WWE's 12 Fails Of Christmas

5. The Rock Loses...But Mankind Doesn't Win? - Rock Bottom: In Your House

Paul Heyman December to Dismember Facepalm
WWE

A rare occasion of a some WWE dramatic booking failing at every aspect of what it is trying to achieve, this match managed to pour cold water on an angle that had been on fire for well over a month.

After the copious amounts of interference that regularly permeated the company's main events at the time, white hot corporate heel The Rock had no emergency exits left, and was knocked out cold with the Mandible Claw.

However, before Howard Finkel could announce Foley as the new Champion, Vince McMahon ripped the microphone away and indignantly ordered that because Rock hadn't been pinned or submitted, the title simply could not change hands.

Cannily not going on last, this finish wasn't how the show would close for fans, but it was a disappointing conclusion all the same. Particularly in following the electric Deadly Game tournament at Survivor Series, which had been a star-making night for both Foley and The Rock.

Forgotten in the haze of the more famous follow-up where Foley would snatch his first title win on Raw, this match briefly cast a shadow over two incumbent stars placed in lousy conditions, and ripped off fans that deserved a more creative solution to the booking cul-de-sac.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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