I think everybody sort of feels 25 is a smidge better than 26, but not enough to bother anybody. " The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. The warrior known as "Dangan" (Japanese for bullet) endured some ferocious chair strikes including one off the top rope and still roared back with a powerbomb over the top rope that drilled the 6-foot-6, 295-pound beast through a table. JOHN CLAPP, Believe in The Shield or follow the buzzards? JEFF LABOON. When inspired, The Total Package could go, and he showed that during an NWA Title opportunity that was originally intended for an injured Sting. And not just because it created was the biggest draw of all time, but because of the story it told and especially the matches it produced. But the gimmick earned its reputation as "The Devil's Playground" due to what went down in this match (and to be fair, the infamous Undertaker-Mankind match at King of the Ring 1998). From a crash-and-burn standpoint, no, it was not going to be like that. I was in denial, but couldnt help but agree with those feelings. If you know someone who doesn't "get" pro wrestling, show them this match. The contest brought fans on an emotional tilt awhirl thanks to a missed spear that left the undefeated Goldberg looking vulnerable for the first time in his career. Unquestionably, watching a Peoples Champion on the verge of electrifying millions through other avenues go toe-to-toe with a sports-entertainment legend who had lost his way to the vices of "Hollywood" and a New World Order is appointment viewing. They had toppled The Brothers of Destruction, Undertaker and Kane, to win the tag team championship and appeared unstoppable. 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. The Dragon played the long game and tied the bout up at three falls with less than 10 minutes left, and reversed a sleeper hold into a pinfall to take the lead as time ran out in the grueling contest. TOM HERRERA. The conquering of The Streak. Pillman basically gets folded over his head and somehow survives enough to take a second powerbomb. Instead, despite the presence of Mr. Good thing Smith was in there with his brother-in-law, Bret Hart. MIKE McAVENNIE, "The wild-eyed Southern Boys of [Steve] Armstrong & [Tracy] Smothers faced off against the Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton version of The Midnight Express. By the end, both men were busted open (There is literally nothing better than the overhead camera looking down on that red-stained, baby-blue ring mat) and their exhaustion was tangible and harrowing. Thats what new wrestlers are learning today. I was fortunate to see some tapes of [Rey Mysterio] from Mexico and matches he'd had in Japan with Psychosis and Juventud Guerrera. That means the only way to appreciate their historic trio of clashes is to experience the pace and exhilaration of this opening Allegro in its entirety. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. Hart won, but emerged a villain. The Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins' blood feud brought the bout back to its former glory in an unforgettable way. The gimmick matched the storyline, as WWE put a roof on the cage so that Michaels couldn't escape. "The greatest thing about that rivalry is that each week it changed, because there was no destination in sight, and one of the things that got added to it as the rivalry was progressing was Chris getting white-hot and winning the World Championship. "It was an incredible match, and if you watch it back now, it still holds up like a great movie. I said, 'I dont want to miss my kids growing up.' They needed each other and wrestling wouldnt be what it is today without 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and The Rock, and this match was the culmination of that." In the first-ever meeting of the men who would become WCWs signature rivals, Sting and Flair battled back and forth, displaying uncanny technical prowess and in-ring ability. - WWE.com recognizes sports-entertainment as ultimately subjective. In the end, Bryan prevailed, defeating Triple H in what one of the best opening matches in WrestleMania history, and Triple H's last great match before retiring in 2022. But whatever followed, we'll always have this match, an expertly paced, old school brawl that had both guys emerge even bigger stars. Whereas the ECW faithful were all but obligated to applaud Malenko and Guerrero on the night of their sendoff, the standing ovation in response to their half-hour draw felt more organic, less expected, and truly emblematic of the pairs artistic struggle. In turn, their pay-per-view match became something of a show-stealer, punctuated by its jaw-dropping ending in which The Man of 1,000 Holds reversed a superplex attempt into a top-rope DDT. Undertaker would get his chance at Badd Blood 1997 in the first-ever Hell In A Cell match. So, to see a Ladder Match live was a big deal. On top of that, they were two of the best in-ring performers. The match was simplicity incarnate, a back-and-forth affair that ended in a roll-up, and that was the source of its genius. I put enormous pressure on myself to come through, and I thought I had the best all-around performer in the business in Edge to try to do that with. 2 title" feel like its most coveted. The greatest double-turn ever. What makes it even more impressive is there were no gimmicks (HIAC or Casket) and no stakes (like HBK's career), besides of course, Undertaker defending his streak and the pride of victory. One had the flash and showmanship, the other was pure grit and desire. They told me, 'Dustin, shut up. JOHN CLAPP. BOBBY MELOK, Ah, yes. When they finally set the match in place, I almost couldnt believe it. KOFI KINGSTON, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. So, when Stu said that, that was the point where I started thinking about retiring. Which do you think is best? MICHAEL BURDICK. With the odds stacked against him Neville didnt have to be pinned or submit to lose the NXT Title the championdid everything he could to remain the face of NXT, solidifying his spot in the NXT record books. ", This match had it all, from Pat Pattersons over-the-top ring announcements to the final chaotic moments that led to The Texas Rattlesnake using Mr. McMahons lifeless arm to make the three-count. Its 20 solid minutes of edge-of-your-seat drama; even if you go in knowing the ending, its impossible not to get wrapped up. This was the finals of a tournament to determine the new NXT Women's Champion. Not only did it feature the greatest debut of all time, but the first Hell In A Cell match remains the greatest Hell In A Cell match. A technical classic. Once hes 18, hell be out the door,' and I said. No, Davey Boy Smith wasn't a broomstick, but he was a power wrestler who was at his best when getting the hot tag, while his tag team partner, "The Dynamite Kid" Tom Billington, did the work. "Being inside WarGames is intimidating. When people talk about Randy Orton, it's usually not as a hero, but he was perfect for the kind of opportunistic scoundrel villain that Christian was. In his first Wrestlemania match back after returning from injury, he took on young Canadian star Chris Jericho in the highest rated match on the card that year. Moments later, Hart locked on The Sharpshooter to capture the title, launching one of the most prolific careers in WWE history. Michaels and Hart made their match feel real, as real as any boxing match or MMA fight. Ironically, after a wooden chair was tossed into the unforgiving steel confines, T.A. Rey's a very special performer, as we all know. We must acknowledge that Benoit's heinous actions in 2007 puts a huge black cloud on this match, but taken in isolation this is truly one of the greatest WWE matches in history. That was the same move that actually dislocated John Laurinaitis elbow in Japan in '91, and now [I had] to trust that this is going to work out fine from greater heights. Not because the guys were doing "movez" or no-selling high spots, but because they told a story. The fans in Madison Square Garden, and mainstream wrestling fans in general, had never seen anything like this. And thats the most important thing. MIKE MURPHY. There's never been a better example of how to make a star than the Bret Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin feud from 1996 to 1997. Besides having to call every move and counter as if my voice was being sped up by audio editing, I witnessed firsthand some of the most amazing sequences in history. It's easy to forget, but Austin was once one of the world's best workers. The fans turned Bryan babyface in a big way, and a year and a half later he was back competing for the big belt. "When I retired from full-time wrestling in 2000, you didnt really hear anything about 'defining WrestleMania moments.' Even in defeat, Jericho stayed strong, as he lost to a simple roll-up, as the wily Michaels capitalized on Jericho's arrogance. He thought it was just a regular match, and all of a sudden he got thrown onto a pay-per-view when he showed up. This was about as pure a tag team match as youre going to find. The victory put to rest the idea that Bryan was a "weak link" and proved The Shield could be beaten. I identified with Bret. Before SummerSlam 1991, Bret "Hit Man" Hart was an unknown commodity as a singles wrestler. While Savage vs. 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. 'Holy cow, you're right.' Throughout the bout, The Undertaker relished the opportunity to punish the degenerate inside the steel payback for Michaels costing The Deadman the WWE Title at SummerSlam that year. By 2005, Angle had abandoned his dweeby heel persona for a bloodthirsty, one-man wrecking crew willing to do anything to win. It really wasnt a rivalry about who was better. He wasn't aware of the stories behind the characters. WrestleMania 21 ended with John Cena as the new WWE Champion and Batista as the new World Champion, setting the stage for the next generation of WWE superstars. WWE Iron Man matches dont happen often, especially on weekly TV programming. Thats one little thing, simple but beautiful and thats this rivalry in a nutshell. A lot of tag team wrestling can be very paint-by-numbers. MICHAEL BURDICK. The first match rated more than five stars by Meltzer was Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat in 1989. TOM HERRERA. Interestingly, it was an incredibly uncharacteristic Shooting Star Press that nearly doomed Lesnar, yet The Beast Incarnate recovered and ravaged Angle with an F-5 for the win. So when something happens that truly surprises them, you know its a moment that many will carry with them forever. "Everything aligned and came together. When you watch this one on WWE Network, it won't take long for you to realize why. Shawn Michaels after his 2002 return is arguably the greatest in-ring performer ever. But this wasn't any other event; it was WrestleMania X and the "match of the night" belonged to Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match. ANTHONY BENIGNO. 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 inventive and breathtaking, unlike anything that had. "The Nature Boy" came prepared for Steamboats unquestioned tactical superiority. You want everybody to forget about who won or lost. ANTHONY BENIGNO. Since we are based in Europe, we are forced to bother you with this information. At some point, that had happened to me. You might have a brother who always wants to be better. It was around that 14-minute mark, but I think, in a way, that allowed people to enjoy it even more, because you could take a casual fan and say, 'You have your doubts about wrestling? In an era dominated by massive personalities, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "Macho Man" Randy Savage were not only two of the biggest superstars, they were also two of the best workers in the world. 1 post 0. 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