If you were to introduce someone to wrestling...

[doubles69]

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels is an excellent choice! It was by far one of my favorite matches of all time! Some other notable matches I think would really get a newcomer interested would be:

Hardys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge & Christian; Tables, Ladders, and Chairs
Just the pure excitement and high risks in this match would make even the biggest pro wrestling doubter put their hands to their face and say "what the hell!? that had to hurt!"

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, Extreme Rules 2012
I actually had some friends over, who are not big wrestling fans, during this PPV. The match was so brutal that one of my friends was convinced they were really fighting. All I had to do was encourage it by saying that Cena/Lesnar have real life heat and they thought for SURE that the match morphed into an MMA fight. Especially with Cena selling his injuries so well.

The Rock vs. John Cena, Wrestlemania
Just the pure excitement and notoriety both of these men have in modern day pop culture. This match did exactly what the WWE wanted it to - it got people interested in wrestling who otherwise didn't care. Several friends of mine who used to watch back in the day, started watching again just to see what happened after the Rock beat Cena. Of course, they lost interest because of some other poor storylines, but it got them hooked.

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, Ironman Match
From their entrances until the very last ring bell, this match was a pure spectacle. The in-ring athletics of both men, the story they told with each move, and the shocking finish. Even if the match wasn't enough to capture your heart, Shawn's emotional moment afterwards was incredible. Surely it'd inspire anyone.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Well So many to choose from! But a perfect example is Hart Vs British Bulldog Summerslam 1992.. Now Bulldog is not the most technical guy out there R.I.P! But on that night he had the match of his career. Hold for hold tat for tat in that match. Hart who i swear to god could wrestle a broomstick and make it look great! If someone was wanting to become a fan and asked me what match should i watch i go with that one! And i watch it with them! Just the story they told the people involved in that match made it very special!

Twenty years later it still is!

This was my pick too, partly because it also gives you a good example of how important the crowd and atmosphere is to wrestling. That match had very little build-up and was the hardest type of match to sell, face vs face. But the issue was simple, it was about a title. The two guys contesting it happened to be related by marriage and in one of them's backyard other than that the ring work and the reactions of the fans (and commentary) will tell people all they need to know. Indeed, Bobby Heenan and Vince selling the thing by calling it "the greatest match ever" and "is there anything they haven't done" makes it impossible for the casual fan not to get sucked in.

 

[ciaran1]

i would show cm punk v john cena from money in the bank as it happened in todays ' PG ERA' and it shows that there can still be amazing matches in todays era.

 

[Wolf Pac]

The first match I would show someone to get them into wrestling now would be CM Punk vs John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011. That may seem like an odd choice but, in my opinion if you want someone to like something you don't show them how great it used to be first. You show them the best of what it is now and then you bring in classics and wild gimmick matches like Ric Flair winning the 1992 Royal Rumble, Steve Austin vs Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 and WMX17's Tag-Team TLC match.

This.

If I'm gonna introduce someone to wrestling, I'm gonna want to show them two guys who they are going to be watching weekly, I'd want to familiarize them with the current top two guys in the company, so I would show them Cena vs. Punk at Money In The Bank 2011, which had great action, great storytelling and just a phenomenal crowd. Of course though the build up would be complicated for them to understand, so in that case I'd maybe go with Taker vs. HBK at Wrestlemania 25 instead.

I'd also like to try and introduce someone to wrestling by showing them the Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio match from No Mercy 2002. This match was a perfect blend of psychology, intensity, and tag-teaming. It's the WWE's best tag team match that isn't a TLC.

 

[Moneyinc]

Lately thanks to Youtube and the internet I've been getting back into old wrestling. A few of my friends were pretty into it back in the day, and they get a kick out of it when I call up Macho Man promo's on Youtube in stuff. Also have one buddy who is basically still into it as much as I am when I bring it up.

One of my roommates though, just barely watched when it was popular in the attitude era. He knows legends like Hulk, Flair, and Macho Man, but basically hasn't seen anything pre 1996. The Macho Man promos are probably his favorite thing because they are just so funny and great, but I've showed him a few things.

Hogans entrance and match vs Piper is one that must be shown. The electricity in the stadium in 1985 is seriously the beginning of it all. Piper also does a great job selling it.

We also watched Macho Man vs Flair from Wrestlemania VIII and I had never quite realized how entertaining that match was. He is the type that will get bored if the match is remotely boring, and we watched the whole match without considering fast forwarding. Then we watched Hogan come out and whoop Sid around. I love that match because they leave the music on while Hogan is stomping Sid, and something about Hulk's music while watching Hulk crush someone is something special.


I would also show the Flair promo when he strips down at WCW after the Bishoff pay per view match the night before.

 

[P. Nut Butters]

I would likely never introduce someone to wrestling with a great wrestling match. I was watching wrestling for about four years before I began to truly appreciate the good actual matches. I would also place a bet on many of you also being the same. It's very rare that the fans want to watch wrestling for great matches rather than great atmosphere. Therefore, showing an Ironman match or even the CM Punk/Cena match at MitB 2011 isn't smart in my opinion.

I'd show them matches with the big names that convey the storyline over being too technical. Austin vs Rock at X7 is one that I've used and I've also used Rock vs. Austin at XIX. Hogan vs. Rock is a good choice and TLC II is also another one that has gotten many a fan into wrestling.

Also, just about any Mike Awesome/Masato Tanaka contest from ECW can work well. And matches with heaps of hardcore or stuntman spots. Some FMW stuff from Japan has also worked for me getting people's interest.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

No match. You take them to a live show. Movies, reality shows, sports, etc, they can all be related to when watching a DVD. However, the organic feeling of performers feeding off a crowd and vice versa, the electricity, the feeling you get in your bones when you hear a pop, the tension and excitement during the climax of the match when two artists are executing false finishes like crazy, a great promo, NOTHING on this planet matches it.

 

[P. Nut Butters]

No match. You take them to a live show. Movies, reality shows, sports, etc, they can all be related to when watching a DVD. However, the organic feeling of performers feeding off a crowd and vice versa, the electricity, the feeling you get in your bones when you hear a pop, the tension and excitement during the climax of the match when two artists are executing false finishes like crazy, a great promo, NOTHING on this planet matches it.

That's a great choice if you can understand and appreciate the atmosphere of the event that you're witnessing. However, some people find going to an actual event boring. I've taken friends to live shows and among the complaints have been:

• Sitting through boring matches
• Not getting the camera angles that allow you to see things from different perspecitves
• Being far away depending on seats
• Keeping interest for three hours

So while it's very poetic, in my opinion and personal experience, it's just not the right way to introduce most people to wrestling. You want to break them in with something that isn't so full-on in my opinion.