If you grew up as a metal fan in the 90s, you'll know it was truly the decade where alternative subcultures began to cross over in spectacular style. From Celebrity Death Match bringing together alt icons of the day in gruesomely entertaining fashion to Korn appearing on South Park, worlds were colliding all over the joint.
Rarely was that ever more apparent, however, than in one of 90s professional wrestling's most bizarre but entertaining experiments, World Championship Wrestling's Beach Brawl 1999. Broadcast on MTV in January, the event featured a real wrestling ring set up in the middle of a beach in Cancun, Mexico, in front of a live crowd, with a battle royale taking place within it to determine the inaugural winner of the 'coveted' Beach Brawl trophy. Taking part in the battle royale were future WWE and AEW superstar and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio Jr, Chavo Gurrerro Jr, Hugh Morris and Perry Saturn, while, in a maddening and inexplicable twist, industrial metal heavyweights Fear Factory played live on a stage set up just outside the ring.
Keeping up? It gets wilder: as footage since posted to social media shows, instead of WCW's usual commentary team, presenting the whole thing are legendary wrestling manager Jimmy 'Mouth Of The South' Hart, WCW midcard favourite Raven and, for some reason, Kid Rock. The show is also preceded by WCW's scantily-clad dancers The Nitro Girls throwing some shapes, just to add to the obscenely over-the-top spectacle of it all.
"This is the first time we've had a match and a band performing at the same time!" beams Jimmy Hart, doing some fine hype man work after Kid Rock attempts to run through the rules of the match. The wrestlers are introduced and their various merits analysed, before Chris Jericho grabs a microphone to engage in some dastardly heel banter with the crowd. "If you don't change your ways, you know where you're gonna be in two years?" he asks to a chorus of boos. "You're gonna be taking my orders at Harry's Burgers!" Meanie!
The match itself lasts just under ten minutes, with Chris Jericho coming away with the big win and the trophy, all to the soundtrack of some classic 90s metal bangers. No doubt the trophy retains pride of place on Jericho's mantle top somewhere.
Watch the whole thing go down for yourself below.
