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Top 10 Best WWE PPV Matches of the 1990’s
Welcome back to another one of my countdown lists. In response to such the outpouring of visits (it broke records for me in hourly and daily views), I decided to make a “sequel” so to speak.
This one however will be a little different.
Instead of doing a straight list defining a decade, I’m taking each year and putting down the contest that was either the best or most significant in the time period. Some of these matches will surprise you, but some of them being on here are just plain elementary.
Before I begin, let me note that like the previous countdown, there were some incredibly hard choices to make. The years 1996-1998 in particular had some real challenging thought processes. With a list like this though, it’s like a big-ass time warp. This decade went through many generational gaps, and lots of people (famous or not) came and went. Whatever the case may be, let’s count down the list of the best pay per view matches for WWE from 1990-1999!
If ever the term “dream match” popped up in an average WWE fan’s head back in 1989 or so, it would be this one. An unprecedented babyface vs. babyface battle of the universe, with two men that represented the company as a whole through the latter half of the 1980’s. Add in the fact that it was a “title for title” match (Hogan’s WWE Championship, Warrior’s Intercontinental Championship, winner take all), and suddenly Toronto, Canada became the hottest place in sports-entertainment at the turn of the decade!
Now let’s keep in check that both men weren’t the most skilled men in the world. It’s been said that Warrior couldn’t work to the point where literally he would rush through everything and risk injury to his opponent. Hogan is one of those guys that pretty much ushered in “WWE safe style” before it became popular, because he was on the road all the time and needed to keep his body healthy.
The commentators for the match are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “the Body” Ventura. Why this is listed is because normally in a match like this, you’d have a guy like Gorilla root for the face and Jesse (or Bobby Heenan as equivalent) root for the heel. Instead, both men had to pick their spots at certain points, which certainly lead to unique broadcasting moments.
As for the match, it certainly wasn’t anything special in terms of movesets and/or skills. However, the BIG saving grace here is that both men told a story. A very well-done story at that. To quote Paul Heyman from Wrestlemania X-Seven, “It’s a match both men must win, but neither man can afford to lose.”
It was a grueling twenty minute affair of nothing but brute strength and power. The ending saw Hogan attempting the drop the leg an unforeseen SECOND TIME, but missed, and was prone to the Warrior Splash. In a moment that literally handed the torch, Warrior was now a dual-champion.
Hogan gave Warrior the belt himself and shared an embrace as 60,000+ screaming fans were louder than the pyrotechnics that went off. In a sense, it was definitely “mission accomplished” for Vince McMahon, who while he knew it was a dream match, for actually pulling the trigger on this, seeing as this was never done “back in the day”.
1991: Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior, “Retirement Match”, Wrestlemania VII
Now before you starting clicking “back” on your internet browser, let’s keep one thing in check. This match is listed primarily for the transition of Savage’s character. While Perfect/Hart from Summerslam was a better match technically, this one was a helluva more interested to view and type about.
Before we go into that, let’s take a look at the downward slide of Warrior. For one, he should have been a successful champion like predecessor Hogan. While it was common knowledge that Warrior was quite the air-head behind the scenes, that wasn’t the reason why the face-painted goliath was never a draw. It was mainly due to the fact that no credible heels were brought up as legit challengers. With the exception of Rick Rude (who as you may recall beat Warrior for the IC title at Wrestlemania VI), no one looked legitimate as an immediate successor to Warrior’s throne. This led to sliding draws and buys.
Fast-forward to the Royal Rumble in 1991. Or just before then actually. Sherri asked Warrior if he could give Savage a title shot. Warrior said no. This led to “Macho King” Savage (who won the house-show King of the Ring tourney in 1990) interfering in the Rumble match with Warrior defending the title against heel Iraqi-sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter. A crack to the head with the scepter Savage had, and Warrior was suddenly without a belt.
For winning the Rumble match, good ol’ American boy Hogan was going to fight Slaughter. Warrior had Savage, and both agreed to the retirement stipulation, where if you lose you’re history. Not unlike the “Instant Replay” fiasco that would air after this contest. For the main joke concerning that and a recent angle, check out this post I did a few weeks ago.
Back to the bout. For the first 15 or so minutes, again nothing special. Monsoon and Heenan were as usual making ridiculous barbs towards one another that led to humor within the match. Like the other match, the ending was memorable. Savage did a spot where he gave Warrior FIVE flying elbows from the top rope. Instead of finishing off the man of “destrucity”, UW popped up and gave “King” a shoulder tackle so hard, Savage went through the ropes! Warrior brought him back into the ring, and with a foot on his chest, kept his job while Savage lurked in the cold.
Sherri, Savage’s valet, laid into him the disappointment she felt. Who took exception to all this? Elizabeth of course! Running as fast as she could to the ring in heels that should have snapped off, Liz fought off Sherri. Because Savage was knocked out at the time of Sherri’s attack, he sees Liz and thought she did it. After coming to however, Savage and Liz made up and the crowd in attendance at the Sports Arena teared up like little children. “The Match Made in Heaven”, with a newly-found face Savage, was set for Summerslam at MSG, which could also be viewed in my last countdown.
1992: Bret Hart vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Intercontinental Championship, Wrestlemania VIII
The Hart/Smith match was more emotional and technically sound than this one, I will admit. However, I still found this match with it’s complexities to be more engaging than the one held a few months later at Summerslam. At least none of the combatants here are high off their asses.
Piper at this point in his career was nothing more than a part-time wrestler who just so happened to commentate every now and again. However, the man who previously had ZERO championships in the WWE suddenly had a opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship.
It all started before the 1992 Royal Rumble. Bret Hart, feigning illness, battled The Mountie with said IC belt on the line. For Hart on this night, being sick did him in as The Mountie would win the title. Only to lose it to Piper the next night at said Rumble event.
Fast forward to VIII. Both men are in their peak conditions physically (ESPECIALLY Piper), and looked ready to battle. After a nice little pre-match interview segment, we’re rolling into the bout.
Both men exchanged holds and were “nice” to each other as whenever one man was hurled out, the other would hold the ropes down so the “hurled” man can come back in.
At one point, Bret Hart does probably the best blade job ever. Knocked into the post, Hart’s reveal saw a near-crimson mask. It looked so real that the trainers post-match actually said the post cut him. Hart would later admit in his autobiography that it was him who did the damage.
Back to the ring, and Piper was feeling cocky. So cocky in fact that he had a ring bell in his hand, and wanted to knock Hart’s figurative one in! Instead of doing that, Piper listened to the crowd in Indianapolis and but the bell down to a massive roar. Crowd psychology goes a long way in making matches great.
To the finish, and certainly a unique one at that. Piper puts Bret in the signature sleeper, but Bret is able to do an inverted-bulldog like maneuver off the turnbuckles and pins Piper’s shoulders down for the three and the title! Bret bled to the point where he sported as much red on his tights as pink! The two men hugged as the crowd knew they just saw something special. Definitely Piper’s best match of his career.
1993: Bret Hart’s King of the Ring Trilogy
The only spot on the countdown where you get not one, not two, but THREE matches in the same slot. Coming to you from Ohio, it’s the inaugural King of the Ring PPV. In this sense, it’s only more than appropriate to do so, and I’ll give you the backstory.
Early 1993 was a great time to be a Bret Hart fan. After winning the WWE Championship from Ric Flair in Saskatoon, Bret was a fighting champion who literally took on EVERYBODY. His work was unprecedented and unsurpassed as standard-bearer.
As Wrestlemania IX drew closer, politics started to show their ugly head. Originally it was going to be Hart vs. Ultimate Warrior for the title, with Hart noting in the autobiography that he had visions of Warrior tapping out in his head. Sadly, Warrior would be “endeavored” due to a drug test failure, and therefore a new plan was hatched.
Enter Yokozuna. A 500+ pound behemoth, he moved with surprising agility and his Splash was something to behold!
Now enter, ahem, HULK HOGAN?!!??! DIDN’T HE REITRE? Yes, he “did”. In wrestling though, retirement is one of those words that never truly sticks. Originally booked and competed in a match for the tag titles (which Hogan didn’t need or want), he asked Vince to be plopped in the title match.
So Hart and Yokozuna rage on, and Mr. Fuji puts the salt in Hart’s eyes. Yoko takes advantage, and wins the strap. Or so he thinks. Hogan comes out to “defend” Hart’s honor, and after a miscue of salt, Hogan drops the leg and becomes WWE Champion for a fifth time!
This wouldn’t sound so bad if Hogan then fought Hart for the title at Summerslam, but as you would see, Hogan thought Hart was “too small”, and instead dropped it to Yoko at King of the Ring.
Vince knew that Bret had been screwed over HUGE. In a surprising turn of events, McMahon made the King of the Ring PPV in 1993 pretty much a “Bret Hart Showcase”.
In the first match of the evening, Bret faced off against Razor Ramon, aka Scott Hall. Hall at this point was weeks away from turning face, and this would be his last event as a heel until WCW’s Bash at the Beach 1996. The two had a decent contest, which also saw Hall accidentally break one of Hart’s fingers. Ramon, in the finish, tried to superplex Hart of the top, but Bret shifted course, and pinned Hall to advance to the semis.
So who would Hart face in the next round? None other than Curt Henning, the man whom he won the IC title from at Summerslam a couple of years back. In a pre-match interview, the two had a nice little bicker about their fathers, but Henning fired the last shot saying he wants to get his win back. THAT’S how you do a mini-buildup with no notice! Once again, the two deliver a twenty minute classic. In a moment of desperation, Henning tried to pin Hart with a small package, but Bret reversed course and moves on to the finals! The two shake hands, but Henning is pissed at no one but himself for letting yet another win slip away
In the finals, Bret definitely had an uphill challenge. It was against the big, the bad, BAM BAM BIGELOW! Keep in mind that Bret had already wrestled for some 35 or so minutes in the show, and thus has a ton of wear and tear on him. Predictably, it was a “big man vs. small man” bout, but since Bam Bam is not your normal big guy, he flies around the ring too! Like a David with a his slingshot, Hart rolls up Bigelow for a 1-2-3, and becomes 1993 King of the Ring!
At the reception speech, Hart gets jumped by Jerry Lawler, who promptly calls himself the real “King”. A pretty cool “downer” ending to a really good show. Now you see why I inducted all three matches together. It’s because I made it all part of a WHOLE, the whole deal of Bret winning King of the Ring. Not just that, but Bret wrestled three different guys, with three different figures and three different styles. At the end of the day, there’s no workhorse like the ‘Hitman’.
1994: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels, Ladder Match, Intercontinental Championship, Wrestlemania X
Back in 1994, the landscape of the WWE changed dramatically. It took the shape of more cartoonish angles and characters, while it also became more kid friendly. At the same time, there were still a decent amount of good workers ready to put on a show.
Enter “The Kliq”.
To fully explain the story, one must go all the way back to the summer of 1993. Shawn Michaels, then-IC champion, was suspended for failing a drug test. In an act of unheard-of defiance, Shawn actually kept the belt which forced Vince to make a new one.
Razor Ramon won the battle royal/match to become a brand-new IC representative. This was all fine and dandy until Shawn popped up on WWE TV, with older IC title in his hand. With the two at each other’s throats, the match at Wrestlemania would be for the first time ever on television or PPV, a LADDER MATCH!
Since this was Wrestlemania TEN, we are in MSG. Very quaint arena compared to let’s say Caesar’s Palace or the Skydome. However, the fans in attendance and millions watching around the world saw probably the single-most innovative match of the 90’s from the WWE.
The beginning of the match saw wrestling holds being exchanged, but once they went to the outside, it was all purgatory from there. Diesel, aka Kevin Nash and Shawn’s bodyguard, cold-cocked Razor with a right-hand, and was promptly thrown out by Earl Hebner!
Shawn and Razor took turns eating steel throughout the remainder of the bout, with Shawn delivering a splash from the top which captivated audiences all around the world. This also started the legend of “Mr. Wrestlemania” for one Heartbreak Kid.
The finish saw Shawn trying to grab the titles, but is knocked off the ladder by Ramon. Tied up in the ropes, HBK desperately tries to get out, but fails to do so and thus Razor is now UNDISPUTED Intercontinental Champion, with both pieces of gold firmly in his grasp!
This match was so good that a sequel about a year later took place. Even though it’s not on this list, it is definitely recommended, and can be seen on The Ladder Match DVD.
1995: Diesel vs. Bret Hart, No Disqualification, WWE Championship, Survivor Series
Let’s turn back the clock to the tail-end of 1994. Bret Hart lost his WWE Championship to Bob Backlund in a “Submissions” bout, after Owen Hart threw in the towel from Martha. Bob’s title run would not last long, as he would be Jackknifed in MSG at a ridiculous eight seconds by Diesel.
Nash’s title reign would be almost exactly one year in length. He faced all sorts of different people, including Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble to start 1995.
However, every single Hart/Diesel title match from 1994-now had one thing in common. All sorts of interference. Gorilla Monsoon thus made it a no-DQ match with the “there must be a winner” moniker added.
For the crowd in San Antonio Texas, the two had a decent 25 minute match. Diesel at one point put Bret Hart through an announcer table, and that spot was REALLY unheard of at that time. A Jackknife attempt would be Diesel’s downfall, as Bret did a victory roll for a 1-2-3! Bret’s the new champion, and Diesel destroys the referees out of frustration and loud ovations from the crowd. While Bret may have had more underrated bouts in this year, he definitely had it all out on the line against a hoss, and that is definitely more than impressive.
1996: Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind, WWE Championship, In Your House: Mind Games
1996 was known as the year for Shawn Michaels, and for good reason. When we won the “big one” at Wrestlemania XII in Anaheim, Shawn stepped up his game big time in the ring, and everyone was forced to follow suit.
Mick Foley, known as Mankind, was a guy mainly known for hardcore-style matches with blood and other gory exploits. While he’s had good matches in the past at WCW, he definitely hasn’t had a technical classic in a while.
So enter the “hometown” crowd of Philadelphia. I mention that word in quotes, because Mick competed regularly at the bingo hall for ECW back a year or two prior. To throw the crowd off, Mick cut a lengthy heel promo in the ring just prior to the event, so that everyone would be in Shawn Michaels’ corner.
After the pyro and ballyhoo, Mick and Shawn proceeded to have a 30 minute match that tore the house down. Mixing Shawn’s high-flying ability with Mick’s brutal hardcore action, it seems as if there was a compliment of styles instead of a full-on clash! At one point, Mick ate a superkick on the top rope with a chair in his face! OUCH!
The only true complaint would be the finish, which would see Vader run interference for the DQ. Mankind tried to jump Shawn, but notice the casket out at ringside? HERE COMES UNDERTAKER! Taker and Mankind brawl while Sycho Sid would go toe-to-toe with Vader up the ramp. That sets up the next month’s Buried Alive, while Howard Finkel announces Shawn Michaels as the winner via DQ and still WWE Champion. At least even the crap ending had a purpose, and that still qualifies as a great match.
1997: Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Submission Match, Wrestlemania 13
This year was by far the most difficult choice to make. The two matches in question were this one, and the Hell in the Cell classic with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Knowing I couldn’t make the decision on my own since I love both matches like children, I took it to the Freakin’ Awesome Network page on Facebook. With how the vote turned out, you can tell this match won. I wonder what Dave Meltzer would have thought, because he gave BOTH matches the ***** rating. The only match to get that rating since is John Cena and CM Punk from Money in the Bank a short while back.
Before I start the review, I’d like to share a short personal anecdote. I was at the Northeast Wrestling event Spring Slam in April. The main attraction wrestler to sign was Bret Hart. After what seemed to be forever, I finally got to meet him. He asked me what my favorite match of his was. My answer was this match from 13, and he smiled like a Cheshire cat. Who could blame him?
At this point in WWE history, the company’s direction was rapidly changing course. Bret Hart returned in November to face Stone Cold in a BRILLIANT one-on-one encounter at Survivor Series in MSG. Using the finish from Wrestlemania VIII, Bret won, but the war was far from over. Austin, whom the WWE was trying to push as a monster heel, was egging and nagging at Hart for months for being a crybaby and a wuss. Just days before Wrestlemania 13, Hart had a WWE Championship rematch against Sid in a cage. Hart’s adversary Austin and Sid’s equivalent Undertaker all made their presences felt, with ‘Taker slamming the cage door in Hart’s face the “shot” heard around the world. Sid retained the title, and an expletive-filled promo followed suit.
This promo gave Hart momentum to turn heel, although the trigger wouldn’t be pulled just yet.
Let’s also mention Ken Shamrock, aka “The World’s Most Dangerous Man”, was on hand from UFC to referee the fight. A VERY good choice, although Earl Hebner is a close second.
To the match itself. The Rosemont Horizon, home to perhaps the lowest buyrates of Wrestlemania history, were treated to an epic confrontation.
Austin and Bret took turns brawling, wrestling, in the ring, out of the ring, they did it ALL. Shamrock was pretty hands-off for much of the affair, as essentially he was there to catch the submission.
The major turning point came when Austin and Bret crashed into the guardrail close to the announcer table. Austin was bladed by Bret (admitted in the book by Bret), and Steve’s face looked like as if the Old Geyser was about to spew. It had a been a LONG time since blood of that magnitude occurred, and Vince at the time was adamant against it. Knowing the impact blood inadvertently had here, it’s a good thing Vince slightly backed off.
Austin tried to choke Bret with the electrical cords, but Bret rang’s Austin’s bell, quite literally. After some exchanges, Hart slapped on the Sharpshooter. These two men made it look like death itself was about to occur. Austin, with blood STREAMING down his face and mouth tried valiantly to counter, but to no avail. After 25 some-odd minutes, Shamrock had to stop it as Austin had passed out.
Bret was not happy, and thus continued to beat up Austin. Shamrock had to literally throw Bret off, and the crowd booed Bret. As Austin got up, he started beating up referees and left to a huge ovation.
The WWE accomplished two major goals with this match.
They created a ***** classic? Check.
They created a SUCCESSFUL double turn? Oh hell yes!
This is a must-watch for ANYONE who considers themselves a fan of the WWE.
1998: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Dude Love, WWE Championship, In Your House: Over the Edge
Of all the matches here, THIS has to be by far the most underrated. It was right at the height of Austin’s popularity, and just before Mick’s body was slowly but surely falling apart on him.
Once again, another personal story to tell. I saw Mick Foley at the 2010 Spring Slam, and I was quite enamored at the sight. Here’s a hardcore legend wearing a Disneyland shirt! Suits him just right! Long story short, he signed a few things of mine and then asked me what was my favorite match of his. I answered this match, and Mick got a chuckle. For being a fan for so long, I was awarded with this,
I definitely had a nice day after that!
Back to the match, this was right near the height of the Austin/McMahon feud. It all started on the 4/13 episode, where Austin was scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against McMahon with one arm tied his back. As it started, Dude Love came on down to try to stop the fracas. In a swerve, Dude slapped the Mandible Claw on Austin. It set up Unforgiven, where Austin was DQ’ed after hitting McMahon in the head with a chair, then pinning Dude for his own three count.
So here we are for the May event. Mick won the #1 contender’s shot as he beat Terry Funk on RAW in a No Holds Barred affair. That match can be seen on Mick Foley Greatest Hits & Misses - A Life in Wrestling.
As Dude Love, Mick would have another chance at Austin. Another presence would be felt at ringside in the form of The Undertaker, who had legitimately broken his foot earlier in the month.
Vince had his “stooges” (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson at ringside) to handle “duties”. Pat also introduced everyone to the ring. Watch how THAT went down...
Austin comes out to a GREAT Green Bay pop as he isn’t even introduced! Vince is handed the belt, which Jim Ross notes is wanted more than figuratively. As Vince is about to start the match, he puts one finger up and that “DONG” appears for Undertaker! ‘Taker outpops Austin, but in terms of this match, he doesn’t get involved until the end.
The beginning of the match features some standard wrestling, which is a fine change of pace. Some outside action shows McMahon telling Austin to get back in the ring, he won’t count him out.
Going outside again, near the announce table, McMahon tells Patterson to announce it’s now a NO DQ match! “SINCE WHEN? SINCE WHEN? THAT’S NOT RIGHT,” JR notes with expressive neckfat.
Another sequence shows Dude executing a swinging neckbreaker on the outside.
“This match is now Falls Count Anywhere!”
“SINCE WHEN!”
God I love when Ross gets kayfabe aggravated. Really adds to the emotion.
So Austin is bloodied up, and has a hard time standing. Dude is handed a chair, but waffles McMahon! Austin gives a Stunner to Dude, but Gerald Brisco pushes him off. What’s Gerald’s reward? A massive chokeslam from Undertaker through the WWE announcer table! Love attempts to pin Austin, but as Patterson counts, Taker gives the Canadian a chokeslam through the Spanish announcer table! Ole!
Austin then low-blows Dude into a Stunner, and does another self-count to win the match! 20 hard-fought minutes, and awesome down to the core. It’s a small reminder of what the Attitude Era meant to many different people.
1999: The Rock vs. Mankind, “I Quit”, WWE Championship, Royal Rumble
1999 was a difficult year to choose for as well, but for the opposite reasons as 1997. As popular and successful the WWE was at this point, the in-ring action was, in a sense, crappy. There was more emphasis on “crash TV” and character development, and that led to great reactions but stinko bouts.
Fortunately, this match is the exception not the rule.
Let’s give a quick recap of lead-up. Mankind and Rock were the finalists of the “Deadly Game” tournament at the Survivor Series. It appears Rock was going to be screwed by McMahon, while Mankind on paper had the chairman in his corner. In a magical swerve, Rock turned heel “Corporate Champion” as Vince rang for the bell.
Mankind almost won the title a month later at “Rock Bottom”, but was DQ’ed for “choking” Rock, which is weird because all Mick did was the Mandible Claw.
January 4th, 1999 was the day “the music died” so to speak for WWE’s rival. Before Hulk Hogan gave Kevin Nash “The Fingerpoke of Doom”, WWE had a taped RAW that featured Mankind coaxing himself into a title match against Rock. A No-DQ affair, it was brutal and ‘raw’ to watch. The Corporation tried to interfere on Rock’s behalf, but D-Generation X countered on behalf of Mankind. It all led to a THUNDEROUS OVATION for Stone Cold to come on in, waffle Rock with a chairshot (2K in today’s Wellness), and Mankind stunned the WWE faithful with an emotional title win.
Now we’ve got ourselves the Rumble match, Rock’s “re-match”. Located at the same arena HBK won the WWE title from Bret Hart at Wrestlemania XII
It was a brutal and bloody affair, topped with Mick Foley blowing out electrical equipment and his own damn head! Exacerbating an injury, Mick was busted open hardway with TWELVE chairshots by Rock, and then a recorded “I Quit” from Mick ended the match. Weird I know, but heck, it’s either that or the Halftime Heat match. RD Reynolds wouldn’t agree for sure!
CONCLUSION: This was a tiring yet fulfilling list. The 1990’s were an evolution of the WWE, ranging many generations and styles. A lot of you once again will have differing opinions and debates, but that’s half the fun of being a fan. I hope you had fun reading this just like I did writing it.
I wouldn't say that 1999 was a crappy year for matches, it may not have had the spark that other years had (especially 1997)but it was still good in its own right.
ReplyDeleteSurprised Hart/Mr. Perfect from SS '91 didn't make it
ReplyDelete^ Trust me when I tell you that was a difficult choice too. Perfect/Hart was one of the best WRESTLING matches I've seen. However, when I was contemplating it, I was so enamored by the story of Savage/Warrior that I had to choose that one. There are no other matches that can raise the waterworks like the Savage/Warrior bout, and how it culminated into Summerslam 1991 with the Match Made in Heaven. That's all covered in the prior blog of PPV's.
ReplyDelete