Over The Edge – a pay-per-view show of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which took place on May 23, 1999 at the Camper Arena in Kansas City (Missouri, USA). Over The Edge was the first show to not have “In Your House” in its title, which was commonly used in the titles of all but the top five WWF PPVs (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, SummerSlam and Survivor Series). However, due to the accidental death of wrestler Owen Hart during the show, the WWF decided not to host any more events with that name.
In the main event of the show, The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin in a one-on-one duel to capture the WWF Championship. Of the six preliminary fights, two received more publicity than the others: The Rock vs. Triple H, and an eight-wrestler tag team fight in which the Union (Mankind, Ken Shamrock, Test, and Big Show) defeated The Ministry Corporation (Weissera, Big Bossman, and Acolytes – Bradshaw and Farouk).
Owen Hart was scheduled to face The Godfather for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Performing under the gimmick of the Blue Blazer, Hart had to make his exit like a superhero, descending into the ring from the rafters on a cable. However, during the descent, the safety cable disconnected from the protective vest and Owen Hart fell from a great height into the ring[a]. He died in the hospital without regaining consciousness. The WWF was later criticized for its decision to continue the show. The Hart family sued the company, alleging that a badly planned stunt led to Owen’s death. As a result of the deal between the WWF and the Harts, the latter were paid $18 million. Due to an accident, the recording of the show was never released on VHS or DVD and was never shown on television again.
Steve Austin was WWF Champion before the show
During Over the Edge, 7 duels took place, which became the completion or continuation of storylines and pre-prepared scenarios. Prior to the show, a number of preliminary fights were held to create storylines that would either culminate or continue on Over the Edge.
The main storyline of Over the Edge was to be a continuation of the story that unfolded at the previous WWF Backlash show on April 25, 1999. On this show, The Undertaker kidnapped the daughter of WWF CEO Vince McMahon Stephanie, taking her in her father’s limousine to an unknown destination. As a ransom, The Undertaker demanded that he be given control of the wrestling federation. However, his plans were thwarted by WWF Champion Steve Austin, who saved Stephanie. On the April 26 episode of Raw is War, The Undertaker and the Ministry of Darkness attempted to perform a “dark wedding” by “marrying” Stephanie to The Undertaker. During the ceremony, Austin ran into the ring, who managed to deal with all the members of the Ministry and free Stephanie. This led to the beginning of a feud between the two wrestlers, which was supposed to end in a duel for the title on the Over the Edge show. Special guest referees (English) Russian this fight was supposed to be Vince McMahon and his son Shane. Initially, Shay appointed himself the sole referee for this fight, but WWF commissioner Shawn Michaels added Vince to the lineup of judges to level the wrestlers’ chances. On the WWF weekly pre-shows, The Undertaker and Steve Austin attacked each other several times. On May 3, 1999, The Undertaker threw Austin off the stage, and two weeks later, Steve Austin handcuffed The Undertaker to a crucifix, which he hung over the ring. Another fight at Over the Edge was supposed to be a match between Triple H and The Rock. Triple H interfered in one of The Rock’s fights, knocking the latter out of the ring. As a result of this, according to the script, The Rock injured his hand and was forced to wear a plaster cast. Shane McMahon, co-owner of the WWF and ally of Triple H, banned The Rock from wearing an armband at Over the Edge.
The show was also scheduled to feature a fight between two warring factions of wrestlers: the Ministry Corporation and the Union. The Corporation of the Ministry was formed by the merger of the Corporation and the Ministry of Darkness, which included Weiscera, Big Bossman and Acolytes Bradshaw and Farouk. In May, the Ministry engaged in a series of duels against Mankind, Ken Shamrock, Big Show, and Testa, who formed the Union faction. The WWF developed this feud for several weeks, and on May 10, 1999, a duel was held in which all 8 wrestlers participated. As a result, the show Over the Edge was supposed to be an 8-man elimination tag team match. To win this battle, you must knock out all opponents[14]. The show was also supposed to host matches: Mr. Ass vs. Road Dog, Blue Blazer vs. The Godfather for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Mark Henry and DiLo Brown were scheduled to face WWF Tag Team Champions Kane and X-Pac in a tag team match for the title, Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow in a hardcore bout, and a mixed tag team fight between Val Venis and Nicole Bass vs. Jeff Jarrett and Debra.