Grimmas Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I was listening to the List'em and Learn episode where they ran down the best WWF matches of the 1990s and all three had Austin-Hart I Quit as number one. Alan & Matt then came out and said it would be there number 1 match in WWF history. What I found striking about that is I don't even think it's the best Austin-Hart match, as I have the Survivor Series '96 one ahead of it. There are a lot of contenders for this crown:Iron Sheik vs Sgt. Slaughter, Boot Camp Bret Hart vs Owen Hart, WrestleMania X Steve Austin vs Bret Hart, Survivor Series 96 Steve Austin vs Bret Hart, I Quit from WrestleMania XIII John Cena vs Umaga, Last Man Standing from Royal Rumble John Cena vs CM Punk, Money in the Bank Those are off of the top of my head and the Survivor Series 96 & the Cena-Punk matches would be the battle for top spot for me. What do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar from Extreme Rules has to be in the running. The best cage match that the WWF has ever produced was the Tito-Valentine title change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I'd rank Bret/Austin at Survivor Series #1 with the Submission (NOT I QUIT) Match at WM13 #2. The rest of my top ten, in chronological order: Slaughter/Sheik, Boot Camp Match Bret/Perfect, KOTR 93 Bret/Owen, WM10 HBK/Mankind, Mind Games Angle/Austin, Summerslam 2001 Eddy/Brock, No Way Out 2004 Cena/Umaga, Royal Rumble 2007 Brock/Punk, Summerslam 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar from Extreme Rules has to be in the running. The best cage match that the WWF has ever produced was the Tito-Valentine title change. How could I forget that? Man, that John Cena is a hell of a pro wrestler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpchicago23 Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I agree with the Cena/Brock match being in contention but i dont think Cena/Umaga would crack my top 25. It's a good match but i definitely prefer matches like Shawn/Taker HIAC ahead of it. My favorite WWf match is also my favorite match period and thats Hart/Austin 13. Hart/Austin Series96 might be number three behind Hart/Hart from WM 10. I'm an unapologetic Bret fan but those matches are widely praised beyond just Bret Hart fans. A few other matches would probably be: Warrior/Savage WM 7 Shawn/Mankind- Mind Games Shawn/Taker- Badd Blood Austin/Dude Love- Over the Edge Cena/Brock- Extreme Rules Punk/Cena- MITB Punk/Cena Raw Feb. 2013 Bret/Bulldog- IYH 5 Slaughter/Sheik- Bootcamp Bret/Perfect- KOTR 93 Kurt/Shawn- WM 21 No Mercy 02 tag Shawn/Taker- WM 25 Angle/Taker- No Way Out 06 Brock/Eddie- No Way Out 04 Savage/Steamboat- WM 3 Thats just off the top of my head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Shield vs Ryback/Team Hell No is one of the most chaotic brawls and incredibly engaging pro wrestling matches I have ever seen. It was the full court press brought to the forefront of WWE. It is amazing that 2012 gave us that and the Brock/Cena match, which are just un-WWE matches to happen in the WWE. I think both would make my top ten I think best match in the WWE that is also the best representation of what Vince McMahon thinks wrestling should be is Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII. I don't think I would choose it to be the greatest match in WWE history, but it would definitely make my top ten. Austin/Hart I Quit is definitely a safe pick. HBK/Razor II, HBK/Foley, Bret/Owen, all get close. Then you have all of Backlund's incredible work and I still have not seen it all against the likes of Muraco, Adonis and Rose. The Patera, Slaughter, and Valentine matches are all classics. I do like the pick of Brock/Eddie because it is such an incredible feel good moment. I think that's my favorite wrestling match in WWE history.I think I will go with Austin/Hart I Quit with the iconic finish putting it over the edge. I have to think about it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 One more to consider is the Wyatts-Shield match from Elimination Chamber. One of the rare matches I rate 5 stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcMadness Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I agree Shield/Wyatt's should be in high consideration and I would add both Daniel Bryan matches from this years Mania. I wouldn't have any as #1, but would consider all 3 for a Top 15 or 25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Yeah... that Backlund - Patera match is in the running. Amazing match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Enthusiast Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Maybe I'm just a big Patterson mark, but the Slaughter/Patterson alley fight at MSG is way up there for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR Ackermann Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 If we're counting NXT matches, then Regal vs Ohno from 2013 is up there. My personal pick would be Michaels/Mankind from Mindgames but I feel like there's got to be something better than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregor Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 That match from Survivor Series '96 ranks right up there on my list of matches whose legendary status I don't get. Even with matches that other people love and I don't like that much, I usually can at least understand why they're so beloved. With Hart-Austin, I genuinely can't see what would make it one of the best matches in WWE history. It's not even an issue with either guy or with the way WWE was worked in that era; I think that their WrestleMania match is absolutely a contender for the top spot. Michaels-Mankind is literally my favorite wrestling match of all time and one that I absolutely consider great, but, if you're talking about the greatest match in the history of a company as old as WWE, that terrible finish probably disqualifies it. It's not just a lame run-in but a poorly executed lame run-in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Austin vs. Hart WM 13 is #1 for me On first thought the rest of the top 5 would be: Boot Camp Slaughter vs. Sheik Warrior vs. Savage Brock vs. Cena I have all of those as ***** Cena vs. Bryan - My MOTY for 2013 and ****3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 I'm surprised no one has mentioned Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon from WrestleMania X (the inferior IMO SummerSlam rematch was mentioned) and Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog from SummerSlam '92 (another match of theirs was mentioned instead). Can the Royal Rumble match itself count? If so, Royal Rumble '92 was pretty damn awesome. I remember the Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund (heel turn) match from Superstars being very good, but I have no idea how that holds up. Their rematch at Survivor Series was memorable for its theatrics, but I can't remember if the match itself was anything special outside of the Towel gimmick. Their "I Quit" match at WrestleMania a few months after that was one of the most disappointing ever. These were good, but "not best match ever" caliber, so I hit the strikethrough button because I didn't want to erase what I had already typed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 That match from Survivor Series '96 ranks right up there on my list of matches whose legendary status I don't get. Even with matches that other people love and I don't like that much, I usually can at least understand why they're so beloved. With Hart-Austin, I genuinely can't see what would make it one of the best matches in WWE history. It's not even an issue with either guy or with the way WWE was worked in that era; I think that their WrestleMania match is absolutely a contender for the top spot. Charles and I had a talk about this on the Pro-Wrestling Super Show Holiday special and we both agreed Survivor Series was the better match. My argument for that match is that it is truly a throw back end of an era type situation. Not a fake on like Triple H-Taker in the Cell at Mania, but a real ending point of the slower old school style in North America. It's got an amazing story of Bret's comeback and how he may not have it any more, but he has heart and will keep fighting back. In the end the returning legend had a trick that the new guy on the block had never seen before. The match is intense and builds and builds. There is stuff like the first slug fest Austin wins, but Hart is able to come back for the second one and win that. A few times that happens, where someone will try something early and try again later and it fails too. I could talk about this match for hours and never stop praising it. I give it an easy 5 stars! This match is everything pro-wrestling should be and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Maybe I'm just a big Patterson mark, but the Slaughter/Patterson alley fight at MSG is way up there for me. I also really really love this match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantastic Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Warrior/Savage WM 7 Shawn/Mankind- Mind Games Shawn/Taker- Badd Blood Austin/Dude Love- Over the Edge Cena/Brock- Extreme Rules Punk/Cena- MITB Punk/Cena Raw Feb. 2013 Bret/Bulldog- IYH 5 Slaughter/Sheik- Bootcamp Bret/Perfect- KOTR 93 Kurt/Shawn- WM 21 No Mercy 02 tag Shawn/Taker- WM 25 Angle/Taker- No Way Out 06 Brock/Eddie- No Way Out 04 Savage/Steamboat- WM 3 Bolded ones for sure. I personally can't pick just one "best" though. In my opinion, no single match has yet transcended the standard of "once-in-a-generation" match for the WWE. In essence, there is no one match that really goes above and beyond the rest in all aspects of wrestling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 If we're talking just WWF it's probably Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13. If we're including the WWE years then it's Angle/Benoit at Royal Rumble '03. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Great question. Here's some that are probably not number 1 for anyone, but would likely make my top 20 and haven't been mentioned yet - Bret vs. Taker (HBK as Guest Ref) from SummerSlam 97' - I remember this match just having such a great "big match feel" at a time when WCW was still the industry front-runner in the US and, though Bret has said he prefers his other bouts with Taker, if I had to choose one to rewatch out of ones I've seen, I think this would be the one I'd pick just because of the story told. Guerrero vs. RVD (Ladder Match, RAW, May 02') - I remember seeing this match out-of-context as I wasn't watching WWE at the time and just being blown away by the violence and agility on display. A car-crash match, to be sure, but one I like to show to non-fans because of the entertainment value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 If we're talking just WWF it's probably Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13. If we're including the WWE years then it's Angle/Benoit at Royal Rumble '03. Wow, I hate that Angle-Benoit match. When I did the top 25 Rumble matches in history last year it didn't even make the list. After the 10th minute of German Suplex & sharpshooter reversals I seriously questioned whether I hate or love wrestling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 If we're talking just WWF it's probably Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13. If we're including the WWE years then it's Angle/Benoit at Royal Rumble '03. Wow, I hate that Angle-Benoit match. When I did the top 25 Rumble matches in history last year it didn't even make the list. After the 10th minute of German Suplex & sharpshooter reversals I seriously questioned whether I hate or love wrestling. I think we've had this convo before, but it's one of my all time favorite matches. The way they brought a dead crowd back to life, and the way they worked the reversals and the big spots, pretty much everything I love about pro wrestling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Not sure Angle/Benoit makes my top 10 all time matches from the promotion, but very possibly my favorite from at post-Mania 17 until maybe Cena/Umaga, if not later. Speaking of Mania 17, Rock/Austin is definitely on that list for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jushin muta liger Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 If we're talking just WWF it's probably Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13. If we're including the WWE years then it's Angle/Benoit at Royal Rumble '03. Wow, I hate that Angle-Benoit match. When I did the top 25 Rumble matches in history last year it didn't even make the list. After the 10th minute of German Suplex & sharpshooter reversals I seriously questioned whether I hate or love wrestling. I think we've had this convo before, but it's one of my all time favorite matches. The way they brought a dead crowd back to life, and the way they worked the reversals and the big spots, pretty much everything I love about pro wrestling. I am going to have to agree with Bill on this. I recently watched the Benoit/Angle match and it holds up to me. The reversals and the balls to wall action is something that WWE hasn't had in a while for their WWE championship matches (and for good reason cause of the outcomes of each guy). However, Austin vs Hart at WM13 is the best WWE match in the terms of what the bookers wanted and the fans wanted. The Survivor Series match is an awesome match bell to bell but pulling off the double turn and telling the story between the two guys hating each other to the point that they become the person they despise was a great credit to WWE and those two guys. Even when Ken Shamrock slamming Hart afteR the match was awesome and put the crowd in a frenzy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jushin muta liger Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 I will say also, Cena vs Umaga might the most underrated great WWE Title match in WWE history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidebottom Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Bret Hart vs Owen hart at Wrestlemania 10 Bret Hart vs Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13. Undertaker vs Mankind at KOTR 98. Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 21 Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25 It's all subjective of course. If I wanted to make arguments why the above matches weren't good, I could. But these 5 matches to me are brilliant each for different reasons. Hart / Austin at WM13 may be my favourite ever WWE match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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