Your Favorite 3 Matches of ALL Time

[Kaneanite]

All of us wrestling fans, young and old, have seen tons of matches. Some suck, some are great. List the 3 greatest matches you have seen. Seeing my favorite wrestlers compete adds a little bit (at least for me, obviously) to the quality of the match. So that influences my opinion. Though, I do enjoy a great match even if it isn't guys that I particularly like.

***THIS WILL HAVE THE RESULTS OF THESE MATCHES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE MATCH BUT WANT TO THEN DON'T READ THE DESCRIPTION***

My favorite 3:

1 - Kurt Angle vs Shane McMahon Street Fight, King of the Ring 2001

Talk about bringing out the best in both men... This match was absolutely amazing. After Shane had screwed Kurt that night, Kurt decided to have his third match that night (correct me if I'm wrong there) against Shane. After throwing Shane through glass twice and going through complete hell, Angle won the match. I have the utmost respect for Shane McMahon's in-ring ability after watching this match. He was fantastic. My respect for Angle as a wrestler should go without saying.

2 - Edge vs Mick Foley Hardcore Match, Wrestlemania 22

I'm a huge Edge fan and out of all the fantastic matches Edge has put on - this one is right up there with the best of them. After a good feud with Mick Foley, they decided to end it at the greatest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. The build-up to this match was great, and it was a good way to put Edge even more over in the main event level. After using just about every weapon possible, spearing Foley through a table that was on fire, Edge came out on top. Loved this match.

3 - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock, Wrestlemania 17

This had the best build up of any match I'd ever seen. Arguably the two biggest superstars the company has ever had went head to head at Mania over the WWF Title. This was the match in which Austin made a deal with the devil, err.. McMahon, and came out on top over the Rock. The Rock's resilience towards the end of this match was crazy. Austin literally had to go maniac on him with a chair to come out on top. This match was great.


Bret Hart vs Austin in the Last Man Standing match was another one of my favorites.

 

[ns530]

It's harder to name 3 favorites if you're older. Simply because you've seen so much more quantity....I'll go with these 3:
#1 - 1992 Royal Rumble - Perhaps the greatest collection of Wrestlers in 1 match ever. Flair winning the WWF title solidified that he was the greatest and could do it in both companies. The build up was great, especially how they implemented a young Undertaker and let him beat Hogan for the title a few months earlier. WWF dropped the ball on their biggest main event ever, they knew Hogan was leaving after WMania 8 and Flair was the champ. They could've had Flair pin him clean. But Vince's way has always been to reward "his own" and squash the guys he's signed. 2 decades later - funny how Hogan was always the snake. Wonder if Vince regrets not cashin in on a Hogan/Flair Mania 8 main event?

#2 - Wrestlemania 6 - Hogan/Warrior was one of the very first times the 2 top faces of a company would headline the biggest show and they marketed this to perfection. The title for title concept was brilliant as well.

#3 - Wrestlemania 25 - Shawn Michaels V. Undertaker. This was, in my opinion, both wrestlers greatest match. Michaels sold this match like he was still in his prime. The only thing that could've topped this is if they had both retired following last year's mania because Taker hasn't got much left. He's basically sticking around to go 20-0 next year vs. Cena and everyone knows it.

 

[Showstopper530]

My top 3:

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart- WM12, Iron man match: The 2 best wrestlers of the day, in the ultimate wrestling competiton. I can watch this match every day and never grow tired. To me it was paced perfectly, and the athleticism and technical wrestling in it was awesome. I love that there were no pinfalls, and that it went to overtime. It was HBK's first title win, in the main event at Wrestlemania, against his greatest opponent. Doesnt get much better for me.

2. Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat- WM3, IC title match: The match that changed wrestling for me. I was 11 years old when this match took place, and I had never seen anything like it. It changed my whole outlook on the sport. The fast pace, the unbelieveable athleticism, the intensity, the storytelling, another match I can watch daily & never get bored of it. I still regret that there were no rematches.

3. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker- Badd Blood 1997, Hell in a Cell: In my opinion, the greatest performance ever put on by a wrestler in a wrestling match. HBK bumped like NO ONE EVER BEFORE, for 30 minutes and was completely annihalated by Taker. As JR & Vince said during the match, he was beaten from pillar to post, inside the ring and out, atop the cell, onto the announcers table. But he kept coming back. The fall from the cell was insane and never seen before, until Foley topped it 8 months later. The first cell match is still the greatest one. Kane's debut was the cherry on top. Unforgettable..

 

[tonedawg217]

I don't think I can pick just 3, so here's my top 5:

1 - Shawn Michaels VS The Undertaker, WrestleMania 25
Yes, HBK VS The Phenom at WrestleMania 26 was more emotional with Michaels' retirement right around the corner, but WrestleMania 25's match was easily the greatest contest I have ever seen. Even though Shawn and Taker were the two oldest performers on the card with almost 40 years experience between the two of them, they still put all the young up and comers to shame.

2 - Shawn Michaels VS Chris Jericho, WrestleMania XIX
HBK VS Y2J was an amazing physical contest. Both men were at their best that night. Probably the two best all around Superstars in the history of the WWE. There was high flying, technical wrestling and loads of charisma. Who could ask for more?

3 - The Rock VS Hollywood Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania X8
This one was less about the actual wrestling than it was the overwhelming feeling of this match. If you can show me someone who didn't get goosebumps when Hogan and Rock stood face to face in the middle of the squared circle, I'll show you a liar. The crowd was more into this match than any match I'd ever seen before.

4 - Mick Foley VS Randy Orton, Hardcore Match, Backlash 2004
Foley is probably my favorite wrestler of all time, and his matches with Shawn Michaels, Edge and The Undertaker are the stuff of legend, but his match with Orton at Backlash was Mick at his best. Even if his career was beginning to wind down at this point, this one was like watching Foley in his prime. Throw in the talent and intensity of Randy Orton and you have one awesome match.

5 - Bret Hart VS Owen Hart, Steel Cage Match, Summerslam 1994
Anytime you put these two in a match together, you knew you were going to have a good show. The Hit Man and the King Of Harts were way ahead of their time. Just when you thought you could count either one of them out, they would rally and the match would continue. These two had the best chemistry of any opponents I'd ever seen. I was young when this Pay-Per-View aired and I got sucked in by the whole Undertaker Vs Undertaker gimmick, but this match stole the show for me.

 

[SARIEL]

Misawa vs Kobashi for all three. No one can compare to the hour long battles these guys had. I mean Misawa has had more 5 star matches than anyone else and Kobashi was his opponent in a few of them.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

1) - Low-Ki vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Psychosis vs. AJ Stlyes, 2002

An unconvention choice for my third spot and it's a match that I only saw fairly recently but it is jaw-dropping stuff. The first ever match for the X-divison title in NWA or what was to become TNA and it really set the standard for the type of matcht hat was later to become expected for that belt. It was an elimination bout where each man had to lose twice to get eliminated. It lasted just shy of half an hour and almost evry single move was a spot. It's the kindof stuff I may only see once because it was that special but it is a match that was hard-hitting but yet not to slow and deep like a heavyweight bout, it had great pacing, great mix of athletic attributes from various guys and not forgetting some of the best wrestlers we were to become very familiar with in later years. Splendid stuff.

2) - Rock vs. Hogan WM 18, 2002

One word sums up why I enjoyed this match so much......atmosphere, I've never seen one like it DURING an actual match through the entire duration. The most high profile return of any guy who was around when guys started drifting back into WWE was easily that of Hulk Hogan. And whether or not he was in hollywood colour of his red and yellow, the people did not forget what Hogan did for the business in the 80s unlike current times where someone like roddy piper will return and you'll here barely a peep out the audience, all the old school fans came in for this match and it showed. For the one time since The Rock had turned face after leaving the corporation a few years back, he was getting less cheers than his opponent and this had a noticeable impact on the way he performed, one very rare instance where Cena actually outperforms the great one. He started acting a bit heel, taunting the crowd who would boo him and playing up to his new role, where for instance cena, who has become accustomed to such heat would brush it off and continue to play his part. It was interesting to see what he could do when put in that position, and he really was not prepared for it. When Hogan hulked up we all turned 12 again and started jumping up and down in our seats. In the end The Rock had to win us over in that match which incredible resiliency....and he succeeded. The match held an amazing story of passing the torch and would have been perfection on how to put over the next guy had the rock not left but 2 years later on a permanent basis, and the fact that hogan's run outlasted the rock's was also shameful. But the dynamic of the match, the orchestration itself was pure genius, a match that'll live as one of the biggest dream matches of all time.

3) HBK vs. The Undertaker, In your house 27 Badd Blood, 1997

A humdrum of reasons why this is my favorite match of all time. First Hell In a Cell match, one of the best, if not THE best wrestling match ever constucted. Contained my favorite wrestler, The Undertaker, and it was basically a masacre of a guy I didn't like much in kayfabe ie shawn michaels with taker pretty much dominating the offence throught he entire match. First match of it's kind, forget the cage aspect of it, it was really the first super hardcore match we saw in WWE. It had everything chairs, breaking through the cage, michaels falling off the cage through the announce table, it was hardcore before WWE really had a grasp on what hardcore was.

And to cap the whole night off, it had the debut of a guy many suspected wouldn't be a around for long, that his character would fade into obscurity given the first sight of weakness like a khali or an umaga, and yet near 14 years later he's still around and one of the best big men to grace the ring....or as we now know him Kane. The debut of Kane was significant for many reasons. It had been hyped up for a long time prior to this match and there was no indication this would be the night he would show or whether he even existed or not! Yet when he walked out and his pyro went off, not a single person was dissapointed for their wait, a 7ft monster with seemingly no emotion and no limit to his capabilities. It wouldn't have been fractionally as good had he not interfered at the end of a half hour long massacre when it looked like only one man had a chance to win, needlless to say the booking of his entrance was immaculate. Before that night there really had been nothing like Hell In a Cell and since that day has there been nothing so radically different in style from the mainstream matches and it's so groundbreaking that it's a match I would go back and watch in a heartbeat, it has a special place for me. I almost forgot the fact that it came after months of taker wanting revenge on michaels for hitting him with his chair when he was the special guest between bret and himself, and boy did he get that revenge.

Wrestling trivia - There had been 16 Hell in a Cell matches previous to the on CM Punk and Undertaker had in 2009, yet that was the first one where a championship of any kind changed place.

 

[DynamiteKid518]

extremely tough question, but I'll try my best to narrow it down.

3. Mr. Perfect vs Bret "Hitman" Hart - SummerSlam 1991.
This was one of the first pay per views I saw as a kid and I was absolutely enthralled with Bret Hart. He was the epitome of a "wrestler". He had (no pun), heart, ability and just a natural intrigue about him that made me cheer him on. This match was a clinic and a classic. I rank it three, and not one, only because the finish has always bothered me. Earl rang the bell too soon (he's good at that). As soon as Bret turned Perfect over and put him in the SharpShooter, Earl rang the bell before Perfect even submitted. Its just a small detail, but that's the type of fan I am.

2. Bret "Hitman" Hart vs Shawn Michaels - Iron Man Match WM12
Absolutely unbelievable. Not so much the fact theat they went for an hour, but the pace of the match... the amount of excitement the kept during the hour is incredible. My two all time favorites in an hour of classic story telling? Count me in.

1. Davey Boy Smith vs Bret "Hitman" Hart - SummerSlam 1992
I know, I know... Bret Hart mark, blah blah.
The thing is, I cant help the fact that Bret's matches were THAT amazing and I enjoyed them so much. This match was an awesome story that far exceeded anyone's expectations. The wrestling was mezmerizing and the finish was beautiful to watch. Throw in the fact that Davey Boy was under the influence in a big way, and it just shows how great Bret really was. This is my all time favorite.


These three matches are my all time favorites, but if you ask me on any other day and theres a chance I may throw in one of these honorable mentions below:

Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels vs HHH - WM20
Randy Savage vs Ric Flair - WM8
Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior - WM7
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart - WM10
Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels - WM19

 

[#SAWFT]

I've only been watching WWE for about 3 years, so these are the best I've seen:
#1. HBK vs Undertaker - WMania 25
This was the better of the two, and this was an EPIC match. Possibly the two greatest wrestlers in WWE history, fighting on the grandest stage of them all! Obviously Undertaker won, to keep his streak to ( I think ) 17 - 0?

#2. Christian vs Y2J Chris Jericho - ECW
On the rebirth of ECW, about half a year before the cancelation, they decided to put on an epic match between (I believe) the ECW champion and the World Heavyweight Champion. Chris Jericho won, but it was a great match up for Christian.

#3. Nexus vs WWE 7 man tag team match - Summerslam
This was the greatest set up WWE have made. WWE needed an extra man, obviously the man who was kicked out of Nexus, and WWE won. Bret Hart did well in his old age as well.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

3. Armageddon 2000 - WWF Championship - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock vs. The Undertaker vs. Triple H vs. Rikishi
You want to talk about a great collection of stars in one ring? With the exception of Rikishi these guys were the most popular stars in pro wrestling from 99-03! I think replacing Rikishi with Jericho would've made this the best match of all time but Rikishi's spot made this match so memorable, with Undertaker throwing him off the top of the cell onto this truck. This match also solidified Angle as a main event talent and really proved that he belonged to be on par with Rock HHH and Austin.

2. SummerSlam 2000 - WWF Tag Team Championship - Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudleys vs. Edge & Christian
In my opinion this is the best gimmick match of all-time, and the best match of Matt Hardy, D-Von Dudley, and Bubba Ray Dudley's careers. This match had spot after spot that had the crowd going NUTS in a similar fashion that HBK/Taker at WM25 did, leaving them dead for the main event. This was back when the tag team titles actually meant something, and these 6 mens put their lives on the line so often for those titles (WM2000, WM17, they even did a TLC for the titles on SD)

1. WrestleMania 25 - Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
People call it the greatest match in WrestleMania history, others call it the greatest match of the participants' careers. Either way, this match was SPECTACULAR and has to be one of the most exciting things I've ever seen. There were so many finishers, so many kickouts, it really made me wonder if HBK was going to end the streak. I don't think I've ever been on the edge of my seat during a match for as long as I was during this one.

 

[Jordan adams]

MY top 3 matches

3. ric flair vs vader starrcade 1993. Even wrestling was scripted I really thought flair was going to get hurt. Vader in my opinion is still one of the scariest wrestles ever, and because wasn't like a hogan or a sting I didn't think he was going to win. then he uses vader against at the end and I remember tearing up when he won
2.Eddie guerrero vs Brock lesner No WAY OUT 2004. I knew it made sense for Eddie to win but I was still shock they but the title on him. This one I didn't tear I cried like a baby its a moment I will never forget.
1. Shawn Micheals vs bret hart Iron man match wm 12 simple but Shawn micheals is my favorite wrestler of all time and to see him finally get the title was just amazing not to mention the match was over an hour and was never boring or lost attention and I have ADD. lol

 

[The_Gene_Genie]

So many obvious matches out there that are favourites to pretty much everyone; but I've got to go with...

1. Roddy Piper v Bret Hart, Intercontinental Championship, Wrestlemania VIII. Two of my favourite wrestlers at the time, competing for a mid-card title when it actually meant something. It was a no frills back and forth match that saw The Hitman take the title. I thought the pre-match promo between the two was solid and I also think it was the first time that I had seen a match concluded without the use of a finisher.

2. Cactus Jack v Triple H, Steet Fight for the WWF Championship, Royal Rumble 2000 I thoroughly enjoyed the build up to this match; the decimation of Mankind at the hands of the McMahon-Helmsley regime, the change of character promo by Foley as he replaced Mankind with another of my all time favourites, Cactus Jack. The match was classic story telling throughout. It consolidated Mick Foley's status as a Hardcore Legend and solidified Triple H as a Main Event superstar in my eyes.

3. Marty Jannetty v Shawn Michaels, Intercontinental Championship, Raw is War (1993) I was a big Rockers fan back in the day and Marty Jannetty was always my favourite of the two when they were paired together. I thought that the way the split up was handled and written was exceptional; the whole arrogance of Shawn Michaels during matches,the article in the then WWF Magazine, the will they won't they split debate, the Barbershop break up, then Michaels' open invitation on Raw for his IC title. When Jannetty popped out of the crowd it was a huge moment for me, especially when he won the belt.

 

[CAPT SPAULD1NG8]

this is easy for me and just like the person who posted this thread my favorite match of all time is the same as his


#1 Kurt Angle vs Shane McMahon Street Fight at King of the Ring 2001 - Kurt Angle in my opinion is the greatest wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots. Shane McMahon is also an amazing in ring performer for not really being a pro wrestler. This match was amazing from start to finish. Shane took some absolutley amazing bumps and Angle showed such emotion that made the match even better. This match will forever be my favorite match.

#2 Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestle Mania 21- Two of the greatest wrestlers of all time put on one of the greatest matches i have ever seen. another blockbuster match put on by Mr Wrestle Mania Shawn Michaels. For me, the icing on the cake was Kurt Angle making HBK tap out. I loved this match beginning to end.

#3 RVD vs John Cena at ECW One Night Stand 2007 - I had to chose this match because I was there and the atmosphere was through the roof. The Cena hate was off the charts that night which was amaing. From the fans throwing his shirt back to all the horrible yet funny chants towards Cena was fantastic. The best part of the night was RVD walking out with the WWE Championship.

 

[SmattyG]

1.Bret Hart V Chris Benoit - Nitro Öwen Hart Tribute Match - no gimmicks no bullshit just two of the best technical wrestlers going at it.

2. Kurt Angle V Chris Jericho V Chris Benoit - Wrestlemania 16 - European and Intercontinental Titles were on the line. Angle walked in with both and left with neither despite not being pinned in either fall. Three of the best at the peak of their game, and proved Angle was here to stay.

3. Randy Savage V Ricky Steamboat WM3 - I was a huge Savage mark as a kid, but wasn't too disappointed with this result as it was such a fantastic match. Back and forth action with loads of near falls, this one stole the show. And at a card where your main event was Hogan V Andre that makes this one damn fine show stealer.

 

[Abe]

These matches are like 3 of my 100 favorite matches ever. These matches were on the top of my head.

#1
May 7, 1989
Nashville, TN
WrestleWar
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ricky "The Dragon Steamboat" vs. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

Flair and Steamboat's epic 3rd match in the series of 3 that they had in 1989. First match being on Feb 20th, in Chicago, at Chi Town Rumble. Where Steamboat beat Flair for the Championship. 2nd match being on April 2nd, in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match, in the SuperDome in New Orleans, at Clash of the Champions VI.

This match that they had at WrestleWar 1989 was to me the best of all the matches they have had on TV. (In the mid 70's they fought for the Untied States Championship but only the local crowd got to see it) Flair said it, they created a body of work that would stand the test of time. I couldnt agree more.

#2
June 20, 1992
Mobile, AL
Beach Blast

30 Mintue Iron Man Match
United States Heavyweight Champion Ravishing Rick Rude vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

This was a great great match. They gave the fans everything in this match. Wrestling, brawling, high flying, they told a story (a lost art now in 2011). Rude at one point in this match was ahead 2 to 0 on Steamboat, Rude went to the top rope and gave Steamboat knee drop to the face. That was not legal back in those days, so Rude got a dq giving Steamboat a fall but then seconds later he pinned Steamboat to go up 3 to 1. I mean thats great stuff. Doesnt mean much anymore but awesome.

#3
March 20, 1994
Madison Square Garden
WrestleMania X

Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs "The Rocket" Owen Hart

This match is my 2nd favorite match in WM history. Brother vs Brother, Owen wanting to step out of the shadow of Bret. Owen wanted, needed to make a name for himself. Bret didnt want to fight his little brother, not because he was scared but because it wasnt right. When that bell rang, they put on a wrestling clinic. Roller coaster ride indeed. The ending was for lack of a better word shocking. Owen went in as a heel, it was very rare to have a heel come out of a match with a clean win on a face. So when Owen won by countering Bret's victory roll attempt, it was mind blowing.

 

[DerekMay]

1 - Cactus Jack vs Triple H - Street Fight - Royal Rumble 2000
This is the match that made Triple H. The atmosphere was great and the spots were fantastic. HHH handcuffing Mick was a great allusion to the previous years Rumble, and The Rocks appearance to save Mick made it even greater. The two Pedigree finish was awesome, and an all around great match. Mick is amazing at making careers with these matchs, which leads to...

2- Cactus Jack vs Randy Orton - Street Fight - Backlash 2004
This is the match that made Randy Orton (deja vu? lol). I will never forgot the pop Mick got when he ripped open Randys face with Barbie. I also loved the heat Bischoff got when he forbade Mick from lighting Barbie on fire. Randy was on his way to the top coming into this match, and Mick was able to propel him to the next level.

3 - Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit - Ladder Match- Royal Rumble 2001
Both men were at the peak of their mid card career. This was for the intercontinental championship and was full of some really great spots. From Benoit suicide diving (...) through the ropes, just to have Y2J meet him with a chair shot to the head mid air, to Y2J nailing a Walls of Jericho from the top of the ladder! The match was very suspenseful, and was an all around great match.

 

[dxparza]

1. Shawn michaels VS bret hart at Wrestlemania 12 in the Iron Man match. If was something special from the entrence of HBK to the win in overtime, seeing Shawn Michaels win his first title was awesome and a really good match.

2. Wrestlemania 25 - shawn michaels vs Unbdertaker.. The match has been talked about as being one of the best ever.. And the fact that I was there in person, made it that much better..

3. I might get some shit for this one but SS 97, the Montreal Screwjob.. I was never a Bret hart fan and was glad to see him get 'screwed' out of the title.. And the Fact that Shawn michaels left the building with the title made it sweeter for me..

And yes I'm a die hard Shawn Michaels fan.. He's the greatest of all Time!!

 

[TakerDakSide]

My top 3 would be......

1. Stone Cold vs The Undertaker @ Summmerslam'98- Because of the twist & turns that occured during the match-up. Plus it would make for one of the greatest rivalies in the WWE/F history!

2. Stone Cold vs The Rock @ WM19: More was on the line. It was either go far or go home for The Rock. Thse two put on an classic with all on the line. As The Rock made his mission complete by beating Stone Cold to even the score & she stopped at nothing to claim a victory over Austin @ Wrestlemania.

3. The Undertaker vs Stone Cold @ Fully Loaded '99 (First Blood). A lt more was on he line especially for the sake of Mr. McMahon. These two as mentioned before fought hard to gain victor. It was conterversial as it happened. At the ending The Undertaker was bleeding thanks to a camera shot to the head by Austin. As stipulated Mr. McMahon would have to leave
4ever (Which obviously didn't happen). Still another great match between the two.

 

[wonderfulwayne]

1. HBK vs Taker WM 25. THe best to performers of all time in the ring at the biggest stage of all. Back and fourth action the whole time. Kick out after kick out after kick out. That is what WM is all about.

2. Kurt angle vs Benoit RR 03. The great wrestlers doing what they do best. After the match when the crowd was standing and cheering for Benoit after the lost almost made me cry. The fans knew they seen something special that night.

3. Any Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn match. Everytime those guys got it on it was something great.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

1) - Low-Ki vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Psychosis vs. AJ Stlyes, 2002

An unconvention choice for my third spot and it's a match that I only saw fairly recently but it is jaw-dropping stuff. The first ever match for the X-divison title in NWA or what was to become TNA and it really set the standard for the type of matcht hat was later to become expected for that belt. It was an elimination bout where each man had to lose twice to get eliminated. It lasted just shy of half an hour and almost evry single move was a spot. It's the kindof stuff I may only see once because it was that special but it is a match that was hard-hitting but yet not to slow and deep like a heavyweight bout, it had great pacing, great mix of athletic attributes from various guys and not forgetting some of the best wrestlers we were to become very familiar with in later years. Splendid stuff.

YES YES YES

That was a phenomenal match. I picked up the DVD on TNA: Year 1 recently, and saw this for the 1st time. I was blown away. The rookie AJ, the veteran Jerry Lynn and the spectacular Low-Ki were all amazing in this one. Cradle Piledriver from the ladder at the end was astonishing. I am really surprised someone else thought of this one....great work Alex.

My other two picks would be

Hardy Boyz v Edge & Christian- LADDER MATCH

The night where 4 stars were born. Both teams were competing for $10,000 dollars which was hanging in a bag, and also the managerial services of Terri Runnels. I had never seen so many risks taken in one match, we saw moves that noone else had ever even tried, and as JR said at one point, the 4 wrestlers "looked like they had been ejected from a car wreck". This is the match where I first became a Hardyz mark, I thought they were the greatest thing I had ever seen, and was so happy when they won.

As spot-filled as this match was, it wasnt like some of the over-the-top stunt matches you see today, they could all sell the moves they took, which made it even better

It was great to see Edge and Christian get a standing ovation after the match, the crowd knew they had seen something special.


Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka ECW ONE NIGHT STAND (

I know I know..its just a match filled with chair shot after chair shot and powerbomb after powerbomb....but this thread is about your favourite matches....not the best matches of all time.

I fucking love this match. Mike Awesome was always a favourite of mine, and it was great to see him one last time against the man he feuded with in the original ECW, Masato Tanaka...who is one tough SOB!

Noone can hit a powerbomb quite like Awesome could, and it was a sight to see a man his size hitting a top rope splash and a suicide dive over the top rope. This was a spectacular match, which both guys took a lot of punishment. It will never go down as a wrestling classic, there was no pcychology, just a spot fest, but damm it was a good one!

 

[MarchingOnTogether]

The first match that came to mind was Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania 25. It was the match which saved THAT Wrestlemania from being a huge disapiontment for me. Me and my buddys were on the edge of our seats when watching Michaels kick out of tombstones, chokeslams, and last rides also seeing 'Taker kickout of the Superkick was awesome. I was routing for the Deadman the whole way because of the streak, something that meant absolutley nothing a few years back.

Mankind vs Undertaker Hell In A Cell. "Good God almighty! Good God almighty! They've killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!". To this day I haven't seen such extreme falls.

Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels Unbreakable. Back when the X Divison was awesome. For the first time the X Divison Championship was used to main event a PPV. And rightfuly so. Great match.

Other Honorable mentions Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker HIAC. Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker HIAC. Any of the TLC and Ladder matchs with the Hardyz, E&C and The Dudleys. I could go on for ever!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

#1 Kurt Angle vs Shane McMahon Street Fight at King of the Ring 2001 - Kurt Angle in my opinion is the greatest wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots. Shane McMahon is also an amazing in ring performer for not really being a pro wrestler. This match was amazing from start to finish. Shane took some absolutley amazing bumps and Angle showed such emotion that made the match even better. This match will forever be my favorite match.

Great choice, that was a brilliant match. You are correct regarding the bumps Shane took in this one, especially the belly to belly suplexes at the glass. The ones where he hits the glass and falls onto his neck are brutal, and he gets sliced up badly from the broken glass at one point too. I had so much respect for Shane after this match, he took some severe punishment!

Also, the Angle Slam from the top rope off the wooden panel is a thing of beauty, one of my favourite bumps ever, Angle hit it perfectly. Great match

 

[El Rev sXe]

Three matches? Man, this one is hard! Im going to try but recent matches:

Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels Unbreakable[/B]. Back when the X Divison was awesome. For the first time the X Divison Championship was used to main event a PPV. And rightfuly so. Great match.

A couple of weeks ago I asked some recommendations on TNA matches, and this one was there. I saw it, I love it, and I was at the edge of my seat. I don't watch TNA, I've watched like 20 matches but this one was really special. Those three guys have such a great chemistry together.

The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels, Wrestlemania 25

Yeah, I'm another one that just love this match. Just like the previous one, it kept me at the edge of my seat. That's what I love, when a match keep me saying :"1,2....NOOOO!", it is a great sign for a match. In this case it was two wrestling legends who had a great feud, with great promos and even a better match.

CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy, Table, ladders and chairs match, Summerslam 2009 (I think)

Like I said, I pick recent ones due to all the context that today the wrestling world has. Anyway, I picked this match cause well it sealed one of my all time favorite wrestlers as a main eventer. The storyline was perfect, straight edge vs drug addict. It was written on the walls. Finally, at this point I've finally started to hate Jeff, and started to admirate Punk. It was all good at the end of the day

Honorable mentions: Benoit vs Orton, Summerslam 2004. HBK vs Angle Mania 21. Eddie vs Rey, Mania 21. Any HHH vs HBK from 2002 until 2004.

 

[Dyno Kid]

It's hard for a guy like me who started watching back in 1977 to pick just 3 but I'll pick just from North America and the first 3 that come to mind:

The Freebirds vs the Von Erichs from 7-4-84: This "Bad Street Rules" match was a fight and nothing more ! Stiff and brutal it's my favorite match between the 2 teams that had the best rivalry of the 1980's and one of the top 10 EVER !

Flair vs Steamboat on 2-20-89: I love this match, thought it was the best of the classic 3 between these 2 guys from 1989 ! Great match, great crowd heat, and I thought the commentary between Jim Ross and Magnum T.A. was tremendous !

Midnight Express vs the Fantastics from 3-27-88: This match stole the show at the first ever Clash of Champions ! Great back and forth action between these 2 teams and the spot where Tommy Rodgers takes a Bulldog face first on a table still gets me today !

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

KENTA vs Bryan Danielson GHBVN2
A lot of people will either say I think this is good because it's a Meltzer 5 star (personally think Meltzer is overrated). However, I like this match because of the story. KENTA had been tearing shit up. Danielson was hurt. There were little things in this match like Danielson using the AJ Styles leapfrog, dropdown, dropkick spot to gain the advantage. this was smart because Danielson had just beaten Styles somewhat recently after Styles had beaten him like 3 straight times and KENTA had never faced Styles so it wouldn't be something he could have scouted for or something that would have been something he'd seen before. Danielson's selling was insane here. The crowd went nuts on most of the falsie and I think he was the first guy to survive KENTA's GTS. It was smartly done too as it wasn't a straight kick out AND there was logic behind it. That being KENTA worked the injured arm and not the head like usual. Really really terrific match with action, great selling, and a story being told.

Rock vs Austin Wrestlemania X7
When I think of the attitude era, I think of this. This is the peak of the tude era, and the main event of the (not so arguably) greatest Wrestlemania of all time. This match built and built and built, there was Austin's frustration and putting on the million dollar dream to which Rock somehow had a counter for, Rock putting Austin in the sharpshooter, which had beaten Austin before at Mania, one instance where using each other's finishes actually working, Rock kicking out of the stunner meant something because the stunner wasn't frequently kicked out of, the McMahon swerve which was amazing. Just an awesome WWF Attitude style main event.

Harley Race vs Jerry Lawler Memphis 1977
This went an hour and they only used maybe 15 total different moves. Lawler was the younger guy, the local guy, and looked incredibly strong. At first Race had the advantage but slowly Lawler started to come back, soon Race can't really handle Lawler and he starts to stall. However, he doesn't lose his tough guy image because he doesn't stall like a chicken shit. He stalls by rolling away after a move, making sure to roll over to his stomach so Lawler has to spend the extra time and energy rolling him over, or Race will make sure if he gets knocked off his balance that he stumbles toward the ropes. After an hour, the crowd believed Lawler could have won and also believed Race was the best in the world. Think this match is on youtube somewhere.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HubCizTlkZU these are highlights but I originally saw the whole match in 6 parts on youtube. Maybe it was taken down.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Only three? No fair lol I'll do like a previous poster and give a top 5 in random order and hopefully I'm not repeating anyone lol:

1. Vader vs Stan Hansen: You know it, a Vader match from a Vader fan! This match makes it because Vader cemented himself as one of the biggest badasses of all time by finishing a match even after his eye almost popped out. If that's not hardcore, I don't know what is.

2. Ultimo Dragon vs. Jushin "Thunder" Lyger: Really just about any match they had in Japan could fit this one, so I'm going to put the whole rivalry as one match in the favorites. Two of the most legendary Jr.Heavyweights in the world putting on a show. I highly recommend watching a few of their matches.

3. Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe 2/3 match: I'm typically not big on pinfall/submission/escape 2 out of 3 matches, but these two guys put on one of the best technical matches I had seen in a long while. Definitely an instant classic.

4. Jushin "Thunder" Lyger vs Chris Benoit (Starrcade 1995): If you'll remember, it was NJPW (I think) vs WCW in a best of 7 series and this one was the match that stood out for me. This was right before it was discovered that Lyger had the brain tumor and these two guys wrestled their hearts out. Lyger wins, but this match was one of the defining moments in Benoit's WCW career that pegged him to be a potential main-eventer.

5. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko: As with the Angle-Wolfe match, I put this one here because of the sheer technical ability of Jericho AND the Iceman. This feud was also one of the rare opportunities for Malenko to get on the mic, and I say he did rather well. These two guys were easily among the top five wasted WCW talents.