Their second meeting resulted in Vader taking Stings WCW Championship. Not only was Steve Austin vs. There was nothing pretty about a match between Masato Tanaka and Mike Awesome. When fans needed a new hero atop the NWA, it turned out to be The Nature Boy himself. These classics run the gamut, from one-on-one matches, to tag team bouts, to cage fights, to Royal Rumbles, to WrestleMania main events. And the most special part is after the match, The Rock sits over Austin and they have a long conversation just the two of them. Few title wins have felt like a validation of the people as much as they did the champion, but this one, with Bryan celebrating as confetti and YES! chants rained down around him, certainly did. It was a lot to put on Brock's massive shoulders, but he was up to the task. You can teach pro wrestling moves. And I said, 'What do you mean?' "The thing about both me and Savage was that neither one of us liked to do a lot of talking when it came to settling our differences. Their bouts are the greatest "David vs. Goliath" matches ever, and their feud is the only one that features three matches among WWE's 30 greatest ever. MATTHEW ARTUS. Instead, they put on a clinic that to this day still keeps you on the edge of your seat, even with the sound off. Or should we say, Cactus Jack. He suffered greatly, as did I. Had the match featured actual falls throughout, or better yet, not been booked as an Iron Man match, but simply a singles match that happened to go the full Broadway, plus overtime, it'd be higher. Maybe that wasnt the right thing to do.' Everyone seems to remember the bookend moments of their instant-classic rivalry, such as Punks hot-fire pipe bomb where he took Cena to task for his perceived dominance and trashed WWE itself for imposing a glass ceiling over underappreciated mid-carders, and of course, The Second City Saints kiss-off goodbye to Mr. McMahon with the title in hand. Dont blink. Throwing caution to the wind, both teams pushed their bodies to the limit in a Ladder Match display the likes of which the WWE Universe had never seen before. While these matches come from different eras, they all have one thing in common: They have earned their place in history as the greatest ever. No way out 2001 11. For my money, this is one of the absolute best matches of all time. This match, though. Pro wrestling fans chanting "this is awesome!" "But even I, Bret Harts staunchest supporter, found it hard to not get behind Austin in that match. The Foundations triumph is palpable no matter with whom you sided in one of Harts finest showdowns with his Texas Rattlesnake rival. Swanton Bombs and Spears off ladders are what everybody remembers; what they forget is that Rhyno, Spike Dudley and Lita all got involved, too, essentially making the match a 9-way affair. 'Holy cow, you're right.' Prior to hugging teammates or filling arenas with choruses of "Yes! Has there ever been a better coming-out party in WWE history than that of The Shield? After a trilogy of matches that changed sports-entertainment forever, Flair earned the respect of all that had despised him. Together, their in-ring chemistry made for unforgettable bouts. Now that you have the backstory, just go watch this match. GREG ADKINS. TOM HERRERA. Ultimately, the match ended the only way it could with Michaels' final defeat following two Tombstones. 12. Hart had his work cut out for him. The celebration, however, would prove short-lived. Top three matches of 2021: SmackDown vs. Roman Reigns; Dynamite "Grand Slam" vs. Kenny Omega; Dynamite "Winter is Coming" vs. "Hangman" Adam Page Bryan Danielson put together one of the most. What we have done, however, is watch every single match on the award-winning WWE Network. KEVIN POWERS. TOM HERRERA. Although it was Jeff and Matt Hardy who claimed victory, all four Superstars received a standing ovation the next night on Raw. Scarier than a ladder, more dangerous than a cage, and more vicious than a street fight, the Hell In A Cell was a match where wrestlers who hated each other could finally settle their score, at risk to their lives. Both men took turns clobbering each other around the arena in a barbaric Texas Death Match, living up to their legendary reputations for being able to inflict and tolerate high amounts of pain. While the idea was to keep both guys in the cage, a cameraman got "injured" and needed treatment, allowing Michaels to escape. Meanwhile, Brock Lesnar truly was "The Next Big Thing," being put in the main event on a WrestleMania card featuring Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Flair even went so far as to provide altered photos to WWE Magazine long before the advent of Photoshop or TMZ. ), here's our criteria. The Rock is one of the greatest feuds in WWE history because it featured one-half of the proverbial "Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling." At its best, the Rumble is one cohesive story made up of several smaller stories that not only manages to entertain fans for more than an hour, but also elevate all 30 men involved. In fact, before this rubber match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, the WWE Universe had never seen one on SmackDown or Raw. DAVID SHOEMAKER. Thats how I learned by listening to these guys, my mentors. Christian's been around a long time and Randy Orton's a third-generation Superstar who is so natural. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle found two of the best, at their best, in a battle to see who was best. Wrestlemania 19 - 2003 Something about the late '90s and early 2000's just made for some excellent sports entertainment, and Wrestlemania 19 didn't disappoint. If it is carnage you seek, youll find it at Extreme Rules 2012, wherein Brock Lesnar elbowed John Cenas head into the proverbial crimson mask within minutes of the opening bell and didnt wrestle the Cenation leader so much as torture him for the duration of this 20-minute flogging disguised as a pay-per-view main event. Undertaker would get his chance at Badd Blood 1997 in the first-ever Hell In A Cell match. I remembered what Ricky Steamboat taught me about showmanship, what Bobby Eaton taught me about punching, Arn with his general a**kicking and I tried to mimic everything I did after Barry Windham. I was really intrigued by his style and was looking forward to getting in the ring with him. Welp, fans certainly swallowed their words a month later when the three put on one of the greatest WrestleMania main events ever and the best triple threat match of all time. The match didn't lie to fans Guerrero couldn't beat Lesnar. Some dudes just "click" and that certainly applies to Mark Calaway and Michael Hickenbottom, better known by their respective ring names of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Its somewhat difficult to watch the match back as a weary Undertaker fights like a man possessed to hold off the inevitable. What more can be said about Bret Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's submission match at Wrestlemania 13? Every factor was working against John Cena's favor heading into his hot-blooded Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match against WWE Champion Edge. samantha jones news anchor 12' x 18' 4" x 1 5/8" Dollamur Flexi-Roll Wrestling Mat READ DESCRIPTION USED New (Other) $1,259.30 Seller: . So when the two decorated Superstars locked up in Seattle at WrestleMania XIX, it was a meeting of similar styles in a bout that became the ace in a stacked deck of a card. Never has that saying been more appropriate than the WWE Championship Match between Bret Hart and an up-and-coming competitor named The 1-2-3 Kid. It was a game-changer for the industry. MICHAEL BURDICK. Following a grueling half-hour war that lived up to any of their or anyone elses previous battles, Flair finally scored a three-count over his Mr. Nice Guy rival. Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn is like the sports-entertainment equivalent of the Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward boxing rivalry. The war between The Phenom and The Hardcore Legend went everywhere, even to the top of the haunting configuration. This wasn't just a mindless gore fest. Undertaker had a bloodied Michaels beaten until the lights went black, chilling organ music began, and out of the flames emerged Undertaker's long-lost brother, Kane. They were so different and so popular, but popular for exactly opposite reasons. contender, Chris Jericho. I didnt want to do that and be like George Costanza. Truly great matches don't just get stars, they create them. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall made a big deal out of it, and they had just started with the company. Perhaps the biggest testament to that fierce conflict was their WWE Iron Man Match for the WWE Title at The Showcase of the Immortals. 2 title" feel like its most coveted. I dont think theres ever been a case where a guy reverted back to a character hed been in his pre-WWE career. Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (Unsanctioned match, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans,. It was wild and it was extreme. It was a big time for me and I loved it." To truly appreciate "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat's Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania III, you have to watch the card in its entirety. However, the event was stolen by two veteran wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. The high spots (and there are many) aren't just there to pop the crowd. CM Punk, Those words provided the backdrop of betrayal that framed the match billed as "The Best vs. Challenging for a title that was less than six months old at the time of this match, "Flyin'" Brian needed to find a way to keep WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Jushin Liger off balance. The highest-rated NXT match on this list saw Almas and Gargano give absolutely everything they had as they did battle for the NXT Championship. One night stand 2006 8. It was awesome to see that he could get right back on the bike after four years like hed never left." The most harrowing moment came near the end, when Jerry Sags tested the durability of the human spine by shoving Cactus Jack back-first off a ramp onto the floor. Not because the guys were doing "movez" or no-selling high spots, but because they told a story. One of the reasons was his match at WrestleMania XIX against another G.O.A.T. "For whatever reason, he was really good at adapting to different guys' styles. DEAN MALENKO, AS TOLD TO BRIAN PELLEGATTO, Remember earlier, when we said the long way is the best? When fans chanted "this is awesome," it was awesome. Kurt Angle was actually able to stop The Showstopper, forcing Shawn to tap out to the Ankle Lock. But by the time his third match against Ricky Steamboat for the World Title came around, fans just couldnt deny how great "The Nature Boy" was inside the ring. When they finally set the match in place, I almost couldnt believe it. Their clash at WrestleMania 21 was inevitable and highly hyped up to be one of the greatest wrestling matches anyone would ever see. While gimmick matches can be used to disguise weak selling and bad storytelling, that was not the case here. There was a sudden respect because he had just gone through years of learning in one night. The little brother, Owen, was cast in Brets shadow and was always compared to Bret. Namely, each man's willingness to do anything to win. Its very innovative and not dated at all. Years before ECW mastered the in-your-face, crash-TV style of wrestling, these two teams introduced it to the world, as the rivalry between The Midnight Express and The Fantastics exploded in a vicious brawl. For example, the most famous spot, when Edge speared a dangling Jeff Hardy from a ladder. The Rated-R Superstar, on the other hand, had been undefeated in such matches. Seriously, the Chi-Town crowd was so hot that Cena and Punk could've slapped each other like King Kong Bundy vs. Hercules Hernandez, circa 1986, and the fans still would've popped. Sometimes, the long way is the best. DAVID SHOEMAKER. It ranks in the top five matches I've had in my entire life." I think this is one of those great cases where the same match benefitted both guys enormously. That was the blessing and the curse of the whole thing. From WrestleMania 30 to ECW Hardcore TV #97, weve reviewed everything available on WWEs groundbreaking streaming platform, and done our very best to rank its greatest 100 matches to celebrate the three-year anniversary of its launch. Ten years after main eventing the inaugural Starrcade, Ric Flairs legacy nearly came to an end at the 1993 edition of WCWs marquee event. came to a head at Starrcade 1985 in an "I Quit" Steel Cage Match. They had a great chemistry together, and then you add in the element of them brawling all over the building Sting wasnt known for that. It wasn't your typical 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. The fans in Madison Square Garden, and mainstream wrestling fans in general, had never seen anything like this. ANTHONY BENIGNO. Thats the tell-tale sign of two guys who know what theyre doing. Ungraded & graded values for all '22 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Rise Above Basketball Cards. He later requested the match be restarted after the referee missed The Kid's foot on a rope during a pinfall. He wasn't aware of the stories behind the characters. You can't overpower The Beast Incarnate, you can only hope to outwrestle him. Theres a moment when they go outside the ring and The Rock wears Austins vest. HBK ultimately reigned supreme, allowing the "boyhood dream" of Mr. WrestleMania to finally be realized. You can teach selling. "Everything aligned and came together. It was a defining moment for Michaels, who celebrated his last World Championship in his WWE Hall of Fame career. Daniel Bryan is still my favorite opponent, and I just hope we get to have more matches like that. 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