BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) UNDERTAKER vs. MANKIND
8/18/1996 – Cleveland
It’s often that people talk about the “Hell In The Cell” match between these two. With good reason as it’s one of the most brutal visuals of all time. But in reality, it’s not much of a “wrestling match”. It had all the suspense, drama, and pain… but it’s hard to call it a match. It was Undertaker standing around and assisting Foley in stunt-bumps. At the time I loved it, but with each year I age this spectacle loses its luster. On the other hand, the myth and legend of the “Boiler Room Brawl” from the 1996 Summerslam continues to rule. This match gets on this list because of how bizarre it was. The main event that night was Michaels and Vader, but this gimmick brawl gives much more to talk about. The whole settings and idea of it all worked perfectly in the worlds of Undertaker, Mankind, and Paul Bearer. The match started in a boiler room and the point of the match is to get from there to the ring. The first man to take the urn from Paul Bearer in the ring gets the win. This was the night that Paul Bearer turned on Undertaker and went with Mankind. It was kind of the start of everything as we know it. It was the baby steps of somewhat humanizing the Undertaker character and gave a HUGE rub to Foley’s Mankind.
(THREE) OWEN HART vs. BRET HART
8/29/1994 – Chicago
This brother versus brother cage match was awesome. This match was so well built that it had no other choice but to be awesome. Owen Hart was playing the jealous younger brother to Bret Hart’s fan favorite champion role. Owen first attacked Bret and “kicked his leg from his leg” then Owen would actually defeat Bret in the opening match of Wrestlemania X. The feud would continue until finally this match was set up in what I think was the only time WWF/WWE ever held a PPV at the United Center in Chicago as opposed to the normal Rosemont venue. Bret was a defending champion and wanted to prove he’s better than everyone, including his pesky little brother. This was just a great match. They beat the hell out of each other, built up drama, and had the crowd on the edge of their seats and in the palm of their hands. The ending with Owen’s leg getting caught as Bret dropped to the ground was electric.
(TWO) BRET HART vs. BRITISH BULLDOG
8/29/1992 – London
I didn’t get to see this on Pay Per View, but probably rented the VHS from Blockbuster a dozen or so times. This match was simply magical. There were over 80,000 screaming fans in Wembley Stadium cheering on their hometown hero take on his brother-in-law. The fact that both men were faces/good guys made this an interesting match-up. There really wasn’t a heated story in this match, but rather a long and well done back and forth spectacular. Bret Hart has claimed that Bulldog forgot their spots and he had to carry him AND that it was the greatest match of his career. Egotistical, much? None the less, this match was just special. The finish resulted in one of the biggest pops of all time and is still a wrestling clinic. Matches like this is why professional wrestling can be considered an art form.
(ONE) RAZOR RAMON vs. SHAWN MICHAELS
8/27/1995 – Pittsburgh
A lot of people claim that this Ladder Match was better than their Wrestlemania X classic. I’m on the fence about it because they’re both completely different matches. Michaels and Razor switched roles as Michaels was now the good guy and Razor was the bad. The Mania one saw the first ladder match on a grand stage and it literally blew everyone’s mind. This one was just as mind blowing and the impact of a first impression is all that’s missing. To me this match seemed more creative. They got to use the first one as a test run as they pushed the envelope even further in this match. And maybe I’m bias because the end result saw Shawn Michaels winning the Intercontential Title and would soon be moving on to the World Title and a permanent spot in the Main Event.
|
