The Night Edge, Christian, Matt And Jeff Hardy Became Stars

Publish date: 2024-05-07

WWE witnessed four new talents to take notice of when The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian stole the show at No Mercy 1999. The ladder match between the feuding teams had excitement heading into the show, but none of the wrestlers involved was a draw at that point. Two unproven teams in the biggest match of their careers took advantage of the opportunity and then some.

The situation was there for the Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian to become a special rivalry with one noteworthy performance. All four wrestlers made magic in the ring that night to redefine everything fans thought about them. The match is still discussed fondly for the impact it had at the time and the importance it placed in four future legendary careers.

The Match Was The Perfect Setting For The Teams

The storyline between the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian saw them having a best of five-match series. WWE decided that the old school approach of two equal relatively new acts having a series of matches would help them get over. The prize of $100,000 and the managerial services of Terri Runnels saw them having importance in the final match booked for No Mercy 1999.

RELATED: Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz: Who Was The Defining Tag Team Of The Attitude Era

WWE decided to up the ante by giving the two teams a great stipulation appeal of the ladder match. Neither Edge & Christian nor the Hardy Boyz were known for having ladder matches yet since it was the first in their rivalry. WWE never had tag matches with the ladder match stipulation until now and it turned out to be a genius idea.

The fan interest grew due to the importance of a best of five series and the excitement of a ladder match. Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz were gaining momentum, but this gave them the dream scenario of leaving a mark in one night. A good performance on PPV would cement them as top acts for the tag team division moving forward.

No Mercy 99 Served As Their Breakout Night

All four wrestlers in the No Mercy 1999 ladder match were quite young with chips on their shoulders. Edge & Christian had a few noteworthy changes coming up as singles stars before forming a team in The Brood and eventually splitting from Gangrel. The Hardy Boyz had a different story of working as enhancement talents for years before finally getting a chance. There was a short stint of Michael Hayes and Gangrel each managing them, but this was a much bigger opportunity.

Fans fell in love with both teams when they left it all in the ring with the ladder match. The previous standard for the ladder match featured the start with Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon and the violence of The Rock vs Triple H. Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz showed off the aerial display and risk-taking moves like never before.

The huge pops for moves fans witnessed for the first time made this arguably the best ladder match in WWE’s history at the time. An advantage of two teams working together and four wrestlers in the ring made sure that there was no stop in the action. Matt and Jeff Hardy won the awe-inspiring match, but Edge & Christian were also treated like stars for their performances.

The Match Set Up Their Futures As Stars

WWE gave both Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz a segment to receive a standing ovation from fans the following night. The audience made it clear that they had a newfound respect for the two tag teams on another level than they did before that match. Terri Runnels becoming the new manager of Matt and Jeff didn’t even become the biggest perk of winning. Both teams started to develop their own identities after forming a connection with the audience.

Runnels left the Hardy Boyz for Edge & Christian, but neither team wanted her at their side in the end. WWE booked them each to look stronger by cutting more promos, developing their characters, and continuing the feud against each other. A total of thirteen WWE Tag Team Championship reigns would come between the two teams combined.

WWE eventually added the Dudley Boyz to their feud as a third incredible act that had chemistry with them. The ladder matches would see chairs and tables eventually becoming weapons of choice to form the new TLC match stipulation. However, none of this would have come without the first major step at No Mercy 1999. Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz made themselves famous in one night with an infamous ladder match to change their careers.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKeoqqSowaa%2BjZympmeepHqusdGcsGZxaWK5orDDnqlmpZGpsKl506GcZqaZnLW1ecSdnp5lk52%2Fqr%2FTopinZZ2WwbV5wKebZqKVm7NutMCrm7JlkpqwornEZqqtmaKofA%3D%3D