[2006-08-20-WWE-Summerslam] Ric Flair vs Mick Foley ('I Quit')

[Microstatistics]

This is one of my favorite WWE matches ever and one I feel is really underrated.

 

First of all, the hate is off the charts. I am talking almost Tully-Magnum levels. They really managed to convey the feeling that they wanted to kill each other. Secondly, the mic verbals were actually great. I usually hate when guys spend half the match on the mic telling the other guy to quit and constantly disrupt the flow. But stuff like "you're gonna suffer" and "I will tear out your heart" were fresh and incorporated at appropriate times in the match. So they turned what is usually the flaw of I Quit matches into something positive.

 

The body of the match is excellent with incredible violence, creative and unique spots, limb psychology of all things (Foley's shoulder) and strong transitions. Finish is a little bit of a cop out but a smart way to protect Foley and get across the fact the intensity of the feud and match had caused Flair to snap and go to any lengths. JR and Lawler also did a brilliant job on commentary. **** 1/4

[Victator]

I remember watching this and thinking it had an ugliness and violence you rarely see in mainstream wrestling. The only thing I can compare it to is something like Sabu vs Terry Funk Born to be Wired or Funk vs Lawler Empty Arena Match. The violence makes you feel uncomfortable.

This sort of violence is always within Mick Foley. Even as friendly Mankind, you can sense Cactus Jack ready to emerge. Flair you can't necessarily say that about. But as his career wound down you could see Flair becoming more twisted. Starting with the series between him and Triple H.

The Foley feud was the culmination of this. I would have been fine with this being Flair's retirement match. Flair defeating a man he considered the antithesis of everything he stood for. Even though Flair had to compromise his own ethics to do it.

If you look into it Flair meandered for the next year until the retirement angle started.

[Kadaveri]

Really agree this match is underrated having just watched it. This is one of the most brutal WWE matches I've ever seen, not just in terms of what they do to each other but how vicious and hate-filled everything feels. It's uncomfortable to watch but I appreciate that's the tone they were going for, the announcers are pushing the angle that this has gone too far talking about how Flair seems to totally snap at the end. The match is a story of how destructive hatred can be, nobody came out of it a hero.

 

****1/4

[kid dracula]

What a sick match. Hateful and psychotically violent, and the fact that it's a 60-year-old all-time legend in there savaging a dude with barbed wire adds a surreal element that I found totally captivating. The finish was kind of lame, but what are ya gonna do. I love Flair yelling "This ain't a lay down on your ass match!" at Foley. I don't know how to rate it but this would make my top 50 WWE matches for sure.