Every WWE 'I Quit' Match Ranked - From Worst To Best
14. Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. Ken Shamrock - RAW Oct 26, 1998
I might be old-fashioned, but there's something not quite right to me about an 'I Quit' match taking place on free TV. You could say this about gimmick matches in general, as they are usually saved for big pay-per-view events where the fans are desperate to see scores settled once and for all (and will pay for the privilege).
And then don't get me started on big gimmick matches with no real build. In 1998 Stone Cold Steve Austin took on Ken Shamrock in an 'I Quit' match, only the second ever in company history at the time, as the Austin/McMahon feud continued unabated.
McMahon had fired Austin months prior to this, but reinstated him in the hope that he would hear the Texas Rattlesnake say 'I quit', because McMahon is quite obviously the most insane chairman in the history of big business. Putting him against the World's Most Dangerous Man wasn't a bad idea but, of course, it didn't work.
Austin won thanks to assistance from Mankind in about seven minutes and he secured his job in the process. The whole thing was unnecessary.