IrishCanadian25
Going on 10 years with WrestleZone
The curtain jerk match. The first match of the night. It helps to set the tone for the night, and in some cases, get the crowd amped up foe what is sure to be a night they'll never forget.
At Wrestlemania 30, Daniel Bryan and Triple H put on a classic - a match with a story behind it, a match with emotion during it, and a match with physicality surrounding it. So it begs the question:
In the history of all 30 curtain jerker matches at Wrestlemania, where does Daniel Bryan vs HHH rank?
There you have it. The list. You don't need to rank them all, but where do you think HHH vs Bryan falls, and what matches, if any, are better then that one?
For me, I still look at Bret Hart vs Owen Hart from Mania 10 as the Gold Standard. The drama between Bret and Owen had been building for months, and it felt REAL. Nothing forced or wasted, and the match occurred because Lex Luger won a coin toss, giving him the first title match vs Yokozuna. Bret was co-winner of the Royal Rumble and would face the winner of Yoko vs Lex for the WWF Title at the end of the night. People DID NOT expect Owen to win, and the result was an epic match up with a shock ending. A clean, legit victory for Owen. The story was then "how will Bret recover from this loss?" It set up the Bret vs Owen World Title feud at Summer Slam perfectly.
I put Triple H vs Daniel Bryan 2nd. The only thing working against the match was its degree of predictability. Fans knew how disappointed we'd all be if Bryan lost that match, and how incensed that'd make everyone. Plus, the WWE World Title isn't going to be defended at Wrestlemania in a Triple Threat involving 3 heels. That aside, it was a clinic. Great lead in. Great execution. Fantastic finish.
Third I have Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero. Good build up, no title needed, and a terrific match, the likes of which turned millions of people on to WCW in the 90's with the fast paced Cruiser-weight action.
Matches such as the two Money in the Banks, Michaels vs Santana, Edge vs del Rio, and several others deserve consideration as well. Which matches do YOU think were the best curtain jerkers in Mania history?
At Wrestlemania 30, Daniel Bryan and Triple H put on a classic - a match with a story behind it, a match with emotion during it, and a match with physicality surrounding it. So it begs the question:
In the history of all 30 curtain jerker matches at Wrestlemania, where does Daniel Bryan vs HHH rank?
- Wrestlemania 1: Tito Santana vs The Executioner
- Wrestlemania 2: Paul Orndorff vs The Magnificent Muraco
- Wrestlemania 3: Rick Martel and Tom Zenk vs Bob Orton and Magnificent Muraco
- Wrestlemania 4: Bad News Brown wins 20-man Battle Royal
- Wrestlemania 5: Hercules vs King Haku
- Wrestlemania 6: Rick Martel vs Koko B. Ware
- Wrestlemania 7: The Rockers vs The Barbarian and Haku
- Wrestlemania 8: Shawn Michaels vs Tito Santana
- Wrestlemania 9: Shawn Michaels vs Tatanka
- Wrestlemania 10: Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
- Wrestlemania 11: Lex Luger and The British Bulldog vs Jacob and Eli Blu
- Wrestlemania 12: Vader, Owen Hart, and British Bulldog vs Yokozuna, Jake Roberts, and Ahmed Johnson
- Wrestlemania 13: Headbangers vs New Blackjacks vs Godwins vs Furnas and LaFon
- Wrestlemania 14: LOD 2000 wins 15 Tag-Team Battle Royal
- Wrestlemania 15: Hardcore Holly vs Billy Gunn vs Al Snow (Hardcore Title)
- Wrestlemania 16: Bossman and Bull Buchanan vs Godfather and D-Lo
- Wrestlemania 17: Chris Jericho vs William Regal (IC Title)
- Wrestlemania 18: Rob van Dam vs William Regal (IC Title)
- Wrestlemania 19: Matt Hardy vs Rey Mysterio
- Wrestlemania 20: John Cena vs Big Show (US Title)
- Wrestlemania 21: Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero
- Wrestlemania 22: Big Show and Kane vs Carlito and Chris Masters
- Wrestlemania 23: Mr. Kennedy wins Money in the Bank Ladder Match
- Wrestlemania 24: JBL vs Finlay
- Wrestlemania 25: CM Punk wins Money in the Bank Ladder Match
- Wrestlemania 26: Big Show and Miz vs John Morrison and R-Truth
- Wrestlemania 27: Edge vs Alberto del Rio (World Title)
- Wrestlemania 28: Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan (World Title)
- Wrestlemania 29: The Shield vs Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show
- Wrestlemania 30: Triple H vs Daniel Bryan
There you have it. The list. You don't need to rank them all, but where do you think HHH vs Bryan falls, and what matches, if any, are better then that one?
For me, I still look at Bret Hart vs Owen Hart from Mania 10 as the Gold Standard. The drama between Bret and Owen had been building for months, and it felt REAL. Nothing forced or wasted, and the match occurred because Lex Luger won a coin toss, giving him the first title match vs Yokozuna. Bret was co-winner of the Royal Rumble and would face the winner of Yoko vs Lex for the WWF Title at the end of the night. People DID NOT expect Owen to win, and the result was an epic match up with a shock ending. A clean, legit victory for Owen. The story was then "how will Bret recover from this loss?" It set up the Bret vs Owen World Title feud at Summer Slam perfectly.
I put Triple H vs Daniel Bryan 2nd. The only thing working against the match was its degree of predictability. Fans knew how disappointed we'd all be if Bryan lost that match, and how incensed that'd make everyone. Plus, the WWE World Title isn't going to be defended at Wrestlemania in a Triple Threat involving 3 heels. That aside, it was a clinic. Great lead in. Great execution. Fantastic finish.
Third I have Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero. Good build up, no title needed, and a terrific match, the likes of which turned millions of people on to WCW in the 90's with the fast paced Cruiser-weight action.
Matches such as the two Money in the Banks, Michaels vs Santana, Edge vs del Rio, and several others deserve consideration as well. Which matches do YOU think were the best curtain jerkers in Mania history?