Wondering what you're favorite runs were for some of your favorite guys?
Sprung to mind while watching some 92 era Michaels, which was such good heel work, mixed with a string of excellent matches.
Shawn was really an interesting case, because he transitioned so naturally from tag team worker into a singles worker without missing a beat, and became a totally different character.
Personally I'm most a fan of Randy Savage's run from 86-89, but that's a pretty obvious choice. The Steiner brothers in their glory years could basically do no wrong, even taking their lackluster WWF run into account. But even then they had a ***** match with Bret & Owen. Rick Rude's WCW run was pretty fun until the back injury derailed his career.
I liked Test's run with Stacy Kielber, from the "Testicles" stuff up until I can't remember what else, but I remember liking Test quite a lot at the time.
ReplyDeleteThe initial Hollywood Rock stuff was pretty awesome. The Scott Steiner WWE run was pretty fucking entertaining also, although for completely different reasons.
ReplyDeleteLuger in 1989 could do no wrong. I also loved his return in '95 when he was the heel who was still friends with Sting. Jericho's return to feud with Punk was fantastic as well.
ReplyDeleteECW-WWF Pillman was pure gold, as was early WCW Raven. That promotion needed him really badly.
ReplyDeleteECW/early WCW Raven had so much potential. Great work by Levy
ReplyDeleteTriple H's big run from Jan 2000 - May 2001 is untouchable.
ReplyDeleteHis run in 1999 was awesome until he had his testicles cut off.
ReplyDeleteTest actually was underrated in the ring before he stopped giving a shit. He had a good top rope elbow drop and his big boot always sounded killer. There is an alternate universe out there where the Steph thing made Test into a huge star.
ReplyDeleteBret's run in 93-94-95. Always in shit angles but he could do no wrong in the ring.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, from a match perspective. I just couldn't get into him as a character at that point.
ReplyDeleteI loved it, he was sort of a cross between Flair and Shane Douglas. Just tremendous, it was nice seeing a heel getting over on the faces in WWE. H took this to an extreme and ruined the concept however.
ReplyDeleteAngle was a beast in the ring in 03-04.
ReplyDeleteHe had an awesome match in WWECW with RVD. He did okay at the beginning of that run but it didnt last long at all
ReplyDeleteThe match he had with Triple H on TV before he got buried was awesome. Test was over like rover.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the "Lone Wolf" period for Barry Windham. He got hurt but he was fucking awesome in that gimmick
ReplyDeleteJericho and Punk had really good matches but the "CM Drunk" stuff was lame.
ReplyDeletejust turrible, ruined the whole feud
ReplyDeleteSo stupid. I wasnt a huge fan of their matches either. That while Jericho run was "meh" for me
ReplyDeleteUltimate Warrior's initial run, it was just so crazy and different from what I was use to or expected from wrestling.
ReplyDeleteJericho's run from 2007-2009 was a lot of fun, his workrate was awesome and his character was the best in the company.
Cactus Jack from 93-96 was really fun.
ReplyDeleteI loved 96-97 Bret for that very reason. Still superb in the ring, had much better rivalries and became a much better talker.
ReplyDeleteAustin from 97-99, Rock from 98-01 are my two favorites but I'm sure that's true for a lot of people. For Michaels, 95-96 were pretty much flawless work rate wise.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a big fan Nash with the Wolfpac in 98.
I find it funny they kept trying to push him after looking like the biggest loser in wrestling history.
ReplyDeleteOther favorites
ReplyDeletePiper 84-86
Mysterio 96-98
Jericho 97-99
AJ Styles 03-06
Savage 87-89
RVD 01-03
Big assist to pills, of course which sucks because he definitely could have held the Jake Roberts/Rick Rude spot.
ReplyDeleteUndertaker 1991.
ReplyDeleteSeriously. I don't know why, but I love watching the matches from when he was supposed to be not really human or whatever. I know it was a sorta campy character and the matches sucked from a workrate perspective, but I find it cool to see someone wrestle who couldn't feel pain.
For me, its HBK from wm 24-26. He had classic matches & feuds with flair, batista, undertaker, royal rumble (trying to get the title shot against undertaker) and jericho.
ReplyDeleteI still remember his debut when it happened at the 1990 Survivor Series. My friends parents ordered it for us and after weeks of speculation as to who the surprise member of Dibiase's team was supposed to be, he comes out. I was such a fan even then that I remembered him from WCW as part of the Skyscrapers but still seeing him in that gimmick was an eight year old kid was jaw dropping. It was one of the greatest debuts a wrestler can make. I also loved Piper's line of "he doesnt look very friendly at all" when teh camera closed in on his face just before the bell rang.
ReplyDeleteSting 1997 - My favorite character of all time, wrestling or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSting was the best wrestling character in 1997, IMO
ReplyDeleteSteve Austin says hello.
ReplyDelete97-98 heel HBK never gets enough love. Fantastic over the top heel plus Michaels at his absolute peak.
ReplyDeleteHBK says hello.
ReplyDeletePeople have no sold the Wolfpac. Wolfpac was super over, t shirts were everywhere.
ReplyDeleteUm… serioulsy? He didn't wrestle a match, and he basically did nothing the entire year.
ReplyDeleteI feel like as a worker, Austin after the neck surgery in 2001 was at his absolute peak.
ReplyDeleteHe is talking about him as a character, not as a wrestler.
ReplyDeleteFUCK YES.
ReplyDeleteUm, 2001-2003 I think he was better. After he got back from the neck surgery it took him a while to get his rythm back.
ReplyDelete1989 Flair.
ReplyDeleteHe was still good in 04. Loved his WMXX match with Eddie too.
ReplyDeleteBut as a character, he just stood around. I mean, he got a lot of milage out of the little bit he *DID* do, but most of the time it was just standing in the rafters, occassionally repelling down and not getting involved very much.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, I appreciated a lot of his ring work in '98, particularly some lost classics he had with Kevin Nash on Nitro in march.
As far as just a character, I thought Sting was better. As far as the toal package that year, those two were better.
ReplyDeleteHe might have stood around a lot but it was still very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHe spent most of 94 in a wheelchair, then feuded with the Big Show.
ReplyDeleteI just didn't like his 2004 very much. After his Mania match with Michaels in 2005, I feel like he got it back and was pretty much amazeballs until he got drafted to ECW.
HBK had a bunch of great runs, but if I had to pick one it would have been from WM 19 vs Jericho through the beatdown on Vince at 22. In between you had great stuff with Benoit, Angle, Edge, and, let's face it, Triple H. Of course, you could really just say "his whole comeback" or even "his whole singles career", but that's kinda missing the point.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone keeps pointing out, Jericho's heel run in late 2000s was epic.
Jake Roberts from like 87-91 or so was the man.
Diesel's all too short last heel run in WWF before he left to form the NWO saw him have great matches with Bret and Shawn, and a pretty damn good one with Undertaker, all while he was at his apex as a promo guy.
Flair's first WWE run is a sentimental favorite for me.
I liked him as a wrestler in 2001. Not so much the character.
ReplyDeleteThe ending of Uncensored was just fricking awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt boggles my mind history rewrites them as a joke.
ReplyDeleteKonnan was one of the most over guys on either show. Straight up strawberrys hate on him.
ReplyDelete96-97 Hart Foundation feuds were some of the best ever.
ReplyDeleteRoad Warriors 83 - 90.
ReplyDeleteHulk Hogan 82 - 87
Kerry Von Erich 82 - 86
Randy Savage 85 - 88
RnR 85 - 87
This got me thinking of the bizarre world alternative question...worst runs ever?
ReplyDeleteThe Flair match is weird. It's really good the first time you see it because of the emotion, but each subsequent rewatch is a little less special. Weird.
ReplyDeleteHere are some underappreciated runs:
ReplyDeleteGreg Valentine 84-85
Juventud Guerrera 98-99, one of the best cruisers in the world.
Raven 03-04
Don Muraco 82-83
Owen Hart 94-96
Juventuds run was really really good. Never really went anywhere tho. Kinda sucked
ReplyDeleteI loved Juvys "The Juice" character!
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with Juvie. Probably my favourite cruiser run ever.
ReplyDeleteHHH in 2003.
ReplyDeleteHogan from 94 until he joined the nWo
ReplyDeletePiper's WCW run
Curt Hennig's TNA stint
Big John Studd 84-85
Bret Hart 99-00
Beat me to it!
ReplyDeleteWhat about Bret's Anti-American run?
ReplyDeleteBill Goldberg 2003-04 was bad.
ReplyDeleteIt was BAD, I don't know if it's historically bad though. I gotta think about this oone for a second
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for invincible monster heels. Kane's introductory run was great, too.
ReplyDeleteGod, I erased that Henning TNA run from my memory. That's probably one of my least favorite runs ever
ReplyDeleteHas anyone mentioned...
ReplyDeleteBrian Pillman 95-96?
Eddie Guerrero 2002-04?
They made you believe that they would do ANYTHING (Pillman on the more maniacal end of the spectrum, and Guerrero on the sentimental side). Of course, I always bow down in appreciate for...
Austin 2001
Rock 2003
Michaels 97-98
Their presence was essentially an equivalent to a prime Brando or Deniro on the cast of Days of Our Lives or Grey's Anatomy.
I was a Wolfpac fan but they completely botched the members. It should have been Hall and Nash leading the Wolfpac against Hogan and Macho Man leading the nWo.
ReplyDeleteThat time period for WCW always blows my mind. What do they come up with to combat Austin? Karl Malone, Jay Leno, and Warrior.
Austin totally carried the feud, but he was alright.
ReplyDeleteDDP from 01-02 was really bad too. At least he got a Wrestlemania payday outta it.
ReplyDeleteI'd add in 91 and 92.
ReplyDeleteThe Era of Tessmacher.
ReplyDelete/thread.
Piper in WCW could still cut a good promo at least.
ReplyDeletelolwat
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry?
ReplyDeleteI guess but everything he referenced took placed in the 1980's, when he was one of the best heels in the world.
ReplyDeleteForgot Jeff Hardy from 03-04 when he was a fucking mess and couldnt even hit his signature spots.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Raven. I also like Tito Santana's run with the IC title.
ReplyDeleteYea, at least that was somewhat entertaining from a train wreck perspective...kinda like the Scott Steiner WWE run.
ReplyDeleteI saw him at a house show before he got sober. Terrible.
ReplyDeleteJBL's long world title reign felt awful. It just kept on going and going...
ReplyDeleteJYD 88-90
ReplyDeleteHow do you remember all of these things? I keep on trying to think of some examples, but my mind has mostly blocked them out. You have my respect, sir.
ReplyDeleteDamn it I wanted to plant my flag on this!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to make this post...
Bret Hart in 1997, there's never been a time in my fandom where I knew, in the moment, that what I was watching was truly special and legendary. We'll never ever see an angle that completely bizarre again.
ReplyDeleteWhat's so special about her? It's not like you have any GIFs or proof or anything... ...
ReplyDeleteDisagree. His matches with Jericho would be great if they were two other guys but I expected so much more from the 2 of them
ReplyDeleteSo much, I miss that arrogant piece of garbage coming out chewing gum with the biggest shit eating grin ever. Sooooooo hateable.
ReplyDeleteI was watching some of my 80's WWF stuff and a JYD match popped on and it got me thinking to how bad he was at the end.
ReplyDeleteAngle was in college in 1994
ReplyDeleteYes! Kane's initial run was great. I loved the Undertaker/Kane match from WrestleMania 14 even if it doesn't quite hold up. Fact that it took 3 tombstones to beat Kane was great since kicking out of finishers was still a novelty at the time (at least for 10 year old me). It was such an awesome clash of the titans sorta match with just two seemingly unbeatable guys killing each other.
ReplyDeleteDo you count his WCW run, where not even RIC FLAIR could get him past 1 star?
ReplyDeleteShe recently came back from a successful tour of Japan where she wrestled in several excellent matches (most notably an hour long match with Tanahashi that Meltzer rated 5 stars.)
ReplyDelete,..I'm lying. It's mainly because of this:
http://i.minus.com/ibgMEl2Zpcxvkj.gif
I'm thinking their Extreme Rules rematch was something special. In fact, we all should probably re-watch that show for Bryan-Sheamus (2 out of 3 falls), Punk-Jericho II (balls out street fight), and Cena-Lesnar (with the final 30 seconds cut off)
ReplyDeleteComparing Sting standing in the dark for thirty seconds every episode with Hart drawing the best heat of his career on the other channel is sacrilege.
ReplyDeleteSting never interested me because we knew the payoff was going to be a match with Hogan and I never in a million years would've cared about that over Austin/Hart or Hart/Michaels or Michaels/UT.
Would also like to add two ROH runs:
ReplyDeleteSamoa Joe in 2004. Just a ridiculous year by that guy. Held the title until the final event of 2004 and just kept having incredible matches.
Summer of Punk. Nothing really needs to be said and it didn't last long, but that was some great stuff.
That is in that time period. The Clash XI from 1990
ReplyDeleteI was glad when he left though, he had that top spot choked off.
ReplyDelete1992 flair
ReplyDeleteAny big less than talented muscle-bound idiot that Vince McMahon wanted to push.
ReplyDeleteThread jack: Watch Kane make sense about republican-y things! http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/304253/%5BVIDEO%5D-Kane-Speaks-About-the-TSA,-Taxes,-and-More-at-Liberty-Political-Action-Conference.htm
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Jeff Hardy when he returned to WWE. He worked so hard and the fans got behind him. He had good matches and did a natural progression from IC champ to world champ but it wasn't a rocket push because he jobbed to dudes like Umaga and Khali as well. It was one of the few runs in the post-WCW era where WWE listened to the fans' support of a guy.
ReplyDeleteThe runs I best remember: (quite a few are either just out of memory, or just before my time)
ReplyDeleteArn and Tully: Late 87 - Late 89. Won both NWA and WWF Tag Team gold, managed to put on countless top matches in both organizations, and still left enough questions for fun... (What if Midnights/Horsemen get more than a few promos and a cold title match, or what if Tully hadn't failed that drug test...)
Ric Flair: Early-Mid 89. Steamboat + Funk = Fun times.
Vader: Mid 92-Late 93. Does it move? VADER KILL! He should've just stayed in Japan after WCW, because Vince and Shawn fucked him over HARD.
There are more, but those three are my favorites... Oh, and:
Vacant: October 1999 - April 2000: SIX WCW World Title reigns, even though none of them lasted more than a month, and three of the six didn't even last a day. Abeyance might have the one long reign, but it's got quite the trip to match it's older relative. ;)
Yeah, that would be 90% of the total list... WCW had a few such duds also:
ReplyDeleteBill Kazmeier
El Gigante (TWO organizations worth of suck)
He didn't have to. He was the most popular guy in the company without saying a word or wrestling a match. Nobody else in the history of THIS BUSINESS can make that claim. Of course, the payoff wasn't what we wanted, but anyone downplaying Sting's popularity and awesomeness in 1997 either has a revisionist mind or Alzheimer's.
ReplyDeleteI have been enjoying him in TNA for the past year and a half. He has been busting his ass
ReplyDeleteThat was fine and all but not on the level of Sting, character-wise.
ReplyDeleteThe problem for me with Sting is that Starrcade leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. Sting was out of shape, the match sucked and the finish was terrible. Sure, Bret's anti-American angle kind of fizzled out, too...but Canadian Stampede was such a great match that it makes it all worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteBeefcake in WCW. I just felt bad for him.
ReplyDeleteI just have to add one more - Flair's 00's run. No 50 plus year old man will ever be able to put on 4 star matches as often and consistently as Naitch did. He was completely revitalized by Evolution.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a gift of ODB jogging, with her ridiculously pendulous jabber-crackers bouncing around, that would be my favourite run in wrestling ;-)
ReplyDeleteThose Tito-Valentine matches for the IC title are still great to watch.
ReplyDeleteHe and Bockwinkel are the two guys who still brought it past age 50. That style ages really well.
ReplyDeleteI'm a wrestling fan for life because of this.
ReplyDeleteWould disagree about Studd. Ring work wise yeah he wasn't the best. He was a top guy during that run and was believable in his giant role going against Andre or Hulk. Plus his team with Patera was a lot fun.
ReplyDeleteWell, they also had Goldberg to counter Austin.
ReplyDeleteThe Wolfpac would've indeed been far more natural with the Outsiders splitting off against Hogan/Macho Man, though wasn't that one of those periods where Savage had real-life heat against Hulk? WCW may have wanted to keep them separate for that reason.
Not too far-fetched, I'd believe Tanahashi could have a great match with anyone.
ReplyDeleteHad a soft spot for old Bill
ReplyDeleteI'll throw it under 'historically bad' because of the spot he occupied on the card at the time. He was champ for all but a couple of months that year.
ReplyDeleteI always thought there was money in Rey Mysterio joining the Wolfpac.
ReplyDeleteJoe in TNA up until he got to Angle. Loved the blood-soaked towel, the vicious aura he cultivated, the fact he was a neither heel nor face but just wanted to beat the shit out of people and didn't give a Fuck. Eddie Kingston and Hero in CZW, Raven up until his health went south
ReplyDeleteHis team with Patera wasnt that bad at all but any big guy could have done what Studd did. You are probably right in that it isnt that bad though.
ReplyDeleteGoldberg for almost all of 1998, from early January through Starrcade. Though we can all look back on his streak with a critical eye now (too many jobbers, too many wasted opportunities for bigger opponents, didn't win the belt on PPV, jobbed to the wrong guy) that was truly remarkable at the time to see a guy become a phenomenon. Lots of guys get 'undefeated' gimmicks but Goldberg was a cut above.
ReplyDeleteDDP, Kanyon and Bigelow teaming to become "the Jersey Triad" was a cool storyline. Actually, that whole four-month run of the Triad vs. Malenko/Benoit vs. Raven/Saturn over the tag belts was pretty great.
Eugene's run in 2004 were pretty great. He went a comedy figure to actually being a key part of the Evolution/Bischoff power structure angle on Raw. Plus, you had the great twist of Regal actually coming to respect him and stand up for him, culminating in their tag title run.
Speaking of Regal, his run as the Raw GM and "King" in 2008 was great. Too bad he failed that drug test.
Booker T's act was really freshened up by the introduction of Sharmell in 2005, and it went to new heights when he became "King Booker."
- Chris Benoit for the first six months of 2001 before he had his neck surgery was doing some pretty amazing stuff in the ring. Definitely my favourite six-month period for any wrestler ever.
ReplyDelete- Jericho's run with HBK in 2008.
- Kurt Angle in 2001.
- Austin's return in late 2000 up to the end of the Invasion angle at Survivor Series 2001.
- I really liked watching Lesnar during the last year of his initial two-year run, when he had developed into a very solid worker and was immensely fun to watch.
- Styles, Daniels, and Joe having incredible matches with each other in 2005.
Other than Aries getting shunted aside so BfG could have a NAME Main Event, I haven't been too unhappy with his performance.
ReplyDeleteThe Benoit TV matches in May/June 2001 were the best free TV matches ever.
ReplyDeleteErnest Miller´s WWE run: Loads of Vignettes for a Royal Rumble match, a few dance segments and that's all I can remember.
ReplyDeleteKenzo Suzuki: all the Japanese guys Vince could hire and he chose one with no talent or name worth anything.
Booker-T in TNA: the guy was so lazy that Steiner was out working him during the MEM days, stupid accents on commentary, did nothing to boost his career or the company.
Foley's TNA title run: I love Mick but I just felt bad watching him sweating and struggling through his matches. Foley has never been the most athletic guy but Jesus was he in rough shape during the King of the Mountain match.
Total fanboy answer, but Shawn's entire second run. Seven-and-a-half years of incredible matches and character work.
ReplyDeleteBundy and Studd as a tag team mid-80s. Just fabulous in a "Yes, we're monsters so we can kill you anytime we like; but we're also dicks, so we may just DQ ourselves at any moment because we're so EEEvil" way.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to be fair; Hogan '84: the rise of Hulkamania and the ongoin war against the Heenan Family is what made me a fan...
Dustin Runnels as Black Reign in TNA from 2007-8.
ReplyDeleteThat was going to be my vote as well
ReplyDeleteKonnan was a white guy from New Jersey,
ReplyDeleteDixie has a character?
ReplyDeleteNeeded a heel turn.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem like a lot of Austin/Rock love from the comments...
ReplyDeleteHere are some WWF/WWE flops
ReplyDeleteCorporal Kirchner
Ted Arcidi
Highlanders
Mohammed Hassan
Outback Jack
Yea...ALL terrible. The Hassan gimmick had some potential but it never stood a chance long term
ReplyDeleteCody Rhodes had a great run from January 2011-late 2011/whenever he lost his mask. Good matches, good promos, logical character development. A personal favorite of mine as far as recent runs go.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the guy that fought Valentine wasn't THE Jim Londos, as he'd probably have been around 60 by this time.
ReplyDeleteWho was the fucking carnival guy Vince tried bringing in around 06 I want to say? He was supposed to be a "Carney"...lots of tattoos...drawing a blank. He was fucking awful also
ReplyDeleteThat was embarrassing. Dustin looked awful too.
ReplyDeleteI loved his cage matches with HHH and Randy Orton. Also his IC title win is a guilty pleasure of mine.
ReplyDeleteSteiners 90-92 run alone solidified them as the greatest tag team in my eyes
ReplyDeleteThe Austin Raw match and Ladder match with Edge were amazing. There were numerous Evolution tag matches that hit 4 stars.
ReplyDeleteKizarny.
ReplyDeleteIt's shocking that he was taken off television almost immediately, considering WWE usually doesn't get the hint and tries to run every awful thing they have into the ground.
See: Mason Ryan, Heidenreich, Snitsky, etc.
YES! Was drawing a blank on his name. I can only remember seeing him on 2, MAYBE 3 occurrences.
ReplyDeleteHe had a three month program with KEVIN NASH as the main focus of the WWE.
ReplyDeleteAnd then did it again in 2011 because it was what the fans wanted.
Did Ernest Miller even hit one offensive move his entire WWE run? He entered the 2004 Rumble as the comedy spot, got tossed by Benoit and Orton, and had a few other dance segments on Smackdown that went nowhere, including one where Vince kicked him in the balls.
ReplyDeleteAnd as per WWE story telling style, it went nowhere.
ReplyDeleteI can't take a man who throws his shoes at someone seriously.
ReplyDeleteTo discredit Bret's contribution to Austin is asinine. Without Bret, Austin doesn't reach the heights he does because before that first match with Bret, WWE spun their wheels with Austin.
ReplyDeleteThey had the best match at Wrestlemania 28.
ReplyDeleteIs what you'd be saying if HHH/Undertaker weren't better
ReplyDeleteLoved me some Steiners.
ReplyDeleteThe match with Hogan was a heel run. (Kinda)
ReplyDeleteThere was a stretch where Kurt Angle could have a decent match with anyone.
ReplyDeleteI really started digging Diesel once he knew he was leaving the WWF. He stopped giving a s--t and it was the best thing for his character. If he would have stuck around I think the magic would have worn off.
ReplyDeleteThat gut man. Dude showed up to WCW 11 months pregnant.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the minority here, but I loved Edge's face singles run post E&C. Timeframe is about August 2001 - February 2003 when he hurt his neck. The promos were merely okay, but his character evolved quite a bit, and he was having great matches with everyone not named A-Train.
ReplyDelete...Okay, the shampoo commercial was during this time as well, big whoop. One blank spot on an otherwise good run.
I thought he was staying heel after that and I was pissed when he was cutting a face promo with Chris Masters the next night.
ReplyDeleteThe guy had his first match against MVP, maybe was in another one as well, appeared in a backstage segment or two then was never seen again...
ReplyDeleteAnd then to add insult to injury, they gave his theme music to Brodus Clay.
ReplyDeleteNope. It was a pasty white jobber with no wrestling skills.
ReplyDeleteKevin Steen's run from last summer to this summer was awesome, with great promos and consistent ****+ matches on PPV. Why they're now trying to turn him into Kevin Cena is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteKahli's entrie career.
ReplyDeleteHere's a good one, Christian's ECW title run. He was having great matches on every show against a multitude of opponents who would not have otherwise received the time to showcase themselves, from vets like William Regal and Shelton Benjamin to newcomers like Yoshi Tatsu and a young Zach Ryder. Side attraction though it was, it reminded me quite a bit of Bret Hart's initial "fighting champion" reign (obviously also a great run). It's kind of a shame it culminated in Christian dropping the belt to Zeke Jackson on the last show, what a way to trash the lineage on the way out.
ReplyDeleteBraden Walker: July 2008-July 2008.
ReplyDeleteThe Angle and Eddie feuds were ultimately some of the best matches Edge would ever have. I would argue that Edge benefitted from the Invasion/Brand Separation more than any other worker.
ReplyDelete2001-2006
ReplyDeleteBenoit from January 2001-June 2001. Austin January 2001-December 2001.
ReplyDeleteI'm probably the only wrestling fan on Earth than never even remotely gave a fuck about either one of those guys.
ReplyDeleteI was just glad when he left.
ReplyDeleteYou're right in the big picture, I just wish the stars would've aligned to give us a post-14 Austin/Hart match to finish the trilogy and let Austin finally go over.
ReplyDeleteI've got a few of them:
ReplyDeleteAustin from WMX7 to the end of the Invasion, he showed an incredible range as paranoid heel and vicious heel, his segments with Vince and Angle were incredible, and he brought the goods in the ring. It was nice to see him go back to being his usual face self after the Invasion but he definitely lost his range when he did.
Michaels 97-WM14: He was just vicious on the mic, I could watch a 2 hour Raw if it was just DX heel Michaels cutting promos, and he was even better in the ring than he was before. Sadly, it was just too good to last, although everyone will agree it was for the best.
Kane 2002-unmasking: Kane showed a great range of character, the Kaneinites promo was awesome, he was the most agile and lithe he had ever been and constantly had his working boots on, but it was ruined when he unmasked.
I loved Flair's IC title run, and I remember vividly when he was wrestling Carlito and he actually hit his top rope move and the crowd cheered. His one night face turn to fight Triple H for the WHC was also excellent.
ReplyDeleteKane is an interesting choice.
ReplyDeleteI was going to pick Austin from this same time period (this sort of topic just isn't really my thing) but I agree he added a whole other dimension to his character and had the best matches of his life with Angle/Benoit/Jericho/RVD and others as bad as that era was there was a lot of good in it.
This, I fondly remember Test in 1999 and was pissed he got shunted into a tag team with Albert.
ReplyDeleteThe entire Bret face in Canada/heel in the States dynamic + the infamous Montreal incident was just an amazing situation. I agree with you, I can't imagine us ever seeing anything of that nature again, at least with that many eyeballs on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not discrediting Bret's contribution, Austin just ended up carrying it. It's why he turned face and then a star.
ReplyDeleteThere already was a trilogy.
ReplyDeleteOn the note of ECW, it was a shame that the show ended because those who were on it that were treated as equals, got lost in the Raw and Smackdown shuffle and eventually would never be seen on TV as much again.
ReplyDeleteLet's just say 91-97 and call it a day.
ReplyDeleteFaces don't do well in these situations. JCP Dusty was fucking awesome, but imagine having to be the guy reacting to the Horsemen. Heels get so many more opportunities to make their mark. When the weak point of your opposition in terms of talent is JJ Dillon, just keeping up was a great job by Dusty. Magnum caught a lot of shit from revisionists not being in the same league as the Horsemen, but those people missed the point.
ReplyDeleteThey were over, but I was so baffled by the NWO at that point I just wanted them gone.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, it's a fucking stupid idea.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about the baseball playoffs though. As you said, they do play that way in the regular season, so it does make a lot of sense. And the World Series should be hosted by the team with the best record. The "ASG winner hosts the WS" thing is still better than the old system, where the NL would host in even numbered years and the AL would host in the odds (I may them reversed).
"And get rid of that stupid fucking play-in game shit. If you want there to be 2 wild-card teams, don't let it come down to 1 game."
That whole thing is horseshit. There should only be 1 Wild Card team, period.
Eddie Guerrero: Los Guerreros in 2002 - Death in 2005.
ReplyDeleteNot many have had a three year run where they transitioned from tag team partner to a midcard singles to WWE Champion and then capping it off with a heel turn, being one of the best ever in the ring for the entire duration and legitimately being considered as a Main Eventer For Life by everybody. Also, in terms of being legitimately funny (as in Rock or Flair funny, not Cena funny) he's way up there; the "hit the guy with belt/chair and fall down before ref gets up" schtick is one of the greatest bits ever.
Jericho: WCW from the heel turn until he started jobbing out
ReplyDeleteRock: Hollywood Rock
Douchetista (someone mentioned Nash after he knew he was jumping ship, this is pretty similiar)
Undertaker: That strange part of 99 where he was stuck between all of his various personas and was buddies with the Big Show (he didn't work very many matches, but his character was funny because it was all over the place... I don't know if this is in a good way, though.)
I like the Sting Vader program, although it didn't get paid off, that might have been the best for both of them, at least in the US.
The Bugs Bunny look he used to give the fans behind the referees back when he was doing the cheating face gimmick was one of the greatest things ever.
ReplyDeleteTheir Wrestlemania encounter was disappointing but I thought their street fight was fantastic, that was the peak of 2012 babyface Punk as the pure goodhearted babyface (which I enjoyed). The Bryan stuff lead to objectively better matches, but the ending to that feud was incredibly unsatisfactory.
ReplyDeleteBut that street fight had the right mix of workrate and emotion, Punk ending it by jumping into the crowd of his fans was a fantastic moment.
Exactly. And to this day - or even before him - can anybody gesture broadly or facially like that during a match? I think Shawn Michaels shows hints of that during some of his matches, but nobody really comes close to that kind of charisma where you can get people to like you without having to say a word.
ReplyDeleteFurther, when he turned heel on Rey (which wound up being a dumb feud by the end and probably hurt Rey's career in retrospect) it was like he had become possessed by another entity, and he willfully got the crowd to turn on him. Today some guy turns and people still cheer for him because there was absolutely no metamorphosis to the character, let alone a catalyst for the turn.
And not to mention, Eddie had been a top notch worker since the '90s and didn't exactly suffer a downturn ever. He was about as fluid and psychologically apt as anyone ever was.
ReplyDelete1991 Evil Jake Roberts
ReplyDelete2001 Kurt Angle
Pre Neck Injury Stone Cold, particularly late 1996 in the build to the Bret feud
1992 Sting
HBK in 1995, and when he came back to kick Randy Orton's face off I think in 2007.
He should have been the next Diesel. When he fell off the rails, he fell FAST.
ReplyDeleteThe problem was, it was seen as a boring feud, that needlessly extended the nWo angle. The Wolfpac was SUPER-over and I totally loved them at the time, but retrospect was less kind. The feud just kept going ON AND ON.
ReplyDeleteNash was a giant mess at the time, but I agree that it was a huge downer to have Hall fighting against Nash. But WCW was big on downer endings.
ReplyDeleteRellik!
ReplyDeleteIt's "Killer" spelled backwards!
There was a ton of money left on the table with the Eugene/Regal stuff, because if he ever turned heel on Regal and dropped the act it would have been awesome.
ReplyDeleteEh, I loved "Stunning" Steve Austin in WCW, his brief ECW run solidified him as one of my favorites, but as soon as he hit the stratosphere in WWF/E, I lost interest, no idea why.
ReplyDeleteThe Rock got huge when I was on sabbatical from wrestling because of no TV, so I can take him or leave him.
2005 - AJ Styles
ReplyDelete2002 - Chris Benoit
So what happened with the Steiners in the WWF? I thought they would have a huge run, and next thing I know, they are jobbing to the Quebecers on Raw.
ReplyDelete