With WrestleMania season upon us, it seems only fitting that my latest top ten feature my picks for the top ten matches in the history of the "Show of Shows". Considering it has spanned 31 years and featured the biggest stars in the industry, it was extremely hard to narrow this down. Matches that I love like Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H, Edge vs. The Undertaker, Macho Man vs. Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart, are all missing from the list. This is based on pure match quality. Hogan/Andre was a massive deal and had a great moment, but it's not on this list because the match itself isn't great in my eyes.
10. Retirement Match: Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior –
WrestleMania VII
Sometimes, all a match needs to really put it way over the
top is some good old fashioned emotion. At WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles, one
match stood above all. Randy Savage took on the Ultimate Warrior in a high
stakes match where the loser would be forced to retire. Savage in the midst of
a heel run as the Macho King and he cost Warrior the WWF Title a few months
prior, setting this encounter up. The little things about this match, right
from the start, totally stood out. From Ultimate Warrior’s fantastic jacket to
seeing Elizabeth in the crowd, it all worked perfectly. The crowd was on the
edge of their seat throughout the entire match and reacted to each and every
near fall. Ultimate Warrior’s best opponent throughout his career was, hands
down, the Macho Man. Something about these two just clicked in a manner that
others couldn’t match. Savage hit FIVE of his patented elbow drops but it
somehow wasn’t enough to keep the Warrior down. After Savage kicked out of his
signature stuff, Warrior ended his career (temporarily) with three shoulder
blocks. This was a situation where the post-match stuff added to it as Queen
Sherri attacked Savage until Elizabeth hopped the guardrail to stop her. It led
to one of the most emotional moments in wrestling history as Savage and
Elizabeth reunited and fans all around the world cried tears of joy.
9. WWF Intercontinental
Championship Ladder Match: Razor Ramon (c) vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania X
The Ladder match that kind of changed everything. Sure the
WWF put on at least one Ladder match before this, but this was the first one on
a major stage. Shawn Michaels reigned as Intercontinental Champion but had the
title stripped by President Jack Tunney. Remember when authority figures were
just a guy that rarely appeared on TV to make decisions? Behind the scenes,
there were rumors that he was in talks with WCW during a contract negotiation. Razor
won the vacant title and when Michaels returned, he began carrying around his
own Intercontinental Title and saying he was still the rightful champion. Both
titles were hung high above the ring at Madison Square Garden and the two men
proceeded to have a classic. Looking back, a lot of people that weren’t
watching at that time may not understand the hype. We’ve seen some incredibly
athletic things done in Ladder matches since then but this was groundbreaking. They
beat the hell out of each other with the ladder, while making both the careers
of both the winner, Razor Ramon and especially the loser, Shawn Michaels. Both
guys were stars, but without this match, they may not reach that next level.
Not only one of the best matches ever but it’s also one of the most
influential.
8. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21
Yes people, Shawn Michaels will appear on this list more
than anyone else. During the 2005 Royal Rumble, Kurt Angle was a favorite to
win but was eliminated by Shawn Michaels. He hopped back in and attacked
Michaels. The feud was only built on that though. Angle went all the way back
to nearly a decade earlier when he won the Olympic gold medal, only to hear
everyone raving about a guy named Shawn Michaels wrestling for an hour at
WrestleMania. The match was highly anticipated and ended up stealing the show
on a very strong WrestleMania from Los Angeles. This was two of the very best
to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots going out and having a classic. The
intensity that Angle display throughout the contest is unmatched. You truly
believe that the story he told about hearing so much about Michaels after
winning the gold medal really ate away at him. You believed that the match
meant the world to him. It wasn’t something that happened often, but Michaels
ended up tapping out, giving the win to Angle. They would rematch this later in
the year and it would be great, but nothing tops their first match for me.
7. WWF Championship: The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin –
WrestleMania X-Seven
Throughout the history of WrestleMania, there are only two
trilogies. The Undertaker vs. Triple H and the Rock vs. Steve Austin. For my
money, Rock vs. Austin is the far better trilogy. This match, which closed out
arguably the greatest WrestleMania of all-time, was their best effort. Their
WrestleMania XV match two years earlier was really good and their final match
two years after was truly great. Everything worked masterfully here. The molten
hot crowd in Houston was rabid and heavily in favor of their home state guy,
Steve Austin. These two had met so much in the past that their chemistry worked
so well. They had the epitome of the WWF main event style match for that era.
The last minute no disqualification stipulation gave them the freedom to wow
everyone. If it wasn’t for the finish, this would rank higher and be a perfect
five star match for me. Vince McMahon showed up and aligned himself with Austin,
who turned heel and beat the holy hell out of the Rock. It made sense for the
story of Austin being willing to do anything to become champion again, but the
crowd, especially the one that night, wanted no part of a heel Austin. Even
with that ending, this was, in my opinion, the best WWF/E Championship match in
WrestleMania history.
6. World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Chris
Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania XX
It seems like every tenth WrestleMania is a night for the
fans of good old fashioned technical wrestling. WrestleMania X closed with Bret
Hart as the WWF Champion and XXX ended with Daniel Bryan on top of the world.
Smack dab in the middle of those events was WrestleMania XX, held in the
historic Madison Square Garden. Chris Benoit, one of the best technicians in
history, won the Royal Rumble from the number one spot (in a far better
performance than HBK winning from #1 in 1995). Shawn Michaels, on that same
night, went to a draw with World Champion Triple H and found a way to inset
himself into the title match at Mania. The match itself was given the
headlining position and they more than delivered. Three of the best ever went out
and put on one of the best Triple Threat matches I’ve ever witnessed and
possibly the best in WWE history. After thirty minutes of back and forth
action, Benoit realized his dream of becoming World Champion by making Triple H
submit. The image of Benoit and then WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero standing tall
to close out the biggest show of the year is still one of my favorite moments
in WrestleMania history.
5. WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy Savage (c) vs.
Ricky Steamboat – WrestleMania III
The earliest match on this list is still considered by
many to be the best in WrestleMania history. In front of a record crowd in
Pontiac, Michigan, Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage went toe to toe and wowed
that audience. This was the first WrestleMania done in a stadium as opposed to
a traditional arena, giving it a much bigger feel. The show was moving along
and proved to be good, but this took it over the top. This wasn’t just a
traditional Intercontinental Title match either. It was personal after Savage
crushed Steamboat’s throat with the ring bell during a televised match they
had. The amount of near falls in this match had to be some kind of record.
Almost every minute saw at least one close call and the fans ate up every
single one of them. Steamboat used a small package to not only get his revenge
but become the Intercontinental Champion. The storyline, build and execution of
this entire thing was just so well done. Some people believe this is the
greatest match ever and, while I disagree, I wouldn’t argue too hard against
it.
4. WWF Tag Team Championship TLC Match: The Dudley Boyz (c)
vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz – WrestleMania X-Seven
One of only two WrestleManias to make the list twice. At
WrestleMania X-Seven, not only was the main event a classic, but the Tag Team
Title match was even better. At WrestleMania 2000 a year earlier, these three
tag teams ushered in a new era with a tremendous Triangle Ladder match. Later
that year, they had the first ever Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at SummerSlam
and they somehow bested themselves. The WWE decided that if it isn’t broken,
don’t fix it. They went with the match again in TLC II. In a move that I did
not expect in any possible way, these six men topped themselves yet again. They
called back to their previous matches and did thing that not only were high
stakes, but they did them all in original ways that were seamless. Sometimes in
matches like this, you get botches or just moves that don’t come out right but
everything was perfect in this one. The added dimension of each team having a
third, Lita, Rhyno and Spike Dudley, only gave this that little something extra
to put it over the top. Edge and Christian pulled down the titles to win the
third Ladder match between these teams, sweeping them for the year.
3. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart – WrestleMania X
To this day, this remains the best opening contest I have
ever witnessed. Bret Hart is one of my all-time favorites. Everything Bret did
was practically flawless and he was truly one of the best in history. His
little brother, Owen Hart, was nearly as good, but also had an all-around game
that was even better than Bret. He had a charisma and high flying ability that
allowed him to stand out among the Hart family. This storyline featured
brilliant long term booking. At the Survivor Series, Owen started to show that
he was jealous of the attention Bret got, which led to him infamously turning
on Bret at the Royal Rumble. Bret didn’t want to wrestle Owen but finally gave
in, leading to this match. According to an interview Bret gave on the 30 Years
of WrestleMania podcast, he and Owen had planned several high spots but had to
change them after knowing the kind of match that Razor and Shawn would have
later on. The fact that they had to redo their ideas and still put on one of
the best matches I’ve ever seen is a testament to how good these guys were.
Owen eked out a win over Bret, solidifying himself as a star, while Bret went
on to win the WWF Title later in the show. This was not only wrestling done
right, but it was pitch perfect booking.
2. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker – WrestleMania XXV
The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are synonymous with
WrestleMania. Shawn is the greatest performer in the history of the Show of
Shows, while the Undertaker went undefeated for over 20 years. With the
Undertaker standing at 16-0, Shawn Michaels set his sights on the streak. Mr.
WrestleMania was the perfect choice to really threaten it. Add in the fact that
Shawn and Undertaker had classic matches in the past (including the best Hell
in a Cell match ever) and the tidbit that the Undertaker had never beaten
Michaels and you’ve got a recipe for success. WrestleMania 25 was, overall, a
relatively disappointing show but the thing that totally redeemed it was this
battle. It played out wonderfully, with neither guy giving an inch. Shawn was
desperate and open to beating Undertaker in any possible way, including a
countout. At one point, he looked like he might have broken his wrist on a
moonsault and shortly after, Undertaker nearly broke his neck on his trademark
dive. The false finishes in this were tremendous and not overdone. Undertaker’s
reaction to the Tombstone not ending the match was perfect. He finally caught
Michaels mid-moonsault and won with a second Tombstone after a half hour of
fantastic wrestling.
1. Submission Match: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin –
WrestleMania 13
Not only is this my pick for the best WrestleMania match
of all time, it could also possibly be considered the most important. After
winning the 1996 King of the Ring, Steve Austin was set on a course for
superstardom. He targeted the returning Bret Hart and faced him in an instant
classic at the Survivor Series. Austin looked like Bret’s equal throughout
before making a small mistake and losing. Originally, the plan was to do a WrestleMania
12 rematch between Hart and Shawn Michaels. Thank goodness that fell through
because instead, they did a rematch of Austin and Bret, which proved to be far
superior. Adding in the submissions stipulation was crucial since neither
Austin nor Bret had ever submitted in their respective careers. WrestleMania 13
was a one match show but at least this one was tremendous. Their match felt
like a personal war, with fighting around the arena and use of weapons, but not
to the point where it was overdone. Austin got busted open and it led to the
most iconic image in WrestleMania history as he struggled to survive the
Sharpshooter. In a very badass moment, Austin refused to submit, instead
passing out. By the time the match ended, Austin’s toughness was more than
proven and the fans fell even more in love. It solidified the best double turn
ever and put the rocket on Austin’s ass that led to him becoming the top guy
the following year. I don’t only believe this is the best WrestleMania match
ever, it may very well be the best match ever, period.
