Resident Evil

Like I said on smartmarks I personally liked the handshake and for me it helps build up Hogan vs Austin. I guess people are upset that Michaels heel turn is perhaps over. I haven't watched Raw in awhile so I don't even know how that's going. Hogan vs Michaels and Rey vs Eddie were the matches of the night for me without question. Some of the other matches were dissapointments but these two plus Jordan vs Benoit made up for it. I loved Benoit destroying Jordan and being portrayed as so powerful. Yes, it's true he should be going for the world title but I'm just glad right now that he's finally got something to do. I'm looking forward to some US title defences I was glad Orton didn't beat Undertaker clean. Give me Taker vs Benoit at Mania! Angle is back baby! No HHH! It'll be interesting to see how HHH and Angle contend for the #1 heel spot now that Angle looks after himself with the politics side somewhat.

Super Tiger vs Akira Maeda UWF -- I haven't watched this in awhile but I remember really liking it. Does anyone know the date? Dynamite Kid vs Cobra Tourney Finals 2/7/84 Dynamite vs Tiger Mask 4/23/81 Dynamite vs Tiger Mask 1/1/82 Dynamite vs Tiger Mask 1/28/82 Dynamite vs Tiger Mask 7/23/82 Dynamite vs Tiger Mask 8/5/82 Dynamite vs Tiger Mask 4/21/83 I hope I didn't forget anything there. Basically, I nominate all the Tiger vs Dynamite matches.

Some Stampede that comes to mind right off the bat Benoit vs Yang Chung 4/15/88 Benoit vs Yang Chung 4/22/88 Benoit/Owen vs Jason/Zodiac 10/23/87 Benoit vs Gama 3/18/88 Benoit vs Johnny Smith 5/27/88 Benoit vs Johnny Smith 6/3/88 Benoit vs Johnny Smith 6/24/88 Benoit/Idol vs Commandoes Texas Tornado match 9/16/88 JIP Smith vs Wellington 7/22/88 Smith vs Wellington 10/7/88 Hair vs Hair Benoit/Wellington/Hart vs Smith/Commandoes 11/11/88 Benoit vs Smith 12/30/88 JIP

*Edited to take out matches that were already nominated* Hart Foundation vs Rockers SNME 4/28/90 Tito Santana vs Mr. Perfect SNME 7/28/90 Pillman vs Lyger Handheld 12/26/91 Benoit/Wellington vs Pillman/Lyger 6/16/92 The Steiner Brothers vs. Terry Gordy/Steve Williams - Clash XIX 6/16/92 Benoit vs Brad Armstrong 1/13/93 -- Clash of the Champions Benoit vs Scorpio 1/23/93 HH Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon 1/24/93 Benoit vs 2 Cold Scorpio 2/21/93 WCW Superbrawl Hollwood Blondes vs Steamboat/Douglas 3/2/93 Worldwide (3/27 Worldwide) Hollywood Blondes vs Scorpio/Bagwell Computer Challenge Tournament for the tag titles Worldwide Date 5/8/93 Bret Hart vs Yokozuna 8/13/93 MSG Cage Match Benoit vs Sabu Handheld 2/19/94 Nasty Boys vs. Cactus Jack/Kevin Sullivan - Slamboree ?94 5/23/94 Benoit vs Sabu Handheld 8/5/94 Benoit vs Al Snow NWA handheld 8/7/94 Benoit vs Scorpio; handheld match with the brick wall 11/9/94 Bret Hart vs Diesil Royal Rumble 1/22/95 Chris Benoit vs. Al Snow - Double Tables 2/4/95 Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero WCW Nitro 10/16/95 Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero WCWSN 11/18/95 Bret Hart vs Diesil 11/20/95 Survivor Series Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero WCWSN 11/25/95 Benoit vs Alex Wright Nitro 1/8/96 Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero 1/14/96 Worldwide Shinjiro Ohtani vs. Dean Malenko - Worldwide 5/2/96 Benoit vs Dean Malenko 8/10/96 Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho - Fall Brawl '96 9/15/96 Benoit vs Juventud Guerrera Worlwide 10/13/96 Benoit vs Regal 12/2/96 Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero -- 12/23/96 Nitro Tourney match Dean Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon - Starrcade '96 12/29/96 Benoit vs Meng -- 5/18/97 Slamboree Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero 10/20/97 Nitro Benoit vs Fit Finlay 10/27/97 Nitro Benoit vs Malenko 1/12/98 Nitro Benoit vs Booker T 5/25/98 Nitro First Match of "Best of 7" series Benoit vs Booker T 6/11/98 Thunder Benoit vs Booker T 6/14/98 Great American Bash Benoit vs Finlay 6/15/98 Nitro Benoit vs Bret Hart 6/22/98 Nitro Benoit/Malenko vs Adams/Horace Hogan 2/18/99 Thunder Cage match Benoit vs Hart 3/1/99 Nitro Benoit/Malenko vs Kidman/Rey Mysterio Jr. 3/29/99 Nitro Benoit/Malenko vs Rey Mysterio Jr./Kidman vs Raven/Saturn 5/9/99 Slamboree Benoit vs Kanyon 7/8/99 Thunder Benoit/Saturn vs DDP/Bigelow 7/11/99 Bash at the Bash Benoit vs Malenko 9/13/99 Nitro #1 Contender match Benoit vs Sting 9/20/99 Nitro *Edited to take out matches that were already nominated Bret Hart vs Hakushi Raw ???? Bret Hart vs Diesil Cage MSG 1/27/96 -- Has anybody seen this? I haven't seen it but I heard it's great so for anyone who has seen this -- I'm giving a shout out to remind you to nominate it.

From the Baltimore Sun. You have to register to view it. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp....ack=1&cset=true Show business has hold on Angle Career: The former Olympian has his heart into knuckling down on the mat and stage. With a gold medal draped around his neck, Kurt Angle couldn't hold back the tears as he stood proudly on the podium, his right hand across his heart, as "The Star-Spangled Banner" played. It was the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and Angle had just won the 220-pound freestyle wrestling competition. The fact that he even qualified for the Olympics was amazing, because he did it with a broken neck, which he had suffered while winning the nationals. Coming from a blue-collar background, the clean-cut, baby-faced Angle was quickly embraced as America's newest sports hero. He was a guest on national talk shows and even had two parades in his honor. Currently one of the main attractions in World Wrestling Entertainment, Angle still invokes a spirited reaction. But instead of adulation, he routinely has an arena-full of fans chanting "You suck" at him, and he expects a similar response tomorrow night when he performs on WWE's SummerSlam pay-per-view show at MCI Center. Now, is that any way to treat an Olympic hero? It is in the bizarre world of professional wrestling, where milk-drinking straight-arrows like Angle are portrayed as the bad guys, and beer-guzzling rebels are the fan favorites. A legitimate world-class athlete like Angle might seem out of place in that world, with its over-the-top theatrics and pre-determined outcomes, but he couldn't be more serious about his often-mocked profession. He is as driven to be recognized as the best pro wrestler of all time as he was to win the gold medal. "A lot of people in this business claim to be the best," Angle, 36, said, "but I truly believe there's nobody better than me. I want to be considered the greatest ever." To put his comments into context, he's not talking about wanting to be the biggest star in pro wrestling history. He knows the fans will never put him in the same class with Hulk Hogan and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Holds nothing back Angle is speaking in terms of a well-worked pro wrestling match being an art form. Despite WWE's sometimes-farcical presentation as a testosterone-laden soap opera - and Angle readily admits what he does is entertainment, not true sport - his goal always is to deliver the most compelling, realistic and athletic-looking match on the card. "I want to steal the show every time I'm out there," said Angle, who is 6 feet 2, 220 pounds. "When you watch Hulk Hogan, he doesn't look quite as crisp and sharp and his technique isn't what mine is. Not to put down Hulk, but I have to look real because I am real. "I actually have more of a passion for this than I did for amateur wrestling." Angle, who has continued to battle severe neck injuries since starting with WWE in 1999, already has earned a reputation in the pro wrestling industry as one of the top in-ring performers. "He may not go down as the greatest of all time because of the injuries and [lack of] longevity, but he is already an all-time great," said Dave Meltzer, editor and publisher of theWrestling Observer Newsletter. "The Kurt Angle of two years ago, match after match, was as good as anyone I've ever seen. I don't know if he can still do it at that level night after night, but he's still at the top of the list of the best guys in the business today." Angle didn't always have a passion for pro wrestling, however. Like most amateur wrestlers, Angle - who was a two-time NCAA Division I heavyweight champion at Clarion, is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and was recognized last year as one of the 15 greatest NCAA wrestlers of all time - never paid any attention to pro wrestling and considered it a joke. In fact, when WWE chairman Vince McMahon offered him a lucrative contract a few days after he won the gold medal, Angle turned it down, later remarking that there was a better chance of his joining the circus than becoming a pro wrestler But after a brief stint as a sports anchor in his hometown of Pittsburgh and a failed attempt to land a spot with the Steelers as a fullback, Angle decided to give WWE a second look. Signed to a developmental deal for significantly less than WWE's initial offer, he proved to be a natural in the ring and charismatic on the microphone. Less than a year after his debut, Angle won the WWE championship from "The Rock." He also had to lose a few matches along the way, which didn't sit well with him initially. A new mind-set "When I first started, I said, 'Vince, I don't ever want to lose,' " Angle said. "He was like, 'Are you crazy? Nobody goes undefeated.' "I had to forget everything I learned in amateur wrestling. I had to learn how to give my body up to my opponent, how to [show pain] - and not just to the person in the front row; the people in the rafters need to see the pain, so you have to overdo [your facial expressions]." Angle certainly wasn't the first amateur wrestler to go into pro wrestling. A number of amateurs had made the transition, especially in the 1940s and 50s, with varying degrees of success. Angle, however, was the most high-profile amateur to do it. That did not please some in the amateur wrestling community, who were having a hard time watching one of their most-decorated athletes playing comedic foil to WWE's good guys and trading pulled punches with guys named The Undertaker and Scotty 2 Hotty. "It raised some eyebrows and there were some people that spoke out about it," said Rosedale resident Tom Gaylin, an NCAA wrestling official who was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with Angle in 2001. "We usually never even discussed pro wrestling - it was taboo. A lot of people, particularly in the hierarchy, had mixed emotions." Angle went on to become one of WWE's marquee performers for several years before his career was nearly derailed just as he was about to reach the pinnacle for a pro wrestler - headlining WrestleMania, WWE's Super Bowl, in 2003. He was scheduled to face Brock Lesnar, the 2000 NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion at Minnesota who followed Angle into the pro ranks, in the main event of the annual pay-per-view extravaganza. But two months before the show, Angle called McMahon and told him he was unable to lift his arms above his head. The neck injuries that occurred during the 1996 nationals, when he cracked vertebrae in two places and had two disks pushed directly into his spinal cord, had gradually worsened as the result of getting bumped around the ring in WWE. Doctors told him he needed spinal fusion surgery, which would keep him out of the ring for at least a year and maybe permanently. A few days after backing out of the match, however, Angle had a change of heart. And just as he did in '96, he ignored the doctors and risked possible paralysis for the opportunity to achieve one of his goals. 'One more match' "It was my first chance to be in the main event at WrestleMania, and I had only been in the business three years," Angle said. "I figured I could go one more match, and then I'll have surgery and see how it goes." Angle delivered his usual quality performance at WrestleMania, then underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure and returned to the ring a couple of months later. The neck problems kept occurring, however, and during one match he briefly lost feeling in both his arms. It got so bad that McMahon asked Angle to consider retiring last year. "I told him, 'I ain't gonna retire. Let me take a break and heal up and I promise you there won't be any more problems,' " Angle said. "I knew I wasn't stretching my neck and doing the right things to prevent the injuries from getting worse. Now, every day, I stretch five times a day. I do everything I can to keep my neck and back in condition, and I don't have any problems with my neck right now." Angle realizes he's still only one bad bump away from a tragic situation. But despite the physical toll pro wrestling has taken on him, as well as the emotional one - he said he and his wife recently separated due to the strain of his constant traveling - Angle is determined to leave an indelible mark on the industry. "Vince McMahon always tells me this is in my blood. I know this is what I was meant to do," Angle said. "I've done everything there is to do in this business, but in order to have that iconic status, you can't do it in five years. So I'm going to do all I can to show people that I'm as good, if not better, than anybody that's ever been in this business. I'm looking to go another 10 years."

You know when I got that Stampede Epic Battles tape it got cut off on me after the first couple of matches so I never saw what was on after that. I got the matchup from a different source. If Dynamite and Myers run away after getting obliberated (specifically DK) setting up a tag title match for the next week against Bret and Davey (which doesn't happen because Myers got injured) than odds say yes it's the same match. Dynamite eats a piledriver, a boot to the face off of a slingshot suplex, the fastest upside down flip into the turnbuckle ever and a flying shoulder tackle from the top rope at the end of the match. Does that sound familiar?

I know, same here. I'll just nominate matches than that are mostly shown but I do ask for the Viet Cong Express vs Owen Basserb matches to be allowed as an exception. Their moveset and workrate were amazing in these and I want everybody to have the pleasure of seeing it. Some matches like Dynamite vs Bruce or Bret and a 10 man elimination tag I saw you can still get a good feel for. I feel almost bad if I didn't nominate them. It's like that late 80s multiwoman Joshi tag with the unreal heat. It wouldn't be fair to take that off of a nomination list. (Edited}

In a match that's sure to be a contender I nominate: Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect 10/2/89 -- Trust me boys, this one rules! Dynamite Kid vs Bret Hart 9/14/85 Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage Maple Leaf Gardens -- 7/27/86

I just discovered this thread about 20 minutes ago and in my haste/excitement to eat up all the information I could I missed a couple of things while reading. Yeah some are but most aren't unfortunately. There were also a lot of potential great matches taken off of TV because they were too violent. I'm thinking if 8 to 10 minutes are shown of a JIP match it'd be okay to nominate? Because it'd be a crying shame if the Owen Hart/Basserb vs Viet Cong Express matches aren't nominated even though most of the matches aren't shown. I remember they did get on a "Top 100 Matches of the 80s list" before so there's no reason why they can't now. BTW, how long do we have to nominate stuff for the lists?

Benoit vs Randy Orton Raw 8/16/04 Benoit vs Shawn Michaels Raw 5/13/04 Benoit vs Kane 6/28/04 Raw

If we do MMA what about "worked" fights? Pancrase which I love and reportably Pride has had work and shoot matches. Than there are those matches where nobody can agree on wether it's a shoot, half shoot or complete work. It really isn't fair to compare a work and a shoot in terms of a match rating. I love this idea of putting the together all the great matches. I just wish this had happened years ago when I was in my ultimate hardcore wrestling fandom. I assume US nominations includes Canada as well? because I'd like to nominate various matches from the great white north.

I thought there was some kind of dispute over a trademark with a comic company.

I watched Kawada vs Ohtani last night and had fun. Don't tell anyone though. It'll be our little secret.

It was good to pretty good but a ways off from their classic Raw match of last year. They did a good job at the beginning at keeping things interesting with the mat wrestling. The flow here was good but not great. One nice moment had Orton using the reff break on the ropes to get Benoit back into the headlock. Their timing was also pretty good on the armdrags. The beginning part of the match actually went on for quite a long time. Orton took over with a two part move for the "first" real control segment. He ends up hitting Benoit with a face first DDT while Benoit's feet are on the middle ropes. Devestating move and they treat it as such right away as Benoit's actually in trouble right off the bat just managing to put his foot on the ropes. Benoit mostly fought back here with his intense brawling which of course I always like. Orton went for his Canadian backbreaker into a neckbreaker spot but couldn't get Benoit up so he just goes for a wicked DDT. I don't know if it's just because he's facing Benoit who loves to take more than his share of punishment but Orton was better here than he was in the past at having convincing offence in the heel control segment portion of the matches. The switch back to offence for Benoit was a highlight of a match. Orton does the irish whip shot of Benoit into the turnbuckles where he gets the extra oomph on the move by going down to the mat (ala HHH vs Benoit). However, Benoit comes/collapses out of the turnbuckle and hits Orton with a headbutt with his weakened neck. Great, innovative spot and both are down for the count of 10. Finisher time. They do the brawling exchange that Orton always does in his matches and go from there. This segment was pretty good but too short as Jordan comes down and interferes. Overall, it was a pretty good little match. The flow was good but not super like in their Raw match from last year and the ending was a little too short for my likings but I assume that's partly because they weren't doing a PPV match where they kick out of all their finishers. The middle felt a little short too probably due to the length of the mat wrestling in the beginning. Watch it and have fun. That's what it's all about.

J-Cup Lyger vs Sasuke Benoit vs Sasuke 2 matches which I love. Lyger vs Sasuke is one of the most rewatchable, adrenaline filled, want to see enderdog win matches ever. Benoit vs Sasuke is the epic feeling contest needed to finish off the night. Sasake's journey in this tournament is impossible not to get behind and makes the night and match feel so special. I will also give credit to 6/5/89 as that night had the excellent tag bout and one of the best matches of all time in Jumbo vs Tenyru.

Different situations so the comparioson's not accurate. Bret was concerned about letting his fans down in a captivating angle and truth be known he had right to be concerned about that. Angle wise, charactor wise, situation wise, fan wise there is no way Bret can lose to Michaels in Canada. My heart sunk when I heard that Bret lost via sharpshooter the day after this. This was before I knew that he got screwed. I was thinking, "Why did you let them do that to you Bret, especially to the sharpshooter?" When I actually learnt what happened my respect for Bret went way upwards and I was proud of him for standing up for what he believed in in a situation where the easy thing to do was just go along with whatever they wanted to do. Off topic slightly but if Hogan did lose in America in the or anywhere for that matter it would've hurt him. Just like it hurt Goldberg's mystique. So much of Hogan's popularity came from the belief that he could not be beaten. Look at the Hulk Up he did in all his matches. The questions people alway asked to each other or themselves were "Who could stop the Hulk Up?" How would you stop the Hulk Up if you were in the ring?" Than you had the "WHo can kick out of the legrop?" question all which were so engrossing because nobody had been able to stop those moves at all. They gave Hogan that fun invincibality power. If somebody had beaten him than his in ring shtick doesn't have that magical power anymore. A large part of what makes Hogan who he is is gone. Sure he'd still do well because of his charisma but he'd be "damaged goods" if he cleanly jobbed.

I was blown away by this match too. One of the best AJPW tags I've seen. As far as your list (which are all obviously good matches and above) goes this is what I'd personally have it better than: Jumbo vs Funk, destroys Samurai vs Ohtani, Tsurta vs Kerry Von Erich although that one's pretty close, it completely annihilates Whindam/Rhodes vs Zbysko/Arn, conquers Midnights vs Fantastics if that's the match I'm thinking of and is a little bit better than the Midnights vs Southern Boys. Some of the others I'm not too sure of because I haven't seen them. THere are a few matches in the list that are indeed better.

Just some various thoughts here. One of the things I like about Bret is that he's not afraid to speak his mind and when he does it's usually pretty much right on. Now a lot of people speak their minds but I don't know too many people who do that who are naturally good guys who actually speak the truth. I think that throws a lot of people off since people don't expect that out of an overall good personality like Bret's and as a result he gets more backlash than he deserves. When people don't like the truth he speaks they've got to knock him down some so he becomes just like many other people. People who you don't respect as much. And of course if you can knock him down some than you don't have to swallow the words that he's speaking. You can put yourself in a false belief. Back on topic, I'm in complete agreement for Bret for what he did that weeking for various reasons which I've gone into before. If in Bret's shoes, I'm of the firm belief that 98% of the people who would say Bret was wrong for what he did in Montreal would not job to Michaels. I'm also of the belief that 99% of people who would say they would do buisness would not and in fact do something even worse than Bret ever did.

Goodhelmet, are you sure on this? Over on smartmarks they're saying that Piper was one of the few not to say negative remarks. Meltz listed Piper in the negative column then explained that the reason he was negative was due to Brooklyn Brawler asking him the right questions to get a negative response about Bret. One example given was Brawler talking about Bret being the best technical wrestler ever and Piper saying that he wasn't, that Bob Orton Jr. was. In the editing process, it'll be sliced and diced to make it sound like Bret was completely overrated in the ring. Right. Years later and Bret Hart is still the most interesting subject to talk about when concerning the WWE or really any league at all.

Goodhelmet, are you sure on this? Over on smartmarks they're saying that Piper was one of the few not to say negative remarks.

I'm glad to see Gibson win the title. I always liked him as a wrestler.

Yeah, I know. You can definitely see Bret's fingerprints on this as some of these matches are bouts he's talked about fondly in the past.

I was looking for that quote the other month. Everybody should have to read that before discussing anything about the Montreal incident. This is off topic slightly but Bret Hart's wife telling HHH off is one of the best things I've ever seen. I wanted to marry her after that. That's a real woman. What a list. Overall Bret has great taste in wrestling and I'd be more than happy to have a DVD set of this. See, the WWE or even a lot of wrestlers wouldn't be able to pick out the hidden gems of their own wrestling career. Jean Pierre, 1/2/3 Kid and the Hakushi match from Raw? I'm down with that. I'm stoked to see the Andre match. That'll be interesting. I'm guessing the Road Warriors match was the one on the WWF Home VIdeo? Not sure what Bigelow match that is but I'm excited to see it I'm guessing the Owen match is Summerslam. If so I'm in favour of that because I think it's really gotten underrated Hakushi on Raw? Yes! Better than the IYH PPV I remember loving this back when it aired I know Bret takes great pride in the Yankem match LOved the IYH PPV match against Davey. Good to see that there Undertaker One NIght Only? Thank you Bret. More people have to see this STAMPEDE?? Sweet. Watch quickly Ross, watch quickly. EDIT -- Hart has suggested a NJ match with TM in 1982 from Dubai, which he believes is his best singles match against TM. If not, he also suggested their WWF Jr. title match from Japan that year. Has anybody seen this?

Woah, a lot to talk about here. A burial job on Bret Hart? Why? I'm mad enough at the Warrior apparantly going to get screwed over (though I suspect they could make an angle out of that but it's still wrong) with his DVD but Bret too? How many years did he work for the company? How many shows did he miss? How many of the best WWF moments of all time belong to Bret? How many times did he win awards like in Germany? How much love did he give to his craft? Look at what he meant to all the fans all over the world. Look at how unselfish he was in the ring over his career. Bret kept me believing in wrestling for years on end. When ever I wanted to give up on it Bret's work was there to keep me hooked. Vince made a lot of people mad at Survivor Series including me. Why do it again? Especially to the people who would pick that DVD up in an instant. That truly ticks me off. Good for JR, X-Pac and Benoit for sticking to their guns.

Is Benoit even gonna be on the card?