Your Top 5 Favorite Matches

[Corndad]

Simple Question. Your Five Favorite Matches. Doesn't have to be the most Technical 5 you have ever seen but 5 matches you can put in your DVD player or VCRs at anytime and enjoy just like you did the first time ya saw them.

My 5 (In No Particular Order)

1. The Rock vs Angle vs Taker (Vengence 2002)

Very Underrated Match IMO. Great Back and Forth Action. Best Triple Threat I've seen. (Yes you read that right, I'm sure will get flack that maybe HHH/HBK/Benoit was better but guess just personal Preference) The match did what it was suppose to do. Every guy in the match looked strong and came off as a true Main Event.

2. Angle vs Benoit (Royal Rumble 2003)

Another back and forth match with two technical masters. Great Match. Also made Benoit look good even in a losing effort.

3. Hogan vs Savage (WM 5)

Maybe I'm just Nostalgic here but I always loved the storyline going into this match. Miss Elizabeth in the middle, Mega Powers Exploding. Savage pulled a great match out of Hulk and as Jesse Ventura said at the start of the match "This is what the phrase Main Event was all about. This truely is the Main Event"

4. Taker vs HBK (WM 25)

The newest Addition is pretty self explanatory. Unbelievable back and forth match. Near Falls. Everything you would want in a match. Great Theatrics before and during the match. Great Storytelling.


5. Steamboat vs Savage (WM 3)

The Near Falls make this match amazing. The 93,000 plus crowd on the edge of their seats. Two of the greatest of all time on the biggest stage of all time. Truely a classic.


Honorable Mention: Tanaka vs Awesome (ECW One Night Stand)

[Xero]

Real original topic... But anyway, in no particular order...

Bret vs. Austin - Mania 13
Piper vs. Valentine - Dog Collar Match
Taker vs. Michaels - Mania 25
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - RR 2000
Michaels vs. Razor - SS94 Ladder Match (I always found this match slightly better than the Mania match.)

Ask me again in a few weeks and the last two might change, but the top three are pretty solidly up there.

[Nicky Fives]

in no order

Bret/HBK Mania 12
Owen/Bret Mania X
Taker/HBK Mania 25
Rock/Austin Mania 17
Benoit/Angle Rumble 03

[The Show Off]

Real original topic... But anyway, in no particular order...

Bret vs. Austin - Mania 13
Piper vs. Valentine - Dog Collar Match
Taker vs. Michaels - Mania 25
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - RR 2000
Michaels vs. Razor - SS94 Ladder Match (I always found this match slightly better than the Mania match.)

Ask me again in a few weeks and the last two might change, but the top three are pretty solidly up there.

The second Razor/HBK ladder match was better, but it was 1995.

[The Show Off]

Here's mine in paticular order.

1. AJ Styles [c] v. Christopher Daniels (30 Minute Iron Man Match for the TNA X-Division Championship, TNA Against All Odds)
2. Brock Lesnar [c] v. The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell for the WWE Heavyweight Championship, WWE No Mercy 2002)
3. Chris Benoit [c] v. Shawn Michaels v. Triple H (Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Backlash 2004)
4. Bryan Danielson [c] v. KENTA (for the ROH World Championship, ROH Glory by Honor V: Night 2)
5. Brock Lesnar [c] v. Eddie Guerrero (for the WWE Heavyweight Championship, WWE No Way Out 2004)

[mike adamle]

No order here.

1. Undertaker vs. Mankind- Hell In A Cell Match- King Of The Ring 1998
2. 1994 Royal Rumble... I know it's not even the best rumble of all time, but it was the first PPV I'd ever seen. I was also a huge Bret mark, so for some reason i manage to get that same enjoyment out of it everytime i see it.
3. TLC 1
4. Owen-Bret- WM 10
5. Kurt Angle-Chris Benoit- Royal Rumble 2003

[#1-norm-fan]

Well the "Doesn't have to be the most Technical 5 you have ever seen but 5 matches you can put in your DVD player or VCRs at anytime and enjoy just like you did the first time ya saw them" changes it a little as the 5 matches that I think are technically the best aren't necessarily the ones that are my favorites to watch.

So here are my personal 5 favorite matches that I can just watch over and over and over again and still be enthralled and entertained.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Street Fight, SummerSlam '02)
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WWE Title Iron Man Match, WrestleMania XII)
3. Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (Raw, April '07)
5. Sting vs. Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions I)

[#1-norm-fan]

On a side note, I can't even really enjoy Benoit matches anymore. I mean... I always did think his matches were a bit over-rated anyway but now I just really can't even watch them.

[James Steele]

In no particular order:

Triple H vs Steve Austin ("3 Stages of Hell" 2/3 Falls Match - WWF No Way Out 2001)
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels (Unsanctioned Street Fight - WWE SummerSlam 2002)
Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker (WrestleMania 25)
Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 21)
Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho (WrestleMania XIX)

[The Optimist]

On a side note, I can't even really enjoy Benoit matches anymore. I mean... I always did think his matches were a bit over-rated anyway but now I just really can't even watch them.
Why? Because he killed his family?

[#1-norm-fan]

lol. I'm assuming that has something to do with it...

[The Optimist]

Yeah, I can't watch Kane's matches knowing what he did to Katie. Or Trips either for that matter.

[Xero]

So the Benoit situation was a work?

They sure put one over on me.

[CSL]

Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (Mind Games 1996)
Steve Austin vs. The Rock (Wrestlemania X7)
Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (Wrestlemania 21)
Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (Living Dangerously 1999)
Edge vs. The Undertaker (Wrestlemania 24)

All but the first change quite regularly though

[What Would Kevin Do?]

Off the top of my head.


HBK vs. Ric Flair at WM 24

HBK vs. HHH (HBK's return match at Summer slam)

HBK vs. Undertaker at WM 25

Jimmy Jacobs vs BJ Whitmer Cage match at Supercard of Honor III (I was there live, I love Jimmy Jacobs, the match was awesome, but, I'm probably biased.)

Bryan Danielson v. KENTA (for the ROH World Championship, ROH Glory by Honor V: Night 2)

Basically, all matches that had great storytelling, great buildup, and were damn good matches.

[Rammsteinmad]

My list usually differs on these, and I can't be bothered to put much thought into it, so let it be known that my two favourite matches are all time:

1. Chris Benoit VS Triple H VS Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 20
2. Chris Benoit VS Kurt Angle - Royal Rumble 2003

[Zeeboe]

1. 1990: Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior - Wrestlemania 6

2. 1996: - Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Survivor Series

3. 1997: Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Wrestlemania 13

4. 1998: Steven Regal vs. Bill Goldberg - Monday Night Nitro

5. 1998: Owen Hart vs. Ken Shamrock - Fully Loaded

[Zen v.W.o.]

Bret vs Austin Mania 13
Bret vs Owen ManiaX
Bret vs Piper Mania 8
Canadian stampede ten man tag
Owen vs Bulldog-Raw, euro title tourney final

[Jordan]

Rock/Austin WM 17
Hart/Austin WM 13
HBK/Undertaker Bad Blood IYH
HBK/Mankind IYH Mind Games
HBK/Diesle IYH Beware of Dog

[Chavo Classic]

I was happy I was able to find these the other day. It's one of my top five favourite matches, and the first time I really got to see Mysterio before... well.... he got shit.

Mysterio VS Juventud, ECW, some time in 1995

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[redoneja]

In no particular order:

Bret Hart v Yokozuna (Wrestlemania X): I was 6 years old at the time and a huge Bret Hart mark. Although Wrestlemania VIII was the first one I watched live, this is the first one I really remember watching. Looking back I know it was an average match, but it's still one of my favorites.

Magnum TA v Tully Blanchard (I Quit Cage Match, Starrcade 1985)

Taz v Sabu (ECW Living Dangerously)

Stone Cold Steve Austin v The Rock (Wrestlemania X-7): This is an interesting choice for me because I was never a big Steve Austin or Rock fan. Yet this match was amazing. The buildup and the execution were perfect. It is probably in my top 3 of Mania main events, in terms of story and buildup (along with Hogan/Andre and Hogan/Savage).

Shawn Michaels v The Undertaker (Wrestlemania 25): If there is such a thing as a 'perfect' wrestling match, then this is it. To put it in perspective, my roommate isn't a wrestling fan and only occasionally watches Raw with me just for entertainment. He's more amused by it than anything else. Yet he watched this match when I ordered Mania and he was completely floored by it.

[Executioner]

1. War Games I (GAB 1987) Four Horsemen vs. The SuperPowers:
Simply because, at the time, it was the most innovative match ever created for a wrestling event. And for all the big names and main eventers to be in one match was unheard of.
2. any of the Steamboat vs. Flair matches from 1989 (Wrestle War 1989, Chi-Town Rumble 1989, Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin Cajun)
If there was ever a 3 match series of nothing but PURE wrestling, this takes the cake. 2 of the best workers in the world going after at the time, the most prestigious belt in the SPORT.
3. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (WM XII Iron Man WWF Title)
Arguably the 2 best in the WWF at the time in a match that was unheard of at the time. but we saw what it would lead to over a year later.
4. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker (WM XXV)
Enough said....
5. Any Nigel McGuinness vs Bryan Danielson match
Yea im a sucker for this feud, and only up until recently was I able to see all their matches. I could compare it to Steamboat and Flair just younger and more agile.

[Zeeboe]

For me, since I was fourteen years old, I've always believed that the greatest wrestling match of all time was the "I Quit" match between Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13. The reasons why I've always loved that match is because it honestly reminds me of a shoot match. It looked exactly like the type of brawl you'd see in a bar. The psychology of the match was also freaking amazing. It wasn't about titles, it was just two guys who hated each other's guts, beating the tar out of each other.

I also loved that there was a 50/50 split among the crowd. To me, those make for the best types of matches, and REALLY adds to the fun and psychology. It also makes it more real because in other major sporting events (i.e. The Super Bowl, a big boxing match), the audience is usually divided, and I think it just makes you want to cheer for your favorite more.

The characters were realistic, the two men were very talented in wrestling and on the mic, and the intensity those two warriors had was amazing. Their feud almost convinced me wrestling was real, or at least their rivalry was, and their matches too, were because they were that good. It was also a real passing of the torch feud too because you had the old wrestling era in Bret Hart were there with classic good guy characters taking on the attitude era that was within Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Whenever I watch Stone Cold induct the Hitman into the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame, it's always looks a little weird for me to see them standing on the same, and not trying to hurt each other. :)

In closing, if there was one match I'd given anything to have seen live, it'd been that one.

[GD]

5. "Tag Team Champion vs Tag Team Champion" match at Wrestlemania goes hollywood

Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero

4. TLC Match for the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team titles at Wrestlemania XVII

The Dudley Boys (c) vs. The Hardy BoyZ vs. The E & C Connection

3. Triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash 2004

Chris Benoit (c) vs. Triple-H vs. Shawn Michaels

2. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania

1. WWE Championship match at No Way Out 2004

Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar (c) (Never felt so good about wrestling. I was always a Brock Lesnar fan from day one but that night I cheered for Latino Heat and went through a series of mixed emotions as he won the WWE Championship)

[KaliKot]

TLC at WMXVII
Triple Threat at WM20
Brock vs Benoit at some random Smackdown before he won the Rumble
Angle vs Benoit at Rumble 03
HBK vs Bret Ironman Match

man its really hard limiting it to 5 choices
Honorable mentions would be:
Rock vs Austin (all of them)
Taker vs HBK WM25
Rock vs Hogan
HHH vs Foley HIAC
Angle vs Brock Lesnar Ironman Match
HHH vs Austin 3 stages of hell match

[Zeeboe]

Just saw this for the first time....always wanted to watch it......I love that this was shot in Stu Hart's dungeon:

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I like realism in my matches, and to me, the two best styles in wrestling are brawling and mat wrestling because those are the ways most people fight in real life. I like the above match because it looks like a shoot. A typical fight isn't fancy at all. It's messy, and it's usually two guys rolling around on the floor, pulling each other's hair, biting each other, tripping on one another, and a few shots to the body and head, and the fights are normally over pretty quickly, and the above match pretty much had all those realistic features for the most part.