While WrestleMania III is one of the greatest WrestleManias ever, it relies largely on pure pageantry and feels very much from its era (there was even a six-man tag match featuring Hillbilly Jim and four little people). The Foundations triumph is palpable no matter with whom you sided in one of Harts finest showdowns with his Texas Rattlesnake rival. Shawn Michaels was the cowardly heel who had managed to escape Undertaker's clutches. There were nights where Mysterio was more astounding, but never a match where his theatrics were more appropriate. "Usually a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match doesnt feel like three separate matches, but Austin and Triple H wrestled three separate matches back-to-back, and it wasnt even the main event of the pay-per-view. Hart had his work cut out for him. Throughout the 2010s, the HIAC went from being a battleground where only blood feuds ended to "just another match" where any feud began. Prior to hugging teammates or filling arenas with choruses of "Yes! Wrestlemania 19 3. Or at least, his WWE masterpiece. Simple as that. What made TLC II so excellent is it is a painstakingly and let's be honest, painful assembly of jaw-dropping moments that coalesce into a single story. While Flair was the highlight, all 29 other guys delivered the goods. By the time Rhyno helped Christian get the titles back for him and his buddy, the WWE Universe was both thrilled to see the champs retain and relieved that the mayhem was finally over. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat. I am fortunate to have those things happen more times than not in my life, which is why I am continuously, unbelievably thankful and amazed at what I was fortunate enough to be a part of. You don't, but The Deadman and The Heartbreak Kid certainly gave it a darn good try at WrestleMania XXVI, resulting in one of the best matches in WWE history. When wrestling is bad, dear God, it is terrible. Wash-rinse-repeat. SHAWN MICHAELS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. Magnums goal was not only to win back the coveted U.S. Rocky was entertaining, and Austin was no-nonsense, but they meshed so perfectly. Wrestlemania 20 10. He wasn't aware of the stories behind the characters. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. " RICKY STEAMBOAT, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. For me, thats always fun to get in the ring with a guy that has a different style than you. "We both knew that we had to go all out and lay everything on the line," DDP once told WWE.com. If you have guys that just have been working 20, 25 minutes every night, and then you tell them to go out there and do an hour, they may find it difficult. 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. Bryan, the world-class technical pro wrestler who also had star power vs. Cena, the natural-born sports entertainer who'd blossomed into one of the best big match workers in the business. Mysterio challenged Dragon for possession of the J-Crown, a collection of unified titles that the reigning champion wore to ringside with relish. BOBBY MELOK. 1 contender was no slouch, having previously claimed the WCW Cruiserweight Championship on two separate occasions. On top of that, they were two of the best in-ring performers. Every minute is momentous. While both guys could play heel or face perfectly, Naitch was at his best as the bad guy, while Savage was the good guy you loved to root for, especially when he's fighting for the honor of his valet (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth. The first Women'sMatch on this list displayed the incredible athleticism, strength and desire of two women with arguably the most impressive pedigrees in WWE. This match, and the standing ovation that followed, would be CM Punk's last great moment in WWE. I was so stoked to see it. When Flair pulled out the win by jumping off the top rope with a cross body, it was such an amazing moment that you could understand why Flair tried (and failed) that move in every match he had after that. [Announcers] Dusty Rhodes and Jim Ross kept making mention of the fact that 'Flyin'' Brian was by far the smallest guy in the match and still, getting the best of his opponents throughout the match. If every championship match in WWE showed this kind of reverence, no one would ever feel like a loser in the end. 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. SHAWN MICHAELS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, Raw results, Feb. 27, 2023:Becky Lynch and Lita capture WWE Womens Tag Team Titles from Damage CTRL with help from Trish Stratus, SmackDown results, Feb. 24, 2023: Jey Uso looks on as Sami Zayn takes out Jimmy Uso, WWE NXT results, Feb. 28, 2023: Carmelo Hayes beats Tyler Bate in showstopping main event, Roman Reigns conquers The Beast to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion on WrestleMania Sunday, the meme-ified gentleman in the front row, Photos: See the latest WWE action figures from Mattel, Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair rivalry history. That said, we think it boils down to two all-time greats being in absolute command of their characters, their craft, and the crowd. Skip the "Age in a Cage" and you've got one of the best WCW pay-per-views of all time. Watching these two certified WWE Hall of Famers duke it out at Chi-Town Rumble should be near the top of every WWE fans bucket list. "The biggest challenge for me was to take the things in my head that seem so vibrant and real and make them happen in the ring. The match worked because it highlighted the characteristics that would shoot the competitors to the main event: Dean Ambrose's chaotic frenzy, Seth Rollins and the late Brodie Lee's (Luke Harper) ring general workrate, and Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns' WrestleMania main event-level starpower. All these years later, it still hurts, but such a classic can only hurt so good. 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. 25. The Rock is one of the greatest feuds in WWE history because it featured one-half of the proverbial "Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling." The loathed "Nature Boy" earned both the ire and respect (begrudgingly) of WWE fans as he entered the 30-man clash at No. So, when Stu said that, that was the point where I started thinking about retiring. At SummerSlam 2013, CM Punk faced off against Brock Lesnar while Heyman cheered on the monster from ringside. The shift began with his on-screen marriage to Stephanie McMahon and her subsequent turn to the dark side, betraying her father and forming the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. 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. Hart, whose years of experience in the ring dwarfed his challenger, still showed The Kid proper respect. 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 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. It also featured an ending every bit as iconic as Hogan slamming Andre, with Austin's screaming in pain, his face a bloody mess, yet refusing to submit to Hart's Sharpshooter. Steamboat vs. Savage was way ahead of its time and for fans of pure pro wrestling still holds up to this day. You can't overpower The Beast Incarnate, you can only hope to outwrestle him. "It was a special night for us both. Before SummerSlam 1991, Bret "Hit Man" Hart was an unknown commodity as a singles wrestler. "It was an incredible match, and if you watch it back now, it still holds up like a great movie. It was a game-changer for the industry. Christian's been around a long time and Randy Orton's a third-generation Superstar who is so natural. ANTHONY BENIGNO, It was statement enough that the Intercontinental Championship Match was the main event at SummerSlam 1992 (which also featured Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage for the WWE Title). In particular, the TLC match consisting of the Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, and Edge & Christian is arguably one of the most superb matches in WWE history. "The fun part for me was the challenge of working with someone that I'd never worked with before. The Human Suplex Machine clotheslined Bigelow through the timekeeper's table, and later T-Bone Tazzplexed him off the entrance ramp and onto the steel guardrail. Thus the much-anticipated rematch became a Career vs. Streak match, as both men had everything to lose. Seeing them butt heads was very identifiable, and when they actually went at it, it was very emotional and real. During the discussion, Lee commented on possibly becoming the AEW world champion . Their rivalry culminated in a Ladder Match on the Nov. 20, 2006, edition of Raw. Triple H at WrestleMania XXX had more than just an element of truth to it Bryan's quest to reclaim the title stolen from him against the Authority's wishes was pretty much how it went down. MICK FOLEY, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. When inspired, The Total Package could go, and he showed that during an NWA Title opportunity that was originally intended for an injured Sting. In the end, he did the unthinkable align with his arch-enemy, Vince McMahon. Although the showdown featured the finest in-ring performance of Goldbergs career, it became infamous after the pay-per-view ran long and was cut off before the matchs conclusion. Most Watched WWE Cable Matches . The match told a simple but compelling story about two driven men competing to be the best. Undertaker would get his chance at Badd Blood 1997 in the first-ever Hell In A Cell match. If you tear the frickin' house down, that'll usually take care of it." While their feud had no shortage of great moments, their undisputed masterpiece was the main event at WrestleMania X-Seven. It took years for me to get over his rivalry with Bret Hart. When fans chanted "this is awesome," it was awesome. The match ended with one of the greatest conclusions in WrestleMania history, as Triple H tapped out to Chris Benoit, followed by the emotional Benoit celebrating his first (and only) World title win beside his best friend, Eddie Guerrero. In this Friday night clash, however, the trio would finally be stopped. We were not about to go out there and have a crash-and-burn Ladder Match under any circumstances, so it benefited us that the [rivalry] didnt call for that. This was supposed to be Ricky Steamboat's cup of coffee in the big time. Thats the expression, 'Take them on a roller coaster ride.' Alberto Del Rio defeated Christian in a great match for the World Heavyweight Championship. "It all stemmed from an interview I did with Jim Ross in the WWE studios in Connecticut. DAVID SHOEMAKER. GREG ADKINS. JOHN CLAPP. There will be a lot of underdog stories on this list, but few of them were as grueling or as gratifying as Sami Zayns 18-month battle to become NXT Champion, which culminated in this classic between himself and the reigning champion, Neville. SHAWN MICHAELS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, What made this match so dramatic was the fact that Ric Flair claimed to the world that he had a prior "romantic" relationship with Randy Savage's wife, Elizabeth. DAVID SHOEMAKER. A lot of tag team wrestling can be very paint-by-numbers. And Shawn Michaels and I clicked from the first 30 seconds of that match. Go in there, do your thing and feel it.' "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. Shawn Michaels after his 2002 return is arguably the greatest in-ring performer ever. 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. Entdecke BOBBY ROODE 2017 TOPPS WWE WRESTLING NXT BERNAHME EVENT GEBRAUCHTE MATTE RELIKT/50 in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! Need a crash course on why a dedicated sect of sports-entertainment fans is still holding out hope for the resurgence of a Cruiserweight Division? Flair even went so far as to provide altered photos to WWE Magazine long before the advent of Photoshop or TMZ. 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. I dont think theres ever been a case where a guy reverted back to a character hed been in his pre-WWE career. Fans weren't too pleased when Shawn Michaels was shoe-horned into the main event of WrestleMania XX, turning a World Championship bout between Triple H and Chris Benoit into the first triple threat main event in WrestleMania history. Each of their matches had meaning. Here now, an A-to-Z guide for both novices and longtime squared-circle diehards alike for what to watch. They had toppled The Brothers of Destruction, Undertaker and Kane, to win the tag team championship and appeared unstoppable. In the bouts opening minutes, the ECW Arena fans, distracted by a disorderly fan, chanted "Throw him out!" There had never been another WrestleMania match quite like this and, perhaps, there never will be. 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. Internet Wrestling Database. @JOEYSTYLES. It was wild for all the right reasons. "Its something that happens naturally in the ring. WWE Iron Man matches dont happen often, especially on weekly TV programming. Flair and Funk were operating at such a high level at this point in time that they could hardly go wrong, but somehow they exceeded any expectations, elevating each others games to a sort of pro wrestling platonic ideal. Picking our favorite ladder match involving The Dudley Boys, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian is like picking the best Beatles album. No gimmicks. Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (Unsanctioned match, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans,. News; Wikipedia . At a time when pro wrestling in general, and WWE specifically, had lost the raw authenticity that makes the business "beautiful" (in its own absurd and grotesque way), Rhodes vs. Rollins felt real. "I was so fortunate to have fought all the great guys from The Attitude Era, but Triple H caught me at the tail end of my full-time career. Pillman basically gets folded over his head and somehow survives enough to take a second powerbomb. The situation was very relatable." We looked at each other, smiled and just took it in. 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. "It was like the fans in Madison Square Garden sensed something was coming, but it was almost like they thought, 'No way, theyre not going to do this.' It has been said a great wrestler can make a broomstick look good. And you couldn't ask for a better opponent than Angle. Every single minute of this bout was intense and every competitor added his own wild moments to the highlight reel in a mad scramble for the coveted Money in the Bank briefcase. MICHAEL BURDICK. Put him against The Excellence of Execution and you get one of the top 30 matches in WWE history. Thats what new wrestlers are learning today. @JOEYSTYLES, In front of more than 70,000 fans in the Georgia Dome, two Superstars who defined an era clashed in an epic No Holds Barred Match. You truly believed Steve Austin would do anything to beat The Rock. Enter Mick Foley. 'Taker finally granted Michaels his wish, but for a price HBK's career. They were so different and so popular, but popular for exactly opposite reasons. In the ultimate show of respect, the Deadman and the Heartbreak Kid held up The Game as they left the stadium, battered, beaten and bloodied. The brawl fit in broken pool cues, crashed merchandise tables and a shovel, and was way more dangerous than anything else happening at the time. Despite fits of offensive brilliance by The Straight Edge Superstar in the No Disqualification Match, The Beast Incarnate emerged victorious with an F-5 onto a steel chair and more than a little help from the nefarious Heyman. But whatever followed, we'll always have this match, an expertly paced, old school brawl that had both guys emerge even bigger stars. Naturally, Flair targeted Rhodes' ankle from the get-go, sending Dusty scrambling into the Atlanta crowd to recover. The match feels real at least as real as a fight between two guys forced to climb a ladder as both guys used the ladder as a weapon to win, not as a prop to pop the crowd. The WWE 2K23 ratings reveal is in full swing, and there are all sorts of juicy numbers floating around. And these wrestlers have put on many of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history. Like jazz music or a delicious dish, you can't quite put your finger on it, you just know it. Hes so obnoxious and youre able to root against him. Triple Hs statement was, I am a main-event wrestler, Im not part of a group, I can excel on my own, and I think we both proved those points pretty emphatically. 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