Match of the Month: September

[The Brain]

This is a simple idea for a monthly thread. Each month we can list our favorite matches from that month from previous years. What are your favorite matches that have taken place in the month of September? Feel free to list as many as you want, but try to save the best for last. They can be from ppv, tv, or house show. Whatever you want. Although if it was on free tv I may have a hard time remembering the exact month so I’ll mostly stick with ppv. I’ve always been a WWF/E guy so I’m mostly going to stick with them, but feel free to include any promotion. Here are a few of mine:

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels 1997: It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this match. Maybe I should have done my homework before starting this thread. I remember it being good. Maybe good enough to be #1, but since it’s been so long I’ll have to stick it in the honorable mention spot for now.

Owen Hart vs. Edge 1998: This wasn’t anything spectacular, but I’ve always liked this match. We weren’t seeing matches like this much in 1998. Good opener for a ppv.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit 2002: This was a very good match. Of course these two always put on a good match when they got together.

John Cena vs. Edge 2006: Sorry Cena haters, but this one delivered. For those who bash Cena, if you can get past your blind hatred you’ll see he is capable of putting on a good match.

And my number one match for the month of September:

Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind 1996: This was a unique match. We had a clash of styles, but they meshed them together beautifully. We had the poster boy of the WWF at the time against the deranged psycho. The DQ finish hurts this match, especially considering there was never a rematch. Nevertheless this is my favorite match for the month of September.

There’s my list. I’m looking forward to see yours. Tell me what I’ve forgotten

 

[Knockout]

Wow, I have just become a WWE and TNA fan about two or three years ago. Yet I know alot. Anyway... I think the greatest match during september would have to be either The Undertaker Vs. Cm Punk for the world heavyweight title. (Even though It han'y happened yet.. I think it will be GREAT

 

[rayisawesomeness]

wow i couldnt even remember owen hart vs edge until i saw it on wiki... but my personal fav of all time would definitely go to michaels vs. jericho in an unsanctioned street fight... their feud was probably the best i've ever seen in my whole ten years that i've been watching wrestling and their match here was fucking awesome. seeing michaels' emotions during the match just made everything feel so dramatic, man i miss that feud.

 

[pgerasucks]

any and every wcw war games match in september those matches were awesome and action packed

 

[TerryMagowan]

I have quite a few to be honest...here goes:

Kane Vs Shane Mcmahon (Last Man Standing Match)

Undertaker Vs Kane Vs Beniot Vs Kane (wwf title match)

Matt Hardy vs Edge (Cage Match)

Shawn Michaels vs Chris Masters

Johnny Nitro (Morrison) Vs Jeff Hardy (IC Title Match)

But my Fav Match from the month of september goes to..

Triple h Vs Kurt Angle (No DQ)

This Rivaliry was just so personal and i was quite young so it looked legit..and this match really topped it off

 

[Tenta]

My Goodness..... this is what qualifies for old school nowadays? My goodness. You know, I'm not particularly going to go back to the days of Jim Crockett Promotions myself, at least for my particular match. But the actual match style itself is going way back into the nostalgia. I've actually realized how much I miss these types of matches, so without further ado, I'll enlighten you whippersnappers on the epic match that was.

War Games​

Ah yes, most of my favorite matches of the NWA/WCW were War Games matches. I personally it was matches like these that separated the NWA from the WWE, and set it aside as a pure wrestling fans hot bed, to counteract WWE's flash. War Games was a gritty, brutal matchup, with blood and destruction being the norm. Not only that, but it brought some great psychology and story to the match that was going on between the double ring, double caged entrapment. Sure, eventually, the story became a little played out. I'll confess that watching the face team win the coin toss may have made the match a bit more unpredictable. But the story simply couldn't be beat, and it was quite the compelling spectacle to behold. The idea of two groups, loaded with utter hatred, fighting for supremacy made this match one of my favorite types.

Add that with the appeal of the nWo. These were the bad boys of wrestling. Simply put, the nWo may have been the greatest thing ever in the existence of WCW (Read: Not the NWA. WCW.). Some will tell you that the nWo killed WCW, and I vehemently disagree. What killed WCW was the overstauration of the nWo, amongst other things. Alas, that's neither here nor there, and is probably better suited for another topic. But no one will try and deny that the nWo had a tremendous impact on the business. Admittedly a copy of the Four Horsemen, another rougue group that ironically enough made their living off of War Game matches, this was the stable that sparked The Monday Night Wars. Just about everything was done perfectly about this group for an entire year.

Put these two together, and what do you have, you ask me? Why, I'll tell you. You have my favorite match of September:

WCW Fall Brawl, 1996: The nWo VS. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and Sting.

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Simply put, this match was outstanding. Not only did it tell one perfect story, but it told many stories that would cause WCW's progression for the rest of that year. This would launch the legendary Sting "Crow" character, which was a beautifully done quasi-turn, and just a legendary build up. To any of you that want to know how to build a wrestler, this is the perfect way to do so, with such minimal effort being exerted on the actual wrestler. The buildup for this match was so crucial, and intense. The "turn" by Sting was something that will probably never be done. This was probably the one guy that if he ever truly betrayed WCW, all hope would be lost. And yet, WCW indeed did face it's darkest hour on September 9th, when it did appear that Sting did turn his back on the company he carried, and was no longer interested in being the franchise.

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And then the actual match... My God, did you see the names in that match? The lowest rung superstar in that match (besides the Fake Sting) was Arn Anderson, for crying out loud. That was the lowest position man in that ring. Otherwise, you had Hogan, Sting, Flair, Nash, Hall, Luger. All of these men were either close to a breakthrough or were completely clicking with the fans. How much star power did this War Games match have? Well, WCW could afford to keep two of it's biggest stars, Randy Savage and The Giant, out of the match, and into a grudge match right before it. All of the buildup for Sting's decision paid off here, as fans waited on the edge of their seats to see what Sting's true colors. The pop when Sting went to aid WCW was so loud, I could hear it through the TV. Yet, still, Sting was already hurt. He had been betrayed by his friends, and thus, went off into darkness. He realized just how people had turned his back on them, and led to the turn to The Crow Character. Which brings us to this classic promo from Sting...

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Man... promos rarely come around like this.... Sent chills down my spines.

Anyway, this was the crux of WCW's survival, in fact the thriving of WCW. This match set the course for WCW's present and it's future. All of the hot feuds were packed into this critical match, which I see as the one that set the nWo and Sting as the hot faces they were. This was my favorite match of all of September. The names, the angles, the drama. This was one of the most important matches in pro wrestling, if not September.