I have an unusual pick for greatest match ever.

[ToyfareMark]

Or maybe its not unusual for some people. I mean its a subjective thing, and 20 different people could give you 20 different answers. When friends ask me what I think the greatest match ever is I tend to skip around it, and that's because of the finish to the match. So here it is. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle at Summerslam 2001 is the greatest match I personally have ever seen. I mean yeah it ended in a DQ, and it has the stench of the invasion all over it, but to me it was just perfect. Excellent wrestling, excellent brawling, and so much drama. So yeah when I get asked the best match ever question, its always the first one to pop in my head.

But the main reason I started this thread is I'm interested if anyone else has a "best match ever" that isn't one you see brought up too much or at all really. It can be for any reason. I'd just like to see some picks that aren't the standard ones most of us know about it.

[Squirrel Master]

I’ll go with Stan Hansen’s AWA World Title victory over Rick Martel because I was seated near ringside and it was f***ing great!
youtu.be/xgDFmP6Wz64

[Deleted]

My all time favorite match is Edge, Mick Foley, and Lita vs Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer,and Beulah from ONS 2006.

The feud leading up on WWE television was trash but the match was amazing. It starts with a hilarious back and forth promo that essentially explains the feud better than a few weeks of Raw did, then becomes a regular wrestling match, then slowly descends further and further into hardcore mayhem. Then the pin is absolutely despicable and rapey. It was the epitome of ECW in one match alone at arguably the last "real" ECW show.

And that was also Terry Funks last big mainstream match.

[fw91]

is HBK/HHH summerslam 02 mentioned enough in "all time favorite" discussions?

When you think of HBK and All time favorites most people usually think either the HIAC match with Taker or a wrestlemania match.

[Zen411]

Melina and Alicia Fox

[Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby]

I think the weirdest ones on my favorites list are Madison Eagles vs. Jessie McKay in Shimmer, and Florida Express vs. Do Fixer & Magnum Tokyo with all hair/all masks on the line.

The former is just an odd pick that I really latched onto, the latter is probably very much appreciated by anybody who likes having the occasional wrestling match where everything turns into complete slapstick ridiculousness. But they're also lower down on my list of top ten (or more now? I'll have to recount) matches.

[Deleted]

Thinking back on my wrestling fandom, a lot of my personal favorite (or, at the least, most memorable matches) are not ones which are very likely to appear on anyone else's. Sure, I love the TLC matches, HBK/Flair, Bryan/HHH, and others that are remembered as some of the greatest matches of all time, but, just off of the top of my head, some of my personal favorites include:

- Roadie vs. 1-2-3 Kid, IYH 2: I was just talking in another thread about how this match stands out in my mind as one of the best matches of my formative years watching wrestling. It ends with a top rope piledriver of all things in 1995 WWF, and is just a really good match.

- Yokozuna vs. Vader, IYH Beware of Dog: This clearly is not a match that critics would heap a lot of praise onto, but it's an ultimate battle of the behemoths, and perhaps the single biggest influence in 6-year-old me becoming hooked on wrestling. Even now, I go back and watch this one and find it entertaining. It has negative workrate but, sometimes, pro wrestling is about the spectacle and this match was damn sure a spectacle.

- British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart, IYH Season's Beatings: This one is marginally more likely to appear on a list like this, but I personally find it to be the single best match in Bret's entire career.

I guess we are all products of when we started watching wrestling, but damn if I don't have fond memories of 1994-1996 WWF, even though it's one of the most derided eras in pro wrestling history.

[Deleted]

WEELC.

Legit. If I had only five matches to get someone into wrestling, that would be one of them.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

Jul 1, 2021 14:19:59 GMT -5 @uppitynerd said:

WEELC.

Legit. If I had only five matches to get someone into wrestling, that would be one of them.

2nd best wrestling match I ever saw live. First was Bayley vs. Sasha Banks at Brooklyn Takeover 1

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Jul 1, 2021 12:21:56 GMT -5 @therealoblivion said:

My all time favorite match is Edge, Mick Foley, and Lita vs Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer,and Beulah from ONS 2006.

The feud leading up on WWE television was trash but the match was amazing. It starts with a hilarious back and forth promo that essentially explains the feud better than a few weeks of Raw did, then becomes a regular wrestling match, then slowly descends further and further into hardcore mayhem. Then the pin is absolutely despicable and rapey. It was the epitome of ECW in one match alone at arguably the last "real" ECW show.

And that was also Terry Funks last big mainstream match.

I don't think these promos get anywhere near the credit they deserve. All three of them have at least one killer line.

'Their Santa is fat, bald, Jewish and gives out an endless supply of bullshit.'

'When ECW was run by a visionary... Let's give it up, for STEPHANIE MCMAHON!'

'Tommy Dreamer, the Innnovator, of SIIIIIIILENCE'

For me, it's not quite my favourite but in my all-time top ten, is the Goldberg/Lesnar Mania match in 2016(?). It was so short, but it was just ALL big moments, two huge guys beating the f*** out of each other. Got the crowd out of their seats. A complete change of pace compared to the epics Mania usually has but without being a stupid squash. Just a crazy great match and not even six minutes long.

[Deleted]

The WM 13 match gets talked up more (for good reason, to be fair), but I think Austin vs. Bret at Survivor Series is a perfect wrestling match. If someone wanted to say it was the greatest match in WWF/E history, I wouldn't really argue because it could be my favorite.

[ToyfareMark]

Jul 1, 2021 13:43:40 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

Thinking back on my wrestling fandom, a lot of my personal favorite (or, at the least, most memorable matches) are not ones which are very likely to appear on anyone else's. Sure, I love the TLC matches, HBK/Flair, Bryan/HHH, and others that are remembered as some of the greatest matches of all time, but, just off of the top of my head, some of my personal favorites include:

- Roadie vs. 1-2-3 Kid, IYH 2: I was just talking in another thread about how this match stands out in my mind as one of the best matches of my formative years watching wrestling. It ends with a top rope piledriver of all things in 1995 WWF, and is just a really good match.

- Yokozuna vs. Vader, IYH Beware of Dog: This clearly is not a match that critics would heap a lot of praise onto, but it's an ultimate battle of the behemoths, and perhaps the single biggest influence in 6-year-old me becoming hooked on wrestling. Even now, I go back and watch this one and find it entertaining. It has negative workrate but, sometimes, pro wrestling is about the spectacle and this match was damn sure a spectacle.

- British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart, IYH Season's Beatings: This one is marginally more likely to appear on a list like this, but I personally find it to be the single best match in Bret's entire career.

I guess we are all products of when we started watching wrestling, but damn if I don't have fond memories of 1994-1996 WWF, even though it's one of the most derided eras in pro wrestling history.

Bret, and Bulldog at IYH 5 is god damn amazing, I'd say its my number 2. And now for the hot take... I can't stand their Summerslam 92 match haha.

[Deleted]

Jul 1, 2021 16:01:28 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Jul 1, 2021 12:21:56 GMT -5 @therealoblivion said:

My all time favorite match is Edge, Mick Foley, and Lita vs Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer,and Beulah from ONS 2006.

The feud leading up on WWE television was trash but the match was amazing. It starts with a hilarious back and forth promo that essentially explains the feud better than a few weeks of Raw did, then becomes a regular wrestling match, then slowly descends further and further into hardcore mayhem. Then the pin is absolutely despicable and rapey. It was the epitome of ECW in one match alone at arguably the last "real" ECW show.

And that was also Terry Funks last big mainstream match.

I don't think these promos get anywhere near the credit they deserve. All three of them have at least one killer line.

'Their Santa is fat, bald, Jewish and gives out an endless supply of bullshit.'

'When ECW was run by a visionary... Let's give it up, for STEPHANIE MCMAHON!'

'Tommy Dreamer, the Innnovator, of SIIIIIIILENCE'

For me, it's not quite my favourite but in my all-time top ten, is the Goldberg/Lesnar Mania match in 2016(?). It was so short, but it was just ALL big moments, two huge guys beating the f*** out of each other. Got the crowd out of their seats. A complete change of pace compared to the epics Mania usually has but without being a stupid squash. Just a crazy great match and not even six minutes long.

Even Beulah got one in. "Lita, we all know how much you like threesomes, so lets make this three on three!"

[Celexa Bliss 54]

Undertaker and Austin vs. Kane and Mankind vs. Rock and D'Lo vs. New Age Outlaws on Raw in August 1998. Like, I bought the first Attitude Era DVD because this match was on it. All your big feuds were on display and the finish advanced the big summer angle of Undertaker and Kane possibly being in cahoots. A fantastic underrated gem of the Attitude Era.

[Mozenrath]

My favorite is still possibly Mankind vs HBK at Mind Games. That, or Bucks vs Omega/Adam Page.

[Deleted]

Jul 1, 2021 17:42:02 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

My favorite is still possibly Mankind vs HBK at Mind Games. That, or Bucks vs Omega/Adam Page.

I can't believe it took me as long as it did to see that HBK vs. Mankind match. Even with the finish, it's probably in my top 10 all time.

[Triangle Lancer]

Jul 1, 2021 16:28:19 GMT -5 @dax said:

The WM 13 match gets talked up more (for good reason, to be fair), but I think Austin vs. Bret at Survivor Series is a perfect wrestling match. If someone wanted to say it was the greatest match in WWF/E history, I wouldn't really argue because it could be my favorite.

I always flip-flop between those two as my all-time favorite.
WM13 would undoubtedly be my all-time fave if they redid the Million Dollar Dream/kickoff spot again, but Bret is stuck in the hold and Austin didn't have to worry about a pinfall this time.

[Mozenrath]

Jul 1, 2021 17:53:11 GMT -5 @dax said:

Jul 1, 2021 17:42:02 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

My favorite is still possibly Mankind vs HBK at Mind Games. That, or Bucks vs Omega/Adam Page.

I can't believe it took me as long as it did to see that HBK vs. Mankind match. Even with the finish, it's probably in my top 10 all time.

A lot of the best Bret or Shawn matches were against people who were a great contrast with them. Makes me really wish we got a Bret vs Mankind program at some point. (We did get one Shotgun Saturday Night match, but it was rushed, in the shitty tiny Shotgun ring, and I want to say one or both of them were working hurt, so it definitely wasn't anywhere near as good as it could or should have been.)

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

My favorite match is legitimately the infamous Nick Gage vs. David Arquette deathmatch from GCW LA Confidential. Put aside the infamous ending of the match, the progression of the match from Arquette being a complete fish out of water, but slowly rising to the occasion as the match escalates was amazing to behold when I saw the match live. The first light tube that Gage cracks over David's back gets such a reaction because it definitely was the first time Arquette has ever been hit a light tube, but the part that everyone who never actually watched the match glosses over is that Arquette is able to take advantage of the deathmatch weapons, and even puts his own body at risk with a light tube assisted Cannonball Senton and even using his old friend's Diamond Cutter into a bundle of tubes. For a few minutes, David Arquette is actually flourishing in his deathmatch debut.

And yeah, while Arquette does eventually crack under the pressure, earning himself a big hole in his neck, he lived to tell the tale in his movie "You Cannot Kill David Arquette," while Dark Side of the Ring documented the incident through the perspective of Gage. If nothing else, we are still talking about it today, while we would all be forgetting the originally planned match of Gage vs. Joey Ryan had Ryan not tore his pec weeks before the show.

[Blade]

I don't think I could pick an absolute favourite match overall, but a few pop to mind that I really like and don't seem to get as much love elsewhere:

- Austin/Hart at Survivor Series, as already mentioned. This was a really good wrestling match; I honestly like it much better than WM13.

- Team Austin vs Team Bischoff, Survivor Series: I used this match to get my wife interested in wrestling. Just great drama and a great story that even a newbie to wrestling can follow. It was pretty lauded at the time but sort of fell to the wayside such that few seemed to notice when WWE flagrantly did it again with Ziggler in the Shawn Michaels role.

- Edge/Benoit vs La Resistance on RAW in Quebec: a pretty dark horse candidate due to the presence of Benoit, but the hilarious crowd reaction is so off the charts here that it's honestly comparable to Cena/Punk at MitB, and all four guys play into it really well.  I'm not even a huge fan of Edge or Benoit pre-you-know-what and I still loved the hell out of this; plus, the match itself is really good and has tons of drama and back and forth as the crowd literally wills La Resistance on to victory.