Spring Stampede (1999)
The 1999 Spring Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) on April 11, 1999 at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.[1] It was the fourth event in the Spring Stampede chronology. In the main event, Diamond Dallas Page won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship by defeating champion Ric Flair, Hollywood Hogan, Sting in a Four Corners match, with Randy Savage serving as the guest referee. On the undercard, Scott Steiner defeated Booker T to win the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, Goldberg defeated Kevin Nash while Horsemen Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko defeated Raven and Perry Saturn.
| Spring Stampede (1999) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Promotion | World Championship Wrestling | ||
| Date | April 11, 1999 | ||
| City | Tacoma, Washington | ||
| Venue | Tacoma Dome | ||
| Attendance | 17,690 | ||
| Tagline(s) | The Good. The Bad. The Showdown. | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| Spring Stampede chronology | |||
| |||
The show was very well received by critics and wrestling fans alike, particularly the Juventud Guerrera vs Blitzkrieg opening match; it is also considered by many wrestling fans and critics as the last well received pay-per-view that WCW produced.[2] In addition, this is the first pay-per-view event to feature the new WCW logo after the previous one was retired six days before.
Diamond Dallas Page versus Sting versus Hollywood Hulk Hogan versus Ric Flair was included on the 2012 WWE DVD and Blu-ray release The 50 Greatest Finishing Moves in WWE History and the 2017 WWE DVD and Blu-ray release Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living. Goldberg versus Kevin Nash was included on the 2013 WWE DVD and Blu-ray release Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection.
Storylines
The event involved wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[3]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Tony Schiavone |
| Bobby Heenan | |
| Mike Tenay | |
| Interviewer | Gene Okerlund |
| Ring announcers | Michael Buffer |
| David Penzer | |
| Referees | Randy Anderson |
| Johnny Boone | |
| Scott Dickinson | |
| Mickie Jay | |
| Charles Robinson | |
| Billy Silverman |
Reception
In 2013, Dylan Diot of 411Mania gave the event a rating of 7.0 [Good], stating, "Many people have praised this as one of WCW's best shows and one of if not THE best show of 1999. I don't think it holds up quite as well looking back, but it is still a good show. The wrestling itself was very good but weird finishes and some questionable booking left a bad taste in my mouth. I'll definitely recommend the show cause it is easy to watch and has some really good wrestling but I won't put it as an all-time great WCW show."[4]
In 2020, Thomas Hall of Wrestling Rumors gave the event a rating of B+, stating, "This was one of the best shows WCW has put on in years. Even the main event wasn’t bad! There are two really good matches on here which make the show more than worth checking out and the only bad match is about seven minutes long. Things are about to implode for WCW and this might have been the last really good, bordering on great, show that they had left."[5]
In 2021, Lance Augustine of TJR Wrestling gave the event a rating of 7/10, stating, "I thought this show was very good from start to finish. There were a lot of familiar matchups, but also some fresh ones to give some variety. Obviously, you had some throwaway stuff, but for the most part, this show delivered. The opening Cruiserweight match was awesome, and I liked Booker vs. Steiner a lot as well. WCW had a knack for underdelivering in the big moments, although, they rebounded nicely here. Page winning the title was awesome, and I think he should have gotten it way before this. This is about the time where the train came off the tracks, and this would be one of the last times we would see a quality show from WCW. Sure, they had matches that stood out after this, but I feel like this may be one of their final good shows overall."[6]
Results
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventud Guerrera defeated Blitzkrieg | Singles match | 11:11 | ||
| 2 | Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Hak (with Chastity) | Hardcore match | 11:33 | ||
| 3 | Scotty Riggs defeated Mikey Whipwreck | Singles match | 07:03 | ||
| 4 | Konnan defeated Disco Inferno | Singles match | 09:17 | ||
| 5 | Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) defeated Billy Kidman | Singles match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship | 15:32 | ||
| 6 | Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko (with Arn Anderson) defeated Raven and Perry Saturn | Tag team match | 14:11 | ||
| 7 | Scott Steiner defeated Booker T | Singles match for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship | 16:00 | ||
| 8 | Goldberg defeated Kevin Nash (with Lex Luger and Miss Elizabeth) | Singles match | 07:44 | ||
| 9 | Diamond Dallas Page defeated Ric Flair (c), Hollywood Hogan and Sting | Four Corners match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship with Randy Savage as special guest referee | 17:27 | ||
| |||||
References
- "WCW Calendar". www.wcwwrestling.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- "411Mania".
- Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- "From The Shelf- WCW Spring Stampede 1999". 411Mania. 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
- "REVIEW: Spring Stampede 1999: Feel the Bang". 29 January 2020.
- "WCW Spring Stampede 1999 Review – TJR Wrestling". 5 December 2021.