10 Most Overrated (And Overused) WWE Gimmick Matches

6. I Quit

Rusev John Cena I Quit
WWE.com

A stipulation made famous by one of the most sickening matches of all time (after previously only being trotted out on pay-per-view to give Bret Hart his worst ever WrestleMania match), 'I Quit' is admittedly one of the rarer entries on the list, but the clunky nature of the stipulation almost always hamstrings whatever match the performers could have potentially crafted.

Much like WarGames or Last Man Standing, fans are emotionally detached from the contest early on due to the certainty of no forthcoming decision.

This creates the illusion of wrestlers beating each other mostly without consequence, which commentators then have to carry until the match has at least arrived at a contrived 'middle' - a point in which one of the combatants could theoretically quit.

Away from structure, the match also requires the referee to jab a microphone in the wrestler's face, rather than just register the submission decision like they would any other time.

WWE have proved smarter at times, using the threat of an action as the tipping point (such as John Cena looming over JBL at Judgment Day 2005 with a giant exhaust pipe), but even then the surrendering opponent has often faced worse in the very same match.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett