The 1999 Royal Rumble was home to one of the most violent matches in WWE history. The Rock, determined to regain the WWE Championship that he lost on the January 4 episode of Raw, challenged Mankind in an "I Quit" match. He not only sent the masked Superstar into electrical equipment, thus knocking out power to a portion of the building, he also cuffed his hands behind him back and unleashed a series of unprotected chair shots to the head. He struck his opponent over a dozen times in a sickening display that was highly scrutinized at the time. When it was revealed that Rock deceived fans, playing a recording of Mankind saying the words "I quit" rather than forcing them out of him, a rematch was booked for WWE's first-ever Halftime Heat special. Taking place during halftime of the Super Bowl, the match would be an Empty Arena match. Never before in the the history of Vince McMahon's promotion had the contest occurred, and for good reason. There would be no fans to speak of. There would be no pyro, no real energy in the arena. Instead, it would feature two Superstars beating the unholy hell out of each other, all for the right to call themselves the WWE champion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11MNCEO5Khk While there is no denying the fact that the bout was certainly interesting to watch, there is also no arguing its quality. The match sucked. It REALLY sucked. It was a fight that included some creativity on the part of the competitors but was largely punching and kicking. That the spots were so over the top threatened to expose the business. Never before had a match been so clearly staged, so unbelievably over-the-top. In many ways it was a "wink, wink" at the fans who had doubted the legitimacy of the sport. Mankind won after trapping Rock under a forklift and pinning him, mercifully ending the ludicrously long match. Thankfully the two industry icons would deliver a much better match weeks later at St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
