I Quit.

[Spidey Revivey]

There have been 15 sanctioned "I Quit" Matches in the WWE since it's inception. 15 times a wrestler has had to utter those two submissive words and face the humiliation that comes with it. "I Quit" Matches have an extensive history in several other programs, but just for sake of argument I wanted to focus on WWE's best and worst.

I haven't personally seen several of these entries, but the ones I have (Rock & Mankind, Chavo & Mysterio, etc) I enjoyed and can't say which ones I preferred. So I'm leaving this one in the hands of the WrestleZone members. Which one was the best? Which "I Quit" Match did you dislike? What two opponents would you like to see square off in one?

I wouldn't mind seeing Langston and Del Rio in an "I Quit" Match for the Intercontinental Championship. To me, that could help raise interest in the belt if they were to defend it more in a stipulation match. But then again I'm no booker. Let's see what you guys think.

 

[harrythem]

The worst one for me was Bret vs Backlund because, to me, it dragged on and the result was pretty pointless...Backlund won due to Owen screwing Bret (a Survivor Series tradition starting early) but it only led to Backlund losing the title to Nash straight away and, even though Owen had cost him, it didn't even lead to a Bret vs Owen grudge match at, say, Royal Rumble...

Favourite one was Rock vs Mankind from Rumble 99, brutal as hell but, as both guys were fresh main event talent, I really enjoyed it.

 

[thesubverse]

Backlund won due to Owen screwing Bret (a Survivor Series tradition starting early)

Hahaha, this made me laugh. Unrelated to the topic at hand, have you noticed nearly every time Bret lost a title it was some sort of screwjob? He rarely ever lost a title clean.

Back on topic, it's definitely Rock/Mankind for me. The sheer number of chairshots Foley took was enough to put it over the top.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Hahaha, this made me laugh. Unrelated to the topic at hand, have you noticed nearly every time Bret lost a title it was some sort of screwjob? He rarely ever lost a title clean.

Back on topic, it's definitely Rock/Mankind for me. The sheer number of chairshots Foley took was enough to put it over the top.

Oh that's always been very glaring, even the one time Bret did lose the WWF World Title where there was no heel-styled outside interference was when he dropped the strap to Shawn Michaels. The whole Sudden Death occurrence protected Bret rather well in the context of his character. Which really didn't bother me, I loved Bret Hart's WWF Title runs as a kid even if they started during a less than great time in the WWF from a commercial standpoint.

In the case of poster boy baby faces, I can't think of too many times where their title reigns did end fairly. For instance the only time Hogan lost it cleanly was against Warrior. But many folks will still slam Hogan and overlook guys like Bret Hart and Bob Backlund's title losses.

Anyway, back on topic, I've never been a huge fan of the I Quit stipulation. But if I had to pick one, it would be one not listed and that was Magnum TA vs Tully Blanchard. That was an example of the stipulation being done beautifully.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Not a fan of the concept in general. I feel like they don't flow that well, much like Last Man Standing matches. However, I am a fan of JBL vs. Cena. I'd probably place it as the best match both have ever had. Especially considering I'm not a fan of either.

The Backlund/Hart match is terrible. It's a 20 minute Crossface Chickenwing and, boy, does it feel like it!

 

[d_henderson1810]

I liked the Rock v Mankind the best.

There were two really bad ones, though. One was Mick Foley v Ric Flair. Melina, who was Foley's friend, was about to be hit with a chair by Flair, until Foley said "I Quit". Remember,Foley is a guy who never said "I Quit" (it was a trick at RR '99 where an audio of Mankind saying "I Quit" was played). Also, Foley was the heel, and Flair was the face going in, but it is Flair threatening violence on a woman. Now, I thought it was a double-turn at the time. Yet, the next night, Foley was still a heel, and Flair was still a face. Foley went face at the end of that "Raw" because Melina turned heel on him. Confused by my description of it? I was confused watching it.

But the worst one was Vince v Stephanie. Having a father fight his daughter in a match should never happen. But the match was a mess, and was ended by Linda throwing in the towel, despite Vince saying numerous times that he would make Stephanie say "I Quit". I guess they needed to end it by towel-throw, as making Steph say "I Quit" would have meant that Vince had to hurt her somehow, and you couldn't have a father show violence against his own daughter. Also, you knew who would win going in. Perhaps the most disturbing match I have ever witnessed.

 

[Барбоса]

The Bret vs Backlund match in question in this thread is their I Quit Match at Wrestlemania XI with Piper as the referee, which was rubbish.

The match that Backlund won the title in was a Submission match at Survivor Series 1994, which was not much better as it dragged horribly at the end.

As to my favourite, I would say it is Rock vs Mankind if only for how brutal and dare I say harrowing that ending was. Cena/JBL was good too.

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

John Cena vs JBL was brutal, had everything. Two powerhouses knocking the crap out of each other, just a really overall entertaining match!

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Do matches booked as "Submission Matches" count? Because, they're basically the same thing. Not every "I Quit" match required the loser to actually say the words on a microphone. Tapping out is basically the same. So if submission matches count then obviously there are way more to choose from to add to this poll.

Mainly Bret Hart vs Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 or Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit.

If they don't count, then sure - I'd give it to Rock vs Mankind, because it was brutal. And it also had a good, innovative finish with the recording.

As for Bret Hart's title runs ending with screwy finishes. This is standard for a top babyface. The losing babyface always needs to be protected. It was the same with Hogan. It was also true for Shawn Michaels. Same for Steve Austin and The Rock. John Cena has only lost clean a few times since he became the top guy. So it's not just Bret... That's just how you book your top babyface.

 

[3drinks]

I don't see a lot of people mention this match, but the John Cena vs John "Bradshaw" Layfield I Quit was a #fabulous match. It was a great way to blow off the Cena/JBL feud, it got Cena's first WWE title reign kicked off with authority, and it would later prove to become a bit of a character trait for Cena - he's undefeated in I Quit matches - furthering the "Never Back Down, Never Say Die" mentality/gimmick.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

It has to be The Rock v Mankind at the 1999 Royal Rumble.

My God, that was brutal. The gaping wound on Foley's head that we saw close up on "Beyond The Mat" was sickening, and it still amazes me just how many chair shots he absorbed in that match. I cannot believe The Rock went so far over the agreed number of chairshots Foley agreed to take, when Mick had his hands tied behind his back and was unable to protect himself in any way. It was horrific but captivating to watch.

Knowing how much damage concussions can cause now I cringe when I watch it, but it was one of the matches that really made me a huge WWE fan, I just had never seen someone beating the shit out of another wrestler like that before. The bump Foley took into the electrical tower was great too, I really did think that they had lost power to the arena when the lights went off for a while.

Does anyone know why Rock was never punished by the WWE for hitting Foley so many more times that agreed? Considering some wrestlers now get serious heat for being "unsafe" in the ring for far farrrrr less than that, did Rock totally get away with it? It was a totally unprofessional thing to do, especially as Foley has said Rock never checked on him backstage afterwards to see if he was ok, unlike most of the roster.

 

[Dan E. Inferno]

Easily Cena vs JBL for me. It's just simply a really fun, entertaining match, which most I Quit matches are not. It really ruins the flow of a match when someone gets suplexed, and the ref is shoving a microphone in their face asking them if they want to quit. I mean I'm sure that happened in this match too, but I just remember the good stuff, of which there was plenty. And blood too. Lots of it. That was nice. Also, it made up for their shit Wrestlemania match and made Cena look like a pretty tough cookie.

Rock vs Mankind and Mick vs Ric were the only other two that I really enjoyed, but neither really come close to Cena and JBL.