Like the TV, Movie, and Music Playlist threads, a thread featuring lists of 10 things common to each person, place, or thing, as it relates to professional wrestling.
I’ll start the thread with:
Matches That Did Not Live Up to the Hype
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade '97
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
After a minute, Pillman leaves the ring, says “I respect you bookerman” on the mic and exits the arena. Arn Anderson eventually takes his place, and the announcers struggle to spin it. Pillman later gets signed with the WWF after breaking his ankle in a car wreck, which is pretty much symbolic of his career.
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt, house of horrors match, Payback 2017
Two legitimate legends in Orton and Wyatt. This is definitely a candidate for a “so bad it’s good” match, but I remember being horribly disappointed in it at the time. Overall I was a fan of Bray, but I think his creativity got the better of him at times and this was one of them.
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt, house of horrors match, Payback 2017
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania 28
WWE decided in its infinite wisdom to start the show off with a shocker and have Sheamus win the title in 18 seconds. It wasn’t all bad, though: It heralded the start of the Yes Movement.
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt, house of horrors match, Payback 2017
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania 28
Every Warrior match in WCW
Warrior only wrestled 3 times in WCW. He teamed with Sting vs. Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. Sting worked about 99% of the match, while Warrior wore a multicolored raincoat to hide his diminished physique. WCW burned a big pile of cash with his contract.
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt, house of horrors match, Payback 2017
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania 28
Every Warrior match in WCW
Sting vs. Hulk Hogan for the WCW Championship, Halloween Havoc 1999
Can I count this? Sting had just turned heel at Fall Brawl and was defending the belt against the man he beat, Hulk Hogan. Hogan came out in his street clothes, whispered in Sting’s ear, laid down on the ground and let Sting pin him. Then later, Goldberg defeated Sting apparently for the belt, but Sting said he’d never agreed to put it on the line, and the title was held up because Sting had attacked the referee. End result was a 64-person championship tournament that concluded at Mayhem.
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt, house of horrors match, Payback 2017
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania 28
Every Warrior match in WCW
Sting vs. Hulk Hogan for the WCW Championship, Halloween Havoc 1999
Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Crown Jewel 2019
The Saudi hosts wanted big stars from the past era. Goldberg hadn’t wrestled for 2 years, and UT’s previous match was #3 on this list. A combination of jetlag, the intense Saudi desert heat and Goldberg’s rustiness led to him missing UT with a Spear and getting a concussion when he hit the corner post. Both stars botched their moves and struggled after that, so the match was mercifully cut short.
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting for the WCW Championship, Starrcade 1997
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, exploding ring barbed wire deathmatch, Double or Nothing 2021
D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction, Crown Jewel 2018
Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman, Strap Match, Superbrawl VI, 1996
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt, house of horrors match, Payback 2017
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania 28
Every Warrior match in WCW
Sting vs. Hulk Hogan for the WCW Championship, Halloween Havoc 1999
Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Crown Jewel 2019
Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash, WCW Monday Nitro, 1999
Fingerpoke of Doom. 'Nuff said.
Does this mean I get to start a new list? Yay!
Matches That Absolutely Lived Up To the Hype
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Easily one of the best matches I’ve ever watched on live TV. This was their third matchup after Okada won the first time and the second was a time-limit draw, leading to this one having no time limit. They went close to an hour and a half by the time the third fall happened and any one of those could have been a match of the year in its own right.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Still one of my favorite matches of all time, and historically important as this match led directly to the rise of Stone Cold as well as the entirety of the attitude era. If this match had happened differently than it did the last 25+ years might look very different.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
Most lumberjack matches follow the same formula: the heel side beats up the face while his allies protest, etc. In this one, the lumberjacks can’t prevent these two elemental forces from leaving the ring and fighting in the audience, and have zero influence on the outcome.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Firefly Funhouse match, Wrestlemania 36
Wrestlemania 36 was the most bizarre Wrestlemania that will ever be, since the pandemic forced them to tape the event from a closed set with no audience. In this context, WWE was able to push the envelope of what could be called a “wrestling match” to a degree never seen before, with Bray Wyatt taking Cena on a journey to the center of the mind where he lives out the history of the WWF, an alternate timeline where he replaces Hollywood Hogan as the leader of the nWo, and his own previous feud with Bray at Wrestlemania 30 years earlier, which seemingly ended with Cena’s character getting Donnie Darko’d out of existence and marking the end of his run as a constant presence and WWE’s top babyface. It was definitely the most memorable moment of an extremely surreal weekend.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Firefly Funhouse match, Wrestlemania 36
John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship, Money in the Bank 2011
Punk, who was on an expiring contract, swore that when he won the belt, he’d walk out of the company with it. In his hometown or Chicago, these two men had an epic confrontation that ended with Cena refusing to take a Montreal Screwjob shortcut and losing the belt. In desperation, Vince called for MITB winner Alberto del Rio to come out and cash in, but before he could, Punk kicked him in the head, went into the crowd, blew Vince a kiss and left with the title. What a moment.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Firefly Funhouse match, Wrestlemania 36
John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship, Money in the Bank 2011
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain) vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Roderick Strong, NXT Takeover War Games 2017
This match resurrected NWA’s War Games, where the entrances are staggered and all the participants eventually melee inside a double-ring cage. The highlight of the match: Roderick Strong pursues Adam Cole to the top of the cage and superplexes him onto the crowd below. When HHH ran NXT, they frequently upstaged VKM’s WWE shows with Indie talent.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Firefly Funhouse match, Wrestlemania 36
John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship, Money in the Bank 2011
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain) vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Roderick Strong, NXT Takeover War Games 2017
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) vs. Team Brawling Brutes (Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch), WarGames match, Survivor Series 2022
I requested off from work so I could see this match live on Peacock. It was everything I hoped it would be. Dramatic, brutal, heartbreaking.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Firefly Funhouse match, Wrestlemania 36
John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship, Money in the Bank 2011
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain) vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Roderick Strong, NXT Takeover War Games 2017
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) vs. Team Brawling Brutes (Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch), WarGames match, Survivor Series 2022
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental championship, Wrestlemania 3
Absolute wrestling classic, and probably (?) the first 5 star match by modern standards. Savage and Steamboat rewrote the standards on what smaller more athletic wrestlers could do on a big stage. And I do believe this match led to Savage winning the WWF championship the following year, as well as Steamboat winning the NWA championship from Flair a few years later. Without the success of this match I also think we don’t see the rise of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the 90s, or more modern stars like Omega, Ospreay, or Cody with their combination of innate charisma and breathtaking athleticism.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, best of three falls for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Dominion 2018
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, WrestleMania XX
Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, submission match, Wrestlemania XIII
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Lumberjack Match, Summerslam 2014
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Firefly Funhouse match, Wrestlemania 36
John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship, Money in the Bank 2011
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain) vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Roderick Strong, NXT Takeover War Games 2017
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) vs. Team Brawling Brutes (Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch), WarGames match, Survivor Series 2022
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental championship, Wrestlemania 3
Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, WrestleMania 35
KofiMania runs wild in an epic confrontation.
New category:
Hidden Gem Matches
Sting vs. Lord Steven Regal, WCW Great American Bash 1996
These two guys beat the hell out of each other. It’s one of those classic Sting matches where, by the time it’s over, all of his face paint has been removed.
Sting vs. Lord Steven Regal, WCW Great American Bash 1996
The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family: Elimination Chamber 2014
All recent callups from NXT, they represented the top heel factions in WWE at the time. They didn’t rely on constant action to make a compelling storyline. The Shield’s typical brutality was largely neutralized by the Wyatt family’s mystery and cold-bloodedness. It was like a survivalist movie where army special forces soldiers land in the midst of swamp alligator hunters who don’t like trespassers.