4 Fights that define your wrestling fandom

[Grecian]

The match that made me love wrestling...

Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan, Wrestlemania 6 -

Everything about this was perfect. I was desperate for Warrior to win, having grown to loathe Hogan and how stuipidly fake everything was about him. Their staredown in the Rumble planted the seed in young Grecian's mind, then it became a full-blown reality. I wore out the video tape watching and rewinding it so much. Shame that it didn't lead to Warrior being the industry-leading face I was looking for, but while it lasted, it was beautiful.

 

The man who made kept me watching when wrestling wasn't cool anymore...

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon, WM 10

This one utterly blew me away. I was a little HBK fan, even at a young age I was getting fed up of the whiter-than-white babyfaces, I liked the guys with a bit of edge to them (aside from Tatanka, of course), and HBK's arrogance just appealed to me. I knew he was good, and then I watched this... for a kid growing up in Devon, this was something else altogether. It looks tame when you've seen Jeff Hardy and co go off the top of a ladder, but for the first mainstream weapons-based gimmick match I ever watched, it was stunning.

 

The man I love more than any other...

Undertaker vs Kurt Angle (No Way Out 2006)

I could have gone with virtually any Undertaker match, but I've opted for one that I end up watching more than any other - the match that should have main evented WM22, ahead of Kurt in the Rey triple threat and Taker vs Henry. A blinding match, with more reversals than in any other match, ever. Even though he lost, the surprise return at the end of the 2006 Rumble, and this blinding effort, explains why the Undertaker remains not only my wrestling hero, but my all-time hero, ahead of my father, footballers and Robert de Niro. And despite wanting him to bow out after the Reigns match, I still got goosebumps at Mania this year.

 

My favourite match...

Bret Hart vs British Bulldog, Summerslam 1992

My niece loves wrestling and has a thing for Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. As a caring and doting uncle, I've taken it upon myself to give her a proper wrestling history lesson, with the aid of my WWE Network password. The first match I made her watch was this one - everything about it is perfect. Even though I don't especially like Bret, he's awesome in this match, and the drug-addled Bulldog isn't far behind. I can watch this over and over again, and be transported back to 1992, watching this with my grandad, and cheering my head off when Bulldog won. And in case you're wondering, here's my niece's verdict: 'It was good, but could have done with a ladder.'

Kids these days are spoiled with gimmick matches.

 

Honourable mentions: HBK vs Tatanka, WM( (cheap DQ ending ruined this one), Taker vs HBK (WM25 and 26), Taker, Batista and Rey (I think?) vs Khail, Henry and Edge from a Cardiff house show in 2008 - first WWE Taker match I ever watched live (shit match, though).

 

[BomberPat]

50 minutes ago, Sheffbag said:

Great Thread

Sabu/Sheik vs Onita/Goto (Fire Match May 6th 1992)

Remember PWI doing a feature on this match (still have the copy). Sabu was a relative unknown and the Sheik was, well, the Sheik. 3 minutes of sheer madness but compelling viewing . Introduced me to the delights of Onita for the first time.

I came very close to including some FMW stuff, and could possibly justify pushing out either the AJW or CHIKARA match in favour of it, but just couldn't narrow it down to one match, as it was more the idea of FMW that got me.

I'd been a fan in the mid-90s (my earliest clear memories of the WWF are of the Legion of Doom in '92, though my childhood super fandom was '94-'97), then picked back up in 2000. At the time, I knew the WWF, knew that WCW existed but had barely seen any of it, and that was about it. I heard about ECW from a computer game magazine, checked them out, loved it. Started buying wrestling magazines, and picked up Foley's first book, and stories of stuff like King of the Deathmatch blew me away, and that eventually led me to FMW.

I credit FMW with really making me realise that there was a whole world of wrestling outside of what I knew, and that it was fucking mental. Back then it was Sabu and Hayabusa that completely hooked me, though I had a soft spot for The Sheik as this insane lunatic, and was already developing my love for Terry Funk. Atsushi Onita didn't really come to be someone I loved until much later, now I think he's one of the coolest fuckers in wrestling.

 

[Sheffbag]

7 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

I came very close to including some FMW stuff, and could possibly justify pushing out either the AJW or CHIKARA match in favour of it, but just couldn't narrow it down to one match, as it was more the idea of FMW that got me.

I'd been a fan in the mid-90s (my earliest clear memories of the WWF are of the Legion of Doom in '92, though my childhood super fandom was '94-'97), then picked back up in 2000. At the time, I knew the WWF, knew that WCW existed but had barely seen any of it, and that was about it. I heard about ECW from a computer game magazine, checked them out, loved it. Started buying wrestling magazines, and picked up Foley's first book, and stories of stuff like King of the Deathmatch blew me away, and that eventually led me to FMW.

I credit FMW with really making me realise that there was a whole world of wrestling outside of what I knew, and that it was fucking mental. Back then it was Sabu and Hayabusa that completely hooked me, though I had a soft spot for The Sheik as this insane lunatic, and was already developing my love for Terry Funk. Atsushi Onita didn't really come to be someone I loved until much later, now I think he's one of the coolest fuckers in wrestling.

 

Ive got a couple of Sheik compilations on vhs. the guy was off the chart. Magazines like PWI and WME i bought religiously from WH Smith in Burton on trent (i couldn't get them back in rotherham) when i was down there for college and they had quite a bit on him. FMW was just off the chart.

Almost put the infamous bath house match in but the Fire match just impacted that there was stuff that you just didn't see over here going on. Ive watched it again this afternoon and god knows how the place didnt go up. Sheik even throws a fireball in a fire match. 

[Jon-Carr_92]

Four matches that define it for me? I must have watched goodness knows how many hundreds of matches and attended dozens of shows. It's easy to give a top 10 but making a list like this? Good call. Anyway. My picks. In no particular order.

Hulk Hogan v The Rock: WrestleMania X8

This was the first WrestleMania I ever watched. The Rock was and still is my all time favourite. I had everything. One of my first offical wrestling figures that wasn't the Poundland ones I collected and fought them inside my plastic vegetable box ring. I had the PJs, pencil case. You name it. Seeing that he was wrestling Hulk Hogan looked amazing. I always wondered how that match would be like. I got a present one day in the form of the VHS. Might even still have it somewhere. Watched the whole thing and the scale of it was amazing. That for me was what drew me into wrestling properly. Even forshadowed my eventual music tastes as I digged Edge's theme. Never imagined 10 years later, I'd get to see Sir Robert Zombie live when he did a double header tour with Dame Marilyn Manson. The Undertaker linking bikes with Limp Bizkit's Rollin' for me and the live performances by Drowning Pool and Saliva were always so cool to watch. I always killed myself laughing at his interview with Coach. Not much always does that besides The Two Ronnies Four Candles Sketch. The match itself is brilliant long before the opening bell. Hulk Hogan getting an incredible reaction just for stepping out. The Rock not as much, but the staredown with all the camera flashes foreshadowing WrestleMania XXVII which I saw as a spiritual successor as they were pretty much in the same boat was a WrestleMania moment in itself. Top guys of 2 generations going one on one. The crowd really rooting for Hogan more and more. They really were into it. Especially when he Hulks up. The Rock eventually got the win which I was screaming in delight for. Loved the handshake at the end, then Hall and Nash beat him up and he makes the save, afterwards Hulk does his thing for the crowd. Just summed it up. That was the real Main Event in my view. You know it's a good match when the crowd is worn out for the following match.

El Torito v Hornswoggle WeeLC Match: Extreme Rules 2014

I love this match. I'm honestly not ashamed to rate it as high as I do. Purely for the effort they put into it with the dwarf ring announcer, referee and commentators. I still remember people online crapping over the concept, yet it pretty much stole the show. And it wasn't even on the main card! 3MB and Los Matadores played a great part on their own taking some crazy spots. The funny part for me is Drew McIntyre going for the Somersault Plancha through the table onto El Torito but the way he looks at the hard cam is priceless because he knows he's going to roll out the way. So many fun moments here. I bought the DVD the day it came out for this match alone. Still the first and only wrestling DVD I've ever done that for as I had to have it in a tangible format. They got a This Is Awesome chant. They were right. It's two dwarfs in a TLC match. Are you not sports entertained?

Kenny Omega v Mark Haskins: 4FW New Year's Wrestlelution 2016

I had attended their previous 3 major shows which included Rey Mysterio which was the best £50 I ever spent to meet one of my all time favourites. Was sold on Kenny Omega. He was originally due to wrestle Koji Kannemoto but he had to pull out due to a neck injury. His replacement was quite something in the form of Mark Haskins. Kenny was due to wrestle Koji for the 4FW Junior Heavyweight Championship but they ultimately vacated it for that match. When that bell rang. Was absolutely mad. They proper gave each other everything. Haskins throwing Omega into the guard rail was crasy. This match was what made me get into live attendance at shows as that was at that point the most I've ever yelled in shock at big power moves as well as making me into a Haskins fan. Kenny Omega won but playing off his then recent NJPW angle where he announced his intentions to move to the Heavyweight division, vacated the Championship immediatly afterward. Haskins prevented a post match assault vowing to claim it one day. Which he did. This made me realise just what a perfect haven shows are to me as I had recently suffered a tough personal setback at the time, but it was this show as a whole that kept me going.

Hardy Boyz v Dudley Boyz v Edge & Christian, TLC II: WrestleMania X-Seven

I agree with @HarmonicGenerator on this. Lost count on the amount of times I watched this. I even had an MP4 player where I had this match on it I so I could watch it again and again. You got three of the most popular teams of all time. They were like a box of chocolates, everyone had a favourite out the lot. The Hardy Boyz were mine as it loved their daredevil antics. Movie sequels as we know are a tough business. But to see the first one at a later time, it's no wonder how it didn't just equal it, it blew out the water and into space so far, it probably caught up with Voyager 1 in no time. Interference for every team (Spike Dudley for Bubba Ray & D-Von, Rhyno for E&C and Lita for the Hardys) all of whom got a little time to shine for themselves. The margin for error for Edge's Spear off the ladder on Jeff and Rhyno pushing Bubba and Matt off the ladder into the stack of tables at ringside was so thin, but the reward for that risk really showed. Sure, Jeff's tightrope walk across the ladders didn't work out and he managed to save himself from a hideous accident, but that didn't take away anything from it at all. This was incredible work from everyone involved. Certainly a Top 10 match of mine for sure.

[LEGIT]

I'm just picking ones I watched endlessly  on VHS as a child. Back when I was truly fanatical about wrestling and was enthralled by the excitement and drama.

RUMBLE 94

Loved the question of whether an injured Bret could make the match, loved the perfectly executed ending, loved the confusion at end and loved Tunney announcing co-winners.

RUMBLE 95

I was always a Shawn fan. Same as 94, loved the perfectly executed ending. Shawn's selling all way through was excellent, he really stole the show. Liked the fact him and Bulldog started and finished. You see, all these things we've witnessed now, but they were exciting and unpredictable at the time.

BRET/AUSTIN MANIA 13

To me, a perfect wrestling match. Good dramatic wrestling and storytelling. Everyone knows how good this match is and how talented all involved were to pull it off. Booked and acted out to perfection.

CANADIAN STAMPEDE

Same as what I've been saying really, a fight filled with drama and booked to perfection. Hart Foundation as local heroes and Stone Cold as a brazen outcast was something to see at the time. Everyone actually played their part well.

[Kaz Hayashi]

The four i mentioned on Twitter even surprised me a bit. I thought hard about with matches had the biggest impact due to circumstance, environment and who was there when i watched them. They aren't necessarily my favourite matches as the way in which you watch matches changes, including how you rate them and why you watch. All of my choices are pure nostalgia and I've chosen them based on the feeling they gave me at the time. At some point or another, they have all been my favourite.

The Rockers vs Brain Busters - SNME

This was the very first match I had ever seen in which a tag team moved around like the rockers did. I was blown away. I watched it with our kid and we couldn't believe what we were seeing. They were so fast, simultaneous double drop kicks, top rope manoeuvres, just awesome to see for the first time. From then on we were the Rockers every time we kicked the shit out of pillows on my mam and dads bed. It was a bit later on in life i became a fan of the Horsemen, and in turn Arn & Tully, which heightened my respect of this match.
I remember the first time i went back to watch that SNME match and just loving every second of that match. Shawns flip up from the mat, he slams Arn off the top, goes for Boston Crab, Tully goes to the top, but Shawn punches him on his way down, that fed in to double teaming, as the rockers were bounced off the ropes, baseball slide under their legs, in to double superkicks. All owt or nowt by today's standards but it was so good. Bobby on form at ringside, Jesse being Jesse on the headset. 
What it comes down to is the chemistry of each tag team. It was the first time i'd seen it that good.

Hogan vs Warrior - Mania 6

Just like everyone else who was able to watch this around the time, I 100% knew that this was the biggest thing to ever have happened on Earth, simple as that. This was far bigger than any Superman vs Batman concept, far bigger that.. just anything, the magnitude is not even fathomable. We knew it was going to be a war, but a war between two people that you  loved so much. I was never a Hogan or Warrior fan, i was a massive Hogan AND Warrior fan. I loved them both, of course i did, why wouldn't I? I was about 6 years old and as far as i cared these were relatives. Why were they splitting up? Why were they fighting? 
I had a tear in my eye for the majority of this, then it happened Warrior kicked out... Hogan pleaded with god for answers, his rocket ship was nose diving, he seriously didn't have a clue what to do. He'd put away all of the baddies with boot and leg drop, all of them, what on earth was happening here? I'll tell you what was happening, my head was exploding and i didn't have a clue on whether to plead with my gran for answers, or to cheer for Warrior. I was in turmoil.
Then the other thing happened, Warrior won. I'd given up by now, i didn't know what to do, a bit like an old dog who's far too tired to chase his ball. I was goosed. They embraced, i gave my gran a hug.

Macho Man vs Jake Roberts - Tuesday in Texas

Fuck me. I mean, there's story lines, and then there's story lines. We were all meant to be giving a fuck about Hogan and Undertaker with Flair sneaking about, and don't get me wrong, i was absolutely devastated when Hogan was robbed, but that didn't have a patch on what was going on between Savage and Jakey boy.
Now, I had been a really really big fan of Jake based on previous Rumbles and Mania tapes i had seen. I absolutely loved him but didn't have access to what was actually going on other than getting hold of said tapes from cousins etc. I'd missed everything with Warrior. So for me, Jake had been a goody... and then i saw this. 
I was completely heart broken, scared and torn about what i wanted to happen. I knew that good needed to prevail due to the pure evil that was oozing from Jake, but it didn't make sense, he'd been a good with a Python until Earthquake did him in and now this? An evil, evil man with a cobra, setting it on the Macho Man and slapping Liz. It was too much for me to comprehend. The match itself was riddled with what felt like real emotion and the ending was a masterpiece. What a story and what a match. 

Undertaker vs Mankind - Boiler Room Brawl

This was the first time i was allowed to stay up and watch a PPV. Probably the first time i'd shown an actual interest as a teen (probs 12 at a guess without checking). Anyway, I was at my grans, they'd gone to bed, i'd come back down stairs to watch Summerslam. I'd only ever seen 3 or 4 horror films before this (part of them anyway), Elm street, Hellraiser and Nightmare on the 13th floor spring to mind, but always with an adult regardless how irresponsible, and with the lights on.
I was now on my own, i turned the lights off and watched Undertaker make his way to the boiler room. My god.. i was shitting myself. The suspense as he slowly wandered around waiting for Mankind to attack was something else. From entering the boiler room it took about 2 and 1/2 mins until he attacked, it felt like 20 mins. It was difficult to make out at times but then out of nowhere Mankinds squeals of anger were so fucking disturbing, i had to turn the light on half way through, it was too much for me.
Then thankfully, they made their way back to the ring and i thought, all is fine now, this radgy will be plopped in a body bag and that's that. Not quite. PAUL BEARER DECIDED TO TURN. Absolute madness, i bloody love it.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Tremendous idea for a thread!

Stone Cold vs. Dude Love- Over The Edge 1998. 

One of the first wrestling shows and main events I ever saw, and it was just chaotic madness, everything great and zany about the Attitude Era. You had the top guy, the anti-Authority Austin, the corporate patsy Dude Love, Mr. McMahon and the Stooges getting involved, the competitors brawling all over the arena. Still love it to this day. So much action and drama, and the crowd added to it so much.

Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H- Summerslam 2002.

While I started watching in 1998, I grew up poor and without access to WWF programming as it happened. Anything I watched was either through the occasional generosity of my richer mates or waiting for events to come out on VHS so I could rent them from the video shop. By 2002, my uncle had gotten cable TV and I convinced him to order Summerslam for me. I basically got the entire story from the video package, and combined with one of the early VHS tapes I had gotten my hands on being a Shawn Michaels compilation, I was supporting HBK 100%. And we all know how incredible his performance was in that match, and what a great job Hunter did as the prick heel targeting the back maliciously. On a personal level, I have a physical disability, so there was something extra meaningful and inspiring in seeing HBK overcome his injuries to return to the ring.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega- Wrestle Kingdom 11

I had watched the last couple of Wrestle Kingdom events, but it was this event and this specific match that made me bite the bullet and actually sign up to NJPW World, fully embracing pro wrestling outside of WWE for the first time. I had watched the occasional TNA match, the occasional ROH match and the occasional New Japan show, but it was due to the epic battle between Okada and Omega that I was all in.

Will Ospreay vs. Robbie Eagles vs. Mick Moretti vs. Caveman Ugg- PWA Black Label- Return of the Ospreay

Over the past year or so I've been giving Aussie independent wrestling more of a go. Over the past maybe 3/4 years I've gone to my local show at the RSLs and bowling clubs, and upon seeing Robbie Eagles, I was drawn to see more of him. So I travel to Sydney, to see their main promotion, Pro Wrestling Australia, put on some damn good shows. The apex of this was the match in bold above. I got to go to Wrestlemania 33 last year (and Takeover and Raw and all that), and I genuinely feel that this Fatal 4 Way match was the best match I've ever witnessed live. Ospreay of course was the main attraction, but Eagles damn near stole the show from him. Eagles has now wrestled for HOH and NJPW on their Australian tours, travelled to America to debut in PWG, and is scheduled to face Travis Banks in the Progress X PWA show at the Star Casino in Sydney on Monday night. Seeing Australian wrestling absolutely boom over the past year has taken my fandom to another level, and it's beyond amazing to see a guy I saw wrestle in RSLs and bowling clubs start to make it big time. Exciting stuff! 

[air_raid]

11 hours ago, Kaz Hayashi said:

I had a tear in my eye for the majority of this, then it happened Warrior kicked out... Hogan pleaded with god for answers, his rocket ship was nose diving, he seriously didn't have a clue what to do. He'd put away all of the baddies with boot and leg drop, all of them, what on earth was happening here? I'll tell you what was happening, my head was exploding and i didn't have a clue on whether to plead with my gran for answers, or to cheer for Warrior. I was in turmoil.

There's a huge Mandela Effect about this match, it seems a huge number of people that remember loving this match think that Warrior kicked out of a legdrop in it. He did not. Hogan only went for the legdrop once - and missed, famously.

Here's my 4.

Dream Team VS Million Dollar Team

I was tempted to bang on about Hogan vs Warrior myself, as it was the first main event I watched on tape and everything from Vince's show-opening monologue to the closing fireworks for Warrior's big night out is what convinced me that wrestling was a big deal. In hindsight, a level of magnitude which they didn't replicate for me until Mania 17. But I won't.

First choice instead is the first match that made me truly care about the outcome and the match that through his performance did Bret Hart become my first hero. I cant possibly sum up what an impact this match made on me better than that time it prompted me to start a thread ;

Davey Boy Smith vs Shawn Michaels - One Night Only

This was the first main event I watched live where there was the rare combination of actual stakes and emotional investment in the result, having only been to house shows previously. The thought of Bulldog losing "at home" was unthinkable but Shawn was such a top guy at the time it felt like this would be a victory almost beyond Davey Boy's position on the totem pole (at least in the States). The heat in the building, I'm never convinced translates through the screen. The passionate vitriol directed at HBK for his diabolical master plan coming off is nothing I'll remember until the day I die. I'm still not over it.

The Rock vs Steve Austin - Mania 17

Too many people have written too much about the presentation, the execution and the peak of the company at the time, but the reason its defining for me is the memory of a whole pack of lads squeezing into a uni digs bedroom to watch the biggest match of all time. Zeitgeist in a match - the peak of popularity of pro wrestling and the peak of all the other lads joining in on our little pastime, huddling around to watch the biggest match the industry could ever put on for our generation at both of their peaks.

Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito - WK12

There's been a lot of times over the last 5 years or so where I've felt jaded about wrestling and wondered if I was still buying tickets out of habit. But this January I got off my arse and put the bunse down to go to the show that means as much to me as WrestleMania ever did when the WWF was the be all and end all, to go see a main event I was invested in beyond words and to my perception was the Rock/Austin of New Japan today. This match was the biggest match I've seen live yet in my world and for anticipation and investment it will take a lot to top it.

 

[Kaz Hayashi]

8 hours ago, air_raid said:

There's a huge Mandela Effect about this match, it seems a huge number of people that remember loving this match think that Warrior kicked out of a legdrop in it. He did not. Hogan only went for the legdrop once - and missed, famously.

That’s fucking crackers. I’ve always remembered it that way. It’s amazing how other people’s comments can completely alter your memory. 

What I’ve done is basically mix up a bit of warrior vs Hogan, Warrior vs Savage, Hogan vs Savage and called it all.. Warrior vs Hogan. How the fuck have I done that?

[Grecian]

18 hours ago, Jon-Carr_92 said:

El Torito v Hornswoggle WeeLC Match: Extreme Rules 2014

I love this match. I'm honestly not ashamed to rate it as high as I do. Purely for the effort they put into it with the dwarf ring announcer, referee and commentators. I still remember people online crapping over the concept, yet it pretty much stole the show. And it wasn't even on the main card! 3MB and Los Matadores played a great part on their own taking some crazy spots. The funny part for me is Drew McIntyre going for the Somersault Plancha through the table onto El Torito but the way he looks at the hard cam is priceless because he knows he's going to roll out the way. So many fun moments here. I bought the DVD the day it came out for this match alone. Still the first and only wrestling DVD I've ever done that for as I had to have it in a tangible format. They got a This Is Awesome chant. They were right. It's two dwarfs in a TLC match. Are you not sports entertained?

I'd never seen this match, so decided to find it on the Network and watched it this morning based solely on your write-up. I can see why you loved it, it's just a great, fun match to watch. Loads of nice little touches (pun not intended, just a happy accident), even the bit where El Torito jumps up to encourage Hornswoggle off the ladder made me laugh. Thanks for adding this one, it's definitely one I'm going to watch again.

[AdamTH17]

Chavo Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio - I Quit Match - Smackdown 2007

The first wrestling match that I ever sat down and watched fully. I was flicking through the channels as an 8 year old and was instantly drawn to the incredible high flying ability of Mysterio, zooming around the ring like a masked superhero delivering all kinds of offence in ways I could barely comprehend, as well as taken aback by the complete dick attitude of Chavo and how vicious he was in his assault of Rey. Hearing the commentary talking about the relationship both men had with Eddie made it all seem hyper-realistic to me back then. I remember being certain that Rey would win, because with his speed and agility, how could he not? Then seeing Chavo wrap his leg around one of the set props and smacking the shit out of it with a chair until Mysterio had to give up was completely shocking to me. Rey's babyface performance in this match, and the big sell job around his leg injury made him one of my all-time favorites, and Summerslam 2007 was the first PPV I ever watched, mainly to see him get his revenge.

Daniel Bryan vs Triple H - Wrestlemania 30

After losing my interest in wrestling during high school (keeping up with WWE results and not much else) my interest perked up again when I read that Summerslam 2013 would be headlined by John Cena against Daniel Bryan. From what I'd read, Bryan was only an upper-midcard gimmick at best, so the idea to have him main event the 2nd biggest show of the year seemed like a bold move to me. From there, I took it upon myself to try and find as much Bryan stuff I could, from his early tenure within WWE, to whatever I could get my hands on from his career on the indies. Seeing how invested the crowd was in Bryan, it was impossible not to get swept up in the momentum behind him, and after him and Cena delivered a MOTY candidate at Summerslam, I was a huge fan from there on out. I'm struggling to remember a time where I've been more invested in the storyline and character of a wrestler than I have with Bryan from Summerslam 2013 until Wrestlemania 30. It was the first time as a fan I'd get home from school on a Tuesday, download a shitty torrent of RAW and watch it fully just so I wouldn't miss anything that Bryan did. There was some tripe in this time period, such as Big Show vs Orton and the rushed Wyatt storyline, but moments such as Bryan turning on the Wyatt's in the cage, and Bryan flooding the ring with fans remain some of my favorite RAW moments of all time. I'll never forget the chills I got when Triple H agreed to face Bryan, and Bryan replied with "...that's not ALL that I want" - in that one moment you knew that the company was finally going to pull the trigger on him. Wrestlemania 30 is one of the few shows I could watch over and over again, and this match is the pick of the bunch. An incredible Wrestlemania opener, with Bryan playing the heroic babyface and Triple H doing everything in his power to stop Bryan from completely taking over, even busting out a tiger suplex at one point of the match. Though the result may have been obvious in hindsight, I completely bought into every near fall, and found myself going wild when Bryan finally put Triple H down for the three count.

 

Travis Banks vs Tyler Bate - Super Strong Style 16 Day 3 2017

The conclusion to the best live weekend I've experienced within wrestling. The story was really simple, the resilient, adored by fans Travis Banks against arrogant WWE-endorsed Tyler Bate, flanked by his fellow British Strong Style goons in what felt like one of the biggest matches in PROGRESS history. What followed was an unbelievable atmosphere, with everyone on their feet before the two men had even locked up. What followed was a fantastic match, complete with the fantastic Camden debut of CCK to solve the BSS problem, and when Travis finally got Bate to tap out the place exploded. This holds a great deal of sentimental value with me, SSS:16 was some of my happiest times as a wrestling fan, being there live to experience every moment was something I'm so happy I was able to do. Not the greatest match I've ever seen but combined with my overall happiness with wrestling in general means that this match holds a lot of meaning for me.

Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega - Dominion 2017

Without a shadow of a doubt the greatest wrestling match I've ever seen. I wasn't able to watch this live, so avoided spoilers all day and shut myself away to specifically go and watch this one match. Utter magic. If I ever see a professional wrestling contest even come close to eclipsing this masterpiece I'll be stunned. They took their first match, which was incredible in its own right and managed to completely blow it out of the water. Everything worked to perfection. The selling, the timing, the pacing, the moves, the storytelling building from their first encounter, the finish. There wasn't anything about this match that was less than incredible.

 

 

[DootDootDoot]

To make it fair I’d have to split it across eras…

Childhood Memory: Bret Hart v British Bulldog (IC Title, Summerslam 1992)

I was obsessed by wrestling as a kid so getting to go to any kind of live event was amazing but the moment we got those Summerslam 1992 tickets I was hyper for months! I remember thinking that I’d see Hogan live for the first time at the time of the tickets arriving so it must have been pre-Mania 8. But from meeting Gorilla Monsoon outside the stadium to this incredible main event it just blew me away. I remember the shock of the fans around me when the WWF Championship match was announced as we assumed that would close the show – cue one of the most important main event slots in history…the roar when Bulldog got the pin was something I’ll never forget!

 

Teenage years: The Rock vs Mankind (WWF Title, Monday Night Raw)

Foley was my favourite performer by a long way in this era but seemed to always be the joke figure with my mates. So when the glass broke and Stone Cold came out to one of the biggest pops in Raw history I was on my feet with anticipation. Having not watched Nitro, I had no idea what was coming and still thought something/someone would stop Austin or the match would become a cluster right up until the point of the three count. As matches go I have no idea on its quality but in terms of one off moments it’s extraordinary.

 

Getting back into things: The Undertaker vs Edge (Hell In A Cell, Summerslam 2008)

I hadn’t watched WWE or any form of wrestling from 2002ish up to 2008 but was wide awake one night when I saw a link to a stream for Summerslam. I thought I’d give it a watch for a laugh and to see what was going on and this match between two figures I’d grown up with just gripped me. I was surprised to see Edge so high up the card and headlining but this match was a cracker and one that I’d highlight as the reason why I continued to watch since then.

 

Present Day: Daniel Bryan v Randy Orton v Batista (WWE Title, Wrestlemania 30)

Such a memorable story told and an organic popularity growth of a character culminating in a huge Wrestlemania moment. The drama of beating Triple H in a great match already that night set the stage for the main event where anything could have happened in the match itself and it would have gone down as one of the all-time great moments at the end. A situation where you were 99% sure of the outcome but where the journey was the main thing.  

[NoUseforaUsername]

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I was surprised to see Edge so high up the card and headlining

I remember wondering "who the hell is this guy?" when I switched the channel and saw JBL on Smackdown one day in 2004, not knowing he was the former Bradshaw.

[Porkchopcash]

Piper v Adonis WM3

Hogan v AndreWM 3

Savage v Steamboat WM3

Bret v Austin WM13

WM3 was the best WM ever for me, my first Mania, the best Mania and those 3 matches had the best builds of any 3 matches of all time. The charachters involved will never be duplicated.

Bret v Austin is the best match of all time, it slightly differs from the other 3 as this was just the start. While the other three have great builds, this has alot of the greatness to follow. 8 true bonafide legends.

 

[Bukamania]

4 Fines that define my wrestling fandom:

Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog/Royal Rumble 1992 Match (TIED): These two matches were my true introduction to wrestling and childhood standouts. I would watch these two matches on repeat on many occasions when I was a kid. Despite British Bulldog being the hometown hero, since an early age I have always been a Bret Hart guy and this match being viewed from 80,000+ is just a spectacle. The rumble from start to finish is just perfect, I have watched this matched so many times I know the order of the entrants and can quote Bobby Heenan's hilarious commentary all day long.

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Heenan: I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Roddy! It's akilt! It's not a skirt, it's a kilt! [Piper attacks Flair] You no-good creep! You skirt-wearing freak! It's not a kilt, IT'S A SKIRT!

Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - WrestleMania 13: Maybe one of the greatest matches in the history of wrestling and also one of the most important ones. The double turn that was executed perfectly. Ken Shamrock doesn't get enough credit for his part in this match also, shame we never got to see a proper feud with Hart/Shamrock. It was a tough call between this and HBK/Austin but these wins because it gave us The Hart foundation which to me the greatest stable in Wrestling and provided us with the best year in Wrestling (1997).

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather - WrestleMania 24: It's a strange choice but the reason I chose it was because after the Attitude Era, it became almost uncool to like Wrestling and to publicly let be known you watch it. This was the case for me, for a good couple of years I became a closet wrestling fan, especially with the Benoit incident in 2007. When I was in college and they announced this match, everyone was talking about WWE again because of one match in particular which was Show/Mayweather. It had been featured on many news outlets including Sky Sports and when attending College everyone would be chatting away about the match and WrestleMania 24. The match itself isn't a match of the year candidate but it did it's job with attracting a larger audience. Also the last PPV I watched live with my brother and we got fairly emotional during Flair/Michaels.

John Cena vs. The Rock - WrestleMania 28: Similar to Mayweather/Big Show, Wrestling had become quite dull for a few years then CM Punk cut the infamous shoot promo in mid 2011 and Wrestling was slowly becoming interesting again. Although the Summer of Punk has booked poorly (Triple fucking H) we had something else to look forward to and that was WrestleMania 28 Main Event, Rock vs. Cena being announced the night after Mania 27. This feud had real heat, it saw John Cena cut some of the best promos of career in the build up and embarrass the promo king himself, The Rock. The Match was fun and I watched it live at Riley's with my mates and a fairly loud crowd who were super into the show from start to finish. Haven't watched a Mania since with mates.