Career Making Matches

[Postman Dave]

Just seeing how many we can think of and who for. Basically matches that were a turning point in that wrestlers career.

A great example is the Triple H vs. Cactus Jack Street Fight at the Royal Rumble. In one night, Foley managed to finally get HHH over as a main eventer with the audience. Triple H's career would not be the same without that match.

What others have we got?

 

[Sabretooth]

Batista vs Triple H - WrestleMania 21

 

[Horrorfan_1986]

Picking career making matches is tough just because it's like...what qualifies? There's a couple things to consider. A) Would they have been stars eventually and B) Were they already somewhat of a star? Take the Foley/Hunter mention. Did that help Trips? Probably, but Hunter was already a three time champion and it can stand to reason that Hunter was going to remain a main eventer regardless. His blooming relationship with Stephanie McMahon around that time basically guaranteed that. Regardless, Hunter was already a star going into that match, so it's probably less of a career making match as one that helped him get over that last hump.

When it comes to Hunter/Batista, I don't believe the Wrestlemania match did much for Big Dave. Practically everyone expected Batista to lose it at Backlash. After that happened, everyone expected Hunter to win it back at Vengeance. If there's one match that permanently earned Batista a main event spot, it's the HIAC match at Vengeance. Somehow, a guy had just went in and defeated Hunter in three straight PPV title matches. I don't believe that's happened before or since.

Following the same formula for matches that helped others get over that last hump, you can include the entire Rock/Foley feud in late 1998 and early 1999. Rock still had a little ways to go (Mostly just turn face), but the Foley feud helped him start off his main event days as if he belonged. Same goes for the two Foley/Austin matches after Wrestlemania. Back in the day, Foley was the go to guy to ensure a guy's title reign started off hot. Without it, who knows if the reign would have sizzled out or not.

Obviously, there's the most well known example in Sting vs Flair at Clash of the Champions 1.

To some degree, I feel as if Bret Hart's win over Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania 8 did wonders to help Bret maintain importance in both the fans and office's eyes. With how rare Piper agreed to put someone over, it was a big deal Bret beat him cleanly on live PPV.

Another obvious one is Misawa's early feud against Jumbo that helped Misawa go from junior heavyweight into being AJPW's Ace for the next decade.

 

[Sabretooth]

Does a career defining match have to be the match that made a guy a main event star?

Undertaker vs HBK at WrestleMania 25 was a career definining match for both men but it didn't make them stars.

 

[Horrorfan_1986]

Who said anything about career defining matches though? This is career making. Considering both guys were either semi-retired or retired the following year, I don't see how that match was career making in the slightest.

 

[Sabretooth]

Who said anything about career defining matches though? This is career making. Considering both guys were either semi-retired or retired the following year, I don't see how that match was career making in the slightest.

Oh I confused the word making with defining.

 

[Postman Dave]

Here's an interesting one; Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania this year. Somehow, that match seems to have launched DB's career this year.

I'd agree with HF that HHH/Batista in HIAC was the one that made Batista. I watched this for the first time recently, and not only did HHH lose, the match was mostly Batista on offence. Triple H went out of his way to make Big Dave look legit that night.

 

[Horrorfan_1986]

Eh, it's too early to say what made or didn't made a current wrestler's career. Imagine if Daniel Bryan was injured and retired tomorrow. Would the Wrestlemania match mean much then?

 

[Sabretooth]

Here's an interesting one; Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania this year. Somehow, that match seems to have launched DB's career this year.

I'd agree with HF that HHH/Batista in HIAC was the one that made Batista. I watched this for the first time recently, and not only did HHH lose, the match was mostly Batista on offence. Triple H went out of his way to make Big Dave look legit that night.

But Triple H did hit an awesome DDT on a barbed wire steel chair.

 

[Postman Dave]

Eh, it's too early to say what made or didn't made a current wrestler's career. Imagine if Daniel Bryan was injured and retired tomorrow. Would the Wrestlemania match mean much then?

Very true. It's still amusing that they guys biggest push to date came from an 18 second loss.

 

[Horrorfan_1986]

Did it though? Since that match, he had a few PPV World Title matches and spent the rest of the time being in a tag team. Prior to that match, he was solely in World Title matches on PPV. Maybe the fans reaction helped the WWE realize Bryan was something special, but the reason why the fans reacted the way they did was because of how much respect they already had for him and because the YES! gimmick was already really over.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Forget the 18 seconds fiasco, I'd think the 2/3 falls match between Bryan and Sheamus from Extreme Rules did more to make both men's career's than the 'Mania affair. At the end of that match, Bryan no longer looked like a punk and Sheamus looked like the type of guy who could withstand a seriously vicious beating and still come out on top. As much of a fan of Bryan's pre-WWE work as I am, I think that's the one that firmly solidified him as a WWE Superstar and I'd argue the same for Sheamus.