Ripped To Shreds:The Top 10 Most Influential Matches in WWE History
In the WWE, and in wrestling in general, a match is usually just a match. Whether William Regal is pinned cleanly by Matt Hardy, or John Cena beats The Great Khali at a pay per view, the matches usually only get remembered when one looks in the history books. Sometimes the matches leave fond memories with us. But there are times when a match becomes more than just a match. Sometimes it becomes a corner stone of a revolution that changes the product in ways none of us could have ever imagined. Sometimes the impact of one match can be felt for generations afterwards. There have been very few of these matches. But their influence on the WWE can not be forgotten. In this column I am going to count down the top 10 most influential matches in WWE history.
(NOTE: This is only in WWE’s history, and not the history of any other wrestling promotion.)
ALSO NOTE: This refers only to matches that had big long term influences, meaning changes, in the WWE product. A match like Hogan/Warrior was undoubtedly big, but did it make any long term changes in the WWE product? No.
Coming in at number 10....
10. Monday Night Raw 2000: Chris Benoit vs. Triple H
Coming into this match Chris Benoit was the current WCW World Champion, and defected to WWE before he ever lost the title. This was a match between the WWE World Champion Triple H and the recently defected WCW World Champion. When this match occurred, the Monday Night ratings war had become virtually one sided. The steam rolling WWE had been dominating WCW for quite some time now, and it seemed as if their stranglehold on WCW could not be broken. With the WCW Champion now in WCW, this match served to be a huge embarrassment to WCW. This match was the final death blow to WCW that destroyed any and all chance they had to make a comeback in the ratings.
The reason this match does not have a lower number on the list is because WCW was virtually helpless at this point. It was very unlikely that WCW was going to make a comeback, and whether they had this death blow or not, they still had a very high chance of going under. It just so happened that this embarrassment came along and put the final nail in the coffin for WCW.
9. WWE House Show, Canada, 1992: Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair
Bret Hart’s first title reign began during an event that wasn’t even televised. But the aftereffects of this match would be felt for years to come. On this
night the "Rockin’ Wrestling Era" was officially over and the "New Generation" began. Vince started to go with the younger guys such as Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon to be his stars instead of his long time veterans such as Randy Savage and Ric Flair.
But that wasn’t the only revolution that started that night. With Bret Hart now as the champion, he was given a bigger platform to help mold the WWE. With Bret as champ, he lead the "small man revolution" for the lack of a better term and helped change the way fans saw a wrestler’s size as being important. Also on this bigger platform he paved the way for technical
wrestling to take precedence over power wrestling, which was the current trend that was dominating the WWE wrestling scene.
Also on this bigger platform Bret helped to pave the way for the fans to care about the actual wrestling that went on inside the ring. Before Bret’s first championship reign the two biggest stars in the industry were Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, two terrible wrestlers. Fans cared more about what
happened outside the ring than what on inside of it. While that may still hold true to this day, Bret certainly helped WWE fans grow an appreciation for
what went on inside the ring.
8. Saturday Night's Main Event 1987: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant
Everyone remembers Hogan and Andre’s legendary encounter at Wrestlemania 3. However this was not the encounter. In this match the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase paid off the crooked referee to award Andre with the title. Because of this the title became held up into vacancy, stripping the Hulkster and Andre of the title.
The reason this match makes the list is because it was the first time in modern history that the number one draw in the company did not have to have the World Heavyweight Title around his waist. Even when The Macho Man Randy Savage went on to hold the World Title, The Hulkster was able to still remain the number one draw in the company. This was unheard of in this era for a number one draw to stay at the top for such a long period of time without being champion. This paved the way for such stars as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and Kurt Angle to be the number one draw of their respected brands without being champion for extended periods of time.
7. WWE Television 1983: Jimmy Snuka vs. Don Muracco
What happened during this match was basically the standard action you would expect from a steel cage match. But it’s what happened after this match that would go on to be remembered for years to come. Jimmy
Snuka scaled the 15 foot high steel cage, and when he got to the top he dove off onto the prone Don Muracco. Many wrestlers site this match as what played a large role in inspiring them to become professional wrestlers. Among these wrestlers are Tommy Dreamer, Mick Foley, and Bubba Ray Dudley.
This match is also attributed with giving inspiration to many wrestlers to attempt more risky high flying maneuvers. Had this match not happened, Randy Savage may not have been dropping his famous elbow off the top rope, there would have been no Jeff Hardy giving the swanton bomb off of a 15 foot ladder, and there would have been no Rob Van Dam doing his 5 Star Frog Splash. Without this match many wrestlers may not have become inspired to become professional wrestlers as well.
6. Wrestlemania 1: Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs, Paul Orndorf and Rowdy Roddy Piper
This was the main event to the very first extravaganza known as Wrestlemania. This match played a larger role than any other match on the card in making this event a success. Had it not been for this match, there very possibly might not have been any more Wrestlemanias
after this.
A very important role in this match was played by the wrestling appearance of Mr. T, the refereeing of Muhammad Ali, and the guest appearance of Liberaci. These three men, along with Hulk Hogan, gave this match the star power it needed to get the proper attention it required. Otherwise this event would not have had the platform it needed to be a large scale success.
5. Royal Rumble 2000: Cactus Jack vs. Triple H
In an exciting match that saw everything from barbed wire to thumb tacks, we saw one of the most unheard of finishes in WWE main event history. Triple H, the heel, got the clean win over the face Cactus Jack. For the several decades the WWE has been in existence, the way the main event scene would work was that if a main event heel would beat a main event face, he had to do so by cheating. But this match between Cactus and Trips changed that concept.
From here on the WWE started using the new concept that main event heels actually could win cleanly over main event faces. This match is what broke down that decades old barrier regarding how a main event match could end. Because of this match we are able to see guys like Triple H and Kurt Angle getting clean wins over main event faces. Also because of this match the WWE main event scene has become that much more unpredictable.
4. Survivor Series 1997: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
This is the infamous Survivor Series screw job that people still talk about to this day. However this match had more of an impact on the WWE than people
realize. (And for different reasons then just he ones you might think.) During 1997, WWE was staring down the barrel of their southern rival WCW. WCW was dominating the ratings war and came very close to putting the WWE
out of business.
One of the main reasons the WWE was losing the ratings war was due to Bret Hart’s status within the main event scene. The WWE tried to alter Bret’s character to make him fit in with the direction their late 90’s
product was going. As much as they tried, Bret just didn’t fit in anymore. With him having such a high place in the company, he was severely hurting the product.
With this infamous Survivor Series match, the WWE would get rid of Bret Hart. The WWE could then give more spotlight to wrestlers who fit in with the new "attitude" their product was developing. Guys likeSteve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and Kane were now ready to take the ball and run with it in the spotlight that they deserved. This match set the gears in motion for the WWE product taking a drastic upswing, and ultimately saving it from going under.
And, of course, it set the stage for Vince McMahon to become one the biggest, if not the biggest, heels in WWE history. His heel character meshed so well with Steve Austin, and that feud had enormous effects in bringing momentum to the company. Whether the screw job was a work or a shoot, something great still came out of it.
3. Wrestlemania 3: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant
If Hulkamania is what brought the WWE to the next level, this match is when it happened. This match featured the two most famous wrestlers in the entire
world going at it in a spectacle that would be remembered for years to come. It was the unstoppable force going one on one with the immovable object. It
is believed that both men came into this match undefeated (although their pre WWE records are unknown to most people), making this match of even higher importance.
The press was all over this match, and was the first time that the WWE was becoming a MAJOR news topic. This match basically established professional
wrestling as a suitable form of entertainment that wasn’t just for "red necks". Wrestlemania 1’s main event helped to put the WWE on the map, but this was the match that cemented it’s place there.
2. Wrestlemania 14: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn
Michaels
This was the match that literally saved the WWE from going under. At this point in time the wheels were in motion for the WWE to make a come back in the ratings. But to fully lead this comeback they would need to do something drastic. That something drastic would have to include putting the WWE Title on the WWE’s hottest wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin. But that wasn’t the
whole plan. The other part of the plan was to have "The Baddest Man on the Planet" Mike Tyson as the special enforcer for this match. Having Mike Tyson as the special enforcer made everyone tune in to
Wrestlemania 14.
When they tuned in to see Tyson, they were exposed to the phenomenon of Stone Cold Steve Austin. People liked what they saw, and began tuning in to Monday Night Raw to see what Stone Cold was going to do next. The WWE ‘s fan base slowly started increase, and before you knew it they WWE started to steam roll over its competition. Had this match not occurred, then the WWE’s comeback would not have come full circle, and today we would be watching WCW Nitro on Monday nights.
Some may argue that Stone Cold Steve Austin was not the reason for the drastic upswing in the ratings after Wrestlemania 14. Some may say that it is due to a collection of WWE wrestlers that the WWE ratings rose so high, However upon closer inspection you will see this is not very likely. Most of the upper level feuds before and after Wrestlemania stayed the same. The only story lines that changed were Austin feuding more directly with Vince McMahon, and Triple H reforming DX. DX did not yet have the star power they needed to draw ratings, seeing as they were all lower level heels at the time. Therefore the rise in ratings almost certainly can be attributed to Steve Austin’s winning of the world title and being pushed as the number one wrestler in the company, seeing as the change in ratings occurred only a few weeks after Wrestlemania.
1. WWE Television 1984: Hulk Hogan vs. Iron Sheik
When this match first happened, it was seen as nothing special. It was merely the actor who played "Thunderlips" in Rocky 3 going up against the current WWE champion. But the after effects of this matchwould be felt for years to come. Vince McMahon choseto push this wrestler based on his fame, charisma, and look. But he unknowingly was reshaping sports entertainment as we knew it.
In this match Hulk Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik to become the WWE champion, and the phenomenon known as Hulkamania was born. Hulkamania was the driving force behind bringing wrestling to the level that we know it
as today. Had Hulk Hogan not been given the title in his very first match and have been given the huge push he had received, Hulkamania may not have had the fuel it needed to revolutionize the wrestling industry.
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Well that about wraps it up for the 10 Most Influential Matches in WWE History. From Bret Hart becoming the leader of the New Generation to Cactus
Jack losing cleanly to Triple H to Steve Austin taking on his role as the leader of the "attitude era", the WWE has certainly had it’s share of matches with major influence. It was hard to choose only 10, but they
were the 10 that definitely deserved to be on the list.