YouTube Wrestling Match Review: Mankind vs. Al Snow (Smackdown - 12/16/1999)

[Warning: This review will contain spoilers.]

This is my second YouTube Wrestling Match Review. The matches I review in this column need to meet two requirements. One, it has to be a match I have never seen before in its entirely or a match I don't remember watching. Two, it has to be a match that most people have never heard about or a forgotten classic. The last match I reviewed was Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle at No Way Out 2006. Many fans probably heard about it and have seen it before, but it was a match that no one really talks a lot about it so I thought it was a good match to review. This match will be much more obscure. WWE Smackdown has been a mediocre show this year so I want to review a Smackdown match from the Attitude Era. I could have picked a better match-up than Mankind vs. Al Snow, but this match-up is perfect for my review. I think a high percentage of wrestling fans have never seen this match or don't remember watching it. I used to watch Smackdown during the Attitude Era, but I can't remember if I have seen this match. If I did, the last time I saw it was when it first aired back in December of 1999. I used to be a big Mankind fan and I like Al Snow so I'm looking forward to watching (or re-watching) this match.

Mankind vs. Al Snow (Smackdown - 12/16/1999)

One of the most underrated rivalries in WWE history is Mankind vs. Al Snow. They had an entertaining rivalry. In Mick Foley's first book Have a Nice Day, Foley (Mankind) made a lot of Al Snow jokes. Foley wrote in the book that their feud got Al Snow in trouble with Vince McMahon.

Foley wrote,

Al was a remarkably good sport about all this until I over stepped the boundaries of fair play and took my brutal power and displayed it on national television. First on a pre-WrestleMania party, where I told the audience that in addition to visiting the Liberty Bell and seeing the original Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, I also went to a very small museum, where up on the third floor, under heavy security, I had found a very rare tape of Al Snow's last good match. A few weeks later, I upped the ante with a knockout so stunning, it made Butterbean-Bart Gunn look like a fifteen-round technical battle. Al felt like he was under pressure to retaliate and nearly ruined his career by launching a five-minute verbal assault on Mankind, while doing guest commentary on the next evening's Raw. Besides the fact that it was both unfunny and unimaginative, Vince had personally hated it, and as a result, I felt the need to apologize."Vince, I'm sorry that I used your show as a forum to push my little rib with Al. It was unprofessional, and I apologize." Vince then hit me with words I never expected to hear. "Mick, I don't mind when you do it, but Al ruined an entire segment by talking about you."

If Mick Foley has one final match, he should consider having Al Snow as his opponent. And if Terry Funk and Jim Ross both are unable to induct Foley into the WWE Hall of Fame, Al Snow should do the honors.

According to the YouTube description, this match happened because of Foley's book and Al Snow's jealousy of Mankind's relationship with The Rock. This was a falls count anywhere match, but it looked more like a hardcore match. Falls counts anywhere in a hardcore match so they really should have called it a hardcore match. Teddy Long was the referee during this match. Mankind won the match. Right before the end of this match, Snow led Mankind to the DX locker room. They went inside, but the cameraman stay outside the door. Snow was seen at the door of the DX locker room before the match so Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole assumed it was a trap. Someone got thrown out of the locker room and it was Al Snow! Mankind crawled out of the locker room and pinned Snow. Then The Rock walked out of the locker room. The Rock removed a DX sign that was on the door and the door said The Rock. Al Snow led Mankind to The Rock's locker room. That was a very entertaining 8 minute match. A lot of weapons were used and I wish Smackdown had matches like that today. It was a very good Smackdown match.

Winner: Mankind

Rating: ***1/4