What was the reason behind Vince McMahon booking himself to win both the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship in 1999?
It would not be wrong to say that many times, Vince McMahon has booked himself in the major storylines. During the 90s, Vince McMahon was the ultimate heel in WWE. The owner of WWE was involved in a feud with Steve Austin who was the face of the company. Although Vince was not an in-ring competitor, his rivalry with Autin was the biggest focus at that time.
Vince McMahon booked himself to win the 1999 Royal Rumble
By 1999, the two big faces in the WWE company were The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Being a typical heel, Vince McMahon has recruited The Rock as his WWE champion at that time. On the other hand, Austin was still trying to get to the top. The only thing between Austin’s goal was his old foe, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Austin entered the 1999 Royal Rumble as number one and was followed by McMahon at number two. Both went on to fight each other all over the arena. But it was The Chairman of the company who won the match with the help of The Rock.
McMahon relinquished his WrestleMania slot the very next night. The reason behind that was it wasn’t about Vince winning, it was all about preventing Austin from winning it. Yet, he lost his WrestleMania spot in a steel cage match against Steve Austin at the next pay-per-view.
Steve Austin went on to beat The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XV.
The Chairman then feuded with Triple H and Won the WWE Title
Later in the same year, Vince McMahon found himself in a feud with Triple H. McMahon came in as a face and dethroned Triple H, and became the New WWE Champion. This time, Vince was aided by his long-time rival Stone Cold Steve Austin.
September 14th 1999, SmackDown. Vince McMahon beats HHH to become the WWF Champion. #WWE2K15 #WWENetwork #WWE #NXT pic.twitter.com/Re8NyfNrmW
— WWE Today In History 🌐 (@WWE__History) September 14, 2014
Despite that, Triple H became champion twice by the time New Year’s Day 2000 rolled around and was established as a main eventer.
On the surface, in both cases, it looked like McMahon booked himself for glory. But, the main reason behind both decisions was always to make new stars. Even now, if the chairman feels his involvement can lift a talent, he does what he always has done.
BEST. SELFIE. EVER.
Can’t wait to get another with Mr. @VinceMcMahon and the @WWE championship!!! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/PCK1FAmBTp
— Theory (@austintheory1) November 23, 2021
If we look today, the legacy that Steve Austin and Triple H have created is unmatchable. Their feud with Vince McMahon did help them a lot. While McMahon himself was the hottest heel in all of professional wrestling in the 90s, his involvement in the storylines did have a big impact.
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