Make Your Case II - Best Ever Match

[Dave]

Following on from my thread about the best ever Wrestler, I think it's time to talk about what consider to be the best ever match that you have witnessed as a wrestling fan. Again, this is entirely subjective as the supposed quality of wrestling matches always seems to divide people. For example, I have never been a fan of the Razor Ramon - Shawn Michaels Ladder Match from WrestleMania X but it always seems to be viewed rather favourably when it comes to reviews.

Reviewing wrestling matches is a difficult thing to do and trying to make your reviews have mass appeal is even harder. People want to see different things from a wrestling match and you're never going to please everyone. However, I'm interested in seeing what the people of WrestleZone deem to be the perfect match. The match that leaves them in no doubt as to what a wrestling match should be. Like I said, it's entirely subjective and you can select a match on any grounds that you feel necessary.

For me, it's The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26.

There really isn't many better matches in all of wrestling than when Shawn Michaels faced The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. This match had everything that you could possibly want from a wrestling match and it just hit all of the right spots. Of course, the match was prefaced by a match the year previous, where Undertaker would go onto win. The angle here was that Michaels knew he could beat the Deadman at WrestleMania and became almost seduced by the idea of being the first man to beat Taker at any WrestleMania event. Michaels offered The Undertaker a rematch, which was surprisingly turned down. That is until Michaels made a pest of himself to the point where The Undertaker wanted his career. The agreement was reached the rematch was on!

Going into the match, I firmly believed that Michaels would win. He was still relatively young and he was still doing well in the ring. His match against Ric Flair at WrestleMania previously showed that he was still capable of having excellent matches. Such was the level of talent that Shawn had. The build to the match had me believing that Michaels would stop at nothing to beat Taker and he had firmly got inside the head of the Deadman.

But perhaps more importantly, I didn't think that they could go above and beyond the 5 star match that they had at WrestleMania 25. 25 had been the start of something beautiful between these two legends of the business and it was because that match was so good that there was an appetite for it to happen all over again. Shawn Michaels took the Undertaker further than anyone ever had at a WrestleMania event and put his streak in more jeopardy than it had ever been in. That was until WrestleMania 26.

The match itself went above and beyond anything that WrestleMania 25 gave us between these two men. The highlight of the match, personally, is Michaels hitting the moonsault from the turnbuckle through the commentary table. For me, it showed a number of things. First of all, it showed me that Michaels still had the agility and talent to be entertaining, even as the years went by. And second of all, it showed me that he was a man of his word. He wanted to win so badly and he was showing it. Throughout the match, you could almost sense his desperation to put The Undertaker away and the lengths he would go to to accomplish that feat.

The whole match gave me chills and I wasn't the only one. You only need to look at the fans at risk guide as these guys go through false finish after false finish to see just how invested they were. The stakes were high and the two men in the ring delivered a match worthy of the main event. The final moments of the match were just as perfect as the rest of the match. Taker standing over Michaels urging him to stay down but there's just too much heart in the Heart Break Kid. Michaels slaps the spit out of Taker's mouth to ensure that he does what needs to be done and this match is over.

Perfection.

But what about you? What makes the perfect match and who's managed to do it for you?

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I'll make my case, but it comes from a different place. Kind of out in left field really. My favorite match of all time is not a technical masterpiece, it's not even in top ten lists for any greatest matches of all time. It's simply because it got the biggest reaction from me, as a wrestling fan who's been watching for a long, long time.

Icon vs Icon. Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs The Rock.

I'm a pretty big Hulkamaniac brother, as alot of us Canadians are for some reason (We seem to adore Triple H too, but that's a subject for another time) and when NWO Hollywood Hogan returned to WWE I was excited at the prospect of Hogan vs anyone in a big match. So Hollywood Hogan is in the ring blabbing on a Raw and he's looking for an opponent...

...from out of left field it's The Rock! The stare down and already it's electric at the possibility of these two going toe to toe at Wrestlemania.

The match is a perfect storm of old vs new, plus it's in Canada (Hogan territory) and J.R and King are in top form at the table. Both wrestlers have yet to throw a punch and the mood is just thick with anticipation. You really can't duplicate a big Hulk Hogan match in terms of hype. The match is on and it's typical Hollywood Hogan punches and nail scratching. Hogan is doing his heel moves and The Rock is at his peak, reacting and kind of carrying the story in the ring. The crowds are obviously behind Hogan the whole way.

It looks like the match is over, it's late and The Rock has hit his big move on the old man....well, on to the next match I gue.....


....Hogan kicks out! Not only does he kick out, he's on his knees now and he's HULKING UP BROTHER!! Now J.R and King react perfectly, the crowd have lost their collective minds because we haven't seen Hulkamania in years, The Rock has eyes the size of 100 watt light bulbs , he does the old routine, BOOT ! LEGDROP!! This time it's The Rock who kicks out of the iconic combo and I jumped off the couch. The match was over afterwards with The young lion Rock winning in the end.

Show effectively stolen.

It was my favorite match of all time simply because of my reaction to it. I wanted that Hogan win and was heavily invested in the match.

 

[TDFG]

WrestleMania 13
Bret Hart v Stone Cold Steve Austin

The match felt real, their was a hatred between these two, Bret Hart was firmly into the veteran stage of his career and was being goaded by Stone Cold Steve Austin for months. It appeared at the start of the feud that Hart was the face battling the heel Austin and yet by the end of the feud it was a double turn.

The match itself was a 'no disqualification - submission match' with UFC veteran Ken Shamrock as referee, the match started as it meant to go on as a brawl, the two rivals were in the crowd, Austin was choking Hart with some cable with the technical veteran having to resort to using the ring bell to get Austin off him, other weapons like the ring steps and steel chairs were used on each other with 'The Hitman' using the chair to weaken an already bloodied Austin's leg before placing him in the sharpshooter, Austin passed out and the referee rang the bell in The Hitman's favour, Hart wouldn't release the hold that meant Shamrock had to get involved and he suplexed Hart off the unconscious Austin.

The double turn was executed, The Hitman was effectively on his way out at this stage, but even in defeat the Austin 3:16 era was almost upon us and the rest is history.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

How do we make a case for the best match of all time? We've to consider the build, the attachment of the fans to the story, the story told inside the squared circle and the aftermath developed by the entire rivalry.

We have the big four styles of wrestling, American Wrestling, Lucha Libre, European and Puroresu, and they've all made a big splash in the business and they all had highlight matches that evolved the wrestling industry, paving the road for the current stars we now have. In the old eras, selling was one of the biggest parts of a wrestling match and it's a lost art, really. Instead we've developed to a fast-paced match, with super-human abilities that tell a whole different story. It all ends up by answering the questions which style is more important and which era has a bigger connection to you?

Every big match can be "the best ever", because it will always be a subjective feeling. When you are watching a match and you're emotionally invested in a story and a wrestler, any match can become the best ever. For instance, I don't remember being more inspired than the time The Miz defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania. Was the match good? The general consensus is that it was one of the worst matches in history, but to me, I saw it like one guy, hated, bullied and billed like a loser that wouldn't ever amount to anything, getting the best of the biggest star of his generation in the biggest possible stage. I was so freaking happy and at the time it clicked me how much hard work pays off and how much respect I had for people who genuinely fought all the adversities they've been put in front of them.

However, if we follow the "wrestling match" standard, with an amazing build and an amazing match filled with heart-wrenching near falls, I probably have to say that John Cena vs. CM Punk at Money In The Bank 2011 is easily one of the best matches ever. It was such a real scenario and it's not a coincidence that the best day here at WrestleZone Forums was the day Punk delivered the "Pipebomb". The build was all set, we felt the change in the business with that match, and look at it now? How much did that match changed the business? NXT for instance is a perfect version of what ROH would like to be right now, also Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles had their opportunities after CM Punk broke the glass ceiling.

It's a modern classic, that became such a big influence in the business. But dang, it's easier to choose a best wrestler, because there are way less choices than this infinite amount of matches I had to think of. I'm trying to give a nod to current wrestlers really in this "Make Your Case" threads, because I do feel people take them from granted and fail to appreciate their value because we are actively criticizing them every week. I'll stick with my choice though, as I believe that future generations will look at it as such an amazing and compelling story, followed by that incredible and amazing match. I still get chills hearing that Chicago crowd.

 

[SharpShootingCrossface]

Talking shit mate.the ladder match with razor and hbk was fucking mint, the iron match with angle was too, rock and Hogan was excellent, bret vs Owen in the cage, bret v bulldog at Wembley, punk v taker, sting v flair, loads of matches top what you say man

 

[Dagger Dias]

I agree with a lot of what Dave said in the opening post. Michaels VS Taker II at Wrestlemania 26 is absolutely one of the greatest matches of all time, however.... my pick for the greatest match of all time is the prequel to that match.

Shawn Michaels VS Undertaker - Wrestlemania 25
This for me is without a doubt, the single greatest professional wrestling match that I have ever seen. It had literally everything you could possibly want. Two legends going into battle at the biggest PPV of the year. The Heaven VS Hell theme that they used fit in nicely. The epic line of "Sometimes it is Hell getting into Heaven". Michaels doing the Holy-Taker parody of Undertaker during the build for the match coming out in a white trenchcoat and matching hat. Then he wore that gear again while coming down from a high pedestal for his entrance to show the holy side of the feud while Taker rose up from beneath the entrance ramp with fire pyros going off to show the hell side of the feud. Then the match. My goodness, what a match. Two counts, finishers, crazy spots, suspense, it had it all! A moment that sticks out is Taker's death dive into the fake camera man played by Sim Snuka as HBK prayed in the ring. I was there live in person to see it too and it was an event I will never forget. Both the first and the second Wrestlemania match between these two legends were nothing short of phenominal.... but the first match was the better one out of the two.

 

[SharpShootingCrossface]

sting and flair on the last nitro, or bret and bulldog at Wembley, summerslam 92

and war games

 

[SSJPhenom]

You'd be hard pressed to find any better matches than the 'Taker/HBK classics at WrestleMania 25 and 26. For my taste, though, there's even a better match involving 'Taker and HBK at WrestleMania and that is 'Taker/Triple H HIAC at WrestleMania 28 with HBK as the special guest referee.

This match was story telling and in ring psychology at it's best. It didn't have as much action as the previous 'Taker matches but what it lacked in action it more than made up for in drama and suspense. You had these two legends clashing in the match that each was best known for, the HIAC and my oh my what an epic clash. The match was built as 'Taker wanting to redeem himself for the performance he had at the previous WrestleMania against Triple H. Even though 'Taker had won, Triple H was the one that walked out of WrestleMania 27 while 'Taker had to be carried out. 'Taker wanted to show that he could decisively defeat Triple H. Triple H on the other hand didn't want to face 'Taker again because he was afraid that to beat 'Taker, he'd have to end 'Taker's career. Being the new business man that he was, that wasn't a sound investment. It all came to a head when 'Taker and Trips finally met face to face in the ring on Raw and 'Taker boldly exclaimed that HBK was better than Trips. After hearing that, Trips not only accepted the match but wanted it to be inside the HIAC. HBK was added as the referee and the rest, as they say, is history.

Like I've already said, this match is in a class all by itself when it comes to drama and suspense. You have Trips beating 'Taker down with a chair and yelling for HBK to end the match or Trips is going to end 'Taker. You have 'Taker begging and pleading with HBK to not end the match. Then it all comes to a head when 'Taker puts HBK in the Hell's Gate so that he wouldn't call for the bell. After that, 'Taker gets a second wind and starts to gain the upper hand, until a pissed HBK super kicks 'Taker right into a Pedigree. Idk about the rest of you, but I thought it was over right then and there, but it wasn't. 'Taker kicks out of the DX finisher and finally starts to beat Trips down with the chair. He tells Trips to stay down, but Trips isn't having that. He tries to hit 'Taker with a sledgehammer but 'Taker blocks it and takes it away from Trips. In his last act of defiance, Trips gives 'Taker the crotch chop and gets hit with a sledgehammer. 'Taker then picks Trips up and Tombstones him for the 3 count.

I didn't know why HBK was added as the ref until I seen the match and he added so much to that match. That scene at the end with the three of them standing tall together on the stage still gives me goosebumps to this day and I'd be lying if I said that on that night, when that happened, I didn't have tears in my eyes. It was an epic match and an epic moment and I think it's the best match of all time.

 

[SharpShootingCrossface]

From a purely biased perspective, bulldog winning the IC title at Wembley in 92.

Bret and Benoit doing a tribute match for Owen.

HBK and Razor ladder match

Rock v Hogan

There's probably more contenders aswell!!