The Corporate Ministry was a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWF, now WWE) in late spring and summer of 1999 during the

Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a ...

. It was formed after a merger between The Corporation and the

Ministry of Darkness The Ministry of Darkness was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1999. Led by The Undertaker, the Ministry was a controversial group with pseudo-witchcraft-themed storylines that included rituals ...

factions, who united while facing common adversaries

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

, The Rock, The Union, and

Mr. McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

. In an infamous swerve, the latter would eventually be revealed as the power behind The Corporate Ministry who had intended to use the faction to destroy Austin.

History

Background

Throughout early 1999,

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

and his Ministry of Darkness had been feuding with WWF owner

, trying to gain control of the Federation. To break Vince's spirits they began targeting his daughter Stephanie. Worried about his daughter, Vince shifted focus from his Corporation stable to Stephanie. With Vince occupied, his son

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a su ...

gradually took over the leadership of the Corporation. On April 12, Shane kicked Vince, Pat Patterson, and

Gerald Brisco Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco (born September 19, 1946) is an American retired professional wrestler. Brisco is best known for his time in the wrestling promotion WWE, where he was a backstage producer, and, during the 1990s, an on-screen character ...

out of the Corporation. His rationale was that there was no room in the Corporation for the old and that Vince no longer had his priorities straight. Shane then slapped his father, saying that the strong, ruthless man he knew was gone. Heading into

WrestleMania XV WrestleMania XV was the 15th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 28, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

, Vince McMahon had been feuding with

for an entire year. By this point, the Corporation was involved in the feud as well. The Rock, Vince's handpicked champion, lost his

WWF Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...

to Austin at WrestleMania XV and also lost a rematch at Backlash. Rock blamed the loss on Shane, who had been guest referee and accidentally hit Rock with the championship belt near the end of the match. The following night on ''

Raw Is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...

'', Rock insulted Shane and hit him Rock Bottom and was in turn fired from the Corporation. At Backlash, the Ministry kidnapped Stephanie. The Undertaker attempted to wed and sacrifice her the following night, but was ruined successfully by Stone Cold Steve Austin after two failed attempts by

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Cha ...

and the

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

. Members of The Corporation had wanted to help Stephanie, but Shane held them back apparently trying to convince them that it could be a Ministry trap.

Formation

On April 29, the pilot episode of '' SmackDown!'', The Undertaker merged his Ministry of Darkness with Shane's Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry. The two groups united in order to fight their common foes Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mr. McMahon. The members of both factions seemingly forgot their past conflicts and worked together as a massive stable. On the following episode of ''Raw Is War'', a new faction formed to oppose the Corporate Ministry. Former Corporation members

, and

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

joined together with

Mankind Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

to form The Union. The Union members felt that they were being screwed over by the Corporation ever since Shane had taken control of it from his father. Wanting revenge on his son, Vince soon united with the Union as they fought with the Corporate Ministry.

The Corporate Ministry

As the Corporate Ministry's first act, Shane ordered a WWF Championship match at Over the Edge between Austin and Undertaker with himself as a special guest referee. However, WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels countered by adding Vince as another guest referee. That night, an altercation between the feuding McMahons collected Undertaker and Austin, and Shane fast-counted the pin to give the match and the title to Undertaker. That same night, The Rock defeated

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...

via disqualification and The Union defeated The Acolytes, Viscera, and Big Bossman in an

elimination match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

. A week later, The Acolytes defeated X-Pac and Kane to win the

WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

. Meanwhile, The Undertaker's claim that he served a higher power was expanded upon. Eventually, The Undertaker decided to offer Austin to this greater power, who revealed his identity to Austin while dressed in a black robe and a hood that hid his face from the audience. On June 7, the identity of the higher power was revealed as Vince McMahon, and the entire exercise had been a ruse designed to allow the McMahons to get revenge on Austin. After the unveiling,

Linda Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

and Stephanie McMahon, who were also victims of the ruse, used their combined 50% share in the WWF to punish Vince. Linda stepped down as CEO of the company, naming Austin as her replacement. Further, she and Stephanie were signing over their shares of the WWF to Austin. The Undertaker has stated that he considers the Corporate Ministry stable to be the low point of his "dark" era due to the diluting of power from himself to the McMahons. The McMahons challenged Austin to a winner-take-all handicap match at the King of the Ring. The match became a ladder match after Big Boss Man lost a match to Austin, allowing Austin to pick the stipulation. To punish him for the loss, Big Bossman was fired from the Corporate Ministry. With Steve Austin now feuding with the McMahons, The Undertaker faced a new challenger, The Rock. After Rock beat The Undertaker and Triple H in a

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, The Undertaker faced The Rock at

King of the Ring King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotion ...

for the title. Undertaker won the match, thanks to a run-in by Triple H. That same night, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

to win his 50% share of the company and regain full control of the WWF. The following week, The Acolytes lost their tag team titles to the

Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...

. Big Boss Man rejoined the Corporate Ministry the night after King of the Ring. After King of the Ring, Austin reinserted himself into a feud with The Undertaker by announcing that, while still CEO, he booked himself a title rematch with Undertaker, with the time and place to be determined by Austin. On the ''Raw Is War'' after King of the Ring, Austin defeated the Undertaker to regain the WWF Championship. At Fully Loaded, a

First Blood match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

was signed with two stipulations. If Undertaker regained the title, Austin could never challenge for it again. If Austin was to retain, Vince McMahon would be forced to leave the WWF. Austin won by hitting The Undertaker with a television camera after an assist from X-Pac, thus retaining the title and forcing Vince out of the company. Meanwhile, The Acolytes defeated The Hardy Boyz and their

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Michael Hayes to regain the tag team titles, and Triple H defeated The Rock in a leather strap match to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship. and Big Bossman won the hardcore title from Al Snow. Two weeks later, the Acolytes would lose the tag team titles to X-Pac and Kane.

Dissolution

By the end of July, The Undertaker's relationship with the McMahons had dissolved and the Corporate Ministry was effectively disbanded by Shane McMahon on August 2, 1999. Shane continued to align himself with Triple H and Chyna, and on the ''Raw Is War'' following

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...

he helped Triple H defeat Mankind to win his first WWF Championship. The Acolytes stayed together and continued to wrestle under that name with no connection to anyone, eventually becoming the APA. Big Bossman continued his feud with Al Snow. The Undertaker, in the meantime, formed a new

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with Big Show called the "Unholy Alliance", which eventually grew into a loose stable that included former Ministry members Mideon and Viscera. They defeated X-Pac and Kane at SummerSlam for the WWF Tag Team Championship, only to lose them a week later to the makeshift tag team of Mankind and The Rock, which became better known as

the Rock 'n' Sock Connection The Rock 'n' Sock Connection was a professional wrestling tag team of The Rock and Mankind/Mick Foley who wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) between 1999 and 2000 and briefly in 2004. As a team, they held the WWF Tag Team Championsh ...

. The following week, they regained the tag team titles in a Buried Alive match after Triple H buried Mankind following an attack on Big Show. Shortly after this, it was found that Undertaker suffered a torn groin and would require surgery, which necessitated a change in storyline. The team's scheduled defense against the former champions on ''Raw Is War'' two weeks later was turned into a Dark Side Rules match where any of the members of the Unholy Alliance could wrestle. This enabled Undertaker to avoid aggravating his injury, although the group lost the tag team titles back to the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. Afterwards, Austin told McMahon on RAW that according to the previous contract's "fine print" he could reinstate him, provided that McMahon granted him his title shot. McMahon agreed and considered himself reinstated, granting Austin the title shot - with the catch that he would wait to meet the winner of the

Six-Pack Challenge Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

WWF Title match at

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...

. During that time, The Undertaker was set to compete in the same Six-Pack Challenge against The Rock, Mankind, Kane, Big Show, and Triple H, requiring a change in those plans as well. One week after the group lost the tag team titles for the final time, Mr. McMahon forced Triple H to take part in a gauntlet match to keep his spot in the Unforgiven main event, with each match being considered the "specialty" match of the competitors. Undertaker was originally set to face Triple H in a casket match as part of the gauntlet, but Undertaker refused to compete and walked out on Mr. McMahon. Mideon and Viscera, who earlier had interfered in Triple H's inferno match against Kane, were forced to take Undertaker's place and won the match after Triple H was unable to put both men in a casket. After that, the remaining members of what was left of the Ministry went their separate ways. Big Show became the WWF Champion at that year's

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...

, while Viscera won the WWF Hardcore Championship and was eventually let go from the company. Mideon disappeared for some time after Unforgiven, returning first as an impostor version of Mankind and then as "Naked Mideon" before leaving the company himself.

Joey Abs Jason Arhndt (born October 15, 1971) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Joey Abs as part of the Mean Street Posse. He also performed usin ...

made his debut by joining The Mean Street Posse; he wasn't a member of the Corporate Ministry, but debuted under the Corporate Ministry banner.

Championships and accomplishments

* ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' ** Feud of the Year (1999) – Mr. McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin ** Rookie of the Year (1999) – Shane McMahon *

( 1 time) – The Undertaker ** WWF European Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – Shane McMahon (1), Mideon (1) ** WWF Hardcore Championship ( 1 time) – Big Boss Man **

(

) – The Acolytes (2) * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

'' ** Best Booker (1999) – Mr. McMahon ** Best Non-Wrestler (1999) – Mr. McMahon ** Feud of the Year (1999) – Mr. McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Members

ImageSize = width:900 height:350 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Leader value:red legend:Leader id:Member value:green legend:Member Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMinor = unit:month increment:1 start:04/29/1999 LineData = at:04/29/1999 color:black layer:back at:08/02/1999 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Shane text:"Shane McMahon" bar:Vince text:"Mr. McMahon" bar:Undertaker text:"Undertaker" bar:HHH text:"Triple H" bar:Chyna text:"Chyna" bar:Bossman text:"Big Boss Man" bar:Bradshaw text:"Bradshaw" bar:Faarooq text:"Faarooq" bar:Mideon text:"Mideon" bar:Viscera text:"Viscera" bar:Bearer text:"Paul Bearer" bar:Gas text:"Pete Gas" bar:Rodney text:"Rodney" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Shane from:04/29/1999 till:06/07/1999 color: Leader bar:Shane from:06/07/1999 till:07/25/1999 color: Member bar:Shane from:07/25/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Leader bar:Vince from:06/07/1999 till:07/25/1999 color: Leader bar:Undertaker from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Leader bar:HHH from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Chyna from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Bossman from:04/29/1999 till:06/21/1999 color: Member bar:Bossman from:06/28/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Bradshaw from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Faarooq from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Mideon from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Viscera from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Bearer from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Gas from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member bar:Rodney from:04/29/1999 till:08/02/1999 color: Member

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corporate Ministry, The WWE teams and stables The Undertaker