highest rated wwe matches of all time
Every single minute of this bout was intense and every competitor added his own wild moments to the highlight reel in a mad scramble for the coveted Money in the Bank briefcase. By the time he finally delivered the defining Helluva Kick to fell Neville, he had fulfilled his destiny as the champion the NXT Universe always knew him to be. Triple H was a multi-time champion by the end of the millennium, but still wasn't connecting with fans at a main event level. Whats Austin gonna do, hit a Stunner and then walk out the cage door? But they do a full-on Steel Cage Match. You can't overpower The Beast Incarnate, you can only hope to outwrestle him. News; Wikipedia . "Imagine competing at a WrestleMania against your brother. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. 1 contenders hand at the bout's outset. This one hurts, but tough choices must be made. Pinfalls, submissions and even disqualifications played a hand in the final result, which was highlighted by Angle fighting desperately and futilely for a comeback in the final 15 minutes. However, the event was stolen by two veteran wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. Is this guy old enough to drive a car?'. When Flair came to Texas to put his NWA Title on the line against Kerry Von Erich, the fans hoped they would see their local hero score an upset against the established champ, but what they got was even better a moral victory that spun off into the greatest rivalry in Texas wrestling history: the Von Erichs versus the Freebirds. The 11 minutes of mayhem saw the two future WWE Superstars use everything in their offensive arsenals as well as lots of steel chairs. A flamboyant, cocky and dastardly grappler that was an expert in his craft and he knew it. It's brief, but the actions and decisions really hit the right notes for . Everyone seems to remember the bookend moments of their instant-classic rivalry, such as Punks hot-fire pipe bomb where he took Cena to task for his perceived dominance and trashed WWE itself for imposing a glass ceiling over underappreciated mid-carders, and of course, The Second City Saints kiss-off goodbye to Mr. McMahon with the title in hand. First, it has to be a greatmatch, not just a great spectacle. 1 Many big names have already been revealed, so. In turn, their pay-per-view match became something of a show-stealer, punctuated by its jaw-dropping ending in which The Man of 1,000 Holds reversed a superplex attempt into a top-rope DDT. The loathed "Nature Boy" earned both the ire and respect (begrudgingly) of WWE fans as he entered the 30-man clash at No. The two collided on the Road To WrestleMania in a match that highlighted not only their "types" (high-flyer vs. power wrestler), but also the little things that made them two of the best ever. Yet that's exactly what Bam Bam Bigelow did, setting up this personal slugfest between two of the toughest men in ECW, right in Bam Bam's hometown of Asbury Park, N.J. From the get-go, Tazz and Bam Bam tore into each other like two predators on a National Geographic documentary. Austin lost, but became a hero. This was before the internet, so it's likely that many regional fans weren't familiar with Flair. Randy Savage and DDP go hardcore, Ultimo Dragon and Yuji Nagata light up Las Vegas, Chris Jericho endures a struggle with Gedo and the Nature Boy brawls with Mr. In a classic Champion vs. Champion struggle, both Superstars left everything they had on the canvas, before Warrior overcame The Hulkster and took his place in the annals of WWE greatness. Its somewhat difficult to watch the match back as a weary Undertaker fights like a man possessed to hold off the inevitable. The shift began with his on-screen marriage to Stephanie McMahon and her subsequent turn to the dark side, betraying her father and forming the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. But it always could go the other way. It took years for me to get over his rivalry with Bret Hart. While gimmick matches can be used to disguise weak selling and bad storytelling, that was not the case here. This was the biggest match in my career and probably the last time that my heart was completely in being in the ring. Its one of those moves where every time you watch it you dont remember how bad it was. I think everybody sort of feels 25 is a smidge better than 26, but not enough to bother anybody. " Some dudes just "click" and that certainly applies to Mark Calaway and Michael Hickenbottom, better known by their respective ring names of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Unfortunately, a cruel twist of fate would force Bryan to vacate the title soon after, starting a chain of events that would ultimately lead to his retirement. "Being inside WarGames is intimidating. WRESTLEMANIA 35 - Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair A groundbreaking winner-takes-all match for both the Raw and SmackDown women's championships that saw Becky Lynch become the. Okay, so Undertaker and Triple H would lock up again, but this match felt like the culmination of the Attitude Era and the blood feud that bound two of its biggest stars for more than a decade. The fact he missed it keeps this match out of the top 20, but there's no denying few WrestleMania main events aimed higher and absolutely nailed the landing. There was hardly a more cutting-edge act in the mid-90s, and ECW, a small organization based in northeast U.S., looked to bolster the lineup of its pay-per-view premiere by importing six of the Michinoku Pros top performers, including Kaientai, who arrived in Blue World Order threads. But on that night, only one man could. "I dont think Rey knew it was a pay-per-view. TOM HERRERA. SETH ROLLINS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, John Cena and CM Punk shared a special kind of animosity. Every factor was working against John Cena's favor heading into his hot-blooded Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match against WWE Champion Edge. It was a great Vengeance in July 2002 and an unbelievable Triple Threat main event that saw WWE Undisputed Champion Undertaker, The Rock and Kurt Angle strike down upon each other with furious anger and with one anothers signature moves, including a Rock-charged chokeslam, an Angle-executed Rock Bottom and an Undertaker-driven Angle Slam. WWE's first Hell in a Cell Match is best known for giving us our first glimpse of Kane, who tore the door off the notorious structure to get his hands on The Undertaker, costing his brother the match. DAVID SHOEMAKER, What many of Rey Mysterios most flagrant imitators and theres a generation of them too often overlook is that the lucha icon didnt perform dazzling maneuvers just because they looked cool. MICHAEL BURDICK. The challenger ruled the day, but the methods making that result possible set the bar for all of the Cruiserweight competitors who would follow in the footsteps of these larger-than-life fighters. It was a shocking sight that reminded the WWE Universe that The Phenom was most certainly mortal. used it to his advantage, forcing Blanchard to quit and reclaiming the U.S. Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels in WWE's first-ever televised Ladder Match, becoming the undisputed Intercontinental Champion. What's even more remarkable is that it was billed as a submission match with one guy who didn't have one (Austin), a recipe for disaster. The Human Suplex Machine clotheslined Bigelow through the timekeeper's table, and later T-Bone Tazzplexed him off the entrance ramp and onto the steel guardrail. And coming from the Hart family, the expectations were very high. These same fans felt ignored by the WWE for decades and poured their frustrations into CM Punk, who carried their dreams on his shoulders like he was delivering a GTS. Wrestlemania 10 12. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat. The Nature Boy fought back in spurts, even sending Vader face-first into the ringpost. I bruised my sternum, because I did the running knee in the corner and hit my sternum because I was literally moving faster than I ever had before. And then, to top it off, Jericho emerged an even bigger heel, hugging Michaels as a ruse to kick him in the junk. ANTHONY BENIGNO. John Cena vs. CM Punk is not only the best match of either man's careers or even the best match of the 2010s. At its worst, it's just a battle royal stretched out for 60 minutes, with a bunch of random guys punching each other, while the audience impatiently counts down the next entrant. Despite fits of offensive brilliance by The Straight Edge Superstar in the No Disqualification Match, The Beast Incarnate emerged victorious with an F-5 onto a steel chair and more than a little help from the nefarious Heyman. Mick Foley described the bout best when he told WWE.com that his clash with Austin was, "The kind of match you could show to someone and say, 'This is why Im a wrestling fan.' One of the most infamously vicious battles youll find on WWE Network is also one of NWA/WCWs finest. Every near-fall is suspenseful. "Kurt came with a reputation. In many ways it was a simple match in a relatively humble setting, but inside the ring, this was an epic. Ultimately, the match ended the only way it could with Michaels' final defeat following two Tombstones. Even the World Titles were reversed as The Rock entered with the WCW Championship and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin captained the WCW and ECW Alliance while WWE Champion. Triple H was a guy who was able to bring out the best in me, and thats one of the hallmarks of a great opponent. You truly believed Steve Austin would do anything to beat The Rock. The run-up to this match included some of the greatest hairdos and outfits ever worn in wrestling history, and the match certainly lived up to such sartorial expectations. That means the only way to appreciate their historic trio of clashes is to experience the pace and exhilaration of this opening Allegro in its entirety. ANTHONY BENIGNO. But what better way to go out than one of the greatest tag team matches in WWE history, and the greatest "Monday Night Raw" match, period? "I love that match because of the unpredictability of it. CRAIG TELLO, Do you love wrestling? Hart had his work cut out for him. Their second meeting resulted in Vader taking Stings WCW Championship. Overrun segment: 2: Steve Austin, The Rock & Vince McMahon vs. I identified with Bret. In front of Bulldogs fellow Brits, Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith got Wembley Stadium to rattle at its core, while viewers around the world teetered at their seats edge for the culmination of a squared circle chess match. Maybe that wasnt the right thing to do.' I wanted to end on a high note. "I wouldn't have necessarily predicted beforehand that Orton and Christian would have been so great together. "It was always so hard to tell who the crowd was going to root for more. It was wild and it was extreme. Just watch him in the very best match of his career against Eddie Guerrero at Halloween Havoc 1997. After the match, you halfway expected Michael J. " RICKY STEAMBOAT, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER. But some of the best moments in pro wrestling history involve a third party, and theres no match that balanced three separate sets of motivations better than this one. It was a cool dynamic to see Sting try to take the fight to Cactus Jack." They always had their issues, but neither could deny that the other brought out his best. Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (Unsanctioned match, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans,. MATTHEW ARTUS. Kurt helped me and showed me how I can look like a better wrestler, reversing moves and getting out of holds and things of that nature. We had our big series of matches in '97, but by 2000 I was really feeling the effects of that hardcore in-ring style. You could make the case that this was the best of their three WrestleMania matches because they knew each other so well at this point. The Royal Rumble is the easiest match to book, but the hardest match to book well. Try this on for size. However, the debut of The Devil's Favorite Demon, as iconic as it was, shouldn't overshadow one of the most brutal confrontations in either The Phenom's or HBK's legendary careers. But the shadow of the epic showdown at King of the Ring has lingered ever since. But really, where could it go from here? At 44, Styles is still one of the best performers in the company and has had classic matches with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, and John Cena. The Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven one of the "biggest" main events in WrestleMania history (right up there with Hogan vs. Andre), but it was also the best WrestleMania main event. It really wasnt a rivalry about who was better. Sadly, Owen's life would end in tragedy just a few years later, while Bret's historic first WWE run would end in controversy. And then Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat, Sting and I were on the same team. When you watch the match, you have a feeling that the only people who truly know its the end are Austin and The Rock. The Huggable One had spent her entire NXT career unable to suppress her awe at competing in WWE even while she ostensibly chased a championship. "It might not have necessarily been a great idea for Austin to even have this match. SCOTT TAYLOR. Maybe "The Nature Boy" thought that getting inside "Macho Man's" head would make Savage lose focus, get disqualified and in doing so, fail to win the WWE Championship. Your opinions of The Undertaker vs. The five greatest matches in NXT history September 14, 2021 Ryan Satin FOX Sports WWE Analyst By Ryan Satin FOX Sports WWE Analyst Before a new version of NXT is unveiled Tuesday night, let's. The victory put to rest the idea that Bryan was a "weak link" and proved The Shield could be beaten. SHEAMUS, AS TOLD TO JUSTIN LESLIE. So what makes their bout at WrestleMania 25 the greatest? In John Cena, you had the larger-than-life, musclebound, clean-cut babyface favored by Vince McMahon and mainstream "sports entertainment" fans; and in CM Punk you had the tattooed, flip off the system, indie wrestler beloved by a large segment of the fans. Shawn Michaels, before his 1998 injury, was one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. And then themed PPVs happened. BOBBY MELOK, Ah, yes. MITCH PASSERO, Mixing the relatively recent faces of Ric Flair and Sid Justice whod popped up in WWE with stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Roddy Piper, plus, a rapidly ascending Undertaker, the 1992 Royal Rumble Match had the composition of a dream Battle Royal. Fans were rabid for this match, creating an absolutely electric environment. Anyone who says Foley was just a "gloried stunt guy" needs to watch this match to see what an exceptional storyteller he could be. There was so much history, and it never manifested better than it does in this match. Alberto Del Rio defeated Christian in a great match for the World Heavyweight Championship. MIKE MURPHY. BOBBY MELOK, Guilty as Charged 1999 will be remembered as the event at which Tazz finally won the ECW Championship, but the best match on the pay-per-view was Tajiri vs. Super Crazy. ANTHONY BENIGNO. Lock and made his black-clad adversary tap out. I can't all of a sudden become a great amateur wrestler, but I can be the underdog Shawn Michaels. With an opportunity to challenge The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29 on the line, Cena and Punk dug deep into their arsenals to create an instant classic on Raw. Christian's been around a long time and Randy Orton's a third-generation Superstar who is so natural. GREG ADKINS. And in that brief time period they could experience everything that Edge and I went through. Unquestionably, watching a Peoples Champion on the verge of electrifying millions through other avenues go toe-to-toe with a sports-entertainment legend who had lost his way to the vices of "Hollywood" and a New World Order is appointment viewing. If it is carnage you seek, youll find it at Extreme Rules 2012, wherein Brock Lesnar elbowed John Cenas head into the proverbial crimson mask within minutes of the opening bell and didnt wrestle the Cenation leader so much as torture him for the duration of this 20-minute flogging disguised as a pay-per-view main event. Styles also held on to the WWE. Announcers Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross had trouble keeping up with the action as the teams launched tables and chairs at each other. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. It wasn't one thing. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and TLC II at WrestleMania X-Seven. KEVIN POWERS, The managerial services of Terri Runnels and $100,000 were on the line when The Hardy Boyz went to war with archrivals Edge and Christian in the deciding match of the Terri Invitational Tournament. Thats what new wrestlers are learning today. I didnt want to do that and be like George Costanza. But dont dismiss this WrestleWar 1990 main event as another night of The Nature Boy dragging an outmatched opponent to the Promised Land. Both competitors were battered and bloodied as they unloaded from their diverse arsenal of moves, with Lynn delivering perhaps the biggest highlight of the night: a sunset flip powerbomb that drove RVD through a table on the outside floor. In many ways, the opening chapter of the legendary Steamboat-Flair trilogy played out like the first movement of a symphony. Several months later, people started talking WrestleMania, and the realization of really ending it on a high point was there, and nobody does that. The fans in Madison Square Garden, and mainstream wrestling fans in general, had never seen anything like this. Both duos represented four of WCWs most popular stars at the time, making this a unique and rarely seen battle of fan favorites. We disagree, and believe this match delivered exactly what it promised - The End of an Era. The Miz - 2.75 Becky Lynch (c) vs. Liv Morgan (WWE Raw Women's Championship) - 3.25 The match stands as a landmark moment in all of their careers. "If youre gonna get beat by a guy, you might as well get beat by his best move. It was inventive and breathtaking, unlike anything that had. For example, the most famous spot, when Edge speared a dangling Jeff Hardy from a ladder. Kurt can do anything. Following The Rock and Steve Austin's showdown is no easy task, but Angle and Lesnar put on a clinic while constantly pushing each other's competitive hunger to another level. I remembered what Ricky Steamboat taught me about showmanship, what Bobby Eaton taught me about punching, Arn with his general a**kicking and I tried to mimic everything I did after Barry Windham. I cant pinpoint why I liked Bret so much. Alas, while this match does hold up, it is also hampered by its stipulation. With both Brock and Angle coming from standout amateur wrestling backgrounds, it's no surprise these two elite athletes took their battle to the mat at first, before The Anomaly poured on the pure strength to wear down his opponent. I was so stoked to see it. From WrestleMania 30 to ECW Hardcore TV #97, weve reviewed everything available on WWEs groundbreaking streaming platform, and done our very best to rank its greatest 100 matches to celebrate the three-year anniversary of its launch. He loved Bret Hart just like me, but as the match was unfolding, he started to hate Bret and love Austin. Of course, the No. But it wasnt just the personal drama that made this one of the best Intercontinental Title Matches of all time. I said, 'I dont want to miss my kids growing up.' While Flair was the highlight, all 29 other guys delivered the goods. Truly great matches don't just get stars, they create them. Had the match featured actual falls throughout, or better yet, not been booked as an Iron Man match, but simply a singles match that happened to go the full Broadway, plus overtime, it'd be higher. A moment that few people thought would ever happen. In an hour-long Iron Man match, both Michaels and Hart infamously refused to take the first fall. The best match is up to you, the WWE fan. The little brother, Owen, was cast in Brets shadow and was always compared to Bret. Most Watched WWE Cable Matches . Savage and Steamboat wrestled in a fast-paced, athletic classic that never slowed down for even a second during its entire 15-minute runtime. ", Savage abused everyone caught in his crosshairs, piledriving referee Mark Curtis and slapping announcer Dave Penzer, while DDP the hardest-working man in WCW earnestly fought the good fight. The Nature Boy entered at #3 and, despite having at least 10 years on most of his opponents, wrestled at full speed for more than an hour without ever needing to take a breath. Instead, it turned into a brutal, "No DQ" brawl between two technical wrestlers putting on a violent, bloody masterpiece. In particular, the TLC match consisting of the Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, and Edge & Christian is arguably one of the most superb matches in WWE history. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. The highest-rated episode of Raw ever (8.1) saw Commissioner Shawn Michaels book a bunch of bizarre matches such as Big Show vs. Paul Bearer, Cactus Jack vs. Mideon & Viscera in a hardcore match, Bradshaw vs. Farooq in a lumberjack match and the Mean Street Posse vs. Patterson & Brisco in a Loser Leaves WWE match. We must acknowledge that Benoit's heinous actions in 2007 puts a huge black cloud on this match, but taken in isolation this is truly one of the greatest WWE matches in history. Mysterio challenged Dragon for possession of the J-Crown, a collection of unified titles that the reigning champion wore to ringside with relish. CRAIG TELLO. But the gimmick earned its reputation as "The Devil's Playground" due to what went down in this match (and to be fair, the infamous Undertaker-Mankind match at King of the Ring 1998). SHAWN MICHAELS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, Sports-entertainment fans can be a jaded bunch. But, by the time the match was over, fans didnt even care about Flair anymore. The storyline went that Michaels was willing to do anything to get his rematch against Undertaker, including eliminating his best friend Triple H from the Royal Rumble and costing Undertaker the title at Elimination Chamber. Yawn. This month I. Royal rumble 2001 7. But he, and we, will always have New Orleans. In his first Wrestlemania match back after returning from injury, he took on young Canadian star Chris Jericho in the highest rated match on the card that year. "Shawn was the perfect opponent because he was small enough that I could do some big guy stuff. Sign up for Peacock to watch. Youd be foolish not to rush to relive it. Summerslam 2002 4. John Cena vs Shawn Michaels - Monday Night Raw (April 27, 2007) The first in the list of John Cena best matches is The Champ vs The Heart Break Kid! Chris Jericho would probably agree with that assessment, as Y2J grew up idolizing The Showstopper. In a match that can be considered one of the finest displays of technical wrestling ever, Perfect worked over Hart and thought he had retained his title, only for the "Hit Man" to kick out of the Perfect Plex. Wrestlemania 17 2. No weapons. Title from Blanchard, but also humiliate his opponent and, ultimately, Tullys Four Horsemen cohorts. The bout started with all four men brawling around ringside. "I was so fortunate to have fought all the great guys from The Attitude Era, but Triple H caught me at the tail end of my full-time career. It's all of the above and so much more. MATTHEW ARTUS. Shawn Michaels is arguably the greatest in-ring performer ever, period. He was able to adapt to Sting and was one of his better opponents. Antalya Escort Antalya Eskort Bayan - Yaklak 1 yl nce PES vs FIFA rap yazmaya baladm. In fact, before this rubber match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, the WWE Universe had never seen one on SmackDown or Raw. Brock was once again a monster (which his streak-ending victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX would cement), while even in defeat, CM Punk was again a beloved babyface. PES DRAFT PES 2019 ! "Ive seen enough," Heenan said, satiated, even a little disgusted, after the pinfall. Was The Rock victorious that momentous March night in 2002? - WWE.com recognizes sports-entertainment as ultimately subjective. A lot of people loved Christian and had been waiting for him to have that moment in the main event, and he turned out to physically be the perfect match for Randy Orton. High-flying NXT Champion Neville battled three worthy competitors the world-renowned Sami Zayn, the self-absorbed Tyler Breeze and "Natties husband," the overconfident Tyson Kidd in the NXT Arena in the brand's first Fatal 4-Way Match. Naturally, Flair targeted Rhodes' ankle from the get-go, sending Dusty scrambling into the Atlanta crowd to recover. Nothing to fall back on but both men's raw talent. Michaels and Hart made their match feel real, as real as any boxing match or MMA fight. Its a cool relationship, it really is. The day that lives in infamy. DEAN MALENKO, AS TOLD TO BRIAN PELLEGATTO, Remember earlier, when we said the long way is the best? So while Michaels vs. Hart at WrestleMania XII isn't perfect, it belongs on this list for its unprecedented display of pure athleticism and emotional storytelling. Any "best of" list is bound to stir up opinions; this one is no different. While he'd still have great matches, this injury ended his legendary 2000-2001 run, when he seemingly couldn't have a bad match. "I really thought it was going to be the last move I ever did in wrestling," Foley told WWE.com. In ranking these moments, its tough to top "Stone Cold" Steve Austin siding with the Devil himself and becoming Mr. McMahons corporate champion at the close of WrestleMania X-Seven. Not only was Steve Austin vs. It's chemistry that turns great matches into all-time masterpieces. There were even some young stars that would define the 90s, like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Don't have WWE Network? TOM HERRERA. Hart won, but emerged a villain. The back-and-forth bout ended with the plucky, ever-resilient Michaels failing in his comeback and succumbing to Angle's vicious ankle lock. Rey's a very special performer, as we all know. Few competitors enamored her the way Sasha Banks did, which is why nobody knew if Bayley could finally put aside childish things to defeat her for the NXT Womens Title at the very first TakeOver: Brooklyn. I am fortunate to have those things happen more times than not in my life, which is why I am continuously, unbelievably thankful and amazed at what I was fortunate enough to be a part of. 1 post 0. So many of the greatest matches are two top-tier performers going toe-to-toe in the ring thats what wrestlings built on. It was elementary that Flair soon applied the Figure-Four Leglock, but Rhodes fought through the pain, survived the Horsemens interference and caught the champion in a small package to win the title.
