[7.0] "This match was solid and entertaining. Easily one of the worst matches of the feud, but the good news is that it was the first. They just kept getting better and better. Honestly, this should have been the blueprint for Austin's heel turn at WM 17 a little over two years later. This was executed much better. Good match, better turn."
[7.0] "A bitter end to the PPV in which Vince screws Mankind out of the WWF title, in addition to Steve Austin. This match was fun, but it was a setup for Rock's heel turn and Foley's beatdown afterwards. Austin comes back to beat up Rock at the end, but Rock is still the champ thanks to shenanigans by Vince."
[7.0] "Excellent match, and a very hot finish to this PPV, which was clearly an event focused on the World Title tournament, and setting up the dynamics for the next months of WWF television. The match started and it was a pretty cool brawl, it's clear that the instructions were to not disqualify anyone, because they went to the outside and started to use weapons, but the referee didn't do anything, so it was basically a No DQ match, even though it wasn't billed as such. After the brawl, we had a very good climax, with Rock having a great babyface performance, and we had some nice near finishes, the whole ending stretch was super tense, as a title match on the main event should always be, it was really well wrestled. The match ended after Rock put Mankind on the sharpshooter, and Mr. McMahon called for the bell, a clear re-creation of the Montreal Screwjob, and this great angle not only served to create the Corporation, and firmed the alliance of Rock, Vince, Shane and all of the other stooges, but also created an amazing babyface in Foley, because that was even tough to watch, he played his role with brilliancy and everyone felt bad watching that. Mankind clearly had Vince as someone close and he was confused with that ending, in a very innocent way, that was super well done, it showed an innocent side on Mankind, he was surprised and confused, it was one of the best ways to turn a villain into a guy that you feel sorry for, and will root fiercely to get his revenge - {***1/2}"
[7.0] "This match and the aftermath is what saves this whole PPV. Solid enough action, though both lagging from the earlier matches but only memorable for the highjinks after."
[7.0] "This takes a while to click, but it's interesting to watch two soon-to-be iconic rivals go through a feeling out process of sorts. They are visibly chasing a clear direction during the first half but once they find it, this climbs considerably, comfortably claiming the honour of being Deadly Game's best match. ***1/4"
[9.0] "The first of many exciting episodes in an overall fantastic rivalry. The match saw what would become the norm in later ones: an escalating state of affairs that starts from basic things and culminates to an all-out brawl with both wrestlers becoming more unhinged as the match progresses. It is all executed beautifuly with the obligatory nod to Montreal."
[5.0] "[**1/2] A pretty lackluster and somewhat frustrating ending to what was an incredibly disappointing PPV. While the action in this match is decent for the most part, both participants seem to be affected by fatigue from competing throughout the tournament that night. Much of the action, while engaging, takes place outside the ring in a brawling/street-fight style. The real letdown, however, is the Montreal Screwjob finish. Although it makes some sense within the context of the storyline, it feels like a lazy and anticlimactic way to wrap up an otherwise lacklustre tournament. It might be an unpopular opinion, but this was a particularly poor night for WWF in terms of quality. While this match is somewhat better than most of what we've seen throughout the evening, it still reflects the overall shortcomings of the event."
[8.0] "Very entertaining final match that set up one of the biggest rivalries on the road to Wrestlemania. It's all somewhat overshadowed by the shocking double turn that happened after the match and the way Rocky looks at the McMahon's right before they all screw Mankind over in the end. The match quality itself is not abandoned by the major focus with the storytelling going on and it's an all out brawl that essentially becomes a street fight because the referee can't DQ anybody. There's a lot of violent chair shots and Mick Foley takes another insane crash through the announce table. Jim Ross's calls on Mankind being a pawn for the McMahon's was also pretty great and showed that Foley was earning sympathy and was loved by the fans despite technically being a heel. The screwjob finish was an obvious call back to the previous Survivor Series and was a brilliantly executed Russo swerve that was so shocking that the crowd actually cheered for The Rock until they realized what was happening."
[7.0] "After a quite lackluster tournament, these two are able to put on a decent and engaging match. The two brawled for quite a bit and took some nasty moves. The Rock won with a repeat of the Montreal Screwjob and turned heel."
[7.0] "Best macth on the card, this was a great ppv because of the entertainment and the storytelling, this macth was good a preview of the classics both The Rock and Mankind had, The swerve at the end was well written leading up to the macth by mr Russo that one Ill give you Bro, The Rock becoming champion for the first time is memorable in itself"
[4.0] "Oh my God, they couldn't even have a normal match in the final. Once again constant brawling, almost no action in the ring and countless use of items. At least here is the explanation why the referee doesn't disqualify or count out anybody, but at the same time he starts counting to ten with both wrestlers laying down. The swerve also felt weird - why didn't Vince call for the bell earlier if that was the plan all along? And if it wasn't then the sudden coalition happened out of nowhere. The crowd once again saved this from being straight up bad."
[7.0] "Pretty goodbrawler match here with some good steel chair spots and at one point Mick Foley does his patented dive to the announcers table and Rock dodges it and Mick just completely eats shit. Then there was the Mandible claw being countered into the rock bottom which I liked and it lead to the screw job finish. I agree that this wasn't a technical marvel but it did the job to getting to the excellent swerve at the end of the show."
[7.0] "Aight let's get this out of the way. Yes, the Montreal Screwjob rehash was lazy and unnecessary. But, it was still a good conclusion to the arc of the unexpected Rock heel turn. You can crap on Vince Russo all you want, and I do it, it's fun, but this was a great piece of work from him...oh yeah there was a match right? They finally let Rock loose here in this match, and for 17 minutes, both men went at each other's throats with some great brawling and nasty bumps. While they would have better matches in the future, this one was still a very well made bout."
[6.0] "Rock gains control but Mick goes to a chin lock. To the floor, where the Rock gets a suplex and goes after Vince, who has joined us at ringside. Rock suplexes Foley into the crowd, where they brawl. Into the ring, back to the chin lock for another planning session. Mick fights out and gives him the Cactus clothesline to the floor, and they brawl again. Mick grabs the stairs but gets bashed with a chair, then takes another shot in the head with it for good measure. It gets a two count for Rock back in the ring. Mick comes back and drops a Cactus elbow on him. Mick leg drops Rock on the announce table, which gives him a two count back in the ring. Rock gets a fluke DDT and mounts a comeback. He hits the floor again, and Mick launches himself, but misses and goes through the Spanish table. Back in, the People? s Elbow gets two. Foley comes back with the double-arm DDT and gets the Mandible Sock. Rock counters with Rock Bottom. It gets two. Rock then hooks his shitty Sharpshooter, and of course Mr. McMahon plays his part and tells the timekeeper to "ring the bell." Rock gets his first WWF title, turning heel in the process (although he never really turned face after leaving the Nation, officially) and becoming the Corporate Champion. Mankind the patsy in all this gets beat up afterwards, thus turning mega baby face in the process and becoming one of the first internet darlings. Although, that might have happened back at KOTR 98."
[7.0] "A hard match to rate, but just going by the in ring action it was fantastic, especially as it was the fourth match these guys had wrestled on the night, and as short and silly as those were it was still an achievement. The story though is another matter, being a literal rehash of the previous year's memorable main event. The wrestlers deserved better than this trash, the fans seemed to want it though..."
[7.0] "An iconic rivalry and a polarizing finish. These two brawled from start to finish, with their signature offense being saved for the pivotal moments of the match. The Rock going off on Mankind with the Steel Chair was brutal. The table spots were, as well, and both men did a great job of bringing it in the ring with their respective DDTs. In the ring, the drama built fairly well and led to a massive swerve. And the story was the driving force here. 3.5 stars, 7 out of 10."
[7.0] "This would have been higher had this match had like 3-5 minutes but it was still good. This was however overshadowed by the heel turn of The Rock tho.***1/2"
[9.0] "Not only was the match pretty fantastic with brawling all around the ring, both inside and out, with a lot of real near falls and some real painful looking bumps. And then, one year after Hart got screwed at Survivor Series, Mankind get screwed at Survivor Series as Rock takes the win even though Mankind never tapped out of the sharpshooter that Rocky put on him. Close it out with another brilliant in-ring promo from the most hated man in wrestling."
[7.0] "Vince Mcmahon once again showed his evil assholic boss persona which both made the storyline enjoyable but made me dock points its just bad timing for me considering what happened to Bret 1 year earlier. Now this ending made for one of the greatest heels of all time so its makes up for but I am judging the match it did not live up to its full potential. Besides the finish the match was a good main event with some big spots that foley executed well he is not spripping down on them after that cell match with taker. Its really your typical Attitude era ppv main event and for sure a memorable one but not one of the p4p greats."
[7.0] "Mehr als ein Brawl ist es ja eigentlich nicht, aber das muss es hier definitiv auch nicht. Denn das ist ein würdiges Finale um den Gürtel welchen uns Rock und Mankind hier liefern. Mankind bumpt natürlich ab und zu mal wieder deftig, was den Brawl aufjedenfall aufwertet. Das Finish, nun ja ich hätte den Screwjob nicht ein zweites mal gebraucht, aber zu was es dann letztendlich diente, nämlich Rocky als Top Heel der Company zu machen, ist dann natürlich im Gesamteffekt sehr nützlich. 7 Punkte gibts von mir."
[8.0] "Von 97. -2000 haben sie sich bekriegt, sie waren auch teilweise ein Tag Team, sie waren WWF World Tag Team Champions und wie 1997 musste sich die Geschichte mit einem Betrug wiederholen. Mick blieb aber bei der WWF und versuchte es bei Rock Bottom wo es wieder nicht so klappte wie er dachte. Klares Match of the Night (***1/2)."
[5.0] "This one takes a while to get going, but by the time they hit the home stretch it really picks up and features some good near falls. I personally think the WON rating is a little too high and I'd go more **1/2 for it, but it's mostly fine and the big swerve ending is done really well"
[8.0] "A lot of people have called this match Vince Russo's masterpiece: I can definitely see what they mean. This was the ultimate swerve: they spent the entire evening hyping up how Mankind was the chosen one that Vince wanted to be the champion of his company. All evening it seems like they are working in his favour, but in reality, they were actually helping The Rock out the entire time. You can see it in earlier matches, it's not all that subtle once you watch out for it. The match itself was really good, but it's the ending that really elevates this to something great."
[8.0] "MOTN, only match of the night that goes near the 20 minute mark which gave the match the big fight feel it deserved. Plenty of memorable spots and actions like Foley's two table bumps and Rock wailing on Mankind with a steel chair while Mankind's trapped under the steel steps. Some great near falls near the end off of a Rock Bottom and People's Elbow and the swerve finish is just as cool to watch 20 years later. ***3/4"
[8.0] "Realized Foley has no beard under his mask here and got seriously weirded out. Quite a good match, all the way to the finish, which is lousy not because it’s a Montreal reference but it’s ridiculous to imagine the McMahons and the Rock would have such a long drawn out match if they were intending to screw over Foley anyway. The double turn was a good idea but the execution was nonsensical. Can’t fault the action but the ending takes it down a bit."
[7.0] "A good final round of the tournament, with the fans on The Rock side and Mankind as the corporation guy. The match clearly does the swap and it's more relevant for the story than the match quality. It's an interesting ending for the match and it has its relevance. ***1/2"
[7.0] "Ein gutes Match und das klare Highlight bei dieser Survivor Series. Beide hatten schon Matches absolviert aber sie haben dennoch genug in sich um ein amsehnliches Match zu absolvieren. Gut inszinierter erster Titelgewinn von The Rock."
[7.0] "Die Ausgangslage vor Ringgong ist unklar - Mankind wird von McMahon ins Rennen geschickt und im Backstagesegment schon als Lachnummer diffamiert, Rock als vom Boss angefeindeter und aufstrebender Publikumsliebling - da muss ja was passieren. Das Match selbst ist kurzwelig und intensiv, dabei nicht immer plausibel, da es trotz Chairshots und Low-Blows keinerlei Reaktion vom Ringrichter gibt. Das Ende ist on top grotesk überzogen - McMahon lässt in bester Screwjob-Manier während eines Sharpshooters abläuten. 'The people screwed the people' heisst es dann. Danke Vince - erklär uns bitte ein Jahr später noch einmal, dass Du damals in Montrael alles richtig gemacht hast. Zumindest steht am Ende ein neuer und absoluter Top-Heel als Widerpart zu Austin bereit - und den hat es in dieser WWF Landschaft jetzt auch wirklich benötigt. Dank Foley, einiger Bumps und dem doch wirren aber in der Konsequenz verständlichem Booking auf eine knappe Sieben hochgerundet."
[7.0] "Das MotN einer enttäuschenden Series. Beide liefern einen kleinen Vorgeschmack auf ihre kommende Fehde. Mankind der vermeintliche Heel gegen den nie richtig zum Face geturnten Rock. Guter Brawl mit einigen harten Einlagen. Stark dann der Double Turn zw. den beiden. Das Wiederholen des Screwjobs aus dem Vorjahr hätte ich aber nicht gebraucht. (3 1/2*)"
[8.0] "This is a lot of lot of fun. Out of control crowd brawling, weapon use, cool spots, acceptable selling. Very good WWF Style Main Event. Referee EARL HEBNER refuses to DQ Mankind for repeated weapon shots, but then he doesn't DQ The Rock either, so we can be confused or assume he just wants a clean winner. Vince and the stooges do come back out, not having left at all, I guess. VINCE IS IS AT RINGSIDE AND HEBNER IS THE REFEREE. There was an awesome Cactus Elbow bump through the table, and epic false finishes in the ring off the Double Arm DDT, People's Elbow, Mandible Claw, and Rock Bottom. Until then, THE ROCK PUT MANKIND IN THE SHARPSHOOTER! VINCE ORDERS THE BELL TO BE RUNG! Awesome match btw"
[8.0] "Wirklich sehr würdiges Finale des Turniers. Das Match ist zwar sehr Brawl-lastig, aber das sind die Main-Events der Attitude-Era eigentlich alle. Entscheidend ist das Beide alles geben und mich die gesamte Matchzeit über sehr gut unterhalten. Das Finish ist zwar ein Abklatsch des Montreal Screw-Jobs, aber es kommt erstens sehr überraschend und zweitens passt es einfach perfekt. Hier gibt es ausnahmsweise mal beide Daumen nach oben für das Booking-Team. Innerhalb von zwei Minuten schafft man es den eigentlichen Heel Rocky vom aufstrebenden Publikumsliebling (die Crowd geht gut steil auf Rocky in dem Match) den meistgehassten Mann der WWF zu machen. Ganz großes Kino!"
[8.0] "Shane McMahon: The McMahon Family is proud to present your new World Wrestling Federation Champion. The Corporate Champion. I give you The Rock."
[9.0] "Das Match fällt in die Zeit, in der WWE Main Events fast ausschließlich aus Brawls bestanden, von wenigen Signature Moves mal abgesehen. Wenn man sich damit anfreunden kann, wird einem hier ein überaus solider Brawl geboten, der im Rahmen des Survivor Series " Deadly Game" Tournaments eine zusätzliche Dramatik und Spannung erhält, weswegen man das Match am besten in diesem Kontext sehen sollte. Mankind, der bis zum Schluss als vermeintlicher Liebling von den McMahons verkauft wird, nur um dann nach Strich und Faden betrogen zu werden; The Rock, der unfreiwillige Liebling der Massen, der letzten Endes einen Heelturn nach nie vollzogenem Faceturn durchzieht; Ross und Lawler in Bestform am Kommentatorentisch. Die Bestandteile sind alle da und letzten Endes war dies für mich ein sehenswerter und würdiger Abschluss eines einzigartigen PPVs der Wrestlinggeschichte."
[8.0] "Ein überraschend gutes Match, der beiden, dass nur einen Vorgeschmack auf ihre folgenden Matches geben sollte. Nach einem anständigen Schlagabtausch folgt der "Attiude-Era typische Brawl", bei dem beide teilweise gute Bumps nehmen. Allen voran Mick Foley lässt mich zwei bis drei mal die Luft anhalten (z. B. als er einen Diving Elbow vom zweiten Seil nach draussen auf das Kommentatorenpult zeigt und dabei sichtlich schmerzhaft zu landen scheint). Aber das verleiht dem Match erst die richtige Würze und lässt beide echt gut aussehen. Lediglich das Ende, dass an den Screwjob, der ein Jahr davor stattfand, angelehnt war verhindert hier eine höhere Bewertung. Aber alles in allem gab es hier einen tollen Main Event mit vielen Spots und zwei hochmotivierten Stars zu sehen."
[7.0] "Die erste große Begegnung der beiden kann man absolut als gelungen bezeichnen. Sie liefern sich ein für die Attitude-Era gewöhnliches brawllastiges Main Event, dass aber kaum langweilt. Das Finish ist gut gebookt, da man eigentlich nicht mit einem Turn rechnen konnte. Das Montreal Screwjob Finish zu wählen kann durchaus als kontrovers bezeichnet werden. Von mir gibt es ***1/2."
[7.0] "Match war von der Intensität her gut, am Ende dann aber der Screwjob musste nicht sein, etablierte aber gleich Rocky als Topheel, sowie McMahon weiter in seiner Rolle als böser Boss."
[6.0] "Solides Match der beiden, das zwar wrestlerisch kaum überzeugen konnte, jedoch durch die guten Brawl-Anteile und den überraschenden Beitritt The Rocks' zur Cooperation insgesamt durchaus ansehnlich war. Dennoch störte mich dabei die langweilige Wiederwohlung des Screwjobs der Series '97, welche leider allzu offensichtlich durchgeführt wurde."
[8.0] "Ein gutes Match, das dem Turnierfinale der Survivor Seres 1998 durchaus würdig war! Am Ende gab es dann mal wieder einen "shocking Moment" als sich The Great One der Corporation anschloss."
