Top 20 worst world title changes in wrestling history

15. The Rock def. Mankind: Royal Rumble 1999

If this were a list of the most brutal world championship changes in wrestling history, this would easily be right near the top of the list, but as it stands for purposes here, we’ll just go with this spot. Mick Foley and The Rock will be connected forever in the minds of wrestling fans. The “This Is Your Life” segment from Monday Night RAW is still one of the highest-rated segments in history and the Rock N’ Sock Connection was amazing. But this might be the thing between the two that everyone will most remember.

A highlight of Beyond the Mat (if you’ve never seen this movie, do yourself a favor and get on that), the “I Quit” Match between The Rock and Mankind at the 1999 Royal Rumble will go down as one of the most intense title matches in WWE history, and of the five times these two traded the WWE Championship between Survivor Series and WrestleMania XV, this will always be the standout, even if the ending was off. Mick Foley had always dreamed of being WWE Champion and on the night that changed wrestling forever, January 4, 1999 (more on this night a bit later), he finally achieved that dream as he defeated The Rock on Monday Night RAW  in an emotional battle.

Too much title-swapping aside, I really have no problem with the outcome. It’s the way that it was done that’s always irked me. Instead of an “I Quit” Match, this should have been a straight fight. The Rock still could have gotten all of those chair shots in (wow, that was excessive) and it either could have been a Falls Count Anywhere or a Last Man Standing kind of thing but instead, they played a tape of Foley saying “I quit” from RAW and it just didn’t look good. Like I said, either do another stipulation or call it a no-contest or something. The match was insane but the way the title changed hands was off, especially since Foley won it back a week later during halftime of the Super Bowl.