10 Most Shocking WWE PPV Main Events Ever
8. The Rock Vs. Mankind - Survivor Series 1998
The WWE World Championship had been vacant for almost two months when Survivor Series 1998 rolled around, but the event's 14-man tournament ensured that a new titleholder would be crowned. In the end, 12 men were eliminated and the whole thing came down to The Rock, who was fast becoming the most popular man in WWE, and Mankind, who was still a beloved star despite his affiliation with Vince McMahon.
The two men both fought hard to capture their first world championship, but toward the end of the match, the unthinkable happened. Vince McMahon, with a vested interest in seeing his chosen star become champion, came down to the ring. Meanwhile, The Rock locked Mankind in the Sharpshooter, then turned him over, and Vince McMahon called for the bell. Mankind hadn't submitted - rather, he'd been played as a pawn the entire time, and The Rock was McMahon's corporate champion all along.
Not only was the use of a Montreal-inspired finish genius (it was, after all, the first time it was done), but the booking earlier in the tournament - where The Rock seemed to advance via a series of lucky flukes - made a new kind of sense.