You want to introduce someone to wrestling...

[fenderjapan]

Lets say for a second you want to introduce someone who doesn't watch wrestling to wrestling.

For the purposes of this argument lets say its an adult.

You get to show them five wrestling matches from any promotion to try to get them interested in watching wrestling.

Which five matches do you choose and why?

Mine-

1) Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart - Wrestlemania 13
An exciting match from start to finish. Hardcore but not to the point of being silly, technical but not to the point of being boring, and involving two of the greatest of all time.

2) Rock vs. Hogan - Wrestlemania 18
Any non-wrestling fan will know Rock and Hogan. It may not be the most technical or best-worked match of all time but it was exciting and certainly had the potential to lure in a casual fan who was interested in the showmanship of pro wrestling.

3) Flair vs. Steamboat - Chi-Town Rumble 89
Much like you would show someone Fisk's 75 Home Run, Kirk Gibson's Fist Pump Home Run, or Jordan's Flu Game...one of the greatest performances in the history of wrestling was this one. Though wrestling of this type is scarce in today's product it is still very much part of its identity.

4) Wild Pegasus vs. Great Sasuke - Super J Cup 94
Simply one of my all-time favorite matches. Athletic, technical, exciting... We will pretend for the sake of this post that the Chris Benoit incident didn't happen, ok?

5) Cena vs. Punk - Say what you will about these two but the match elicited a reaction unlike any other in recent memory and is a good example of the performance of two of the biggest stars in wrestling today. Typical performance? No, but still a great one.

 

[Papa Pillman]

OK, I'm bored at work. I'll play along.

Disclaimer: First I'm going to assume we're talking about a person who is completely unfamiliar with the sport and is basically starting form scratch. Because if we were talking about someone who has casually followed it to a degree but never been able to get into it completely, I would guage what it was they did enjoy about it and tailor a list specific for them. And if we were talking about an MMA/combat sport fan who feels wrestling is "too fake" and "not real fighting" I would devise a list of more ROH/DGUSA/EVOLVE/NOAH/NJPW type stuff they might enjoy.

So with that said, for a complete pro wrestling novice...

I agree on Austin v. Hart WM13.
The OP gave solid reasoning. I would also like to add that this is the match that really made the Stone Cold version of Austin a "mega-star". Introducing this person to, and allowing them a reason to be invested in the top heap guys is important. So Hart/Austin is a good inclusion.

Staying with Wrestlemania...
HBK v. Hall Ladder Match from WM10:
The ladder gimmick has become such a huge part of how wrestling has innovated. This is where that started. Also this list needs to have an HBK Wrestlemania moment, and this starts them with a great early one, they could then move on over HBK's illustrious WM catalog. If the person digs the ladder stuff, you graduate them to more extreme examples like the TLC from WM17.

Original post also hit it on the head with Flair/Steamboat... just the wrong match.
Flair v. Steamboat WCW WrestleWar '89:
Flair is the greatest ever, and his chemistry with Steamboat was unmatched. Not even Rhodes, Race, Savage or Sting were as good an opponent for Flair as The Dragon. This match is technically perfect, had an awesome post match moment, and had a clean finish after their first two great encounters were mired in controversy. This is also significant as the greatest match in WCW history IMO.

Next I may lose some folks...
AJ Styles v. Samoa Joe v. Christopher Daniels TNA Unbreakable '05:
I wanted to include a match that more demonstrated the modern Indy style, and I also wanted to include a three way dance. Both give the person a different look and feel from other stuff on the list. This is a five star match that kills both birds with one stone. The match is absolutely phenomenal(no pun intended) and shows off stiff striking, aerial risk-taking, technical innovation, and how well chemistry and storytelling can still translate even with three guys in the mix. Also significant as the greatest match in TNA history.

Finally, another slightly outside-the-box selection...
The 1992 Royal Rumble Match:
Battle Royals hold an integral spot in the wrestling tapestry, and Royal Rumble is the king of all Battle Royals as its staggered entry format allows for more wrestling spots and storytelling then what occurs when you just throw 20-30 guys in the ring and ring the bell. I pick 1992 because I'm a Flair mark . Okay it's really more than that. The story was awesome, the match is worked well throughout, and seeing Flair be the target of an entire federation of guys for an hour straight and come out on top, win the WWF title after all he had lived through with NWA/WCW and celebrate the way he did after is an unforgettable moment in the sport's history worthy of its all-time best performer. Including it also allows me to include a significant Hulk Hogan moment somewhere on my list which is important, and also no match ever in wrestling featured more of the legends of the sport, amongst them- Davey Boy Smith, Ted Dibiase, HBK, Kerry Von Erich, Greg Valentine, Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana, Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, Randy Savage, Taker, Slaughter, Sid, and of course Hogan and Flair. That way the person gets a samll exposure to many of the guys who were key to making the business great, but has still stayed within five matches.

Those aren't the five greatest matches of all time by any stretch, but for the sake of what's being asked in the thread, I hope those choices make some sense.

 

[Jacjac]

Oh gosh I may just have to do a few at a time because my wrestling mind is huge; plus I'll have to admit to needing to do research on the wheres and whens of it all. I'm going to try to choose differently than everyone else. At this moment I keep coming up with a bunch of Bret Hart matches.

1. Bret vs/ Davey Boy at Wembley Stadium at Summer Slam 1992
2. Bret vs/ HBK Iron Man Match WM12
3. The entire Bret/ Owen rivalry
4. Taker and Mankind Hell in the Cell
I'll have to get back to you on #5. I don't want to waste it.

 

[anvilx8]

Good question.... Now I'd go with not necessarily the 3 best WRESTLING matches of all time... but a combo of that and the most exciting matches.. so here goes:

1. Hogan/Rock from WM 18 (for the excitement aspect)
2. Angle/Austin from SS 2001 (what a great fucking match.. had it all!)
3. Benoit/HBK/HHH from WM 20 (best triple threat of all time!)
4. RVD/Jerry Lynn - ECW Living Dangerously 99
5. Savage/Warrior - WM 7

 

[Y2J-LionTamer-Y2J]

To be honest,no match matters now.

In fact all my male friend just say,why do you order that shit and not MMA?

I am the only person I know besides my mother who is in love with John Cena that gives a damn about WWE anymore.

 

[King Patrick Star]

If the criteria for this thread were to show only one DVD, it would be too easy for me to show the 5 Main Event matches from WrestleMania XIX. That’s right, I said FIVE.

1. The First Grand Slam Champion, Shawn Michaels vs. The First Undisputed WWE / WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Jericho

2. World Heavyweight Championship match – Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) vs. Booker T.

3. 20 Years in the Making Street Fight – Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon

4. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin III, The Final WM Chapter

5. WWE Championship match – Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

Oh, and between the HBK vs. Y2J match and HHH vs. Booker T. match, there’s a really hot Fatal Four Way Pillow Fight between Stacy Keibler, Torrie Wilson, Tanya Ballinger and Kitana Baker, which ended in a no contest. I’m still waiting for the rematch to determine once and for all who the winner is.

Anyone one of these 5 matches could have headlined any PPV throughout the year. The stories behind each match were just pure brilliance. It also helps that my 6 favorite Wrestlers of all time (Jericho, Austin, Rock, Angle, Flair and Hogan, in that order) are all in these matches (not to mention VKM, HBK, HHH, Lesnar, and Booker are in my Top 20 somewhere). If anything, this should have been WM XX, but that’s for another thread, which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before somewhere else. I have the WM XIX Baseball Jersey. I have the WM XIX Baseball Cap. I have the WM XIX Logo T-Shirt. I have the WM XIX Hogan vs. Vince T-Shirt. I have the WM XIX program. I have 2 copies of the WM XIX DVD, the original one and the one that came with the WM Anthology set. I think it’s safe to say which WM I think is the best one ever, in the 29 year history of the greatest event ever in Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment.

Steering away from the one DVD stipulation, I would show the following matches.

1. Royal Rumble match from Royal Rumble 1992
Ric Flair winning the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against 30 other SuperStars, including the Immortal one himself is an easy pick.

2. Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match from Survivor Series 2001
The Rock, Chris Jericho, Undertaker, Kane and the Big Show (w/ Vince McMahon) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T., Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon (w/ Stephanie McMahon). That’s a Main Event!!

3. Main Event Tournament from Vengeance 2001
a. WWF Championship match – Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle
b. WCW Championship match – The Rock vs. Chris Jericho
c. Undisputed WWF / WCW Championship Unification match – the winner of the WWF Championship match vs. the winner of the WCW Championship match.
This is just awesome!! The reason why I put all 3 matches together and counted them as one is because, although individually, these are great examples, the story isn’t told correctly without showing all three consecutively. I have the “History of the WWE Championship DVD” and it only shows the last match. It kind of takes away from the event itself and to see the two participants exhausted at the start of the match is kind of odd without showing the prior two matches.

4. Any Elimination Chamber match from 2002 to 2005.
a. World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match from Survivor Series 2002 – Triple H vs. Booker T. vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kane vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Van Dam
b. World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match from SummerSlam 2003 – Triple H vs. Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Kevin Nash vs. Randy Orton
c. World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match for the vacant World Heavyweight Title from New Year’s Revolution 2005 – Batista vs. Chris Benoit vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H with Special Guest Referee Shawn Michaels
I can’t decide on which one is my favorite, so I’m listing all 3 and figure out which one to show when the time comes. The first thing I’m going to mention to the person I’m showing this to, is fact that every participant in any one of the first 3 Elimination Chamber matches are all former WWE / WCW World Champions. The next thing I’m going to point out is, “Look at the damn structure!! This isn’t your Daddy’s blue steel cage or Granddaddy’s metal fence steel cage. I might even give them Eric Bischoff’s description, word for word.

5. “Icon vs. Icon” Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock from WrestleMania X8 and “Once In A Lifetime” The Rock vs. John Cena from WrestleMania XXVIII.
The Titles say it all. If I have to explain the reasoning behind why I picked both of these matches, you’re not a fan. I count these two matches as one and just sell it as a bonus match, and I can’t pick which one is better than the other. They were both “Electric!!”

These are my “5” picks.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Same thing I said in a similar thread. You take them to a live show. You don't FEEL it on TV. Live, you feel it. There is an amazing energy that you don't feel anywhere else. It's amazing, and when you feel it, you "get it".

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

OK, I'm bored at work. I'll play along.

Disclaimer: First I'm going to assume we're talking about a person who is completely unfamiliar with the sport and is basically starting form scratch. Because if we were talking about someone who has casually followed it to a degree but never been able to get into it completely, I would guage what it was they did enjoy about it and tailor a list specific for them. And if we were talking about an MMA/combat sport fan who feels wrestling is "too fake" and "not real fighting" I would devise a list of more ROH/DGUSA/EVOLVE/NOAH/NJPW type stuff they might enjoy.

So with that said, for a complete pro wrestling novice...

I agree on Austin v. Hart WM13.
The OP gave solid reasoning. I would also like to add that this is the match that really made the Stone Cold version of Austin a "mega-star". Introducing this person to, and allowing them a reason to be invested in the top heap guys is important. So Hart/Austin is a good inclusion.

Staying with Wrestlemania...
HBK v. Hall Ladder Match from WM10:
The ladder gimmick has become such a huge part of how wrestling has innovated. This is where that started. Also this list needs to have an HBK Wrestlemania moment, and this starts them with a great early one, they could then move on over HBK's illustrious WM catalog. If the person digs the ladder stuff, you graduate them to more extreme examples like the TLC from WM17.

Original post also hit it on the head with Flair/Steamboat... just the wrong match.
Flair v. Steamboat WCW WrestleWar '89:
Flair is the greatest ever, and his chemistry with Steamboat was unmatched. Not even Rhodes, Race, Savage or Sting were as good an opponent for Flair as The Dragon. This match is technically perfect, had an awesome post match moment, and had a clean finish after their first two great encounters were mired in controversy. This is also significant as the greatest match in WCW history IMO.

Next I may lose some folks...
AJ Styles v. Samoa Joe v. Christopher Daniels TNA Unbreakable '05:
I wanted to include a match that more demonstrated the modern Indy style, and I also wanted to include a three way dance. Both give the person a different look and feel from other stuff on the list. This is a five star match that kills both birds with one stone. The match is absolutely phenomenal(no pun intended) and shows off stiff striking, aerial risk-taking, technical innovation, and how well chemistry and storytelling can still translate even with three guys in the mix. Also significant as the greatest match in TNA history.

Finally, another slightly outside-the-box selection...
The 1992 Royal Rumble Match:
Battle Royals hold an integral spot in the wrestling tapestry, and Royal Rumble is the king of all Battle Royals as its staggered entry format allows for more wrestling spots and storytelling then what occurs when you just throw 20-30 guys in the ring and ring the bell. I pick 1992 because I'm a Flair mark . Okay it's really more than that. The story was awesome, the match is worked well throughout, and seeing Flair be the target of an entire federation of guys for an hour straight and come out on top, win the WWF title after all he had lived through with NWA/WCW and celebrate the way he did after is an unforgettable moment in the sport's history worthy of its all-time best performer. Including it also allows me to include a significant Hulk Hogan moment somewhere on my list which is important, and also no match ever in wrestling featured more of the legends of the sport, amongst them- Davey Boy Smith, Ted Dibiase, HBK, Kerry Von Erich, Greg Valentine, Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana, Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, Randy Savage, Taker, Slaughter, Sid, and of course Hogan and Flair. That way the person gets a samll exposure to many of the guys who were key to making the business great, but has still stayed within five matches.

Those aren't the five greatest matches of all time by any stretch, but for the sake of what's being asked in the thread, I hope those choices make some sense.

Actually from my experience, people who like MMA think the flippity prefab bullshit looks even more fake. Personally, I think it does too. Maybe a gymnastics fan.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Actually from my experience, people who like MMA think the flippity prefab bullshit looks even more fake. Personally, I think it does too. Maybe a gymnastics fan.

First off I don't get what you mean by "prefab"- this is pro wrestling, a choreographed sport, its all prefabricated to an extent.

As for "Flippity" bullshit... You obviously aren't very familiar with a large percentage of the performers in the orginizations I mentioned, because I am in no way discussing "flippity" high risk spot guys.

I am referring to the guys who make up a significant portion of these roster's that offer a style that appeals to the modern fan who has gravitated toward MMA. I can speak from an informed point of view on this as the main reason I am a big fan of alot of the guys working this style on the Indy/Japanese circuit is due to my love for MMA/combat sports, as much as my love for pro wrestling.

There are plenty of guys who offer a great mix of stiff striking, high level submission grappling, and an array of suplexes and other leverage based moves. Many of these guys present a style of professional wrestling that is very palatable to fans of MMA, Muay Thai, Judo, and Jiu jitsu grappling competitions. I can personally attest to this fact due to many people who follow these combat sports that I have turned back onto pro wrestling specifically by presenting them this style. Does that mean they're going to tune into RAW for the stylized/formulaic entertainment experience that masquerades as modern pro wrestling? No. But they are presented with a way to appreciate a different element of the artform that is more appealing to their tastes, and they can then follow organizations that offer that alternative.

I am talking specifically about matches between any combination of Bryan Danielson, KENTA, Lo Ki, Samoa Joe, and Nigel Mcguiness for example. Or other guys like: Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, Minoru Suzuki, Takeshi Morishima, Kyle O'Reilly, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino, Roderick Strong, etc... Now please tell who in this group qualifies as "gymnastics" or "flippity".

Thanks for adding nothing useful to the conversation other than misguided criticisms though. Much appreciated.

 

[PsychoBlack]

I'd have to show them a variety of matches from different era's and time periods. All of these matches would have to have an excellent crowd to show bring the excitement out of them.
First match I'd show would be Cena vs Punk. If your alive in 2012 you know who John Cena is just like in the 90's you knew The Rock so their is some point of reference here. In my opinion this is Cena's best match and the entire storyline would be quite interesting to someone knew to wrestling. First I'd have them watch the trailer and then when Punk's music hits they have no choice but to be in awe by the crowds reaction to him. From that point on they would proceed to watch a match that just made them say "DAMN"

Next I'd take it back a little bit and put on HBK vs Taker in the cell. This match was art and told a perfect story seeing as how Shawn was terrified of Taker and now he had no where to hide and no one could help him. But at the end of the day he still ends up getting the cheap win with Kane's assistance.

The third match I would show would be anything featuring Ric Flair from the 80's. The guy could have been wrestling a toilet and have a MOTY candidate. Whether it's the first War Games or his classic cage match with Harley Race you can't go wrong with 80's Flair.

The 4th match that I would show would be Curt Hennig vs Bret Hart at Summerslam. This is my favorite match ever and anytime I watch it I cant help but get excited and think that Mr Perfect will pull it out so my energy would feed to them and it'd just make things all the more merry.

Now the 5th match is a tough one. I would like to show Samoa Joe vs Kenta Kobashi because I'm a huge mark for Joe and Kobashi is just a savage in the ring. But at the same time I could show him anything that happened between Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio in the summer of 96 those two had a perfect clashing of styles that just made my mouth water. Anything with the smackdown 6 from 2002 was amazing as well. Since I only get to choose 5 matches I would probably end up showing them Joe vs Kobashi. The match was just awesome and the crowd was insane. Not to mention that having no commentary only added to the epicness.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I could come up with a giant list of matches and guys that I'd want a new, potential fan to see. However, if he/she is going to be a fan, they need to know what they're getting into. You don't want to show them hours of Attitude Era tape, and then let them loose on the weekly TV material these days. It's going to confuse the hell out of them. So you start with this...

1. The Rock vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 28: The match doesn't quite live up to its potential and hype, but it does represent the heads of two generations colliding. If they're going to be a wrestling fan, they need to know abotu John Cena. And unless they've been living under a rock (ha...) they already know who The Rock is. They've probably seen one or two of his movies. So this should be an easy way to transition them into fandom.

2. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan - Extreme Rules 2012: For my money, this was my favorite match of 2012. Sheamus and Daniel Bryan both represent the future, not to mention the here-and-now.

3. CM Punk vs. John Cena - Money in the Bank 2011: And they should probably know who CM Punk, the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era, is and what he's meant to the last two years of WWE.

4. Team Hell No & Ryback vs. The Shield - TLC 2012: This is just a damn good match. Plain and simple. Plus, show them a good TLC match and they'll be hooked instantly.

5. Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy - Genesis 2013: Ok fine, this match hasn't happened yet. Point is, I would want to show them some TNA, to let them make their own decision as to which product they like. Hopefully, both. I couldn't think of just one TNA match, so I went with the one that happens to contain all three of the most recent TNA World Champions. Hopefully it's a killer!

Pro Wrestling can be incredibly hard to get into, because there's just so much there. They're going to be following the weekly product, so they should know what's going on in the present day. After they've comfortably slid into the product, and show more of an interest, you can start showing them its roots.

 

[caitlynd]

If I was to introduce someone to wrestling I think I'd want quite a wide range of stuff as that is the appeal of wrestling really - the idea that you can have comedy/tragedy/athleticism all within the same medium is something quite unique so I'd have to go for...

TLC 2 (Wrestlemania 17)
It has big, impressive stunts, run ins from a tough looking guy, a wimpy looking guy and a woman so covers a variety. Really fun match that acts as a good intro (I think) to the variety within wrestling.

Cheerleader Melissa vs MsChif (Shimmer)
Shows there are women only promotions and also features one woman forcing another to kick herself in the head. A real talking point.

Randy Orton vs Mick Foley (Backlash 04)
Tells a great story throughout and provides a little gory stuff for those who can cope with it.

Randy Orton (again!), Edge and Lita vs John Cena, Carlito and Trish Stratus (Raw 06?)
One of my favourite matches ever (as crazy as that sounds), but everyone plays their character so perfectly and everything makes sense. Is both great fun and I reckon it would make people want to know what happens next.

Uh, fifth choice was a tough one. Ideally I'd say some sort of highlight video from CHIKARA because comedy is pretty good for getting people interested in stuff, but that doesn't really work as one match. Also I'd like to say Cena vs RVD from ONS 06, but that requires a little too much knowledge of the history I guess to have the full effect. Cena/Orton Ironman is great but trying to introduce someone to something with a match that lasts an hour is never going to go down well so I've gone for a pretty popular choice on this thread and gone with:

Cena vs Punk (Money in the Bank 2011)
Dramatic with a fairly self-contained story throughout (particularly if they're shown the video first) and really enjoyable.

 

[braveh]

I would pick a match with a lot of psychology like Batista vs Triple H at WM 21 or Undertaker vs Triple H at WM 28...

Or something fast-paced with spectacular bumps like Lesnar vs Angle at WM X-8 or one of the Mankind vs Underaker cage matches. Why not the TLC match from WM X-seven? You need the newbie to go "Holy crap" at least a couple of times during the match.

Not to be a wiseass but Hart vs Austin will bore the unindicted to tears IMO.

 

[Galvatron]

Austin vs The Rock at Wrestlemania X-7: The 2 biggest names of the attitude era in what I think was their best Wrestlemania encounter.

C.M. Punk vs John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011: Shows the best that wwe has to offer today in a great main event.

Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25: Arguably the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time between all time legends. Shows how important the streak is.

The 2013 Royal Rumble Match: A battle royal match that will show most of the current superstars of the wwe and a match that is always one of the most important of the whole year.

Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels Ladder Match at No Mercy 2008: A great ladder match between 2 of the best ever at the ladder match and a fun gimmick match to show to a new fan.

I don't like to exclude TNA and ROH but I never watch their pay per views and I would be guessing on what the best is that they have to offer.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

First off I don't get what you mean by "prefab"- this is pro wrestling, a choreographed sport, its all prefabricated to an extent.

As for "Flippity" bullshit... You obviously aren't very familiar with a large percentage of the performers in the orginizations I mentioned, because I am in no way discussing "flippity" high risk spot guys.

I am referring to the guys who make up a significant portion of these roster's that offer a style that appeals to the modern fan who has gravitated toward MMA. I can speak from an informed point of view on this as the main reason I am a big fan of alot of the guys working this style on the Indy/Japanese circuit is due to my love for MMA/combat sports, as much as my love for pro wrestling.

There are plenty of guys who offer a great mix of stiff striking, high level submission grappling, and an array of suplexes and other leverage based moves. Many of these guys present a style of professional wrestling that is very palatable to fans of MMA, Muay Thai, Judo, and Jiu jitsu grappling competitions. I can personally attest to this fact due to many people who follow these combat sports that I have turned back onto pro wrestling specifically by presenting them this style. Does that mean they're going to tune into RAW for the stylized/formulaic entertainment experience that masquerades as modern pro wrestling? No. But they are presented with a way to appreciate a different element of the artform that is more appealing to their tastes, and they can then follow organizations that offer that alternative.

I am talking specifically about matches between any combination of Bryan Danielson, KENTA, Lo Ki, Samoa Joe, and Nigel Mcguiness for example. Or other guys like: Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, Minoru Suzuki, Takeshi Morishima, Kyle O'Reilly, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino, Roderick Strong, etc... Now please tell who in this group qualifies as "gymnastics" or "flippity".

Thanks for adding nothing useful to the conversation other than misguided criticisms though. Much appreciated.

Actually im very familiar with what you named. I've probably seen KENTA live more times than anyone here (5 times). Yes, it's prefab, it looks like they're thinking of what to do next. One guy standing there taking 50 stiff kicks to the face makes the guy standing there look like an idiot. I don't get the logic of "you like mma? Watch this poor imitation of mma". Davey Richards is super overrated because he tries too hard to look like mma and doesn't sell long term very well at all. Thinking that making pro wrestling look like mma will convert mma fans is like making a basketball movie that is entirely a game. It looks phones and silly. Pro wrestling just needs to entertain people. You can do tha with a stiff style without looking like a douchebag (Daniel Bryan Danielson).

No selling head drops and stiff kicks is about as phoney looking as it gets. People like you and others are in the minority. I've tried using your way, I usually get "yea...but it's still fake".

 

[The Warlord]

HBK-Undertaker HIAC

Something about that match that will live with me forever.

The promo, the build, Shawn's interview before he walks out, the entrances, Shawn's cockiness and overall arrogance, the cage lowering, the announcing (Ross and Vince were flawless), the action, the bumps, the shocking dramatic ending, the unlikely victory.

This match has everything....and is what professional wrestling/sports entertainment is all about.


And then I would show the Edge/Eddie NO DQ from Smackdown years ago. If they are still not a fan then they can go pound sand.

 

[DirtyD79]

I could come up with a giant list of matches and guys that I'd want a new, potential fan to see. However, if he/she is going to be a fan, they need to know what they're getting into. You don't want to show them hours of Attitude Era tape, and then let them loose on the weekly TV material these days. It's going to confuse the hell out of them. So you start with this...

1. The Rock vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 28: The match doesn't quite live up to its potential and hype, but it does represent the heads of two generations colliding. If they're going to be a wrestling fan, they need to know abotu John Cena. And unless they've been living under a rock (ha...) they already know who The Rock is. They've probably seen one or two of his movies. So this should be an easy way to transition them into fandom.

2. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan - Extreme Rules 2012: For my money, this was my favorite match of 2012. Sheamus and Daniel Bryan both represent the future, not to mention the here-and-now.

3. CM Punk vs. John Cena - Money in the Bank 2011: And they should probably know who CM Punk, the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era, is and what he's meant to the last two years of WWE.

4. Team Hell No & Ryback vs. The Shield - TLC 2012: This is just a damn good match. Plain and simple. Plus, show them a good TLC match and they'll be hooked instantly.

5. Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy - Genesis 2013: Ok fine, this match hasn't happened yet. Point is, I would want to show them some TNA, to let them make their own decision as to which product they like. Hopefully, both. I couldn't think of just one TNA match, so I went with the one that happens to contain all three of the most recent TNA World Champions. Hopefully it's a killer!

Pro Wrestling can be incredibly hard to get into, because there's just so much there. They're going to be following the weekly product, so they should know what's going on in the present day. After they've comfortably slid into the product, and show more of an interest, you can start showing them its roots.

Exactly, show them stuff that exists now. I'd show them feds and wrestlers who are currently active. It's much more entertaining when you have a chance of seeing a storyline as it's playing out or following a wrestler from their days as an undercarder or in the indies to their rise to the top.