Ungraded & graded values for all '22 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Rise Above Basketball Cards. When fans chanted "this is awesome," it was awesome. ANTHONY BENIGNO, We defy you to think of the Hell in a Cell Match without picturing The Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off the side of the demonic structure and onto a table below. Case in point, Daniel Bryan's 18-second World Championship loss as a heel to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII resulted in one of the greatest face runs of all time for Bryan, that is. In the end, the madman from Japan won this battle in what was a war of many matchups between the two human highlight reels. The Big Red Machine tombstoned The Dead Man, while a broken-down Michaels crawled over Undertaker to steal the win. I said, 'I dont want to miss my kids growing up.' It made me feel like we had seen the last of Shawn Michaels, and it was very sad. But that interview with J.R. did such a great job of building Cactus Jack into something bigger than he actually was. has become every bit as boilerplate as shouting "What?" DEAN AMBROSE, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, As the old adage goes: "Its not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.". Though reviled by much of the WWE Universe for his anti-U.S. angst, Bret still had a very strong sect of support in the north. "The year before, one of our camera guys, Stu, asked how old my son was. They had a great chemistry together, and then you add in the element of them brawling all over the building Sting wasnt known for that. Ricky Steamboat and "Ravishing" Rick Rude showed that at Beach Blast 1992. But whatever followed, we'll always have this match, an expertly paced, old school brawl that had both guys emerge even bigger stars. BOBBY MELOK. RYAN MURPHY, "That was my favorite of the three matches in our trilogy, because we put in 55 minutes. " RICKY STEAMBOAT, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. It was a pitch-perfect old-school championship bout, a match that felt big not because of the effects or the stage, but because everybody in the arena so fully believed that this was the most important match ever. "It was always so hard to tell who the crowd was going to root for more. It was how the future WWE Hall of Famers seemingly turned back the clock by a decade, delivering some of the most jaw-dropping maneuvers and counters weve ever seen out of the two men. The Beast." The Human Suplex Machine clotheslined Bigelow through the timekeeper's table, and later T-Bone Tazzplexed him off the entrance ramp and onto the steel guardrail. And in that brief time period they could experience everything that Edge and I went through. In a display of true grace and sportsmanship, the competitors emotionally embraced after the unforgettable match. Royal rumble 2000 6. I bruised my sternum, because I did the running knee in the corner and hit my sternum because I was literally moving faster than I ever had before. Their clash at WrestleMania 21 was inevitable and highly hyped up to be one of the greatest wrestling matches anyone would ever see. After a three-count by special guest referee Triple H, Bryan hoisted the title in victory. TOM HERRERA, Before he was the most successful @**-whooper in history, Steve Austin was an amazing mat wrestler who could hold his own with anybody in the world, including Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Its a cool relationship, it really is. KARA MEDALIS, Its startling how quickly certain matches can shift from the territory of mindless fun to almost wince-inducing brutality. While the WWE Universe was still catching its breath, Daniel Bryan snapped in what was then called the"No!" He later requested the match be restarted after the referee missed The Kid's foot on a rope during a pinfall. He had that whole chip on his shoulder with Triple H where they were best friends, but jealous of each other. MICK FOLEY, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, The reputations of Ric Flair and Lex Luger as in-ring performers are firmly established. "If youre gonna get beat by a guy, you might as well get beat by his best move. If you tear the frickin' house down, that'll usually take care of it." Try this on for size. It says a lot about Flair the institution, but the match speaks even more loudly about the potential of Curt Hennig the hero a role which he played here better than he ever did. "I love that match because of the unpredictability of it. The athletic Charlotte captured the NXT Womens Championship against a ring veteran, giving the WWE Universe a taste of what wasto come in the Women's Division. Swanton Bombs and Spears off ladders are what everybody remembers; what they forget is that Rhyno, Spike Dudley and Lita all got involved, too, essentially making the match a 9-way affair. Youd be foolish not to rush to relive it. contender, Chris Jericho. But your kids are going to love it." Although it was Jeff and Matt Hardy who claimed victory, all four Superstars received a standing ovation the next night on Raw. Rey's a very special performer, as we all know. Still, no matter what Austin did on this night, Steamboat was one step ahead. Yes, you read that right. The backstory is that Flair was on his way out the door to return to WCW, and so this match was slapped onto Raw without a ton of promotion, but that hardly mattered: These two guys told a complete story in the ring (with the aid of Flairs manager, Bobby Heenan, who was on commentary) that somehow elevated these unusually legitimate stakes. So while Michaels vs. Hart at WrestleMania XII isn't perfect, it belongs on this list for its unprecedented display of pure athleticism and emotional storytelling. It wasn't one thing. Ironically, after a wooden chair was tossed into the unforgiving steel confines, T.A. Smackdown - 4 Matches Most frequent ratings: 4.5 Stars - 88 Matches 4.75 Stars - 23 Matches 5 Stars - 8 Matches Highest Rated Years: 1987: 1 Match 1992: 2 Matches 1993: 1 Match 1994: 5 Matches 1995: 3 Matches 1996: 3 Matches 1997: 3 Matches 1998: 2 Matches 1999: 1 Match 2000: 5 Matches 2001: 9 Matches 2002: 6 Matches 2003: 1 Match 2004: 3 Matches While both guys could play heel or face perfectly, Naitch was at his best as the bad guy, while Savage was the good guy you loved to root for, especially when he's fighting for the honor of his valet (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth. Two major betrayals, the constant bickering on commentary between Jim Ross and Paul Heyman, and an epic final showdown between Rock and Austin brought a fitting end to the war for sports-entertainment domination. Look no further than the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Match that stole the show at SuperBrawl II. Like jazz music or a delicious dish, you can't quite put your finger on it, you just know it. It was something I'll always remember and cherish, working with one of the greatest masked wrestlers ever in our industry. Throughout the bout, The Undertaker relished the opportunity to punish the degenerate inside the steel payback for Michaels costing The Deadman the WWE Title at SummerSlam that year. Which do you think is best? Savage and Steamboat wrestled in a fast-paced, athletic classic that never slowed down for even a second during its entire 15-minute runtime. All of it. Summerslam 2002 4. 1 post 0. Hart won, but emerged a villain. Yet that's exactly what Bam Bam Bigelow did, setting up this personal slugfest between two of the toughest men in ECW, right in Bam Bam's hometown of Asbury Park, N.J. From the get-go, Tazz and Bam Bam tore into each other like two predators on a National Geographic documentary. Instead, it was Mysterios lack of size that necessitated his moveset. I think everybody sort of feels 25 is a smidge better than 26, but not enough to bother anybody. " That said, we think it boils down to two all-time greats being in absolute command of their characters, their craft, and the crowd. Shawn Michaels is arguably the greatest in-ring performer ever, period. CM Punk, Those words provided the backdrop of betrayal that framed the match billed as "The Best vs. Summer slam 1998 13. Is this guy old enough to drive a car?'. I was in my 40s and he was knocking on the door. Flair even went so far as to provide altered photos to WWE Magazine long before the advent of Photoshop or TMZ. Mick Foley described the bout best when he told WWE.com that his clash with Austin was, "The kind of match you could show to someone and say, 'This is why Im a wrestling fan.' ALEX GIANNINI. AEW star Keith Lee recently appeared on The Masked Man Show for an interview covering all things pro wrestling. Every minute is momentous. There was just something very humble and working-class Canadian about his overall presentation, and he looked so cool. Any of the above can make a match one of the best ever. She did and she didnt, maturing before the fans (and Banks) eyes into a bona fide, certified champion, while still retaining the hugs, headbands and admiration that defined her aesthetic. That was the question on the minds of many in the WWE Universe throughout the winter of 2014. "Its something that happens naturally in the ring. Its not every day an up-and-coming competitor gets to challenge for eight unified championships at once. Has there ever been a better coming-out party in WWE history than that of The Shield? MICHAEL BURDICK. But, by the time the match was over, fans didnt even care about Flair anymore. There was a sudden respect because he had just gone through years of learning in one night. The biggest WrestleMania of all time, with over 93,000 (allegedly) crammed into the Pontiac Silverdome to see one of the most anticipated matches of all time: Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant. While Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Vicious would close the show, Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage stole the show, showcasing two of the best ever at the top of their game. When youre putting in that much time, the thought process behind it is youve got to have a couple guys who know how to do it. However, something's gotta give, and Heyman betrayed "The Best In The World" for "The Beast Incarnate," instantly creating a main event-level feud for SummerSlam 2013. I got a little overwhelmed seeing the magnitude of the occasion, being in the Garden, having The Rock as my tag team partner and a legend like Ric Flair as my opponent. Absolutely not. Pro wrestling fans chanting "this is awesome!" A lot of people loved Christian and had been waiting for him to have that moment in the main event, and he turned out to physically be the perfect match for Randy Orton. Hart had his work cut out for him. The 11 minutes of mayhem saw the two future WWE Superstars use everything in their offensive arsenals as well as lots of steel chairs. Flair and Funk were operating at such a high level at this point in time that they could hardly go wrong, but somehow they exceeded any expectations, elevating each others games to a sort of pro wrestling platonic ideal. But as Bray emphatically told the Hounds of Justice, "I welcome this war!" "It was like the fans in Madison Square Garden sensed something was coming, but it was almost like they thought, 'No way, theyre not going to do this.' Thats one little thing, simple but beautiful and thats this rivalry in a nutshell. ZACK RYDER, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. Two rings, covered by a cage, no way out and a lot of hair and blood flying. In 2002, Id discussed with my wife that I wasn't gonna do this forever. Newly arrived to WWE, the ever-serious Malenko was a natural foil for the goofy, bucket-hat-wearing, Worm-performing Scotty 2 Hotty. I always tried to embrace my little brother, and Bret always did what he could to be a big brother to Owen. It's a match that would feel fresh in any era, with a simple story about an egomaniac (Jericho) trying to break out of his hero's shadow, while that same hero (Michaels) wants to prove he's still got it. They both must have been proud after this one. Shawn Michaels is regarded by many as the absolute best wrestler of all time. Moments later, Hart locked on The Sharpshooter to capture the title, launching one of the most prolific careers in WWE history. In turn, their pay-per-view match became something of a show-stealer, punctuated by its jaw-dropping ending in which The Man of 1,000 Holds reversed a superplex attempt into a top-rope DDT. But Daniel Bryan vs. Is it a little premature to declare Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins from Hell In A Cell 2022 an all-time classic? "I dont think Rey knew it was a pay-per-view. Although the showdown featured the finest in-ring performance of Goldbergs career, it became infamous after the pay-per-view ran long and was cut off before the matchs conclusion. "But then you think, 'Hes been away for four years. chant helped make him the biggest babyface on the planet, it was the other biggest babyface on the planet, WWE Champion John Cena, who picked him as his challenger for the main event of SummerSlam 2013. If they still don't get it, pro wrestling isn't for them. Survivor series 2002 5. The crowd was red hot for this feud. In the end, Bryan prevailed, defeating Triple H in what one of the best opening matches in WrestleMania history, and Triple H's last great match before retiring in 2022. With both Brock and Angle coming from standout amateur wrestling backgrounds, it's no surprise these two elite athletes took their battle to the mat at first, before The Anomaly poured on the pure strength to wear down his opponent. First of all, I didnt know if Shawn would ever come back. This is a fair, if disputable, point. SETH ROLLINS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, John Cena and CM Punk shared a special kind of animosity. ", Savage abused everyone caught in his crosshairs, piledriving referee Mark Curtis and slapping announcer Dave Penzer, while DDP the hardest-working man in WCW earnestly fought the good fight. He was able to adapt to Sting and was one of his better opponents. The clash between Goldberg and Diamond Dallas Page over the WCW World Championship at Halloween Havoc 1998 was far from a mat wrestling classic, but it had the crowd at the edge of their seats all the same. In an era dominated by massive personalities, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "Macho Man" Randy Savage were not only two of the biggest superstars, they were also two of the best workers in the world. KEVIN POWERS, Daniel Bryan was riding high on a wave of "Yes!" Among the best bouts of WCWs pre-Nitro era, Stings victory in the finals of the King of Cable Tournament was a dramatic encounter that highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of both competitors and became the most talked-about match of the event. Now that you have the backstory, just go watch this match. How did the nWo's Scott Hall & Kevin Nash factor into the contest? Title from Blanchard, but also humiliate his opponent and, ultimately, Tullys Four Horsemen cohorts. "It might not have necessarily been a great idea for Austin to even have this match. MATTHEW ARTUS. It's The Wrestling Classic here with another list for ONE37pm. Both duos represented four of WCWs most popular stars at the time, making this a unique and rarely seen battle of fan favorites. In the midst of complete disorder with bodies flying everywhere, Kane hurled Seth Rollins off the top rope and into the waiting RKO of The Viper. 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