My Overrated WWE Matches
Wrestlemania 31 is in the books, and quite frankly it overachieved tremendously. I had very low expectations, and in every instance feel it was better than I expected. There wasn't however a "blow away" match like there has been every year for the past "X" number of years. Everything was just solid.
Speaking of "just solid," or in same cases crappy (by my standards anyway), here are some matches that are seemingly loved throughout the wrestling world, internet, or WWE universe. (Pick your poison.)
Stone Cold vs. The Rock Wrestlemania 17
Some say this is the best main event on the best Wrestlemania card ever assembled. I certainly do not. Here's why.
At this point in my fandom, I was sick of both Rock and Austin. I would rather have watched Chris Jericho or Chris Benoit. I didn't want to see this match again (it happened two years prior). Rock had gradually shifted from the calm, cool, collected guy that wore expensive clothes, to an overly-animated madman that wore t-shirts and wind-pants.
Austin on the other hand, never felt the same to me once he came back from his neck surgery. He had different music, he didn't feel relevant in the "current" WWF at the time. We had just watched a year of main events with Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, HHH, and the Rock going all out in the ring; whereas Austin's style of brawling outside the ring and in the crowd seemed like a regression.
As for the match, I really think it's the worst of the 3 matches between the two. The first match in '99 was fresh because Austin and Rock hadn't touched for quite a while. Rock in particular was ascending to heights in popularity that only Austin himself had known (despite Rock being a heel.) And when Rock kicked out of the Stunner, it was truly unexpected because no one had done such a thing in the past year of Austin's dominance. (Now every damn match at Wrestlemania has a finisher kickout, much like this match.)
I think that both guys being babyfaces hurt that match as well. Some say that is what makes it great, but I honestly would rather watch a heel vs. heel. When it's a battle of the good guys, you are torn; add to the fact that I was waning on both guys, you can see my point. (I hope.)
British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart Summerslam '92
Some call this the "best pure wrestling match in WWE history!" I don't. To me, it's not exciting at any point. I love Bret Hart, and enjoy his style, but this one just doesn't work for me. I have a pretty good idea why.
British Bulldog sucks. Yeah I said it. He's fine in a tag team, but I really don't enjoy him as a singles star. I think his moves look really sloppy, and he fucks up constantly. Read Bret's book and tell me what you think of this match, or Bulldog in general. The match may be a testament to Bret's skill to carry the shlub, but it still doesn't make it entertaining.
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels 3 Stages of Hell Armageddon 2002
It's baffling even to me, that I have a HBK match on here. It just doesn't seem possible. (I will say firstly, that I was thinking about putting on these two's Hell in the Cell from Badd Blood '04. At the time, everyone was calling it the "best HIAC ever!!", I don't think it would have even been top 5 for me at the time. Granted over the last 10 years, it has seemed to lost all steam and didn't hold up well over time. No one mentions it as the "best" anything now, so it's disqualified.)
This match is pretty much loved on the internet, and I'm not sure why. Shawn has stated that he wasn't ready for a match of this magnitude at that particular time, and believe me it shows. I can promise you that is the only time I will ever say that about the Showstoppa'! This match is ugly at points, and not ugly in a "holy shit" way. More like just plain bad. The previously mentioned HIAC wasn't bad or sloppy looking at any point, it just felt like overkill at the time. Let's face it, HHH and HBK had an amazing rivialry in 2002-2004, but in June '04 it needed to be done already. In December '02, it wasn't anywhere near done (they would have many great matches in the future) just Shawn wasn't completely back in ring shape to essentially have 3 consecutive matches.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero Ladder Match Summerslam 2005
Here's what I wrote about this in 2012, when I was reviewing the crap-tacular show that is Summerslam 2005:
Eddie vs. Rey Ladder match, what the hell?!? Why so early? No one wants to see Angle vs. Eugene after this?!? All that aside, I remember this storyline being totally stupid by this point. The whole "who's your papi?" Blah blah blah, I'm trying to forget it, so I won't rehash it here. I also remember that all of their matches had been pretty substandard for the two, thus far. (I don't care what anyone says, their Wrestlemania match was average at best.) So in my mind, this match was going to make it all worthwhile, a showstopper if you will. Boy was it going to be great. Boy, was I wrong. This match was a total train wreck, and I remember thinking later that it couldn't be possible have been THAT bad. That is, until I rewatched it on the WWE: Ladder Match DVD, and by God it was.
I wasn't happy as you can tell. This match was really sloppy, and even 10 years ago, ladder matches were just starting to get stale. (Granted the MITB earlier in that year is an exception.) The real killer is truly, "Who is Dominick's father?" Yikes, it looks stupid just typing it. This is the one match out of all of these that I truly can't tell why anyone likes it. The others I can somewhat see where everyone is coming from, but this? No way.
Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle Wrestlemania 19
Maybe it's the botched Shooting Star Press? I'm sure that's some of it, but for whatever reason, this match doesn't click for me. I enjoy their Summerslam rematch much more. The only thing that might explain it is that I like Lesnar better as the heel, instead of the underdog, which is the case at Summerslam
Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian TLC 2 Wrestlemania 17
For those who know me, this one may come as a surprise. I do "like" this match. I don't however "love" it, and proclaim it the best "TLC match ever."
Edge's spear on Jeff is amazing no doubt. Possibly the best ladder match highlight ever. Jeff's Swanton in this match is ugly as shit, especially when you compare it to the perfect one he did the previous year's ladder match.
Rhyno and Spike's interference gave it a nice twist that the other matches didn't have, but at the end of the day the thing that kills it for me is the ending sequence. Rhyno pushes Christian up the ladder for the win. (Don't forget this is the third straight ladder match win for E/C, compounding my annoyance with this match.) Watch the end of the Triangle Ladder match here. Now watch the end of TLC 1 here. I tried to find the ending of TLC. Guess what? I can't. Every music video edits it so that you only see Christian grabbing the belts, and not the slow, prodding, anti-climatic finish that it was.
Had the other ladder matches not taken place, this match may be worth all the hype it gets. However the endings of the previous ladder matches were so top-notch, I guess it's only a matter of time before you can't retain that standard without someone getting seriously injured, so you scale it back. For the record, I still get goosebumps in TLC 1 when Jeff and D-Von are hanging, D-Von falls, and the crowd goes wild (the hard cam gets a great shot of the crowd standing in unison) when they think Jeff is going to grab the belts. Sure E/C sneak in for the win, but you felt like you had just seen something amazing. TLC 2's finish doesn't do that for me.
Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart Wrestlemania 13
This is the big one. I'm sure this is THE one that will get everyone's panties in a wad more than any other match on this list.
I've read/heard/seen in multiple places that they believe this may be the greatest match in WWE history. For historical significance that may be true, but the match itself doesn't do it for me.
I wasn't watching WWF at the time of this match, so that probably hurts my opinion of it. So I already knew of the iconic image of bloody Stone Cold refusing to tap. I knew it made SCSA into the man, and the beloved Hart into a villain. So I went in expecting to see "an all-time classic," that I already knew the ramifications of the ending.
It's okay. (It doesn't help that part of the way through the match, the audio gets a bit off.) I really think that ending amplifies people's opinion of this match though. Like I said, historically, this match is really significant, but I don't see what makes it a classic. Sure, the argument is made that it was a hard-hitting affair, which wasn't common in the WWF at the time, but in a vacuum, that doesn't make this great in my opinion. Much like Wrestlemania 31, I find it to be solid, but not a 5 star classic.
Let the hate mail commence!
Speaking of "just solid," or in same cases crappy (by my standards anyway), here are some matches that are seemingly loved throughout the wrestling world, internet, or WWE universe. (Pick your poison.)
Stone Cold vs. The Rock Wrestlemania 17Some say this is the best main event on the best Wrestlemania card ever assembled. I certainly do not. Here's why.
At this point in my fandom, I was sick of both Rock and Austin. I would rather have watched Chris Jericho or Chris Benoit. I didn't want to see this match again (it happened two years prior). Rock had gradually shifted from the calm, cool, collected guy that wore expensive clothes, to an overly-animated madman that wore t-shirts and wind-pants.
Austin on the other hand, never felt the same to me once he came back from his neck surgery. He had different music, he didn't feel relevant in the "current" WWF at the time. We had just watched a year of main events with Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, HHH, and the Rock going all out in the ring; whereas Austin's style of brawling outside the ring and in the crowd seemed like a regression.
As for the match, I really think it's the worst of the 3 matches between the two. The first match in '99 was fresh because Austin and Rock hadn't touched for quite a while. Rock in particular was ascending to heights in popularity that only Austin himself had known (despite Rock being a heel.) And when Rock kicked out of the Stunner, it was truly unexpected because no one had done such a thing in the past year of Austin's dominance. (Now every damn match at Wrestlemania has a finisher kickout, much like this match.)
I think that both guys being babyfaces hurt that match as well. Some say that is what makes it great, but I honestly would rather watch a heel vs. heel. When it's a battle of the good guys, you are torn; add to the fact that I was waning on both guys, you can see my point. (I hope.)
British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart Summerslam '92Some call this the "best pure wrestling match in WWE history!" I don't. To me, it's not exciting at any point. I love Bret Hart, and enjoy his style, but this one just doesn't work for me. I have a pretty good idea why.
British Bulldog sucks. Yeah I said it. He's fine in a tag team, but I really don't enjoy him as a singles star. I think his moves look really sloppy, and he fucks up constantly. Read Bret's book and tell me what you think of this match, or Bulldog in general. The match may be a testament to Bret's skill to carry the shlub, but it still doesn't make it entertaining.
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels 3 Stages of Hell Armageddon 2002It's baffling even to me, that I have a HBK match on here. It just doesn't seem possible. (I will say firstly, that I was thinking about putting on these two's Hell in the Cell from Badd Blood '04. At the time, everyone was calling it the "best HIAC ever!!", I don't think it would have even been top 5 for me at the time. Granted over the last 10 years, it has seemed to lost all steam and didn't hold up well over time. No one mentions it as the "best" anything now, so it's disqualified.)
This match is pretty much loved on the internet, and I'm not sure why. Shawn has stated that he wasn't ready for a match of this magnitude at that particular time, and believe me it shows. I can promise you that is the only time I will ever say that about the Showstoppa'! This match is ugly at points, and not ugly in a "holy shit" way. More like just plain bad. The previously mentioned HIAC wasn't bad or sloppy looking at any point, it just felt like overkill at the time. Let's face it, HHH and HBK had an amazing rivialry in 2002-2004, but in June '04 it needed to be done already. In December '02, it wasn't anywhere near done (they would have many great matches in the future) just Shawn wasn't completely back in ring shape to essentially have 3 consecutive matches.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero Ladder Match Summerslam 2005
Here's what I wrote about this in 2012, when I was reviewing the crap-tacular show that is Summerslam 2005:
Eddie vs. Rey Ladder match, what the hell?!? Why so early? No one wants to see Angle vs. Eugene after this?!? All that aside, I remember this storyline being totally stupid by this point. The whole "who's your papi?" Blah blah blah, I'm trying to forget it, so I won't rehash it here. I also remember that all of their matches had been pretty substandard for the two, thus far. (I don't care what anyone says, their Wrestlemania match was average at best.) So in my mind, this match was going to make it all worthwhile, a showstopper if you will. Boy was it going to be great. Boy, was I wrong. This match was a total train wreck, and I remember thinking later that it couldn't be possible have been THAT bad. That is, until I rewatched it on the WWE: Ladder Match DVD, and by God it was.
I wasn't happy as you can tell. This match was really sloppy, and even 10 years ago, ladder matches were just starting to get stale. (Granted the MITB earlier in that year is an exception.) The real killer is truly, "Who is Dominick's father?" Yikes, it looks stupid just typing it. This is the one match out of all of these that I truly can't tell why anyone likes it. The others I can somewhat see where everyone is coming from, but this? No way.
Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle Wrestlemania 19 Maybe it's the botched Shooting Star Press? I'm sure that's some of it, but for whatever reason, this match doesn't click for me. I enjoy their Summerslam rematch much more. The only thing that might explain it is that I like Lesnar better as the heel, instead of the underdog, which is the case at Summerslam
Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian TLC 2 Wrestlemania 17For those who know me, this one may come as a surprise. I do "like" this match. I don't however "love" it, and proclaim it the best "TLC match ever."
Edge's spear on Jeff is amazing no doubt. Possibly the best ladder match highlight ever. Jeff's Swanton in this match is ugly as shit, especially when you compare it to the perfect one he did the previous year's ladder match.
Rhyno and Spike's interference gave it a nice twist that the other matches didn't have, but at the end of the day the thing that kills it for me is the ending sequence. Rhyno pushes Christian up the ladder for the win. (Don't forget this is the third straight ladder match win for E/C, compounding my annoyance with this match.) Watch the end of the Triangle Ladder match here. Now watch the end of TLC 1 here. I tried to find the ending of TLC. Guess what? I can't. Every music video edits it so that you only see Christian grabbing the belts, and not the slow, prodding, anti-climatic finish that it was.
Had the other ladder matches not taken place, this match may be worth all the hype it gets. However the endings of the previous ladder matches were so top-notch, I guess it's only a matter of time before you can't retain that standard without someone getting seriously injured, so you scale it back. For the record, I still get goosebumps in TLC 1 when Jeff and D-Von are hanging, D-Von falls, and the crowd goes wild (the hard cam gets a great shot of the crowd standing in unison) when they think Jeff is going to grab the belts. Sure E/C sneak in for the win, but you felt like you had just seen something amazing. TLC 2's finish doesn't do that for me.
Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart Wrestlemania 13
This is the big one. I'm sure this is THE one that will get everyone's panties in a wad more than any other match on this list. I've read/heard/seen in multiple places that they believe this may be the greatest match in WWE history. For historical significance that may be true, but the match itself doesn't do it for me.
I wasn't watching WWF at the time of this match, so that probably hurts my opinion of it. So I already knew of the iconic image of bloody Stone Cold refusing to tap. I knew it made SCSA into the man, and the beloved Hart into a villain. So I went in expecting to see "an all-time classic," that I already knew the ramifications of the ending.
It's okay. (It doesn't help that part of the way through the match, the audio gets a bit off.) I really think that ending amplifies people's opinion of this match though. Like I said, historically, this match is really significant, but I don't see what makes it a classic. Sure, the argument is made that it was a hard-hitting affair, which wasn't common in the WWF at the time, but in a vacuum, that doesn't make this great in my opinion. Much like Wrestlemania 31, I find it to be solid, but not a 5 star classic.
Let the hate mail commence!
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