Eivion Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, Octopus said: What are the 5 Most Important WWE matches of all time, in your opinion? Hogan/Andre WM3 Rock/Austin WM17 Austin/Bret WM13 Not sure after those. Those are all important as beginnings or end of eras. Honestly, its probably should be Bruno's and Backlund's title wins or losses alongside those, but they aren't pushed as important as the reigns themselves. Edited March 23 by Eivion 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) Hogan/Andre WM3 HBK/Austin WM14 Austin/Bret WM13 HBK/Brett Survivor Series Bruno vs Buddy That’s my list even though I’m definitely not the 1 to ask. There is a list of darkhorses that’s interesting IMO but onto more important things first like the other list. And I can’t even make one wow. The WWF, for all their Wrestlecrap, is short on alltime bad trainwreck matches. The exceptions were booked to fail to sabatoge somebody like HHH/BPP or for laughs like old Pat Patterson matches. If I made a list out of crumbs it would probably include the 1 old Bob Backlund match that made everybody mad or 1 of those last ones that didn’t make anybody mad because they didn’t care enough to get mad. Then maybe a John Cena match from those years were every match had a wannabe rapper prematch and postmatch promo. EDIT: old AGED Pat Patterson. Those comedy matches from the 90s. And old match with a YOUNG Bob Backlund vs Superstar. Edited March 23 by BloodyChamp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technico Support Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) 4 hours ago, zendragon said: Bruno’s 1st title win Hogan over Sheik Hogan/T over Orndorff/Piper Hogan over Andre Austin over HBK All this but swap Austin/Bret double turn match for Austin/Michaels. Maybe honorable mention to the screwjob, too. Also, it’s wild that maybe 97% of the matches mentioned so far are Attitude era and earlier. Almost nothing WWE did after killing all their competition matters at all, it’s just content. Some real Ozymandias shit, nothing left to conquer. Edited March 23 by Technico Support 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godfrey Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Actually if there's a match from WM30 that was era defining it was probably Taker/Lesnar more than the main event. As much as I want Danielson's win to be what set the table for the past decade of WWE, really it was Brock ending the streak leading to squashing Cena for the belt and becoming an absentee champion while they tried to build up the Shield guys. I've sometimes called it the Fuck You Era of WWE since Lesnar, HHH, and Roman seemed like personifications of Vince's middle finger to the fans And maybe Hart/Michaels Survivor Series 97 should be in a top 5 for importance, it's hard to argue it wasn't a turning point for the company 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Since today is the anniversary of the show, posting one of my favorite spots ever. The Free for All version with Farooq shouting, "THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH FAROOOOOOOOOQQQQ!" is the absolute best. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) I will say that the WWF had a ton of good matches after the Attitude Era, just show after show every night. They weren’t all storyline driven and when they were it was really good wrestler vs really good wrestler. That would usually make up a really good match but none of those really good matches were historically important. Yes I do know you could make an arguable list but it would be arguable to the other list, not realistically replaceable. Edited March 23 by BloodyChamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 23 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said: Since today is the anniversary of the show, posting one of my favorite spots ever. The Free for All version with Farooq shouting, "THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH FAROOOOOOOOOQQQQ!" is the absolute best. I wasn’t a fan of most of that stuff but the SCSA and Nation exchanges were great. Both of these promos contain 2 subtle real world references that not everybody caught, that probably wouldn’t have been ok’d by a producer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 I would posit that the sixth match that just misses the list, but that should get an honorable mention, should be Warrior/Savage at WM VII. That match is the ideal form of the WWE big match style to the point that I'd say it's the blueprint for every other big match that tried to give the culmination of a major story that came after it. You can draw a line from it to, say, "I'm sorry, I love you" or Austin shaking hands with Vince after aligning with him. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 12 hours ago, The Natural said: Think I'm one of the very few who hasn't changed their username since then. checking in. i've been using this handle for ~20 years. I tried to dredge through the wayback machine to find when i originally registered, and could only get as far back as 2006. I know i lurked here for a long time before signing up. not DVDVR related, but on another board, a couple other guys and I used to "raid" different wrestling boards. signing up, spamming the shit out of them, and getting ourselves banned. Only to repeat the process again and again. most places obviously weren't IP banning at that point obviously. I tended to use variations of my name: rotziwt, TWI2TOR, "the twiz", etc. such good times. 43 minutes ago, SirSmUgly said: I would posit that the sixth match that just misses the list, but that should get an honorable mention, should be Warrior/Savage at WM VII. That match is the ideal form of the WWE big match style to the point that I'd say it's the blueprint for every other big match that tried to give the culmination of a major story that came after it. You can draw a line from it to, say, "I'm sorry, I love you" or Austin shaking hands with Vince after aligning with him. that was probably my first favorite match that i would watch and rewatch constantly. my two favorites from when i was a kid. Savage, who is larger than life and has the best voice of all time, and Warrior, who at the time was a superhero come to life. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 1 hour ago, SirSmUgly said: I would posit that the sixth match that just misses the list, but that should get an honorable mention, should be Warrior/Savage at WM VII. That match is the ideal form of the WWE big match style to the point that I'd say it's the blueprint for every other big match that tried to give the culmination of a major story that came after it. You can draw a line from it to, say, "I'm sorry, I love you" or Austin shaking hands with Vince after aligning with him. We had a discussion on this not too long ago when it came that it might not be the best match. IIRC I think I said something to effect of it being a good match that's elevated to a great match purely on the storyline having rewatched at the time the discussion happened. It's kinda hard to transport yourself back to 1991, but there is a reason why multiple promotions try to recreate the two guys need to go forever and do multiple nearfalls template. Steamboat/Savage is just a game of let's have fun and do as many quick nearfalls as possible. Warrior/Savage is trying to play out the drama. I mean I understand why people would feel Hogan vs. Warrior at VI is Warrior's best match, but goddamn if that isn't by far Warrior's best individual performance that made you believe ok say what you will about Jim Hellwig as a person and worker but his WWF title run wouldn't have been a flop if he could be that type of storyteller he was against Savage that night. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolfan in NYC Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 An update from Ugandan pro wrestling... 5 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Wilson Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 6 hours ago, BloodyChamp said: I wasn’t a fan of most of that stuff but the SCSA and Nation exchanges were great. Both of these promos contain 2 subtle real world references that not everybody caught, that probably wouldn’t have been ok’d by a producer. That was fun to watch. I kept yelling HARD CAM in my head, I guess that wasn't a thing back then. Also, I forgot Austin used to wear an earring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Warrior could work when he wanted to just like Hogan could. Mfer just never wanted to, just like Hogan didn’t. Yes I know there were like 8 more times Hogan wanted to work. That doesn’t make what I said a lie. If the list were stretched to 10 most important matches it would go on it IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Thinking of a wrestler doing a Thunderbolt tribute shtick of “consistently having to restrain himself from swearing in public”. Might stick out even more now when people pretty much swear in public whenever. Also Gordon reacting to Jimmy Hart like a cat reacting to a kitten with the “what the fuck are you doing” kind of response 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Alex Coughlin retired. NSFW: Spoiler https://twitter.com/AlexCoughlin93/status/1771738988732199148 Bloody hell. I liked Alex Coughlin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Gordon was two steps from cracking at the end and still lays down a classically Gordon-esque last line ("from a man who is very, uh, emotionally charged at this moment"). What a pro. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said: Gordon was two steps from cracking at the end and still lays down a classically Gordon-esque last line ("from a man who is very, uh, emotionally charged at this moment"). What a pro. He must have been soooo hammered too lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Had to be nigh impossible to bust out laughing when Thunderbolt pokes out his chest, pokes back his ass and starts slowly gesticulating with those eyes popping in two seperate directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onelegbrynn Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) On 3/23/2024 at 10:45 AM, Octopus said: What are the 5 Most Important WWE matches of all time, in your opinion? Coming at this with the full disclaimer that most anything pre-1980 is a blind spot for me but I'd say: Sgt Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson (Alley Fight, MSG) Hulk Hogan vs. Iron Sheik (MSG Jan 84) Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (WrestleMania 3) Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13) Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 17) Other matches I thought about were Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell), John Cena vs. JBL (WrestleMania 21), Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24), Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (Shea Stadium), Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania 6), Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 97) Edited March 24 by onelegbrynn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Cut to Gordon Solie as the guest in a Black church hearing about the evils of alcohol 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technico Support Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) 13 hours ago, BloodyChamp said: Warrior could work when he wanted to just like Hogan could. Mfer just never wanted to, just like Hogan didn’t. Yes I know there were like 8 more times Hogan wanted to work. That doesn’t make what I said a lie. If the list were stretched to 10 most important matches it would go on it IMO. I’ll respectfully disagree with both points. I fairly recently re-watched every WWF PPV up to maybe 92 and I have to tell you that Warrior was awful. He had three marquee matches with Rude and two were terrible. His match with Savage was a triumph of storytelling overcoming poor work and seriously, fuck kicking out of 5 flying elbows. That’s not work, it’s spectacle. His match with Hogan was a miracle rooted in lots of planning. Hogan could and did work. I dislike the narrative that Hogan was lazy in the U.S. It’s often peddled by people amazed that Hogan did maybe three more moves when working in Japan. Yes, after 86 he transitioned into more of a routine worker but shit, Flair was a routine worker too. Hogan got by on charisma and a routine but the idea that he couldn’t or didn’t also work when he was in the ring is just wrong. I feel like a lot of wrestling criticism has its roots in Meltzer’s writing in the 80s, where guys who worked a technical style were just automatically seen as better workers. Which is pretty funny if you think about it; smart fans were getting worked and believing the “scientific wrestler” gimmick. It was shocking, rewatching all this stuff, how so many wrestlers considered “bad” by conventional wisdom (typically big guys who worked a more power or brawling style, Hercules Hernandez for example) were really competent workers. Edited March 24 by Technico Support 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 2 hours ago, onelegbrynn said: Coming at this with the full disclaimer that most anything pre-1980 is a blind spot for me but I'd say: Sgt Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson (Alley Fight, MSG) Hulk Hogan vs. Iron Sheik (MSG Jan 84) Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (WrestleMania 3) Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13) Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 17) Other matches I thought about were Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell), John Cena vs. JBL (WrestleMania 21), Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24), Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (Shea Stadium), Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania 6), Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 97) Curious as to your thoughts on putting Patterson v Slaughter on the list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onelegbrynn Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 3 minutes ago, zendragon said: Curious as to your thoughts on putting Patterson v Slaughter on the list For me, it was one of the first pre-Hulkamania matches of the WWF that made me genuinely want to see it. I don't remember how I first heard about it (probably from a magazine or something) but hearing about the violence and brutality of it was something that made me want to track it down. I'm kind of a novice on early 80s WWF but from what I can figure out is that WWF (or WWWF) didn't exactly do violent and bloody matches on the regular, which made the Alley Fight stand out even more. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 What are the five most important WWF/WWE matches of all time? None. There has never been an important match in the company. Frivolous innit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Hogan could definitely work. As late as 1996, when he was revitalized by the heel turn, he could still turn it up and go on PPV. I think Hogan/Piper at Starrcade, while not quite a miracle match, is a very good match, and that's heavily down to Hogan's performance. While I liked the Rude/Warrior trilogy much more than Technico, I do think he's spot on with his assessment of Warrior and Hogan. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts