Most Anticipated match of all time

[Disturbed]

There have been threads on here posted about matches that didn't live up to the hype and this and that. Well, this thread is all about the hype and has nothing to do with how good the match was or how it turned out. I just want to know which match you guys think is the most anticipated of all time. Which match had the biggest hype, and you couldn't wait to see it.

I'll go ahead and tell you my choice, Sting vs Hogan Starrcade 97. This was when Sting completely changed his character and would just watch from the rafters and stare down the NWO. He was an opposition to the NWO and the fans got behind him so much. In 97, WCW programing revolved around Sting and the NWO. The build up and anticipation to this match was amazing. Everyone was behind Sting and he got the victory in the end, taking the WCW World Title from the NWO.

What do you think is the most anticipated match up of all time that you couldn't wait to see??

 

[mrchanbong]

i would probably say if you talking about the buildup and not the match itself would be Bret vs Vince last year i know the match was horrible but it was 13 years in the making even though off screen vince and bret had resolved their differences back in 2006. the buildup was better than the actual match but this has got to be one of most anticipated matches in recent memory

other mentions go to the rock vs hogan at wm 18

 

[RKO920]

Wrestlemania 12- Iron Man Match for the WWF Title- Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart

The buildup for this match was incredible, showing how they both were training for the match, setting it up with Shawn going back to his original teacher Jose Lothario and even accompanied Shawn to the ring. Even Shawn's ring entrance made it seem huge, coming down on a zip line from the top of the Anaheim Pond. Even the match itself kept me on the edge of my seat. It was also the change in guard in the WWF from Hart being the top guy to Michaels.

Also want to mention Austin vs Rock Wrestlemania 15 too.

 

[aris_316]

Wrestlemania 18 - Rock vs Hogan

I would say by far Hogan vs Rock just because i would have never imagined it! I thought hogan would have been retired when rock just established himself as the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.

Two of the greatest icons in the history of the business were gonna clash in the biggest event of sport entertainment. How big is that? i just wish i could turn the clock and make it young hogan and then 2002 rock!

 

[TREE24K]

As soon as I read the topic, there was only one clear answer in my head. And I agree with the Disturbed. Sting/ Hogan. They built this match for the better part of a year. No match ever even got close to this anticipation. Sting in the height of his popularity and Hogan in the height of his heeldom. In fact, this match suffered in part because of the amount of hype behind it.

Honorable mentions go to Hogan vs Andre and then Hogan vs Warrior. But neither of those touched Sting/Hogan.

 

[TREE24K]

Hogan vs the Rock was an amazing match. One of the most electrifying matches ever. Only other time I saw a crowd like that was Hogan/ Goldberg.

However, the Hogan vs Rock match was not hyped anymore than most WWE matches of the last few years.

I just noticed, I've never been a Hogan fan, but dude drew big time. I know thats not news by any means. I think it just gets misremembered sometime how important he was to the sport.

 

[burnout4200]

Two have stood out to me over the years. Of course they're both from my favorite wrestlers. Since they cover different time periods they're too hard to rank one over the other. I was excited as a kid during one and a teen during the other.

Of course there's Sting/Hogan. I think enough has been said about that build so I don't have to expand much. I had that hair standing on end feeling every time Sting showed his face. I miss that feeling. At least TNA has given me a few lately but mainly just by seeing old faces.

The other from when I was a kid has to be Hogan/Warrior. I'll never forget seeing Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior go face to face at The Royal Rumble. They criss crossed, double clotheslined each other, then the next participants came in. That right there was all the build their match needed. I immediately thought about how much I wanted to see them go at it from that point on. Eventually it happened and my favorite, The Ultimate Warrior, got the win.

 

[fenfool]

Probably Hogan-Andre in WM3. I barely knew anything about wrestling back then, but I wanted to see it. Hogan held onto the hype grip for a while...I remember the Hogan-Savage and Hogan-Warrior builds were pretty big too. And of course, the aforementioned Sting-Hogan.

In more recent history, personally...Samoa Joe-Christopher Daniels-AJ Styles was a dream match, as was Joe-Angle.

 

[TdubEpT]

I know for me one of the most anticipated matches i have ever wanted to see was at Survivor Series 1999. Triple H, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin were to compete in a triple threat match for the WWF Championship. All these men had pretty much came up together and had feuded with one another for the past few years but never all intertwined. After Triple H had finally won the title the night after Summerslam, Vince McMahon did whatever he could to end Triple H's reign. He defeated Triple H for the title (in screwy fashion of course) then vacated the title to be claimed in the first ever Six-Pack challenge at Unforgiven. Triple H emerged victorious, much to McMahons chagrin. McMahon names Austin the number one contender to compete for the title at No Mercy. Steve Austin had a match with Triple H and The Rock (in an attempt to retaliate against Triple H's attacks earlier in the evening) accidentally hit Austin with a sledgehammer and cost him the WWF Championship. The next night on RAW in an awesome promo to begin the show (if memory serves correctly) all four men are in/near the ring and with Austin and Rock both claiming to be number 1 contender Vince McMahon claims that at Survivor series it would be a triple threat match for the WWF Championship and He would be the special referee. Great build up for this entire program from Summerslam to the Survivor Series (matches, promos, brawls, backstage, all fantastic) This match had the makings of an All Time Great. Triple H and Rock were at the top of their game and Austin was... well Austin. Subsequently what happened was it became clear that Austin couldn't wrestle cause his neck was in too bad of shape (someone hit austin with a car) and the Big Show took his spot and the rest is history. I was so looking forward to this match and have always been disappointed we never got to see it. My most anticipated and it never came to fruition... Darn!

-but thats just one mans poorly written opinion - Tdub

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI4wFEsDUH4

 

[eromenation18]

Lots of matches have had great buildups throughout the years. I believe there is always a list to be made in these situations. That being said I have a top 5 buildup of all time. From 1 being the best.

5. Triple H vs Randy Orton WM 25- Quite possibly one the biggest buildup at this time. No match up until this point had been put over as much as this one was. Good buildup, good storyline but weak match...but hey thats what the buildup is for to draw ratings.


4. The Rock vs Brock Lesnar- Summerslam 2002. This buildup was good because of the preparating both superstars engaged in. Promo's were good and Lesnar's dominance at this time was very significant. Great match as well.

3. Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior- Wrestlemania 6- At this time this was a money making match. Both superstars were at the top of their game and more popular then any other sueprstar at this time. Buildup was awesome and match was great. Quite possibly the best match ever for both wrestlers.

2. Stone Cold vs The Rock- Wrestlemania 17. Yes I'm picking this one over Rock/Hogan WM 18. This buildup was absolutely amazing at this time. Both superstars at the top of their game, WM 17 was in Texas (austin's hometown). Decent match with a weird turn at the end but again, the buildup was the reason people turned in to another classic main event.

1. Randy Savage vs Rick Steamboat- Wrestlemania 3. In my own personal opinion the best wrestling match in the history of professional wrestling. If somebody wanted to watch wrestling but didn't know where to start I would def recommend watching this match. More importantly the build up to this match. This was a hott feud in the late 80's. Savage had really "injured" Steamboat and at this time nobody knew that this was all scripted. However the heroic comeback by Steamboat from the injury, the tactics used by Savage and George Steel getting involved made this feud in my opinion the greatest build up of all time. Also, the match really tells the story, something we don't see too much of now.

 

[Pestilence]

I would say Toshiaki Kawada vs Mitsuharu Misawa From NOAH "DESTINY 2005" on 07/18/2005.

It was about 10 years since their last match opposing each other. I would say it was one of my favorite matches of all time. It had so much anticipation, from the whole world. Not just Japan. Anyone who watched puro was highly anticipatory over this great match. And it delivered!!!!

 

[Brahma Bull]

rock vs hogan hands down. hogan had his own era, and the rock took the top spot once austin was injured. it was icon vs icon, and nothing could ever touch this match again. no one has come close to the level of these 2 men (3 counting scsa) so i dont think that another match like this could ever happen again. not to mention the build up and delivery were awsome. from the epic staredown, to the respect given at the end from both men.

 

[mikevenom00]

nash v goldberg starcade 98 or 99 i think the undefeated streak ends hahahah big sexy n hall at there best coz when your nwo your nwo for life ........

 

[mayankeagle]

There were many in their own eras and you can't debate which one was more anticipated. For example, you can say that Andre vs Hogan was the most anticipated during their time because they were the biggest stars of that generation, and indeed that match made Wrestlemania what it is. Each generation had its own, so I'll put it this way:

* Andre vs Hogan - golden era
* Austin vs Rock - attitude era (I'll put this above Hogan vs Rock because everybody in the world knew Hogan was too old to do anything against Rock)
* Goldberg vs Lesnar - TV 14 era (yes, actually this match was anticipated although it failed to deliver big time)
* Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - PG era, although it is shameful to call it PG because none of the superstars are specifically PG era stars, they have both been through all the eras. Looking at longevity in the business and the respect these 2 have garnered, for every true wrestling fan who doesn't fall for glamour and tricks (made by non-wrestlers like cena or Hogan or Rock), this was the most anticipated match and it came at the best time possible - the silver jubilee of the biggest wrestling event. One could argue that their rematch was equally or even more anticipated due to the retirement stipulation for HBK, who we know in all fairness is considered the greatest in-ring performer ever

 

[daddyJ_t]

besides those already mentioned, id have to go with hogan vs vinnnie mac. i mean these 2 guys grew up in the business damn near together and were freinds outside of the areneas. then came the steroid trial and vinnie mac thought hogan turned on him. when he came back with the nwo and became beloved by the fans again. vinnie terrorized hogan until there big street fight at wm19. and of course the biggest heel at the time the rock, against the "biggest star" wcw had.....GOLDBURG the big stars from the 2 different compies clashing against each other. fantastic

 

[Aguilac]

Hogan v Savage
The Mega Powers collide at the main event of Wrestlemania V for the WWF Championship. Huge buildup.

Hogan v Andre
93,173 people were on Wrestlemania III to see this huge main event. Big buildup.

HBK v Undertaker II
One year before they were in a feud that led to a great match on WM 25. And almost four months before WM 26 (slammys), the buildup began... I perfectly remember the IWC predicting who could win .... just unbelievable

 

[ashe draven]

great topic, very hard to narrow down as nearly every yr has highly anticipated matches. cant just pick one, so...2 the list!
5- hbk vs taker II- initially i didnt want this 2 happen cuz the original was so great. but
cmon, the buildup for this was great and it was a MUST SEE
4- warrior vs savage (WMVII)- again the old school slow build was grand. and it was a
CAREER ENDING match w/ two guys that were top guys.
i remember as a kid waiting anxiously for mania.
3-hbk vs hitman (WMXII)- ironman match, 1st of its kind. two of the best ever. i was
and still am a bret hart mark. i knew this was coming back in
the day & new itd be special. i wasnt disappointed.
2- hitman vs stone cold (WM13) this fued was AWESOME. austins 2nd best feud only 2
vince. it was attitude era buildup at its best. and the
match payoff was EPIC.
1- sting vs hogan (starrcade)- cant lie, this match had a whole yr slow simmering build
up. what true wrestling fan didnt want to see this? and
how could wcw f it up so bad?!?

 

[Calderownz]

A few matches come to mind.

1. The aforementioned Hogan-Sting at Starrcade. Aside from the shitty ending, the match was decent as well. However, it would have been hard to mess this match up. It was so looked forward to that ALMOST anything would have lived up. People weren't expecting a clinic, they just wanted to finally see it happen.

2. Bill Goldberg for the title. I don't mention Hogan, because Hogan was an after-thought. People just wanted to see if they'd let him go undefeated to the title, with the US involved as well. It was really looked forward to, and it would have been even bigger if it had a month-long build up. Unfortunately, ratings were more important.

3. Sabu-Taz They built it up for a year, letting it marinate until fans finally got to see the match happen. Barely touched each other in the ring until the match. Beautifully put together in this regard.

4. Bret Hart-Steve Austin.One of the better feuds I can remember, especially involving either of these two, and both had great ones. Just a quality storyline leading in with what looked like a brilliant clash of personalities. Bret finally giving in and letting it happen. Maybe not the most anticipated, but certainly for the time period.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

maybe I glanced over it but i'm surprised to not see Hogan v Flair on this thread. That had to be one of the most anticipated matches of all time. They were pretty much the two biggest stars of each company and everyone expected to finally see it once flair got to the WWF. To this day i have no idea why it didn't headline WM 8 and instead we got that crap match between justice and hogan. And in WCW it seemed wasted at the Bash at the Beach rather than Starrcade. It was a HIGHLY anticipated match (that sucked but whatever not the point) and would have to be one of the top ones. Hogan Rock I wouldn't say was as anticipated bc no one could have really seen that coming.. if anything I was pleasantly shocked when rock came out and challenged him so soon after he returned, which in itself was a pretty big shocker. Another one I'd say had some good anticipation though was Goldberg Lesnar. There were so many what ifs when we first saw Brock step on the scene and then they both ended up in the WWF it just seemed like a dream match. Granted, it sucked balls, like a previous poster said the anticipation was still there. Hogan Sting is up there as well but I just feel like Hogan Flair was higher esp since it was heel/face and back then that is what you wanted to see more. If anything I wanted to see a hogan sting super team back in the day not a dream match and so it wasn't as anticipatory as hogan flair was.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I would have to go with the earlier posters and say the Hogan vs Sting match at Starrcade '97.

Hogan was at his absolute peak as a heel here, having turned on the WCW crowd and joining the nWo, and Sting was the knight in black leather armour armed with a baseball bat and vengeance on his mind. For the best part of a year he stalked Hogan, without ever getting into the ring for a scheduled match with him. When the time eventually came for the two to lock up, the anticpation was immense..."you could cut the electricity with a knife!" as the saying goes. Pity WCW managed to fuck it up, but what else did anyone expect to happen. They had a goldmine and absolutely blew it.

My 2nd pick would be the clash of the icons at WM18, The Rock vs Hollywood Hogan

Although the build-up itself wasnt that long for this match, the nWo having not been in the WWE for that long, the aniticapation was still greater than any other match this decade. Hulk Hogan was back in the WWE after so many years, and was going up against The People's Champion at the peak of his powers. Hogan, the idol of the previous generation against Rock, the idol of the current generations...two icons colliding on the grandest stage of them all.

It was a match that nooone had ever expected to see, and even on the day, the crowd couldnt decide who they wanted to cheer for, eventually settling on Hogan- the heel! It wasnt a classic match, but which matches do really live up to expectation? But it was a phenomenal spectacle to witness, I only wish I had been there to see it live! Definitely one of the all time classic wrestling moments, Hogan and Rock staring face to face, ready to get it onnnn

 

[nbrew2119]

This one is very easy, although I have two examples.

Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels--Flair's retirement match.
Everyone knew exactly what was going to happen here, but still, everyone wanted to watch it, just to say that, they seen it. Everyone knew they were watching Ric Flair's last match( at that time anyway), and they knew they were watching history. Plus, the build up was awesome, especially that music video right before the match, showcasing Flair's career.

Also, Shawn Michaels/Taker, part 2.
Much like Flair, everyone knew what was going to happen here, and these two had one of the best matches I have seen in my 28 years on this earth. It just amazes me that, some of these guys are 25 yrs old, and cant do a match to save their lifes, and you have these two men, both 44-45 yrs old, and they have a match like none other. The only thing that I wish was different about this match is, the next night on Raw, I wish they would have given HBK a send off like they did with Flair.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd have to go with either Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III or Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI.

Hulk vs. Andre was billed as this clash between the two greatest and biggest stars of two different eras. Andre the Giant was this mega attraction that drew huge money while traveling through the territory system throughout the late 60s and throughout the 70s. He wrestled and usually dominated the biggest stars of the era in their own territories. The WWF built up Andre as this living juggernaut that hadn't tasted defeat in more than 15 years which, given Andre's size and strength, seemed quite plausible to people then and had never been given the opportunity at being the champ. Hulk Hogan was wrestling's golden boy at that time. Since arriving on the scene in 1984, Hogan had helped carry wrestling to new heights. He'd been the champ for 3 years and had gone through everyone that tried to take what was his and do it in the way that people thought that an all American hero should. The match in and of itself absolutely sucked, it was a perfect example of bait & switch because Andre could barely move. He was no longer the quick, agile giant he'd been 10 years earlier. Hell, 5 years earlier for that. But it hooked people in all the same.

Hogan vs. Warrior literally seemed like the clash of two unstoppable titans to my 9 year old eyes in early 1990. They were easily the two biggest names in the WWF, they had legions of fans and had it was a match for all the marbles. Not only was it for the WWF Championship but it was also for the Intercontinental Championship. Looking back now, it's easy to see that Warrior was going to win because Hogan wouldn't be booked to win the IC title just to give it up. You're not going to be IC champ when you can be World champ. But I'd never heard of such a thing at the time and a lot of people hadn't either. I'd seen title matches in which both competitors had belts but not with both belts on the line simultaneously. Factor in the popularity of both wrestlers, the honestly quite good back and forth match that they had, throw in the fact that the internet was still nearly a decade off from being the powerhouse it's become, and you have an epic showdown.

I think the fact that both of these matches took place prior to the days of the internet is an indication of, in some ways, how the net has caused a lot of the mystique surrounding wrestling to go away. In those days, we were all just simply 100% fans and while many of us still are fans first and foremost, the days in which we can just let ourselves go and just enjoy the ride are pretty much gone. In some cases that's a good thing and in some cases it's a bad thing.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

This one is very easy, although I have two examples.

Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels--Flair's retirement match.

Also, Shawn Michaels/Taker, part 2.

Excellent choices too dude, totally agree with the anticipation levels for both of them. I would say the Flair one was more of a dead cert, but only slightly, as it WAS very unlikely that HBK would beat Undertaker at Mania, we all basically knew he was going to retire.

What makes these 2 different from almost any other anticipated match, is that we pretty much knew the outcome, but were just looking forward to the outcome and being able to say thank you and goodbye to 2 heroes of the business, Ric and Shawn.

 

[Cats Pajamas]

For me it was the episode of Raw where Shawn Stasiak went toe-to-toe with the Big Show after announcing he was from Planet Stasiak. Show won one for Earth that night, proving once and for all that Earth is where its at for the galaxies greatest sports entertainment.

 

[mikeyado]

From a purely personal point of view, the one match I have looked forward to more than any other in all my years as a fan was Undertaker v Kane Mk 1 at Wrestlemania 14.
The match was about 9 months in the making, since Paul Bearer started the whole 'Kane is alive' thing well before Kane actually appeared at Bad Blood in October the previous year.
The storyline and they massive hype around it just really drew me in. The way Kane brutalised everybody in his path, the Undertaker's initial refusal to fight him, Kane putting him in the Casket and burying him alive and then, for my money, the best of all of the Undertaker's 'returns/rebirths' on Raw when the lightening struck the casket and he sat up.
I've never been so immersed in a storyline and so pumped for a match as that one.