Big time matches that didn't live up to the expectations.

[Bobbywoodhogan]

I don't get how anyone says Austin turning heel at Wrestlemania 17 was "a bad ending that didn't make any sense". Neither Rock or Austin were the same superstar they were 2 years before. Rock was a much, much better superstar than he was when he faced Austin in 1999, he dominated the WWF and replaced Austin at the top while he was away. And Austin had just come back from injury, he had went through a year of hell, and he failed to win his feud against Triple H. He was desperate to get back on top again, hence the "I need this, Rock, I need this more than you can ever know" in his sitdown interview with JR on Smackdown, so he sold his soul to "the devil" and his nemesis to do that. What's the part that doesn't make sense?

Anyway, Stone Cold vs. The Undertaker at Summerslam 1998. The build up was absolutely phenomenal, it was Wrestlemania-like. The "Highway To Hell" video still gives me goosebumps to this day when I watch it. But during the match, Austin took that accidental headbutt to his jaw from Taker which caused him to slow down for the rest of the match. Had it not happened, it could've been great, but then again I've also heard that Undertaker was coming into the match, also injured. It still turned out to be a decent match though for two guys that were injured.

As I said I don't think the match should have been mentioned here however I do agree that the heel turn wasn't done correctly. I think there were other ways that would have kept Austin's character like he was but making him evil, the desperation to hang on to the world title can be a great thing for a heel character. Having him use McMahon for that purpose only to turn on him aswell could have done wonders. Had the Rock not been leaving to make a film and tge subsequent purchase if WCW we may have gotten a better heel Austin than what we ended up with. Austin should never have aligned himself with Vince or WCW/ECW Alliance. Having him have a team that kept the title on him would have worked imo.

After reading all your responses, I can't help but point out that almost all the matches that you guys brought up are from either WCW, WWF and definitely prior to 2000.
Hogan is mostly involved in many bad matches too.

We could continue this topic by asking you guys this:
-Why are you all referring to older matches and not newer ones? Is it maybe because there aren't many big build ups the past 10 years? Or maybe the in-ring action is at least average?

If I could take a swing to answer this, I'd say that the WRESTLING in matches is way way better at this era, dare I say it is the best of all time. We have so many excellent workers in the ring. This means that a good feud with culminate in a at least decent match. Also, on the downside, it seems like there are lazy bookings as far as progressing feuds goes, which really doesn't help the original topic either.

Reason I am choosing older matches is because I don't watch the new stuff at all and the older stuff were era's that I still love.

 

[Tyrant25]

After reading all your responses, I can't help but point out that almost all the matches that you guys brought up are from either WCW, WWF and definitely prior to 2000.
Hogan is mostly involved in many bad matches too.

We could continue this topic by asking you guys this:
-Why are you all referring to older matches and not newer ones? Is it maybe because there aren't many big build ups the past 10 years? Or maybe the in-ring action is at least average?

If I could take a swing to answer this, I'd say that the WRESTLING in matches is way way better at this era, dare I say it is the best of all time. We have so many excellent workers in the ring. This means that a good feud with culminate in a at least decent match. Also, on the downside, it seems like there are lazy bookings as far as progressing feuds goes, which really doesn't help the original topic either.

You're right. Wrestling has been at its best post-2000s. Especially now. There are so many new guys and new moves emerging. However, storylines are lacking a bit, and no matter how we look at it, storylines are the cornerstone of wrestling. If a storyline is boring, it makes even a good match look a bit boring.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

You're right. Wrestling has been at its best post-2000s. Especially now. There are so many new guys and new moves emerging. However, storylines are lacking a bit, and no matter how we look at it, storylines are the cornerstone of wrestling. If a storyline is boring, it makes even a good match look a bit boring.

Exactly' that's the reason I don't watch anymore, I have no interest for the stories and especially the characters. The storyline builds you towards the payoff which is the match, but without the build-up your left with a match you can't really care about.

 

[Wolf Pac]

As I said I don't think the match should have been mentioned here however I do agree that the heel turn wasn't done correctly. I think there were other ways that would have kept Austin's character like he was but making him evil, the desperation to hang on to the world title can be a great thing for a heel character. Having him use McMahon for that purpose only to turn on him aswell could have done wonders.

I don't think that would've worked, it would've left everyone confused at the end of WM X7 as to whether Austin was a babyface or a heel. And McMahon would've come after Austin all over again and found a way to screw him out of the title. There would've been no point in a desperate Austin seeking McMahon's help, only to use him and have him come after him and screw him out of the belt. Austin knew Vince was a big threat to him and the title.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

I don't think that would've worked, it would've left everyone confused at the end of WM X7 as to whether Austin was a babyface or a heel. And McMahon would've come after Austin all over again and found a way to screw him out of the title. There would've been no point in a desperate Austin seeking McMahon's help, only to use him and have him come after him and screw him out of the belt. Austin knew Vince was a big threat to him and the title.

We'll have to agree to disagree there, leaving an audience unsure of a characters future is not a bad thing, many people would have tuned into a Raw the next night to see why he did what he did. Using Vince to get the title only to dispose of him would have worked in my opinion. You could have to excuse that he was so obsessed with getting the title back that he'd use anyone or do anything. Like I said you could have had Austin have a stable if wrestlers who kept that title on him like the Horsemen did for Flair. I just think of all characters Austin should never have aligned himself with Vince.

 

[FlairFan2003]

You know I was disagreeing with someone else right? I wasn't listing those matches for myself.

.

Sorry for the confusion....I was agreeing with your basic point and trying to explain it a bit further (IE jjust because the ENDING doesn't work doesn't mean THE MATCH is bad), the thread was about big time matches that weren't very good, not living up to the hype.

 

[FlairFan2003]

I don't want to pile on Hogan IE "he has a lot of matches listed"....it's just that in terms of mega hype for matches that fell flat he has a lot, not just because of his limitations as a worker but because WWE usually matches him against slow, heavy guys who couldn't work so he wouldn't be overshadowed.

Hogan was a master at knowing what he could do well and mixing it to the strengths of his opponents. His matches vs Goldberg, Flair, Savage, were way better than a lot of heavily hyped encounters with Andre, King Kong Bundy, etc simply because those guys were not near as versatile of in ring workers. A guy like Bundy or Ultimate Warrrior has so little in ring talent they wouldny deliver a 3.5-4 star match no matter who they wrestle (Flair was great but exactly how much better do you think a Flair-Bundy match circa 1986 would have been compared to Bundy-Hogan ? Better, probably, but it would it have matched say Flair-Sting, not a chance).

There was a lot of great wrestling action in past eras, except very little of it back in the 80s was in WWE. You don't see many NWA matches listed here for instance.

Some fans have posted much more recent matches in here, including a CM Punk match, so there are definitely fans who find dissatisfaction with individual matches in the current era as well.

As for Austin's Heel Turn.... What didn't make sense wasn't just his willingness to align himself with his sworn enemy for money, that has worked over the years in other storylines (Barry Whyndam joins the Horsemen in 1988 is a great example, as was Flair turning on Sting in 1990 to protect his title, we've seen HHH & John Cena work together convincingly over the years even though they are two characters typically worlds apart, and HHH-Orton was an extremely intense feud for several years yet they click together now as partners in the Authority Angle), but WWE changed Austin's character too much, he became more like a coward, worse yet, he started doing comedy skits that were way against his Stone Cold Persona (remember the guitar playing and singing songs to Vince ??? Really ????). The fact fans hated it and WWE changed course a few months later proves it was an ill advised move.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Lesnar/Goldberg WrestleMania 20 definitely did not live up to expectations especially because of the fact that everyone wanted to see this dream match but as soon as it happened it was such a let-down

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

Sorry for the confusion....I was agreeing with your basic point and trying to explain it a bit further (IE jjust because the ENDING doesn't work doesn't mean THE MATCH is bad), the thread was about big time matches that weren't very good, not living up to the hype.

Ahhh sorry it's me not reading what you said properly