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**mrslackalack** · 06-11-2008, 12:35 PM

19) Owen Hart vs. The British Bulldog (3/3/97)
This was a match to decide the first ever European Champion and it was held in Germany. The German crowd got a treat in this classic match that rivals the quality of the Bret/Bulldog match from Summerslam '92. Owen and Bulldog were the tag champs at this time so they were playing nice with each other in the beginning, but it wasn't long until both men started beating the piss out of each other and started playing games of one-upsmanship. The pace of the match was frenetic and non-stop and the end came when Bulldog countered a sunset flip into a sit-down pin ala his match with Bret at SS '92 which was a brilliant play on continuity. Bottom line is that you MUST see this match, it is simply perfect.

18) Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 12)
These two legends faced off in the first ever Iron Man match at WM12 for the WWE Title. This match was technical brilliance as both men put on an entertaining display for the full 60 minutes (and change) and kept the crowd enthralled the entire time. Many critics of the match like to point out that it was unrealistic for them to go a full hour without either man getting a pinfall and that took away from the Ironman stipulation, but I feel that just showed how evenly matched and determined both men were to not give up the first fall. After a grueling battle, HBK was able to pick up his first WWE Title after delivering Sweet Chin Music in overtime. This is a fantastic wrestling match and if you're a fan of great wrestling action, you can't miss this match.

17) Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Brian Pillman (Superbrawl '92)
This match is one of the greatest opening matches ever and is only eclipsed in my eyes by Bret/Owen at Wrestlemania 10. These two were two of the best light-heavyweights in the world at the time so to see them lock up and get a sufficient amount of time was a great treat for all true wrestling fans. This was a match over the Light Heavyweight Championship and these two men gave a performance that automatically gave some legitimacy to the belt. Liger was an outsider from Japan so the crowd didn't know what to expect from him, but he quickly won them over through some impressive moves. Pillman more than held his own by delivering some high risk maneuvers that proved why his nickname was "Flyin" Brian. This match had it all with high flying action, technical wrestling, and submission holds. The ending saw Liger so for a diving headbutt and miss which allowed Pillman to roll him up for the win and become the first WCW Light Heavyweight Champion. This is a perfect, timeless match. If you haven't seen it, please do so immediately.

16) Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarrett (In Your House 2)
If you want to see two guys fly all over the ring at a frenetic pace for nearly 20 minutes, this is the match for you. This was for The Intercontinental Title and this match reminds you about just how fantastic IC Title matches used to be. Jarrett played the heel role to perfection and had the crowd all over him and firmly behind Shawn. I would try to recap the action in this match, but honestly its too damn much to cover. It's frankly exhausting just watching it and you have to respect how great these guys' conditioning was to perform at that pace for 20 minutes. The match ended when Jarrett accidentally got tripped up by his lackie, The Roadie, which enable Shawn to nail him with Sweet Chin Music. The bottom line is you need to see this match if you haven't because it is the type of match you can watch on a loop and still not be bored.

15) The Steiners vs. Sting & Lex Luger (Superbrawl '91)
This was a rare babyface/babyface tag team matchup that featured four of the biggest stars in the company at the time. The Steiners were without a doubt the most popular tag team at the time, Sting was as popular as ever, and Luger was motivated which meant that he could put on some damn good matches. The match started with some mat wrestling exchanges between Rick Steiner and Luger, but that was just the calm before the storm. Things picked up when Rick tried to go for a flying shoulderblock and bounced off Luger like a pinball as Lex just ran right through him. Rick would then recoup with a SWANK german suplex and a Steinerline, but Luger would get right back up and nearly decapitate Rick with a clothesline of his own. Sting then got tagged into the match and instantly brought the awesome by diving to the outside onto a dazed Rick Steiner. After a missed Stinger Splash in the corner, Rick was able to tag in Scott who ran in (this was pre-roided up freak) and delivered a gorgeous Tiger Driver to Sting, followed by a tilt-a-whirl slam which made the crowd become unglued. There was so much action that followed that, it is virtually impossible to call it all. Just some of the great spots included Rick delivering a bulldog to Luger from the top rope, Sting dropkicking Rick in the back from the top rope, and Sting reversing a tombstone piledriver attempt by Scott Steiner into one of his own (and the announcers actually called it the tombstone piledriver, that surprised me). The ending came when Nikita Koloff came down to ringside to try to attack Luger, but Sting pushed him out of the way and got nailed with a steel chain by Koloff. That allowed Scott to cover for the three pin and retain the Tag Team Championship. Despite the screwy ending, this was an unbelievable match that has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

14) Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (Survivor Series '96)
When you think of Hart/Austin, you immediately think of their classic Wrestlemania 13 match, but many forget this forgotten gem that was nearly as good as that all-time classic. This match came as a result of Austin constantly berating Bret following his sabbatical after Wrestlemania 12. Finally, The Hitman could take no more and returned at Survivor Series to finally face off against his nemesis. This was an insanely paced match as both men fought inside and outside of the ring and exchanged some stiff shots on each other. Austin threw everything he had at The Hitman including a fantastic superplex from the top rope and The Stunner, but Bret kept kicking out. Bret tried to put away Austin numerous times, including when he locked in The Sharpshooter, but Austin seemed like he wouldn't be denied. The end came when Austin cinched in The Million Dollar Dream on Bret and The Hitman climbed the turnbuckle to fall backwards on Austin which gave him the three count. This was the opening match to one of the greatest feuds in the history of pro wrestling and they certainly gave a glimpse of all the greatness that was to follow in this match.

13) The Hart Foundation vs. Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, & LOD (Canadian Stampede '97)
This was a 10-man clash that happened in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where the usually hated Hart Foundation was heralded as heroes and the normally popular team led by Stone Cold Steve Austin were treated like vile enemies. The reception that The Hart Foundation received when they came out was off the charts and that transferred to the match as the crowd was rabid for the entire duration of it. Austin played to the crowd brilliantly and had them furiously booing him the whole time. Bret's showdown with Austin had the crowd in a fever pitch and when Bret took out Austin's knee after Austin had took Owen out of the match, the crowd went beserk. The ending came when both Owen and Austin made their way back into the match and Owen was able to roll-up Austin for the 3 count. This is an unforgettable match that temporarily changed the rules of what makes a face and what makes a heel in pro wrestling.

12) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Summerslam '94)
One of the best WWE title matches ever. One of the best cage matches ever. One of the best WWE matches ever. One of the best matches ever PERIOD. This match had it all. It had a great storyline attached to it with the jealous brother Owen determined to take the WWE title belt away from Bret to prove that his win at Wrestlemania X was no fluke. This match took place in the Big Blue Cage, which everyone seems to hate, and was the rematch of their classic Wrestlemania X confrontation. This match was classic in its own right. It was such a close match and saw several near escapes. This match didn't need any blood or over the top violence because these two ring technicians broke each other down with wrestling moves and by ramming each other into those unforgiving blue bars. The ending was glorious and was a great symbolism of how Owen was so close to overtaking Bret as the best of the Hart clan, but was always a fingertip shy. This match was unbelievably fast paced with several near escapes by both men and it was one of the most action packed matches I've ever seen. An absolute classic that any wrestling fan can appreciate and even some non-fans would enjoy.

11) The 1992 Royal Rumble
Many people consider this the best Rumble of all-time and while I don't necessarily agree with that (I'm partial to the '04 Rumble even though Benoit kind of fucked that up for me), I must admit that it is an hour of pure action and features one of the greatest performances by a wrestler ever. Ric Flair entered at #3 and went the distance to pick up his first WWE Championship, all while keeping the crowd on the edge of their seat during his entire time in the ring. This match would have already been automatically memorable for being the only one that decided a new WWE Champion, but the fact that Flair put in such an incredible performance makes it even more memorable. One of the things that greatly added to this match was Bobby Heenan on commentary who absolutely freaked out when seeing how early Flair entered the Rumble and thinking it was then impossible for Flair to win the match. Flair then amazed the commentary team and the crowd by going the distance and making the Final Four (which incidentally was probably the best Final Four ever with Flair, Hogan, Sid and Savage). Flair then won the match after Sid eliminated Hogan and Hogan, being the poster boy for sportsmanship, held onto Sid's hand which allowed Flair to dump Sid and pick up the title. Flair set a new record at the time by lasting in the Rumble for over an hour and became instantly credible to all WWE fans. A picture perfect Royal Rumble.

06-11-2008, 12:35 PM	#4
mrslackalack Mr. Slack A Lack Jack! Posts: 4,390	19) Owen Hart vs. The British Bulldog (3/3/97) This was a match to decide the first ever European Champion and it was held in Germany. The German crowd got a treat in this classic match that rivals the quality of the Bret/Bulldog match from Summerslam '92. Owen and Bulldog were the tag champs at this time so they were playing nice with each other in the beginning, but it wasn't long until both men started beating the piss out of each other and started playing games of one-upsmanship. The pace of the match was frenetic and non-stop and the end came when Bulldog countered a sunset flip into a sit-down pin ala his match with Bret at SS '92 which was a brilliant play on continuity. Bottom line is that you MUST see this match, it is simply perfect. 18) Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 12) These two legends faced off in the first ever Iron Man match at WM12 for the WWE Title. This match was technical brilliance as both men put on an entertaining display for the full 60 minutes (and change) and kept the crowd enthralled the entire time. Many critics of the match like to point out that it was unrealistic for them to go a full hour without either man getting a pinfall and that took away from the Ironman stipulation, but I feel that just showed how evenly matched and determined both men were to not give up the first fall. After a grueling battle, HBK was able to pick up his first WWE Title after delivering Sweet Chin Music in overtime. This is a fantastic wrestling match and if you're a fan of great wrestling action, you can't miss this match. 17) Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Brian Pillman (Superbrawl '92) This match is one of the greatest opening matches ever and is only eclipsed in my eyes by Bret/Owen at Wrestlemania 10. These two were two of the best light-heavyweights in the world at the time so to see them lock up and get a sufficient amount of time was a great treat for all true wrestling fans. This was a match over the Light Heavyweight Championship and these two men gave a performance that automatically gave some legitimacy to the belt. Liger was an outsider from Japan so the crowd didn't know what to expect from him, but he quickly won them over through some impressive moves. Pillman more than held his own by delivering some high risk maneuvers that proved why his nickname was "Flyin" Brian. This match had it all with high flying action, technical wrestling, and submission holds. The ending saw Liger so for a diving headbutt and miss which allowed Pillman to roll him up for the win and become the first WCW Light Heavyweight Champion. This is a perfect, timeless match. If you haven't seen it, please do so immediately. 16) Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarrett (In Your House 2) If you want to see two guys fly all over the ring at a frenetic pace for nearly 20 minutes, this is the match for you. This was for The Intercontinental Title and this match reminds you about just how fantastic IC Title matches used to be. Jarrett played the heel role to perfection and had the crowd all over him and firmly behind Shawn. I would try to recap the action in this match, but honestly its too damn much to cover. It's frankly exhausting just watching it and you have to respect how great these guys' conditioning was to perform at that pace for 20 minutes. The match ended when Jarrett accidentally got tripped up by his lackie, The Roadie, which enable Shawn to nail him with Sweet Chin Music. The bottom line is you need to see this match if you haven't because it is the type of match you can watch on a loop and still not be bored. 15) The Steiners vs. Sting & Lex Luger (Superbrawl '91) This was a rare babyface/babyface tag team matchup that featured four of the biggest stars in the company at the time. The Steiners were without a doubt the most popular tag team at the time, Sting was as popular as ever, and Luger was motivated which meant that he could put on some damn good matches. The match started with some mat wrestling exchanges between Rick Steiner and Luger, but that was just the calm before the storm. Things picked up when Rick tried to go for a flying shoulderblock and bounced off Luger like a pinball as Lex just ran right through him. Rick would then recoup with a SWANK german suplex and a Steinerline, but Luger would get right back up and nearly decapitate Rick with a clothesline of his own. Sting then got tagged into the match and instantly brought the awesome by diving to the outside onto a dazed Rick Steiner. After a missed Stinger Splash in the corner, Rick was able to tag in Scott who ran in (this was pre-roided up freak) and delivered a gorgeous Tiger Driver to Sting, followed by a tilt-a-whirl slam which made the crowd become unglued. There was so much action that followed that, it is virtually impossible to call it all. Just some of the great spots included Rick delivering a bulldog to Luger from the top rope, Sting dropkicking Rick in the back from the top rope, and Sting reversing a tombstone piledriver attempt by Scott Steiner into one of his own (and the announcers actually called it the tombstone piledriver, that surprised me). The ending came when Nikita Koloff came down to ringside to try to attack Luger, but Sting pushed him out of the way and got nailed with a steel chain by Koloff. That allowed Scott to cover for the three pin and retain the Tag Team Championship. Despite the screwy ending, this was an unbelievable match that has to be seen to be fully appreciated. 14) Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (Survivor Series '96) When you think of Hart/Austin, you immediately think of their classic Wrestlemania 13 match, but many forget this forgotten gem that was nearly as good as that all-time classic. This match came as a result of Austin constantly berating Bret following his sabbatical after Wrestlemania 12. Finally, The Hitman could take no more and returned at Survivor Series to finally face off against his nemesis. This was an insanely paced match as both men fought inside and outside of the ring and exchanged some stiff shots on each other. Austin threw everything he had at The Hitman including a fantastic superplex from the top rope and The Stunner, but Bret kept kicking out. Bret tried to put away Austin numerous times, including when he locked in The Sharpshooter, but Austin seemed like he wouldn't be denied. The end came when Austin cinched in The Million Dollar Dream on Bret and The Hitman climbed the turnbuckle to fall backwards on Austin which gave him the three count. This was the opening match to one of the greatest feuds in the history of pro wrestling and they certainly gave a glimpse of all the greatness that was to follow in this match. 13) The Hart Foundation vs. Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, & LOD (Canadian Stampede '97) This was a 10-man clash that happened in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where the usually hated Hart Foundation was heralded as heroes and the normally popular team led by Stone Cold Steve Austin were treated like vile enemies. The reception that The Hart Foundation received when they came out was off the charts and that transferred to the match as the crowd was rabid for the entire duration of it. Austin played to the crowd brilliantly and had them furiously booing him the whole time. Bret's showdown with Austin had the crowd in a fever pitch and when Bret took out Austin's knee after Austin had took Owen out of the match, the crowd went beserk. The ending came when both Owen and Austin made their way back into the match and Owen was able to roll-up Austin for the 3 count. This is an unforgettable match that temporarily changed the rules of what makes a face and what makes a heel in pro wrestling. 12) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Summerslam '94) One of the best WWE title matches ever. One of the best cage matches ever. One of the best WWE matches ever. One of the best matches ever PERIOD. This match had it all. It had a great storyline attached to it with the jealous brother Owen determined to take the WWE title belt away from Bret to prove that his win at Wrestlemania X was no fluke. This match took place in the Big Blue Cage, which everyone seems to hate, and was the rematch of their classic Wrestlemania X confrontation. This match was classic in its own right. It was such a close match and saw several near escapes. This match didn't need any blood or over the top violence because these two ring technicians broke each other down with wrestling moves and by ramming each other into those unforgiving blue bars. The ending was glorious and was a great symbolism of how Owen was so close to overtaking Bret as the best of the Hart clan, but was always a fingertip shy. This match was unbelievably fast paced with several near escapes by both men and it was one of the most action packed matches I've ever seen. An absolute classic that any wrestling fan can appreciate and even some non-fans would enjoy. 11) The 1992 Royal Rumble Many people consider this the best Rumble of all-time and while I don't necessarily agree with that (I'm partial to the '04 Rumble even though Benoit kind of fucked that up for me), I must admit that it is an hour of pure action and features one of the greatest performances by a wrestler ever. Ric Flair entered at #3 and went the distance to pick up his first WWE Championship, all while keeping the crowd on the edge of their seat during his entire time in the ring. This match would have already been automatically memorable for being the only one that decided a new WWE Champion, but the fact that Flair put in such an incredible performance makes it even more memorable. One of the things that greatly added to this match was Bobby Heenan on commentary who absolutely freaked out when seeing how early Flair entered the Rumble and thinking it was then impossible for Flair to win the match. Flair then amazed the commentary team and the crowd by going the distance and making the Final Four (which incidentally was probably the best Final Four ever with Flair, Hogan, Sid and Savage). Flair then won the match after Sid eliminated Hogan and Hogan, being the poster boy for sportsmanship, held onto Sid's hand which allowed Flair to dump Sid and pick up the title. Flair set a new record at the time by lasting in the Rumble for over an hour and became instantly credible to all WWE fans. A picture perfect Royal Rumble.