But on this night, the Hart brothers stood tall: Bret for winning the title, Owen for beating his brother, and both for putting on the greatest opening match in WrestleMania and WWE history. Mysterio challenged Dragon for possession of the J-Crown, a collection of unified titles that the reigning champion wore to ringside with relish. I wasnt able to do that at WrestleMania, so I approached Backlash with Randy in a completely different manner. The fact he came back for that sweet Saudi payday in 2018 doesn't take away from the finality, or the greatness, of this match. Though Vader escaped the Figure Four, Flair was able to take out the giants weakened knee and pin him to win the title and continue his epic career. Chris Jericho would probably agree with that assessment, as Y2J grew up idolizing The Showstopper. Steamboat vs. Savage was way ahead of its time and for fans of pure pro wrestling still holds up to this day. Seeing them butt heads was very identifiable, and when they actually went at it, it was very emotional and real. "It might not have necessarily been a great idea for Austin to even have this match. Despite being a multi-time NWA/WCW champ, with multiple hour-long classics under his belt, Flair wasn't connecting at a main event-level with the WWE fans. You truly believed Steve Austin would do anything to beat The Rock. DAVID SHOEMAKER. If you know someone who doesn't "get" pro wrestling, show them this match. Here is the list- WWE Top 10 Bloodiest Match of all the time in WWE history. In front of Bulldogs fellow Brits, Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith got Wembley Stadium to rattle at its core, while viewers around the world teetered at their seats edge for the culmination of a squared circle chess match. I was really intrigued by his style and was looking forward to getting in the ring with him. "The greatest thing for me was Kurt knew he had the background of an Olympic wrestler and I was the pro wrestler, and he knew we had to merge those two worlds. Dont blink. These same fans felt ignored by the WWE for decades and poured their frustrations into CM Punk, who carried their dreams on his shoulders like he was delivering a GTS. Hart, whose years of experience in the ring dwarfed his challenger, still showed The Kid proper respect. If youre looking for a match that possesses rare, borderline scary intensity, look no further. 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. What feverish mind dreamed up the atrocities that unfolded during TLC II? It was a great Vengeance in July 2002 and an unbelievable Triple Threat main event that saw WWE Undisputed Champion Undertaker, The Rock and Kurt Angle strike down upon each other with furious anger and with one anothers signature moves, including a Rock-charged chokeslam, an Angle-executed Rock Bottom and an Undertaker-driven Angle Slam. Such skill, matched with The Showoffs amazing move set, electrified the crowd inside Minneapolis Target Center. GREG ADKINS. SAM ROBERTS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, They say records were made to be broken, but even as John Cena inched closer and closer to Ric Flairs 16 World Championships, it seemed unlikely that The Cenation Leader would tie the mark heading into the 2017 Royal Rumble. SETH ROLLINS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. Everyone talked about what great shape he was in, and of course, I had at least a little bit of a reputation as a guy that could wrestle an hour, so I knew going into the match that this might be the one guy who can give me a run for my money. Nowhere was this more true than in Punk's hometown of Chicago, which featured a crowd loud enough to register on the Richter scale. Its one of those things you share with each other." 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.". It took place on April 1, 2001, at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas.It was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas.Twelve matches were contested at the event, including one broadcast . It also pitted the two men most associated with the HIAC match in a final battle within that demonic structure, which even got its own entrance music, "Memory Remains" by Metallica. Anyway, if anything, this Rumble does have one of the better final fours with Austin, Dude Love, Rock, and Farooq. "I dont think theres anyone who watches professional sports who ever believes its truly the end for a competitor. The celebration, however, would prove short-lived. Triple H picked up the "W," but both men emerged changed forever. Yet that's exactly what Bam Bam Bigelow did, setting up this personal slugfest between two of the toughest men in ECW, right in Bam Bam's hometown of Asbury Park, N.J. From the get-go, Tazz and Bam Bam tore into each other like two predators on a National Geographic documentary. And, if the meme-ified gentleman in the front row is any indication, a moment few people thought was happening even as they watched the fateful three-count that snapped The Undertakers unblemished WrestleMania mark and instantly elevated Brock Lesnar to god-level bada** status. 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. In his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., Flair put his career on the line against the monstrous Vaders WCW Championship. The run-up to this match included some of the greatest hairdos and outfits ever worn in wrestling history, and the match certainly lived up to such sartorial expectations. The inaugural ladder-wrecking melee was chock-full of daring and innovative maneuvers, many of which were executed by the uber-agile Shelton Benjamin. "It was a lot briefer than some of the other confrontations I'm known for. solid block of Midwestern muscle mass that looked like he was summoned to life from Vince McMahon's dreams. BOBBY MELOK. WWE Iron Man matches dont happen often, especially on weekly TV programming. A head-on attack would have been moot, but Rey created opportunities in ways other competitors could not. ZACK RYDER, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. For another, he was facing AJ Styles, who was 3-0 against Cena as a singles competitor going back to their first battle seven months earlier. The backstory is that Flair was on his way out the door to return to WCW, and so this match was slapped onto Raw without a ton of promotion, but that hardly mattered: These two guys told a complete story in the ring (with the aid of Flairs manager, Bobby Heenan, who was on commentary) that somehow elevated these unusually legitimate stakes. ANTHONY BENIGNO. It ranks in the top five matches I've had in my entire life." 49. Throw in a tag . HIGHEST RATED WWF/WWE MATCHES ON CABLE TV. Thats the expression, 'Take them on a roller coaster ride.' We'll be the first to admit that the ladder match has been done to death in the three decades since WrestleMania X, but that wasn't the case in 1993. Austin lost, but became a hero. When youre putting in that much time, the thought process behind it is youve got to have a couple guys who know how to do it. High-flying NXT Champion Neville battled three worthy competitors the world-renowned Sami Zayn, the self-absorbed Tyler Breeze and "Natties husband," the overconfident Tyson Kidd in the NXT Arena in the brand's first Fatal 4-Way Match. TOM HERRERA. But Daniel Bryan vs. ANTHONY BENIGNO, We defy you to think of the Hell in a Cell Match without picturing The Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off the side of the demonic structure and onto a table below. Funk offered Flair a chance to quit before this match even started. 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. Its not every day an up-and-coming competitor gets to challenge for eight unified championships at once. Thats what happened when Rey Mysterio put his mask on the line against Chris Jerichos Intercontinental Championship at The Bash 2009. 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. Lock and he got [disqualified]. 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 highest-rated episode of Raw ever (8.1) saw Commissioner Shawn Michaels book a bunch of bizarre matches such as Big Show vs. Paul Bearer, Cactus Jack vs. Mideon & Viscera in a hardcore match, Bradshaw vs. Farooq in a lumberjack match and the Mean Street Posse vs. Patterson & Brisco in a Loser Leaves WWE match. I wanted to end on a high note. PETER ROSENBERG, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, In an epic clash on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WWE Champion Hulk Hogan attempted to defend his title in an encounter that would determine if there was indeed a force in the universe as strong as Hulkamania namely, the power of then-Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior. Near triple the number of fans tuned into see The Rock successfully defend his WWE title inside a steel cage vs Shane O Mac. After a three-count by special guest referee Triple H, Bryan hoisted the title in victory. You really wanted to see Christian get his comeuppance and people were really excited to root for Randy Orton against a guy fans were traditionally used to cheering. Perfectly paced and executed, and it was Warriors best match by a mile. First of all, I didnt know if Shawn would ever come back. "It all stemmed from an interview I did with Jim Ross in the WWE studios in Connecticut. 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. But on that night, only one man could. Yeah, we still dont know how he did it, either. Case in point, Daniel Bryan's 18-second World Championship loss as a heel to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII resulted in one of the greatest face runs of all time for Bryan, that is. TOM HERRERA. Thats one little thing, simple but beautiful and thats this rivalry in a nutshell. Second, the match must have historical significance, so no Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero from Vengeance 2003 and the like. In 2002, Id discussed with my wife that I wasn't gonna do this forever. So Hogan vs. Andre at WrestleMania III and Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 are out. 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. As many expected, the 450-pound Mastodon imposed his will on the two-time WWE Hall of Famer, pummeling Flair around ringside. MICK FOLEY, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, The reputations of Ric Flair and Lex Luger as in-ring performers are firmly established. This was one of those perfect storms of pro wrestling a Loser Leaves Town Match between two top-level wrestlers on a stray episode of Raw one night in January. This match was so brilliant because it was non-stop, wall-to-wall action that still took time for selling and storytelling. Yawn. However, the debut of The Devil's Favorite Demon, as iconic as it was, shouldn't overshadow one of the most brutal confrontations in either The Phenom's or HBK's legendary careers. CM Punk, Those words provided the backdrop of betrayal that framed the match billed as "The Best vs. The Royal Rumble in 2010 is definitely in the latter category. You can't overpower The Beast Incarnate, you can only hope to outwrestle him. At WrestleMania III, the 15-year undefeated Andre the Giant stepped over the top rope to face WWE Champion Hulk Hogan in front of more than 93,000 members of the WWE Universe. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. The best matches always have an element of truth to them. Alas, while this match does hold up, it is also hampered by its stipulation. Some feel it was an overlong and indulgent display on the part of all three performers (especially Shawn Michaels as the anxiety-ridden ref). WrestleMania 17 (stylized as WrestleMania X-Seven) was the 17th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Meanwhile, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin had just returned from career-threatening neck surgery and looked to prove to everyone that he was still "The Guy" in WWE. came to a head at Starrcade 1985 in an "I Quit" Steel Cage Match. For example, the most famous spot, when Edge speared a dangling Jeff Hardy from a ladder. The Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins' blood feud brought the bout back to its former glory in an unforgettable way. - The list reflects WWE Networks availability asof Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. What really made this match so special was how these rivals tirelessly one-upped each other in a series of viciously creative, momentum-swinging maneuvers before "The Champ" reclaimed his throne by throttling Edge with an Attitude Adjustment off a ladder and through two stacked tables. Good thing both of them had a lot of it. Well, he probably was the best ever. Shawn Michaels after his 2002 return is arguably the greatest in-ring performer ever. Fox to show up like in "Back To The Future" and say: "I guess you guys aren't ready for that. A moment that few people thought would ever happen. The bout started with all four men brawling around ringside. Triple H was a multi-time champion by the end of the millennium, but still wasn't connecting with fans at a main event level. What really stands out for me and Rey personally was the locker room was very intrigued by how small Rey was and how young he looked. He suffered greatly, as did I. MIKE McAVENNIE. It says a lot about Flair the institution, but the match speaks even more loudly about the potential of Curt Hennig the hero a role which he played here better than he ever did. All these years later, it still hurts, but such a classic can only hurt so good. Everybody seems to push it and go beyond that peak. This one hurts, but tough choices must be made. That night, September 1997, was just the perfect place, the perfect time, and a great opponent in Triple H, who took it to the next level and allowed me to have that moment in the sun. So while Michaels vs. Hart at WrestleMania XII isn't perfect, it belongs on this list for its unprecedented display of pure athleticism and emotional storytelling. I cant pinpoint why I liked Bret so much. But, by the time the match was over, fans didnt even care about Flair anymore. So while Hogan vs. Andre gave WrestleMania III its spectacle, it was Savage vs. Steamboat that made it special. 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. 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. Thats how I learned by listening to these guys, my mentors. I didnt know who I wanted to win, but the moment when Razor climbed up and grabbed both titles became such an iconic moment, especially for me as a kid, because I was there. ANTHONY BENIGNO. "For whatever reason, he was really good at adapting to different guys' styles. This angle got him over, but he was still a sniveling heel of the Edge or Seth Rollins variety, not the cold-blooded killer, a la Jake Roberts, WWE needed as a foe for The Rock. 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? Simple as that. A lot of people loved Christian and had been waiting for him to have that moment in the main event, and he turned out to physically be the perfect match for Randy Orton. Heres the deal: Those are my teachers that were in that match Larry Zbyszko, Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton. The endgame five Savage elbow drops failing, then three huge shoulder blocks from Warrior to set up the pin was ahead of its time. Ric Flair might not have been a good guy, but the fans loved him for it. While gimmick matches can be used to disguise weak selling and bad storytelling, that was not the case here. Yes! This was the finals of a tournament to determine the new NXT Women's Champion. Consider this: the Hell In A Cell match was once the ultimate stipulation. You might have a brother who always wants to be better. 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