Big Z Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 My nomination is Hart Foundation vs. Demolition SummerSlam '90 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4026w_demolition-vs-hart-foundation-tag-t_sport http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x402i0_demolition-vs-hart-foundation-tag-t_sport After almost three years between title reigns, the Harts are back against the team they lost to at SummerSlam two years ago. Demolition has just added a third member, and have held the belt for the better part of the last two and a half years. The Harts lose the first fall, then battle back to win the bout. I may be a bit biased here as a huge Bret Hart fan, but I have always loved this match. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 I actually watched that Foundation/Demos match when I put started the thread to see if it held up. Everything up until Ax shows up his fucking rock solid stuff with some great storytelling. I love that they avoid the pinfall pop in the second fall with Crush attacking the ref, allowing them to save it for fall three. I'm not so into the Twin Magic deal here, but then Earl missed a no tag right in front of his fucking face and so I just chalked it up to him being literally blind. I'll go with a yes. Angle Del Team I will now always call them Angle of Team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 MNM vs. Rey/Batista, Smackdown This is a tag team cage match. I haven't watched it since it aired in 2005. I friggin' loved MNM so much. This was also such a great era for Rey, too, when he really transitioned from possibly the greatest high flyer of all-time to someone with toned down spots, which preserved his health while also helping him fit into the WWE's style.It starts off with Batista and Rey having control, but MNM escaping and looking to climb out of the cage as quickly as possible. Each time, though, the faces have a counter. The best one comes when Rey leaps up to the cage like Spiderman (to steal a phrase from Taz) and knocks one of MNM off. He then hits a bulldog/legdrop combo. But MNM get control and now realize they can't just escape this match, but they have to actually beat Rey and Batista to some degree in order to win. And that they do. Most of their really good offense comes against Rey, which makes sense because of the size factor, and Rey also has never shied away from throwing his skull into a cage. They hit a DDT on Batista that sends him reeling against the cage, allowing MNM to hit some double team slides and the like to keep hum neutralized. Taz points out their strategy -- take out Rey, go back to Batista, and then right back to Rey. Melina is also doing some great manager work on the outside. Rey counters and gets control and sets up something crazy. MNM are laid out and he climbs to the top rope. But then he realizes he has time for more, and climbs to the top of the cage! He hits a beautiful crossbody on Mercury, as Nitro dodged. He nearly gets a 3 but Nitro makes the save.MNM manage to take Rey out just as Batista awakes. Batista hits some strength spots. Nitro kicks Dave in the face after a corner charge and tries to go to the top. Batista catches him but Mercury climbs up to the top and holds his partner's hand, preventing the move from happening. But Batista sweeps their legs and they take an awesome looking double nutshot.Batista has control of the match when Melina summons her insurance policy Mark Henry! Henry looks for a way in the cage and decides the best way to do so is to rip off the lock and rip the door off the hinges, which he throws into the ring. Henry tosses Batista into the cage like it's no deal, and then he sandwiches Batista with the door! Then there's a shot with the door to Rey Rey.Nitro then pins Rey for the win.This is a really good match. I like the psychology behind it a ton, with MNM being total weasels and Batista and Rey having the experience in previous cage matches to hold them off, until Mark Henry comes in and wrecks shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 C'mon Gregg. You of all people should be able to give me more than that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 C'mon Gregg. You of all people should be able to give me more than that. More coming! Those were placeholders so I don't forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraylo187 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 NOMINATE: Bret and Owen Hart vs the Quebeccers, '94 Rumble. This match is of course is the result of Owen and Bret having a falling out and trying to get their relationship back on track. Obviously, Bret and Owen are great in this match. They continue the idea started in the Hart Family vs HBK and Some Knights match at Survivor Series that Owen is a god damn ace, and probably a future FACE OF THE COMPANY type. He kills it with some awesome hot tag fire ups. I also forgot how good The Quebeccers were. They're both just awesome Bruisers who use the strength game and their tag experience to stay a step ahead of the Harts, which is no small thing to do. Watching this match as an adult I realized that Owen was right: Bret is way too prideful, and it's what loses them the match. Owen has the thing won but Bret doesn't run defense for his brother. Later, instead of just tagging out and being brutalized on the outside, Bret decides he can win the thing on his own with a sharpshooter before the ref throws the match out due to the Hitman's not being able to walk anymore. The match is built around the will they/won't they implosion of Bret and Owen, but they tell the story well, and really play on the simple fact that the audience really WANTED to see the two of them as champions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Shawn Michaels/Diesel vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid, Action Zone 1994This match is so friggin' good. It starts off with Shawn and Diesel cheapshotting the faces. But Razor and The Kid get quick control and almost steal the match so many times. Razor even hits The Razor's Edge on Shawn who is saved at 2 9/10s when Big Daddy Cool pulls him out of the ring to save the belts. The action just goes on from there, with all sorts of stuff from these guys. There's an insanely long face-in-peril stretch from Razor. The heels do all sorts of great double teams -- My personal favorite is the "hold your partner's hand in the ab stretch when the ref isn't looking" spot.The end segment's pretty wild. Diesel accidentally eats a superkick from Shawn and sells being out cold for a few minutes, just laying on the match. This puts Shawn in a 2-on-1 situation where he has to survive absolutely everything. The Kid hits some awesome dives (including a nuclear plancha in 1994!) and Razor hits his strength stuff. They also do a Rocket Launcher and a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting (there's a lot). Diesel finally comes to life and is on the apron. The Kid is in the ring and Diesel hits him with the big boot, leading to the three.This really got over everyone's strengths a ton. Shawn came off like the most resilient athlete in WWE history. Razor was this surprisingly smart beast with all sorts of strength. The Kid was ungodly fast and quick and daring with his aerial moves. And Diesel serves as the ultimate equalizer, being the biggest man in the ring.This is one of the best matches of the 90s. It would fit in perfectly with today's style of wrestling that we're blessed with having. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucky Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Jack/Jerry Brisco vs Dick Murdoch/Adrian Adonis (MSG, 12/28/84) Shawn Michaels/Diesel vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid, Action Zone 1994 YES to both of these as I've seen them both in the last 6 months and they're fresh on my mind. Very different from each other but they're both classics that I would put in my top 50 WWE matches of all-time. There's at least one more great Murdoch and Adonis match from MSG, I think. I need to rewatch the match vs. Sarge and Terry Daniels and the match vs. Backlund and Brian Blair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Summerslam 88 is tons better than 90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Z Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I did just watch '88 again and it is a fun match. I still prefer 1990, but I will take Matt D's advice and nominate 1988 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6y9tf_hart-foundation-vs-demolition-summe_sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/hartsdemos8-29-88review.htm http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/hartsdemos8-27-90review2.htm on the run, no time to C+P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraylo187 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Shawn Michaels/Diesel vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid, Action Zone 1994 This match is so friggin' good. It starts off with Shawn and Diesel cheapshotting the faces. But Razor and The Kid get quick control and almost steal the match so many times. Razor even hits The Razor's Edge on Shawn who is saved at 2 9/10s when Big Daddy Cool pulls him out of the ring to save the belts. The action just goes on from there, with all sorts of stuff from these guys. There's an insanely long face-in-peril stretch from Razor. The heels do all sorts of great double teams -- My personal favorite is the "hold your partner's hand in the ab stretch when the ref isn't looking" spot. The end segment's pretty wild. Diesel accidentally eats a superkick from Shawn and sells being out cold for a few minutes, just laying on the match. This puts Shawn in a 2-on-1 situation where he has to survive absolutely everything. The Kid hits some awesome dives (including a nuclear plancha in 1994!) and Razor hits his strength stuff. They also do a Rocket Launcher and a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting (there's a lot). Diesel finally comes to life and is on the apron. The Kid is in the ring and Diesel hits him with the big boot, leading to the three. This really got over everyone's strengths a ton. Shawn came off like the most resilient athlete in WWE history. Razor was this surprisingly smart beast with all sorts of strength. The Kid was ungodly fast and quick and daring with his aerial moves. And Diesel serves as the ultimate equalizer, being the biggest man in the ring. This is one of the best matches of the 90s. It would fit in perfectly with today's style of wrestling that we're blessed with having. This isn't on the network, sadly, but I DID find Shawn and Kev vs Yoko and Bulldog, which is also a ton of fun, though maybe not something I'd nominate for the thread. It does include Bulldog waving a Japanese flag to get the crowd into Yoko killing Shawn with a nerve pinch, which is kind of great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 It's already been mentioned in passing, but I think The World's Greatest Tag Team vs. Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman from Vengeance 2003 deserves a proper nomination. This is just such an easy match to enjoy. The crowd is excited, the moves are well executed, the story is simple but effective. The World's Greatest Tag Team are going to try and keep the match grounded and slam and stretch the challengers in an attempt to disrupt their pretty aerial moves. Meanwhile, Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman are going to try and hit lots of pretty aerial moves in an attempt to dazzle their way to victory. Both teams keep to their strategies well, there's no gaping logic hole at any point in the match. The strategies are mostly there to facilitate all the cool moves rather than actually drive the match, but it does its job well. There's a lot of really great sequences. Billy Kidman's Shooting Star Press off the top rope to the floor is beautiful and perfect. Later on, he elevates Rey Mysterio onto the top turnbuckle and he hits a super huracanrana on Charlie Haas in one, fluid motion. How good do you have to be at wrestling to be able to do that and make it look so smooth and simple? In 2000 years I wouldn't be able to be able to do that, I'd just send myself or my partner crashing painfully into the turnbuckles. It's done so precisely it seems like a perfectly logical thing to do, to hurl your tag partner high into the air and hope you've propelled him so perfectly he can pull off a snappy lucha move. I think the finish is the best bit though. Haas has Mysterio up for a powerbomb and Rey is resisting. Shelton sneakily blind tags himself in, hops neatly to the top rope, and then soars through the air into a facebuster as Haas finally gets his powerbomb. It's a beautiful, emphatic finish. There are some nice moments outside the big moves as well. Haas tries to slam Mysterio but Mysterio wraps his legs around his head and tries to drag him down with a headscissors. Haas has to fight to get the slam. Later on Kidman battles against a Benjamin powerbomb, and Mysterio does the same to Haas as I've already mentioned. I'm not going to try and claim this is some kind of bar fight or something, it more closely resembles a gymnastics exhibition, but little moments of struggle like that remind you that the tag titles are on the line and both teams really want to win them. There's like two proper moments false finishes in this and that's just great. I think if the match took place today it would probably have about five more minutes of kick outs and it just wouldn't be necessary. Mysterio hits a seated senton on Haas, and Shelton's response is to boot poor Rey in the head. Then later on there's the super huracanrana I've already talked about and everyone in the arena seems to buy that as the finish. Even the actual finish has a bit of accidental uncertainty added to it because Michael Cole initially thinks Shelton Benjamin's not the legal man when he makes the pin, he watches the replay and stands corrected but it's a cool moment that underlines how frantic and chaotic it gets towards the end. This match puts a smile on my face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Since I mentioned it, I will say Yes to World's Greatest Tag Team vs. Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman from Vengeance 2003. Vengeance '03 was one of the better cards the WWE has ever done with four buzz-worthy matches.I enjoyed the competitiveness and the nuances throughout the match. For some reason, I remember Kidman/Mysterio winning this match, so I fell for the false finish with the springboard Avalanche Rana. Early on, the match establishes the roles of both teams. with Kidman/Rey playing the fiery babyfaces, and WGTT as the aggressive, calculated challengers. The high spots were plentiful but rarely felt overdone. There was a great sequence with both teams blocking the other's signature spots, and Kidman's SSP was something to behold. Check this one out if you have never seen it. EDIT: I also wanted to throw a YES to Shawn Michaels/Diesel vs. 1-2-3 Kid/Razor Ramon 10/30/94 I honestly would not have expected this to be terribly great. Most of the Shawn/Diesel stuff I saw was in 95 when I started watching wrestling. I do not recall it being anything spectacular. This was a good outing from all four guys who played to each other's strengths. Shawn/Diesel prove to be the experienced team, which is what you want from a defending heel team. They use every trick in the book to get this crowd behind Razor/Kid. The segments of missed officiating with Kid pleading his case only add to the effectiveness. Once Shawn accidentally takes out Diesel, the crowd comes unglued and is completely convinced that they are going to see new champs. Every near fall is milked for every millisecond, and the crowd falls for each one of them. The finish is clean, but it is treated like the dirtiest heel move in all of heel moves because Shawn survived just long enough for Diesel to separate Kid from his head. Well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Lawdy, how I adored that Angle/Benoit vs. Edge/Rey match. All-time favorite tag match from McMahonland Please add 144 "yes" votes to it total on my behalf, Jae. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Is there a comp somewhere of tag team partners wrestling each other 1 on 1? Like real tag teams whose matches against each other were rare, not Eddie vs Jericho wrestling each other and tagging week to week on throwaway WCW TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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