Your top 5 matches EVER

[Miko]

Off the top of my head (because I find that's the most honest way to do these things) I'll have to go with;

The Rock vs Stone Cold - WrestleMania 17

This one has been said alot but with 19 being a close second I think this is the best of their encounters, the first one The Rock handnt become the star he was at this point and the match was Austin's to lose, this one however The Rock was looking damn near unbeatable for all of the build-up and Austin was coming off a loss to HHH at No Way Out.

Everything about the match was great, from it being announced that there was no DQ to Austin coming at The Rock right off the bat to his desperation when nothing he could do could put The Rock away, to The Rock hitting the people's elbow and just about to win when Vince broke up the count. Then Austin's desperation causing him to do all these heelish things.

Kane vs Undertaker - WrestleMania XIV

Just an epic beatdown, it was seriously looking as though Taker couldnt win especially after Kane chokeslammed him and then raised Taker's shoulder at the 2 count. I cant think of why I like this match so much apart from that it's 2 large men beating the fuck out of each other and the three tombstone's it took to put Kane down were great. After that Kane still got up and clobbered the Undertaker with a chair.

The Rock vs Hulk Hogan - WrestleMania 18

It comes as no surprise to me that there is another Rock match in there, sure it was a replacement for Austin vs Hogan but in my opinion it made more sense than Austin vs Hogan at the time seeing how young The Rock was and that he was the future of wrestling in many people's eyes. Hollywood put a stop to that but we wasnt to know that.

Anyway the fan reaction set the tone for this one as Rock was getting booed more and more and Hogan was getting cheered more, Rocky's selling made it look like the Hogan of old was up against him and the crowd responded to that, all of a sudden the crowd's boo's for The Rock turned into cheers as he did the kip up and the people's elbow got a HUGE pop. While the crowd reaction was one of the more impressive things in that match the ring work is not to be underestimated and was certainly good on both men's part.

Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage - WrestleMania 7?

As one of the few people that think that Warrior was in fact a good worker with one of the best characters I've ever seen it was impossible to exclude this match, Savage was just amazing whatever he was doing and was great as a face or a heel. The five elbow drops on Warrior and Warrior still kicking out is something that still sticks with me. Warrior had put on one of the best matches ever with Hogan only the year before but in my opinion he trumped it with this one as he and Savage worked very well together.

Goldberg vs DDP - Halloween Havoc

I surprised myself with this choice but this is one of those matches that I could always enjoy, DDP is one of the best workers in WCW and Goldbergs ring ability is pretty underrated but that's to be expected when a large part of your career is built on squash matches. Anyway this match saw DDP coming in as the underdog and earning Goldbergs respect during the match as he was very close to putting the big man down.

Reversing the Jackhammer into the Diamond Cutter was a thing of beauty, DDP is one of the few people that I feel genuinely wasnt done justice in the WWE but I suppose he was getting on in years.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind - In Your House: Mind Games

The best match ever to end in a DQ. The fact that it ends that way and it doesn't sully the match at all proves how great the whole thing is.

Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner - Fall Brawl 2000

Big, stiff, power moves. The most testosterone heavy match ever. Two hard looking guys kicking the shit out of each other. Like the match above, this match isn't ruined by a sub-par finish. Yes even Vince Russo showing up can't ruin this match.

Tag Team Elimination Match - The Second Annual Survivor Series

The Miz & Morrison are terrible in comparison to The Hardy Boyz, The Hardy Boyz are terrible in comparison to The Killer Bees. Brillinat 40 minutes match. The only time tag wrestling has been intresting was when WWF had this many teams. You can keep all your shitty TLC matches. This is tag wrestling. It's even got a double turn at the end. Powers Of Pain FTW.

The Warrior vs. ''Hollywood'' Hulk Hogan - Halloween Havoc 1998

Brilliant purely because of how awful it is. I've never understood why people don't find enjoyment out of total clusterfucks. This is probably the best one ever. You've got Hogan wanting to avenge his loss at WrestleMania 6, and he does, but he fucks up along the way. He even admits as much on the Ultimate Warrior DVD. My second favorite clusterfuck match would be that years War Games match. Torn muscles, trapdoors, Stevie Ray & Roddy Piper hitting his own team matces to get heat. Brilliant match.

10-Man Tag Team Match - Canadian Stampede

Like Norcal, I think this match is brilliant. The whole card is actually. With a little more thought I might have picked another match. But as it is I've opted for this one. I just wonder if it would have been so great if it wasn't in Canada.

That is my top 5 at this very moment. It'd be different if I was asked again later.

 

[Shocky]

Thinking of this, I'm surprised on how recent most of these matches are, but it's how I feel. Recent is relative I guess.

5. 3 Stages of Hell: Steve Austin vs. Triple H. I'm torn on this one myself. I flip flop between this and Triple's street fight with Michaels, but currently I'm leaning with this match. I believe this to be the best match of both mens career. The first match was a regular match in which Austin one, then it turned into a street fight that Triple H won to even it up. The last match was inside of a steel cage that featured quite possibly the best finish to a match that I have seen. This is a must watch match for all.

4. The Undertaker vs. Bret Hart ( Summerslam 1997) Back to the best year of professional wrestling for me. Bret Has had some classic matches, and Taker was at his best, and in 1997 this was the match to see, well to this point. This is truly a lost gem because of Hart's previous feud with Austin, Taker's eventual feud with Michaels beginning from this match, and then ultimately being over shadowed by the screwjob. 1997 was truly the best year of wrestling in my opinion, and i'ts a shame no one watch the WWE back then.

3. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker: No Way Out 2006: Fucking awesome. Easily the best match of Takers career. This match went back and forth and brought out an Undertaker match that I simply never thought was in the man. The ending is truly great with Taker applying the Triangle choke, and Angle reversing it for the pin. Just bad ass and should have been the main event of Mania 22 if it wasn't for WWEddiesploitation ruining that.

2. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels: Wrestlemania 21. Simply put, the greatest match in Wrestlemania history. The match was fan fucking tastic. Both men are so damn patissionate for the business, and it truly shows in this matchup. The number of reversals, near falls, and counter moves is amazing. Angle geting superkicked while talking shit is one of the best spots ever.

1. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle, Royal Rumble 2003. Simply put, the best match up I have ever watched. The crowd reaction in Boston that night was fantastic. These two had feuded on and off for the most part since 2001, putting on a clinic of matches in 2001 with the Ultimate Submission, Steel Cage, 3 Stages of Hell, etc. Every match these two have had, was fantastic, but this was took the cake. The heart Benoit showed that night pretty much launched him into the title scene as a legit threat. The Kurt Angle grapevine Ankle lock was Bad ass.


Damn, Kurt Angle is in my top 3, but I think the guy is fucking phenomenal.

Honorable mention goes out to 3 Hell in the Cell matches
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (Truly a classic)
Undertaker vs. Mick Foley (If you watched this live, it's still the most shocking thing ever in the business)
Undertaker vs. Edge. Simply fantastic hell in the cell match, and the best one this decade by far.

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (summerslam 2002) I always thought that it was Triple H that carried Michaels to a good match, but this decade has proven it was indeed a semi-retired wrestler that carried the full time wrestler to the 2nd best match of his career.

Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (Street Fight) The garden crowd simply ate that match up.
Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit (Owen Tribute Show) Fanfuckingtastic technical wrestling match.
Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (I Quit Match) obvious reasons.

I could honestly name about 25 matches that everyone should watch, and surprsingly enough, no Hogan on here. Hogan Warrior sucked, deal with it.

 

[Decarow]

1. Batista vs. HHH at WM21- Amazing match, start of new era

2. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero at SS '05- Great ladder match, but an even better story these two were telling.

3. John Cena vs HBK on the Raw after WM23- These 2 went on for over an hour!

4. Cena vs. Angle vs. HBK Taboo Tuesday '05- One of the best triple threats i've ever seen

5. HHH vs. Cactus Jack RR '00- Loved it, never got bored with it

 

[Y 2 Jake]

So we can critique posters top 5 can we? Cool

1. Batista vs. HHH at WM21- Amazing match, start of new era

Jesus Christ son, that match is crap. Not as bad as their Backlash one. But still poor. Even the fans gave up on it by the end. The pop isn't because Batista won the title, it's because the match was over.

2. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero at SS '05- Great ladder match, but an even better story these two were telling.

Terrible ladder match. Blown spots, frequent close-ups of the child, probably the worst match of an underwhelming feud.

3. John Cena vs HBK on the Raw after WM23- These 2 went on for over an hour!

Over an hour? Just under actually.

4. Cena vs. Angle vs. HBK Taboo Tuesday '05- One of the best triple threats i've ever seen

Really? I'd forgotten it had even happened. And I pride myself on being able to remember pointless little matches.

 

[DhA]

Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Wrestlemania 13

I love this match, the action is great and they're both awesome wrestlers who had cool characters. The ending is awesome with Austin passing out and Bret Hart looking just as badass as Austin.

E&C vs Hardyz vs Dudleyz Ladder Match Wrestlemania 2000

This is awesome, I don't care if it's a spotfest, I just love all the carnage, and although E&C were (at the time I think) heels, I'm happy they won. Has some awesome moments...JR's commentary when Jeff does the Swanton Bomb of the ladder sells the danger really well.

Triple H vs The Rock Backlash 2000

This is another cool match with two of my favourites against each other...odds stacked so heavily against The Rock...all the McMahon's and HHH making you hate them, and Austin's return kicked ass, listen to the crowd reaction...

 

[JerryvonKramer]

bigfan0508 is the sort of fan who makes me wish there was a special password to get into the Old School Wrestling sub-forum.

Can we have a blanket ban on people mentioning John Cena and/ or Randy Orton please? It should be against Old School Wrestling sub-forum rules! I'm just sick of seeing those two mentioned in "greatest ever" threads. NO!

Anyway, I've thought of my fifth match:

Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart, Wrestlemania X -- it just had everything. A really good emotional angle, solid mat wrestling, awesome psychology, back and forth, several unorthodox moves you rarely see (e.g. the victory roll), a massive win for Owen out of no where, which effectively turned him from a mid-carder (at best) to a main event/ upper-mid card guy. And, how could I forget? The best opener ever, even better than Brainbusters vs. Hart Foundation.

 

[Ryanhitman316]

5. Alex Shelly VS Chris Sabin for the X division title 2009: I don't remember the PPV name and I don't have much time to look for it but I believe this match is the match of the year so far. Shelly and Sabin put on a great match and I like how Shelly used both Jericho and Benoit moves in the match. Which was the moonsault and the cross face. Shelly reminds me of Jericho so much !!!

4. Hart Foundation VS Stone Cold, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, LOD 1997: Someone mention this before but this match was crazyyyy. I just love the way Canadian fans are. There are so lively and supportive. Sometimes I believe that the American crowds are so dead unless they are in MSG or in Canada. But this is probably one of the best 10 man matches of all time.

3. RVD VS Jerry Lynn - Living Dangerously 1999: This match is what made me started to watch ECW. I never heard of ECW before until someone mention it to me in Junior High School. I was able to catch the PPV and the matches were crazy. You can tell that everyone worked so hard in ECW. RVD VS Lynn stole the show and this match is what made me a fan of RVD and ECW. RVD and Lynn had rematches afterwords but the 1st match will always be memorable.

2. Chris Benoit VS Kurt Angle - Royal Rumble 2003: In my opinion this match is what prove to me that wrestling was still alive. Ever since Bret left in WWF my opinion back in 1997 the term "wrestling" turn into "entertainment". To me there were barely "wrestling" matches anymore it was mostly "entertainment" matches. But my top 2 favorite in the 2000s put one of the best matches ever. Even though I believe Benoit is better, Angle has a heel won straight and fair. Angle is probably one of the only heels that I know who wins his matches without cheating.

1. Bret Hart VS Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 12: I remember bugging my parents to order this PPV because I wanted to see this match. Not only that but the last time they had a face vs face was 6 years ago before Wrestlemania 12 which was between Hogan and Warrior at Wrestlemania 6. I was the Bret supporter while my brother was the HBK supporter. The match was awesome especially the ending, I seriously believe until this day that Bret should had won. I mean it was 60 mins not 62 or whatever mins. I don't understand how HBK and Angle went into a no contest while Bret and HBK went into over time. Until this day it gets me mad.

 

[Freakinflax]

5. Kurt Angle vs Undertaker No Way Out 2006
4. Edge vs Undertaker (Hell in a Cell Match) Summerslam 2008
3. Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania 21
2. Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (Submission Match) Wrestlemania 13
1. Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania 12

These were the first 5 matches I thought of too. Now I'll change it up so that a top 10 could be easily compiled, but great list.

- The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker: Vengeance 2002. Great triple threat match, great story telling, all around enjoyable and emotional match.

- HBK vs. HHH: Summerslam 2002. Incredible return, non-stop action, and also an emotional match.

- Steve Austin vs. The Rock: Wrestlemania 17. The crowd was red hot with both men in their prime and wrestling itself in it's prime. 17 chair shots at Mania 17 to put Rock away was crazy.

- E&C vs. Hardyz vs. Dudleyz: TLC 2 @ Wrestlemania 17. Non-stop action, incredible spots, excellent match.

- Kurt Angle vs. Marty Janetty: Smackdown. Easily forgotten but also fantastic. Great wrestling featured and a wonderful match all around.

Honorable mention goes to Regal vs. Benoit at Pillman's tribute show.

 

[raptorsfan4life]

5. Bret Hart vs. Mr Perfect in Summerslam 91......Arguably one of the greatest technical matches of all time that ended with Hart winning the intercontinental championship.... Fact that some people don't know was that Perfect blew his back and was in no condition to wrestle but still wrestled and delivered a terrific match.

4. Undertaker vs. Mankind & Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker HIAC's.... Both matches were equally good for me. Obviously Foley's performance revolutionized his career but the first HIAC was equally good in my opinion.

3. 2001 Royal Rumble ..... My favourite royal rumble of all time..... Started with hardy's and eventually saw drew carey make an appearance immediately followed by kane who was interrupted by raven which led to an all out hardcore royal when al snow bowled a bowling ball into raven's testicles... However the biggest mistake was when taker and kane had formed an alliance and were just kicking ass and were alone waiting for someone to come out and it was a face SCSA however he was attacked by HHH... would've been sick to see austin take on BOD....

2. First TLC Wrestlemania 2000. They innovated, they entertained and they gave you everything.... Just awesome....

1. Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome ECW One Night Stand 05.... Undoubtedly the best match on the card... If you haven't watched it you have to.... They used tables like punches in the match... Best Match EVER

 

[joejoe]

Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar
Summerslam 2003

I loved this match and thoguht it was miles ahead of their Wrestlemania 19 match. It mad me on the edge of my seat as I truly thought Brock was going to win. Great selling by both guys and a great finish. Should have closed the show.

Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect
Summerslam 1991
This is everything a great match should be. An awesome heel in Mr. Perfect, a face everyone could believe in in Bret Hart and awesome psychology throughout the match. The crowd was into it from start to finish and it entertained the hell out of me from bell to bell.

Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker -Hell in a Cell
Bad Blood 1997
No one had ever seeen a HIAC match before and this one set the bar pretty high. It is still the best one ever and both guys gave it their all. When people say that HBK doesn't put as much effort now as he used to you just have to point to this match to prove your point. HBK made taker look like a monster and Taker made HBK look desperate to do anything and everything. A classic in every sense of the word.

Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Wrestlemania 13

Once again this match had everything. Drama, a double turn, great crowd, an intense rivalry, the list goes on and on. Not to mention these guys gave everything they had. Probably Austins best match of his career.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
Wrestlemania 21
There are a few reasons why I love this match so much. One is how the crowd slowly got more and more into it as the match went along and that is how a good match should go. By the end everyone was standing or on the edge of their seat. Two I'm a sucker for false finishes if they are done the right way and this one was for sure. When Angle hit the Olympic Slam off the top rope I don't think anyone thought HBK was kicking out. And third I loved the psychology of this match. Angle really made you think he hated HBK and everything his stood for and HBK made you believe he was givng everything he had to beat a better wrestler than he was.

I have a few more honorable mentions but if I was to show someone who wasn't a big wrestling fan five matches it would be these five.

 

[The Todd]

5) Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage -WrestleMania III

The only match included form before I started watching. I was so sick of hearing about this match I thought I'd watch it so I would know what the big fuss was, and it was a great match that the crowd were into (without the crowd many matches would be dull)

4) John Cena vs Edge - TLC - Unforgiven

I never tire of this match. Edge is outstanding in gimmick matches, but Cena has not been in a large amount in his career, but he delivered here. Great match with a great finish. The remorse on Cena's face after the match was good, fit with his character perfectly.

3) The Rock vs Kurt Angle - No Way Out

Yes I loved The Rock so I might be a little biased, but this match was gripping stuff. Both men delivered big time. There were so many moments I thought it was over, the belt shot, the people's elbow, then Kurt ramming Rock's head into the exposed turnbuckle and hitting the Angle Slam and going straight for the cover yet Rock STILL kicked out. On a different note, I hate people "kicking out" of finishers these days when there is a gap between the move being hit and the cover, it takes away the suspense. This one you thought there was no way Rock would kick out. The ending looked botched as Angle's shoulder did not look to be off the mat at all but the rest was so good it didn't matter. And of course it led on to one of the greatest Mania main events...

2) Rock vs Austin - WrestleMania X-Seven The two biggest stars going head to head at the end of the Attitude Era they made work. Two insanely over babyfaces, but held in Austin's home town. The turn from Austin was brilliant, and The Rock's resiliency was again on show, kicking out of multiple chair shots and a Stunner. The crowd were so hot as well.

1) The Rock vs Hollywood Hogan - WrestleMania 18. Wow. The staredown was more epic than the rest of the card put together. Then the crowd turning on The Rock and siding with Hogan turning Hogan into the babyface, and The Rock played along with heelish moves. Hogan hulked up, hit the leg drop but The Rock kicks out! Then two Rock Bottoms and a People's elbow it took to put Hogan down. Then the after match was again epic.

 

[nickernator]

5. Jericho vs Christian (2004 WM 20) To of my favorite wrestlers facing off and a great ending too

4. Joe vs Styles vs Daniels (2005 Unbreakable) a terrific match which I would recomend to anyone who says TNA is crap

3. Angle vs HBK (Raw Homecoming) I think the last ironman ever, but what a match, shame about the finish though

2. Edge vs Undertaker Hell In The Cell (2008 Summerslam) Possibly the best hell in the cell of the 21st century, proving that WWE still have it

1. HBK vs Cena (2007 WM 23) A great match which really had me thinking HBK would be champ again

 

[hurricane_wolfy]

Somebody proclaiming to VOTE BEEFCAKE is critiquing Mysterio/Guerrero work or any Angle match? Funny...

5. Owen Vs. Bret WM 10, good times, really any Bret Hart match can make my top 5, but I wanted at least some variety..maybe

4. Taker V Foley, Hell in a Cell...you all know the one, and you all know why.

3. Hart v. Perfect. I don't think I need to elaborate since I'm far from the first to post this match.

2. Hogan V Rock Wrestlemania 18..I was at that show, and I don't remember why I cheered for Hogan..maybe it was mob mentality, maybe it was just right, but the match itself was fantastic. As electric it might have seemed watching from home, the air in the skydome was ridiculous!!

1. Hart v Piper, WM 8...a little disappointed that this one has not been mentioned yet. This match made me a wrestling fan and made me a hart fan. Before this match I could easily get caught up in cheering for Ultimate Warrior despite him doing nothing, but this match made me a real wrestling fan, especially with the sleeper hold turned pinfall finish. Excellent work by the two.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

5. World X Cup Tournament- Victory Road 2008- This was one of the most fast-paced matches I've ever seen. The intensity was high and the teamwork was excellent. Yoshino was awesome and I wish Japan would have won.

4. Kurt Angle v. Chris Benoit- Royal Rumble 2003- One of the best title matches and both Angle and Benoit delivered. It made me believe Benoit had what it took to be a future world champion. They both gave everything that had to put on a great performance.

3. Randy Orton v. Rey Mysterio- No Way Out 2006- Randy Orton got plenty of heat during this match including from Michael Cole and Tazz. He was cocky and arrogant during the match and I thought the way he won was indicative of how he performed during the match.

2. Undertaker v. Randy Orton- Armageddon 2005 - IMO one of the Top 3 Hell In a Cell matches ever. Undertaker made Orton bleed five minutes into the match and both fought back and forth for fourty minutes and even Bob Orton got involved and I loved Taker posing on top of the cell at the end.

1. Kurt Angle v. Undertaker- No Way Out 2006- This was the match that should have happened at Wrestlemania but it stills remains my all-time favorite. It showed that at his age, Undertaker can still put on a great match with somebody like Angle. Undertaker was in the ankle lock so many times I believed he was going to submit. Angle reversing the Triangle Choke into a pinfall was a great finish. Either guy deserved to win here.

 

[WATSONationWWE]

NUMBER5 mnm vs hardys vs regal and idr the other guy vs london and kendrick..

outstanding athleticism. all the teams can light up the ring and it showed.
NUMBER4 undertaker vs flair. wrestlemania X8
This match had it all.. classic vs new school sorta. totally different styles and the fans were into. the biggest thing about it is the WWE built it up great. unlike nowadays

NUMBER3 shawn michaels vs kurt angle. wrestlemania 21
classic match and quite possibly best match ever

NUMBER2 the rock vs hogan. wrestlemania X8
the biggest match of huge stars. this match was a HELL of a way for WWF to change to WWE. i love the fans chants and an instant classic.

NUMBER1 john cena vs hhh
its my favorite match cus my fave was cena. it was also a classic and i love this matchup

 

[KatieVick4life]

So we can critique posters top 5 can we? Cool



Jesus Christ son, that match is crap. Not as bad as their Backlash one. But still poor. Even the fans gave up on it by the end. The pop isn't because Batista won the title, it's because the match was over.

If you want to talk about the beauty of a terrible match, you don't need to look any further than HHH vs. Scott Steiner from Royal Rumble 2003. In my opinion, this is easily the worst match of all time. The crowd wasn't booing either man but booing the match in general. They had absolutely no chemistry together, botching move after move, a god awful ending followed up by Steiner's magenta thong being exposed at the end of this mess. Its great how awful what I refer to as "The Magenta Thong Match" truly was.

Onto my top 5 matches however:

1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin- Submission Match- Wrestlemania 13

Yes I am aware that this has been a much talked about match on this forum but it absolutely deserves it. Watching Wrestlemania 13 live, I frequently walked in and out of the room casually all night because there was only one match I had been anticipating and this was it. I had no idea of the intensity that I was about to watch. This match had everything. Street fighting before it became marketable and the excelllent technical wrestling that only Bret and Austin could do. This was the perfect climax to what I thought was the most intense feud in WWE history. This has been my favorite match from the moment I watched it.

2.Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle-Iron Man Match-Smackdown 2003

Out of all the Lesnar/Angle encounters this was my favorite with their summerslam match close behind. Once Angle was healthier and they gave them more time to work together, they delivered this excellent match. I recall Lesnar giving Angle a sick F-5 on the outside of the ring. It was just sweet to see them do a spot like that on live tv. Great stuff

3. Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle-Street Fight- King of the Ring 2001

This match was a saving grace to the lackluster King of the Ring tournament from that year. Edge won that year with a lame face character that was not suited to be considered a world title contender. But that's another topic. This match was filled with incredible spots and athleticism. Shane McMahon proved once again that he can hang with the best wrestlers WWE has to offer at a high level.

4. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle-Royal Rumble 2003

As stated by many other people, this match is just incredible. By far the best match these two ever put on. The reversals were innovative and fresh to watch. These two were at the top of their game

5. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker-Hell in a Cell-IYH:Bad Blood '97

This is the best of all the cell matches. It told the best story and had some high spots too. HBK's fall from the top of the cage blew me away although it wasn't as deathdefying as Foley's falls, it was still amazing to see something like that happen for the first time. This match wrapped up an incredible year for wrestling which was 1997. You gotta think, WCW were shoving Sting and Hogan so much down our throats at the time and this was WWF's rebuttle to that, which I think was a lot more entertaining.

Runner ups: (Theres a few cuz its tough to cram 5 favorites)

-The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock-King of the Ring 98
-HBK/Austin vs. Owen/Bulldog-Raw 97
-Rock vs. Austin-Wrestlemania 17
-Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect-Summerslam 91
-Jericho vs. Rock- Royal Rumble 2002
-RVD vs. Jerry Lynn-Living Dangerously 99
-HBK vs. HHH- Summerslam 2002
-Owen vs. Bret-cage match-summerslam 94
-Austin vs. Rock vs. Taker vs. Rikishi vs. HHH vs. Angle-6 man hell in a cell- Armageddon 2000

 

[SquareSix]

5. Trish Stratus vs. Lita (Raw) - This is the match that saw Lita do a suicide dive and bend up like an accordion when she hit the barricade. It is also some of the best mat work I have seen between two talented women.

4. Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (Career Threatining Match) - Again, like someone else said, it isn't the best technical work ever. That being said, you cannot deny the immense emotion it had. I've never felt so much in one match. I had goosebumps and tears galore by the end of the match. Being a fan of both men and seeing the emotion they were showing it was just a true historical moment in wrestling.

3. Randy Orton vs Edge (Raw) - This was right after they had slit Rated RKO. The commentary of the match is completley focused on HBK vs Cena III that is to be held later that night - I can't tell you how many times JR brings it up. The in ring work that Edge & Randy put on that night is some of the best I've seen. They scout each other very well reversing move after move. They hit a sick looking double cross body. Randy is bleeding pretty badly by the end of the match. It has great intensity and still maintains great technical mat work with lots of back and forth action.

2. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (SummerSlam 94) - The match was a cage match for the WWF title. It is probably my favorite cage match ever. Instead of the usual blood and gore expected from a cage match, these two put on a technical match like only the Harts could. It is just a great match.

And now, here it is. My all time favorite match ever - "of all the times" to quote Santino....
.......................................................................................................................

1. Chyna vs. Jeff Jarrett (Good House Keeping Match) - LMAO just messing with you, that match sucked ass.


The real #1 match for me is Shawn Michaels vs. HHH (Unsanctioned Match at SummerSlam) These two were at the best I've ever seen them. HHH makes one hell of a heel and Shawn was in top face form. This fued was built up amazingly well, one of the best feuds ever as far as how over it got with the crowd. The fans that night were so pumped. It was a brutal, intense, back and forth match. Great stuff.

 

[WWEFan2000]

#5 Rock vs Angle, No Way Out 2001, Rock vs Hogan WM 18
I couldn't decide between these two so I picked both matches as #5. Rock-Angle wasn't quite as good as Rock-Hogan or some of my matches on my honorable mention but I was a huge Rock fan and really wanted him to win this match so he could fight Austin at the next PPV in what would be another one of my favorite matches (more on this to come). Everyone knew he was going to win this match but this was a back and forth match. There were times when I though Rock wasn't going to win. Austin-HHH got a lot of love on this night and rightfully so but this match was almost as good IMO.
Angle proved in this match that he deserved to be a main eventer.

Rock-Hogan was just a classic. Fan reaction was great and both guys left it all in the ring. It will be a match that I will always remember. Glad the Rock won though!

#4 Rock vs Angle vs Taker, Vengeance 2002
What a match! I didn't know who was going to win this match because it was back and forth. So many false finishes. I loved the creativity in the match when all three participants performed each other finishing moves (Would have loved to see Angle or Taker perform the people elbow!). Again, was thrilled to see the Rock pick up the win.

#3 Angle vs Benoit, 2003 Royal Rumble
All I can say about this match is WOW. Truly a wrestling classic as both guys kept reversing the others' submission moves. At the start of the match, I was pulling for Angle, but as the match went along, I started pulling for Benoit. Honestly, after this match, I was standing up in my dorm room clapping along with the Boston crowd that was giving Benoit a standing ovation.

#2 HHH vs HBK vs Benoit, WM 20
All three guys did a great job of story telling in this match. I'm not going to lie, I thought Benoit was done when he got double teamed though the Spanish announce table. And even when he got back up, I thought he was going get pedigreed by HHH after he tossed HBK out of the ring. Great moment at the end when Benoit and Guerrero celebrated in the ring together. Honestly, I think if there was a perfect match, it is this one.

#1 Rock vs Austin, WM X7
In my 9 years as a wrestling fan, I have not anticipated one match as much as this one. Like one poster said, everything was great about this match, from the promo to the shocking ending. I don't remember too many matches that displayed the intensity these two showed in this match. Storytelling was great in the match, as it always is between the two. The fans were into this match from the get go, as the majority of the crowd was pulling for Austin. Even when Austin sided with McMahon, the fans were still cheering for Austin! Unbelievable. When I woke up the next morning, I still couldn't believe what happened. I have to admit, I was very shocked with Austin siding with McMahon. But I loved this match so much that for the next month or 2, the first thing that I did when I got from school was put in the tape and watched this match. One of the best matches ever from the best PPV ever IMO.

Honorable mention
Undertaker-HHH WM X7
Angle-Shane KOTR 01
Rock vs Jericho No Mercy 01, RR 02
Austin vs Angle, Summerslam 2001
Rock vs HHH SSlam 1998
Angle-Edge Jugdment Day 2002
Rock vs Brock, Sslam 2002
Brock vs Taker, No Mercy 2002
Angle vs Lesnar, WM 19
Y2J-HBK, WM 19
Benoit vs Guerrero, Venegance 03
JBL vs Eddie, J-ment 04
Batista vs HHH Vengeance 05
Taker vs Angle, No Way Out 06
HHH vs Cena, WM 22
Batista vs Taker, WM 23
HBK vs Flair, WM 24

 

[Bud78]

Just because i don't care I am going to give a list of great matches or memorable matches for me that most people won't post.

5. Jake Roberts vs. 'Ravishing' Rick Rude - Wrestlemania IV Tournament.

Now I just watched this match on Classics on Demand and I know they wrestled more than this and their other matches could very well be better but this is one of the few times I have ever watched a wrestling match and been ok with the outcome being a draw. Now it would have been nice to see a winner but what a good chance to see two of the TRUE all time greats going at for fifteen minutes. The whole psychology from both Jake and Rude was great, they both sell the shit out of whats going on and I don't know I just love this match.

4. The Rockers vs. The Twin Towers - Wrestlemania IV

Granted the local video store only had two wrestling tapes when I was growing up so I watched Wrestlemania V about 100 times before I was 12 years old. This was a great match pitting two high flyers versus two big monsters. I love Akeem I love old school huge Bossman and the Rockers were just amazing too watch all the time. The Towers take it down after the Rockers make a great, and believable run using their speed and the fact that they were "Tag Team Specialists."

3. Sting vs. Rick Rude - Clash of the Champions ?

The whole night set up a great match. Luger takes out Sting's knee. Bobby Eaton tells Sting it will be ok (we later found out Eaton was part of the Dangerous Alliance) Bobby Eaton was that pivotal in a storyline, go figure. Sting makes it back just in time to not forfeit his title and then battle Rude on one leg in a great match that Rude eventually wins. I miss the days when I guy had an injury, sting's hurt knee. And the injury is sold the whole match and actually has an effect on the outcome.

2. Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardyz - Table Match Royal Rumble

Peopel want to go to TLC right away but those matches would have never happened if not for the succes of the first ever Tables match.

1. Anytime Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle wrestled, just great.

One more thing Hollywood vs. Sting is not a top five match. It is the number one build up of all time with the number one dogshit ending to end all dogshit endings. To take all the months of building Sting into what they did and then have him get beat, straight up clean beat by Hollywood was the worst thing that ever happened to WCW. I don't care what anyone says I had quit watching WWF at that point and was pretty much all WCW until that ending. They ruined all of Sting's steam to the point that he ended up just another Wolfpac member. Note to wrestling, if your going to have Bret Hart come down and restart the match because of a fast count, it had damn well better been a fast count. This absolutely ruined this match for me and made WCW look like a bunch of asses.

 

[mikeRC]

5. Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Submission Match at Wrestlemania 13
I think everyone has picked up on the reasons. 50/50 crowd, great chemistry, put Austin on the map, great finish etc.

The Rock vs Kurt Angle vs The Undertaker at Vengeance 2002
This is probably one of the greatest triple threat matches ever and i held my breath at every near fall or submission hold. Anybody could have won and i'd have been happy but i marked out for The Rock a lot at this point. The one thing i really liked was when Kurt hit Taker with a chair and it must have been the loudest chair shot i'd ever heard then he Angle slammed The Rock to get two very near falls.

Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho Ladder Match at the 2001 Royal Rumble
TLC matches and Tag Team Ladder matches were very popular at this point and they always had multiple ladders for each match. For this match Benoit and Jericho performed some of the most brilliant ladder spots ever using one ladder throughout the match. That match would have stolen the show if it wasn't for Kane. Which brings me to my next point.

The 2001 Royal Rumble Match
I always loved the Royal Rumble match when i was younger but this has to be the greatest one ever for the great performance of Kane. Kane was the workhorse of the match and did absoloutely everything. He did comedy bits with Drew Carey and The Honkey Tonk Man, demonstrated some hardcore wrestling skills with various wrestlers at one point, spent the next 20 minutes beating down on The Rock and whoever else came in the ring, reunited with The Undertaker and had a great moment with Scotty 2 Hotty, then he was the final man in the match and played the unbeatable monster against Austin in the close of a match. This is one of my favourite performances ever.

Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21
This was a dream match that lived up to every bit of hype. The feud was very good with the idea that Kurts gold medal victory was in the shadow of HBKs Wrestlemania performance (totally untrue but it drove the storyline well). Everything about the match itself was perfect. A very mat wrestling start, various false finishes keeping you on the edge of your seat, some great high flying spots and an unclear winner.

 

[FlairFan2003]

I'm a little older than most of you so I have vivid memories of wrestling pre-1997 LOL

5) Dusty Rhodes vs Ric Flair - 1986 Great American Bash - This was a phenomenal concept, Jim Crockett sending Flair on the road 6 nights a week to defend the title against virtually every worthy contender on the roster, each week ending with Flair on SuperStation TBS bragging about how he dismantled this guy and that guy and promising that Crockett and the whole NWA would be kissing his ass when he finished the month undefeated. Flair had already beaten Rhodes during the stretch butthis match, on th enext to last show that month, was probably the best televised bout these two had. You could feel the hatred coming through your TV, Flair bumps like crazy, both guys bleed everywhere, and of course in come from behind fan favorite fashion Dusty wins with an inside cradle, ending Flair's quest to defeat the whole NWA roster of main eventers in one month

4) Dusty Rhodes vs Tully Blanchard - $100,000 vs TV Title Match - June 1987 - Blanchard was offering $10,000 to anyone who could beat him for the TV Title but he rarely wrestled with longer than a 20 minute time limit. He had refused to face Rhodes, who he cheated out of the title in First Blood Match at Starrcade 86. Here, Rhodes offeres $100,000 of his own money if Blanchard agrees to a 60 minute. Magnum TA makes his first public apperance at ringside holding the money for Rhodes, hobbled and nearly crippled after the car accident that ended his career. After nearly 50 minutes of intense action, Dusty is on the verge of winning the title when The Four Horsemen come down and proceed to beat up Magnum, a crippled man who walks with a cane and only has movement in one arm. Of course Dusty has to leave the ring and make the save only to be counted out. One of the most dispicable acts by a villain ever, attacking a disabled man. Nobody played the just got cheated look better than Dusty.

3) Royal Rumble 1992 - The first Rumble that really meant something with the vacacnt World Title going to the winner. You had the image of perenial NWA Champ Flair wrestling over an hour against a who's who of main event superstars in WWF. Hogan, Savage, Piper, Jake Roberts, Undertaker, Sid, HBK, it's hard to think of a lineup with bigger names in or near their prime. WWF clearly were suprised at the fans reaction to the ending when loud chorus of boos cascades down on Hogan who is portrayed as being a sore loser when he's eliminated by Sid at the end of the match. Hogan was extremely popular but the match was billed as every man for himself so it made for Sid, who was only in the ring a few minutes, to dump Hogan from behind and take his chances with Flair, who looked exhausted at this point. The idea was for fans to turn on Sid but they temporarily turned on Hogan instead, the first time I ever heard him booed.

2) Magnum TA vs Tuly Blanchard - US Title "I Quit" Cage Match - Starrcade 85. Still considered the marquee standard for I Quit matches, these two guys really looked like they hated each other. A veritable blood bath, with a great ending as Magnum breaks a wooden chair into splinters and drives one like a stake into Blanchard's head as he screams "YES YES YES" into the microphone when the ref asks if he wants to quit. One of the first truly nasty endings to a match I can remember, a whole lot differenet from the family friendly fare on WWF TV at the time

1) Flair/Steamboat - 89 Clash of Champions - Too many ppl have picked thsi match to bother describing it.

These were the matches that got me hooked on wrestling years ago.

Honorable Mention
Steamboat/Savage WM 3
HHH/HBK Survivor Series 2002
HBK/Hart Iron Man Match
Hogan/Savage WM 5
Hogan/Flair Great AM Bash 94
War Games 1 - Great AM Bash 1987
Flair/Luger - Starrcade 88
Flair/Sting - Clash of Champions 88
Austin/HBK - WM (Austin wins Title)
Flair/Whyndam - 87 TV

Too many more deserving mention

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I want to pick straight singles/tag matches that don't involve gimmicks first, and then i'll do top 5 gimmick matches:

In no particular order:

Mankind v The Rock, WWF Championship, Raw January 1999

The match made famous because it proved that Mick Foley winning a the world title WILL put butts in seats. For me personally, this match isn't all that amazing. What makes this match so special is Austin's interference. Once it turns into a smozz and the Corporation/DX are brawling, the glass smashes and literally E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E went fuckin' ballistic. It's so off the chain that i still get goosebumps from the pop alone.

Undertaker v HBK IYH Ground Zero 1997

I thoroughly enjoyed this match overall. All of HBKs stalling tactics through to the collosal beat down that he receives, and i also didn't think that the DQ ruined the outcome of this particualr match either. Enough referees got their asses handed to them, and aG3Nt likes it when the ref's get beat.

SCSA v The Rock WWF title match WMXV

I personally think this was the best match of the 3 they had. It's not a classic and was more of a brawl fest overall, but then the others were too heavy on finishers imo. I still remember them showing some kind of replay and King and JR commenting on it when suddenly, out of nowhere... ROCK BOTTOM!!!! 1! 2!..... 2 and 3/4. And again, the ref's started dropping like flies soon after.

Taker v Batista WM23 WHC

For once somebody went all guns blazing on the Deadman from the word go, and refused to let up, and STILL GOT THEIR ASSES HANDED TO THEM!!!! This was an excellent back and forth match imo with both guys taking a few chances here and there, and really made me doubt the certainty of a Taker victory (silly me). Also, this was the first time that they had built up a Taker WM match properly since Taker/Kane at WM14 and by properly i mean not had a 5 week fued between Feb's PPV and WM.

And finally...

Jericho v Christian WM20

Loved every minute of this match. I've always loved both of these guys and seemed like Christian's best chance to elevate himself above mid-carder. I can still picture that hellacious Impaler DDT he hits on Jericho and the swerve ending was just classic.

Give me some time to think of top 5 gimmick matches. I need to think of at least one that doesn't involve Taker or Foley.

Oh, and i thought i'd say i don't care at all for Taker/Angle NWO2006. The ending sucked. But i say that mainly because i called it literally 5 seconds before it happened. I turned to my mate and said 'Ya know Angle's been in that triangle choke a while. It would REALLY suck if he just suddenly rolled Taker back slightly and got the win' and no sooner had i finished that sentence, that's exactly what happened. Ruined an otherwise awesome match.

I much prefer the match they had on SD before Rock v Taker v Angle, where they wrestled to a draw for the title (hence the 3 way at the PPV), where Angle had Taker in a triangle choke and Taker rolled Angle up, yet Taker tapped out at the same time the ref's hand hit for 3. Never seen that happen before.

 

[MrMars]

Well here are some of mine that have yet to be mentioned, presented in no particular order

Benoit and Jericho vs. The Two Man Power Trip, RAW
I'm actually surprised that this hasn’t been mentioned yet. I remember sitting in my buddies attic for RAW, and the idiot fell asleep before this match started. When he woke up I told him he just missed the best tag match I had ever seen, and I think that may still be true. I just re-watched it and this match is fantastic.

Joe vs. Kobashi, from Joe vs. Kobashi
Okay, this match may not have had a lot in the way of ring psychology, but it was a stiff match with a crowd that was hot as fuck. Simply put this match is more fun to watch than most that I can think of, if only because its hard to believe just how hard these two guys are hitting each other in the throat. A fun match that I often get requests to watch from my non-wrestling watching friends

Bret Hart vs Dynamite Kid - WWF mid/late 80s
Bret was very new to the WWF at this point, and Dynamite was at his very best. This match was very typical for both of these men at this point in time which is in no way a bad thing. Really fast paced, really back and fourth, and really stiff. A tremendously enjoyable match that seems to have been forgotten.

Randy Savage vs Dynamite Kid, Wrestling Classic 1985
Another great match with Dynamite and another of my favourites - Randy Savage.

Bret Hart vs Tigermask II
Just a straight up good wrestling match that was really something that I had never seen before. When I first saw it, it was refreshing to see Hart wrestle someone new, and as I watched it I found myself on the edge of my seat. A great back and fourth match that really showcased both mens strenghts.

 

[crazy88]

5. Edge & Christian vs. The New Brood( The Hardys)- Finals of the Terri Invitational Tournament-Ladder Match-No Mercy 1999- If you think back to 1999, the ladder match in the WWE was a completly different type of match before these four men got a hold of it. And in the process completly changed the ladder match into what we see today. All the crazy spots, none stop action, and pulse stopping drops. Hard to imagine where Edge & the Hardy bros. careers would be without this match. Watch it. It truly is the pre-cursor of TLC.
4. Mankind vs. the Undertaker- Hell in a Cell- King of the Ring 1998- Still remember watching this one on PPV. When Foley climbs the roof to start, I was thinking " This is interesting." When Taker threw Foley off the cell, at first I jumped up excitedly, then quickly became fearful that Foley's bones were shattered. Basically spent the rest of that match wondering how in the fuck Foley was still able to stand. Single greatest demonstration of human endurance I've ever seen. Bonus of this match is watching Terry Funk take a chokeslam and convulse out of his shoes. Still hlarious!
3. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Misterio-Crusierweight Title vs. Mask- Halloween Havoc 1996- An underrated classic. The chain wrestling and counters in that match was fucking insane! Without question, Eddie brought out the best in Rey in ways that no other opponents can't. And it was further evidence that Eddie Guerrero was a truly special, gifted, and unique wrestler. While the Ironman Match between Michaels and Hart was in the same year, hard to argue with this match being named 1996 match of the year. If you've never seen it, YouTube it NOW!
2. Edge vs. Mick Foley- Hardcore Match- Wrestlemania 22- An awesome, violent match with great storytelling on a shit card. Edge and Foley worked that match to perfection. IMO, Edge is one most underappreciated workers ever. And Foley made it shine. He MADE Edge legit. And that spear through the flaming table on the outside is fucking nuts! And watch Edge as he crawls to cover Foley with blood gushing INTO HIS FUCKING EYEBALLS is just crazy!
1. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho- Wrestlemania 19- The definition of a lost treasure. the psychology of that match is off the charts. The storytelling is perfect. And the wrestling is second to none. The counters, the back and forth. You had no idea what would happen next! And Jericho's impersenation of Michaels is one part flattery, one part genius, and the rest the extraordinary ability of Chris Jericho. The roll-up finish was unexpected to say the least. And the post match was even better. Jericho in tears, the hug between the two and you're thinking " What a great ending." Then Jericho kicking Michaels square in the nuts made it even better.
Many of the matches listed in previous posts are also amongst my personal favorites, I wanted to list some matches I had not seen listed and I feel have slipped through the cracks.
Amongst my honorable mentions
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels Summerslam 2002
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack Royal Rumble/ No Way Out 2000
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Wrestlemania 12
The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. the Undertaker Vengance 2002
Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar No Way Out 2004