5. The Rock Vs. Mankind At Royal Rumble 1999 (I Quit)
If someone says theyve watched it more than a couple times, I have to question their judgment. I dont watch it. Its not an enjoyable match. It should never be duplicated. - Mick Foley on WWE.com. That's a very strong statement from Mick Foley (Mankind), but one that I think most fans would agree because of how violent this match was. They battled it out for the WWE Championship in an I Quit match. Foley explained that they tried to put over the idea that Rock was a tough competitor who would do anything to win. "One of the goals was to take a guy who was so entertaining and show a mean streak that had previously not been on display. In that goal, we were very successful. People saw a real mean streak in The Rock and I think it did help establish that side to him and got him ready for the real big money matches with Stone Cold." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCzc64G2rTw What Foley was referring to is the conclusion of the match when The Rock destroyed him with ten chair shots to the head while Foley's hands were cuffed behind his back. As Foley has written and was documented in the Beyond the Mat film, his two young children at the time were seated in the crowd that night. He regretted bringing them to the event after. Foley: I think you dont know what crossing the line is until youve crossed it and we crossed the line that night. He was right. There were too many unprotected chair shots to the head. The Rock reportedly apologized about it afterwards and it was simply a case of them going a bit too far.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
