ANTHONY BENIGNO. 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. Its just one of those things that not a lot needs to be said. This match, and the standing ovation that followed, would be CM Punk's last great moment in WWE. So he lied, cheated, and stole, with Lesnar succumbing to Goldberg's spear, a belt shot to the head, and a Frog Splash, before finally going down for the 1-2-3. @JOEYSTYLES, Every Superstar in the locker room is a fan at heart, but Bayley was always a little more outward about it than others. That night, September 1997, was just the perfect place, the perfect time, and a great opponent in Triple H, who took it to the next level and allowed me to have that moment in the sun. We disagree, and believe this match delivered exactly what it promised - The End of an Era. Funk offered Flair a chance to quit before this match even started. Very proud of it. SCOTT TAYLOR, Once upon a time, a small organization based in northeast Japan so perfected its intricate and high-flying take on the three-on-three match format that it birthed a genre unto itself called the Michinoku Pro Six-Man Tag. "Cactus Jack was awesome in WCW, because he was so different. All these years later, it still hurts, but such a classic can only hurt so good. It was Mr. McMahon's idea to let me become these characters, because they all had unique stories and they kind of worked in conjunction with Mankind. In many ways, the opening chapter of the legendary Steamboat-Flair trilogy played out like the first movement of a symphony. You truly believed Steve Austin would do anything to beat The Rock. Yes, it's easy to forget Austin was once one of the world's greatest technical wrestlers, but this match (and his neck injury later that year at SummerSlam) transformed his style and the "WWE style" for the next decade, making this arguably the most influential match ever. Thats the blessing of 'Can you do it?' They had toppled The Brothers of Destruction, Undertaker and Kane, to win the tag team championship and appeared unstoppable. In 2001, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H were running roughshod over the WWE as the "Two-Man Power Trip," basically an evil version of the Mega Powers. I can't all of a sudden become a great amateur wrestler, but I can be the underdog Shawn Michaels. Namely, Guerrero's nuanced character work, which elevated everyone around him, and Lesnar's selling, which managed to make him look vulnerable, even when wrestling a man half his size. Consider this: the Hell In A Cell match was once the ultimate stipulation. It's The Wrestling Classic here with another list for ONE37pm. Or should we say, Cactus Jack. It was a pitch-perfect old-school championship bout, a match that felt big not because of the effects or the stage, but because everybody in the arena so fully believed that this was the most important match ever. How do you possibly top one of the greatest matches of all time, The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 25? What if we had a WrestleMania to work with? Though Vader escaped the Figure Four, Flair was able to take out the giants weakened knee and pin him to win the title and continue his epic career. JAMES WORTMAN. Everybody seems to push it and go beyond that peak. If so, finish reading this list, grab a tasty beverage, settle down in a comfy seat and immediately get eyes on the Champion vs. Champion Match featuring Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler from Bragging Rights 2010. The "Hit Man" shook the No. BOBBY MELOK, Ah, yes. "But even I, Bret Harts staunchest supporter, found it hard to not get behind Austin in that match. Both men knew it would, as they threw their best at one another in this grueling 60-minute contest. The backstory is that Flair was on his way out the door to return to WCW, and so this match was slapped onto Raw without a ton of promotion, but that hardly mattered: These two guys told a complete story in the ring (with the aid of Flairs manager, Bobby Heenan, who was on commentary) that somehow elevated these unusually legitimate stakes. But at Survivor Series 2001, the war finally hit the ring when 10 of the biggest, baddest Superstars came to fight for their respective companies. 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. But whatever followed, we'll always have this match, an expertly paced, old school brawl that had both guys emerge even bigger stars. In the end, Bryan prevailed, defeating Triple H in what one of the best opening matches in WrestleMania history, and Triple H's last great match before retiring in 2022. You can teach pro wrestling moves. The Nature Boy fought back in spurts, even sending Vader face-first into the ringpost. Four of WWE's Superstars of Tomorrow left an indelible mark in the minds of the WWE Universe at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way. TOM HERRERA. While he'd still have great matches, this injury ended his legendary 2000-2001 run, when he seemingly couldn't have a bad match. They do stuff in that match thats never been replicated. But lo and behold, Cena got it done, whittling away at Styles indomitable will to win the WWE Championship and finally tie The Nature Boys record. 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. The Big Red Machine tombstoned The Dead Man, while a broken-down Michaels crawled over Undertaker to steal the win. SAM ROBERTS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, They say records were made to be broken, but even as John Cena inched closer and closer to Ric Flairs 16 World Championships, it seemed unlikely that The Cenation Leader would tie the mark heading into the 2017 Royal Rumble. But while the reign was short, the match stands the test of time. And not just because it created was the biggest draw of all time, but because of the story it told and especially the matches it produced. WWE 2K23 is revealing the ratings for each of its wrestlers, and there are definitely some surprises. In the bouts opening minutes, the ECW Arena fans, distracted by a disorderly fan, chanted "Throw him out!" This match was iconic before the bell even rang, because on a deeper level it represented two schools of pro wrestling. has become every bit as boilerplate as shouting "What?" - The match must be available on WWE Network. Although it was Jeff and Matt Hardy who claimed victory, all four Superstars received a standing ovation the next night on Raw. The first fall was a regular one-on-one match, the second fall was a Street Fight, and the third fall was a steel cage match. GREG ADKINS. BOBBY MELOK. Is it a little premature to declare Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins from Hell In A Cell 2022 an all-time classic? Top Rated Wrestling Matches Top Rated of All Time Current Champions Roman Reigns (WWE Raw) Roman Reigns (WWE SD) Maxwell Jacob Friedman (AEW) Bron Breakker (NXT) Claudio Castagnoli (ROH) Josh Alexander (Impact) Daniel Garcia (PWG) Tyrus (NWA) Yuji Nagata (AJPW) Kazuchika Okada (NJPW) Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) El Hijo Del Vikingo (AAA) And then themed PPVs happened. The match feels real at least as real as a fight between two guys forced to climb a ladder as both guys used the ladder as a weapon to win, not as a prop to pop the crowd. "It was an incredible match, and if you watch it back now, it still holds up like a great movie. Top Rated Wrestling Matches Top Rated of All Time Current Champions (WWE Raw) (WWE SD) Bron Breakker (NXT) (ROH) Josh Alexander (Impact) Daniel Garcia Tyrus (NWA) Yuji Nagata (AJPW) Kazuchika Okada (NJPW) Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) El Hijo Del Vikingo (AAA) Gran Guerrero (CMLL) Levaniel (wXw) PWI Magazine Top Rated Matches of All Time 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. Due to overexposure, "the Devil's playground" became basic. Besides having to call every move and counter as if my voice was being sped up by audio editing, I witnessed firsthand some of the most amazing sequences in history. Flair was well established as "The Nature Boy" while Sting was a face-painted maverick rising in popularity thanks to his electric charisma. Steve Austin. The Royal Rumble in 2010 is definitely in the latter category. There's no doubt that part of the match's power is cringe-watching Rhodes wrestle with a completely torn pectoral muscle, his solid purple chest ultimate proof of just how much he wanted to defeat Rollins. 2 title" feel like its most coveted. Royal Rumble (2000) The 2000 Royal Rumble gets off to a fantastic start with Taz making his WWE pay-per-view debut against Kurt Angle. Styles also held on to the WWE. And when the champion finally prevailed despite a spirited effort by the challenger, they embraced as a sign of respect. Yeah, it was pretty metal. Although Hell in a Cell brought out the very best, and the very worst, in The Cerebral Assassin, The Undertaker ultimately sealed the victory with a Tombstone Piledriver as a weary HBK made the three-count that ended an era. 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. What really stands out for me and Rey personally was the locker room was very intrigued by how small Rey was and how young he looked. The Miz - 2.75 Becky Lynch (c) vs. Liv Morgan (WWE Raw Women's Championship) - 3.25 'Taker finally granted Michaels his wish, but for a price HBK's career. They told me, 'Dustin, shut up. His back was in terrible condition. But that's hardly surprising, given the careers both men had in WWE and it's. ", If you like watching two men beat the tar out of one another, this is just the match for you. Instead, it turned into a brutal, "No DQ" brawl between two technical wrestlers putting on a violent, bloody masterpiece. And when that identity is put on the line in a match, it makes that bout incredibly personal. His bout with Jericho was "just" a match. The fact it was against Triple H (whose "Reign of Terror" in 2003 was still fresh in fan's minds) made it that much more tense. Who knows? You can watch it as a standalone amazing match and see it unfold. The insane match between Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka was one of the craziest pro-wrestling displays ever recorded, but in reality, the entire card was stupendous. @JOEYSTYLES, In front of more than 70,000 fans in the Georgia Dome, two Superstars who defined an era clashed in an epic No Holds Barred Match. Triple H was in the midst of his 2000-2001 run as the WWE's resident big bad, when he seemed physically incapable of having a bad match. chants when he arrived in L.A. for SummerSlam 2013. There were even some young stars that would define the 90s, like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Despite never having held the WWETitle, the crowd favorite exuded confidence as he stood toe-to-toe with 15-time World Champion John Cena. Fox to show up like in "Back To The Future" and say: "I guess you guys aren't ready for that. Bryan defeated incumbent champion Randy Orton and potential usurper Batista in a bout that and this isnt an exaggeration the WWE Universe willed him to in the first place by way of sheer fan support. From start to finish it was brilliant storytelling. Though reviled by much of the WWE Universe for his anti-U.S. angst, Bret still had a very strong sect of support in the north. The Dead Man is debatably the greatest big man ever. After a trilogy of matches that changed sports-entertainment forever, Flair earned the respect of all that had despised him. The Game then shocked the WWE Universe when he nailed Bryan with a Pedigree and served him up to The Viper, who quickly pinned Bryan and closed the night as the new WWE Champion. during a promo. While this match would be far overshadowed by their WrestleMania 13 bloodbath, their Survivor Series 1996 showdown remains one of the finest examples of in-ring storytelling you'll ever see. Your opinions of The Undertaker vs. His performance here proved he truly was "the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.". Hes so obnoxious and youre able to root against him. But while the story was simple, the match was complex, as the two Hart brothers - both graduates of their father Stu Hart's famous basement "dungeon" - put on a pro wrestling clinic. You can guess at it, but until guys get in the ring, you dont know for sure whether they have chemistry together. And then Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat, Sting and I were on the same team. SETH ROLLINS, AS TOLD TO ZACH LINDER, John Cena and CM Punk shared a special kind of animosity. If the match would still be a classic with the sound off, it makes the cut. Sadly, Owen's life would end in tragedy just a few years later, while Bret's historic first WWE run would end in controversy. Physically, his body was completely worn out and The Rock was no longer a regular WWE Superstar, so to have this incredibly meaningful match was special. The competitors wore dog collars that connected them by a long metal chain. Their three matches throughout that year were revelatory, but the grand finale in Nashville featured the most unexpected outcome of all. Triple Hs statement was, I am a main-event wrestler, Im not part of a group, I can excel on my own, and I think we both proved those points pretty emphatically. But, by the time the match was over, fans didnt even care about Flair anymore. He had retired and it was very unceremonious and under the radar. But as Bray emphatically told the Hounds of Justice, "I welcome this war!" CM Punk, Those words provided the backdrop of betrayal that framed the match billed as "The Best vs. It was awesome to see that he could get right back on the bike after four years like hed never left." Title, including attempting to get himself disqualified to lose the match but not the gold. What more can be said about Bret Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's submission match at Wrestlemania 13? There was just something very humble and working-class Canadian about his overall presentation, and he looked so cool. The fact that its my personal favorite and Randys personal favorite, given all the great matches hes been through, is pretty telling. 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. Although their post-match hug was short-lived and offset by Jericho kicking Michaels in the crotch their meeting at WrestleMania will go down as one of sports-entertainments true show stealers. 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. Flair and Funk were operating at such a high level at this point in time that they could hardly go wrong, but somehow they exceeded any expectations, elevating each others games to a sort of pro wrestling platonic ideal. 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. Put him against The Excellence of Execution and you get one of the top 30 matches in WWE history. The two competitors had been at each others throats over the WWE Championship for the entirety of 2003 at this point, and everything came to a head here. "I thought I would collect on the Lloyd's of London policy that would kick in after a 450-pound man sandwiched me. 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