Since most of the matches were pretty short, in all fairness, I'm excluding my usual ratings of them. This was a good PPV, much better than Judgement Day. It had the element of surprise (and disappointment when we found out the mystery opponent was Duayne Gill!), and TWO major heel turns.
Mankind vs. Duayne Gill
Short match. Gill's intro by McMahon took longer than the match itself, which Foley easily won.
Al Snow vs. Jeff Jarrett
In a competitive match, Debra distracted the ref near the end. Jarrett grabbed Head, and Snow grabbed the guitar and we had a gimmick-off. Snow eventually put down the guitar, and got Head from Jarrett and smashed him with it for the win.
Steve Austin vs. The Big Bossman
This match was just a big brawl. When Austin took the Bossman to the outside, the Bossman hit him with the nightstick, causing the ref to call for a DQ. Bossman drove the point of the stick right into Austin's heart, and it was questionable whether or not he would be able to continue in the tournament.
X-pac vs. Steven Regal
Good match for the first round, X-pac and Regal work well together. X-pac was able to execute the Bronco buster, his legdrops, and a move I've never seen before, but it looked like a reverse Texas Cloverleaf. When he took Regal to the outside to pummel him more, he stayed out too long and both were counted out. Commissioner Slaughter tried to restart the match, but for some reason, X-pac was unable to continue (Regal must have gotten a shot in while the camera was on McMahon.). Vince was enraged, because Austin received a bye.
Ken Shamrock vs. Goldust
Short ugly squash by Shamrock. When the ref stopped Goldie from utilizing "Shattered Dreams", Shamrock got him with the belly-to-belly and The Ankle-lock for the win.
The Rock vs. The Big Bossman
Patterson and Brisco came to the ring when HHH's music started and told everyone that Triple H wasn't going to make it, and that they would fine him for it. They introduced Rock's opponent, The Big Bossman. Bossman runs into the ring, inside cradle by The Rock, three count! The match lasted four seconds.
The Undertaker vs. Kane
Not a great match, but better than their Judgement Day encounter. When Kane chokeslammed UT, Bearer got in his face and narrowly missed a right hand by Kane. UT Tombstoned him, and Paul Bearer held Kane's leg and UT advanced.
Mankind vs. Al Snow
Footage backstage showed Vince and Gerald Brisco gloating over the prank they pulled on Mick by putting Mr. Socko around Head. This made everyone wonder: Why would McMahon pull this prank on the man he was pulling for to win the tournament? It didn't matter, because when Mankind found Socko, he stuck it down the throat of Snow, causing him to submit to The Mandible Sock.
The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock
This was one of the better matches in the tournament. Numerous exchanges back and forth, but when the Big Bossman came down and distracted the ref, he threw his nightstick to Shamrock. Unfortunately for him, The Rock intercepted it and nailed Shamrock, and advanced to the semi finals.
The Rock vs. The Undertaker
This match wasn't all that good. I'll just say that Kane ran in and chokeslammed The Rock, intentionally DQing UT. After the match, they fought through the crowd.
Steve Austin vs. Mankind
These two match up well together. Mankind started out in a tuxedo, but by the end of the match, he was down to his usual wrestling gear. A chair shot by Austin put Foley down for the three count, but McMahon's stooges intercepted the ref. Stunner on Mankind, and Shane McMahon ran in to make the three count for Austin, but he stopped at two, and flipped Austin off. When Steve chased Shane, Mankind got the double arm DDT. Shane made the three count, hugged his dad, and they ran off backstage together (McMahon seemed to miraculously recover from his injury).
The Rock vs. Mankind
This was the best match of the tournament. The Rock did the Peoples' Elbow, and Foley took a killer bump when he lept off the turbuckles but missed an elbow smash and crashed through a table. He also took some hard chair shots. Even The Rock Bottom couldn't put away Foley. The Rock put Foley in the sharpshooter, and Vince McMahon told the ref to ring the bell! Deja vu, anyone? Afterward, The Rock hugged Vince and Shane and insulted all the fans. When Foley questioned why he was screwed out of the title, The Rock nailed him with the belt. Austin came back out, stunned The Rock, threw him over the ropes, and the belt soon followed. When Foley got up, he was stunned as well.
Sable vs. Jacqueline
Short match, Sable basically executed a TKO, and a Sable-bomb on Mero. She was ambushed when she got back in the ring, and Sable-bombed Jackie for the Womens' Title.
The New Age Outlaws vs. Mark Henry & D'lo Brown vs. The Headbangers
So much action in the ring, it was hard to keep track. After being double-teamed for about ten minutes, The Roaddog tagged in Billy Gunn, who cleaned house and got his piledriver on one of the Headbangers for the win.
Overall PPV Rating: ***3/4