The Match That Should Have Been A Classic

[The Brain]

As wrestling fans we all have our favorite matches that we would consider classics. Most of mine tend to be from the 90s and involve either Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels. Overall I feel the best matches took place between 1991 and 1997. Whether it was Bret Hart taking on Mr. Perfect or Davey Boy Smith, or Shawn Michaels taking on Jeff Jarrett or Razor Ramon, the 90s gave us many memorable matches. There was however one match that should have been able to be grouped with these other classics, but it just didn’t turn out that way.

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart from SummerSlam 97. This match will always be remembered for the stinger Austin received from Owen’s piledriver and understandably so. However, what many people seem to forget is that they were having a hell of a match up until that accident. This was a great back and forth match that the crowd was eating up. Imagine how much better it would have been had they been able to do their planned finish. The crowd would have erupted when Austin finally hit the stunner to end the match. It was already a great match and I would estimate they had at least five, maybe closer to ten minutes to go before the accident. It’s too bad that botched piledriver ruined what would have been an all time classic. I think SummeSlam 97 was the beginning of the WWF turning things around for the better. They wouldn’t beat WCW in the ratings for another eight months, but you can’t turn things around overnight and I thought SummerSlam 97 was step one. It would have been even more memorable had Austin and Owen been able to finish their classic.

So I’m wondering has anyone else realized how good this match was and do you think it would have been great if not for the accident. Also can you think of any other matches that should have been classics, but for whatever reason weren’t?

PLEASE NOTE: I don’t want to sound like a selfish fan who is upset that a match got ruined because someone got hurt. I fully realize the health of the wrestlers is more important than any single match. I understand that accident shortened Steve Austin’s career and he is still feeling the effects of it to this day. Please don’t confuse my post for insincerity toward his health.

 

[BOSS Productions]

One match that comes to mind , that fits the mold of a match that could have been a classic is non other then Bill Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar - WM 20 , that was meant to be the match of the post-attitude era, it had the two biggest stars of 2003 going one on one with each other for the first time on the grandest stage of them all.

Sure , people still question if that match would have been any better , had Lesnar and Goldberg not left but I can honestly it would have been a better match because the WWE clearly tried to make this match great based on fan reaction much like Hogan vs Rock at WM 18 but MSG would not let the fact that their heros no longer wanted to entertain them , so they booed them throughout the match, making it a huge fail.

 

[donfryeismyhero]

For me I'm reminded of a match that took place I do believe in Dec. 2002 on Raw for the world title. It was Shawn Michaels vs Rob Van Dam. Ive wanted to see these 2 guys wrestle for years as they were argubly to most talented & entertaining guys to watch in & out of the ring during the 90's. The Showstopper vs The whole F'n show. It was HBK's 3rd match back from his back injury & only his second singles match back. It was an ok match but you could tell that the 2 just didnt have the cemistry like shawn had with hhh or rvd had with Jerry lynn. It didnt live up to the hype i had always put into that dream match that finally had taken place. The finish saw shawn keeping his title afer hhh interfered attacking both wrestlers with a chair.

 

[mister_b1LL]

Lemme go more recently and say that Triple H vs. Randy Orton at WM25 should've been something more. The buildup for this match was absolutely brilliant and during that time it was the hottest topic among wrestling forums. At the end of it all you were just waiting for Triple H to go apeshit on Orton's ass. Unfortunately the match just didn't end up as great as we would have hoped. You could blame it on a lot of things: After Undertaker/Shawn Michaels, no other match could really get on that level (Cena/Edge/Show wasn't that bad but it just got overshadowed). You could blame it on the fact Hunter and Randy have never really had a great chemistry in the ring. But none the less people were expecting an awesome WrestleMania-worthy fight, but it just ended up being something you could probably see on RAW the next night.

 

[WCW_Sting]

Gotta agree with Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg at Wrestlemania XX. I remember watching it and being just appalled. I was shocked to see that neither one of them, especially Lesnar, gave a shit about what they were doing. A little after Brock's debut, several fans would chant "Goldberg, Goldberg" at him. This match pretty much became a "dream match" within two years. The match should have been a very physical, hard-hitting brawl, and it should have meant something. Obviously, both of them were there just to earn their final paychecks. Oh well, right?

 

[The Unforgiven]

For me its Starrcade 97 Sting v Hogan. It was the biggest match of the past few years with the 2 biggest stars in wrestling at the time. The NWO-Sting fued was the hottest angle if forever. Everybody was looking forward to this match. From Sting not talking and just pointing at the Sting Wants Hogan signs the build up was perfect. This was going to be WCW finally getting rid of the NWO once and for all with the dark hero taking down the poison that was the NWO. Sadly Hogans backstage bull and politics would not let this happen. If this match would have gone down the way it was supossed to it would have been an all time top 5 classic. Not wrestling skill wise. Sting could still go while Hogan was past his prime by a good 5-8 years the emotion from the crowd would have made it an epic classic.

 

[mulkeymania]

gotta be sting vs hogan at starrcade 97--that match should have been classic and had some good moments but that finish just ruined the whole thing for me even though i was happy to see the nWo finally lose to a WCW wrestler.

 

[The Holy One]

With good picks already in the thread, I have to go with one that has just shaking my head every time I think about it for months. That match is Edge vs Randy Orton at Over The Limit. Now, I'm definitely not a fan of Edge's sudden heel turn nor his move to Raw but this match had main event classic written all over it. You had the two most over heels with in the decade now that made a name for themselves and now they were about to clash finally thanks to Edge's jealously at Randy's popularity. It had a good story going into it and both guys are known as great workers. Yet, much like The Brain's situation with SCSA neck, Orton's shoulder was injured before the match and pretty much derailed any shot of the classic that could have been. Although, there still is time for them to have that well desered match but who knows when we'll see it.

 

[The Holy One]

Yikes! Double post, I don't know if it was the website or my internet connection but I guess I can't let this go to waste with a duplicate or spam.

So, another pick I want to add is Goldberg vs Bret Hart at Starrcade '99. I thought this was a dream come true to see two of my top five WCW wrestles finally meet face to face. Much like my first pick this match was tainted by injury. If Goldberg didn't hit that kick, I would have love to see the true ending of that match. It is unfortunate that this was the match that ended Bret's wrestling career. I felt this had the making to be one of the best Starrcade's match in history yet it's part of its most infamous.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mine has been stolen a few times..

Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg at WrestleMania XX....

This match had all the build and hype and was supposed be the one that we remember for a long time..and to be honest, it is remembered to this day..but not the right reasons..but because it was a crap match...Had this match had gone much better, it would be seen as a classic match today....but unfortunately...it isn't...

Another same type of match would be Sting vs Hogan at Starrcade 97...again, like a year in the making, all the hype of the return of Sting and the build up was just the best...unfortunately, this is where WCW started dying in my eyes...but it shouldn't, had it gone differently, it would be remembered today for the right reasons...

I agree with what someone before said about Orton vs HHH at WM XXV..I think it was a great match..thats my opinion...but the fact that people say it was a let down was because it came on after HBK/Taker match..how can anyone top that match!!

 

[Hart316]

Id say sting vs. bret hart in wcw, they had more than one match, but nothing i can really remember. Ive always thought about sting of 1995 vs. bret the same year, or sting vs. hbk in 95 or 96.

 

[TheRockSteadyKID]

in my opinion, true classic was eddie guerrero vs chris benoit at ecw ons 2005. I mean, this match was at least a couple months in the making, because there was some tension going on between the two on screen, due to what eddie did to rey. There were some pretty good spots, an everyone was excited about seeing two ecw originals square off in one final bout, in which chris benoit won, but just barely. Very classic match. And you cant really call this a classic now because nobody probably even remembers this match

 

[theHeadliner]

Shawn Michaels vs Mr. Perfect-Summerslam 1993. It should have been a great, fast-paced match cus they were both excellent workers, but Shawn was in his plump and chunky stage and Mr. Perfect was having back problems. They were both great heels but in this match Perfect was playing the face. I think he would have been more comfortable in the heel role but it was Shawn. Also the ending was terrible. Diesel's interference caused Mr. Perfect to win.

 

[Ming]

Randy Orton VS HHH Wrestlemania XXV comes to mind immediately because the feud was fantastic but the match wasn't as good as the build up was, I was expecting an epic encounter but the match was just above average in my opinion.

 

[Showstopper530]

in my opinion, true classic was eddie guerrero vs chris benoit at ecw ons 2005. I mean, this match was at least a couple months in the making, because there was some tension going on between the two on screen, due to what eddie did to rey. There were some pretty good spots, an everyone was excited about seeing two ecw originals square off in one final bout, in which chris benoit won, but just barely. Very classic match. And you cant really call this a classic now because nobody probably even remembers this match.


Missing the point..

I agree with the others, especially HBK/Hennig at SS93, Lesnar/Goldberg at WM20, and HHH/Orton at WM25, but I will go with another. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton at Armageddon 2007.

Jericho had been gone for about 2 years, and WWE kept teasing his return. Orton was the champ, and Y2J was coming back to the business to save everyone from Orton's "dull" reign and take over the WWE.

The match stunk, the 2 of them had no in ring chemistry, and it had a weird ending that involved JBL who was an announcer for Smackdown at the time. Jericho would go on to face JBL at the Royal Rumble, and Orton went right back into his program with Cena. A very disappointing bout that many people had high expectations for...

 

[Fallen Angel 21.3]

I would have to say DDP vs. Goldberg at Halloween Havoc. It should have been a good match but as soon as they went over the PPV time limit, it got shut off like mid match. and WCW had to pay like 3 million dollars back to the people who bought the ppv on t.v. It was really a great match but the only ones who saw the finish was the people in the building that night.

Another one that had a great build up was Randy Orton vs. John Cena at No Mercy i think it was and like on Saturday Nights Main Event John gets injuried and Orton gets award the title at the top of the PPV and just loses like 5 minutes later who loses it like 2 hours later to the same guy. I think it was the only time a title has been defending 3 times in one night and it really shouldn't have happened but you can't blame John Cena for getting injuried

 

[The Brain]

Shawn Michaels vs Mr. Perfect-Summerslam 1993. It should have been a great, fast-paced match cus they were both excellent workers, but Shawn was in his plump and chunky stage and Mr. Perfect was having back problems. They were both great heels but in this match Perfect was playing the face. I think he would have been more comfortable in the heel role but it was Shawn. Also the ending was terrible. Diesel's interference caused Mr. Perfect to win.

I was thinking about this one too. On paper this is a five star match and it looked like a can't miss. We had two great wrestlers who matched up really well going at it for the IC title at a SummerSlam in the 90s. It had all the makings of a classic. It was still a good match, but nowhere near the classic I expected it to be.

Another HBK match that I think could have been great would be against Dean Dougals at In Your House in October 1995. I know most people didn't think much of the Dean character (I liked it), but Shane Douglas was capable of putting on a good match. I'm sure with HBK as his opponent we could have gotten something really good. For those who don't know HBK was injured when he was attacked outside a night club in New York and the match never took place. I was really looking forward to that one. I don't know if it would have been five stars, but I think we missed out on a really good match.

 

[jpfinbin2006]

Ok first off Fallen Angel it was actually on Raw John Cena got hurt ... and i agree Randy Orton and John Cena in a LMS match would've been a classic in my opinion ...

 

[Hitman80]

I have agree with someone above.... Shawn Michaels vs Mr Perfect at SummerSlam 1993 definitely didn't live up to expectations, I thought this would be a classic and be as good as the Bret vs Perfect match of 1991 but it was disappointing.

 

[daddyJ_t]

heres a good one that not sure if its already a classic or not. randy savage vs the ultimate warrior at wm7. now that was a fantastic match, scratch that, a helluva match that in my opinion, stole the show and was worthy of main event status instead of hogan and slaughter. also benjaman vs micheals
damn another match that should have been a classic was lesner vs angle ironman match, unfortunatly, it was wasted on raw and actually kinda sucked

 

[Da Prophet]

I'm going to say Brock vs Goldberg, the match could have been a huge fight.Two monsters of guys going at it but it was ruined by reports of Lesnar leaving and then Goldberg leaving as well.The biggest pop of that match was Austin hitting the stunners.It wouldn't have been a great match of skill unless it came from Lesnar but it would have been a fight with huge impact moves and all that.

 

[LionTamer]

One that I was very disappointed with was the CM Punk vs. Undertaker match at Hell in the Cell last year. I was really looking forward to this match because they had an interesting angle going with the Montreal Screwjob Part II and Punk was white hot as a heel off his feud with Jeff Hardy. Undertaker returns at SummerSlam and they start a very interesting feud.

If this was a match that was supposed to cap off the feud, they did it wrong. The match ended up starting off the show and was a glorified squash match. Supposedly there were the locker room issues with Punk behind the scenes and it was rumored that the title was being taken off of him because of those issues. Not sure if any of that was ever confirmed, but even if they weren't true, I think the fans got screwed out of a good match that could have stolen the show.

 

[Attitude]

The match I chose was a match that didn't even take place. These two superstars were by far THE two biggest faces to ever step foot in the WWE. One revolutionized the business in the 80's and the re revolutioned it in the 90's. One led the WCW and nearly put WWE out of business. The other saved the WWE and carried it into the "Promised Land," as Jericho stated in his Hall of Fame tribute video.

If you haven't figured out the match yet well I'll tell you: Hogan vs. Austin

These two were set up to face each other at WM18. But because these two couldn't agree to a finish we didn't see it. And we haven't even seen it to this day. These two probably just didn't want to lose to each other. Every time either one wanted to face the other the timing just wasn't right. If Hogan wanted to face Austin or Austin wanted to face Hogan the match couldn't happen because of scheduling conflicts or just a disagreement on how to end the match.

Could have been a classic.

 

[Sicc Nick]

One match that was totally ruined is the Steve Austin vs. Chris Benoit match on Smackdown in 2001.

With the build that Benoit was getting, and was going to get in the future, I was really hoping for a one-on-one rivalry, but they kept treating Benoit like the nothingful midcarder who doesn't stand a chance against a main eventer like Steve Austin.

The match on Smackdown was about a good 10 minutes, when it could have been a 22 minute match, with a nice program to fall back on (or forward on), and if Austin and Benoit both were faces, without any interference or anything going on with McMahon, it could have been an even better match, but except for that one match, we've never seen a Stone Cold vs. Chris Benoit match that was actually good, and these two are great and all, but their styles gel together so well that it'd be damn near perfect for them to go at it and have a clinic of a match.

But now, Benoit has passed away and Austin retired in '03, but that match was really crapped on and that definitely pisses me off.

An Honorable Mention goes out to:

Chris Jericho vs. The Rock @ WWF No Mercy 2001
Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam @ WWF No Mercy 2001
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar @ WWE Wrestlemania 2004
Ken Shamrock vs. Steve Austin @ RAW 1998/1997
Chris Jericho vs. The Rock (yet again) @ WWF Royal Rumble 2002

 

[Vincent Michaels]

I would say Angle vs Lesnar at WM 19.

The match was definately good if not great, but the botched Shooting Star Press at the end really hurt it. If it had landed, the match would've been possibly one of the greatest ever! After the botch they were both out of it, they struggled to finish the match and you could see afterwards that Lesnar was just gone. It was really great, but if the one move hadn't gone wrong, it would've definately been a classic.