Mankind vs. The Undertaker

[7.0] "The first match in one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling. It is a very ahead of its time with Mick bringing his psychology and weapon use to the table. He brings the best out of Taker in firing him up for his comebacks. Foley wins with a great finish that'd build further, and that is no small feat. You can probably count the number of people that beat Taker on PPV on one, maybe two hands at this point, so it helps get Mick over strong. It does have some sluggish moments and is a slow burn kind of a match for sure, but it is first in a long line of classics for these two."

[4.0] "Surprise Mankind win here, but I didn't like the match. Some decent bumps here and there, but I found it a slow, boring match to watch."

[7.0] "Really good first match that a casual viewer who has heard about this legendary feud. To me wonderful way to leave the fans speculating that there would be more matches between these two since the finish saw Paul hit Taker with the Urn in which no one at the time nor someone getting into Undertakers early journey would never expect. The Match itself showed good in ring chemistry and also in the case of Mankind showing a little bit of the Cactus Jack style that Foley himself used in other promotions before the WWF Was amazing. To be Honest I was surprised Vince let a little bit of that ECW style of wrestling in during these times of what the company had valued what was sports entertainment. Mankind did awesome character work showing the frustrations that everyone before him had to endure while facing The Undertaker. So overall fun, exciting, not the best wrestling match but it was a breath of fresh air for the WWF crowd."

[6.0] "Great build up to the character of Mankind, this match was good and in the end Mick Foley takes the win and as the first appearances on PPV for the legend of extreme wrestling, was good to build. 6/10 [***3/4]"

[5.0] "me parecio un combate muy normal espera un poco mas para lo que los 2 podian entregar por momentos se me hizo lento tuvo 2 o 3 buenos momentos pero no es suficiente para ser mejor una lastima me decepciono"

[7.0] "This was a very physical match that was entertaining from start to finish. It may have ran a little long, but it was a big match that deserved a lot of time. Mankind getting the win was definitely a shock back then because Taker rarely lost and if he did it was due to heavy interference. Feuding with The Undertaker right off the bat was pretty huge for Mankind in terms of making him a big deal early on in his WWE career. They did an outstanding job of putting over The Mandible Claw as a deadly finisher. When you can beat a guy like Undertaker with the move, it gives it instant credibility. My biggest gripe is that ref Mike Chioda missed a lot of weapon shots and they didn't do a good job of setting that up. Two months later at SummerSlam, Bearer turned heel on Undertaker, Mankind won again and Bearer started to manage Mankind. The feud continued on from there. Their most famous match was at King of the Ring 1998 due to Hell in a Cell, but I liked their 1996 matches too."

[6.0] "[2.75*] Lol that wasn't fun I guess ? These two just can't fail when they face each other in a match. Good stuff but a bit longer than it should've been. Also the ending was cinema."

[10.0] "Foley was really able to force Undertaker to step up after years of plodding "monster" matches, not that there wasn't occasionally some fun in that but Mankind made him take it to a brand new level. This ruled, Foley was genuinely awesome and Taker pulled his weight in a new way."

[8.0] "Tremendous match for both competitors who elevated themselves. Mankind's gimmick is phenomenal and innovative."

[7.0] "Mankind's first PPV match here against the Undertaker was a great way to land with a new company. They have many more battles after this, but this got the war started. Loved Mankind."

[7.0] "The boys can brawl, that's for sure. Very good, deliberate, and heavy-hitting match that more than sets the stage for these two's storied feud. Undertaker puts on an excellent performance and Mankind is his full freakish self, with neither relenting in with their fists or their gimmicks. Glad to see the first of many "Mankind gets a chair and runs into Taker's foot" moments."

[7.0] "Really nice match and a sign of this to come with these two, showcasing the dynamic that'd make them famed rivals. There are a couple lulls but this peaks pretty high also, with Undertaker relishing the chance to spread his wings a little. Sprinkle in some classic Foley bumps and you have a comfortable hit, very good match. ***1/2"

[8.0] "This is a really good match as most of the matches between these two they have great chemistry and both gimmick work so good together. ****1/4"

[9.0] "This was really good. No gimmicks with this match as the future Undertaker vs Mankind matches would be defined by, yet it's not a pretty match to watch with several bruising looking bumps. Foley's character work in this is amazing. He is honestly like watching a horror movie character where it's like no matter what Undertaker does to him, Mankind is just unkillable. It fully utilizes the ringside area where Mankind takes a painful looking early spill on the concrete floor. Every spill outside of the ring looked gnarly. Foley gets a cool spot where he crushes Undertaker running into the stairs and then not long after he goes for an elbow drop dive on the concrete which Undertaker counters with the chair. The match looked like a Street Fight without the stip. Undertaker was protected with the finish because of Paul Bearer accidentally hitting him with the urn, but it was still a major shock to see Mankind successfully knock him out with the Mandible Claw! This put his finisher over big and made him look like one of the most dangerous guys on the roster! Tremendous match with a lot of good in ring psychology."

[7.0] "Good stuff with a surprising finish. Probably Foley's best gimmick and he's the only one who could pull it off. His body language, limping, screeching - everything is absolutely fantastic. They use a chair and spend some time outside of the ring, but it works because both of these guys are portrayed as insane without making it feel cringy. Mankind's running kick to The Undertaker leaning on the stairs was the highlight of the match for me and this whole spot perfectly summed up Foley's great character work."

[7.0] "Match of the night for me. This is the Undertaker we have NEEDED for ages now. Moving fast, throwing fast swift punches and taking bigger bumps than normal. It's great we finally get a more mobile Taker and it's against Mick Foley of all people, a man who could put on a classic with anyone."

[8.0] "Wow this was a really good brawl. Undertaker and Mick Foley had really good chemistry and I liked this better than the boiler room brawl from summerslam and maybe even their famous Hell in the Cell match."

[6.0] "Undertaker surprises Mankind with a clothesline off the top rope and kick starts the match. Mankind has gotten the better of Taker on three separate occasions. Both guys gouging each others faces off. Mankind grabs a chair and charges Taker but gets it kicked back into his face then Taker backdrops him on the floor. Taker cracks Mankind with the chair! Mankind counters a tombstone with a swinging neck breaker and both guys are down. Mankind up first and he pitches Taker outside then props him against the steps and charges with that knee smash to the face. Mankind slams Taker on the floor then goes for an elbow drop off the apron but gets a chair in the face. Mankind takes the urn away and tries to hit Taker with it but Bearer snatches it away. Mankind goes for the mandible claw and Paul tries hitting Mankind with it, who ducks and Taker gets smacked instead. Mankind puts on the mandible claw and beats Taker. Pretty good stuff!"

[7.0] "If you ever doubt the greatness of Mick Foley then remember he got a good match out of someone as useless as Undertaker who massively had to up his game to keep up. The finish is not great but finally got a credible foil for Taker."

[8.0] "Mick Foley might have been the most important signing WWF made during this period, and as Mankind he provided Taker with his first truly credible threat, someone who looked as dangerous as he was and even more crazy. Undertaker had to up his game here to keep up with Mankind, moving faster than he previously had done striking quickly and hard. Both men took some crazy bumps on the concrete and with chairs, until Mankind got the unexpected win. They would have better matches, but this one signalled an increase in the level of violence and dark psychology that would be used in the WWF going forward, as well as being a great match in its own right."

[6.0] "A really nice match here. They would go on to have much better matches, but this was still a fun watch, and Foley got a big win that made him look scary. ***1/4"

[8.0] "One of the first truly violent matches in WWF history, this match has spots and bumps that aren't even legal in modern day WWE. The whole story of the 'deranged Mankind' trying to maim the Undertaker is just awesome and kick-started one of the most iconic feuds in wrestling history. While the pace of this match isn't exactly blazing, it is more than made up for by the sheer physicality and uniqueness of the match's psychology."

[7.0] "A good brawl with a decent amount of psychology. It's interesting and it delivers an enjoyable conclusion with Paul Bearer hitting Undertaker when he tried to hit Mankind. ***1/4"

[9.0] "This was tons better than the cell match brutal physical great story told and the wrestling was good as well igave it ****1/2 fantastic match"