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Best title matches for each belt


NintendoLogic

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The thread title should be self-explanatory. My picks:

 

WWF/E title: HBK/Mankind, Mind Games

 

NWA title: Flair/Funk, 89 Bash

 

WCW title: Vader/Sting, 92 Bash

 

Triple Crown: Misawa/Kawada, 6/3/94

 

GHC title: Kobashi/Takayama, 4/25/04

 

WWWA red belt: Kong/Kansai, 8/30/95

 

WWWA white belt: Devil/Chiggy, 8/22/85

 

WCW/WWE cruiserweight title: Eddy/Rey, Halloween Havoc

 

IWGP junior title: Liger/Sano, 8/10/89

 

WWF/E tag titles: HBK/Diesel vs. Ramon/Kid, Action Zone

 

AJPW tag titles: Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue, 6/9/95

 

All Asia tag titles: Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Can-Ams, 5/25/92

 

WWWA tag titles: Toyota/Yamada vs. Ozaki/Kansai, Dream Rush

 

This is what I could come up with off the top of my head. But any belt from any promotion is fair game.

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My picks are admittedly rather uninspired, I'm a big fan of Arn's run with the TV title in the early 90s. My obvious biases are easy to see. I can't do Japan because I've still not seen any of the 90s stuff at all. I'll be better placed to do this after watching all the yearbooks.

 

WWF title: Savage / Flair, Mania VIII (92)

 

NWA World title: Steamboat / Flair, Clash VI (89)

 

WCW World title: Flair / Vader, Starrcade '93

 

WWF IC title: Savage / Steamboat, Mania III or Perfect / Hart, Summerslam 91

 

NWA US title: Magnum / Tully, Starrcade '85

 

WCW US title: Steamboat / Rude, Beachblast '92

 

NWA / WCW TV title: Great Muta vs. Arn Anderson, from a WCW Power Hour of Jan '90 OR Bobby Eaton vs. Arn Anderson, Superbrawl I (91)

 

WWF tag titles: Dream Team vs. British Bulldogs, from SNME (Oct, 85)

 

Triple crown (based only on AJ 80s set): Jumbo vs. Tenryu (6/5/89)

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I want to respond, but there aren't enough picks where I'd differ from Nintendo Logic.

 

I have trouble in my mind remembering if something is a title match or not also. :)

This. The more time passes, the less I remember or care about dates and such.

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Some picks:

WWE Championship: Austin/Rock (Wrestlemania 17)

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Ramon/Michaels (Wrestlemania X)

WWE Tag Team Championship: Adonis/Murdoch vs Briscos (MSG)

WWE World Championship: Undertaker/Batista (Wrestlemania 23)

 

NWA World Championship: Steamboat/Flair (Clash VI)

WCW World Championship: Flair/Vader (Starrcade '93)

NWA/WCW U.S. Championship: Magnum/Blanchard (Starrcade '85)

NWA/WCW Television Championship: Blanchard/Steamboat (Starrcade '84)

NWA/WCW World Tag Team Championship: Steamboat/Youngblood vs Slaughter/Kernodle (Cage Match)

 

The U.S., Television, Tag titles I consider one lineage because they were established in the Mid-Atlantic promotions.

 

AWA World Heavyweight Championship: Bockwinkel/Hennig (New Years Eve '86)

ECW World Heavyweight Championship: Funk/Sabu (Barbed Wire Match)

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Interesting to see votes for Flair/Vader. I thought that match had fallen out of favor somewhat. Some more picks:

 

ROH title: Danielson/Morishima, Manhattan Mayhem

 

GHC junior title: KENTA/SUWA, 9/18/05

 

For the World Heavyweight Championship, I can't think of anything off the top of my head I'd put over Bryan/Sheamus from Extreme Rules.

 

What about the IWGP title? I really liked Okada/Naito, but I feel like that shouldn't be the correct answer. I imagine the consensus pick would be a Hashimoto or Mutoh match, but I've hated all the title matches I've seen involving them.

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Yeah, Clash 17 is what I mean, was on my phone.

 

I went for Flair vs. Vader because of the sheer emotion and the build for that match. One of the few times WCW played and executed an angle perfectly. Also one of only 4 occassions I've had tears watching a wrestling match.

 

Really though, if you treat the NWA title as a separate belt, what competition does it have outside of Sting / Vader? Flair / Steamboat from 94 (the Saturday Night rematch not the Spring Stampede one)? Flair / Hogan from Bash at the Beach '94? DDP vs. Sting from 99?

 

The WCW Title picture is pretty shitty after 94.

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Michaels-Jarrett from IYH 2 maybe isn't the best IC Title match of all time, but I like it a lot in part because it's illustrative of why secondary belts are fun to have around. That match doesn't work as well if it isn't for a title, and if it's for a world title then it looks like a farce.

 

The best European Championship match is clearly the first one. I tried to think of what the second-best one would be, and there's not much to choose from. Michaels-Bulldog? D'Lo-X-Pac? The Owen-Bulldog rematch that Bret interrupted? Do people like that three-way from WM2000?

 

Rude-Steamboat from SuperBrawl isn't up there with Magnum-Tully, but I think it stands a chance as the best US Title match in the WCW era.

 

The WCW Title picture is pretty shitty after 94.

What are the best choices here? DDP-Goldberg and DDP-Sting are the only really good title matches that I can recall. Were any of the Savage-Flair title matches really good?
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Obviously a huge grain of salt here. WCW Title Matches getting ****+ from the Observer. I just wanted a comprehensive source as a starting point.

 

Flair vs Pillman (4/3/91)

Vader vs Sting (Great American Bash)

Vader vs Cactus Jack (Halloween Havoc)

Flair vs Vader (Starrcade)

Flair vs Steamboat (Spring Stampede)

Flair vs Steamboat (5/14/94)

Hogan vs Flair (Halloween Havoc)

Page vs Sting (4/26/99)

 

I don't remember if the Vader/Foley match was a title match or not.

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WWE Championship: Steve Austin vs. The Rock - Wrestlemania 17

WWE World Heavyweight: Edge vs. Undertaker - Wrestlemania 24

WWE World Tag Team: Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boys vs. The Dudleys - Summerslam 2000

WWE Tag Team: Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio

WWE Intercontinental: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - Wrestlemania X

WWE European: Owen Hart vs. British Bulldog - Raw live event in Berlin 1997

WWE Hardcore: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy - The Invasion

WWE Light Heavyweight: Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Dean Malenko - Backlash 2000

WWE Women's: Trish Stratus vs. Lita - Unforgiven 2006

 

NWA World Heavyweight: Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat - Chi-Town Rumble

 

WCW World Heavyweight: Ric Flair vs. Vader - Starrcade 1993

WCW Cruiserweight: Dean Malenko vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. - Halloween Havoc 1996

 

ECW World Heavyweight: Terry Funk vs. Sabu vs. Shane Douglas - The Night The Line Was Crossed

ECW Tag Team: Raven and Tommy Dreamer vs. Lance Storm and Justin Credible - Guilty As Charged 2000

ECW TV: Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn - Hardcore Heaven 1999

 

TNA World Heavyweight: Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle - Lockdown 2008

NWA/TNA World Tag Team: Chris Harris and James Storm vs. Elix Skipper and Christopher Daniels - TNA PPV #50

NWA/TNA X-Division: Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe - Unbreakable 2005

 

IWGP Heavyweight: Shinya Hashimoto vs. Riki Choshu - G1 Climax 1996 Day 1

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: The Great Sasuke vs. Jushin Liger - Battle Formation 1996

 

AJPW Triple Crown: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada - Jun 3rd Budokan Show 1994

AJPW Unified Tag Team: Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi -June 9th Budokan Show 1995

 

GHC Heavyweight: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa - Navigate For Evolution 2003 Day 9

GHC Junior Heavyweight: KENTA vs. Naomichi Marufuji - First Navigation 2006 Day 10

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  • 6 months later...

All personal favorites, maybe not the 'best'.

 

WWWF/WWF/WWE Championship & WWE Intercontinental:: Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior - Wrestlemania 6(hell it was for both)

WWE World Heavyweight: CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy- TLC, Summerslam 2009

WWE World Tag Team: Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boys vs. The Dudleys - TLC, Wrestlemania 17(can't remember the difference between the two tag titles)

-

WWE European: Shawn Michaels vs. British Bulldog - One night only(loved the super heel Michels here, always loved these two guys' chemistry)

WWE Hardcore: Raven vs Kane vs Big Show - Wrestlemania 17(yes I loved WM17)

WWE Light Heavyweight: Taka Michonoku vs Brian Christopher - dx In Your House

WWE Women's: Trish Stratus vs. Jazz vs victoria - Wrestlemania 19

 

NWA World Heavyweight: Ric Flair vs. Sting - Clash of the Champions I(yup love Flair/Funk, Rhodes, Steamboat, Windham but this match is just special.)

NWA US Title: Lex Luger vs Ricky Steamboat - Bash '89

NWA World tag titles: Arn & Tully vs Lex Luger & Barry Windham - Clash of the Champions I,(what a fuckin show huh?)

 

WCW World Heavyweight: Sting vs. Vader - Great American Bash '92

WCW US title: Raven vs Goldberg - nitro April '98

WCW Cruiserweight: Eddy Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Jr - Halloween Havoc 1997(saw it live)

WCW Tag Titles: The Steiners vs Sting & Lex Luger - Superbrawl '91

WCW Tv title: Booker T vs Rick Martel - Superbrawl '98

 

ECW World Heavyweight: Sandman vs Steve Austin vs Mikey Whipwreck - 1995

ECW TV: Rob Van Dam vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - 1998

 

TNA World Heavyweight: Sting vs. Kurt Angle - BFG 2007

TNA World Tag Team: Beer Money vs MCMG - Cage, Impact '10

TNA X-Division: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe - Turning Point '05(just liked it better than the 3 way, sue me)

 

IWGP- damn just haven't watched enough new japan to make choices. Seen hundreds of AJPW matches, hundreds of noah matches. Just like that style better.

 

AJPW Triple Crown: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi - 1/20/97(SUCH a hard pick. Any Kawada/Misawa bout, Jumbo/Tenryu June '89 and a personal favorite Mutoh/Tenryu from 2001)

AJPW Tag Titles - Kobashi & Kikuchi vs Kroffat & Furnas - 5/25/92(not sure how the tag title unifying went, but this is my #1 AJPW tag title match)

 

GHC Heavyweight: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa - Navigate For Evolution 2003

GHC Junior Heavyweight: KENTA vs. Naomichi Marufuji - 10/26/06

 

ROH World Heavyweight title: Bryan Danielson vs KENTA - GBH Night 2 2006(have never seen the Punk/Joe trilogy. I know I suck.)

ROH Pure title: Jay Lethal vs Samoa Joe - Manhattan Mayhem 2005

ROH Tag Titles: Kings of Wrestling vs MCMG's - Supercard of Honor? 2010. The match that made me a HUGE Cesaro fan.

 

It was hard not to list the guy from Edmonton but I hate to give him any credit. Yes I really like Sting, HBK & Kobashi.

 

EDIT: changed nwa US title match, how forgot Luger/Steamboat I dunno. Also my WWE title match was also an IC title match so I combined them.

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