker and Big Show). Jericho was also feuding with Ken Shamrock at the time due to attacking him with a chair before Shamrock's scheduled match with Val Venis. It would lead to a match between the two at Unforgiven. However, on the September 23 episode of SmackDown!, Shamrock was badly injured after losing a First Blood match to Jericho and left WWF. As a result, X-Pac replaced Shamrock as Jericho's opponent at Unforgiven.
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