Greatest "I Quit" Match

[Tenta]

Ah, The I Quit Match. For me, this match has always been the greatest kind of stipulation you'll eber find in professional wrestling. This is the complete, unequivocal way to decide who is the better man. Someone can get lucky off a small package, anyone can climb a cage, and anyone can force another man to bleed. But to make him Quit? That, people, is the mark of a tough professional wrestler. For years, promoters have used this gimmick to produce tough wrestlers, and to give reputations and stories of a man who will never surrender. From in the past to Mick Foley, to even today with John Cena, there have always been the storylines built around the wrestlers inability to utter the two words, "I Quit". With so many fantastic matches to choose from, I've decided to knock it down to four. There are plenty one copuld choose from; The Foley-Flair match, the Hart-Backlund one, I'll even take what I thought was a great Cena-Umaga match. But, what do you think is the greatest "I Quit" Match of all time?

Tully Blanchard-Magnum TA, Starrcade 1995- This is perhaps the most technically sound of all of the matches. It was brutal, but perhaps not the most brutal. It was also surrounded by a cage, which made the story just seem that much greater. Having these two men locked away in a cage just made perfect sense, and having them fight to the point of quitting is one of the most perfect things I've ever seen in wrestling. This made Magnum TA the superstar of the NWA, and had it not been for an unfortunate accident, TA may have been the face to rival Hulk Hogan in the WWE. Brutal, sadisitic, and overall wonderful, this match earns a spot in one of my favorite matches of all time.

Ric Flair-Terry Funk, Clash of the Champions IX- But it can't come close to my actual favorite match of all time, as well as my father's. The story behind this match was one of the best build ups I've ever seen. Funk was in rare "Middle Aged and Crazy" form, taking swings at the crowd, and overall becoming a total lunatic. The bit with the plastic bag over Flair's head made me really think Funk was prepared to kill the man. This one is getting my vote, purely for nostalgia reasons, but this match did get the rare 5 Star vote from Meltzer. As much as I dislike the man, I can't disagree with his opinion here.

Bret Hart-Steve Austin, Wrestlemania 13- This one is probably going to get the win, and while it's a great match, I'm still prepared to defend Funk and Flair. Still, this is probably the greatest American match of the 90s, by my book. Consider that; this beat out each and every wonderful match from these two superstars, let alone every other wrestler of the 90s. This was the Double Turn, and waht launched Steve Austin to superstardom, arguably. I still think the Austin 3:16 Coronation had more to do with it, but I'll see a point made for Wrestlemania 13.

The Rock- Mankind, 1999 Royal Rumble- Now this is the most brutal. This involved the most props, and while it looked cool, that actually takes points away for me. I mean, the thing felt like it was about the weapons, not man against man. Sure, it was a weapons fest and a spot fest, but it didn't feel like a contest of men fighting to see who the better one was. Just a lot of weapons really. Still, the ending was the most creative, and kept both men looking strong. Foley didn't have to quit, and The Rock went over, which was absolutely perfect.

And of course there's the Other. Still, what is the greatest "I Quit" Match of all time?

 

[X]

Great thread Tents, and as much as I wanted to vote for Magnum-Tully here, I simply cannot when Funk-Flair is on the ballot. Magnum-Tully was (obviously) a legendary match, pretty much a textbook perfect example of how to properly execute and finish a blood feud, it's wrestling storytelling at it's very best. However the in-ring work itself in the match simply cannot match up to matwork that Funk and Flair put into their brutal I Quit match, so I simply had to vote for it here. The Bret-Austin I Quit match is another example of basically a perfect match, five stars all the way from me on that one, but I couldn't choose it either because of my love for Funk-Flair, which is another five star match I'd say. The Rock-Mankind I Quit match was a very good match-up as well, but it certainly couldn't match up to Funk-Flair or Bret-Austin in terms of in-ring work, so I couldn't pick that either.

Yeah, has to be Funk-Flair from '89. Just an absolutely magical year in WCW, the best year in that promotion's existence in my eyes.

 

[a0161613]

Out of sheer personal preference only, I voted Austin-Hart because it is still one of the most brutal matches I've ever seen and one of the first matches that got me into wrestling.

For one match to produce so many memorable moments that have been replayed and talked about and compared to, is pretty amazing and it makes it comparable to only a couple of matches in history.

If the coronation started Austin's time on top and the Attitude era, this is the match that truly kicked it into top gear.

And I think the best thing about this match is the mix between weapons use and technical, in ring brutality. A real balance in booking was struck here and in gimmick matches it's barely been touched.

 

[Tenta]

And I think the best thing about this match is the mix between weapons use and technical, in ring brutality. A real balance in booking was struck here and in gimmick matches it's barely been touched.

I won't try to argue personal preference, Numbers, because frankly, that would be stupid. I see the rationale for the Hart-Austin match, and admit that, in what truly is a stacked lineup of matches (I mean, look at those four. This is an awfully brutal decision to make), Hart and Austin would probably be my second choice. That said, I felt as though the use of weapons was where I decided I couldn't vote it over Funk and Flair. There was something about the fact that, aside from some mic shots and a sliding across a table, weapons weren't used at all during Flair and Funk. It was just about two men deciding who was the better one, by bare hands. Austin and Bret had a great psycholigy, with some terrific offense, but for me, the weapons kind of made it less attractive. To know that it wasn't a man to man fight, but rather steel chairs, steps, a ring bell, all of the above used, probably tainted it more for me. Is it the best match of the 90s, in America? Probably. But the weapons just didn't do it for me.

I'll never try to argue preference with you, Numbers. Just stating why I can't pick Austin-Hart

 

[Carpathian Florist]

Out of the choices I've only seen Austin/Hart and Mankind/Rock. I selected "other" because for me the greatest one was Ric Flair vs Mick Foley purely because of the significance it had to me. Austin/Hart had already happened before I got into wrestling and I'd heard so much about that match before I ever got to saw it that some of the magic was taken out of it for me. For reasons I can't explain I didn't really care about Rock/Mankind, sure it was a hell of a match and I really enjoyed watching it, but I just wasn't emotionally invested in it at all. I was away from wrestling for quite awhile and I wasn't even aware of the Flair/Foley match up, it was actually via a post on here that I learnt of it and I went straight to Youtube to see what it was all about. Being quite a large Flair mark and knowing the lengths Foley goes to to inject a bit of mindless violence wherever he can my expections for this match were pretty high.
For once I was not disappointed, even the terrible ending of the match wasn't enough to sour my mood on it. Perhaps the ending made sense and was a logical outcome, I'm not sure because I didn't see any of the build up to the match. But seeing Flair go to the lengths he did in that match put a large smile on my face. There is also the factor of the bad blood between the two in real life too, perhaps these factors and the fact the existence of such a match caught me completely by surprise has given me a biased opinion of this match as a whole, but it was definitely one that had me on the edge of my seat, not knowing which way it might go.

 

[covieo81]

not sure if it was considered an i quit match, i know a towel had to be thrown in or one of the guys had to say i quit so if im wrong in this i guess go ahead and remove. i personally liked the bret hart bob backlund match i believe from a survivor series. it may not have been as big as some of the others listed but i liked seein the current face in hart vs the past face in backlund. backlund i think played an awesome crazy/insane character especially w/the whole squealin like a pig whenever he put the chicken wing on somone. also seein davey bret and owen all out there together was just awesome even if owen was a heel and cost hitman the strap. i think the ending was pretty good i was expectin hart to lose but i wasnt expecting it to be with owen snaggin the towel from his mom and throwin it in there.

 

[The Crock]

I voted for The Rock vs Mankind. This was a brutal, brutal, brutal match. It was great to watch too. Weapons were all over the place and I thought that was a different aspect then ones we had seen before. To some people, like Tenta, that takes away from the match... to me it just added to the brutality. The best thing was also that The Rock won.

 

[GameOver]

can't pick one that hasn't already been stated, what i watched of those were great matches

but consider a match that started the ball rolling for WWF and wrestling in general going global and getting regular TV exposure

Bob Backlund vs The Iron Sheik - noone actually quit, Backlund's manager threw in the towel to give Iron Sheik the win, ending Backlund's near 6 year reign as world champ and setting the wheels in motion for Hulkamania.

A decade or so later lead Backlund had returned and was after revenge for never quitting

Backlund vs Bret Hart (WWF Title) SurvivorSeries
same situation
except Owen screwed Bret by throwing in the towel, which led to Diesel winning soon after and the attitude era was just around the corner

 

[The Holy One]

I decided to give some love to the Tully/Magnum match. It's one of the rare I Quit matches that proves you don't need all sorts of weapons to personify hatred and anger b/w two men in a fued. All they needed was the cage and that was it. It's a very great match and should be worthy of 5-star rating from Meltzer imo.

 

[Decarow]

I picked "other". I actually really liked the Cena/Batista match-up.

Also Cena/JBL from JD 2005 was pretty fucking brutal.

I think one of the most emotional I Quit matches though was Mysterio/Chavo. They could have done better but Mysterio was injured going into it.

Btw, Austin-Hart was a submission match. Closely related matches, but not the same. I Quit matches are more serious cus you have to verbally quit.

 

[Brahma Bull]

the only one of those i saw was the rock foley i quite match. but it is also one of my favorite matches, and is really what got me hooked into the wwe so ill go with that one. i felt that the brutality was there and that neither of them were going to quite. which is what ended up happening. lol. and as others have said, it had probably the most original ending out of the i quite matches.

i cant say that it was the best since i never saw the other matches, and the names of those involved make me think that they were probably pretty awsome, but i think that the rock foley i quite match was one of the best ever.

it also won match of the year for pwi, so ill say my choice has some backing, lol.

 

[LongLiveTheStreak]

Technically Austin/Hart was a submission match. "I Quit" matches are built on beating the hell out of each other until one utters wrestlings two most deadly words, "I Quit." On the other hand, most Submission matches are built around holds- ex. Taker/Punk(Anaconda Vise vs. Hell's Gate) and Benoit/Angle(Crossface vs. Ankle Lock)

Anyways, when I think "I Quit" match. I think Rock/Mankind at the `99 Rumble. And I immediatly think of 14 chair shots to the head, Foley's fall onto electrical equipment, and a Corporate Elbow to Mick Foley with a chair on his head. I gotta vote for Mankind vs. The Rock.

 

[misterb]

When I first saw the title of the thread, Flair-Funk immediately popped in my head. But all 4 choices are classics, matches I'd definitely put in my Top 25 (although I've still only been able to view chopped-up versions of Magnum-Blanchard). But I went the easy way out: I was at the Pond for Rock-Mankind, so I had to vote with that. Tough to find a more brutal match than that. But you can't argue with any of the others.

P.S. - I hate to admit it, but the Cena-JBL match was one of my guilty pleasures as well.

 

[#hamler]

Rock/Mankind I quit match! NO match will ever meet up to the standards of brutality of that match. I never counted but didn't mick foley take like 15 chair shots to the head and body before "saying" "I quit". reason for the quotations around the the word, saying, is because of the unique finish that made this match even better. The rock placing a recording of mankinds voice saying I quit, I quit was EPIC! It solidified the rock as a great heel and a even greater main eventer. Reading reviews of this match and the reviewers are actually saying "the rock got out of hand"... holy shit. If that doesn't mean anything...damn

 

[Hazardous]

was a tough choice, as i really loved Rock/Foley... but i went for Austin/Hart anyway, yes i knew it wasnt actually an "I Quit" match, but it was close enough really. after watching the movie "behind the mat" i think it was.. where they showed the backstage shit from the night of Rock/Foley, and they showed his head getting stitched up? some of the sickest scenes i think i ever seen. was nasty as hell, looked like he had an ass on the top of his head. think it was just TOO over the top for me to vote it. good match though.

i swear, if anyone picks Cena/Batista you're either new, or have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Great thread. Personally, I'm going to have to go with The Rock vs. Mankind because of the sheer, utter brutality of the match. Watching Mick Foley take chairshot after chairshot to the head with blood pouring down his face with his hands cuffed behind his back was just...well quite frankly, it was chilling.

I remember watching the Beyond The Mat documentary and this match was featured on the film and the reaction of Foley's family in the crowd watching really drove it into my mind. Foley is someone that's always been willing to do whatever it takes to get a match over, even when it might not necessarily be the smart thing to do.

 

[shattered dreams]

Am I the only one a little bit disgusted that Rock/Foley is trouncing Flair-Funk and everything else? I know it is the age bias but that rock-foley match is overrated. If all you remember about it is Rock being dumb and uncreative in the ring so he hit Foley in the head with a chair an excessive amount of times how is that so great? How is a cop-out finish like that better than the legendary finish to hart-austin? The finish worked storyline-wise in rock-foley but it lacked the payoff you look for in an I quit match. It is worth pointing out that while austin-hart did not have a mic it was more than a submissions match. It was a no-dq submissions match which is basically the godfather of the match with the mic.

 

[X]

Am I the only one a little bit disgusted that Rock/Foley is trouncing Flair-Funk and everything else? I know it is the age bias but that rock-foley match is overrated. If all you remember about it is Rock being dumb and uncreative in the ring so he hit Foley in the head with a chair an excessive amount of times how is that so great? How is a cop-out finish like that better than the legendary finish to hart-austin? The finish worked storyline-wise in rock-foley but it lacked the payoff you look for in an I quit match. It is worth pointing out that while austin-hart did not have a mic it was more than a submissions match. It was a no-dq submissions match which is basically the godfather of the match with the mic.

While I agree that the Rock-Foley match isn't the best I Quit match of all time, I can see why it's receiving so many votes and being a product of the Attitude Era myself I've always loved the match as well. Wouldn't matter if Rock used twenty chair shots or twenty variations of a suplex, wrestling is first and foremost about storytelling and those two told one hell of a story that night, and that match is justifiably remembered as being great. I mean if you go back and watch Tully-Magnum again that isn't a very solid match from a technical or in-ring standpoint either, it's only about 13-14 minutes and consists mostly of punching and brawling, but again like I said, wrestling is about more than the moves you perform in the ring, it's about the story you tell.

That said, I'm still sticking with my original post and vote for Funk-Flair from '89. Wrestling just doesn't get better than that boys and girls.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

i went with austin/hart. i think it is quite possibly the best match of all time. the workrate, the storytelling and the finish was well and truly awesome.btw i guess there is some confusion regarding whether it was a submission or an i quit match.well i think you can call it both.it was the first time wwf was doing an i quit match so they were a bit confused as well.ill call it i quit becuse at one point in the match jim ross says:

"austin may not be a submission specialist but he can beat people up to make them say i quit".so there you go.

also i cant believe rock/foley is winning.i guess the people who voted rock/foley have not seen the austin-hart match or are confused whether it was an i quit match or not.if you take out foley's dive and those chair shots at the end youll see that the match aint anything special

 

[Dyno Kid]

The best "I Quit Match" ? You mean after T.A.-Blanchard ? For me it starts with T.A.-Blanchard because none could top the intensity of that match ! You could feel the hatetred between these 2 guys.

The only other that comes close for me would be Flair-Funk.

 

[Wolf Pac]

The Rock vs. Foley. Like some others have said in this thread, it's the first match I think of whenever someone mentions an I Quit match. It was just brutal and went all over the place which is the beauty of hardcore matches. And what made the match more awesome is the comedy Rock added in when he was asked if he wanted to quit.

 

[Dyno Kid]

Stunned at the results. Seems like this site skews towards fans under 30, not that that's a bad thing. How Tully-Magnum isn't number 1 is beyond me ! Must be a lot of youngin's voting who didn't start watching till about 1990. But that's cool, if I went onto a site that skews older the results would be different.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Wow. I'll take the high road and not go on a tangent on those that chose Rock-Foley or Austin-Hart. Because those were good matches. Good. See what I did there?

X covered Funk-Flair from '89. It's a damn good match, but could have been better in my opinion. Magnum vs Tully Blanchard takes the cake to me and it's not even close. Because it's the first known 'I Quit' match, and the most brutal. If you knew the background on this match and how ridiculously stiff these two were around each other, you'd sway your votes. Well, except X. But most of you would.

The match involved being strangled with a microphone cord, breaking a piece of a wooden chair being used as a spike, and more stiff punches than a UFC fight. It was graphic to watch and if you've watched the match, and heard Baby Doll scream her lungs out, you know what I'm talking about.