On a recent edition of his “Foley Is Pod” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley revealed the logic behind his legendary I Quit Match with The Rock at Royal Rumble 1999.
Foley said, “It’s inevitable people are going to cheer him. You just kinda try to hold off the inevitable until after WrestleMania. It’s hard to really boo him because he’s such a gifted entertainer, and he makes you smile [and] laugh. But if we could show a vicious, vindictive side [to him], we could hold off the inevitable for at least a few months.”
Foley also revealed that the originally planned finish would’ve seen him lose the match by quitting due to sparing his family in the crowd from watching him suffer further.
However, Foley said that TV executives vetoed the idea because it was too “emotionally powerful.”
The match ultimately ended with Foley being knocked out, and The Rock had help from The Corporation by having his former ally utter the words “I Quit” over the speaker system using his comments from a promo earlier in the night, which tricked the referee.
The Rock won the match and regained the WWE Championship.
