Favorite Mid-card Feud?

[Montana]

I was thinking about it the other day....and mid card feuds never seem to get much respect when looking back. We've seen a lot of favorite mid card wrestler thread, but what about feuds. Here are a few of mine.

Rick Martel vs. Tatanka

Ted Dibiase vs. Virgil

Steiners vs. Quebeckers W/Johnny Polo

Big Boss Man vs. Nailz

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

 

[PeepShow]

I just decided to post my favorite feuds from each year of the last decade. All really great stuff. Couldn't decide on the best one of 2001, as both feuds were great.

Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit (2000)
Chris Jericho vs. William Regal or Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle (2001)
Edge vs. Kurt Angle (2002)
John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (2003)
Chris Jericho vs. Christian (2004)
Edge vs. Matt Hardy (2005)
Chris Benoit vs. Booker T (2006)
Johnny Nitro vs. CM Punk (2007)
MVP vs. Matt Hardy (2008)
Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio (2009)
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (2010)

 

[Airfixx]

^^^^Pretty much nailed that IMO, though in the case of 02 & 03 it's more that I just can't recall any better options..

EDIT: Isn't MVP/Hardy more a 2007 thing? They might have had the blow off match after WM24, but the entire fueding partners and injury angle was defo 2007.

Some older WWF biz....

Don 'The Rock' Mauraco vs Jimmy Superfly Snuka (83)
Greg Valentine vs Tito Santana (85)
Savage vs Steamboat, motherfuckaaaaz! (87)
Jake Roberts vs Rick Rude (88)
Rick Rude vs Ultimate Warrior (89)
The Rockers vs Brain Busters (89)
Jake Roberts vs Ted DiBiase (89-90)
Ronny Garvin vs Greg Valentine (89 - 90)
Heenan Family vs The Big Boss Man (91)
HBK vs Rick Martel (92)

Not so much a fued as a rivalry, but Bret Hart/Mr Perfect anyone? (89 - 93)

 

[Hometown Kid]

In no particular order...

MVP vs. Matt Hardy - '07-'08
Edge vs. Matt Hardy - '05
TAKA Michinoku vs. Brian Christopher w/Jerry Lawler - '97-'98
Rick Martel vs. Tito Santana - '89
Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho - '05
Christian vs. Chris Jericho - '04
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James - '05-'06
Gail Kim/Molly Holly vs. Trish/Lita - '03
Crash Holly vs. Mean Street Posse - '00
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat - '87

 

[Airfixx]

Rick Martel vs. Tito Santana - '89

Interesting... I'm a big fan of heel Martel but don't remember ever seeing them have a one-on-one... I remember the 6 man with The Rockers & Rougeaus, but am I forgetting a SNME match or sumthin'?

 

[Hometown Kid]

After the broke off Strike Force they were in matches all the time, lol. They were on opposing teams at SummerSlam as well as Survivor Series, as well as (I believe) King of the Ring '89 was their blowoff singles match. Yeah, Tito won that year in a nifty match against Martel in the finals.

 

[Airfixx]

After the broke off Strike Force they were in matches all the time, lol. They were on opposing teams at SummerSlam

Already noted above. As I say I remember the fued and actually reference that SSlam match, just never seen any singles matches.

as well as Survivor Series

Forgot about this actually, but Ricky survived if I'm not mistaken.

as well as (I believe) King of the Ring '89 was their blowoff singles match. Yeah, Tito won that year in a nifty match against Martel in the finals.

Apart from The Wreslting Classic PPV (86? When JYD went over Savage in the final...), they actually televised the tournament-based KOTR stuff pre-93? I NEVER realised...

King Of The Ring

Having watched literally EVERYTHING I can get my hands on from this era, I have always been under the impression that of much of the mid-card stuff of this era you wouldn't necessarily see a rubber match for unless you went to houseshows(*) ....which would make sense draw-ing wise. Thanks to YTube etc., I thought I'd since caught up on all the significant shit that happened on Prime Time (and other TV stuff which was never broadcast over here - We only got Superstars and Wrestling Challenge here back then) so how the fuck have I not seen the Martel/Tito match you're talking about? (*Another good example would be LOD/Demolition in 1990).

KOTR around this time was a somewhat confused concept.... Whilst they held these KOTR tourneys, televised or otherwise, you had Haku, Duggan & Savage all wearing the crown during 1989 the time frame where Tito won said tourney KOTR89. Same as 1988... I mean, when did you ever see DiBiase wearing a crown or even refered to as "King Of The Ring" on TV?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the TV lineage of crown wearing, kings of the ring went Race > King Tonga/Haku > Duggan > Savage then was reborn when Bret won it at the KOTR93 PPV as opposed to the tournament-based shit discussed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Ring


If any of these tourneys are available on Vid, DVD or cheeky DL.... I'd absolutely LOVE to know where.

 

[Hometown Kid]

I know some of those KOTR matches are/were on youtube, and someone has to have a download of the non-televised (Which looking it up now, was probably never aired on Superstars or anything) event! And i'm gonna be the one to find it for ya, Air-o. I can't speak to the other matches, but the Tito/Martel one was well deserving of being seen by more than the live crowd 20 years ago.

*As well as a SNME match between the two that isn't as good that I did find still up.* Either way that's 2 singles/2 tag matches in a year, I hope that counts as a feud for that time. :/

 

[Airfixx]

LOL... I sincerely wasn't questioning the idea that they fueded... I was 'there'.. Just didn't see a rubber match.

You say there was a SNME match? Some of that shit's a little hazey this far down the line... Got 'em all on my computer... Will do some hardrive diggin' when I get home.

Any links would attain you godlike status in my book. ;0]

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Steamer/Savage
Rude/Steamer
DDP/Savage
Dustin/Windham
The WCW tag title scene from 91til mid 93
HBK/Razor
Bret/Roddy
Owen/austin
Austin/rock ic title feud
Edge/Matt Hardy
Regal/Jericho
Jericho/Malenko
Jericho/WCW cruiser division
Malenko and Benoit/Raven and Saturn
Saturn/Flock
ECW TV title scene from late 95 til early 97
Rude/Warrior ic title
Booker/Benoit WCW
Saturn/Flock
The Smackdown Six

 

[Airfixx]

Bret & Roddy wasn't a fued..... Just a one-off title match.

*Bret lost the IC title to Mountie cos he was ill but wrestled anyway. Getting zapped with a cattleprod for the win.
*Roddy had already won it from Mountie by the time Bret was 'well' enough to take his rematch, claming he did it for Bret and couldn't wait to defend it against Bret, a guy who deemed classy enough to be considered an IC champ.
*They had a match. Bret won.... Even at the start of the promo at WM8 there was no heat...

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

I guess you're right. But I remember there being a little build like roddy taking on hbk, sherry getting involved andbret making the save and skinner did a number on bret later on that show and pipes returning the favor and the obvious tension build. Liked the mania promo and the match, it was heated.

 

[Airfixx]

^^^Was that possibly on Prime Time? We only got Superstars & Challenge over here and you certainly wouldn't get a card like that on those shows. I still think it's a strecth to call it a fued, but don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it.... Was top class shit - Woulda mentioned it myself had I considered it a fued.

The way Roddy went face/heel/face during the match whilst Bret was being the arrogant, mildly heelish one in the WM promo was the bomb!



I spose Savage/Jake '91 is too big a deal to be consider midcard?

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Every now and then the company would run special build up shows for PPVs on USA and I remember this being one of them, they were akin to SNME shows but on sundays in primetime the week before the major show.

As for Randy/Snake, I dunno. It seemed a little more special since Mach was coming out of retirement and behind the poorly executed Hogan-Taker mularkey, this was the most important storyline going. I know I listed DDP/Mach but DDP was a full blown mid carder at this point and Mach was like the 4th guy on the nWo depth chart. Funny how this is one of the few things I liked about DDP as it was the feud that brought him to the main stage.

 

[Airfixx]

Matches, promo's, the set up, the lot... I honest cannot fault that Savage/Snake fued and IMO it's as good as any fued of the so-called golden era of WWF....

Jake was really twitchy at the time (pressumably some kinda drug thing) and that all just seemed to elevate the psychotic nature of his character even more ... Kids crying everywhere in the arean when Savage got munched at SSeries 91... Oh man, the memories!

...In fact, didn't he hit Liz too(*)? ...That's a BIIIIIG fuckin' deal in those days.

(*Jake that is! : P )


Seen a few DDP/Savage matches, but never really followed the fued.

Roughly when was it? ...In a moment of insanity, I recently downloaded the entire Nitro 96-01, but it's WAY too much to dip into randomly.