The greatest match never held on PPV?

[Vincent Michaels]

Basically i'm asking a simple request, name a great TV match has NEVER been done on PPV but you wish it had been.

Mine would have to be Shawn Michaels vs Shelton Benjamin from Raw in 04, if it were on PPV it's quality would have been epic especially from the ending.

Please discuss

 

[Cookie14]

The first one that springs to my mind would be Undertaker vs Jeff Hardy for the Undisputed title in a ladder match, possibly from 2002/2003, can't remember exactly when.

Hardy showed in this match that he could hang with the biggest maineventer at the time, and look legit in doing it, even thought he got his ass kicked (which was enough to earn the respect of Taker)

It would probably never win Match of the Year, but, if Hardy would have taken this opportunity then I believe he would have win at least one world title before 2005.

Instead, drugs would force his release, and subsiquent time in TNA before he returned to win the gold in 2008.

Just thought of another one, and it's one that won't be popular, but watch John Cena's debut match against Kurt Angle. Not only was it a good match, but it shows that Cena CAN actually wrestle

 

[Unsold Bacon]

Basically i'm asking a simple request, name a great TV match has NEVER been done on PPV but you wish it had been.

Mine would have to be Shawn Michaels vs Shelton Benjamin from Raw in 04, if it were on PPV it's quality would have been epic especially from the ending.

Please discuss

Actually it was 05

Mien choice would be Morrison vs Mysterio from Smackdown when Rey had to give up the title due to being busted. These to guys laid it all down to give a hella a show for everybody watching and they accomplished just exactly that.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xae59k_john-morrison-vs-rey-mysterio-part_sport

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xae5a5_john-morrison-vs-rey-mysterio-part_sport

Sorry there were no proper youtube videos of this match except for highlights.

 

[wiseguy]

The obvious and legendary one has gotta be Hogan Vs. Goldberg. It was on nitro in front of 40,000 people it was just like a PPV and it was announced on "WCW THUNDER" 4 days before. It was the first tIme I think most people would have paid to watch a Nitro (or a wcw show for that matter).



The match was also pretty damn good too ......and the crowd was ELECTRIC!

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Tie for me because I am an old school person: (1) The 1st Clash of the Champions in 1988, the same day in fact, of WrestleMania IV when Ric Flair wrestled Sting to a 45 minute time limit draw. This match was incredibly classic in every sense of the word. Sting, still relatively new and green in the NWA wrestled Flair in ways that men like Barry Windham, Dusty Rhodes and a few others did back in 1988. Ric Flair was indeed at the pinnical of his career at this point and put on a five star classic match that SHOULD HAVE been on a PPV. This was the match that made Sting the bonifide babyface in the company for years to come.

The other match was the best two out of three falls encounter, also at the Clash, this time a year later, also invloving Ric but against the then-regining NWA World Champion, Rick Steamboat. Steamboat had just came back to the NWA after a several years stint in the WWF and renewed a rivialry with Flair which earned him the NWA strap. While many people view their rubber match at WrestleWar '89 as perhaps the best all-around match in the history of the sport, this two out of three falls encounter was simply wonderful.

If you never seen it, youtube it. The match went to the 3rd fall with there not being a decisive winner, which set up the match at WrestleWar when Steamboat pinned Flair and Flair pinned Steamboat (double arm chicken wing in which Steamboat's leg buckled). They just don't have matches like that anymore. The greatest.

 

[Mike Gonzo]

Let's get real here. Hogan vs Goldberg was a terrible match. The choice here is the Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit Tribute to Owen Hart match. There has never been a better non PPV match ever.

 

[m1k3b14z3]

my choice would have to be cena vs hbk on raw a few years ago before their match at mania that year the matchstarted at 10 and didnt get done til raw went off the air and they even advertised other matches that night that didnt take place til the next week for these guys to do a 60 min plus match and it not be an iron match is amazing in itself and hbk won that match he had cenas number all the way up til mania that year so yeah thats my choice

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

my choice would have to be cena vs hbk on raw a few years ago before their match at mania that year the matchstarted at 10 and didnt get done til raw went off the air and they even advertised other matches that night that didnt take place til the next week for these guys to do a 60 min plus match and it not be an iron match is amazing in itself and hbk won that match he had cenas number all the way up til mania that year so yeah thats my choice

Actually that match took place a few weeks after their match at WrestleMania in England in 2007.

My pick would be Ric Flair vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart from October 1992. It was the night Bret Hart won the WWF Championship at a house show in Canada. How did this match NOT happen on a PPV? To me, it still boggles the mind to think the company would have a major title change on an event not seen on TV, especially for the company's "main" championship. Anyways, I really enjoyed the match as it was a good technical wrestling exhibition between the two wrestlers.

Another match that was on TV that I could have seen on PPV would have been Mr. Perfect vs. Ric Flair only a few months later on Monday Night Raw. I still remember that match as being very good, and for a TV match, I thought it was very solid.

 

[The Holy One]

For me, it would have to be Chris Benoit vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE title in 2003. The match itself had the drama and suspense of a PPV main event title match. Everybody was wondering whether Benoit would finally achieve his ultimate goal or would Brock make good on his word and make Benoit tap. In the end, The match imo was a classic, brutal war and gave the moment where Benoit passed out to the Brock Lock.

Here it is for the curious people:

[youtube]rQ9NwXrxumk[/youtube]

[youtube]hqyAcpfP5qg[/youtube]

 

[m1k3b14z3]

was it after mania?? i remember it being in england tho lol im gonna have to go look at my hbk dvd set to see not the most recent one tho the one before it but yeah theres probably plenty of matches out there that can get thrown out there like a hail mary from peyton manning ha haa

 

[Poop Master Flex]

For me it was when Hogan lost his first WWF title on the Main Event against Andre The Giant. It may not have been a technical classic, but it had some of the best storytelling ever seen in a match and the classic "Double referee" angle which ultimately lead to Macho Man becoming champion. There have been matches with better "In ring work", but this match told a great story and in my opinion that is what wrestling is all about.

 

[smalltownfan]

I'm thinking HBK/Cena 2 from RAW a few years ago. AWESOME!! They went about 45 minutes and HBK won with sweet chin music out of the blue for the win.

 

[Judah's Lion]

HBK / Shelton Benjamin in the Gold Rush Tournament. that Sweet Chin Music out of the springboard was freaking epic.
HBK / John Cena in England. and yes, this was a week or two after their Mania bout. but it was a good 60 minute match that saw HBK pick up the win this time. in fact, it got a Match of the Year nod. that was good.
Angle / AJ Styles from January 4th. it was just a good back and forth match.
Bret Hart / Benoit for the Owen Hart Tribute. incredible match and great emotion from both men. very classy way to honor Owen i thought.
Brock / Benoit. awesome match. the Brock Lock was brutal.
Brock / Big Show. the superplex that collapsed the ring. totally awesome!
Eddie Guerrero / Edge. this was on Smackdown several years ago and was a no DQ match. Edge won by hitting his huge DDT off the top rope. it was really good.
Edge / Y2J & Edge / Angle. Edge had a pair of Cage Matches with these two guys on Smackdown that were both really good. it really helped solidify Edge as a major player in my eyes.

but the best one that never happened on Pay Per View, for me, would have to be any Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio match that happened on TV. maybe it's just me, but these two had an epic feud with some great story telling and every match of theirs could have been on PPV and i would have paid to see it.

 

[hogan is the greatest]

the ovious choice is hogan vs goldberg on nitro. i mean goldberg was the hottest thing going and lets face it any match that involves hogan is without a dout ppv quality i mean he is the greatest of all time

 

[therockiswwf]

There have been many many great matches not held on a PPV and the one I am picking is Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle Ironman match on Smackdown. That match was just awesome and just left me speechless.
Honorable mentions
HBK vs Cena-Raw
TLC (I think 3 or 4) on Smackdown
And many others

 

[The Crock]

My favorite non-PPV match has to be Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker in a ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Jeff Hardy wouldn't quit and he almost won the championship that day. It was an exciting match. Another PPV quality match was Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy in a ladder match to unify the European and Intercontinental Championships. They had so many high spots in this match and it was really exciting, I was mad that RVD won though. I thought that Jeff deserved to win that match.

 

[772Attitude]

Mine would have to be the Iron Man Match between Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar on smackdown back in 2003. That match was a instant classic, and also the first time i ever witnessed a world championship changing hands on smackdown. But that was my favorite match of all time.

 

[m1k3b14z3]

the ovious choice is hogan vs goldberg on nitro. i mean goldberg was the hottest thing going and lets face it any match that involves hogan is without a dout ppv quality i mean he is the greatest of all time

hogan is not the greatest of all time imo a legend yes the greatest far from i mean to be honest he not even that great of a wrestler the rock is/was better than him hbk is better than hogan and the list goes on id keep typing it but my fingers would start bleeding before i could finish the list but to each his own

 

[Showstopper530]

I have a bunch- My top 10:

-Edge vs. Kurt Angle in a steel cage on Smackdown in 02- just epic
-J Hardy vs. Undertaker- ladder match for undisputed title on Raw in 02 (JR's best call)
-Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero- no holds barred- Smackdown 02- Most brutal TV match
-Bret Hart vs. 123 Kid- Raw 1994- Long, physical, back & forth match
-Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin- Raw 05 (greatest sweet chin music ever)
-Shawn Michaels vs. HHH- Raw 2003- HBK won title in Texas then Bischoff reverses it
-Rey Mysterio vs. John Morrison- IC title match- Smackdown 09- 2nd best match of 2009
-Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker -WWE title- Smackdown 03- better than their NWO 06 match
-Steve Austin vs. Chris Benoit- WWE title match- Smackdown 01- 10 straight Germans!!
-Lesnar vs. Angle- Iron man match Smackdown 03- voted SD greatest match!

Those are just a few!

 

[Piperstit316]

1.Shawn Michaels vs The British Bulldog[Saturday nights main event 1992..HBK's first Singles title...and one hell of a match that would have been great on a ppv]
2.Goldberg vs Hogan[Obvious..one of the best moments never on a ppv]
3.Bret Hart vs Ric Flair [Brets first wwe title]
4.Goldberg vs Raven [Goldberg defeats Raven for the US belt]
5.HBK vs Cena 2 [60 minute match that hbk won]

 

[blaxploitation]

I would say 1989 Great American Bash, Sting vs the Great Muta. The Great Muta put a seed in the fans minds that Muta may be the wrestler Sting can't conquer. It was more of an athletic contest where Sting and Muta were matching each other hold for hold, ariel offense with ariel offense. Fun match to watch!

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I have a few!!

Taker vs Jeff Hardy - ladder match from Raw...this match was really good, Jeff got soo close and at the end he won over the respect of Taker...

Also, like someone mentioned before, Mysterio vs Morrison for IC title on Smackdown last year...this was a very electric match, and the best of Rey we had seen in a while!!

 

[TJM14]

HBK vs Cena 2007 in London. 60min of action an emotion.

 

[vanderhevel]

geez i can't believe you guys left out bob backlund dropping the title to diesel in a house show. what was it like a 7 second squash match or some shit. man i wish backlund had snatched that mofo in the crossface chickenwing.

at least i remember it being a house show, i remember seeing the clip and it being shit quality lighting and stuff. it was at madison square though. so maybe it was a ppv i dont remember or something. but i was young when that happened. i remember crying my eyes out when backlund beat bret, man owen was a dick in that match

 

[Attitude]

The Big Show vs. RVD: ECW Championship. The Phili Screwjob. A moment that deserved to be on pay per view.

Edge vs. Ric Flair:WWE Championship. TLC Match. I believe this was the night after Edge won the WWE championship.

The Big Show vs. Ric Flair: ECW Championship: Extreme Rules. A great match for both of them.