No Mercy 1999: How the WWE event was a turning point in major Triple H feud
WWE's No Mercy pay-per-view in 1999 witnessed some of the most stupendous moments of the Attitude Era. It was a time when Triple H was ascending to the pinnacle of the industry as WWE was building him to be the biggest heel of the generation. On the other hand, Stone Cold Steve Austin was the biggest babyface in the company back then.
Therefore, No Mercy 1999 featured a WWF Championship match between the two juggernauts in the main event of the show with an "Anything Goes" stipulation. The Stamford-based promotion wanted to catapult Triple H as a heel superstar by defeating the biggest babyface of that era, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The Cerebral Assassin emerged triumphant over The Texas Rattlesnake, successfully retaining his championship with the help of ringside interference at No Mercy. It was a turning point in Triple H's career, as the historic moment marked the transition of the company's main event star.
It embarked on a new chapter for The Game as he thrived with his heel persona. Moreover, it was one of the most barbaric matches of the era, as the two superstars worked hard to use every bit of the stipulation. They showed absolutely no mercy and obliterated each other. The marquee event helped Triple H elevate his stardom in the industry.
#ShawnMichaels confirms the return of #NoMercy as the next official event of #WWENXT!
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What led Triple H to face Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Mercy 1999?
WWF (now WWE) was on a mission to make Triple H a main-event star who could emerge as a dominant heel in the company. Therefore, the Stamford-based promotion wanted The Game to defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1999.
However, The Texas Rattlesnake did not want to have a clean defeat against Triple H. Stone Cold believed that Hunter had yet to rise to prominence in order to get a clean victory over him. Therefore, WWE had no option but to add Mankind to the match at SummerSlam 1999, where Foley won the WWF Championship by pinning then-champion Austin.
On the next episode of Raw is War, Triple H defeated Mankind to win the WWF title, which was inevitable. However, the company still felt that The Cerebral Assassin needed to subjugate the biggest babyface of the company, Steve Austin, in order to get over as a heel superstar.
Therefore, it led to a match between the two legends at No Mercy 1999. Austin and Triple H gave everything they had and delivered one of the greatest matches of their careers. It will forever be etched into the hearts of Attitude Era fans.