This match will tell you all you need to know about WWE’s late 90s Attitude Era. In just ten minutes you’ll see meddling McMahons (McMen?), steel steps being used to drive more steel steps into a man’s head, world-class trash talking from The Rock, a run-in that gets the biggest pop from a crowd you’ll ever hear, and more characters than you can count surrounding the ring because reasons. Even on a meta level, this match is known for being a milestone in WWE’s victory over then-rivals WCW in the Monday night ratings war that defined the Attitude Era. WCW’s Monday Nitro had been floundering for months, and this was supposed to be the night that they turned things around. They had a huge card booked, they were going out live in front of an 80k-strong audience, and to seal the deal they would leak the finish of WWE’s competing pre-taped main event, Mankind vs. The Rock, on air. Unfortunately for WCW, the moment they announced what was going to happen on Raw about 600k households switched over, and Nitro never recovered.
The reason all those people switched over is the same reason, more than any of the above, that this match is great: Mick Foley. Wrestling here as Mankind, Foley was the ultimate underdog. Despite being known as a hardcore legend who would put his body through anything for the fans, Foley’s real genius was being a master storyteller who could communicate how big his heart was and consequently have entire arenas eating out of the palm of his hand (even when it was adorned with an old sock). Still, no one believed that he could be checked-in to the ‘Smack Down Hotel’ by The Rock and come out holding the WWF Championship, until WCW told them of course. Just like the hundreds of thousands of people who tuned in that night, knowing how this story ends won’t stifle your joy as you watch the loner of loners defeat the ‘Crown Jewel’ of The Corporation, cementing his position as a top WWE superstar in the process.
