WWE's Only Tag Team Buried Alive Match, Explained
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WWE is known to produce some of the most exciting and unique matches in the history of prime-time television. Over the years, fans have witnessed a collection of mesmerizing and creatively driven matches. One of those memorable match stipulations was the 'Buried Alive match.' The match would see two combatants square off against each other with no rules and the only way to win was to bury your opponent alive at a grave site made somewhere close to the entrance area.
The company has produced many Buried Alive matches in its four decades of existence, however, there was this one match stipulated under those rules featuring not singles, but a tag team bout. For the first time in the history of WWE, the promotion produced a tag team Buried Alive, with The Rock and Mankind facing off against The Undertaker and Big Show.
The Rock and Mankind were a popular duo, known as the Rock 'N Sock Connection, while the unlikely pairing of two monsters in The Undertaker and Big Show came to be known as 'The Unholy Alliance.' Both tag teams had been feuding for some time and decided to take matters to the site of Buried Alive, making history in the process. So let's explore the first-ever and only tag team match to take place under the Buried Alive stipulation.
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The Unholy Alliance Feuded With The Rock 'N Sock Connection Over The Tag Titles
After The Rock left the heel stable, The Corporation, in 1999, he and his former nemesis Mankind (now known as Mick Foley) would not cross paths for a while, but even after their feud had come to an end, hostility between these two superstars still persisted. On the other side, The Undertaker and Big Show began to team up after briefly feuding over the WWE Championship sometime before that. The duo began calling themselves 'The Unholy Alliance' and began a force of destruction flanked by Undertaker's long-time manager Paul Bearer and soon became the WWE World Tag Team Champions.
The Undertaker and Big Show soon turned their focus toward The Rock and attacked The People's Champion on the August 30, 1999, edition of Raw Is War. The assault prompted The Rock to challenge both of them to a match. Many considered it to be career suicide for anyone to go alone against two dangerous behemoths in WWE at the time. In light of this, Mankind, who kept a foul-smelling sock dubbed "Mr. Socko", asked his former foe if he could assist him in his match against The Undertaker and Big Show. Having no other option at victory or at least survival, The Rock begrudgingly agreed.
This was the night the WWE fans saw the birth of Rock 'n' Sock Connection. The excellent chemistry between The Rock and Mankind proved to be a success and that led to the team dethroning Undertaker and Big Show for the World Tag Team championship after laying the double People's Elbow on the Big Show.
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The Feud Led To WWE's First-Ever Tag Team Buried Alive Match
After losing the World Tag Team Championships to the newly formed team, Rock 'N Sock Connection, The Undertaker and Big Show were hell-bent on recapturing the titles and resorted to a territory that the Deadman and his former foe, Mankind, were very much familiar with. For the first time in the history of WWE, a tag team Buried Alive match was announced with the Unholy Alliance challenging Rock 'N Sock connection in a high-stakes rematch.
The match was set to place on the September 9, 1999, edition of SmackDown. However, The Undertaker was not at full strength because he had a groin injury that would keep him from competing for the rest of the year. The match saw some jaw-dropping moments with all four superstars using the grave site to their use and all the elements that it offered. Whether it was Mankind emerging from the grave to lock in the mandible claw or Taker greasing The Rock's eyes with mud, the match was something special and something never seen before. The match even went backstage and saw Triple H try to attack The Rock, only to be equalized by The Undertaker's brother Kane.
However, the closing moments of the bout saw a horrific sledgehammer smash from Triple H interrupt this riveting match by hitting Big Show in the back and proceeded to bury Mankind himself, who was already tossed in the burial spot. Despite the interference, The Undertaker and Big Show still managed to win back the tag team titles and began their second reign as champions.
While this was the most bizarre and unexpected bout to ever happen in WWE, it was surely one memorable contest between four of the greatest WWE superstars of all time.
