Match Of That Decade: 1990-2000

[Chris Jericho Markaholic]

First time posting a thread here so lets gets started shall we i want to know whats your favorite match of that decade !!!!

5)Sting vs Hollywood Hogan (Starrcade 1997): Epic Build Up For This Match and I May have not gotten the finish i wanted its one of the greatest matches of the decade just because its Stings Return Match

4)Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 10): These Guys Set The Level For a Ladder Match To an Unmatched level Still the best ladder match in history in my opinion

3)Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (submission match at Wrestlemania 13): Just An Epic Match Which Stole The Show And culminated one of the biggest heel/face turns ever

2)Undertaker vs Mankind (Hell in a Cell) : Need I Say Anything?

1)Bret Hart Vs British Bulldog (Summerslam 1992): My Personal Favorite As This Match Had Me On The Edge Of My Seat With Great Back And Forth Action And This Was When The IC Title Meant Something And Even If The Bulldog Came Out Victorious Bret Hart Emerged As The Star

 

[kazfan401]

Nice Thread!

Would the Triangle ladder match at Wrestlemania 16 count? It was in 2000, If so then that is my choice I don't know why but I love that match so much. The tag division was so awesome back then and I was a huge fan of all three teams so the match brings back such memories.
This match is my choice simply because I can watch it like 10 times and never get tired of it same with he match at WM 17, there were so many spots and it still never seemed over done to me, and E & C won which is a bonus

 

[OldBearRevolver]

Hmmmm.....
A few contenders here...
The first Hell in a Cell match, Undertaker vs HBK, Bad Blood 1997. Never bettered. The original is always the best!

HBK vs Mankind, Mind Games 1996. Mankind was at his peak, HBK was, of course, awesome. Pity about the ending, but brilliant match.

Bret Hart vs Austin, Submission match, WMXIII. Epic match, with a true WM moment: Austin trapped in the Sharpshooter, bleeding like a stuffed pig.

Memory's a little sketchy here, but remember watching Kobashi vs Misawa, not sure when it was (1995?), but it was bloody brilliant! A hard hitting, brutal match stuffed with near falls that made me almost fall of my seat. Will try to find it on YouTube...

 

[Window Licker 101]

So many candidates. My choices would be Kurt Angle/Shawn Michaels from WM 21, TLC II and The Undertaker and Mankind tearing it up in the hell in a cell.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

WCW Bash at the Beach (07-17-94): Ric Flair versus Hulk Hogan
Ric Flair versus Hulk Hogan was the wrestling dream match of the 1980s. Ric Flair represented the NWA and old school wrestling. Hulk Hogan represented WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's vision of sports entertainment. In 1992 when Flair came into the WWE McMahon never did a high profile Hogan/Flair bout. The first high profile wrestling match between Hogan and Flair happened in 1994 when Hulk Hogan came to WCW and wrestled Ric Flair at the Bash at the Beach PPV. The match made wrestling fans' dreams become a reality.

WWE Wrestlemania X (03-20-94): Shawn Michaels versus Razor Ramon
Wrestlemania X was the stage for the famous Shawn Michaels/Razor Ramon ladder match. While not the first ladder match, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon made people take notice of the specialty match with their innovation. Without this match there would have been no TLC matches and superstars like Edge and Jeff Hardy may never had been able to stand out from everyone else.

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage - Retirement Match, WrestleMania VII (1991): Want more proof that Randy Savage was the shit back in the day? The guy got a classic pay-per-view match out of the fucking Ultimate Warrior, a feat so daunting Ric Flair never even attempted it. Savage, nearing the end of his "Macho King" phase, had interfered in Warrior's match with Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, costing Warrior the WWF Title. To settle the feud, which thanks to Warrior totally overreacting to Savage's routine heel antics became intensely personal, the two of them agreed to this match at WrestleMania - loser retires. Savage carries Warrior on his back for over twenty minutes, and then gives the most emphatic demonstration of how to put someone over that I've ever seen: Savage successfully executes his finishing move, the flying elbowdrop, five consecutive times, only for Warrior to kick out of the pin, nail Savage with a series of diving shoulder tackles, and win the match by pinning Savage with one foot. Warrior, who was still a huge star at this point even though the guy couldn't wrestle his way out of a wet paper bag, came out looking like a million bucks, and Savage went down like a man. Post-match Savage turned babyface, dumping his evil manager Sherri to reunite with his former valet/main squeeze (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth, who just so happened to be in the crowd. Savage's retirement lasted about six months, by the way.

Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart, WrestleMania X (1994):Ask me on the right day and I might tell you this is my favorite wrestling match ever. There's a purity and a simplicity to it that I love and wish I encountered more often. The setup for this one is so simple: younger brother Owen gets jealous of older brother Bret and turns on him after a tag team match, challenges him to a match to settle who the better man is, Bret reluctantly accepts and voila! - instant classic. Both guys end up going a little dirty here and there, but for the most part this one is a mat wrestling clinic the likes of which you'd never see in the WWE today, unfortunately. If you think watching guys trade headlocks and armbars for twenty minutes is all this style of pure wrestling can offer, you don't know much about truly good pro wrestling or the Harts. The psychology on display here is awesome, as Owen spends most of his time on offense working over Bret's leg to set him up for the Sharpshooter, and Bret busts out a couple moves we don't get to see from him too often - including a Pescado - to keep up with his little brother. The finish is brilliant and comes totally out of nowhere: Bret attempts a victory roll on Owen out of the corner, but Owen blocks the roll halfway through and sits down, pinning Bret instead. No need to feel too bad for Bret, though - he wins the WWF Title from Yokozuna later in this show, and has a classic rematch with Owen for the title in a steel cage at SummerSlam '94. Owen went on to have entertaining feuds with Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin, but unfortunately never held the WWF Title before he was killed in an accident before a pay-per-view match in May 1999.

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart - Iron Man Match, WrestleMania XII (1996): Another gimmick match, but of a very different sort. No ladders or folding chairs or steel cages, just two guys in the ring going for 60 straight minutes, and whoever has the most falls when the time expires wins. The Iron Man/Marathon match is one of my favorite gimmicks because it is so simple, and because when it's used with the right wrestlers it brings out the best aspects of pro wrestling - the athleticism, the creativity, the psychology. All those are on full display here, as Shawn and Bret wrestle for a full hour without a single fall taking place. It's the equivalent of a 60 minute draw, the kind of thing you would've seen between Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne back in the 50s and 60s, and unheard of in North American pro wrestling today. The pace is slow and deliberate, with both guys saving their best stuff for the later stages of the match. There's a lot of mat wrestling to start, headlocks, hammerlocks, reversals out the ass. Things build nicely as the hour goes on, both Shawn and Bret getting more aggressive as more time passes without a fall. The 60 minutes elapses just as Shawn is caught in Bret's Sharpshooter and about to submit. The match is declared a draw and WWF Champion Bret grabs his belt and heads up the aisle. "President" Gorilla Monsoon talks to the ref and the timekeeper and orders that the match be restarted in sudden death overtime - there must be a winner. Bret is pissed, runs back to the ring and starts pounding on Shawn. Bret charges and Shawn drops him with a superkick. While Bret recovers, Shawn crawls to the corner and pulls himself up, nails Bret with a second superkick just as Bret gets to his feet from the first one, pin, three count. This was the final step in elevating Shawn Michaels, who started with the company as one half of the Rockers and then became a multi-time Intercontinental Champion as a mid-card heel, into a main event babyface. This was his first WWF Title, and though he switched back and forth from face to heel several times, and sat out a few years with back problems, he hasn't left the main event yet. Younger fans will prefer more recent multi-fall Iron Man bouts like Triple H vs. Rock from Judgment Day 2000 or Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar from SmackDown in 2005 to this one, but not me. I'll take 60+ minutes of Shawn vs. Bret any old day of the fucking week.

 

[Abe]

This is hard.... great thread

I have tons of favorites. Here are my top 10 matches. One for each year.

1990: Sting vs Ric Flair World Heavyweight Title match, Great American Bash
1991: Mr. Perfect vs Bret Hart IC Title match, Summer Slam
1992: Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude 30 min Iron man match, Beach Blast
1993: Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart, King of the Ring
1994: Owen Hart vs Bret Hart, WrestleMania X
1995: Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon IC Title Ladder match, Summer Slam
1996: Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart 60 min Iron Man match, WrestleMania XII
1997: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart Submission match, WrestleMania XIII
1998: Undertaker vs Mankind Hell in a Cell, King of the Ring
1999: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock, Backlash

Michaels/ Hart WrestleMania XII, 60 minute Iron Man Match is the best of the decade. I mean for over an hour these two men just put on a classic. It was great seeing just how tough these two were. No pinfalls, submissions, dq's, count out wins for over an hour. WWE couldnt have done this match with anyother wrestler in the locker room at that time. Bret and Shawn were simply great. Since WM XII, WWE has had other Iron Man Matches, Rock / HHH Judgement Day 2000, Angle/ Lesner Smackdown 2003, HBK/ Angle Raw 2005. But none of those matches came close to HBK/Hart WM XII.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I will choose a match that has not been mentioned. Probably my favorite match of the 90s. Though there are a lot of contenders it would be even harder to state my reasons on why certain matches aren't the best match from the years specified in the OP.

The match I will go with is The Rock Vs. Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 15. The build up for that was insane. Even though Austin was battling with McMahon and his Corporation through the months leading up to this match, and The Rock was trading title victories with Mankind. You kind of knew all along that they (WWF) would book Rock/Austin for The WWF Title at Wrestlemania.

The Rock and Austin had feuded in the past. But, they were kept apart for the most part after Austin won his first WWF Title and The Rock was in the Nation Of Domination, and vying for the Intercontinental Title.

So when Austin earned his title shot for Wrestlemania and The Rock was assured to be the champion going into that match. The hype was HUGE. Everything was basically riding on the line for this match, on what the WWF had built with Austin/McMahon and The Rock being McMahon's last line of defense between Austin and the title.

Great build up, great match, GREATEST storyline EVER!!

 

[Attitude]

I will choose a match that has not been mentioned. Probably my favorite match of the 90s. Though there are a lot of contenders it would be even harder to state my reasons on why certain matches aren't the best match from the years specified in the OP.

The match I will go with is The Rock Vs. Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 15. The build up for that was insane. Even though Austin was battling with McMahon and his Corporation through the months leading up to this match, and The Rock was trading title victories with Mankind. You kind of knew all along that they (WWF) would book Rock/Austin for The WWF Title at Wrestlemania.

The Rock and Austin had feuded in the past. But, they were kept apart for the most part after Austin won his first WWF Title and The Rock was in the Nation Of Domination, and vying for the Intercontinental Title.

So when Austin earned his title shot for Wrestlemania and The Rock was assured to be the champion going into that match. The hype was HUGE. Everything was basically riding on the line for this match, on what the WWF had built with Austin/McMahon and The Rock being McMahon's last line of defense between Austin and the title.

Great build up, great match, GREATEST storyline EVER!!

Thank you, for finally mentioning this match. I was coming to this thread to post that one match.

AUSTIN VS. ROCK: WM 15:This is the first of three classic matches between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock at Wrestlemania. A classic match for an EPIC FUED.

I also agree with the posters here with the matches chosen.

Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart WM 13: People already mentioned the classic heel/face turn. Plus this match helped elevate Austin's Status in the WWE.

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart WM 12: Iron Man Match: The Only One in WM History.

Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior: WM 6: Champion vs. Champion: The two biggest faces at the time facing each other.

Others that haven't been mentioned yet.

Kane vs. The Undertaker: WM 14: These two finally facing each other after months of build up.

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker: Summerslam: 98 or 99.

EDIT:Goldberg vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Nitro: WCW World Heaveyweight Champions.

Mankind vs. The Rock: RAW: WWE Title Match: Stone Cold Returning and the Pop at the end was amazing.

 

[Showstopper530]

Top 5 of the decade of 1990-1999:

5. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, WM10: A technical masterpiece, it had a great build up, and incredible match, and a great and shocking ending when Owen won.

4. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, WM13: What hasn't been said about this match? A great brawl between 2 bitter rivals, which just so happened to have the greatest swerve in history with Austin & Hart switching roles, and Austin beginning his ascent to wrestling immortality.

3. Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog, SummerSlam 92: The IC title match that main evented SummerSlam and put 80,000 people into Wembley stadium. A beautiful, back & forth technical masterpiece between brother in laws that gave Davey Boy his first singles title and launched Bret Hart to the top of the company.

2. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker, Badd Blood 1997: Undertakers greatest match, the greatest cage/cell match in history, and in my opinion the greatest performance ever put on by a professional wrestler in Shawn Michaels. Any moron who gives you the "wrestling is fake" line, make them watch the utter annihalation HBK goes through here for 30 minutes. The debut of Hell in a Cell match and the debut of Kane are just icing on the cake for this brutal war in St. Louis..

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, WM12: There are mixed reactions on this match, most people love it but there are the less than bright people who say it was boring & they rested too much. This was the 2 best wrestlers in the company going at it for 62 minutes, putting on an athletic display that has never been duplicated. Shawn winning his first WWF championship here was a great ending. To me, this is what pro wrestling is all about. It doesnt get any better than this...

 

[jaceynightheat]

5)Sting vs Hollywood Hogan (Starrcade 1997): Epic Build Up For This Match and I May have not gotten the finish i wanted its one of the greatest matches of the decade just because its Stings Return Match

This match could've been amazing but I had a few problems with the build up. Hogan lost to just about everyone & made to look weak. I never understood how changing the colors of his tights made him suck. Hollywood should have destroyed everyone in his path (Piper, Luger, Macho) until the bout with Sting at Starrcade, in which Sting should have won cleanly.

I feel like after that, it kind of messed up Sting's character.

 

[Brahma Bull]

great thread:

5) Taker vs hbk hell in a cell- The match was truly epic, not just for how great these two can go at it, but also because it was the debut of kane, and the first match i ever saw of wwe.

4) Rock vs austin wrestlemania 15- Great epic match between the two biggest players in the attitude era. This fued pretty much never ended, and you just knew it was the match between 2 greats. This was austin's final obstacle to get back his title, and the match went flawlessly.

3) Foley vs Taker hell in a cell- Greatest cell match of all time. Truly showed just how crazy foley was. Foley being thrown off the cage, and through the cage, are 2 of the biggest spots of all time, and they both happened in one match. Not to mention, no one knew what would happen till it was all over.

2) HHH vs Rock vs Mankind vs Big Show wrestlemania 2000- i dont know if this counts, but it does say to 2000. I know i will get shit for this for putting it over rock vs austin, but i think this was the greatest wrestlemania match ever. The fued was so thick between all 4 competitors. Foley had just been "retired" by hhh, hhh was screwing over the rock, rock and big show had their fued over who would advance, foley and rock always had their rivalry, even big show and foley hated each other. Not to mention there was a mcmahon in ever corner and no one knew what would happen in the match. I also think hhh is one of the best heels ever, and truly made me hate him in all he did. I know many dont agree with me, but i think it was the best wrestlemania build-up and match.

1) Foley vs Rock I quite match- My favorite match of all time, match of the year, and one of the most brutal matches ever. Not to mention it had a very original ending. The punishment that both men took, especially foley, showed how much the title meant to each of them. When foley was thrown into the speakers, i thought he had truly died. (i was little back then, give me a break, lol). And all the chair shots to the head was just crazy. This match alone made me a lifelong fan, and i truly think it is the best match ever.

 

[Pole Smoker]

Great Thread

My match of the decade would have to be

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart Wrestlemania 13
This match was an amazing brawl. It stole the show on the biggest stage of them all and made Austin a star. The ending was great and made Austin look strong.

Honorable mentions:

The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Wrestlemania 15 for the WWF Championship
The build for this match was huge. I think they were calling this match the biggest ever at the time. The match itself was an amazing match for excitement.

Bret Hart vs Owen Hart Wrestlemania 10
This was an incredible match. The win for Owen was a great way to end it. Some great psychology here.

 

[The Eighties]

Too many to name just one so I did a list of my top matches of that decade!

Mr Perfect vs Bret 'Hitman' Hart (Summerslam 91)
A technically flawless wrestling match, the greatest IC champ ever vs a future WWF champion in his fir PPV title shot in the mecca of MSG.

The '92 Rumble Match for the WWF Title
The only time the title has been on the line in the Rumble. Ric Flair was in number 3 and faced off against a who's who of the business, meeting every one of them head on, including a classic mid-match showdown with Roddy Piper, before going on to win the match and the title after 62 grueling minutes.

Rowdy Roddy Piper vs Bret 'Hitman' Hart (Wrestlemania VIII)
The brawler vs the mat technician, face vs face. Roddy Piper was and still is one of the most over wrestlers in the business, and hardly ever lost in his prime. This was a great contrast in styles match that saw Piper pass the torch to Bret that Hogan never would.

Ric Flair vs Randy 'Macho Man' Savage (Wrestlemania VIII)
For me the best WWF/E title match in Mania history, a fiery brawl between arguably the two best performers of the 80's, the match was just packed with emotion and had me on the edge of my seat.

Sting vs Vader (The Great American Bash 92)
The ultimate monster heel vs super-face match, they had many great matches together but this was the best. Sting lifted his level to meet Vader's physical style and put Vader over as a killer with as clean of a win as you are likely to see a heel get on the top face, Sting came out of it looking as strong as he was going in after hitting a bunch of moves on Vader that you just never saw done to big men before.

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (Ladder Match, Wrestlemania X)
A seminal match, there had been other ladder matches but this the one that put it on the map as a fans favourite, I'd say easily the most popular gimmick match in wrestling. To this day the most important and best ladder match.

Bret 'Hitman' Hart vs Shawn Michaels (Iron Man Match, Wrestlemania XII)
Another seminal match, the first of it's kind in going for an hour, I actually think the Triple vs The Rock Iron Man match slightly tops it but this was an amazing showcase of wrestling ability and endurance.

Shawn Michaels vs The British Bulldog (King of the Ring 96)
This KOTR is famous for the birth of Austin 3:16 but was headlined by a fantastic WWF title match, the power and strength of the Bulldog vs the speed and athletic ability of HBK, they had tremendous chemistry together and put on a great match at a time when business was down for the WWF but the match quality was still high.

Bret 'Hitman' Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (Submission Match, Wrestlemani 13)
Arguably the greatest brawl in WWE history that was not only a fantastically brutal match but also the site of the amazingly executed role switch that would prove so vital in changing WWE's fortunes.

Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell, Bad Blood 97)
Another seminal match involving HBK, this was the first, and for my money the best, Hell in a Cell match. The story was fantastically told as HBK's cockiness eroded when he couldn't put Taker away, leading to the epic scenes of the two fighting atop the giant cell. A blood soaked HBK being dragged from the ring by Triple H and Chyna "victorious" (after the debut of Kane) and semi celebrating sums the man up.

The Rock vs Mankind (Raw 29.12.98)
These two had some great matches, this one may not have been the best but it had the greatest feel good moment in all the years I've followed the WWE.

The Hardy Boys vs Edge & Christian (No Mercy 99)
The first ever WWE tag team ladder match, filled with incredible athleticism and breathtaking high risk spots, the match put all 4 men on the map.

Triple H vs Vince McMahon (Armageddon 1999)
I have to hand it to Vince, he is not a pro wrestler and for a man his age to put on this kind of physical brawl, lasting nearly 30 minutes, it was a great achievement and a hell of a straight up fight, plus the ending with Steph really was a shocker and a big moment in the growth of Triple H that would shape the next few years of the WWE.