Matches that rule, but don't get pimped heavily anymore?(or never in some cases)

[Brian Fowler]

(Someone)/Malenko Hog Wild - a match so well built that even a crowd of drunken bikers was yelling for more time.

 

I love that match, but you are remembering that wrong.  It used to often be referred to as the "fuck the crowd" match, because they booed when the ref announced the overtime periods.

[cool arrow]

Great match, worst possible crowd.

[Lacelle]

My favorite unsung series of matches is Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin, culminating in their awesome match at Clash 28 which overcomes the Hulk Hogan bullshit & steals the show. Great swan song for The Dragon. I loved the intensity of Austin's bumps during his Stunning Steve days, he was my favorite wrestler in the world during his US title run, the matches with Steamboat were absolutely exceptional.

[JonnyLaw]

The match that immediately came to mind when I saw this thread is Ric Flar vs Bobby Eaton 2/3 Falls from Clash of the Champions.  I absolutely loved that match when I was a kid, and clearly remember a bruised tailbone resulting from a Alabama Jam on my wrestling buddy. 

 

I saw that match shortly after discovering the NWA/WCW and I remember thinking, "Holy shit, Bobby Eaton is a badass."

[supremebve]

My favorite unsung series of matches is Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin, culminating in their awesome match at Clash 28 which overcomes the Hulk Hogan bullshit & steals the show. Great swan song for The Dragon. I loved the intensity of Austin's bumps during his Stunning Steve days, he was my favorite wrestler in the world during his US title run, the matches with Steamboat were absolutely exceptional.

I think Steve Austin is strangely one of the most underrated wrestlers ever, he set the world on fire as a bad ass brawler, but he was an absolute workhorse in WCW.  Stunning Steve was a loathsome heel who absolutely brought it in the ring.  He was the guy you wanted to see lose, but were afraid your favorite good guy wasn't good enough to beat him.  Not to mention that the Stun Gun was the perfect pull a win out of nowhere move for a slimy heel.

[Chorros]

This doesn't get the love it deserves; some might say it's a bit formulaic, but it's good formulaic 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5m50q_rey-mysterio-kidman-vs-world-s-grea_sport

[RandomAct]

Rey/Kidman vs WGTT was fucking great.  Actually, that whole Vengeance show is criminally overlooked.  So much fun on that show.

[Ryan]

Great match, worst possible crowd.

But Madusa faced Bull Nakano that one time over a bike or something!

[supremebve]

There is a Dean Malenko vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that was fucking awesome.  Dean Malenko finished him with a top rope DDT that looked absolutely brutal.  I think it may be the best light heavyweight title match ever.

[Victator]

There is this Terry Gordy vs Dr.Death match from 89 on a Clash show that is great. It is under ten minutes and they demolish each other with power moves and brawling.

[cool arrow]

During Terry Funk's uber-heel run in WCW in '89, he had a match against Scott Hall (who was still rocking the mullet and pornstache).  The twist is that the match was taped in Amarillo, so of course Funk was cheered as the hometown babyface.

 

[Craig H]

Oh, for me, this one is easy. Kane vs A-Train from Sunday Night Heat. For some reason, I can't find that match online, but here's their match from Smackdown, which is also damn good. Kane counters a Baldo Bomb with a fucking dropkick, they stiff the shit out of each other, and man, Albert was a really good worker back then.

[Victator]

Speaking of KaneThe Vader vs Kane match from No Way Out 98 is really good. Commentary really got over that Vader was the last hope of stopping Kane with Taker gone. Kane did this great job of selling for Vader. Like he was in shock that someone could hurt him. On the floor, you have Paul Bearer in tears when Vader gains control and is hurting his meal ticket. Kane survives the Vadersault and the Power Bomb. Then post match breaks Vader's face with a wrench. JR and Lawler make a huge deal of the fact that Kane caused Vader to be taken out on a stretcher. In hindsight, I wish that had been the end of Vader's WWF run and he had not been reduced to a jobber. 

[supremebve]

Here is another forgotten jewel.  Blitzkrieg was around for maybe six months, and was all types of fun in the cruiserweight division.

[SovietShooter]

STEINERS VS. GORDY/DR. DEATH, CLASH OF CHAMPIONS 19 -- This was part of the NWA Tag Team tournament they held. This was a surprise match that came about because Doc and Gordy supposedly attacked someone or whatever. This is like 45 minutes of what feels like amateur wrestling but with punches. It's so friggin' good and brutal. The end of this RULES, too.

 

.....

 

STEVIE RICHARDS VS. SABU -- I forget what ECW shows this was at but this is legend. Stevie's the lost great worker of his era. Stevie was still in his Winger belly shirt era and the most disrespected guy on the roster. Here he's taking on The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal madman in his prime in what looks, on paper, will be a squash of historic proportions. But something else takes hold. Stevie actually gets serious and gives Sabu all he can handle and more -- including hitting Sabu with what was then the nastiest Superkick of all-time. (Shawn Michaels/Shelton Benjamin since surpassed it.) Stevie doesn't get the 1-2-3 after that and knows his doom is here. Just great, simple storytelling.

 

That entire Clash is good, but that MVC vs Steiners match is awesome.  If I'm not mistaken, the PPV rematch shortly after that is even better. 

 

The backstory was that this was a tournament for the brand new NWA World Tag Team Championship (the Steiners were the WCW Champs).  Doc & Gordy drew the Australian team in the first round, which were a father & son team - the O'Deas.  If you enjoy violent squashes, then this one is for you, as Doc absolutely murdered old man O'Dea with a backdrop driver.  Doc & Gordy advanced to face the winner of Steiners/"Los Boricuas" farther down the line.  However, tragedy befell, and someone mauled Los Boricuas backstage, and the Steiners advanced by forfeit.  Bill Watts didn't want to deprive the fans of a Steiner match, so he booked the tournament match for that night! 

 

As for Stevie, I thought that when he broke his neck in ECW, he was just starting to show his real potential as a worker... and he never really got a fair shake after that. He had some really bright spots in WWE, but they just never really pulled the trigger with him as a worker.  I thought that he had a fantastic run in TNA, and it seemed foolish when they released him. 

 

There is a Dean Malenko vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that was fucking awesome.  Dean Malenko finished him with a top rope DDT that looked absolutely brutal.  I think it may be the best light heavyweight title match ever.

 

This one? 

 

 

In hindsight, I wish that had been the end of Vader's WWF run and he had not been reduced to a jobber. 

 

I agree on this.  Vader had a good early run in WWF, but then just kinda floated around not doing much.  Then suddenly he had a bit of a resurgence with a couple good matches with Ken Shamrock that were supposed to be like a pseudo-UWFi style, like this one:

 

 

He also had the strong showing in the "Final Four" match, before making Kane.  The two actually had a series of matches... Kane beat on Vader with the wrench, Vader retaliated with a fire extinguisher, and eventually they had a mask vs mask match. 

 

Vader doing jobs left and right was so sad to see... I was pumped when he jumped to AJPW, and he returned to old form. 

 

You know what is a real god match that seems to have been forgotten?  Barry Windham vs Bam Bam Bigelow for the US Championship at Starrcade '88:

 

[cool arrow]

That was a good match, but otherwise Bigelow's first WCW run was forgettable.  Come to think of it, his second WCW run was probably even more forgettable.

[Blazer]

That was a good match, but otherwise Bigelow's first WCW run was forgettable.  Come to think of it, his second WCW run was probably even more forgettable.

 

And his 2nd WWF run was pretty forgettable except for one match.

[Casey]

There is a Dean Malenko vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that was fucking awesome.  Dean Malenko finished him with a top rope DDT that looked absolutely brutal.  I think it may be the best light heavyweight title match ever.

Backlash 2000?

[supremebve]

 

STEINERS VS. GORDY/DR. DEATH, CLASH OF CHAMPIONS 19 -- This was part of the NWA Tag Team tournament they held. This was a surprise match that came about because Doc and Gordy supposedly attacked someone or whatever. This is like 45 minutes of what feels like amateur wrestling but with punches. It's so friggin' good and brutal. The end of this RULES, too.

 

.....

 

STEVIE RICHARDS VS. SABU -- I forget what ECW shows this was at but this is legend. Stevie's the lost great worker of his era. Stevie was still in his Winger belly shirt era and the most disrespected guy on the roster. Here he's taking on The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal madman in his prime in what looks, on paper, will be a squash of historic proportions. But something else takes hold. Stevie actually gets serious and gives Sabu all he can handle and more -- including hitting Sabu with what was then the nastiest Superkick of all-time. (Shawn Michaels/Shelton Benjamin since surpassed it.) Stevie doesn't get the 1-2-3 after that and knows his doom is here. Just great, simple storytelling.

 

That entire Clash is good, but that MVC vs Steiners match is awesome.  If I'm not mistaken, the PPV rematch shortly after that is even better. 

 

The backstory was that this was a tournament for the brand new NWA World Tag Team Championship (the Steiners were the WCW Champs).  Doc & Gordy drew the Australian team in the first round, which were a father & son team - the O'Deas.  If you enjoy violent squashes, then this one is for you, as Doc absolutely murdered old man O'Dea with a backdrop driver.  Doc & Gordy advanced to face the winner of Steiners/"Los Boricuas" farther down the line.  However, tragedy befell, and someone mauled Los Boricuas backstage, and the Steiners advanced by forfeit.  Bill Watts didn't want to deprive the fans of a Steiner match, so he booked the tournament match for that night! 

 

As for Stevie, I thought that when he broke his neck in ECW, he was just starting to show his real potential as a worker... and he never really got a fair shake after that. He had some really bright spots in WWE, but they just never really pulled the trigger with him as a worker.  I thought that he had a fantastic run in TNA, and it seemed foolish when they released him. 

 

There is a Dean Malenko vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that was fucking awesome.  Dean Malenko finished him with a top rope DDT that looked absolutely brutal.  I think it may be the best light heavyweight title match ever.

 

This one? 

 

 

That's the one, I swear I couldn't find it when I made my post, but glad you did.

[MORELOCK]

That was a good match, but otherwise Bigelow's first WCW run was forgettable.  Come to think of it, his second WCW run was probably even more forgettable.

No way, the Jersey Triad was one of the few bright spots of WCW 1999.

[cool arrow]

 

That was a good match, but otherwise Bigelow's first WCW run was forgettable.  Come to think of it, his second WCW run was probably even more forgettable.

No way, the Jersey Triad was one of the few bright spots of WCW 1999.

 

Which just goes to prove my point.  That was his third run.  His second was as a heel in '90 and '91.

[Matt D]

Watch the frigging Can-Am vs Funks match already. It's all about them not seeing Zenk on their level and then no longer trusting Martel as part of the fraternity after he gets pissed about it.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqnyBjGcLZM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1h90uyBFUo

 

It is awesome.

[SirSmUgly]

Do people talk about that Midnights/Fantastics match in '88 where the Midnights lost the U.S Tag Team Championships? Because that is one of my favorite tag matches ever. I am probably in a minority, but I prefer Eaton/Lane to Eaton/Condrey. And man, Cornette was just so awesome as a mouthpiece. '88 Midnights might be one of my three favorite tag teams ever. Corny talking shit to JJ, Tully, and Arn during that short Midnights/Horsemen feud was the best, too.

 

Also, if Rude/Steamboat 30-minute Iron Man counts, that too. I guess most people think of Bret/HBK, HHH/Rock, or even Angle/Lesnar whenever they think about Iron Man matches, or at least that's what I tend to see on most message boards. Rick Rude vaulted up my list of favorite wrestlers ever. I do not contend anything about him being one of the objective greatest wrestlers ever, but subjectively, I think this guy is one of the greatest wrestlers ever. 

[SovietShooter]

Do people talk about that Midnights/Fantastics match in '88 where the Midnights lost the U.S Tag Team Championships? Because that is one of my favorite tag matches ever. I am probably in a minority, but I prefer Eaton/Lane to Eaton/Condrey. And man, Cornette was just so awesome as a mouthpiece. '88 Midnights might be one of my three favorite tag teams ever. Corny talking shit to JJ, Tully, and Arn during that short Midnights/Horsemen feud was the best, too.

 

Bobby & Stan were the best & most complete version of the MXE. 

 

Somewhere on VHS I have a Fantastics/MXE match that is insanely good.  The MXE work a double heat on both Rogers & Fulton... I think it may have been the Fantastics first match back in JCP. 

[HumanChessgame]

Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels on Raw 12/29/97

 

 

I remember watching this match and being on the edge of my seat thinking Owen might actually win.