Favourite Build-Ups Ever

[Liam O'Rourke]

Just getting an early jump on this as I saw some suggestions in my previous thread, but for next week's podcast we're looking at the Best Build-Ups in Wrestling History, and would love to get some feedback on which ones really worked for you and why.

 

The only criteria is that it can apply to a show, a match, or a debut, but essentially it's simple - which hype jobs were the best ones you ever saw and truly worked to get you more excited to see something than you've ever been otherwise for wrestling? The more explanation on why you loved the build, the better.

 

As always, we'll be reading the best contributions on the show and crediting you accordingly, so what do you think?

 

EDIT - The show discussing your candidates for Best Build-Ups is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/2h6fxu/SCGRadio47-TheBestBuildUpsinWrestlingHistory.mp3

[Heartbreak Kid]

I will start with some obvious ones.

 

Sting/Hogan was over 18 months of build.

Kane/Undertaker which effectively started in March 1997 until their match at Wrestlemania 14.

[rollthedice]

Rock/Austin Wrestlemania 17 - The sit down interview with JR was brilliant and will always be remembered aswell as the my way limp bizkit video.

 

HHH/Undertaker Wrestlemania 28 - Undertaker basically begging HHH for the rematch as he saw his previous years win as a loss was a different take on the usual streak storyline. Add in the history both had in HIAC matches, HBK as the ref and the 'end of an era' moniker and you've got a perfect build to a fantastic match that really was the end of an era.

[LaGoosh]

Rock/Austin Wrestlemania 17 - The sit down interview with JR was brilliant and will always be remembered aswell as the my way limp bizkit video.

 

I think because of that awesome Limpbizkit video a lot of people forget that weeks of the Rock/Austin buildup was based on "Debra is going to be The Rock's manager!" and it was fucking shit. They saved it with the last few weeks though when they dropped that shit.

[Heartbreak Kid]

Rock/Austin Wrestlemania 17 - The sit down interview with JR was brilliant and will always be remembered aswell as the my way limp bizkit video.

 

 

Loved the sit down interview and the My Way video but didn't think the build was anywhere near as good as it should have been. It was only 1 month long and it was mainly built around Debra being in Rock's corner or something like that. Could have been so much better. But really Rock/Austin sold itself.

[rollthedice]

Yeah I'm basing the build pretty much on the Jr interview, my way video, did they also use each others finishers on each other? As heartbreak kid said, rock/austin sells itself.

[TAFKAC]

Bret/Austin for Survivor Series 1996. Simple but effective. From what I recall, Bret wanted to come back to face the man he thought was the best - Austin. Meanwhile, Austin was really starting to find his way and there is a really good black and white video package hyping it. It also has some decent lines from both which really outline their characters. Austin simply says something along the lines of "Put an S in front of hit man and you know what I think of Bret", while Bret has a more old-school vibe and talks about MSG, "it's not a church, but it is holy ground".

 

I can't remember who says it but there is something about "they say people dream in black and white but tonight you are going to be dreaming in red". Simple.

[Heartbreak Kid]

Bret/Austin for Survivor Series 1996. Simple but effective. From what I recall, Bret wanted to come back to face the man he thought was the best - Austin. Meanwhile, Austin was really starting to find his way and there is a really good black and white video package hyping it. It also has some decent lines from both which really outline their characters. Austin simply says something along the lines of "Put an S in front of hit man and you know what I think of Bret", while Bret has a more old-school vibe and talks about MSG, "it's not a church, but it is holy ground".

It also continued all the way through to WrestleMania 13. So really, you are talking about from August 1996 through until their submission match in March 1997 they were at eachothers throats. It's the best work that Austin did in his career IMO. Two legit ***** matches and a great build which got his character over as a top guy.

[air_raid]

I think because of that awesome Limpbizkit video a lot of people forget that weeks of the Rock/Austin buildup was based on "Debra is going to be The Rock's manager!" and it was fucking shit. They saved it with the last few weeks though when they dropped that shit.

 

Nailed it. That build was terrible, it's almost as if they felt the need to throw together some story when they already had :

 

(1) Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble and The Rock is the champ, and it's WrestleMania.

(2) Stone Cold is going for the belt on PPV one-on-one for the first time since his return.

(3) The Rock is going into Mania champion looking to stand on top of the pile at the end after two previous failures.

(4) It's the two biggest stars in the company of the last three years with a huge history going one-on-one for the first time in ages.

Ergo, the biggest match of all time.

 

Honestly, at the time, you didn't even NEED any build up. As a fan who was was away at uni and unable to watch Raw or SmackDown, I still spent every second between finishing watching No Way Out and the tape of Mania 17 turning up in the post buzzing my face off about that match being the main event of WrestleMania and feeling like "this is going to be the biggest WrestleMania main event of all time" for the only time in the history of my fandom. I had that match in the back of my mind whether I was doing my coursework, dancing drunkenly to Billy Ocean's "Love Really Hurts Without You" in the uni bar, or having a confused J Arthur over Chyna's Playboy pics. There were a good ten of us in the room watching Mania 17 and with the wrestling being somewhat of a "done thing" at the time even the lads with only the most casual interest in the WWF were excited at the prospect of the two top guys having their big dust-up.

 

So yeah, that they tried to shoehorn in a convoluted, unexpected and unwelcome side story revolving around Debra was utterly inexplicable. Let's not pretend that as high as the anticipation levels were for the match, it had more than bugger-all to do with what the WWF actually dished up for build-up on TV in the 5-6 weeks between the match being confirmed and the PPV occuring, which for the most part was complete and total Beverly Brothers.

[HarmonicGenerator]

I really like the build-up to the nWo's WWE debut.

 

It was all tied into the Vince McMahon/Ric Flair 'co-owners' storyline, and Flair had just beaten Vince at the Royal Rumble. Vince went totally off the deep end and had a meltdown on SmackDown, ending with the revelation that he was bringing in the 'poison' that was the nWo to regain control. As someone who hadn't experienced years of nWo by watching WCW, Vince really sold them to the likes of me as a mega, mega threat. This was bad news.

 

Flair, as the voice of reason, wanted to show Vince that no matter how much he hated Flair, bringing in the nWo was a bad, bad move. Flair's response included what is still, to me, the greatest video WWE's ever done:

 

 

Anyway, it all built and built to No Way Out, which I don't remember being a particularly good show, I suppose because a lot of the focus was on three guys who weren't even going to be wrestling, and then of course the actual nWo return turned out to not be all that good, but the build-up… just for that video, that was a great build-up.

[King Pitcos]

Shawn Michaels and Undertaker for WrestleMania 26. Michaels' performances from the moment he started demanding the rematch when picking up the Slammy were marvellous. His utter desperation to right the wrong, to the point of the ultimate sacrifice and "fuck, is Shawn Michaels retiring?" made it as gripping as any build I can think of.

 

I loved the run-up to Austin vs Triple H at No Way Out 2001 as well. The hated rivals being banned from any physical contact has been attempted loads of times since, but that was the only time it clicked for me.

 

John Cena's matches at Money in the Bank 2011 and 2013 are very good examples of tremendous build, too. And I want to mention Jeff Hardy's bout with Triple H at Armageddon 2007 and the one with Orton the following month. Not really even approaching the best ever, but I thought WWE did an absolutely cracking job with those of establishing Jeff Hardy as a compelling opponent for guys who had a hard time interesting me in anything they were doing at the time.

[Heartbreak Kid]

Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker at Hell in a Cell was fantastically built up. Shawn hit Undertaker by accident and refuses to accept responsibility and is cocky and arrogant. He runs from Taker at every opportunity and sneak attacks him with the same chair that started the feud. It also involved the birth of DX and them constantly beating down the Undertaker. Their Ground Zero match was a great way to give them an excuse to have the match in the cage.

 

Just a great feud. By the time that HIAC rolled round, everybody just couldn't wait to see Shawn get beaten up. 

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

 

Steiner vs HHH had an awesome build-up. It got the proper big star treatment. Shame the match sh*t all over it.

 

I think for buildup and I know its a cliché but u can't beat Hogan v Andre! It was built up to be the match of the century, attracted massive mainstream interest & drew 93,000 fans!

[ElCece]

The one I loved at the time was Angle vs Micheals build to maina. I loved them starting at the Rumble with Angle getting eliminated by Micheals the fucking wrecking him seemed quite natural fued starter. Then Angle shellacking Micheals at No way out. The "out performing" Micheals with his Ladder match and defeating of Janetty. Angle just mind fucking Micheals by bringing out Sherri with him and slapping on the ankle lock. Micheals dressed as the camera man and sneak attacking Kurt was great. This was a proper dream match at the time, I'm pretty sure they had never had a singles encounter before this. They successfully built Angle as a sadistic manic heal with Micheals as a baby face you could actually get be behind. This was at a time when a Smackdown guy and a Raw guy fueding wad a big deal.

 

Too top it all off hearing Kurt sing " I'm a such a sexy Kurt" and " I will make your ankle hurt" is hilarious the former was my ring tone for about 3 years.

 

The build was toped off by a Wrestlemania classic, it was a simple fantastic in ring story told. Top 3 wrestlemania matched ever if u ask me with two very good follow ups

[Cobra1000]

I'll pick something a little bit different...

 

One of my favourite build ups was Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for their jobs at Battleground 2013.

 

It was the shining light of the year where Vince tried to tell us Daniel Bryan was shit and there were no new stars (sorry, Ryback) we were given Cody Rhodes and Goldust. Forget for a moment what they have become and think about the build up to this. 

 

The reason why I liked it is that it was vaguely rooted in real life. Recessions, personal issues and family costing people jobs. It was a great storyline for pro wrestling. It was also the right amount of honesty and kayfabe. It had emotion. It felt real and that is when wrestling is at its best. The Authority were at their worst in 2013 (to think they still exist is infuriating when they should have got their comeuppance ages ago, but I digress) and Triple H was a dastardly Authority figure alongside his wife.

 

I loved The Authority throwing their weight around and acting like dicks. They screwed with Cody, played with the lives of him and his brother Goldust and father Dusty. Cody and Goldust had both lost to Orton and it seemed like they were gone. Then Steph made it even more personal. Having hired goon Big Show knock out Dusty. And that's when Cody and Goldust got mad. Then they showed up on Raw the week after and attacked The Shield and the place went nuts. The week after Triple H invited the Rhodes boys to Raw and offered the ultimatum. Beat The Shield at Battleground and you get your jobs back. 

 

Then just to add to the build up the three of them deliver a stunning promo and the match more than delivers for a contender for match of the year. The dysfunctional family came together in the end. And did it hurt The Shield? Not a bit...

 

Just listen to the crowd when they win the titles weeks later and see how the momentum gathered for them and how a great story means you'll get behind and actually care for wrestlers.