Top 10: HBK Matches

[tiger_rick]

Nearly commented yesterday in the Vault thread that SummerSlam 2002 would make my top 10 HBK matches but I thought I'd save it for a thread and maybe additional ones.

Any match that HBK is in but if it's a multi-man thing, I think he has to be a feature. So I'd say Royal Rumble 95 could be included - but certainly won't be in mine - but Royal Rumble 92 couldn't, despite him being in it and it being 10/10.

Anyway, here's my list, let's see yours. Or just general scorn. Either is fine.

1 - HBK v Undertaker - IYH: Badd Blood 97

This cracks my top 3 matches I've ever seen, so it's clearly going to be #1 on any Taker or Shawn list. It's amazing. The build is outstanding at a time where being a wrestling fan week to week was more enjoyable than it could ever be again. The concept is brilliant and fits the build perfectly. The match itself is just brutal. A barbaric feeling match with incredible stakes and tension and work that matched it. And then it has an all-timer of a debut and finish on top. It's perfection. 

2 - HBK v Razor - Mania 10

I can understand why anyone who has seen a million stunts off ladders in the past 30 years wouldn't think this is up to much but I still think it's the best ladder match ever - and by some distance. Again, the build is important and the stipulation absolutely fits the build perfectly. The work is incredible and it's impossible to imagine 30 years on just how massive the bumps felt then. But more than that, the work is based around retrieving the belts and every spot and bump exists for that purpose. Not because it'd be cool or, like now, because it's an expected part of the match. This is very similar to the first HIAC in build and execution and part of the reason both stand the test of time.

3 - HBK v Marty Jannetty - WWF Raw (17 May 93) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nag3msQm7OE&pp=ygUUbWljaGFlbCBqYW5uZXR0eSByYXc%3D

This is awesome and is a major part of the first really great episode of Raw (the Kid/Ramon upset is on the same ep). It doesn't have a great build in the short-term but it does go back all the way to January 1992 and they'd not overdone the interaction for the simple reason that Jannetty kept getting fired. The Rumble 93 match is a bit dull really but this one more than makes up for it. Marty's surprise appearance at the start of the show is electric, the show is electric and then the match and finish are brilliant, feel-good moments. Some of Shawn's 1992 is good but this is his first real star performance. He's outstanding.

4 - HBK v HHH - SummerSlam 2002

Talked about this yesterday. Didn't know I'd put it this high but looking at all these other matches and the ones I left off, I love it more than them. Unlike the HIAC & Ladder match, I don't retain the feeling of the time for this match. That's probably not fair but it's why it's here and not number 2 or 3. if you could bottle that feeling of anticipation and anxiety going into this match for everyone of the 3 billion matches we've all sat through since, they'd all be ten stars better.

5 - HBK v John Cena - Raw (23 Apr 07) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqHHh4blQLo

I'll accept I'm probably way higher on this than anyone else. It was just such a brilliant surprise. I sat down for a run of the mill Raw from the UK, was happy enough seeing Michaels v Cena but expected a bit of a waste of time with a cheap finish. It starts to build slowly with a lot of wrestling, with Michaels giving Cena lots of opportunity to shine, unlike his dickhead mate, and the crowd really buy it. You get the feeling after a couple of breaks that it's going long but probably not as long as it did. Through the closing stretch, I was in to this more than I have been for most matches in the last 20 years. It's great stuff and Michaels is clearly leading. It's a real showcase of his ability. 

6 - HBK/Diesel v Razor/Kid - WWF Action Zone (30 Oct 94) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rfCMs5FPQQ

This is a beauty. One of those "hidden gems" of the 90s that isn't hidden anymore but when I first saw it in the early 2000s on some dodgy download, it was everything I'd heard about and more. Four guys who were usually brilliant together in any combination using the time and spotlight afforded to them to just have a masterclass of a tag match. It's brilliant tag work but enhanced by four unique, interesting characters who were really coming into their own.

 

7 - HBK v Kurt Angle - Mania 21

I didn't love this at the time and I still don't, hence 7th, but I do think the build is brilliant and watching it back years later, it is very good. It just suffers for me from trying to be a blowaway match rather than being about who wins. There are too many spots and kick outs that are just there to feel epic and take away (only a little bit) from the reality of both guys fighting to be the best. Too many modern matches have this mistake. it's why there are just billions of technically very good 4* matches that leave you cold. The build and the follow-up match at Vengeance elevate this one. I'm still not red hot on the actual match.

8 - HBK v Bret Hart - Survivor Series 1997

This one sticks in the craw for someone in the Bret Hart fan club but it is a really good match. Obviously, it has an aborted finish because of the real life intervention but because of the evolution of Vince McMahon, that finish makes sense when you watch it back - it's just out of nowhere. It'd be way higher up this list if it had gone a bit longer and built to that conclusion. The build isn't brilliant from what they actually booked on TV, it's a bit meh by October 97, but the longevity of the rivalry, the real life stuff, the incredible dislike that comes through in their promos all year and the atmosphere in Montreal are off the charts. The ring work is a bit lost to the story but it's bloody fantastic. This was the peak of Shawn Michaels as a wrestler and character.

9 - HBK v Razor - Raw (01 Aug 94) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n6cB5P_R6Y&pp=ygUSbWljaGFlbHMgcmFtb24gcmF3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbi2C_klDWw&pp=ygUSbWljaGFlbHMgcmFtb24gcmF3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRy3aH9YheM&pp=ygUSbWljaGFlbHMgcmFtb24gcmF3

This is a gem I discovered years later. I would see a lot of talk about the Kliq tag match, the Hart Brothers v Steiner Brothers tag and the Bret/Kid match as being 1994 gems when I got in to reading about wrestling on the internet but never this one. I "discovered" it years later and it's a really good match. It's really long for an early Raw match and feels like the HBK/Cena match from years later. I like it more than the return ladder match from SummerSlam 95, personally.

10 - The Rockers vs. Haku & Barbarian - Mania 7

This match has really grown on me over the years. I liked it at the time but I'd have had it behind The Rockers vs. Orient Express from the Rumble 91 - which is a belter - for a long time but the more I watch it, the more I like it. That's rare for me. I think it's dynamic of the two big guys on one side and the lightning quick Rockers on the other that makes it such an outstanding example of tag wrestling that I'm just so drawn to it. Honestly, I think this is perfect. I'd have it as the 3rd best Mania opener ever after Bret/Owen and HHH/Bryan. 

I'm aware there's a clear bias towards his pre-injury matches and the reason is just that I didn't think he was as interesting once he came back. He was a more consistent worker, and still brilliant, but just not as interesting. The first Taker Mania nearly cracked my list. That was decent. I'm cold on these modern Mania epics though, in all honesty, and I'm not in to matches that only have one winner.

Anyway, let's see your lists. 

 

[DavidB6937]

2 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

5 - HBK v John Cena - Raw (23 Apr 07) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqHHh4blQLo

I'll accept I'm probably way higher on this than anyone else. It was just such a brilliant surprise. I sat down for a run of the mill Raw from the UK, was happy enough seeing Michaels v Cena but expected a bit of a waste of time with a cheap finish. It starts to build slowly with a lot of wrestling, with Michaels giving Cena lots of opportunity to shine, unlike his dickhead mate, and the crowd really buy it. You get the feeling after a couple of breaks that it's going long but probably not as long as it did. Through the closing stretch, I was in to this more than I have been for most matches in the last 20 years. It's great stuff and Michaels is clearly leading. It's a real showcase of his ability. 

 

I was there which probably makes me completely biased but I'm even higher on it than you are. It was one of the best matches I've seen live, especially up until that point considering a lot of the regular trash we'd get on UK shows and "PPVs" if you want to call them. The crowd - and myself - were absolutely invested and you really felt like you were watching something special between two really great guys, and it was arguably the match that won me over on Cena. Not that he was ever my guy or my type of wrestler at that point but at least from a 'yeah I get it' perspective.

But as you say - it's a masterclass from Shawn really. Obviously not ALL on him but you just see exactly what he's capable of and his understanding etc.

It's one of those I revisited quite often afterwards just as a reminder of the love and the hype I shared with so many during that match. It was one of the best examples of a positive watching experience with WWE.

[Devon Malcolm]

I can't be bothered doing a list - I don't disagree with many of your choices there, @tiger_rick, but I gotta have the Shelton Benjamin match on there.

[Gus Mears]

I watched the Mania 25 HBK vs Taker match the other day (which would make my list). It's brilliant, but did leave me slightly cold after 15 additional years of most WWE main events following the same template (albeit less well). MOVE- KICKOUT AT 2 - COMMENTATOR SHOUTS - REVERSAL- FINISHER- COMMENTATOR SHOUTS - BOTH WRESTLERS CRAWL UP - FINISHER - KICKOUT AT 2 - COMMENTATOR SHOUTS. FINISHER - ANOTHER FINISHER.

I would still add it to my top 10. I'm also adding HBK vs Hogan, partially for the overselling, mostly for this moment which didn't even involve one of the participants:

 

[air_raid]

This is fucking difficult, isn't it?

(1) The Rockers vs Orient Express - Rumble 91
It's beyond cliché at this point to say it but it's a note perfect opener featuring numerous state of the art spots that sets the tone for a super multicolour "vintage Silver Vision era" tape. One of the ones I wore out from watching so often.

(2) WWF title - Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels - Survivors 92
One of the earliest examples I had where the "storytelling" really resonated with me, thanks to a great call from The Brain. Bret's knackered from "burning the candle at both ends" and as the match wears on makes uncharacteristic mistakes as he becomes increasingly more desperate to put away his younger, fresher champion. He never goes for the Sharpshooter until the very end, keeping it in reserve until he absolutely needs it - and he absolutely needs it.

(3) ICT Ladder match - Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon - SummerSlam 95
I laugh when people say the ladder match from Mania X is the best match ever, it's not even the best ladder match between the two men involved.

(4) WWF title - Shawn Michaels vs Sid - Survivor Series 96
Am I biased by my love for Sid? Absolutely, but there are so many moments to love here between Shawn getting cut off from the skin-the-cat and kip-up, generally Shawn being a subtle prick and it getting paid off with Sid flattening him. Lovely stuff.

(5) European title - Davey Boy Smith vs Shawn Michaels - One Night Only
Rather less subtle as the prick here, this is the match I think of when I think of HBK as a horrible cunt. A bit of a "best of" match between two guys that always gelled well, absolutely heartbreaking stuff. Finish loses points for making the Harts look like idiots for not coming down, but as hero vs villain stuff it's top drawer.

(6) Hell In A Cell : The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - Bad Blood
Nobody needs telling why this is here either, I shouldn't imagine.

(7) Team Austin vs Team Bischoff - Survivors 2003
It's simple, old fashioned Survivors eliminator booking but for a bloodied up babyface to try and defy the odds, you can't ask for better than HBK.

(8) WHC : Triple H vs Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XX
If you can still watch Benoit, this is a fucking blinder. It's not Shawn's showcase but I still have it as one of the best matches he was in during his second run.

(9) Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle - WrestleMania 21
I genuinely loved this at the time as a proper sporting contest between two guys trying to prove who's better than the other, and I still do.

(10) THE ROYAL RUMBLE 2010
Probably pushing the parameters a little bit but this is a masterclass in Shawn selling his desperation to win as the "only" way he can earn his rematch with Taker.

Honourable mention - Randy Orton vs HBK from Survivors 2007 where if Shawn uses the superkick, he's disqualified. Mostly for the finish.

[tiger_rick]

10 minutes ago, air_raid said:

I laugh when people say the ladder match from Mania X is the best match ever

Harsh.

[Supremo]

I watched the Summerslam 1995 ladder match for the first time this week. Shawn was a very angry young man, wasn’t he? The tantrum he threw at the end of that match completely killed it for me. Like watching one of the best magicians ever where his final trick goes a bit wrong, and rather than blowing it off or building it into his set, he throws the table over and storms out of the room.

One I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet is Shawn vs. Mankind at In Your House Mind Games. That’s one I went to watch back on Netflix to see if it’s as good as I remember.

Edited January 6, 2025 by Supremo

[FLips]

Team Austin vs Team Bischoff at Survivor Series 2003 is probably on my list if I did one. What a performance he has in that, and going to bat for one of his biggest ever rivals? Great story too.

[Devon Malcolm]

I also think we're overlooking the Diesel match with special guest star Mad Dog Vachon's leg.

[TheScarlettChad]

I liked that the "tantrum" in the Mind games match was completely scripted and was Mick's idea.

[davertfnewman]

In no particular order, other than chronological:

- The cage match with Rose and Somers.

- The six-man at Summerslam '89 where he has a breakout moment with the hot tag.

- Orient Express opener at Royal Rumble '91.

- First main event against Bret at Survivor Series '92.

- First ladder match.

- Action Zone match with Diesel against Kid and Razor.

- IYH2 against Jeff Jarrett.

- Second ladder match.

- Good Friends, Better Enemies.

- King of the Ring '96 against Davey Boy.

- Mind Games against Mankind.

- Tag title win with Austin against Davey and Owen.

- First Hell in a Cell.

- Return match against Triple H.

More than ten there, but he's one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, top five, so he deserves as many looks as possible.

Addendum: He takes a tremendous finish against the Twin Towers at WrestleMania V (spinebuster-cum-powerbomb off Boss Man and beautiful 747 off Akeem) and also has one of the best heel turns ever on the Barber Shop.

Edited January 6, 2025 by davertfnewman

[TheScarlettChad]

I can't name 10 sadly but his matches with Taker, are excellent. His matches with Jericho, in 2008, amazing. 

He did melodrama better than most. Its why nobody else can do it.

[davertfnewman]

4 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

He did melodrama better than most. Its why nobody else can do it.

With you about 90% there, there were times where it was unwelcome.

It's like the announcers, everyone being coached by Vince sounded terrible because the only person who could pull off the Vince act was Vince, and even then there were times you wanted him to fuck off.

[Cheeky Boy]

I'm another who has Summerslam 95 for ladder match of preference. I saw it before the original which is probably half of the reason. I haven't seen either in a long time, but from memory wasn't Razor playing more of a subtle heel in this one?

The RAW '94 match against Razor is also a favourite, as the first time I'd seen him wrestle. I started watching around King of the Ring, and largely knew him as Diesel's sneaky little manager. I still remember the feeling of surprise when that match came on WWF Mania. I didn't know he had it in him.

Loved the Action Zone tag match. Shawn taking a Razor's Edge in the opening minute is my favourite ever near-fall. Since there was no chance of anyone kicking out of it, and the concept of a save from outside the ring didn't exist to me yet, I was 100% convinced it was over.

The return at Summerslam 2002 is probably my favourite. Seeing him back was a level of surrealness I don't think any other match has reached for me. The combination of him seeming like he was from a different era, and the fact that he had been given the Ted Dibiase shield of invincibility for the past 4 years, with not a finger laid on him (on TV, at least. Seeing that street fight at his school in 2000 would've blown my mind). The genuine intrigue, fear, excitement about it all, and then a great match on top of it I think is hard to beat.

I struggle to rank the rest of his 2000s matches, as I've only seen most of them once and can't really remember them. Obviously the Taker matches, a Cena match or two stand out. I did enjoy the Hogan one to see him flopping around like the early days. Am I the only one that kind of buys his explanation that his selling wasn't a stich up to make Hogan look foolish, but just him going all in with his heel routine? It didn't seem a million miles away from how he'd throw himself about in the 90s, while maybe overdoing it a bit to try and counter for Hogan's immobility. Maybe I'm being naive.

Edited January 6, 2025 by Cheeky Boy

[TheScarlettChad]

3 minutes ago, Cheeky Boy said:

 

I struggle to rank the rest of his 2000s matches, as I've only seen most of them once and can't really remember them. Obviously the Taker matches, a Cena match or two stand out. I did enjoy the Hogan one to see him flopping around like the early days. Am I the only one that kind of buys his explanation that his selling wasn't a stich up to make Hogan look foolish, but just him going all in with his heel routine? It didn't seem a million miles away from how he'd throw himself about in the 90s, while maybe overdoing it a bit to try and counter for Hogan's immobility. Maybe I'm being naive.

From what I hear, No. He was just being a prick. He was meant to win, then they'd rematch at Unforgiven, and Hogan veto'd that,, he'd win at Summerslam, then at Unforgiven too. And then the three matches, turned to one, where Hogan would just beat HBK.