WWE

[DomDom1984]

Right, here is my top 40...

My Top 40 WWE PPV matches.

#40 - OWEN HART vs. STEVE AUSTIN - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1997

Probably more memorable for the way the match ended than anything else, but that merely overshadowed what was a total showstealer on the night. Mainly thanks to the absolutely relentless attitude of both guys who looked like they wanted to tear limbs off.

#39 - BOB BACKLUND vs. BRET HART - SUBMISSIONS MATCH - WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 1994

I've seen a lot of folk talk about the deliberate pace of this match, but I didn't really think it was slower than the norm really. Although that might have been down to how well the whole thing came together. It had a lot of intensity to it, and the stuff at ringside was as compelling as the stuff in the ring. Great match.

#38 - JEAN PIERRE LAFITTE vs. BRET HART - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: TRIPLE HEADER

Three matches in, and all of them include a Hart. Expect a lot more Bret Hart to come as well. Lafitte holds up his end of the bargain here by bumping like a total madman and also bulldozing Hart at every given oppertunity.

#37 - THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR vs. HULK HOGAN - WWE WRESTLEMANIA VI

You could possibly argue that this match should be higher. It definitely has an epic feel as pretty much everyone had their favourite in WWE at the time, and that favourite would be one of these two guys. The scale of the match is just absolutely massive, and with everything on the line as well.

#36 - VADER vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1996

Definitely should be higher, but thanks to a whole lot of shenanigans, none of it very good, at the end of the match, it's been dragged down a few notches. Both HBK and Vader were brilliant at the roles they had in this match, Vader as the monster just pounding the smaller guy, and HBK as the plucky smaller guy fighting tooth and nail all of the way.

#35 - OWEN HART vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: RAGE IN THE CAGE

Actually felt this match could have been better if they focused more on the head injury of HBK in the lead up, rather than just land the Enziguri and all of a sudden that's it. As it is though, this is just a blistering match between the two.

#34 - BRET HART vs. STEVE AUSTIN - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: REVENGE OF THE TAKER

Oh yes. This match is absolutely brilliant. Definitely the worst of their absolutely phenomenal three matches on PPV, but that says more for those matches than it does for this one, which is every bit the heated war that you'd have expected from the two men at this point.

#33 - CAMP CORNETTE vs. THE PEOPLE'S POSSE - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT

It's easy to forget how popular Sid could be until you see matches like this. Crowd are crazy for him. Match could have been higher on the list. The talent in the ring was certainly good enough to do so, but Vader with the longest run of bearhugs ever, and Sid completely blowing one of the nearfalls drags this one down a bit. It's still mostly an all action funfest though.

#32 - THE SIX PACK CHALLENGE - WWE UNFORGIVEN 1999

Speaking of all action six man funfests, this one is absolutely brilliant, and another one where all six men get the chance to look really good. The Rock looks like the surefire winner for much of it, giving everyone a total beasting for long portions of it. Probably would have been the right move as well given what was coming up later in the year but still, this is a wild, wild match.

#31 - THE GREAT SASUKE vs. TAKA MICHINOKU - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: CANADIAN STAMPEDE

Wowzers. Here you had two guys who the crowd weren't particularly interested in. They sure as hell became interested though. One of the top five matches manages the same trick. If you can do that with a crowd, you have to have done very well and these two guys wound up having the fans eating out of their palms.

#30 - STEVE AUSTIN vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - WWE KING OF THE RING 1997

Two brilliant wrestlers just busting a gut for 20 minutes before bringing it to a close with silly referee related shenanigans. The great thing is that these guys were tag champs at the time, and they evidently didn't care for each other one bit. It wasn't a match like "hey, we've just got to power through". It was a match like "hey, f**k you, I'm going to punch you in the face repeatedly".

#29 - DIESEL vs. BRET HART - WWE KING OF THE RING 1994

It's amazing just how easily Diesel slotted into the main events in WWE. It helps when you have a guy like Bret Hart on the other end of the ring. These two guys had some belting matches. This one is no exception. Hart's style in matches like this is pretty predictable, but no less compelling for that, and it always made for a dramatic epic match.

#28 - BRET HART vs. THE UNDERTAKER - WWE ONE NIGHT ONLY

Amazingly, this match isn't on the Network's version of the show so I had to Dailymotion it. This was during The Undertaker's run as a very angry deadman, and he was just intent on ragdolling anyone that moved. Bret Hart, as always, was a willing victim to such a beasting and it made for what was, in my opinion, their only truly great match against each other.

#27 - JEFF JARRETT vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: THE LUMBERJACKS

A bit overrated in some circles I think. I don't buy this as the all time classic that some people do. It's still a brilliant match though. Jeff Jarrett is just majestic here, being an absolute fanny as much as he possibly can be, and The Roadie playing the mini-fanny on the floor. HBK is surprisingly dominant in the match and I think that's why I was a bit detatched from it.

#26 - MR. PERFECT vs. BRET HART - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1991

Disappointing to not see as much Mr. Perfect on the list as other guys, because he was quite clearly someone capable of boatloads of brilliant matches. He had plenty of them with Bret Hart. Two of them on PPV. This is the lesser of the two, but it's still quality nonetheless. You can see why people compare Ziggler to Perfect as well, as their styles are definitely very similar. I'd imagine a Ziggler/Hart match would have looked a lot like this, except for more flash from Ziggler.

#25 - SHAWN MICHAELS vs. BRET HART - WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 1992

Aye, they did actually have a brilliant match at Survivor Series. Just not the more famous one is all. And amazing to think HBK would get much better as time went on. Chinlockery and stalling afoot. There's a brilliant moment when he's about to hit a Superkick, and he doesn't seem quite sure what the hell is going on. So he just stands and waits. That spot would be where he'd start "tuning up" later on. Bret Hart was pretty much on point here.

#24 - DUDE LOVE vs. STEVE AUSTIN - WWE UNFORGIVEN 1998

Foley and Austin just clicked brilliantly. The two of them just wanted to brawl and that's what they went and did here. Plenty of shenanigans thanks to the McMahon storyline with Austin as well. They'd wind up doing it again the following month. And better. This had less of the smoke and mirrors though, and definitely worthy of some serious praise.

#23 - DIESEL vs. BRET HART - WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 1995

Bret Hart was on a mission in this match and that really gave the match some serious oomph. Hart was incredibly aggressive and just threw everything including the kitchen sink at Diesel. It was weird to see, but utterly captivating and another great example of just how good Bret Hart actually was. Diesel obviously was great here too.

#22 - RAZOR RAMON vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - LADDER MATCH - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1995

I might as well say it now. I didn't really like the Mania X one, and it doesn't make this list. This one is an interesting one. Their use of the ladder was limited thanks to some weird rules about the use of the ladders as a weapon, and thus the proper ladder shots were "accidental" between the two. Working around this, it made the match more compelling and made the use of the ladders a touch more innovative. They held it together better when they brought the ladders into it as well.

#21 - THE ROCK vs. MANKIND - I QUIT MATCH - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 1999

Arguably Mick Foley's most infamous match thanks to Beyond the Mat, it does make for pretty uncomfortable viewing at times, but that seems to be what WWE were going for here. Mankind getting repeatedly smashed over the head with a steel chair is "watching through the fingers" material, and The Rock's ruthlessness is great.

#20 - SHAWN MICHAELS vs. BRET HART - IRON MAN MATCH - WWE WRESTLEMANIA XII

I'm glad I gave this match another chance not so long ago. Was never a big fan of it, but there's definitely an appreciation for it now. The two guys just timed the drama perfectly through the hour. It felt like they were stretching an epic 30 minute match right out, and doing so with ease.

#19 - THE ORIENT EXPRESS vs. THE ROCKERS - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 1991

I don't know how many times I've watched this match. It's ahead of it's time, that's for sure. If it happened in ROH or PWG or something, we'd be hearing all about it. The ending of the match is incredible as well. Proper jaw on the floor stuff. The way the four guys interact is crazy, and some of the exchanges and double teams going on are just ludicrous. Incredible tag team match.

#18 - ROWDY RODDY PIPER vs. BRET HART - WWE WRESTLEMANIA VIII

One of the few times when the feeling is good between two guys, and they actually have things go sour in the pre-match interview rather than during the match. Roddy Piper is hellbent on keeping his title and ALMOST willing to do anything in order to do that. It's the "almost" that winds up being his downfall though. One of the great storytelling matches as this really is the Piper show.

#17 - THE HARDY BOYS vs. EDGE AND CHRISTIAN - LADDER MATCH - WWE NO MERCY 1999

This match has held up brilliantly thanks to the absolutely frantic pace of all four guys, which manages to make bumps which might be considered tame today come across as just as crazy as anything else. There's also the debut of the nose breaking ladder spot as well, and the fact that this match seen all four guys completely breakout and hit the minds of everyone watching.

#16 - MANKIND vs. THE UNDERTAKER - HELL IN A CELL MATCH - WWE KING OF THE RING 1998

I wasn't sure whether to include this match. It's not a classic. It's not even close. But matches need to be able to make me care. They need to suck me in and make me love it. This match did that in spades. Part of wrestling is about the sheer spectacle of it. That's what this match did so well, even if it was mistakenly at one point.

#15 - STEVE AUSTIN vs. VADER vs. THE UNDERTAKER vs. BRET HART - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: FINAL FOUR

Watching this match, you kinda feel bad for Vader, and wonder just how he didn't become a bigger star in WWE. He was absolutely majestic in this match. All four men were great as you'd expect actually, but Vader's brawls with everyone kinda kept the interest. Especially when the match was teetering towards battle royal style tedium at times, Vader would just come in with the palm strikes and you'd feel better about it. Hart and Taker had some pretty interesting interactions as well.

#14 - BRET HART vs. THE BRITISH BULLDOG - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1992

I've often wondered if a certain audience can be intimidating. This crowd was clearly about as pro-Bulldog as it can get, and you're talking about 80,000 folk there as well. Bret plays it quite well, which is one of the highlights of the match. He doesn't go heel or anything, but he certainly has a "couldn't give a rats are tbh" feel about him. Some serious chinlockery drags this down just a touch, but other than that, this is the usual Hart drama match where he sucks you right into everything.

#13 - MR. PERFECT vs. BRET HART - WWE KING OF THE RING 1993

The highlight of the first KotR PPV, this Summerslam 1991 match was everything that the first match was and more. Mr. Perfect reverting to a mentality that the heel version would be proud of was fun, and made even moreso by him being even more nasty than he ever was before, and it felt like he was just going to give the kicking of a lifetime, which made the ending even better. Hart wasn't going to be able to just fight his way to the win given how badly Perfect wanted it, so it was just one moment of brilliance that ended it. Great.

#12 - MANKIND vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: MIND GAMES

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a match so much that has been so all over the place. I think it was the lack of care both guys had for themselves that won me over. Mankind seemed to be in a particularly suicidal mood, crashing head first into railing and the likes. Absolutely crazy match.

#11 - DIESEL vs. SHAWN MICHAELS - NO HOLDS BARRED MATCH - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: GOOD FRIENDS, BETTER ENEMIES

If ever there's been a match where one guy in it just completely stole the show, this is the one. Diesel is just wonderful here. Everything from his facial expressions to the way he just methodically follows HBK around the ring, floor and batters him is majestic. Even using someone's fake leg in the process. Just to be a total bastard. Brilliant, brilliant match.

#10 - OWEN HART vs. BRET HART - WWE WRESTLEMANIA X

The best PPV opener of all time, this is just absolutely spellbinding stuff. You'd expect a good match from two brothers ( unless the second name is Hardy ) but these two even manage to exceed expectations with a match which is borderline perfection. Everything just flows along wonderfully. Owen Hart getting the win is massive, and also creates a story for the final match as he hammers at the leg of Bret Hart.

#9 - TEAM USA vs. TEAM HART FOUNDATION - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: CANADIAN STAMPEDE

Another one for the "mental crowd" collection, this Canadian crowd were pretty much as anti-USA as they were pro-Hart Foundation. The match is absolutely crazy. Doesn't follow too much of the usual tag formula as all 10 guys have time against each other and things just breakdown constantly as we're treated to what JR would call a slobberknocker.

#8 - SHAWN MICHAELS vs. THE UNDERTAKER - HELL IN A CELL MATCH - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: BADD BLOOD

The Undertaker gets everything he wants from this match apart from the win, as he absolutely decimates HBK for 30 minutes in every way imaginable, using the cell constantly and also braining HBK with an insane chair shot as a receipt for the shot he took at Summerslam in the same yer. There was absolutely no hope for HBK in the match, and the beating was a joy to behold, and that's why Kane coming in made it so good. The Undertaker really SHOULD have won the match, but for all of the blood lost and beating taken, HBK still walks out the winner.

#7 - DUDE LOVE vs. STEVE AUSTIN - WWE IN YOUR HOUSE: OVER THE EDGE

Definitely one of the best hollywood style matches WWE ever did. Overbooking all over the place and shenanigans aplenty, and it increased as the match went on. Underneath all of this, Austin and Foley did as they always do. They went out there and put on a hell of a performance, with Foley in particular bumping like a madman.

#6 - STEVE AUSTIN vs. BRET HART - SUBMISSIONS MATCH - WWE WRESTLEMANIA 13

One of the most famous turns in WWE history is completed here as Hart just goes over the top in his quest to make Steve Austin submit. Something that he doesn't manage to do in the end, which is a brilliant touch to a classic brawl in which both guys just throw bombs. The hatred and intensity in the match is almost untouchable. Hart's desperation ends up winning out and makes Austin the hero of the hour. Just great stuff all round.

#5 - THE ROCK vs. TRIPLE H - LADDER MATCH - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1998

This is the second match where the crowd don't really seem to be up for things, but the two guys just suck them into it. This is probably my favourite one on one ladder match ever. They don't need to fly around and be innovative. All the two guys go out there and do is try and build a dramatic matches, and by the time they're exchanging the big bombs towards the end, the crowd heat is absolutely off the charts, and the moment when HHH wins and the whole place absolutely explodes just sums up the whole thing. It's an absolute joy to watch.

#4 - ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 1992

It's difficult to do a bad rumble, but when you get it absolutely perfect, the results can be incredible. So many story arcs in the match here. Ric Flair coming out as #3 and managing to go all of the way despite rivals turning up and trying to stop him, Sid dumping Hogan to the delight of the crowd, Savage going after Snake and continuing his run of naw being too sure just how a rumble works. Just all sorts of stuff running all the way through the match which makes it well worth watching.

#3 - RANDY SAVAGE vs. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR - WWE WRESTLEMANIA VII

Wow. The #1 match on the list as far as pure drama goes, this is crazy stuff. Sherri on the floor being a nuicanse and Warrior dealing with her most of the time. Warrior's inability to finish Savage off and his total horror at this. Savage flying all over the place, keeping a pace and trying to keep Warrior down, but realising that he just can't. And then the great post-match where Elizabeth and Savage reunite much to the rage of Sherri. Everything comes together and it's perfect.

#2 - OWEN HART vs. BRET HART - STEEL CAGE MATCH - WWE SUMMERSLAM 1994

Oaft. Escape rules in cage matches just do my head in really. So cage matches are already fighting a losing battle when it comes to me. These two guys managed to put this stunner together though. Incredibly managing to have a better match than they had at Wrestlemania, the use of the cage paired with a cracking wrestling match at times, this was how a cage match of this type should be done, and basically nobody has ever been able to come close to it, either before or after it.

#1 - STEVE AUSTIN vs. BRET HART - WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 1996

This might be considered a strange choice for the best match of the 90s, but I didn't really struggle with this. Austin was incredible here, both channeling his more measured "Stunning" Steve Austin approach, and also the brawling approach that would become the hallmark of his career shortly after. Bret Hart's Bret Hart. You know what to expect from him when he's on his best form and he definitely was here, showing no signs of ring rust from his months away from the ring.

I'm gonna be doing top ECW PPV matches next. We'll see how that goes.

[When Jokers Attack]

You actually watched every PPV in full? That must have taken ages.

Awesome list. I have always liked the HBK/Jarrett match.

Summerslam 1994 is the one I've been meaning to watch on the Network. Not seen that cage match with Bret and Owen since well 1994. I was a little kid back then.

[DomDom1984]

Well, I skipped stuff that was never going to make it. Obviously I didn't give stuff like Giant Gonzalez vs. The Undertaker a second viewing to tell me things I don't need to know.

[luckysalt]

Read the spoilers for TNA for the next month, what the hell is going on there, they are completely running the company into the ground.

I can't even watch it anymore, its become so bad lately. WWE have really upped their game however.

[luckysalt]

Just looked at your list DomDom, only one Hogan match in your list. Speaks volumes, I personally feel Hogan v Earthquake at summerslam 1990 is a very underated match, Erathquake was over as the monster heel and the chair shots he took and marks on his back I remember still today.

How would you rate that match?

Also only 3 solo Undertaker matches for someone who was a mainstay throughout the whole of the 90's, he really did get stuck with some shitty fueds though.

Glad you placed HBK v Mankind Mind Games high, a match I doubt that many have seen but was a classic, shame it had a bit of a shitty ending with run ins.

[DomDom1984]

Hogan was really consistant I reckon. But blowaway matches weren't really his thing. I thought the Earthquake match was kinda shit though. That whole PPV wasn't great actually. Demolition/Harts aside.

The Undertaker was indeed thrown into a lot of crap. I'd imagine there'll be a ton of post-Badass stuff on my 2000s list whenever I get around to actually doing it.

Mankind/HBK is a truly amazing match. Stick a proper ending on it and it's a classic.

[When Jokers Attack]

Read the spoilers for TNA for the next month, what the hell is going on there, they are completely running the company into the ground.

I can't even watch it anymore, its become so

bad lately. WWE have really upped their game however.

Just started watching Sacrifice, managed to avoid all spoilers so far. Not watched any TNA since Lockdown. My interest in the company is at an all time low so if this PPV doesn't deliver I might not watch again.

[DomDom1984]

Sacrifice was not bad. There's a couple of real good matches on there and a reasonable opener. Not much to get overly excited about but I didn't mind watching it. That's a bonus when watching TNA these days.

[JamesT977]

Bought myself a ticket for ICW in Glasgow for July really looking forward to it! Been watching some of the ICW wordwide stuff occasionally and its great stuff.

[DomDom1984]

I'll be getting my ticket for that tomorrow I think. By the looks of things, there might be a wee touch of Still Game involvement as well. I'm up for that.

[When Jokers Attack]

I thought Sacrifice was awful. Opening match and main event were only decent matches. Can't see me watching TNA again anytime soon. Where was Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, MVP?

I hate I Quit Matches when the ref is asking the wrestler after every move if he wants to quit. Even apart from that I thought the match just plodded along with Storm punishing Gunner the whole match until the end. The spot at the end was cool though.

[luckysalt]

Knux's new crew, pretty sure thats Rob Terry on the right, he is called The Freak as well, which Rob Terry was nicknamed.

[Lithium05]

Knux's new crew, pretty sure thats Rob Terry on the right, he is called The Freak as well, which Rob Terry was nicknamed.

Isn't that Old Gregg over the back there?!

[Andre91]

I read a report saying that WWE apparently wants Goldberg to wrestle at WM31 (or vice versa). He has supposedly trained everyday just as he did when he was wrestling, keeping himself in top shape. I know he is in his late 40s now (I thought he was older!), but he is one of the most powerful, intense wrestlers of the last two decades and I always enjoyed him in WCW/WWE (Even though his run with the E was poor).

Would you guys welcome a Goldberg return? And the big question is, who would he face? My bet would be John Cena.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Andre91

[DomDom1984]

I'd welcome a Goldberg return for a match. I'd have him squash someone with his big entrance. I liked him.

[luckysalt]

Goldberg was marketed right, had intensity and a great look and they knew how to use him on his rise to the top.

There's no reason someone else who isn't 48 couldn't become the new Goldberg. But a one off at Mania could work. But another years deal like he did before in WWE wouldn't work now.

[When Jokers Attack]

I'm loving being able to watch all the old WCW PPV'S on The Network as I never got a chance to see any of them back in the day. Don't even think they were released on VHS here, If they were I don't remember seeing them.

Just watched Spring Stampede 1999, solid stuff throughout the show and reminded me how much I loved the cruiserweight division.

[When Jokers Attack]

AJ Styles vs Kazuchika Okada

[luckysalt]

I'm loving being able to watch all the old WCW PPV'S on The Network as I never got a chance to see any of them back in the day. Don't even think they were released on VHS here, If they were I don't remember seeing them.

Just watched Spring Stampede 1999, solid stuff throughout the show and reminded me how much I loved the cruiserweight division.

Yeah they were released here bud, I had a few of them and Power Slam magazine always had adverts for them in them. Used to sell them in woolworthes and WH Smiths

[DomDom1984]

Okada/Styles is SLIGHTLY disappointing, but still a very good match. When AJ Styles spends more time there, I'd love to see those two go at it again.

I remember WCW PPVs being on the old German channels on Sky. DHS being the main one. Brilliant.

[When Jokers Attack]

Okada/Styles was a solid match. I felt they could of went at it for another 5-10 minutes before the finish though.

[DomDom1984]

This is something that actually really interests me. This is going to be a borderline blog length thing here, so bear with me.

People always talk about the U.S. and U.K. indies and how hard it is to adjust to WWE if you ever make the move. And it's something worth noting actually, and it's something I always bring up. With the WWE, there's all sorts of things that you need to either tone down or get right and if you can't adapt, you're shown up pretty badly. It's taken some guys years to adapt. Some guys have never adapted. GOOD wrestlers.

What nobody ever seems to talk about is Japanese wrestling, and the transition to that. Fergal Devitt has been there for about ten years. Many of them years were spent getting used to it, and wrestling under different gimmicks. To his credit, Fergal Devitt had the opportunity to head for the U.S. for some decent indies and decided to tough it out early in the game. And this is a guy who was already excellent.

And so I come to AJ Styles. I'm not sure 5-10 minutes would have made much difference and I think NJPW know that. What will make a difference is a few months. If they put AJ Styles in the G1 Climax, I think he'll become pretty assured in what he's doing. At the moment, he's in an adjustment period. He's been in Japan before, but brief flashes with U.S. guys doesn't really count for much.

[lharris92]

dat weelc match

[Andre91]

DAT Seth Rollins spot!

[When Jokers Attack]

Very good PPV.