Title from Blanchard, but also humiliate his opponent and, ultimately, Tullys Four Horsemen cohorts. 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. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match. But within the confines of what we had, it felt like we were creating art out there." Double-crossing Tazz was a very bad idea, unless you enjoyed getting suplexed onto your head. Awesome wowed the Ohio crowd with his eye-opening agility, but Tanaka's display of heart in this classic was really something to behold. It was a game-changer for the industry. All are masterpieces, but with careful consideration the choice is clear Sgt. I didnt come around to respecting him until 2000 or 2001. Brock Lesnar was the most successful rookie of all time, a 6'3, 290 lbs. However, the event was stolen by two veteran wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. To be sure, Michaels' return match against Triple H at SummerSlam 2002 is a Top 50 contender, but was aided by the "Non-Sanctioned" gimmick. While Savage vs. Bray Wyatt vs. John. But Ive never questioned the wild nature of that match, because it was exactly what we both needed." Vader and Cactus Jack battled in one of the most vicious matches in wrestling history at Halloween Havoc 1993. Sometimes, the long way is the best. MATTHEW ARTUS, To this day, Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels stands as one of the greatest rivalries in WWE history. MICHAEL BURDICK. The focus was rightly on Punk, riding the feeding frenzy of his hometown Chicago crowd, but Cenas defiance in the face of not just one man but an entire city was equally as compelling. MICK FOLEY, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. There comes a point in your career, and I don't know when it happens, where you go from being the guy wanting to be in the ring with people to being the guy that people want to be in the ring with. Just watch him in the very best match of his career against Eddie Guerrero at Halloween Havoc 1997. There are many contenders for "Top 5" Rumbles (2001, 2004, 2010), but 30 years later there's really only one number one: 1992. Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (Unsanctioned match, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans,. The "Hit Man" proved himself inside Madison Square Garden where he stood toe-to-toe with Mr. chant helped make him the biggest babyface on the planet, it was the other biggest babyface on the planet, WWE Champion John Cena, who picked him as his challenger for the main event of SummerSlam 2013. You might have a brother who always wants to be better. Pinfalls, submissions and even disqualifications played a hand in the final result, which was highlighted by Angle fighting desperately and futilely for a comeback in the final 15 minutes. Credit: WWE Credit: WWE 35. Latest Results. There, two of the top competitors of all time battled to a stalemate for 60 minutes. That changed on May 21, 2001, when the duo challenged Austin and Triple H for the belts on "Monday Night Raw.". KEVIN POWERS, The managerial services of Terri Runnels and $100,000 were on the line when The Hardy Boyz went to war with archrivals Edge and Christian in the deciding match of the Terri Invitational Tournament. "Kurt came with a reputation. SCOTT TAYLOR. As many expected, the 450-pound Mastodon imposed his will on the two-time WWE Hall of Famer, pummeling Flair around ringside. This was the finals of a tournament to determine the new NXT Women's Champion. Ultimately, the match ended the only way it could with Michaels' final defeat following two Tombstones. Perfect. 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. In an hour-long Iron Man match, both Michaels and Hart infamously refused to take the first fall. How do you possibly top one of the greatest matches of all time, The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 25? "Up to that point, there had been only one other Ladder Match, and it had been on Coliseum Home Video. Theres a moment when they go outside the ring and The Rock wears Austins vest. The five greatest matches in NXT history September 14, 2021 Ryan Satin FOX Sports WWE Analyst By Ryan Satin FOX Sports WWE Analyst Before a new version of NXT is unveiled Tuesday night, let's. 2K has been revealing ratings a few at a time on Twitter over the past week, and a load of . GREG ADKINS. Put all of them together and you get John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank 2011. Dont blink. In a classic Champion vs. Champion struggle, both Superstars left everything they had on the canvas, before Warrior overcame The Hulkster and took his place in the annals of WWE greatness. Randy Savage and DDP go hardcore, Ultimo Dragon and Yuji Nagata light up Las Vegas, Chris Jericho endures a struggle with Gedo and the Nature Boy brawls with Mr. The Foundations triumph is palpable no matter with whom you sided in one of Harts finest showdowns with his Texas Rattlesnake rival. 1 contender was no slouch, having previously claimed the WCW Cruiserweight Championship on two separate occasions. - The list reflects WWE Networks availability asof Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. The victory put to rest the idea that Bryan was a "weak link" and proved The Shield could be beaten. From incredible feuds with CM Punk, the Rock and Edge, to duds with Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow and Bray Wyatt, Cena has faced the best the WWE has to offer and has given it his all. MICHAEL BURDICK. ZACK RYDER, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. 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. came to a head at Starrcade 1985 in an "I Quit" Steel Cage Match. "Everything aligned and came together. You can guess at it, but until guys get in the ring, you dont know for sure whether they have chemistry together. chant. Cody Rhodes bested Damian Sandow in a fine battle, that had the right level of intensity for the friends turned foes. One of the reasons was his match at WrestleMania XIX against another G.O.A.T. Still, Michaels went down swinging (literally slapping 'Taker), but lost the match and his career, in an emotional finale for one of the greatest in-ring workers ever. Thats damn near impossible, unless youve somehow been to every single mat contest since George Hackenschmidt won the World Title in 1905. GREG ADKINS. ", If you like watching two men beat the tar out of one another, this is just the match for you. Yes, NXT has produced some of the best matches of the past decade, but it has always been positioned as a developmental promotion for the main roster, thus we chose not to include it and focus entirely on the main roster product. Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels in WWE's first-ever televised Ladder Match, becoming the undisputed Intercontinental Champion. All they wanted was to see The Freebirds get their comeuppance. The conquering of The Streak. I said, 'I dont want to miss my kids growing up.' CRAIG TELLO, Do you love wrestling? In fact, before this rubber match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, the WWE Universe had never seen one on SmackDown or Raw. By 2005, Angle had abandoned his dweeby heel persona for a bloodthirsty, one-man wrecking crew willing to do anything to win. In 2002, Id discussed with my wife that I wasn't gonna do this forever. Then by order of WWE Commissioner Gorilla Monsoon they were forced to take it even further. MICK FOLEY, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. ANTHONY BENIGNO, The Hart Foundations opposition was in enemy territory in summer 1997 when Bret Hart led Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart and Brian Pillman into war against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and The Legion of Doom in The "Hit Mans" hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Beast." But Daniel Bryan vs. DEAN AMBROSE, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, As the old adage goes: "Its not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.". I didnt want to do that and be like George Costanza. 10. The match told a simple but compelling story about two driven men competing to be the best. You dont have to talk every day, but when you do, its special, and its always there." It was wild for all the right reasons. For me, thats always fun to get in the ring with a guy that has a different style than you. The fact he missed it keeps this match out of the top 20, but there's no denying few WrestleMania main events aimed higher and absolutely nailed the landing. SHAWN MICHAELS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, Sports-entertainment fans can be a jaded bunch. They fought in WrestleMania 13 Submission Match in which blood was tipping out in the face of Stone Gold. The fact that its my personal favorite and Randys personal favorite, given all the great matches hes been through, is pretty telling. "The rivalry was thought of so highly in spite of the fact that Orton was a hero. Of course, the No. Kurt helped me and showed me how I can look like a better wrestler, reversing moves and getting out of holds and things of that nature. - WWE.com recognizes sports-entertainment as ultimately subjective. But the biggest winners would be the fans. It also set the pair on a collision course that would culminate in the infamous incident in Montreal the following year at Survivor Series. ), here's our criteria. No matter how many stars other matches have gotten before and since, Bret Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin remains Hart's best, Austin's best, the greatest WrestleMania bout ever, and the best WWE match of all time. The Dead Man was the former champion who wanted vengeance against Michaels for costing him the title at SummerSlam. There was brawling, wrestling, the most palpable antipathy between two performers feasible, and an undisputed victor that somehow didnt demean the loser at all. Enter Mick Foley. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. What followed was the most emotional post-match celebration ever, as the late, great Eddie Guerrero basked in the much-deserved glow for his first, and only, WWE Championship victory. But at Survivor Series 2001, the war finally hit the ring when 10 of the biggest, baddest Superstars came to fight for their respective companies. I was fortunate to see some tapes of [Rey Mysterio] from Mexico and matches he'd had in Japan with Psychosis and Juventud Guerrera. You can trace the moment NXT became must-see television to the second the final bell rang in this jaw-dropping 2-out-of-3 Falls Match between Sami Zayn and Cesaro. It was an all-time moment in his career, but given Bret Hart's love of pro wrestling, we bet he preferred what happened earlier in the show: his match versus his brother Owen Hart. They told me, 'Dustin, shut up. Before SummerSlam 1991, Bret "Hit Man" Hart was an unknown commodity as a singles wrestler. Mick Foley described the bout best when he told WWE.com that his clash with Austin was, "The kind of match you could show to someone and say, 'This is why Im a wrestling fan.' The crowd obviously had a lot to do with it, but I got the Brogue Kick out of the corner, which caught everybody off-guard, then I passed out in the 'Yes!' The wince-inducing clash established that Hell in a Cell was WWEs most sinister stipulation when both rivals took the fight atop the structure before HBK tumbled off the side of the Cell and through the Spanish announce table. There, the notorious Roddy Piper went head-to-head with Greg Valentine in an infamous Dog Collar Match. Good thing both of them had a lot of it. The match was grueling, with Race targeting Flairs injured neck and Flair battling back valiantly. The best match is up to you, the WWE fan. It was the main event of the second-biggest PPV of 1992 in front of more than 80,000 of Smith's fellow Brits at Wembley Stadium. TOM HERRERA. Following submission attempt after submission attempt, including Sharpshooters and Figure-Four Leglocks by both Superstars, the self-proclaimed "genetically superior" newcomer hit the Hart Dungeon-trained Superstar with her vicious Natural Selection for the win. Wrestling was still Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and the big guys; it was still the land of the giants, so for Brian Pillman to be such a star in this match, WCW was way more ahead of their time than theyve gotten credit for." The double-cross that led to "The Nature Boy's" victory was bound to leave the Dallas crowd unhappy. Not because the guys were doing "movez" or no-selling high spots, but because they told a story. AEW News; Featured Top Story; . It's easy to forget, but Austin was once one of the world's best workers. He helped bring me up to that level that I did not think I was capable of reaching. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. "Imagine competing at a WrestleMania against your brother. Cena put Bryan over clean as a sheet, succumbing to the "Yes Kick," kicking off Bryan's short-lived (almost literally three minutes) title reign. Not only was Steve Austin vs. So Hogan vs. Andre at WrestleMania III and Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 are out. It ranks in the top five matches I've had in my entire life." This match was so brilliant because it was non-stop, wall-to-wall action that still took time for selling and storytelling. SETH ROLLINS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, John Cena and CM Punk shared a special kind of animosity. Through the duration of the match, Shawn was the underdog, and you didnt know if hed be able to pull it out. You could truly feel that Austin and Triple H hated each other, and were both willing to stop just short of murder to win the match. What's even more remarkable is that it was billed as a submission match with one guy who didn't have one (Austin), a recipe for disaster. In a display of true grace and sportsmanship, the competitors emotionally embraced after the unforgettable match. Fine battle, that had the right level of intensity for the WWE Championship Money. Guerrero at Halloween Havoc 1993, and you didnt know If hed be able pull! 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