How do you rate Foley/Taker HIAC?

[JoeDirt 0]

Do you still love this match today? Do you think it's just a shitty Foley stuntfest? It's been more than six years since this match...how do you look back on it today?

[Aero 0]

Logical opinion is simply that it's a great match for HOLY SHIT! moments, but wrestling-wise, it's horrible. The big arguments start when someone gives it a star rating of *** and up. If I had to give it a star rating, it would be from ** to *** tops, which is toward the actual match and brawling. I haven't watched the entire match in a long time, but the last time I watched parts of the match was listening to Foley narrate the spots on his DVD before they play the match. It's really scary when he says that he basically passed out while standing in the middle of the ring.

[algrim 0]

To me, the match told a story and that to me, didn't make it seem like a spotfest like some TNA matches. There was psychology (somewhat ) involved and this match highlighted Foley as a determined performer. I give it ****.

[Guest The Decadent Slacker]

I hadn't seen it completly until Foley's DVD came out, but i'd put it around ***. Great bumps, hard work from both guys to keep it together after the bumps, & a memorable finish. If you get into the whole historical significance thing, then it's *****, despite the overall match quality. Kinda like Hogan/Andre that way, i guess, in that the significance outweighs the work.

[ISportsFan 0]

The match is downright terrible. There are two huge bumps, lots of downtime while Mick regains consciousness (or is being wheeled off on a gurney), and not much else. There is no psychology, mainly because one person could not think during the match, so there is no actual logical planning behind any moves.

 

The bumps were awesome. Actually, I can say without caution that the match itself was awesome, literally, because almost nobody can see it without having their jaw drop out of awe. But looking objectively at the match, as a match, it's clear that it's not very good. Just nothing really of substance outside the two bumps at the beginning of the match. Unfortunately for the match itself, there was about another 13 or so minutes after the bumps, and they couldn't do anything during those minutes worth much or anything.

 

I give it *1/2 about as a match. As a spectacle, it's unheard of, and probably nothing ever again will be even close to matching it. But it's not a very good wrestling match, or even a good brawl. It's just two bumps.

 

Jason

[Lil' Bitch 0]

It was a fitting end to the classic 2 year Undertaker / Mankind feud.

[Jericholic82 0]

I don't like to rate matches cuz I really don't understand the star system too much anyhow. but yea the drama and emotion make it a 5 star angle, but its not much of a match. but that's why mick wanted to do the big spot at the beginning cuz he knew the actual match would suck. the fall thru the cage is the most brutal thing I have ever seen, as he lands hard on the older harder wwf ring, he didnt bounce, he hit his head and body straight on, I dont know how he didnt get paralyzed or even die after that one.

 

And the crowd is pretty lame, as Mick had no heat for his entrance (multiple personality changes and face/heel alignments had basically destpryed his credibility at the time-and for the most part the wwf audience in 98 was new to the product and didnt know foley too well) I do hate how JR taked about it afterwards "these two men gave you everything,they gave you of their souls here tonigth" taker didnt do a thing (except for carry mick thru the match part)to get hurt, he got a few thumbtacks on him and he bladed but thhts about all. the realk bumps were all micks.

 

 

it was a fitting end to the feud though, even if they did have a rematch on sunday night heat a moth later

 

 

Its interesting how jr always said thast no one held more wins over taker than mankind, when his only televised wins were kotr 96 and summerslam 96 (which wasnt a real match) are we counting house shows here? then again does taker job to anyone else twice?

[Guest Staravenger]

When it comes to WRESTLING, it's the worst match on the card and rivals UT/Boss Man in the race for worst HIAC Match in workrate. A knocked out Mick Foley and Taker with a broken ankle gives it an excuse at least.

 

As for "Holy Shit" Moments....eh, it's an after thought now. Back then it was THE biggest thing ever. Now...eh. He (Foley) tried to re-capture the moment at NWO 2000, thus killing off the long-term wow factor.

[Guest krazykat72]

**1/4 stars, mainly for the effort.

 

-Paul Jacobi-

[reign 0]

I just watched it again for the fist time in years and thought it was still great. I thought Foley..conscious or not..told a heck of a story...after taking those sick bumps he was laughing and smiling! I marked pretty hard after seeing it again...even the downtime when you keep seeing the angles of his fall is great...and the crowd was popping big for most of the match...it was cool to watch the Undertaker react to everything too since he was appartently killing Mick Foley...I watched the match maybe three times over two days and probably rewound the big hits 3 or 4 more...even if there was little "match" time (whatever you people want to call that in wrestling today, there's more match time in Scotty2Hotty vs. Mordeci but it ain't a good match) it will stand the test of time as an emotional ***** match in Vince's wrestling world.

[Guest Anglesault]

A full DUD, really approaching Bossman/Taker. Sure it has long term significance, but so did Hogan/Andre.

[DCMaximo 0]

The problem is that, having seen the bumps SOOOO many times, they start to lose their effect, which sadly leaves the actual wrestling to try and carry the match, something it really can't do. Despite having seen the bumps many times, I only got to watch the full match when Foley's DVD came out, and it's a real stinker, about *

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Anglesault, for you to compare Taker/Foley to Taker/Bossman makes you look like a fucking stupid ass, moron. Please go away before revealing your already skinned-alive scalp, child.

 

Seriously, while Taker/Foley gets historical significance as "overrated", while still giving that "OH MY GOD!" moment to the first-time viewer, to compare it to the snooze/punch-fest that was Taker/Bossman is ridiculous.

 

I've lost any attention I ever paid to your thoughts. Go away.

[Guest MikeSC]

1/2*. Hard to get over how much of the match was killed due to the insane spots. Sorry, but you can't make Foley having to be attended to during the match into anything interesting.

 

Besides, it did suck a mean dick.

-=Mike

[Slayer 0]

This PPV was the only one I ever purchased on a replay (having not watched it on that Sunday), sold solely on my friend's telling me "Holy shit you have to see this!" and the WWF's hyping it up on the RAW recap of the match. I watched the match, going HOLY SHIT at the bumps like most anyone would on first sight, and it was emotional on top of that, which was good, but time would end up numbing those factors, and even a couple months later I didn't think it was a good match and getting into arguments with people on wrestling sites going "OMG THAT MATCH RULEZORS YOU AREN'T A REAL WRESTLING FAN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT~~!"

[Guest Staravenger]

Anglesault, for you to compare Taker/Foley to Taker/Bossman makes you look like a fucking stupid ass, moron.  Please go away before revealing your already skinned-alive scalp, child.

Well, obviously I don't matter since I kinda made a comparison of it sucking when it came to the actual wrestling. Of course, the company IS World WRESTLING Federation (at the time), it's not World Stuntman Federation and I don't watch shows for stunts, hence why I think Shane McMahon sucks.

[Si82 0]

It's a pretty crappy match once the "HOLY SHIT!" value fades away. I mean, it was simply thrown together for no reason other than a stop-gap in the Austin/Taker saga. Pretty worthless in my opinion.

[slabinskia 0]

** for the match,***** for the bumps.I remember marking out when they brought in the thumbtacks as it was the first time they were used in a wwf match.However,the rumble 2000 street fight blows the match away.Also,anyone else love the 2 street fights foley had with the nasty boys in wcw.one is on the foley dvd.Prabably the only good matches the nasty boys ever had.

[Guest ally mccoist]

As someone else said, you can compare it to Hogan/Andre. The long term significane is there, but the match is nothing more than the spots. Hogan picking up Andre/Foley falling from the cage. Both those images will forever be remembered, but that doesn't make the matches good. But really I don't think its fair rating it. Foley was in no state to have a good match after the two bumps. Its like rating a match badly because one the guys had a concussion for the last half of it. Its a bit harsh. Its one match that I think doesn't need a rating.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I have to agree with the majority here. The match was two awesome bumps, with some ok brawling between the two big spots. The drama was certainly there, at least watching it live, because you just didn't know what condition Foley was in. The big bump, off the cage, will always have that WOW factor, because it is a great visual. However, playing it all the time might not be the wisest of ideas, if only because it will lead people to expect similar bumps in future HIAC, and when that doesn't happen, some may be disappointed with what otherwise might be a great match. As a match, it was below average, maybe **, but as a spectacle it was **** 1/2 easy.

[Guest Ray]

The problem is that, having seen the bumps SOOOO many times, they start to lose their effect, which sadly leaves the actual wrestling to try and carry the match, something it really can't do.

Hit the nail on the head.

 

I'm sure nearly everyone watching it live or watching it for the first time couldn't believe what they saw, but it really doesn't do anything for you when you've seen it a dozen times. Poor match. Especially when you consider that Foley (admittedly) did that because he was afraid the match would stink.

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

I tend to follow ally's thinking in terms of this match. I'm not much of a match rater kind of guy anyway but given the condition Foley was in...the fact that he attempted to finish the match at all gets a lot of respect from me.

 

I can still watch it after 6 years and enjoy it. That's all that matters.

[Guest bigm350]

***** bumps but no psychology at all; Definitely because of Mick's state of mind after the bumps. I give it an overall rating of **.