Favorite Pre Match Feud of All Time....

[DERO1979]

Ok, so what I mean by this thread is this....

What is your favorite all time feud between 2 wrestlers, any promotion, before the actual first match took place?

I will start...

I have been watching wrestling since the very first WrestleMania so I have witnessed pretty much all the big feuds in the history of wrestling since it became commercialized....

My favorite all time pre match feud is Kane vs The Undertaker back in 1997 and early 1998 just before their first match at WrestleMania 14 in Boston.

They began hyping that feud if I remember correctly in June of 1997 and it was masterfully done. I thought the KANE angle was one of the best ever and he was a machine. Then of course, later on, they totally ruined his character by removing the mask and he's been in mid card Hell for 8 years.

But prior to all this they made him a beast and that feud with The Undertaker just before WM14 was awesome. I can still hear Paul Bearer saying "He's coming! He's coming Undertaker!"

Great stuff....

So what's yours?

 

[Whistler 619]

Batista vs Triple H is always a great one in my mind because you have a guy who looked like he wasn't really going anywhere with Randy Orton getting the Push but then all of sudden one small comment changed everything. A few weeks and months of small bickering and the build up awesome. When Batista won the Royal Rumble and destroyed Triple H at the Contract Signing thing they had, it was perfect. The Pre-Mania build up was flawless. The match was great.

But I must say, my favorite is Kane vs 'Taker V1.0, I just wanted to say a different one.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan. This basically started about a year to a year & half before they actually got in the ring, during the War Games where everyone though the fake Sting was the real Sting and he had went over to the nWo. This was one of the great angles that WCW did right, and whomever wrote this storyline was really on point. They really did everything right, from having Sting sulk over not being believed, hanging out in the rafters and even got several others included in the build-up including Randy Savage, Roddy Piper & Eric Bischoff. They had Sting make sudden appearances and would always make everyone in the nWo (including Hogan) scared to death. Then of course, the next week, Hogan & co. would come out swearing that they would kick Sting's butt the next time he showed up.

Week after week they built this until finally the match was set. It was dubbed the Match of the Century because Sting WAS WCW and Hogan was basically an outsider (although he'd been there years prior). Of course, the match sucked major & didn't live up to its hype, but I think that's because Hogan played his cards and decided last minute to change the ending where he didn't get a clean pinfall loss. IDK if that's true, just my opinion. So that's mine...

 

[Boxer38]

Mine would have to be Kane vs. The Undertaker before Wrestlemania 20. Wow everything leading up to their match was just amazing. Stating with Kane burying The Undertaker alive at the Survivor Series, Kane's promos on Raw, giving the eulogy on Smackdown, to the return of the Gong at the Royal Rumble. Who can forget the darkness filling the arena, the lighting bolt striking the ring.

The countdowns to wrestlemania informing Kane the days left. The casket in the ring on the last Raw before Wrestlemania 20. Whew! That was a-lot. In my opinion, this was the best pre-math feud of all time. One of the main reasons I order'd Wrestlemania 20. Man, Those were one of few great mind games played on someone in the WWE I've ever seen.

 

[LCShazardous]

I'm not sure if this would count but i'd say undertaker and shawn michales for both of there WM buildups and the HIAC match. since the feuds happened at different time I think I can say that those feuds had the most build up going into there 1st (and ussually only) match of the feud.

my personal favorite was Shawn and undertaker's pre match buildup for WM 25. I just love the whole light and darkness overtone they were using. and the promo Shawn cut on the smackdown before wrestlemania playing the all-white undertaker get up, speaking biblical talk, then proceeding to rip off the coat and whatnot in HBK fashion was a good promo. And afterward with Shawn scurrying away when undertaker tried to choke slam hi was a good way to try and establish the heel and face of the match.

I'm not sue if these can count since they have had 3 separate feuds (as i know of) but the buildup for each one was always memorable. so I'd say that HBK - the undertaker feuds were the best pre-match feuds

 

[salopstick]

i enjoyed the warrior/hogan build up. especially because it was one of the most high profile face v face feuds there had been at that time

from the rumble where it started to where they tagged at snme

then you had the whole earthquake / dino bravo thing going on as a background feud for hogan. i rememeber hogan being laid out by earthquake where warrior made the save and the week after hogan made the save

to top it off two men who didnt have a good match in them turned it on and had a very good match - pwi match of the year if i remember

 

[mister_b1LL]

I really loved the build up for the WrestleMania match between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels. Seeing Kurt Angle fight Marty Janetty, come out with Sensational Sherri, and see Shawn come out as a cameraman then beat up Angle was some really great stuff to see.

I forgot what this match was for (I think it was against the Big Show) but the one where Undertaker kept recieving all those gifts was great. Taker reuniting with Brother Love was hilarious!!!

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Savage vs. Flair WrestleMania 8. This feud was intense as hell. Savage was #1 contender and in order to shake him up, Flair showed pictures of him and Elizabeth on holiday together and basically told the Macho Man that he and her had a relationship in the past and that she was a ****. Savage was livid and that whole angle set up a trult great match at WrestleMania 8.

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

I'm not really sure if this one counts or not, as the two MEN were already feuding, but Triple H vs Cactus Jack at the 2000 Royal Rumble. I loved it how The McMahon-Helmsley faction treated Mankind like shit and fired him, then The Rock got him re-hired, but Triple H bloodied him up on Raw. Then on Smackdown! Mankind came out with the bloody shirt on saying he wasn't ready to face Triple H again any time soon, but the fans deserved a replacement. "I think you know the guy! His name... is Cactus Jack!" then he rips off the shirt to expose his Cactus shirt underneath. That was epic man. Had my all-time favourite match at the Rumble too...

 

[excel_excel]

Definetly Triple H VS Batista. They built it perfectly, the slow face turn from Batista, the slow showing of HHH fearing Batista. It was built so clearly and so understandably. Plus HHH's character showing fear which was so rare around that time. (even though heel's generally show fear HHH does it so rarely)

 

[magicman336]

I would have to say Magnum T.A. and Tully Blanchard for the US title.
All you have to go by now is their matches on videos or dvd, the build up on television was classic. The 4Horsemen jumping Magnum in the dressing room, Tully Blanchard using Baby Doll as a shield, Magnum dressing up as a cop and handcuffing Baby Doll to the ring post and beating the crap out of Blanchard. Terry Allen then drops the US title to Blanchard. The endless tag matches with Dusty Rhodes against the Horsemen. The constant run-ins by both Blanchard & Allen. This was the classic "Good guy" versus "Bad Guy" feud. Then everything accumulates to the climatic very first "First Blood" cage match at Starcade. Classic build up to 2 classic performers. Tully Blanchard will always be the ultimate heel.

 

[PsychoBlack]

minw would have to be the kane vs undertaker feud with them both being brothers it made it great because kane was just so beastly and undertaker is undertaker it was the first time i saw undertaker appear frightened hell it was the last time too

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

Taker and Kane I

The biggest build-up IMO. Taker talking about his brother and then kane debuting and costing taker a number 1's contender match (hell in a cell at badd blood), then strangly they made up, until of course kane turned on him again at royal rumble and "burned him", and lastly, the match we all waited for to happen and no greater place for the match to take place, Wrestlemania XIV...

 

[spinningtorturerack]

For me, its the build up to triple H/Cactus jack street fight at RR 2000. The whole reveal of cactus jack, attacks and so on, really built up this feud to no end, showing cactus jack was gonna have a real shot at the title.

 

[D's Nuts Radio]

I loved the build up to Papa Shango vs. Ultimate Warrior back in the day. All the voodoo stuff Shango was pulling off to get in the Warrior's head was awesome. Then that interview Warrior was having where some black stuff started leaking from his head. It was funny as hell to hear his reaction......"WARRIOR!" Lol. Made no sense. And the match was pretty bad too.

 

[Attitude]

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock fued before WM17. It started at the Royal Rumble. Austin won the Rumble and Rock won the title. Austin told Rock to stay healthy. Debra Who was Austin's on screen and off screen wife became Rock's Manager. Austin told him to protect and keep her out of harms way. Stone Cold watched Rock's back for a couple shows too. Then Debra was put in harms way and Austin gave Rock a stunner. I remember Rock doing the stunner on Austin which is the first time The Rock or anybody has ever used the stunner on Austin. Then the Rock drank his beer. They also had a classic interview where JR sat in between them and Austin said he needed to beat the Rock. They also had a classic moment when they shared a beer with each other and then everything exploded. I put the Interview with Austin/Rock up and the last promo together before their WM17 match. Both were classic and awesome. This fued and build up is just awesome and classic and every rivarly should be like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RA6e9UrbrY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_PJXp55R4s

 

[a1n1hbk]

HBK vs Undertaker for wm26 build up was just awesome. Hbk wanting to fight Undertaker one more time and losing every chance to get there was just amazing. His frustration was very well played by Hbk. He kicked Teddy Long, was not even caring about DX, then breaking into EC was just amazing. Just when you thought there is no way it is possible Hbk found a way for himself and when UT accepted the challenge and asked Shawn to put his career online n Hbk saying " i don't have a career if i can't beat you at wm", just classic.

The second in my book will be build up for Rock Vs SCSA wm17 match. The whole build up was just awesome. Rock stunning Austin and Austin giving a rock bottom to Rock amazing.

Another great build up would be Randy Orton Vs HHH WM25. The whole I . E. D. thing with Orton punting Vince, rkoing shane, ddt to stepheine and the kiss and then Hunter breaking in Orton's home to fight oh dear did they rose the anticipation. It got as personal as it can get. Orton not only trying to take WWE Championship but trying to end Hunter's world, he set up Hunter to be a real real babyface like never before and he become one of the most over heel in long memory.

 

[TheAnimal]

Triple H V Batista for Mania 21 where we were guessing what he would do with his title shot, would he go to Smackdown and have Evolution take over, or would he do what we all wanted him to do, that was brilliant.

Kurt Angle v HBK - The singing the theme with Sherri was hilarious, he even wore the t-shirt how HBK did. Then the great match against Janetty, we even had a rockers reunion.

Undertaker v HBK always crank it up with their feuds and always have them seem ingenious with how they do it, it was darkness v light for mania 25, this year we had the retirement angle.

HBK v Jericho is another good feud, in 2008 they had the fantastic build, the eye injury to HBK, his wife getting punched too and then they had the great matches.