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Best Near-falls.


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We get loads of "best finish to a match" type of threads, so I thought I'd switch it up a bit.

 

This one immediately springs to mind for me and is the only time I seriously thought the streak was over - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAp0Q8GWuF8...feature=related

 

HHH acts perfectly after it, scurrying away in absolute shock and fear.

 

Any more?

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We get loads of "best finish to a match" type of threads, so I thought I'd switch it up a bit.

 

This one immediately springs to mind for me and is the only time I seriously thought the streak was over - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAp0Q8GWuF8...feature=related

 

HHH acts perfectly after it, scurrying away in absolute shock and fear.

 

Any more?

 

That right there is the perfect near fall. As you say, it was the only time that many fans actually believed the streak was over. I don't think you'll find many better than that.

 

Obviously there were many superb near-falls in the two Undertaker/HBK Wrestlemania matches that will be mentioned in here.

 

However, I will nominate (from 4:30) THIS. I thought Angle was almost dead when I watched this as a kid and yet he managed to kick out of the Stunner.

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sorry for the lack of a link, Taker vs. HHH at Mania X7 for me

 

Taker hoists Hunter up for the last ride and Hunter drills him with the sledgehammer while elevated, I watched it a few months ago and was sucked in that much I thought Hunter had won even though I know that 10 years later the streak continues

 

edit:

3:30 onwards

 

great idea for a thread

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HBK kicks out of the Tombstone in their first Mania match. I thought it was done. It's probably the only nearfall I've watched on TV which has made me leap in the air with delight.

 

EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQVQdWERe34

God, JR adds to that match so much

 

JR makes all of these. He's just perfect on big matches. As well as Cole did, I can only imagine how great JR would've been when Punk kicked out of the second FU at Money in the Bank last year.

 

Actually, there's my contribution to the thread. I'll have a look for a video now.

 

EDIT: If this works, it's from about 41:30 onwards (full match vid~!): http://dai.ly/qfAYJF

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Yeah, anytime someone other than Hogan kicked out of the Perfectplex was one for me.

 

Remember being shocked when Warrior did it (even expecting him to win I really thought he would have countered it), same with Piper. Was even more surprised when Bret kicked out because I never saw him as being a superhuman powerhouse in the way I did Hogan/Warrior or even Piper where I sort of accepted that he would 'no-sell' things (without knowing the words 'no-sell'). Its strange because Bret beating Mr P wasn't a shock to me at all. Whereas him kicking out of the Perfectplex was a real Slammy caliber WTF? Moment for everyone at the time.

 

I think a series of near-falls can be one of the most exciting things in wrestling. Its a shame having a load of near-falls has been overexposed for a lot of people by the Indie style using the Malenko-Guerrero WoS Tribute spot because I do think they can work as 'part of the story' of a match just as well as working over someone's arm or leg.

 

I think it works well in a multi-fall match like the Rude/Steamboat Iron Man or a traditional 2/3 Falls contest. A lot of the old World of Sport matches, I think even when you can tell you are getting near the time for a fall normally when the action speeds up and both start going for pinning combos, its difficult to tell what the finish is going to be and that makes the numerous pinfall and submission attempts 'work' because any one of them could be the fall.

 

Then when you put it in a context where it isn't used much it stands out more because it really seems like both guys are trying to win early and often. I liked Savage /Steamboat at WrestleMania III for that reason - you didn't get matches like that in WWF at the time and so it stood out as something different.

 

Ricky Steamboat in general was really good at that when he was fired up but still trying to pin his opponent's shoulders to the mat as his own way of getting revenge and I liked his US Title series with Austin in 1994 for that reason. The fact that he sometimes did win with those moves, even winning both the IC and NWA World Titles with an inside cradle, made it seem believable he was going to win it with that backslide/inside cradle/jacknife-pin this time.

 

From modern guys Edge was pretty good at it - there are plenty of things he rightly got criticised for like his weak-looking offense, but he was normally pretty good at making his false finishes look the same as his actual finishes - as is The Undertaker who never really worked that numerous near-fall style until the 2000s (unless I'm forgetting something even at his 1996-98 peak it seemed like when he beat you it was over) but has become great at reacting to them which is one of the reasons 'The Streak' gimmick is so effective. The WM match between the two of them a few years back was built entirely around that premise with Edge being not the biggest threat to 'The Streak' in terms of physical attributes like speed, skill, strength or toughness but being the only person in the history of it who was mentally a step ahead and countering Undertaker's possible finishes but Undertaker (no dummy himself in kayfabe terms) always having another one up his sleeve.

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Seeing as my favourites have already been mentioned (HHH's tombstone and the Angle Slam), I'll throw this one in. The Rock kicking out of the Stunner at WM17 right in the thick of Austin turning heel. The thing that makes this the most is that there is hardly any rest between the Stunner and the pin, it all just happened so quick!

 

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We get loads of "best finish to a match" type of threads, so I thought I'd switch it up a bit.

 

This one immediately springs to mind for me and is the only time I seriously thought the streak was over - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAp0Q8GWuF8...feature=related

 

HHH acts perfectly after it, scurrying away in absolute shock and fear.

 

Any more?

Before I opened this thread, that sprung to mind instantly. A truly goosebump moment.

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