Favorite Rock v Mankind Title Match

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

In a roughly 3 month span from the 98 Survivor Series to the Raw after the St. Valentine's Day Massacre ppv Rock and Mankind had 7 WWE Title matches which saw a new champ crowned 4 times (counting their first match where the title was vacant). I find this to be a very interesting time as I don't think we will ever see such a thing happen again. Not only did Rock and Mankind have all those matches in that short window, but they were able to keep it fresh and add to the story which kept the fans interest. So I wanted to see which one of there matches is Wrestlezone's favorite.

Survivor Series 98 (Deadly Game Finale for vacant title)
Rock Bottom 98
Raw 01/03/99
Royal Rumble 99 (I Quit match)
Halftime Heat 99 (Empty arena match)
St. Valentine's Day Massacre 99 (Last Man Standing match)
Raw 02/15/99 (I Quit match)

Mine is the I quit match at the Rumble. Just a brutal match that hit on everything. Mankind came out looking stronger than before by controlling the match when things were equal. Handcuffing Mankind worked for the match as it allowed Rock to go to a more brutal place that elevated him much like it did for HHH in his matches against Mankind in early 2000. All those chair shots were so vicious and the ending was genius with the pre recorded taping of Mankind saying I quit.

For me the match hit on all fronts. It made Mankind look better than he did going into the match in defeat. It made Rock look stronger as he was able to step up his game, and its ending allowed the feud to continue in a logical manner.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I liked the empty arena match, just for the unique concept it presented. I found it amusing that it was scheduled to last only as long as as halftime of the Super Bowl; that taking the aspect of farce offered by pro wrestling and making it something we could sink our teeth into showed what a powerful force the "sport" had become.

The very idea that WWE would put on a match in a venue with no fans made one believe that the company was so devoted to us that they'd sacrifice the benefits of the "gate" (and the ice cream bar vendors would suffer economically) in the interest of providing us with a world championship match.

What a concept! Love the idea, baby! Adored the forklift and Rock's intestinal fork-i-tude in agreeing to lie beneath it!

I even agreed to be pulled away from the possibility of seeing wardrobe malfunctions during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. How many other spectacles could pull you away from the station showing the ultimate football game?

 

[Kaptain Klobber]

All of their matches were great, but the LMS match at SVDM '99 was my favorite, mostly because of the way mankind won, with the forklift pinning rock. The I quit match was good too, except I didn't like the ending with the tape recorder. All of these were awesome matches.

 

[CM Steel]

The match where Mankind (Mick Foley) beat the Rock for his first WWF/E title, with some help from Stone Cold Steve Austin. That Monday night RAW will go down in history as one of greatest RAW's in history! It was just how that whole match went. DX in Mankind's corner while the Corperation was in the Rock's corner and all breaks loose during the match! And then we all hear the glass breaking...Stone Cold makes his way out to help out Mankind when he gave the Rock a chair shot to the head (back when doing the chair shot to the head was still okay). And placed Mankind on top of the Rock to win the WWF/E championship in the no DQ match on the first RAW of that year!

The celebration afterwards almost had me in tears that night. God bless Mick Foley! He had a nice day

 

[SSJPhenom]

It has to be Halftime Heat '99. That empty arena match was one of a kind and very, repeat very, damn entertaining.

The antics alone in that match was something to behold, not to mention the Rock's custom commentary throughout the entire match. I can still remember some of the things the Rock said throughout that match: The Rock grabs Mr. Socko and puts him on, "No Great One, don't put me in the oven, don't put me in the oven". The Rock throws Mankind into a candy rack, "5 dollars for cotton candy, 5 dollars". The Rock and Mankind are fighting in the office and the phone rings; "How convenient, the phone is ringing. Hello; well no Mankind's a little busy right he's got his mouth full with the Rock's foot in his mouth," as he kicks Mankind in the face. That match is still to date one of the most entertaining matches I have ever seen.

I loved that match.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Easily the Royal Rumble I Quit match, one of the most entertaining, and disturbing matches I have ever seen.

Both Mankind and The Rock beatt he hell out of each other in this match, and knowing the damage that concussions can give, I still cringe when I see Mankind taking those multiple unprotected chair shots to the head...absolutely brutal!

The Rock showed a totally new side to him in this match, I had never seen him so vicious and as the OP said, it helped take him to the next level in his career, as happened with Triple H after he fought Mick Foley the following year. The spot where Mankind fell from the balcony onto the electrical tower causing a mini explosion and the lights to go out in the arena blew my mind when I first saw it, I really did think he had been electrocuted, it was insane at the time!

I think what makes the match stand out to me even more is the footage that is shown on the "Beyond The Mat" DVD, where you see how Mick Foley's family react in the crowd to his beating, with his wife and kids in tears at the brutality. It makes me think "WHY THE HELL DID MICK BRING HIS KIDS TO THE ARENA?" Also, seeing the wound on his head after the match getting sown up shows me just how violent it really was.

 

[HBsam31]

It has to be the Raw match for me where Mankind won the belt with the help of Stone Cold. Some people love the attitude era and some people hate it, but you can't argue with the energy in the arena during the matches. A great match with a great ending. The Rumble match is a very close second for me, but seeing Mankind win the title like that puts this one just a bit ahead.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Just the fact that everyone is saying "It has to be this one..." shows how good this feud was. 7 WWF title matches in 4 months, including 4 straight PPVs. What other feud could pull this off today? This feud solidified both men as top guys in the industry. It really was The Rock's coming out party, but it got Foley crazy over as well.

The feud escalated to a new level after each match as well. They didn't go all in after match 2 or 3. It was a well paced feud, with a lot of title switches and an evolving storyline. All matches were pretty good too. With obviously many of them being memorable. The RAW where Mick won his first World Championship. The Royal Rumble I Quit Match. The Empty Arena match at Half-Time Heat. This is one of my favourite feuds of all time, from two amazing performers.

I voted for the I Quit at Royal Rumble. To repeat someone above me, it was entertaining in some aspects but also brutally violent and almost unwatchable in others. It also had a pretty creative screwjob finish. I can't explain exactly what it is, but something about this specific match just defines the feud.