Landmark Match

[NinoBrown]

Shawn Michaels just retired and this recent match will probably over take his WM 25 match with Taker, which some say over took his match with Ric Flair. And it got me thinking, what will be Shawn Michaels (or any decorated superstars) landmark match that everyone will remember?

Most will probably say the Ironman Match or the Screwjob with Bret Hart will be his landmark match. Both matches made us see Michaels in a different light: one has the boyhood dream finally coming true. The other, we saw the "religious" man swear to God to Bret's FACE that he didn't know about what happen when he actually did?

What makes a landmark match and who has a without doubt landmark match? Triple H? Chris Jericho? Steve Austin? John Cena?

What are there (or any other decorated superstar) landmark match?

 

[hndsmepete]

Shawn Michaels just retired and this recent match will probably over take his WM 25 match with Taker, which some say over took his match with Ric Flair. And it got me thinking, what will be Shawn Michaels (or any decorated superstars) landmark match that everyone will remember?

Most will probably say the Ironman Match or the Screwjob with Bret Hart will be his landmark match. Both matches made us see Michaels in a different light: one has the boyhood dream finally coming true. The other, we saw the "religious" man swear to God to Bret's FACE that he didn't know about what happen when he actually did?

What makes a landmark match and who has a without doubt landmark match? Triple H? Chris Jericho? Steve Austin? John Cena?

What are there (or any other decorated superstar) landmark match?

I'll bite & say Stonecold vs Bret Hart Submission match @ Wrestlemania 13. That match made Austin & turned both of them in the course of the match. Bret was a babyface going in & Austin was hated by the fans for his abuse of Hart over the preceding months. Bret refusing to give up the Sharpshooter after Austin "passed out" from the pain switched their roles with the crowd. Go look at footage from the match, Austin was booed heavily at the start & started to get cheers at the end. Because of this match we ended up getting a new & improved Hart Foundation. I think both guys would say that this was a landmark match in their careers. When WWF put out SCSA's first video "Cause Stone Cold Said So", the image of him with blood dripping down his face while in the sharpshooter was the original box art (only available at WWF events).

During the Screwjob HBK was not religious at all, he didn't find religion until later on.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

There are few actual landmark matches, some would be "firsts" or matches that set the precedent for what a match should be. And a testament to HBK's excellence is that he has been in a few landmark matches. His Ladder match with Razor @ 10 was landmark, his Iron Man match with Bret@ 12 and the very first HIAC with Taker at Bad Blood are all absolutely landmark matches.

Then there are landmark matches that define a certain wrestler's career, while they may not be transcendental of wrestling itself.

Truly landmark matches in the industry's recent history, besides the aforementioned HBK matches:
Hogan-Andre
Austin-Bret WM13
Rock-Austin WM 17- landmark because it was the two biggest stars of the highest earning era of wrestling, similar to Hogan-Andre,
HBK-Bret screwjob


Career landmark matches:
HHH- 3 stages of Hell with Austin, I thought it was the Foley match from the previous year's Rumble, but this is the match that really cemented HHH as a prime fixture atop the E

Jericho: vs. HBK @ Mania 19

Cena: vs. HHH @ Mania 22

 

[Lady Redfield]

Undertaker vs. Mankind
King of the Ring ‘98

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
Wrestlemania 10

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
Wrestlemania 3

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania 10

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania 12

 

[NinoBrown]

Does Kane have a landmark match where he doesn't lose? I would say his first match up with Undertaker at WM 14 but he lost. Can't really count his world title reign cause that was a snoozer?

 

[tazzen78]

I think you can have a landmark match and lose still, anybody who Andre beat for the alot of his titles or just his his run with hogan and macho man? Todays guys dont really get the chance their thrown into too many high profile matches. landmark matches need time to build up and grow + have a high action and drama match. Below a few matches that the losers are remembered as being legends.

Owen - Bret "Wrestlemania 10"
Hulk Hogan & The Great Muta Fukuoka Dome 93 " huge match in new japan"
RVD-Jerry Lynn "Living Dangerously 1999"
Taz Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow Living Dangerously
Vader vs. Ron Simmons WCW Saturday Night 93
Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect SummerSlam 1991

 

[MizMasta3000]

For Cena I would say his match against JBL at Wrestlemania where he won his first world title

 

[seX-Power]

For Cena I think it's his 60 minute match against HBK.

 

[Montana]

Undertaker vs. Mankind
King of the Ring ‘98

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
Wrestlemania 10

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
Wrestlemania 3

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania 10

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania 12

Nice list. I agree with all. Bret Hart could be a toss up with these matches vs. Piper, Bulldog, Yokozuna and others as honorable metnions. Taker has a handful of toss ups too. You can add:

Austin vs. Bret Hart WM 13

Rock vs. Hogan WM 18

Cena vs. HHH WM 22

Orton vs. HHH vs. Cena WM 24 (or his moment has yet to come)

 

[NinoBrown]

Orton vs. HHH vs. Cena WM 24 (or his moment has yet to come)

Orton or Cena? Orton vs. Benoit stands out to me. I'm pretty sure you mean Orton because none of his matches really stand out (aside from Benoit).

 

[...god...]

^Forgetting Orton vs. Foley? And after thinking that something REALLY odd came to my mind. Who's match up of Triple H's do you think about when you hear landmark match (already brought up). Foley. Edge? Foley. Is foley really that good/underrated? Most of these people's most memorable matches were with Mick Foley, I don't think he gets enough credit. And Foley's of course, would be with The Undertaker. And Taker's being Foley could be very well debatable (although Foley and Taker would most certainly have other landmark matches as well; their careers are just too broad and extensive like HBK's to really narrow it to one).

 

[hndsmepete]

^Forgetting Orton vs. Foley? And after thinking that something REALLY odd came to my mind. Who's match up of Triple H's do you think about when you hear landmark match (already brought up). Foley. Edge? Foley. Is foley really that good/underrated? Most of these people's most memorable matches were with Mick Foley, I don't think he gets enough credit. And Foley's of course, would be with The Undertaker. And Taker's being Foley could be very well debatable (although Foley and Taker would most certainly have other landmark matches as well; their careers are just too broad and extensive like HBK's to really narrow it to one).

In WCW Foley also had a really good match with Sting which he called the best match of his career prior to the Mind Games match. Foley vs HBK @ the In Your House: Mind Games match was a landmark in Foley's career & probably HBK's too. I'm pretty sure Sting thought highly of that match too. You could also say the Terry Funk / Mick Foley Landmine match from IWA Japan King of Death Match Tournament as a landmark in both their careers.

 

[NinoBrown]

I think Foley is very underrated. Was never much a fan of his wrestling but he has some of the best feuds in the WWE and around the world. HHH, Orton, The Rock, Undertaker, Edge. He pretty much made The Rock and Undertaker's careers the jumpstart it needed. And I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be Foley without Funk.

 

[hndsmepete]

I think Foley is very underrated. Was never much a fan of his wrestling but he has some of the best feuds in the WWE and around the world. HHH, Orton, The Rock, Undertaker, Edge. He pretty much made The Rock and Undertaker's careers the jumpstart it needed. And I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be Foley without Funk.

I also think he's very underrated. The fact that he was willing to do anything in a match made everyone else up their game. I always liked it when you would see him doing actual wrestling holds besides the brawling he was famous for. Prior to the Mankind feud, the Undertaker was facing Jobbers, he had no good feuds or storylines in that era. That feud reignited Taker's career at a time when it was needed badly. I think the Triple H feuds gave HHH legitimacy, especially the one in 97 where Foley brought Cactus Jack into WWF (to a giant pop) for the first time to face HHH in MSG on Raw. That match was probably the only one Cactus ever won against HHH. I think that Triple H's success was dependent on his feuds with Foley, they showed that HHH was willing to do anything to eliminate an opponent & what opponent was there that was tougher than Cactus Jack. Austin gets a lot of credit for putting over The Rock, but Foley made him a star with their feud. Foley never gets the respect that he deserves because of the hardcore brawling & "garbage" style he did. To me he always seemed more willing to do what was good for the business than what was good for his health. Its a shame that the years of abuse makes him now walk like he's John Wayne. Plus I've never heard any story of him being unwilling to put anyone over.

 

[...god...]

I was thinking the Funk one definitely. Faintly remember the HBK one, and don't think I saw the Sting one.