Real talk...most of Raw in 1999 was fukking GARBAGE

[OHSNAP!]

It was okayish kinda til Wrestlemania

The really bad stuff was between April and November. Horrible matches, atrocious midcard, big lugs (Taker, Kane, Show, Viscera, Henry) dragging everything/everyone down,plus the Russo nonsense getting out of hand (Corporare Ministry...)

Late in the year we started getting the goods (Angle starting out, E&C/Dudleyz/Hardyz/Y2J improving and getting better spots on the card and more booking focus, more logical stories thanks to Chris Kreski...) that helped pave the way into a wonderful 2000

 

[OHSNAP!]

This. Give me Crash Holly vs Test any day over Finn Balor and Bo Dallas.

I could see it for 97,98 or 2000, but 99 breh? Shyt was really bad

 

[Playaz Eyez]

I could see it for 97,98 or 2000, but 99 breh? Shyt was really bad

Characters in hardcore matches > no characters in aimless matches

 

[llt23]

If all you care about is the storylines then go watch Days of Our Lives or some other soap opera trash

You're right. I watch Game of Thrones, Luke Cage and Im about to check out that Punisher shyt. Keep on watching these lame ass cirque de soleil motherfukkers in a tiny niche community of fat white 30 year old virgins who judge matches based on a 60 year old white guys star system. Those are your peers

Attitude era everyone watched. Now its just lames.

 

[NYChase718]

It was okayish kinda til Wrestlemania

The really bad stuff was between April and November. Horrible matches, atrocious midcard, big lugs (Taker, Kane, Show, Viscera, Henry) dragging everything/everyone down,plus the Russo nonsense getting out of hand (Corporare Ministry...)

Late in the year we started getting the goods (Angle starting out, E&C/Dudleyz/Hardyz/Y2J improving and getting better spots on the card and more booking focus, more logical stories thanks to Chris Kreski...) that helped pave the way into a wonderful 2000

Just hated how we had to have McMahon helmsley dominate the show
And wrestlemania 2000 turned into McMahon fest wit them in every corner
And the fact that this McMahon helmsley shyt still dominates to this day

Other than that after January 2000 the mid card and tag team division was awesome

I.c. European and hardcore were fun
And that year began the tag team tlc started

 

[FunkDoc1112]

I watched every Raw from 95-01 on the Network...

post-Survivor Series '98 through about King of the Ring '99 is some of the worst goddamn television I've ever seen in my life

Russo flew completely off the rails and everything just turned into incomprehensible B-movie/soap opera garbage, barely any wrestling too. Mark Henry fukkery was hilarious though

And to think that was with him being kept on a leash...he'd get even WORSE in WCW.

 

[NYChase718]

I watched every Raw from 95-01 on the Network...

post-Survivor Series '98 through about King of the Ring '99 is some of the worst goddamn television I've ever seen in my life

Russo flew completely off the rails and everything just turned into incomprehensible B-movie/soap opera garbage, barely any wrestling too. Mark Henry fukkery was hilarious though

And to think that was with him being kept on a leash...he'd get even WORSE in WCW.

Russo pretty much destroyed Dustin runnels poor career wit the Luna gimmick and then turning him into a preacher
Then came back as goldust but the character wasn't that bizarre oddly

Then continued the bullshyt in wcw wit seven and then deading the gimmick the night it debuts

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

I watched every Raw from 95-01 on the Network...

post-Survivor Series '98 through about King of the Ring '99 is some of the worst goddamn television I've ever seen in my life

Russo flew completely off the rails and everything just turned into incomprehensible B-movie/soap opera garbage, barely any wrestling too. Mark Henry fukkery was hilarious though

And to think that was with him being kept on a leash...he'd get even WORSE in WCW.

I feel like this is relevant to the discussion
Induction: Wrestlemania XV – RussoMania

 

[GreenGrass]

wwf no mercy the video game for the n64 was based on the 99 raw era

 

[OHSNAP!]

Russo pretty much destroyed Dustin runnels poor career wit the Luna gimmick and then turning him into a preacher
Then came back as goldust but the character wasn't that bizarre oddly

Then continued the bullshyt in wcw wit seven and then deading the gimmick the night it debuts

You can bet both were hooked on drugs heavily too (add Luna), the hardcore style, nonstop traveling and general pressure destroyed lots of guys during those "golden times"

 

[OHSNAP!]

Characters in hardcore matches > no characters in aimless matches

Those characters were horrible though. Viscera/Mideon, aimless heel HHH, Chyna, Super Heavyweight Hollies, flip-flopping Big Show, stale X-Pac, King Ass, Beaver Cleavage/Chaz, Meat, Union, Corporate Ministry, PMS, diva Sable, Debra, womanbeater JJ etc...brutal

 

[Heelish]

- extra roided up blue jean british bulldog

Jobber jeans

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Those characters were horrible though. Viscera/Mideon, aimless heel HHH, Chyna, Super Heavyweight Hollies, flip-flopping Big Show, stale X-Pac, King Ass, Beaver Cleavage/Chaz, Meat, Union, Corporate Ministry, PMS, diva Sable, Debra, womanbeater JJ etc...brutal

All those were still defined characters, most of which you listed were good ones that were over. So, who is Finn Balor? Bo Dallas? Face Sami Zayn? Apollo Crews? Nearly every 205 Live wrestler? Most of the women? The Club, whose very name embodies the current staleness and lack of creativity of the WWE?

 

[CM_Burns]

The first half of 99 was actually really good. Maybe not match-wise, but the storylines were still hot and Raw was still can't miss and made some sense while being unpredictable. It was when the Higher Power angle happened and it became Vince vs Austin again, after they had just found a great way to transition beyond it while still having a formidable top heel group (Corp Ministry), that things fell off.

 

[CM_Burns]

Raw during that period was the HHH show. Pretty good is a huge overstatement

He did get a lot of fake wins during that time, but even if you think he sucked or him winning a lot ruined his segments for you, he was 15-20 minutes out of the 90 minute show. The rest was RVD, Booker, Dudleys, Jericho, Christian, Hurricane, all in their prime or close to it.