Bluenose : Best of the 90's

[Bluenose]

Ok guys, I am new here and thought I would kickstart things by posting a thread I done somewhere else. I thought some may find it interesting.

Hey all, I have seen this thing around on many other forums and decided to give it a shot myself. I have decided to include just the top 50 as I felt 100 was too much.



I grew up watching Professional Wrestling in the 1990's and I enjoyed evey minute of it. It had is up's and it's down but one thing is for sure; there was a ton of great matches during this decade.
As I think back I fondly remember many matches from this period so I would like to present to you Bluenose : 50 Best matches of the 90's.


Please remember this is just the 90's. It is also just WWF and WCW as I wanted to limit myself to them in my post. I would also like to reiterate that these are matches I have personal enjoyed for one reason or another and feel you should really check out and please do not make posts asking why a certain match is not on it and why it is so far down ,etc. This is my personal opinion and there was so much to choose from which is why there are some noticeable matches missing ( for example, Hardy Boyz vs. Edge/Christian – No Mercy '99,Ladder vs HBK - Summerslam 98, aswell as many more).


It just isn't possible for me to have watched every single wrestling match so please just comment on those I have included.
So without further a do, here are my 50-45 choices.



50. Goldberg vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Nitro July 6th, 1998



On July 6th, 1998 on one of the biggest nights in Nitro history, Goldberg earned a shot at Hollywood Hulk Hogan's WCW World title in Atlanta's Georgiadome


Goldberg and Hollywood Hulk Hogan met for the WCW World Heavyweight championship. In front of a red hot crowd in Atlanta, Georgia on July 6, 1998, Goldberg speared Hogan and then hit the Jackhammer to obtain the pinfall. With the championship belt around his waist, he was now the biggest name in the sport. This was the pinnacle point of Bill Goldbergs career in terms of popularity and winning the gold. Without a doubt one of the best free matches ever and this match should have been on PPV as I have no doubt it would have smashed ratings.



49. Undertaker vs. Austin , SummerSlam 1998





The most hyped match for Summerslam ‘98 was the WWF Championship match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker. The match didn't disappoint although was narrowly defeated when deciding match of the night as there was one which just happened to be even better.



Roughly half-way through the match, Kane came down the entrance way but The Undertaker waved him off. Kane obeyed heading back. Austin attacked the distracted WWF phenom only to be chokeslammed over the top rope. Stone Cold's spill on the outside had him holding his already tender neck.


The Undertaker used Austin's own momentum to throw him through the ropes to the floor. Hurling the champ into the steel ring steps The Undertaker planted him on the Spanish announce team's table, climbed to the top rope and guillotined him with a flying legdrop. Taker rose up. Austin lay still.



Slicing his thumb across his throat, The Undertaker set-up Austin for the Tombstone Piledriver. Austin slid out at the last moment. The Man From The Darkside held Stone Cold for his cat walk punch. Austin yanked him down landing a low blow in the process. A Stone Cold Stunner put The Undertaker away. Conceding defeat, Taker handed Austin the WWF World Heavyweight title belt in a show of respect. Austin saluted the crowd. Kane and The Undertaker looked on standing side-by-side.


A match I feel that is worth seeing especially for the Undertaker’s big legdrop onto the announce table.




48. HHH vs. Cactus Jack , Raw 97 - September 22nd 1997


Before the match we see a video package of Mankind and Dude Love talking to one another. We then see Cactus who gets a great pop. Cactus Jack then makes his World Wresting Federation debut in MSQ where he comes out to a fantastic pop as they recognise him from his time in other promotions. A really good brawl which has a lot of great moments and is really worth a watch. Not as good as their 2000 stuff but that is no knock on what they produced this night.




47. Bill Goldberg vs DDP, Halloween Havoc 1998


When discussing this match I had to add a touch of HBK's post in aswell as it really merited it.


This has to be Bill Goldbergs finest wrestling match ever. DDP plays the role of the underdog, he is the underachieve where as Goldberg is the man. Goldberg plays the role perfectly, he overpowers Page in every aspect. The selling by Bill is fantastic, whenever Page hits Goldberg with a move, Goldberg sells it as if he is stunned, but he quickly tries to get back to his feet. Goldbergs offence is great as usual. He looks stiff and vicous. Goldberg targets his offence to the arm of Page to stop the diamond cutter from being effective. he targets it with various armbar variation to try and get the submission. Ironically, it is Goldberg whos arm is later injured because of the experience of Page allowing him to move out of the way.


This all builds to the drama of the diamond cutter reversal spot. By then, the fans are torn. They don't know who they want to win. They favour Goldberg, but they want Page to pull of the upsets of upsets.
Goldberg then shows at the end that he is the step ahead of Page as he musters up all the courage he can to hit the Jackhammer.



Basically this match was eleven minutes in duration and something was always happening without the match lasting too long. Furthermore, DDP was the perfect opponent at the time. He was a face which made a good change, he had a good attitude ( eg, He would never quit)and he had a finisher that could be hit out of nowhere. The psychology was really good and the action was well put together and performed. Very good match which is worth watching.


46. Triple H vs. The Rock , SummerSlam 98






The match that stole the show was the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match. While this match didn’t feature two high-flying wrestlers, it featured a lot of brutality and innovative ladder spots. I rank this one of the top ladder matches of all time.

This match helped to solidify both Triple H and The Rock as solid main-eventers. Before this, they were just on the brink.
The finish for the match came when Rocky was climbing the ladder and Chyna low-blowed him. Triple H was able to then climb the ladder and regain the championship belt.



45. Shawn Michaels VS Owen Hart , In Your House 6

The WWF had to figure out what to do with Shawn Michaels; it was crucial that he look strong going into his planned title victory at Wrestlemania, but on the other hand he couldn't be put over a top guy, since such a move would reduce his pool of opponents as champion with whom he could later draw. They needed someone who had some sort of name and who Michaels could beat, but who wasn't considered a top guy; so they chose Owen Hart, based on his plotline of having been the one who "injured" Michaels a few months back with an enzuigiri in the famous quasi-worked shoot incident from Raw, to give him some time off.


HBK comes out to a unique entrance which was pretty cool. He starts at the top of the house on the stage, swings down and then runs into the ring. He then throws Owen over, Cornette bails and Shawn finishes the rest of his routine for the audience.


The first segment was devoted to building Michaels; this was organized around building Hart as legitimate competition, so when Michaels beats him he's beaten someone who's good on his own merits. It's a subtle thing, and an important element in constructing a match that truly puts someone over while simultaneously making the loser look good.


The finish comes when Michaels misses his Sweet Chin Music, then dodges another enziguiri from Owen, before connecting with the aforementioned superkick for the win.


A really good and enjoyable match with great WWF style psychology and a brilliant effort at keeping Owen strong while building Shawn up huge; all in all, a great attempt at achieving the desired end of making both guys look better coming out of the match then they did going in.


In addition, it benefited from the great technical ability of both guys and their knowledge of how to work a match, as everything was well executed with no blown or badly executed spots. A superb match with great backstory and well worth a watch.


More to follow..........

[Bluenose]

44. Chris Benoit vs Jeff Jarrett , Starrcade 1999



WCW United States Title Ladder Match

Benoit makes his way to the ring and sets an open challenge. Jeff Jarrett comes out and accepts the open challenge. The Match starts off with Benoit getting the advantage on Jarrett. Benoit hits a backbreaker on Jarrett then he chops Jarrett in the corner. Benoit then give Jarrett a superplex . Benoit goes out to bring the ladder in the ring. Jarrett hits a baseball slide dropkick on Benoit on the ladder


Jeff then sets the ladder up in the corner, Benoit slings him into it. Benoit's face is busted open by this point. Benoit positions the ladder to climb up but Jarrett interferes resulting in Benoit getting crotched on the ropes. Jarrett sets the ladder back up in the corner again and throws Benoit into it. Jarrett tries it one more time but Benoit throws him into it. Jarrett pulls the ladder down with Benoit on it with his leg hooked in the steps of it.


The finish then comes when Benoit places Jarrett on the ladder of woe. Benoit goes to the opposite side and climbs up and falls because Jarrett was shaking his way out of it. Both men fight on the top of the ladder. Benoit shoves the ladder over and Jarrett falls. Benoit tries to climb up and Jarrett shoves him off the ladder. Benoit climbs the ladder again. Jarrett missile dropkicks the ladder out from underneath Benoit. Jarrett sets the ladder back up. Benoit dropkicks the ladder right onto Jarrett. Benoit sets the ladder back up and begins to climb. The tension mounts as Benoit reaches the top, however instead of grabbing hold of the belt Benoit does a devastating diving head butt off the top off the ladder onto Jarrett below. He then climbs back up to retain the gold and end what was a really enjoyable match.


43. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat , Spring Stampede 1994



Five years on from their amazing feud Flair and Steamboat met again and put on another great Title match. This was a really good match which involved good work from a 45 year old Flair and a 40 year old Steamboat which went over 30 minutes with Flair coming out on top. Obviously not on par with their classic bouts during the 80’s but don’t let that hold you back, well worth a watch.


The finish comes when Steamboat goes back up , but misses the flying splash and hits his knee. Naitch then applies the Figure-four, but Steamboat eventually makes the ropes. Flair stays on the knee and goes back to the move, but Steamboat reverses for two. Backslide gets two. Superplex and both guys are dead. Rollup gets two. Double chickenwing looks to finish, but Flair falls back and this time Both guys are pinned at 32:20. Tie goes to the champion, so Flair retains


42. Bret Hart vs The Undertaker , Summerslam 1997




The finish game when Bret grabbed a steel chair and hit The Undertaker in the head with it. Michaels then rolled back in the ring as Bret made the cover. With the crowd at fever pitch, ‘Taker kicked out for a very close near fall. With the competitors battling, Michaels noticed the chair still in the ring. HBK quizzed Hart about it who at first ignored him then responded with a ‘Fuck You’ and promptly spat in his face! Shawn took a massive chair swing at Hart, who ducked, and ‘Taker was accidentally knocked clean out with the shot. With everyone stunned Bret took complete advantage of the situation by covering the champion and forcing Michaels to reluctantly make the count thus crowning a new WWF champion with the crow in disbelief.


The only stipulation was : If Bret lost he would never wrestle in the Untied States again One of the reasons the match had such a good backstory aswell as the other points.


This was a great match which had a creative finish and it paved the way for HBK’s heel turn.Bret was at his peak, bringing the best out of The Undertaker and what made the match real good was that it was just a regular one on one, no gimmicks so I give credit for such an engrossing straight wrestling match. The conclusion was really good as everyone was wondering who was going to win.

41. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series 1997



A memorable match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons and a must watch for any wrestling fan. Lets face it; this match is one of the most talked about ever and here are extracts from my Bret - HBK post that cover it.

Survivor Series, and it was promoted everywhere, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels for the WWF title. Starting November 1st, Bret Hart had a month left in his contract with the WWF and had "reasonable creative control." Vince McMahon called up Bret and told him that he has to lose to Shawn Michaels in Montreal at the Survivor Series. Bret Hart objected to it and told Vince McMahon, losing to Shawn Michaels in perhaps his last match in the WWF would be like blowing his brains out. There was no way Bret Hart was going to stand for this anymore. Just a few months earlier, Shawn refused to put him over and forfeited the belt. After days of exchanging ideas and everything, just hours before the big match at the Survivor Series, they FINALLY agreed to a disqualification finish. The plan was, they would knock the referee out, Shawn puts Bret in the sharpshooter, then Bret Hart would reverse it and put it on HBK, and the other guys come out and cause it to be a disqualification. Bret Hart said that he would like to hand the belt the following night on RAW and do his farewell speech to the fans and leave. OR he can drop the belt later that week in the U.S. and the WWF can tape it/film it and play it over and over again, Bret could care less, but he just asked Vince to get through the weekend with his head up.

Bret Hart was warned by the British Bulldog, Vader and others about the match. They basically told him to kick out on the count of one instead of two, in case the referee made a fast three count, and to avoid submission holds. Before the big match, Bret Hart went and talked to his close friend for years and years, WWF referee, Earl Hebner. Bret told Hebner about the match and Earl swore on his kids that he wouldn't let anything happen, and told Bret that he would quit his job before double crossing him.

Survivor Series Match They knock the referee out (as planned), Shawn goes for the sharpshooter and out of nowhere, Vince McMahon orders the time keeper to ring the bell and Earl Hebner calls for the bell too. This was done while Bret was still in the sharpshooter, and as soon as the bell rang, Bret had his hand on Michaels' ankle and was ready to follow the plans and reverse the sharpshooter, but then he realized he was screwed out of the WWF title. Now, most of the fans were confused, some thought Bret Hart gave up. Bret Hart stood in the ring in disbelief, but had realized what happened, he'd been screwed. He looked at Vince McMahon and spat in his face. Shawn Michaels acted like he was pissed off and unhappy. He just grabbed the belt and was cursing at Vince McMahon. He did that to make Bret Hart think that he had nothing to do with it. Now, as soon as the bell rang, Earl Hebner ran out of the ring and a cab was waiting for him outside so he can get the hell out of there.


After the PPV went off the air, Bret Hart destroyed some WWF equipment at ring side. He also wrote "WCW" in the air with his fingers to the crowd, which got a big pop. Owen Hart, Anvil, and Bulldog came out to calm him down.


BACKSTAGE

Vince McMahon locked himself in his office, with Gerald Brisco and his crew. Bret Hart asked Shawn if he was in on it and Shawn said he wasn't, which was pure bullshit. Bret Hart went to take a shower. In the meantime, the Undertaker went and got Vince McMahon out of his office and told him to go apologize to Bret Hart. Rick Rude told Bret Hart that Vince is in the dressing room. Bret Hart told Rick Rude to tell Vince McMahon that once Bret is done dressing up, if Vince is still in his locker room he will knock him out. Bret got out and Vince was still there. Vince was there with Gerald Brisco, Shanw McMahon, and SGT. Slaughter. Vince told Bret's boys to get out and that he wanted to talk to Bret. British Bulldog told everyone not to get out, he said they won't leave Bret alone in the locker room with Vince McMahon and 3 other guys. Remember what happened to Bruiser Brody? (that's a different story). Anyway, Bret Hart and Vince started arguing, Vince told Bret that it was the first time he lied to him. Bret Hart rattles off like twenty lies that Vince said in the past year. Bret told him to get out, and he didn't. They locked up and Bret swung a punch and knocked Vince McMahon down faster than a speed of light. Shane McMahon jumped on Bret's back, then the British Bulldog pulled him off. As a result of the punch, Vince had a black eye for a couple of weeks, and according to Vince, he also had a mild concussion and poor eye vision. Bret Hart on the other hand almost broke his wrist because of the punch.

Survivor Series 1997 is something wrestling fans will always be talking about

[Bluenose]

40. Bret Hart vs The Undertaker - One Night Only



This PPV was in the United Kingdom and featured two really good matches the best being Hart vs. Undertaker. ( Buldog vs. HBK narrowly missed out being in the top 50).


The crowd was split between the two wrestlers, mainly due to the fact even as a heel Bret has always been very popular and had a great following in Europe. This was a solid match with some nice intense moves that were full of impact. The psychology of the bout was pretty decent as 'Taker targeted the chest of the Hitman with both blows & submission moves. In response, Bret targets the phenom's legs. This slows the pace down a fair bit, although the action is sufficiently constant. Towards the end, there are a couple of nice counters to the opponent's finishers. Bret retains the title at the 29 minute mark after he gets his neck caught between the middle & top ropes, and the referee disqualifies The Undertaker for continuing to attack him. When I look back I really enjoyed this match and for some reason rank it ahead of their Summerslam match, although in hindsight not sure if I should have. In all a match that you should really check out.



39. Vader vs. Sting , WCW World Title Strap Match, Superbrawl '93




Normally Gimmick matches tend to limit what the wrestlers can do. It's hard to do great flying or super bumping in a strap match.



Vader and Sting were working an old gimmick that had a very set way of being worked. Basically beat each other with the strap a bunch of times, do some choking, tease the Touch All The Corners spot a bunch, someone finally touches the fourth after a struggle. Previously Vader and Sting had established they could work great with each other, but here's a strap to get in the way of their normal great match. But wait, there's a reason to why this is such a great match. Vader decided, fuck this, I'm going to have my normal great match with Sting despite this strap." He doesn't let the strap limit him from doing lots of spots they had previously done in their other encounters. It is hard to explain however a quote that may help you.

It's a bit like if Misawa and Kawada worked a match with a strap, and still used the TD, the TS, the jumping high kick, the dangerous backdrop, the stretch plum, etc. And the strap was they for a spot here, a spot there.

But this Vader vs. Sting not only was great, it was also a bit unique among gimmicks matches.


This was a strap match, with both men blading, and Vader bleeding hardway out of his ear. A brutal match. We were treated to some awesome brawls throughout ’92 and ’93 between them but this was the icing on the cake. This was the best of the lot and is definetly an all time classic.




38. Dean Malenko vs. Rey Mysterio. Jr , Halloween Havoc 96




This is from Halloween Havoc, where Malenko wins the title. A twenty minute match which joins a few other matches as one of the greatest matches to ever open a PPV. Just one of many typical WCW Mid Card matches during this decade. A great match.




37. Steve Austin vs. Dude Love , Over The Edge 98



Before the match can begin, the Undertaker comes out and plays the role of volunteer to make sure Vince stays fair.

The finish comes when Austin recovers and blasts Dude in the head with it. Austin covers, but Vince just stands there in defiance. As Austin argues with Vince, Dude tries nailing him with the chair, but accidentally blasts Vince with it instead. Austin stunners Dude and covers. A second referee comes out, but Patterson pulls him out of the ring and decks him. Dude locks the Mandible Claw on Austin and Patterson tries to count Austin’s shoulders down. But, Taker grabs him and chokeslams him through the announce table. Brisco tries to count the pin, but Taker grabs him and puts him through the Spanish announce table. The crowd is absolutely losing it by this point. Austin stunners Dude again, drags Vince over and uses his hand to count the 1,2,3. Austin flips off a knocked out Vince and celebrates an his victory.



A fabulous match which is a perfect example of wrestling and storytelling coming together perfectly. All of the elements were here for an electric atmosphere. One of the best N American matches of 98. A first-rate brawl, going all over the place which had first-rate psychology and timing, with some great bumps mixed in with the excellent action.


Thats all for tonight so lets get some discussion going on the list so far. Hope you are all enjoying it so far.

[Bluenose]

36. Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit (10-4) Kansas City , Owen tribute Match



One of the top matches to be shown on Nitro and it was in memory of the late great Owen Hart. The match involved two of wrestling’s greats Bret Hart and Chris Benoit going one on one in the same arena that Owen had sadly passed away in. This was probably Bret’s last great match. The match had brilliant mat wrestling and great ring psychology. The crispness of the performed moves is superb. They put on one hell of a match that went over 30 minutes long and was without doubt one if not the best match of 1999.

Under the tragic circumstances both men did Owen proud.

35. Owen Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith - Raw in Germany

The finals of the tournament to crown the first European champion, and it was just superb. An excellent technical match up, and both guys just really turned it up. Just a great, great pure wrestling match, which saw Davey Boy win the title that was created for him.


34. Shawn Michaels ws British Bulldog , King of the Ring 1996



The finish comes when Davey goes for a back superplex but Michaels shifts his weight in midair to come down with a two count. They do a double knockout spot, then Shawn goes for a huricanranna and Bulldog powerbombs him for two. Shawn whips him so the Bulldog can do his usual awful Flair flip. Shawn clotheslines him and kips up but Earl Hebner gets bumped. Shawn hits the elbow off the top rope then hits the Superkick. Hebner comes around and makes the count, and Mr. Perfect decides to come in and count as well. Owen leaves his commentary post and pulls Perfect out at two, but Hebner continues his count and Shawn gets the pin at 26:22 to retain the Title. Davey and Owen beat him down and Ahmed Johnson tries to make the save, but Vader follows him out and the heel beatdown continues. The Ultimate Warrior runs down to make the ultimate save and clear the ring. In all I rank I thought this was a very good match that was certainly the highlight of this PPV.


33. Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior , Summerslam 1992



Finish - Savage goes to the top and hits the Flying Elbow, but a slow count only gets two. At this point, Perfect and Flair confer to talk strategy. Flair has a chair in his hand, and he and Perfect return to opposite sides of the ring. Warrior starts to make the big comeback with three clotheslines, a shouldertackle, and the gorilla press slam. He goes off the ropes for the splash, but Perfect grabs his foot, prompting Hebner to have a word with him. Meanwhile, Warrior runs off the ropes on the other side of the ring and gets plastered with a Ric Flair chairshot. Hebner turns around to see both men down, and becomes confused. Savage gets up and climbs to the top again. While up there, he realizes that he couldn't have been the one to put Warrior down like that. Savage looks to the sky, makes his decision... turns towards Flair on the outside, and jumps down towards the Nature Boy. Flair, however, manages to sidestep him and take his knee out with the chair. Savage is counted out of the ring at 26:15. Flair pounces on him and hooks the Figure Four while Perfect smacks his knee with the chair. Warrior manages to take the chair away, and chase the heels to the back. He walks back to check on Savage, and the two of them embrace to end a hell of a match. The back and forth action made it very exciting.

A fantastic angle that was really well booked. This was a great match between the two and we were lucky to see another one which I will mention later in the thread.



32. Sting vs. Cactus Jack , WCW Beach Blast 1992






This was a falls count anywhere match and was really good. The Cactus Jack/Sting feud was a great one. We got great matches and Foley was cutting superb promos back then, too.

A great 11 minute match. Most of the encounter takes place outside of the ring, but that actually helps these two stars. The 2 play off of each other really well and their styles mesh superbly. Non-stop action & a whole bunch of great moves, without being too spotty. There is a great feel about this match and It is very underrated and seems to be forgotten.


31. Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior , Wrestlemania 6



Warrior back up, gets a back suplex. He pins Hogan and after a long period Hebner makes his way over but only gets a 2 count. Rollup by Hogan gets 2. Crowd is going apeshit. Hogan clotheslines Warrior to the floor. Hogan follows him and they both try to post the other. Hogan ends up meeting the pole. Warrior hits a clothesline and the gorilla press slam. Warrior gets the big splash but it only gets a two count. Hogan shakes his finger at the Warrior and Hulks up. Hogan gets his punches and big boot. Here comes the dreaded legdrop. Warrior moves, hits the big splash and gets the three count at 22:51. The Ultimate Warrior is the new WWF Champion, on top of being the Intercontinental Champion. Half of the crowd is going nuts and the other half is silent as Warrior celebrates.After a few minutes Hogan comes back in the ring. Warrior and Hogan embrace in one of the true great moments in WWF/E history. Hogan leaves, saluting the Warrior, as he has seemingly passed the torch. A terrific story and great match which makes it one of the best Wrestlemania moments of all time.

The emotion and electricity was off the page. A fantastic match that was truly a must watch.

[Bluenose]

30. Bret Hart vs. Mr Perfect, Summerslam 1991



This one was an absolute classic. Two of the best technical wrestlers ever. Given the pain that Perfect's back was in at that time, he really put on an excellent show and this match was kind of the passing of the torch, so to speak. As this saw Hart win his first Intercontinental title, and saw Mr. Perfect’s career come to an end. For the time being.

The finish comes when Curt hits the Perfect-Plex, but Bret kicks out at two, something very few have done. Perfect gets in the ref's face about the count, allowing hart time to recover and go through his usual offense, and pick up a near fall. This time it's Bret that argues the count. Bret tries to hook the Sharpshooter, but the Coach gets on the apron, prompting Bret to go over there and punch him out. The distraction, however, allows Perfect to regain the advantage, as he clobbers Bret in the stomach. He drops a leg on Bret's abdomen twice, then tries to do it again, but Bret blocks it, crosses Perfect's legs, and turns him over into the Sharpshooter out of nowhere. In a famous ending, Perfect submits very quickly because of his injury at 18:03, and Bret wins the Intercontinental Title in a big way, to a tremendous pop. This put Bret over huge there

A fantastic match and a testament to both men when you take Perfect's injury into account.

29. Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty , Monday Night RAW, May 17th 1993



IC Title Match: Shawn Michaels vs Marty Jannetty
Anyways Shawn says that he’ll defend the title against anybody and Marty stepped up and challenged Shawn on the spot.
Mid way through Shawn performs a dropkick but Marty catches another one and he slingshots Shawn to the post. Marty covers Shawn for a close two count. Backslam by Marty followed by some rights. Flying elbow and a powerslam for another near fall. Marty fakes Shawn and hits a spinning top rope bodypress however once again It is only a two count.
The finish comes when Shawn comes out of the atomic drop but is rolled up. Shawn tries pulling the tights but gets a two count. HBK hit’s super kick and we all think it is over. He then confronts Mr Perfect but Perfect throws the towel at him and Marty rolls him up for the pin and at 8:51 Jannetty is crowned the new Intercontinental Champion. A fantastic non stop match which was very entertaining and would go on to claim PWI Match of the Year.

28. The Rock vs. Mankind , Royal Rumble 1998




“I Quit” match for the WWF Championship: Mankind (champ) vs. The Rock

Highlights of the match
The Rock climbs up the ladder to get to the second level of seating.but Mankind follows him up there, The Rock knocks him off and into some electrical boxes. This somehow temporarily cuts the power in the whole arena. Referees and Shane McMahon want the match to end now, but The Rock wants to hear Mankind say “I quit”. Mankind tries crawling up the aisle, but The Rock keeps throwing him into the guardrail. Back in the ring, The Rock handcuffs Mankind’s hands behind his back which means Mankind is now helpless against The Rock’s assault. A lowblow by Mankind allows him a quick restbite. Mankind kicks The Rock down and begins biting his face.


The Rock clotheslines Mankind and then grabs a chair. The Rock lays the chair across Mankind’s face and delivers the most electrifying move in sports entertainment, the People’s Elbow. Two more chairshots to Mankind’s head and he still won’t quit. Three more and Mankind rolls to the floor. Another chairshot by the apron and Cole is almost in tears begging Mankind to quit. The Rock continues to deliver chairshots to the head and finally Mankind collapses in the aisle. The Rock puts the mic by Mankind’s face and we hear Mankind say “I quit” three times.

The Rock is the new WWF Champion.

After the match we Mankind refuses a strecther and walks out with the help of some staff. I must say this was an absolutely brutal match that at times was hard to watch. The drama in this match was fantastic and once again Mankind put his body on the line for the fans and the business and by doing so this great bout went a long way in solidifying The Rock as a major heel.

In the film Beyond The Mat we see that Mick family were in attendance for this match and as he takes multiple shots to with a steel chair we hear the screams of his wife and young family as they watch in horror.

27. Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels vs. Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart , Raw, 05/26/97



This has to be one if not the best match ever to take place on an episode of Raw. All four men clicked and worked really well. They each brought something different to the table and this match had a good mix.

The crowd also played a key role and really got behind the faces This was a excellent fast paced tv match which lasted 11 minutes when you exclude the commercials.

An excellent example of how how beneficial Owen and Davey were and how they could be used to help further further singles main event pushes as they were credible Tag Champs. Austin and Shawn were crowned the new Tag Team Champion.


26.Ultimo Dragon vs. Rey Misterio, Jr. WCW World War III , 1996



This was a fantastic match and a lot better than the matches Rey had been having with Malenko at the time. Ultimo Dragon dominated, but unlike Malenko, knew how to let Rey up regularly during the match to run off a few high spots before perfectly hitting a transition spot to go back into dominating.

The highlight of the match was the countering of the springboard huracanrana with one of the most picture perfectly exectued Liger Bombs you will ever see.

The bout had really great back and forth action which made it exciting to watch. Ultimo dragon picked up the victory and looked good going into his match against Dean Malenko at Starcade.


25. Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith , In Your House 5



Prior to match we see Davey Boys manager Jim Cornette who gives a spectacular interview where he analyzes Bret's psyche, citing that in 1981 Davey Boy stole respect from Stu Hart, taking the old man's attention away from Bret. Then Diana, Bret's sister, fell in love with Davey and married him, taking more of the attention off Bret. Cornette insists that Bret is jealous of Davey and has been for fifteen years. He also emphasizes that Bret has never beaten the Bulldog. All the pressure is on the Hitman.

A truly superb match that that had great storyline ranging back as far as the Hart Foundation/British Bulldog days, and the two men delivered great action to follow up on it. What I love about this match is it had a great range of wrestling, from technical wrestling to pretty good brawling this was really a must see.

The finish comes when Hart follows with a pescado, now drenched in his own blood. Bulldog gets the knees up on a pump splash attempt, and hits his running powerslam on the floor. Bulldog pulls the mats up to try to suplex him on the concrete, but to no avail, and Bret instead lifts him up and crothces him on the guardrail, similar to what Davey Boy did to him earlier on the top rope. They climb back in the ring, which is now soaked with Bret Hart's blood. Bret backbreakers him for two, then whips Davey Boy to the corner. Now Hart hits the superplex and gets two. Bulldog rolls him up for two, but Bret reverses for two. Hart avoids a sunset flip and backs into the corner. The Bulldog charges but eats boot, and Bret rolls him over into a three quarter nelson cradle to get the win out of nowhere to retain his title at 21:08.

A stunning match that featured Bret bleeding like crazy. The build up to this one showed just how effective incorporating past history into a current angle can be. A few weeks later the WWF showed this match nearly in its entirety on an episode of Monday Night Raw in an attempt to expose fans to an example of classic matches they could see if they ordered WWF PPV's.


24. Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne vs. Nasty Boys , Spring Stampede 1994

This was shortly after the Nasty Boys had left the WWF and this match just always sticks out in my mind and has always been on of my all time favourite tag matches.

A Huge brawl to start, as Payne spikes Sags in the ring and Knobs beats on Jack outside. Jack & Knobs head in and Jack beats on him with a pool cue and takes him out with a Cactus Clothesline. Knobs hits the railing, but Sags saves and we trade dance partners for a bit. The faces pound the Nasties on the floor, and Jack & Sags fight on the ramp and back into the ring. Knobs & Payne end up heading down the aisle, delivering brutally stiff shots to each other, to one of those suspiciously-placed souvenir stands. At ringside, Sags & Jack dish out super-stiff chairshots, while Payne puts Knobs through a table.

All four guys end up at the stand, and Jack takes a sick bump over the railing, while Payne goes through the souvenir stand. Sags batters Jack with a table and brings it up onto the ramp, which draws Cactus up there too. Jack steals the table and suplexes it onto Sags, with Sags not even able to get his hands up to block, which even makes Tony cringe. Poor Bobby is just rendered speechless by the whole thing. Knobs stops the count with a shovel, but Payne steals it and pounds him. Meanwhile, Sags piledrives Cactus through the table. Jack gets tossed to the concrete floor, and Sags delivers a Sick unprotected shot to the head with the shovel, and even Tony is glad that it's finished at 8:58 as a result.

You have to understand how revolutionary this was for WCW at the time, in that stuff like going through tables and brawling into the crowd was at best the sole highspot, even in wild brawls.

This match was really entertaining and was one of the most enjoyable and fun tag matches I have witnessed. It was something different that is really worth a watch and Public Enemy made this a regular in ECW.

[Bluenose]

23. Bret vs. Shawn Michaels , Wrestlemania 12



HBK had earned his title match after winning the Royal Rumble early in the year.

A Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels video is shown, with comments from the two participants thrown in at the end. For the first time in his career, Shawn is virtually speechless whereas Bret seems confident and subdued.

Shawn Michaels' music starts up and his mentor, Jose Lothario, walks down the aisle and into the ring alone. He points to the upper corner of the arena and Shawn makes his spectacular entrance, swinging down to ringside from the top of the Arrowhead Pond.
Bret Hart enters in a more traditional fashion and gives his sunglasses to his six year old son, Blade, seated in the front row. Earl Hebner goes over the rules for the match in detail then Bret kisses the Title before handing it over to him as he always does, and the match is ready to get underway. The man who scores the most decisions via pinfall, submisssion, countout, or disqualification in an hour will be declared the winner and WWF Heavyweight Champion.

The Finish - Shawn bodyslams Bret with one minute remaining and climbs to the top rope. The crowd is going insane as the clock is rapidly running down. Shawn jumps off the top with a dropkick attempt, but Bret catches him on the way down and hooks the Sharpshooter with only thirty-four seconds left. The crowd is watching in anticiption to see what is going to happen next. Earl Hebner gets down there to check for a submission from Shawn, but Michaels shakes his head no as the crowd counts down the remaining seconds on the clock. The bell rings after sixty minutes of war and both athletes collapse as Bret relinquishes the hold. The score after sixty minutes is 0-0, which one would assume would mean the match is a draw and Bret retains his Championship.

Gorilla Monsoon, who was seated ringside for the entire match, confers with Earl Hebner and Howard Finkel as Bret takes his WWF Championship and retreats down the aisle, slapping the hands of his fans. He's more than half way to the back when Finkel announces that Gorilla has ordered the match to continue under sudden death rules and there must be a winner. Bret clearly mouths, "Why?"

Bret walks back to the ring about two minutes after the match had ended and asks Gorilla about his decision. The bell rings to restart the match and Bret drives his knees into Shawn's back. Shawn is still in bad shape from the Sharpshooter, so Bret handles him pretty easily and hits a big backdrop. Bret hits another backbreaker and tries to whip Shawn into the corner, but Michaels grabs the corner and hops over and behind a charging Bret. Bret turns around and Shawn nails him with the Superkick out of nowhere. He didn't catch all of it, however, and is still fatigued himself, so they both kind of lay there for awhile before slowly getting up. Bret actually beats Shawn to his feet but staggers around as Shawn winds up and plants another Superkick right into his jaw. Shawn collapses onto Bret, hooks both legs and Hebner counts three to crown a new World Wrestling Federation Champion in Shawn Michaels at 61:56. As HBK celebrated his win he apparently told Hart to get the Fuck out of the ring as Bret walked away he looked genuinely pissed off.


Although this match does get overrated at times I now feel that it is also very underrated within sections of the IWC nowadays. I really love the storytelling of this match. The match was beautifully crafted and a must watch for any wrestling fan and I am sure most will appreciate it.

22. Jeff Jarrett vs. Shawn Michaels , IYH 5

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarrett (Champion)

Jarrett draws some major heat, and the entrance pop for Shawn is incredible.

They do an awesome sequence off the ropes that ends with Shawn catching a Jarrett right hand. Jeff imitates Shawn and relaxes on the top rope, mocking him. Shawn bails, then they do another terrific sequence, this time with Jarrett having a hell of a time using every reversal in the book, only to have Shawn one-up him with a poke to the eye. Major psych out job by Jarrett.

The Finish - Jarrett goes for the Figure Four, but Shawn small packages him and gets… two. The crowd thought that one was it. Jarrett goes to a kneebreaker and again tries to hook the Figure Four, but as he turns the leg, Michaels boots him in the butt, sending him right into Earl Hebner, the referee. Shawn sets up for the Superkick, but with no ref the Roadie sneaks in and clips his knee. Jarrett nails a perfect crossbody off the top for two, as Hebner gets himself back in the match. Jarrett prepares to send Michaels off the ropes, and the Roadie plans to casually trip him up. He looks out towards the crowd as he reaches his hand back into the ring to do the deed, but Shawn reverses the whip, and the unsuspecting Roadie accidentally trips up his own man. Jarrett gets up and turns around right into Shawn's superkick. This time Hebner counts three, and we have a new WWF Intercontinental Champion at 20:06.

A really fantastic match. The pop he got from that crowd was unbelievable. This has to be Jarretts best singles match in the WWF by far. The match is pretty wild, mainly thanks to the efforts of HBK, as he does his trademark bumping his ass off, including a wicked backdrop over the top rope.

Another must watch.

21. Vader vs. Cactus Jack –, WCW Halloween Havoc 1993



With all of the opponents Vader had to face, Vader soon met his match in an unorthodox opponent named Cactus Jack. Cactus Jack challenged Vader on WCW Saturday Night in April of 1993, and the two had an incredible match, which Cactus Jack won by countout, after delivering a somersault onto Vader from the ring apron to the arena floor. However, Cactus' doctors' report would make him look like anything but a winner. He suffered a concussion, a broken nose, 2 black eyes, and 27 stitches in his face. Still, the two would have a rematch one week later, but this time, Vader would win by countout after legitimately, seriously injuring Cactus Jack with a powerbomb on the concrete floor. Vader also defeated Cactus Jack in a brutal match at the Clash of the Champions XXIV, with a helping hand from Harley Race. After Cactus returned from injury in September, the infamous Texas Death Match at Halloween Havoc took place.
Vader and Harley Race knew that Cactus Jack wasn't an easy man to beat, so Race brought an electric prodder to the ring. It was a brutal match. Both men were bleeding. Race used the prodder on Cactus Jack and this gave Vader the victory, because Cactus Jack wasn't able to respond to the 10 count.

This was the final blowoff for the "amnesia angle. This match took place at Halloween Havoc, and it was a “Texas Death Match”. Both men blade, and the match is just the brutal action you’d expect from these two. Just superb stuff and I really recommend that if you have never saw this you must check it out.

[Bluenose]

20. Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon , Summerslam 1995



This was the sequel to the greatest ever ladder match, the first being at Wrestlemania 10. Could they pull off another great match, the pressure was now on. There was not much of a feud heading into this one as both guys were babyfaces at the time. Shawn was over huge thanks to his IC title win over Jeff Jarrett at the previous PPV.

The Finish -
Shawn struggles back in the ring and tries to climb, but Ramon stops him and Razor's Edges him off in an awesome spot. Razor sets up his ladder, but Shawn has his too, and sets his up next to Razor's. They both climb their own ladders and Michaels Superkicks Ramon off. Razor and his ladder fall to the ground, and Shawn is left alone on his ladder, though it's quite wobbly from the superkick spot. He leaps up to grab the belt, but can't hold on. The ladder falls away from him, and Shawn falls to the ground. Razor smartly decides to go for a Razor's Edge so Shawn can backdrop out of it, sending Ramon to the floor. Shawn is now left in the ring alone, with the opportunity to scale the ladder and grab his Title. He climbs to the top and tries to yank it off, but it's on too tight and he ends up falling all the way to the mat again. If there was any doubt about the first ending, marks all around the world could tell this one was definitely botched. Shawn gets up, noticably pissed off because the ending to his masterpiece has now been screwed up twice, and climbs the ladder for a final time before claiming the Title once and for all to end the match at 24:59. Razor grabs the belt away so he can hand it to Shawn himself, and the two embrace with a handshake and a hug

A very good match which had a great story with Razor working over Shawn’s knee, however it's not quite as good overall as the their Wrestlemania 10 match. The first one worked well as a surprisingly awesome match, and everything broke the right way. It also served as the blowoff to a long feud, and the gimmick was perfect for the storyline. The sequel was somewhat less memorable, and the finish was quite obviously screwed up twice, but it was still a hell of a match.

Overall a great match and a great job by both guys in following up their magical effort eighteen months earlier.

19. War Games , WCW WrestleWar 1992


This match pitted Bobby Eaton, Arn Anderson, Rick Rude, Steve Austin, & Larry Zbyszko against Sting, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Rick Steamboat & Nikita Koloff.

In my opinion this is by far the greatest WarGames match ever. This match was the culmination of the Dangerous Alliance angle, Sting's team represented WCW who were trying to rid WCW of the Dangerous Alliance for good.

It has a super opening with Barry and Austin. It had good psyche as the two were feuding over the TV title at the time.

Another memorable moment is when of Madusa climbs on top of the cage to try something nasty and Sting going up after her to send her back down. The heat was right through the roof for the match.

Just an absolutely awesome match, with four guys showing color. Great action and great psychology, too. Over twenty minutes of intense brawling, which sees Sting's team win in the end after he makes Eaton submit to an arm bar, as his shoulder had been injured.

A must watch as it is an absolute classic.

18. Mankind vs The Undertaker, King of the Ring 1998



The final chapter of this brutal rivalry takes place more than a year after this last encounter. Mankind wanted to renew his rivalry with The Undertaker one last time, and did so at the 1998 King of the Ring. It was the two year anniversary of when these two superstars first met (1996 King of the Ring was their first encounter). This final match that these two men would face each other in would go down as one of the most brutal and memorable matches in WWF history. For the sixth and final time on pay-per view, The Undertaker and Mankind would meet each other one final time, this time in one of the most vile, dangerous matches: Hell in a Cell.

When he asked Terry Funk what he initially thought about his upcoming Hell In A Cell match with the Undertaker, Funk told Mick Foley, “Why don’t you start the match on top of the cage.” On that night in the Igloo, Mick Foley started the match on top of the cage, and waited for the Undertaker to meet him there.

Mankind came to the ring with a steel chair and climbed up to the top of the cell and called out The Undertaker to start the match on top of the cage. Undertaker gladly accepted and began to climb the cage. After several minutes of battling on top of the cage, The Undertaker than literally threw Mankind off the top of the cell and through the announcer's table below! After several minutes of being laid out, they put Mankind on a stretcher and begin to wheel him out. But he surprisingly got off and began to climb the cage again! This time, after a head butt and right hand, The Undertaker then Chokeslammed Mankind right through the top of the cell down to the ring below! Mankind kept mounting an offense, but after being thrown more than 16 feet twice, it was clear the Undertaker was dominating. In one last act of desperation, Mankind than brought in a bag, and it was filled with thumbtacks and he poured them all in the ring. He managed to get the mandible claw on The Undertaker, but the Undertaker lifted him up on his back and dropped him on the thumbtacks. Then the Undertaker grabbed Mankind by the throat and Chokeslammed him on the tacks. Finally, a Tombstone Piledriver later, and the Undertaker picked up the victory and ended a rivalry that was not only for the ages, but was truly one of a kind.

It looked like a car wreak”

A really amazing match that was just brutal and is a must watch for any fan. I sat in awe as Foley took the bumps from the Cell and the sense of anticipation and holy shit moments is just unreal.

A surreal match that is an instant classic.

[Bluenose]

17. Bret Hart vs Davey Boy Smith , Summerslam 1992



Bulldog enters first, with Lennox Lewis accompanying him to the ring carrying England's flag. The crowd reaction is amazing, with 80,000 cheering on their fellow Brit. Bret's music rips through the Stadium, and the cheers turn to scattered boos even though Bret is a face too. Bret makes the long walk down the aisle with the Intercontinental Title around his waist.

The match finally begins, but the crowd heat doesn't die. They go through the initial feeling out process, and the crowd becomes increasingly louder instead of dying down. The excitement is unbelieveable; you can't help being on the edge of your seat.

Bulldog blocks a suplex, then takes Bret up top for a superplex. It gets two. They run the ropes and clothesline each other, putting both men down and out. Then, in one of the smartes moves ever seen, Bret grapevines Bulldogs' legs while they're both still down, and turns him over into the Sharpshooter. Bulldog struggles to the ropes to break the hold. Bret comes off the ropes with a sunset flip, but Bulldog sits down and hooks both of Bret's legs to trap him in a pinning combination. There's no escape for Bret, and Bulldog gets three to end a classic match at 25:12. The crowd loses it for their new Intercontinental Champion, the British Bulldog.
After the match, Bulldog offers a handshake to his brother in law, but Bret teases leaving. The crowd boos him, so he reconsiders and they hug. Diana comes into the ring, and the three embrace. Diana raises the arms of both men, though Bulldog now has the Intercontinental Title. The crowd goes home ecstatic, the family reunites, and one of the best Summerslams of all time comes to an end.

A really superb match that was the best of Davey’s career. The crowd was amazing and this is really one of these matches that if you are a wrestling fan you must see.

16. The Hart Foundation vs TeamUSA , In Your House 16 : Canadian Stampede



The Hart Foundation vs. Austin, Goldust, Shamrock and LOD in an amazing 10-man tag team match. This match simply defies all "heel" & "face" logic. Where Bret and the rest would get booed week in week out and Austin would get cheered the reactions were turned around as it was in Canada. As the face Stone Cold was booed like hell, as well as the rest of his team, Bret Hart however was given a huge ovation, he and the rest of the Foundation were all given a heroes welcome. There was Maple Leaf flags all over the joint, and Bret Hart posters everywhere. The match started with the most hated man in the arena, Stone Cold, and the most loved man in the arena Bret Hart. The action was fast paced to start off with, Jim Niedhart was tagged in, then Austin tagged Shamrock in, Niedhart taunted Shamrock for a bit, then Shamrock locked Niedhart in the ankle lock, but the "Loose Cannon" interfered. Pillman was tagged in and him and Shamrock squared off. The match involved many tags from both sides with really hot action. The match involved brawling from the likes of Austin and Bulldog, technical wrestling from the likes of Goldust, Owen Hart, Ken Shamrock and Bret Hart, and the match involved power moves from the likes of Hawk, Animal and Bulldog.

The action was really hot, and all 10 men fed on the crowds heat. Austin played to the crowds, as they were "Austin Sucks" chants all over the arena. Goldust was stuck in the Hart’s corner, as all five men teamed up on him. Animal and Owen Hart were in the ring as Owen hit Hawk with a spinning heel kick. All hell broke lose as all 10 men went into the ring, Austin got Owen outside the ring and nailed his ring with a steel chair, Bret ordered Owen to be taken to the back, the "Austin sucks" chants were really loud. Austin nailed Pillman with the stunner; then Bret Hart took Austin out side and smacked a fire extinguisher over Austin knee. Austin was taken to the back and the sides were even. The match continued with the 8 men, and then Austin returned back down to the ring, Austin brawled with Bret, Austin got him into the Sharpshooter, until Owen came down to the ring and nailed Austin. Austin then got Owen outside, where Bruce Hart nailed Austin with a drink, Austin turned around and attacked Stu and Bruce, which lead to all the Hart family jumping the guard rail and attacking Austin, they then threw Austin into the ring where Owen pinned him. The ring became a flood of officials and security and the two sides were being broke apart, Austin’s team was thrown out of the ring and they went backstage. The Hart Foundation celebrated in the ring with literally the whole family, the ring became swamped with Hart family members, loads of them. But in true Austin style, he returned, nailed Niedhart with a chair, only to be met with by whole Hart family. Austin then was handcuffed; he flipped off the crowd, and was taken to the backstage area as the Hart family celebrated a truly huge victory.

This match was an all time classic and probably had the best crowd I have ever seen. I cannot stree how much you must check this match out.

15. The Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage , Wrestlemania VII



This is for all the marbles. The loser must retire from the WWF. You lose, your career is over. There’s no tomorrow. Before the match begins, Bobby Heenan conveniently spots Elizabeth, Savage’s former valet of many years, in the stands.

Savage enters first, with his manager, Sensational Queen Sherri. The Warrior is conserving his strength, not running to the ring like he usually does.
As both Warrior and Savage are former World Champions, Warrior’s tights have the World Title on the back with the words "It Means Much More Than This" underneath. Heenan and Gorilla put over just how much is on the line here and completely stress the importance of what we're about to see. The hype is great. Both mens careers are on the line.

The Finish -
On the floor, Savage drapes Warrior’s throat over the barricade, and heads for the top rope. Sherri tries to hold Warrior in place for good measure, but Warrior tosses her aside, then catches Savage with a shot to the gut on the way down, a blow which Savage would have a tough time recovering from. Seeing his fallen opponent, Warrior now has no doubt that he should stay and fight. He tosses Macho into the ring and brings him to his feet, though by this point Savage can barely stand. Warrior bounces off the ropes and hits a big shoulder tackle. The impact sends Savage to the floor. Warrior again brings him in, again sets him up, and again hits a shoulder tackle, again sending Savage to the outside. Once more, Warrior brings him in and hits a third shoulder tackle. Macho falls to the floor, and Warrior throws him back in one last time. Then, in the center of the ring, he places one foot on Savage’s chest. As the ref counts to three, and Randy Savage’s career is history.

A really superb match that is just top notch. The emotion is off the hook and every minute was thrilling. A fantastic performance by both.

After the match Sherri is furious at Savage for losing and kicks him while he’s still down and out. Elizabeth, watching from the stands, can no longer stand it, hops the barrier, rushes ringside, and tosses Sherri out of the ring. Savage doesn’t know what’s just happened and gets to his feet, only to see Elizabeth. Savage is shocked and confused. Liz is crying. After much staring, Savage finally embraces her and the crowd goes absolutely nuts. Many fans are shown crying. Truly an emotional scene. Savage holds the ropes open for Liz, as she had done for him for so many years, and then Savage gives one last series of turnbuckle salutes for the crowd. They then leave hand in hand, reunited after more than two years.

14. Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect , King of the Ring 1993



Semifinals
The match begins and we get some crisp, fast action with perfect timing and execution. They trade headlocks and a quick sequence puts Bret on the floor. Soon Perfect holds the ropes open for him to come in, but Perfect cheapshots him on the way in. He lays in some loud chops. Heenan teases wanting to manage Perfect again because of the change in attitude. Perfect knocks Bret off the apron all the way into the guard rail which was a nice bump.

Finish - Perfect counters the Sharpshooter which Heenan takes credit for Perfect's heel tactics. Bret blocks the Perfect-Plex and both spill over the top to the floor. They climb back in before the count, Perfect gets a small package for two, and Bret reverses for the three to end the match at 18:57. After the match, Perfect is pissed that he lost, but slaps Bret's hand anyway, and both men leave as faces.

A superb match which was really a credit considering both men had already wrestled earlier on the show. Bret had just went nineteen minutes after going ten previously and knowing he would have to wrestle another match later in the nigh. Awesome stuff.

I really found it difficult to split the next two matches and to be honest I find them just about equally but the Survivor Series one just pipped it ever so slightly.

[Bluenose]

13. Diesel vs Shawn Michaels , In Your House 7



Good Friends , Better Enemies

A history package is shown between Shawn Michaels and Diesel. They were good friends, but now it seems that they make better enemies. Former WWF Champion, Diesel is on his way to the ring, and he's going against Shawn Michaels in a No Holds Barred match up. Again, this is the last pay per view event for Big Daddy Cool, Diesel as he is going to make his way to WCW very shortly.

Diesel gives HBK a jacknife power bomb right through the announcers table. Shawn Michaels does his best to get up as Vince yells to Shawn to let it be over!

Shawn grabs a fire extinguisher and sprays it in the face of Diesel as he is trying to get in the ring. Shawn gets in the ring, and he is still in this match up.

They go to the floor where Diesel hotshots him on the rail and decides to talk trash with the legendary Mad Dog Vachon. Diesel swipes his articificial leg in a move that's so wrong and typical of a heel. He tries to use it on Shawn, but Michaels connects with a low blow, takes the leg, winds up, and nails Diesel with it instead. Shawn warms up the band and hits the Superkick for three at 17:56 to retain the WWF Title to a monster pop.

The psychology was excellent, and it was just a first-rate brawl. A really great match and one of Diesel few good matches in the WWF.

12. Bret Hart vs Diesel , Survivor Series 1995



Bret gets the bigger entrance pop, showing that the crowd is a bit antsy for him to get his Title back already. Diesel removes the turnbuckle pad in his corner since it's no DQ and all, and Bret responds by removing his.

Diesel dominates Bret early on isolating him in the corner hitting him with some stiff elbows. Bret tries to work his way out but Diesel just forces him back into the corner with ease. Bret escapes to the outside and Diesel picks him up and viciously drops him on the steel barricade where Bret sells it really well. Bret is unable match Diesel superior size and strength advantage, but counters by implying great strategy, using technical skills and resourcefulness working on Diesel’s legs. Courtesy of the no D.Q. stipulation, Bret takes every advantage he can from tying up Diesel’s legs to the corner post with a microphone cable - taking his shots, to smashing Diesel’s leg with a steel chair.

Diesel rolls into the ring while Bret slowly struggles onto the apron, as they prepare a spot that would change the face of WWF PPV forever. As Bret finally stands up on the apron, Diesel shoulderblocks him, sending him flying off the apron and crashing through the spanish announce table. This was the first time it happened, and since it was unprecedented at the time, it's sold as if Bret is completely out of it. Diesel throws him back in and shows a slight bit of sympathy before signaling for the Jackknife. Diesel puts Bret's head between his legs, but before he can lift him up for the move, Bret collapses back to the ground. Bret is out on his feet, completely limp. Diesel hesitates, then goes for it again, but this time Bret explodes with a sudden burst of energy and takes him over with a quick small package to score the surprise three count at 24:54.

Diesel immediately sits up and very clearly mouths two words, one of which is mother and the second is ******. He shoves the ref down and Jackknives Bret in frustration. He nails a few more refs that rush the scene, then Jackknives the Hitman again. Diesel leaves Bret laid out then drops the Championship Belt on him in a disrespectful manner. By this point the crowd has now completely turned against him, as he has rediscovered his old attitude and turned heel.

A really solid and fantastic match and the best of Diesel’s career. Great detail, a superb finish and great storyline involving Diesels gradual heel turn throughout made this match very exciting viewing.

11. Bret Hart vs Owen Hart , Summerslam 1994



Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler talk about the upcoming main event. Most of the Hart Family is shown at ringside. Lawler berates Stu and Helen for old time's sake. Davey Boy Smith, the British Bulldog, who hasn't been seen in the WWF in nearly two years has some words with him. Jim Neidhart, Owen's only ally in the family, is seated a few rows behind Davey Boy. Bruce Hart lets everyone know that nobody in the family approves of Owen and Neidhart's actions as of late.

The crowd is really into this match and it was a highly entertaining match that just narrowly missed out a top five finish.

Finish -
Bret makes it to the top but Owen leaps up and grabs his leg. Owen drags him upside down by his head, then brings him down and nails him with a spinning heel kick. Owen goes up and Bret follows. Bret dramatically kicks him off and Owen tenaciously comes back. They do another double knockout spot. Owen climbs in the corner and Bret follows, then superplexes him off the top of the cage in an unbelievable spot. Bret inches towards the door, but Owen drags him back and puts him in the sharpshooter. Bret reverses, then when he feels enough damage has been done, he releases the hold and climbs the cage. Owen leaps up and grabs him by the hair and both eventually fall to the mat. Both get up and climb the cage. They actually make it over the top and fight on the top of the outside of the cage. Owen tries to ram Bret's head into the cage and Bret reverses, but in doing so, Owen falls backwards and almost to the ground to win the Title, but his leg ends up stuck in the cage as he remains inches away from touching the ground. Bret drops down for the win after 32:06 of awesome action to end a fabulous match. This is by far the best steel cage match I have ever seen. A real gem.

Post Match
Neidhart gets up and clotheslines Davey Boy sending him and Diana tumbling to the floor. Neidhart throws Bret back in the ring and he and Owen beat him down. Neidhart locks the cage door shut as Bruce and the rest of the Hart Brothers try to get in to help Bret. Owen absolutely pummels Bret as Neidhart prevents everyone from climbing the cage. Davey Boy finally overpowers Owen and climbs in, allowing all the others to follow suit and make the save. Owen and Neidhart climb out as the crowd gets a big "Bulldog" chant going.

10. Brian Pillman vs Jushin Liger , WCW Superbrawl 1992



Pillman's true stardom came with the creation of the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship at the end of 1991. In 1992 he was feuding with Liger and at Superbrawl they collided in a fantastic match.

Simply the second best match to ever open up a PPV. An incredible match from the second Super Brawl for the WCW Light-Heavyweight title. Superb psychology, with Liger tearing Pillman’s knee apart, great workrate, and great heat. A real classic which saw Liger getting a great crowd reaction on sheer ability alone. Well worth of its spot.

[Bluenose]

9. Randy Savage vs Ric Flair , Wrestlemania VIII



Some background on the Ric Flair/Randy Savage feud: Flair won the WWF Title by winning the Royal Rumble. Weeks later, at the Wrestlemania press conference, Hulk Hogan was named as the #1 contender, but he went on to wrestle a match against his rival Sid Justice instead, so the Title shot was given to the "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Flair wasn't too enthused about having Savage as an opponent, so he began making allegations and implications that Elizabeth, Savage's wife, was actually an old flame of his. He went as far as to doctor some pictures in WWF magazine, to show him whining and dining Liz. It was all a big psychout to mess with Savage's head and his marriage, and give him one more thing to worry about instead of winning the WWF Title. Flair promised that at Wrestlemania, he would bring his prized centerfold of Elizabeth, and put it up on the big screen, for the whole world to see.

Flair: Oh, and believe me, this is the real deal. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Wrestlemania VIII. It's Indianapolis, Indiana. It's bright lights, it's the big city, it's long limousines. It's women lined up for a block to take a shot at the Champ and Mr. Perfect, but most of all, it's Randy Savage's attempt to walk the aisle to defend the honor of his lady, and to try and capture the most coveted trophy of them all, the World Wrestling Federation Championship. Randy, after taking the worst beating of your life, keep this in mind. When you're flat on your back, look up to the big screen, because Mr. Perfect will be waving the foldout of Liz, and pal, she's all the way live. And then, Liz, to top it off, you've got one last shot, baby, at space mountain.
Perfect: Did I come through or what, Champ?
Flair: Ooh yeah. Woooo!

Mid Match and Finish -
The ref tries to separate them, and Randy spits in Perfect's face. He goes after Perfect, and Perfect rolls in the ring. Savage follows, and they finally come face to face near the ropes with Hebner in between. Savage grabs him by his tie and brings him down to his knees, but while no one is looking, Perfect reaches into his pocket and tosses something to Ric Flair. Savage lets go of him, and the ref takes Perfect out of the ring, while Flair nails Savage with the foreign object. Perfect makes his way back around to the other side of the ring, and Flair slyly hands it back to Perfect. He covers Savage, and only gets two, but it's a weak kickout. Flair distracts the ref while Perfect grabs a steel chair and nails Savage in the knee with it. Heenan is shouting. The fans are screaming. And then it gets loud, because Elizabeth, sick of all the blatant cheating going on, starts to make her way to ringside, despite two WWF officials trying to restrain her. She stands in Randy's corner and starts to cheer him on. Flair works over Savage's knee in the ring, much to Bobby's delight, then slaps on the Figure Four Leglock. Flair gets a two count with the Figure Four, as Savage writhes in pain. Flair's face is a crimson red. More officials try to take Elizabeth away, but she's staying. This is mayhem. Flair gets another dramatic two count. Flair reaches up and slaps Savage in the face just to add insult to injury, then reaches back to Mr. Perfect for extra leverage on the Figure Four. Savage tries to turn over to reverse the hold, but Mr. Perfect won't let go of Flair. Hebner realizes what's going on, and kicks his hand away, allowing Savage to turn it over and reverse the pressure to Flair's knee. Flair breaks the hold.

They get up, and Savage hits a small package out of nowhere, but Flair kicks out at two. The crowd thought that was the finish. Flair kicks Savage's knee and backs him into the corner. He looks down at Elizabeth, and yells, "This is for you, baby." He chops Savage again, and goes to a kneebreaker to further wear down the knee before he tries for the Figure Four again. Flair holds Savage's left leg in the air, so that he's standing only on his right leg, and gives a big "Woooo!" to the crowd. He goes to punch Savage, but the Macho Man blocks, connects with a right hand of his own, grabs a handful of tights, and rolls up a surprised Flair for the three count at an incredible 17:58.

The crowd goes nuts and pops huge for Savage.

Perfect gets in the ref's face about the decision, while Flair, shocked, walks over to Liz and starts to give her a piece of his mind. "What about me? What about me, huh?" He grabs her and kisses her on the lips. A dazed Savage looks up, sees it, goes blind with rage, and jumps all over Flair, attacking him. The officials and referees try to separate them. Flair shoves them down and ends up getting some cheap shots in on Macho. Perfect scores a kick to the groin area. The officials have Flair's blood all over their suits. Flair's white hair has become red and is matted to his head. Flair and Perfect finally leave and walk down the aisle. The officials hold Savage down, and ring announcer, Howard Finkel, finally makes the announcement everyone has been waiting for. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this bout, and once again, World Wrestling Federation Champion, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage". Savage gets to his feet, hugs Elizabeth, and holds the belt up high. The crowd pops huge, and Savage's music finally starts to play. Fireworks go off, as Savage limps down the aisle with Elizabeth and the WWF Title which rounds of a story book ending.

An absolute fabulous match that is one of the best in Wrestlemania history. The great story and emotion involved, as well as all the other factors mad this match so good. A must watch and I cannot stress that enough.


8. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psychosis , WCW Bash at the Beach 1996

Psychosis comes out first. This is one Rey’s first WCW matches. He started with the company the month before against Dean Malenko. Tenay notes their history in Mexico to start. They both attended the same wrestling camp to become wrestlers.

The early matwork is strong and suits the style. They go into the acrobatic teases, which quickly turns into some flying. Psychosis' offense is good, but when Rey takes over things pick up.

Best Points and Finish
Reverse DDT for Psychosis. He drops Rey neck first on the steel guardrail. With Mysterio prone on the mat on the floor, Psychosis goes up top and hits a senton back splash to the floor. Holy Shit! That’s nuts.

With Psychosis on the apron, Rey hits a hurricanrana from the ring to the floor. Another crazy spot. Split legged moonsault gets Rey a close to the two count. Whip into the corner, Rey gets a dropkick. Then he springboard dropkicks Psychosis to the floor. Mysterio with a twisting Asai moonsault to the floor! Shit! Rey’s knee hits the guardrail. Ouch. Back in, springboard hurricanrana attempt turned into a powerbomb for Psychosis. That gets a two count.

Up in the powerbomb move, he runs him stomach first into the turnbuckle. To the top, Psychosis goes for the splash mountain but Rey counters with a hurricanrana out of it! Crowd goes absolutely mad. The ref counts to three. Awesome match that went 15 minutes.

Wow. This was breathtaking. It wasn’t just a bunch of spots being thrown together. They were mixed in with submission holds that told the story of the match. Psychosis had the advantage most of the time, but Rey kept coming back and coming back until he hit that amazing hurricanrana to counter Splash Mountain. Another fantastic match by these two and certainly there best in WCW and this showed how great the cruisers could be in WCW. Most remember this PPV because this is when Hogan turned heel however this is a fantastic match that doesn’t deserve to go unnoticed. One of the finest matches WCW ever put on.

7. Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels , Wrestlemania 10

Ladder Match



Background :

In September 1993 Shawn Michaels was enjoying a successful run as Intercontinental Champion, but due to a contract dispute he was "suspended" on-screen from the WWF. The IC Title was vacated and a battle royale was held on Monday Night Raw to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. Razor Ramon and Rick Martel were the last two participants remaining, and the next week they had a match to determine the new Champ. Razor won with the Razor's Edge, and was the new Intercontinental Champion. In November, Shawn returned to WWF TV carrying an IC Title of his own around with him. Shawn claimed that since he never lost the Title in the ring he was still the Intercontinental Champion. Shawn continued to carry around the "bogus belt" while Razor was recognized as the real Champion. A Ladder Match was made for Wrestlemania to settle the dispute. Both IC Titles would be placed on a hook hanging fifteen feet above the ring, and the first man to climb the ladder and grab both belts would become the undisputed Intercontinental Champion. This was the first mainstream Ladder Match in WWF history

The Finish -
They have a slugfest on the top of the ladder. Razor finally slams Shawn off, but falls off himself in the process. By now the ladder is all mangled and twisted. Razor starts to go up again, but Shawn dropkicks the ladder to knock him off, then drops the ladder on top of him as well. Shawn whips Razor into the ropes and catches him with the yet to be named Superkick. Shawn gives the signal for the Razor's Edge, Ramon's own pattened finishing maneuver. Instead of Edging him, Shawn piledrives him. He goes to the top rope and rides the ladder down, driving it into Razor's injured ribs. Shawn sets the ladder up with Razor under it and starts the long climb. Razor shakes him off, and Shawn falls crotch first onto the top rope. His leg gets caught between the ropes. He fights to grab the ladder, but Razor pulls it away and climbs towards the belts. He grabs both of them as Shawn wildly struggles free seconds too late. Razor Ramon is declared the undisputed WWF Intercontinental Champion at 18:44.

A really fantastic match that set the standard for future ladder matches.Awesome innovative stuff. By far the best one on one Ladder match I have ever seen and I was so impressed with this. An instant classic.



Razor is declared the Champ in a match that every wrestling fan should have seen. Superb stuff and by far Halls greatest ever match.


6. Bret Hart vs Owen Hart , Wrestlemania 10



This is by far the greatest opening to a WWE match ever. This was a good technical match stemming from the excellent feud that these two were having. A few months earlier, Owen attacked his injured brother. After this match, Bret would be in a title match against either Yokozuna or Lex Luger. No one thought that Bret would lose this match, but he did. This match elevated Owen into the main event and later in the evening, Bret became the WWF Champ.

It was a perfect way to legitimize Owen as a top star as it’s a shame the WWE didn’t fully capitalise on it.

They have another shoving match, but this time it's Bret that slaps Owen, then gets a quick rollup for two. The crowd has been going nuts for these first five minutes and it's only about to get better.

Finish - All these counts are so close. The crowd has been going nuts the whole match, and with Bret in control it's only getting louder. They trade punches and Bret puts Owen in a sleeperhold. Owen makes it to the ropes, then lowblows Bret as he releases the hold. He goes for the Sharpshooter and this time he gets it on him for real. Bret struggles to find a way out and eventually reaches back and grabs one of Owen's feet, takes him down, then pulls himself up and right into a Sharpshooter of his own. Owen makes it to the ropes and Bert is forced to let go. Bret tries to send Owen to the bukcle, but Owen reverses and charges. Bret gets his feet up and Owen eats boot. Owen remains stunned in the corner, with his back to the turnbuckles, as Bret hops up and goes to the top rope. Bret climbs onto Owen's shoulders and tries to take him over with a victory roll, but in mid-roll Owen stops the momentum, slams him down and traps him in a pinning combination, pinning Bret's shoulders to the mat for a clear three count to end the match at 20:21.

Owen's music starts to play and a hush falls over the Garden crowd. Owen has his hand raised, lets Bret know that he beat him fair and square and walks back down the aisle. Bret is left in the ring on the ground a defeated man.

A classic match where Owen shocked the world in the first match in the biggest PPV of the year.

The match itself is a classicThose involved have said that Bret and Owen were planning to do a match similar to Savage/Steamboat at Wrestlemania III with all the pinfall reversal sequences, but they tried it out at house shows prior to this and the crowds didn't react the way they'd hoped. So they went to their father, Stu Hart, and Stu helped them put this match together just hours before they went out there. The psychology of the match is brilliant, as it tied into the storyline perfectly. Every aspect of this match was phenomonal.

[Bluenose]

The Final Five

5. Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker , In Your House 18



Promotion World Wrestling Federation
Date October 5, 1997
Venue Kiel Center
City St. Louis, Missouri
Attendance 21,151

It was October 1997; WWF history would be made as the first ever Hell in a Cell match would take place. The man from the dark side Undertaker would face Shawn Michaels. Since Summerslam ’97, Shawn Michaels had singled the Undertaker out, the two would have a fierce rivalry and with D-Generation X at the side of Shawn Michaels only a steel cell could keep the rage of the Undertaker in, and the rest of DX out.

Opening -
Taker begins by stalking Shawn. Shawn tries to use speed, but gets booted. Now Taker is giving Shawn some rough turnbuckle treatment. Shawn escapes a chokeslam attempt and begins to pound away on Taker. Taker whips Shawn to the corner and he already does his flip, flop, and fly sell. It’s all Taker thus far, as he connects with the ropewalk. A legdrop by Taker gets a two count. Taker back bodydrops Shawn and his feet almost hit the top of the cell. Shawn is tossed over the top rope and then Taker follows him out to the floor. You can hear some sadistic fans yell, “Make him bleed” to Taker. Shawn tries climbing the cell wall, but Taker yanks him down. Taker whips Shawn into the cell and then clotheslines him. Then he repeats that sequence. Taker sets Shawn up for a powerbomb and then decides to just ram Shawn’s back into the cell. Shawn back continues to be abused as Taker rams it into anything he sees. Taker misses a charge, which allows Shawn to finally go on the attack. As Taker gets up on the apron, Shawn shoves him off and into the cell. Then Shawn does a tope, which sends both men crashing into the cell. From the apron, Shawn knocks Taker down with a clothesline. Now Shawn does some damage to Taker by using the steps. Then, Shawn is able to piledrive Taker right on the remaining part of the steps. Back in the ring, Shawn attacks Taker with a chair.



Middle -
After two chairshots, Shawn can only get a nearfall. Shawn ties Taker into the ropes, but when he charges, Taker backdrops him onto a cameraman who was ringside. Angered, Shawn decides to beat up the cameraman some more. Back to action, Shawn hits the flying forearm and kips up. As Shawn connects with the big elbow, we see Commissioner Slaughter come down and try to unlock the cage so that the injured cameraman can be tended to. Shawn tunes us the band and delivers Sweet Chin Music. Taker, however, does the zombie sit-up almost instantaneously. Spooked, Shawn flees out the now open cell door. Both men are outside now. Shawn goes for a dropkick, but Taker grabs his leg and sends him into the cage via a slingshot. What’s amazing is that if you look closely, you can see Shawn blade in mid-air. Impressive! Taker now treats Shawn like a javelin and throws him head first into the cage twice. A lowblow by Shawn slows down Taker’s momentum. Now Shawn climbs up on top of the cell and Taker follows him up. Shawn goes for a piledriver, but Taker reverses it and backdrops Shawn on top of the cell. Then, Taker does the cheese grater spot on the roof of the cell as we get a camera angle that captures it by looking above. Awesome! After being press slammed onto the roof, Shawn tries climbing down the other side. However, Taker boots him off and Shawn goes flying into the Spanish announce table. Wow! An awesome bump! A Holy Shit moment Shawn has a complete crimson mask at this point.



The Finish -
Finally, both men make it back into the ring and the door is once again locked. Taker perches Shawn on the top turnbuckle and then proceeds to chokeslam him off the top rope. Now Taker gets some payback by nailing Shawn with a chair. Taker signals for the end…but all of a sudden the lights go out and out comes Paul Bearer.

Who is accompanied by some masked man that Vince assumes must be Taker’s brother, Kane. Kane rips the cell door off its hinges and throws down the referee. Kane enters the ring and stares at Taker. Kane does his lighting the posts on fire and then grabs Taker and gives him the Tombstone. Bearer revives the referee as Shawn crawls over to cover Taker. The referee counts to three. Shawn somehow survives Hell in a Cell and is declared the winner.

They pulled out some innovative spots and the action was again non-stop. Overall a fantastic match that was full of excitement and entertainment and was really brutal. Thanks to their efforts, Hell in a Cell would forever be the benchmark for brutality.


The Debut of Kane

The Greatest Hell In A Cell bar none and My fifth best match of the 90’s.

____________________________________________________

4. Bret '' The Hitman'' Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin , Survivor Series 1996



Promotion World Wrestling Federation
Date November 17, 1996
Venue Madison Square Garden
City New York, New York
Attendance 18,647


There are scattered cheers for Austin upon his entrance but When Bret The Hitman Hart enters the Garden he received a thunderous ovation..
The winner is to receive a Title shot at next month's In Your House. Jim Ross tries to analyze how he thinks they'll approach the match, and seems to be of the opinion that this will turn into somewhat of a submission match. This is notable of course because the next chapter in this epic rivalry would be an actual submission match.

Opening -
The match gets underway and Austin tries to psych Bret out by sticking two middle fingers in front of his face. Austin does some trash talking, so Bret shoves him off. They exchange some nice mat stuff, as each works the other's arm. The crowd starts a "Let's Go Bret" chant. They do some awesome mat wrestling before Austin catches him with a hot shot and stomps away on the chest and throat. Vince mentions that Austin will be wrestling Vader the next night on Raw. Austin slowly controls Bret and goes to a chinlock. A slugfest is won by Austin. Bret reverses a whip and clotheslines him, then follows up with his inverted atomic drop and clothesline tandem. A roll up gets a two count, as does a russian leg sweep. He goes for a bulldog, but Austin shoves him chest first into the corner to counter.


Middle -
Austin tries a superplex, but Bret shoves him off and drops an elbow off the top. That gets a two count. Bret goes for the backbreaker, but Austin rakes his face and tosses him to the floor. Austin drives Bret's back into the steel post, but Bret charges back and sends him over the steel barricade and into the crowd, where they brawl. Bret hits his signature elbow off the ring apron, but Austin slingshots him into the spanish announcer's table. Austin pounds away on him viciously, then lays him out on the table, climbs up to the apron and drives an elbow into his chest. Austin suplexes Bret into the ring and hits an elbow off the second rope for two. A rope splash gets two and then Austin goes to an abdominal stretch. They slug it out again, but this time it's Bret that wins the battle of fists. Bret now pays back Austin with a stungun of his own. He picks up a two count, then piledrives him and picks up another. Bret hits the backbreaker successfully this time, then goes up to the top. Austin crotches him and pounds away at him. Austin hits a superplex but Bret when they hit the mat, Bret reaches back with a leg and cradles him for two. The crowd is going insane by this point. They get to their feet at about the same time and Bret walks right into a Stunner. Austin drags Bret away from the ropes so he can't get a foot on them, and covers, but it only gets two. JR is convinced that the time it took Austin to pull Bret to the middle of the ring is what bought Bret enough time to kick out. A frustrated Austin pounds away on Bret with fists and gets another two count. Austin goes to a Texas Cloverleaf, but Bret makes the ropes to break the hold. Austin whips Bret into the corner to further injure his weakened ribs. He covers, again for two.



The Finish -
Austin goes to a Bow and Arrow, and Bret reverses to a Sharpshooter attempt, but Austin wiggles to the ropes. Bret pounds on Austin and hooks a sleeper, but Austin jawbreakers him to counter. Austin tries to put Bret away with the Million Dollar Dream, but Bret lures him into the corner, where he uses his feet to push himself backwards off the turnbuckle and float over on top of Austin to get the three count while still in the Dream at 28:31.
Austin walks away incredibly disappointed and pissed off, while Bret celebrates his return victory with the fans at ringside. It's clear that this is only the beginning, and things between these two are far from over. This was merely a spectacular way to start things; a hell of a first match to test each other out. Bret proved that he was the better man on this night, but Austin wasn't about to lay down and accept it.

An awesome Wrestling match that I can watch over and over again. It was really hard to separate their two bouts and after lots of consideration I gave the nod to their Wrestlemania match. I just prefer the ending and as it was on the big stage but that takes nothing away from this great bout. You may not agree with my decision and that’s fine but I just personally enjoyed their other one ever so slightly.
Nevertheless a true classic.

[Bluenose]

3. Rey Mysterio. Jr. vs. Eddy Guerrero , WCW Halloween Havoc 1997



Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date October 26, 1997
Venue MGM Grand Garden Arena
City Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance 12,457

This is a Mask vs Title match. This match is as close to perfect as you will nearly get . Top notch in so many ways; Heel to face interaction, pacing, psychology, mat-wrestling, aerial wrestling, intensity, excitement, entertainment and unpredictability.

The Finish -
Scoop slam by Mysterio in front of the ropes and he goes for the split legged moonsault off the ropes, but Guerrero gets his knees up and kills Mysterio with a powerbomb. Cover by Guerrero, but Mysterio barely kicks out in time. Guerrero slams Mysterio back-first into the corner, gets a running start, but Mysterio catapults him into the top turnbuckle. Spinning heel kick by Mysterio, he goes out to the apron and goes for the springboard hurricanrana, but Guerrero catches him and hits a backbreaker. Guerrero goes to the top turnbuckle and goes for the Frog Splash, Mysterio moves, but Guerrero sees him move and does a roll so that he lands on his feet. Mysterio charges Guerrero, but Guerrero catapults him up to the top turnbuckle before turning around and knocking Mysterio down onto the turnbuckle. Guerrero climbs up as well, they struggle for position, but Guerrero gets the upperhand and positions Mysterio for Splash Mountain. Before he can slam Mysterio to the mat, however, Mysterio slides over him and delivers a hurricanrana from the top turnbuckle down to the mat! Cover by Mysterio, and he gets the three count pinfall. Your winner and new champion: Rey Mysterio Jr.



The fans were extremely into the match, booing the hell out of Guerrero and cheering Misterio every step of the way. Guerrero went out of his way to do heel tactics, such as ripping the mask, to keep the crowd into it until the very end.

The ring psychology was about the best you will ever see in a Rey Mysterio match. From backbreakers to powerbombs to submission holds, Guerrero was relentless. Splash Mountain would have been the perfect ending considering the weakened state of Mysterio's back.

When you combine a hot crowd, great ring psychology, and innovative offense then you have yourself one of the best matches ever put on in a WCW ring. An all time classic that merits top 3 finish in my list.

____________________________________________________


2. Bret '' The Hitman'' Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin , Wrestlemania 13



Promotion World Wrestling Federation
Date March 23, 1997
Venue Rosemont Horizon
City Rosemont, Illinois
Attendance 18,197

The date is March 23, 1997. We are in the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois. Vince McMahon, Jerry "The King" Lawler and Jim Ross are at ringside for the first three-man team to call a WM since WrestleMania VIII.

Todd Pettingil narrates a video package chronicling the build-up to the upcoming Submission Match between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. This was the final chapter in this epic rivalry and as the ragin climax.

Opening -
This match is no count outs, no disqualification and now holds barred. You can only win by making your oppoent submit. Austin is out to a mixed reaction, this time next year he'd be the most over face in the company. Bret gets more cheers than boos as the fans give him the benefit of the doubt. Austin tackles Bret to the mat before the bell and hammers away. They tumble to the floor and slug it out. Shamrock doesn't follow, as he's only here to call for the bell in the event of a submission. Bret posts Austin's shoulder, but Stone Cold comes back by draping Bret's crotch over the guardrail. Austin clotheslines Hart into the crowd and they start to battle through the masses, this time with Shamrock in tow. Fighting in the stands was not really done at all in WWE at this time, so the fans and the announcers are pretty excited that it's happening here. Austin goes for a piledriver on the steps of an aisle, but Bret backdrops out. Bret drives Austin back toward the ring as Shamrock parts the sea of people for them. Bret knocks Austin back over the railing, but Stone Cold whips Hart hard into the steel ringside steps. Austin goes to the apron and drops an elbow on Bret's head. Bret manages to shove Austin into the toppled steps, but Austin pushes Bret back into the post.

Middle -
They climb into the ring for the first time since the opening seconds of the match and Bret scores a swinging neckbreaker. Bret goes to work on Austin's legs as Vince derides him on commentary, saying that if Hart loses this match, he'll have some sort of excuse as to why. Bret kicks and pulls away at Austin's legs as Shamrock asks Stone Cold if he submits, but nothing doing. Austin gets some separation and nails the Stunner, but pinfalls don't count, so Austin uses the time to crawl away and recover. Bret comes around pretty quickly and catches Austin coming in. Bret drags Austin to the corner and wraps him in a figure-four leg lock around the ring post. Ouch. Shamrock checks, but Austin won't give. Bret turns Austin loose and grabs the ring bell, putting it on the apron. Remember it's there. Bret then brings a chair into the ring. Bret puts the chair around Austin's leg and goes to the top to break the ankle, but Austin springs up and crowns Hart with the chair before he can leap. Great pscholgy there as Austin basically tricked Bret into giving him the chair to use as a weapon. Austin hits Bret over the back with the chair and goes to work with a suplex. Austin lands Bret's elbow off the second rope. Austin uses another of Bret's moves; the side Russian leg sweep and wraps Hart up in an octopus submission. Bret won't give, so Austin rearranges things into a Boston Crab. Shamrock is right there to check, but Hart won't give. Bret makes it to the bottom rope, and Austin has to turn him lose. Austin, looking for the ultimate humiliation, looks for the Sharpshooter, but Bret goes to the eyes to makes sure that doesn't happen. Hart with right hands, but Austin tosses him to the outside. Bret reverses a whip and Austin is sent headlong into the timekeeper's table. Austin is busted open. Hart sends him head first into the remaining steel steps and then the ring post. Bret takes his time putting Austin back inside the ring and hammers away directly on Stone Cold's head laceration. Hart scores his backbreaker and his elbow off the second rope.

The Finish -
Bret retrieves the chair and rams it into Austin's knee brace several times. Bret looks for the Sharpshooter, but Austin, like Bret did earlier, goes to the eyes to break it up. Hart moves things to the corner and hammers away, but Stone Cold goes low. Crowd still seems evenly divided at this point. Bret takes his bump in the corner on a whip and Austin stomps a mud hole in him. Austin puts Hart on the top and lands a modified superplex, but the impact worsens his own bleeding head. Austin goes out and gets an electrical cord. He wraps it around Bret's neck on the apron, but Hart grabs the ring bell from the apron and clocks Stone Cold over the head with it. Austin tumbles back into the ring and Bret immediately pounces on him with the Sharpshooter.

Shamrock is over immediately to ask for the submission but Stone Cold, in agony, won't give it to him. Crowd is chanting "Austin! Austin!" Stone Cold emits a primal scream and, with the supreme effort, breaks the Sharpshooter! That had never been done in Bret Hart's main event run; he had beaten everyone in the company with that move. Bret, not shaken, quickly re-establishes the hold and this time really bears down. In a famous shot, the blood-soaked face of Austin looks directly into the camera as he screams. Shamrock begs Austin for the submission as Stone Cold starts to fade, but it still doesn't come. Bret pulls Austin to the middle of the ring to ensure Austin doesn't get to the ropes, but Stone Cold has passed out. Shamrock screams at the unconscious Austin, trying to get the submission, but Stone Cold is out. With no other alternative, Shamrock calls for the bell at 22:07 to end the match and also Bret Hart's run as the top face in the company.



What a stunning march. It was soaked in psychology and the story surrounding it was absolutely riveting. They did things that weren't done in WWE at that time and changed the course of both men's careers, as well as that of the entire company, at the same time.

But it's not over yet. Bret, unhappy that the crowd has come down on Austin's side, looks to take it out on the man himself. He tries to hook the Sharpshooter in on Stone Cold again, but Shamrock is there to stop him. Bret ignores Shamrock and goes for the hold anyway and Shamrock waistlocks him to the mat to a huge pop. Bret and Ken have a staredown, but nothing comes from it. Hart slowly leaves the ring to a chorus of boos and his journey to the dark side is complete.

Meanwhile in the ring, Austin has comes around. He kicks Shamrock away from him when Ken tries to help him up. Shamrock leaves and referee Mike Chioda comes down to try to attend to Austin. Assuring the crowd that he's not going to be that kind of face, Austin Stuns Chioda to a huge pop and staggers out of the ring on his own steam, a huge pool of his blood dominating the center of the ring. The crowd chants his name as he heads up the aisle. The announcers put Austin over huge as a man's man and the toughest wrestler they've ever seen.

A classic and one of my all time favourites.

[Bluenose]

1. Shawn Michaels vs Mankind , WWF In Your House 10 : Mind Games



Promotion World Wrestling Federation
Date September 22, 1996
Venue CoreStates Center
City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance 15,000


I present to you the greatest match of the 90’s and one of the best of all time.


Opening -
Mankind is rolled down to the ring in a casket to mock the Undertaker. It remains at ringside for the duration of the match. Mankind controls the start of the match with a quick Cactus Clothesline putting both men on the floor. Mankind rips the protective padding off the ground, but Shawn dropkicks him, causing the padding to fall on top of him. Shawn quickly capitalizes with a reverse crossbody off the top rope to the arena floor. He then shoves Mankind's head into the concrete floor repeatedly. In, Shawn hits an axehandle off the top rope and maintains a quick pace, which of course is largely advantageous to him. Shawn rattles off a clothesline, bodyslam, and then heads to the top for a flying elbow. He tries for a Superkick, but Mankind wisely bails to the floor to avoid it. Back in, a slugfest develops. Mankind tries to choke him out, but Shawn stomps away. Mankind throws him to the floor and tries to use the spanish announce table to his advantage, but Michaels leaps over the thing and suplexes Mankind so that his legs smack the stairs on the landing


Middle -
Back in the ring, Shawn clips his knee and slams it into Mankind's own casket. Mankind fights back, but Shawn hooks a Figure Four. Mankind breaks it, so Shawn dropkicks the knee and goes to a half crab. Mankind gets out of that, and Shawn tries to put him away with a crucifix attempt turned into a sunset flip. That gets two. Shawn somehow ends up on top of Mankind's shoulders, so Mick hot shots him on to the top rope to take over. The deranged Mankind takes a moment to stab his own knee with some sort of sharp object to try to get the feeling back. He chokes out Michaels, then hits the knee ram in the corner with his bad knee. Fortunately, he makes sure to sell it. Mankind's slow offensive portion starts to detract from the match just a little bit. Shawn manages a brief flurry of punches, but Mankind Flair flips him into a tree of woe and follows up with an elbow. Mankind boots him to the floor and goes for the knee ram against the steps, but Shawn moves, and Mankind's knee goes crashing into the steel. Ouch. Shawn drop toeholds him onto the steps. Double ouch. Back in, they fight for a suplex but Shawn outsmarts him and gets it. They trade elbows, then Michaels hits a powerslam for a two count. Mick gets hung in between the ropes with a priceless look on his face.

Shawn approaches him, but Mankind explodes with the Mandible Claw. They fall over the top to the floor, but Mankind holds on to the Claw. Shawn leads him towards the guard rail and grabs a chair, which he proceeds to use to destroy Mankind's body. He then viciously bites Mick's hand to make him unable to use the Claw again. That's like a Bret Hart level of intelligence right there. Back in, Shawn charges his opponent but gets backdropped over the top rope and all the way down to the arena floor. Huge bump. Mankind follows up with his elbow drop off the ring apron, then hits a neckbreaker before tossing back into the ring. Mankind hits a double arm DDT for one near fall, then gets two more after a piledriver and a cradle. Mankind becomes frustrated that he can't put the Champion away, so he starts violently tearing his hair out, then starts throwing chairs into the ring. The ref clears them out of the way.



The Finish -
Mankind has no idea what to do, so he rolls Shawn into the casket at ringside. Shawn fights his way out of that particular predicament, hits a flying forearm, and then kips up, signaling his comeback. He lands a crossbody off the top rope for two. He goes up again, but this time Mankind crotches him and climbs to the second rope from the ring apron. Mankind back suplexes him off the top rope towards the outside of the ring, and they go crashing through the spanish announce table. Mankind actually ended up taking more of the bump since Shawn kind of shifted his weight in midair. After some downtime, they struggle to their feet. Mankind goes to the top rope with a chair, but Shawn superkicks it into his face. He covers, but only gets two. Vader runs in from the back to ruin all the fun, but Shawn takes him out. Paul Bearer knocks Shawn out with the urn, however, and after all that, Mankind is disqualified at 26:23. Michaels ally, Psycho Sid comes down to help, and he and Vader brawl in the aisle. The crowd is going nuts. Mankind puts the Mandible Claw back on Shawn and prepares to roll him back into the casket, but when Paul Bearer opens the lid, the Undertaker somehow pops out and absolutely obliterates Mankind. Shawn catches his breath and celebrates with the ringside fans, still WWF Champion.

An awesome, unorthodox match which I rate as my number one. With the exception of the finish I love everything about this match and even the finish doesn’t stop me enjoying the greatmess of it. Both guys worked really hard and it was a hell of a match, much better than anyone expected them to churn out at the time given their clashing styles.

The main event of the show saw Shawn Michaels retain the WWF title over Mankind via D.Q., in a ****3/4 match. With a clean finish, the match probably would have been ‘five stars’. To this day, the match is regarded by Mick Foley as his career-best match. Michaels won by disqualification when Vader ran in and interfered. Psycho Sid came out and chased away Vader. Paul Bearer rolled a casket to ringside, and as Mankind attempted to place Michaels inside, Undertaker magically emerged from the casket and chased Mankind and Bearer to the back


Amazing compelling stuff that you really must check out.

____________________________________________________

I would now like to take this time and thank everyone who has read this list. Please share your views and discuss.

[David]

This is some heavy stuff... Right now I don't have time to go through it all though... I'll check it out later.

[coolcool]

Eddie/Rey is incredibly high. It's a good match, but no where near my top 20 matches.

[Nathan Versus]

bluenose said:

1. Shawn Michaels vs Mankind , WWF In Your House 10 : Mind Games



Promotion World Wrestling Federation
Date September 22, 1996
Venue CoreStates Center
City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance 15,000


I present to you the greatest match of the 90’s and one of the best of all time.


Opening -
Mankind is rolled down to the ring in a casket to mock the Undertaker. It remains at ringside for the duration of the match. Mankind controls the start of the match with a quick Cactus Clothesline putting both men on the floor. Mankind rips the protective padding off the ground, but Shawn dropkicks him, causing the padding to fall on top of him. Shawn quickly capitalizes with a reverse crossbody off the top rope to the arena floor. He then shoves Mankind's head into the concrete floor repeatedly. In, Shawn hits an axehandle off the top rope and maintains a quick pace, which of course is largely advantageous to him. Shawn rattles off a clothesline, bodyslam, and then heads to the top for a flying elbow. He tries for a Superkick, but Mankind wisely bails to the floor to avoid it. Back in, a slugfest develops. Mankind tries to choke him out, but Shawn stomps away. Mankind throws him to the floor and tries to use the spanish announce table to his advantage, but Michaels leaps over the thing and suplexes Mankind so that his legs smack the stairs on the landing


Middle -
Back in the ring, Shawn clips his knee and slams it into Mankind's own casket. Mankind fights back, but Shawn hooks a Figure Four. Mankind breaks it, so Shawn dropkicks the knee and goes to a half crab. Mankind gets out of that, and Shawn tries to put him away with a crucifix attempt turned into a sunset flip. That gets two. Shawn somehow ends up on top of Mankind's shoulders, so Mick hot shots him on to the top rope to take over. The deranged Mankind takes a moment to stab his own knee with some sort of sharp object to try to get the feeling back. He chokes out Michaels, then hits the knee ram in the corner with his bad knee. Fortunately, he makes sure to sell it. Mankind's slow offensive portion starts to detract from the match just a little bit. Shawn manages a brief flurry of punches, but Mankind Flair flips him into a tree of woe and follows up with an elbow. Mankind boots him to the floor and goes for the knee ram against the steps, but Shawn moves, and Mankind's knee goes crashing into the steel. Ouch. Shawn drop toeholds him onto the steps. Double ouch. Back in, they fight for a suplex but Shawn outsmarts him and gets it. They trade elbows, then Michaels hits a powerslam for a two count. Mick gets hung in between the ropes with a priceless look on his face.

Shawn approaches him, but Mankind explodes with the Mandible Claw. They fall over the top to the floor, but Mankind holds on to the Claw. Shawn leads him towards the guard rail and grabs a chair, which he proceeds to use to destroy Mankind's body. He then viciously bites Mick's hand to make him unable to use the Claw again. That's like a Bret Hart level of intelligence right there. Back in, Shawn charges his opponent but gets backdropped over the top rope and all the way down to the arena floor. Huge bump. Mankind follows up with his elbow drop off the ring apron, then hits a neckbreaker before tossing back into the ring. Mankind hits a double arm DDT for one near fall, then gets two more after a piledriver and a cradle. Mankind becomes frustrated that he can't put the Champion away, so he starts violently tearing his hair out, then starts throwing chairs into the ring. The ref clears them out of the way.



The Finish -
Mankind has no idea what to do, so he rolls Shawn into the casket at ringside. Shawn fights his way out of that particular predicament, hits a flying forearm, and then kips up, signaling his comeback. He lands a crossbody off the top rope for two. He goes up again, but this time Mankind crotches him and climbs to the second rope from the ring apron. Mankind back suplexes him off the top rope towards the outside of the ring, and they go crashing through the spanish announce table. Mankind actually ended up taking more of the bump since Shawn kind of shifted his weight in midair. After some downtime, they struggle to their feet. Mankind goes to the top rope with a chair, but Shawn superkicks it into his face. He covers, but only gets two. Vader runs in from the back to ruin all the fun, but Shawn takes him out. Paul Bearer knocks Shawn out with the urn, however, and after all that, Mankind is disqualified at 26:23. Michaels ally, Psycho Sid comes down to help, and he and Vader brawl in the aisle. The crowd is going nuts. Mankind puts the Mandible Claw back on Shawn and prepares to roll him back into the casket, but when Paul Bearer opens the lid, the Undertaker somehow pops out and absolutely obliterates Mankind. Shawn catches his breath and celebrates with the ringside fans, still WWF Champion.

An awesome, unorthodox match which I rate as my number one. With the exception of the finish I love everything about this match and even the finish doesn’t stop me enjoying the greatmess of it. Both guys worked really hard and it was a hell of a match, much better than anyone expected them to churn out at the time given their clashing styles.

The main event of the show saw Shawn Michaels retain the WWF title over Mankind via D.Q., in a ****3/4 match. With a clean finish, the match probably would have been ‘five stars’. To this day, the match is regarded by Mick Foley as his career-best match. Michaels won by disqualification when Vader ran in and interfered. Psycho Sid came out and chased away Vader. Paul Bearer rolled a casket to ringside, and as Mankind attempted to place Michaels inside, Undertaker magically emerged from the casket and chased Mankind and Bearer to the back


Amazing compelling stuff that you really must check out.

____________________________________________________

I would now like to take this time and thank everyone who has read this list. Please share your views and discuss.

Sweet.

This was going to be the subject for Rate The Match 3.

[Roy]

I have to agree on HBK/Mankind, probably my favourite match aswell.

[coolcool]

The Shawn Michaels/Foley match was absolutely brilliant, and I hold it up in regard as one of the two best WWF matches of all time. Shawn's nervous look at the beginning was a great way to get over Mankind as being a 'whacked in the head' man. His leg work on Foley was beautiful, and even better was Foley's awesome selling. The match even featured a cool bump, different from the many other table spots we have seen. I debate over whether or not I can give it *****. However, anything less than ****3/4 is ludicrous. My one favorite match of all time.

[Mr-Brightside]

As much as I love the mind games match, and I have actually learned to appreciate it more over the past couple of months, the appalling finish is something that will always be a gripe to me. What should probably have been, hands down, the best WWE match ever produced, turns into a huge anti climax once that big fat fuck, Vader, comes and sticks his nose where it doesn't belong.

I can understand the age old arguments of storyline advancement, keeping both characters looking strong, blah, blah fecking blah, but still, what a fucking cop out that ending is.

The original HIAC is the best WWE match of all time, no competition.

[tequillin]

Michaels/Foley certainly top 5 but not #1. The ending brings it from being 5 stars.

Brighty theres certainly competition for it. Plenty of matches should have been the best ever.

I rate Hart/Hart - Wrestlemania 10 #1 followed by Austin/Hart - Wrestlemania 13 and Michaels/Taker - In Your House 18. That's my top 3.

Bluenose, I don't think Taker/Foley - KOTR '98 should be on there at all. There are plenty of better worked matches, this was just a stuntshow that arguably made Foley as successful as he became, not really a great quality match and certainly not one I'd be proud to represent the 90's.

I don't think much of Hogan/Warrior to be honest but it is an important piece of WWE's history I'll say that much.

Hart/Davey from IYH 5 should be higher than Wembley Stadium.

I think overall you've done a good job. Certainly a wide variety of great matches on there that I would be proud to label as representations of the 90's North American era.