Every WWE 'I Quit' Match Ranked - From Worst To Best

4. The Rock Vs. Mankind - Royal Rumble 1999

Jeff Hardy Matt Hardy Backlash 2009 I Quit
WWE.com

This is arguably the most famous 'I Quit' match of them all, and for many it would top this list.

The Rock and Mankind continued their brutal feud over the WWF Championship at the 1999 Royal Rumble, and this time the stipulation actually meant something. We'd seen Mankind go through hell in his career to date without giving up, surely he wouldn't utter the words 'I Quit'?

Well, he did and he didn't, and this would be probably the only time such a dirty finish was acceptable. As we now know, Rocky played a recording of Foley screaming 'I quit!' over and over, and Mankind's unconscious body seemingly spewed out the words.

This match only comes fourth on my list due to the unprotected chair shots to the head. Wrestling is entertainment after all, and this crossed the boundary from exciting and violent to uncomfortable and distressing. The visual of a handcuffed Mankind being unable to defend himself (while his family watched on from ringside) was jarring without the concussion-inducing shots.

The rest of the match was fantastic, another great WWF main event from an incredible era.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.