The 411 Wrestling Top 5 5.20.09: Week 23 – Gimmick Matches

Posted by Michael Bauer on 05.20.2009

From Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker in the Hell in a Cell and Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart in a Steel Cage Match to Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels in their ladder match wars and even AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams in Ultimate X, the 411 staff ranks their top Gimmick Matches in the latest edition of the 411 Wrestling Top 5! Check out the full article for all the details!

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling's Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people's list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. The scoring is very similiar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one item is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.


So, on to this week's topic…

THE TOP 5 GIMMICK MATCHES

The Gimmick Match is generally used as a feud ending match when the regualr confines of a normal one on one match will just not do anymore. Matches have been made using Ladders, Tables, Chairs, Steel Mesh, among many of weapons. Specialty matches were made simply out of these feuds, including the Casket Match, Hell in a Cell, and Buried Alive... and that is just for the Undertaker. These matches have created things of legend and the 411 Wrestling Staff have come together to gives us their Top 5 Gimmick Matches.

So what did our group of writers select? Let's find out…



Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Megumi Kudo vs. Shark Tsuchiya (No Rope 200 Volt Double Hell Double Barbed Wire Barricade Double Landmine Crushed Glass Electrical Barbed Wire Death Match, FMW Eighth Anniversary Show) - I don't think that you can rank the greatest gimmick matches of all time without giving at least a small tip of the hat to the outright bizarre gimmick matches that have populated Japanese groups like FMW, BJPW, W*ING, IWA, and others throughout the 1990's and this decade. My personal favorite of the genre is the retirement bout of female deathmatch star Megumi Kudo, who was an ace at actually telling stories in bomb and barbed wire laden matches instead of just making the whole thing a sick game of "who can take the bigger bump."

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Steel Cage Match, Summerslam 1994) - An excellent bout from the brothers Hart, although probably not the best of their feud . . . though the better matches were contested under standard rules and therefore not eligible for this list. I have to knock the Bret/Owen cage encounter down to honorable mention status because of the WWF's blue-barred steel cage and their "escape" rules, both of which I always thought were far inferior to the chain link cage in which the victory had to be picked up by pinfall or submission.

Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious, & Larry Zbyszko vs. Sting, Brian Pillman & The Steiner Brothers (War Games, WrestleWar 1991) - I LOVE War Games and wouldn't feel right making a list in this category without including at least one of these classic bouts. Yet, at the same time, I have to give other matches more credit and put them in to the top five because it strikes me as more difficult and therefore more worthy of respect to put on a match that has the crazy energy and out of control vibe that a good gimmick match is supposed to have when you've only got two men wrestling each other as opposed to eight.

5. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Ladder Match, Wrestlemania X) - I selected this for my Top 5 Intercontinental Title Matches a couple of weeks back, and I don't think that it should come as any surprise that it's back on the list this time around. Though there were technically ladder matches held before this one, it cannot be argued that it was the bout more than any other which put this style of gimmick match on the map and turned it in to something which would put feuds to bed for many years to come. Even if it didn't have the innovation factor going in its favor, I have a feeling that I would still rate Razor vs. Shawn highly on this list, because it is deserving of five snowflakes completely independently of its historical significance, even though it might not feel that way to some younger fans who have been treated to more insane stunt shows by the likes of the TLC club from the late 1990's.

4. Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (I Quit Match, Clash of the Champions IX) - This match also would have been a two-time nominee of mine, had I been around the week that the 411 staffers voted on their Top 5 Free Television Matches. Since I missed the opportunity there, allow me to now drool all over how great this match is. A lot of people knock Ric Flair for being one dimensional and only knowing how to wrestle one match, and this is the first piece of evidence that I usually submit in order to refute that completely baseless argument. Whether you love Flair or hate him, you have to admit that he looked right at home in this wild, uncontrollable brawl against Terry Funk, a man who had quite a few insane brawls in his day, even though this was years before he would become known as a "Hardcore Legend."

3. Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine (Dog Collar Match, Starrcade 1983) - Every time I watch either the World Title match or the Tag Team Title match from Starrcade 1983, I have to pause and think to myself, "Jesus, that ring mat is filthy . . . when was the last time that they cleaned that thing?" Then it all comes back to me. The mat WAS clean at the beginning of the night, but then Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine had their absolutely brutal dog collar match, and the canvas would be stained with each man's blood for the rest of the evening. Nowadays gimmick matches seem to be about who can fall from a higher place or who can do the prettiest flippy-do, but, back in the day, they were all about who could hit harder and who could make his opponent better resemble a stuck pig. Piper/Valentine is in many ways the best example of this "old school" style of gimmick match. Yet, at the same time, it's not just gratuitous violence. More seasoned fans will note that a good chunk of the bout tells a story, as it focuses heavily on the ear injury that the Hot Rod suffered not that long before the battle took place.

2. Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum TA (Steel Cage I Quit Match, Starrcade 1985) - See everything that I said about Piper/Valentine above and double it. These guys weren't taking five minutes to set up "forts" of tables, chairs, and guardrails before destroying the structure with a huge splash. These guys were keeping things SIMPLE and just pounding the holy hell out of one another in a straight-ahead, relatively believable fashion. The buzz of the crowd was electric, Baby Doll appeared to be appauled at ringside, and even Tony Schiavone on commentary seemed like he could barely believe what he was seeing. No, it wasn't a great athletic stunt show, but the atmosphere was unbelievable, and wrestling is all about creating an atmosphere . . . particularly in a big, feud ending gimmick match like this one. And do I even need to say anything about the sheer drama of the two men fighting over the spike fashioned out of a wooden chair and attempting to put out each other's eyes to close the match? That is a moment which is almost impossible for wrestling fans of the time to forget, and even for guys like yours truly who stumbled across the match later on, it is absolutely unforgettable.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell, Bad Blood 1997) - In a lot of ways, the early Hell in a Cell matches were great for me because they brought back to the WWF everything that I loved about old school cage matches. Those juvenile-looking blue bars were gone, and I wasn't forced to accept the illogical conclusion that two guys who hated each other's guts would want to win a match by essentially RUNNING AWAY. Instead, it was a promise to bring back the blood and guts cage matches of another era, where the entire point was that two opponents who despised each other were being locked in to a structure from which neither of them could escape and in to which nobody else could climb. Though later Hell in a Cell matches did become more cartoonish and lost the "old school" vibe, they were everything that I hoped them to be in the early days, ESPECIALLY Michaels vs. The Undertaker. These two had an all-out war inside of the chain link (and outside of it for a while as well), redefining what the cage match was in the WWF and creating a whole new breed of gimmick battle which has been well protected and used to blow off major feuds for over a decade now, with no sign that its popularity or effectiveness will wane.



Todd Vote
Before I submit my list, I feel like I should tell you that I am a huge fan of wrestling, but I am not the type of tape trader fan that alot of us are. I don't track down old matches, unless someone recommends them to me, and to be honest 96% of my wrestling viewing has been American mainstream wrestling. I have a few ROH DVD's, as well as some XPW stuff, and a few other Indie feds in my collection. Having said that most of the stuff featured on my list will be WWE, or WCW. Just wanted to get that out of the way, so you know where my list is coming from. Is there better stuff out there? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean I have seen it.

5. Combat "Mother in Law" Toyoda vs. Megumi Kudo: To be fair, alls I know about this match is that it is a form of a death match, I think it was a Barbwire deathmatch, but knowing those whacky Japanese, it could be an exploding barb wire deathmatch. It was featured on a FMW King of the Deathmatch DVD I purchased a few years back. From what I hear, both of these women have been involved in better matches, including better matches against each other. So you may ask yourself why it is on my list, especially after I mention most of my list would be from WWE and WCW? If my memory is serving me correctly, this was Combat Toyoda's retirement match, and also marked the first time I had ever seen something this brutal from women's wrestling, and let alone in a near 20 minute match. In addition to all that, it gave me my first taste of Megumi Kudo, and thanks to youtube, it hasn't been my last.

4. Undertaker vs. Mick Foley Hell in a Cell KoR 98: How could this gem not make my list. Arguably the most famous bump in the history of this sport, who doesn't remember Mankind taking the tumble off the top of the cage?

3. Edge & Christian vs. The hardy Boys Ladder Match No Mercy 1999 The Terri Invitational Tournament: Quite the title, I know. Alot of people want to credit the TLC matches between the above mentioned teams and the Dudleys as being responsible for the resurgence in tag team wrestling. But if you ask me it all started here, this match proved to Vince that these guys were going to be money. I dare say that if it was not for this match, then we never would have had a TLC triple threat tag match at WM2000.

2. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels Hell in a Cell Bad Blood 1997: to this day still probably the best HiaC match we have been treated to. Large amounts of respect to HBK and Taker for making this one stand out to this day. It speaks volumes of the talent each man possesses, and was but a glimpse of what the cell would have in store for us in the future.

1. Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy Ladder match from Raw in 2002: I know alot of people don't care for this match or feel that the match hasn't held up great over the years. But at the time the emotion and story that went into this match was the stuff that Superstars are made of. I firmly believe that had Jeff had his demons in check when this match took place, we would be talking about him as a multiple time world champ by now, and not about how he just won the big one for the first time last year. The match itself may not have been anything incredible, but it was a good match with a GREAT story, and it is a story that has stuck with me throughout all my years being a fan of wrestling.



Julian Bond

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Hardys vs. Dudleys – "Tables Match" (Royal Rumble 2001) - Since there were so many damn good gimmicks to reduce down to only a handful here, I chose to pick matches where the actual gimmick in play was truly instrumental in defining the feud behind it. So God Bless the multiple sweet as all hell ladder matches, cage matches, and my personal favorite Foley vs. Taker in Hell In A Cell, but I just chose the ones where the gimmick made perfect sense (not just put together and not built up) in the context of the match. A perfect example of this is with this match here. Simple story: Dudleys went on a rampage in their first few months in the WWE by putting everyone and their mama (actually…grandma to be exact with Mae Young's bump) through tables + Hardys attempting to be the first to stop them = A crazy unpredictable match-up that used the "Tables" gimmick to perfection.

The Rock vs. Mankind – "I Quit" (Royal Rumble 1999) - No disrespect to one of the original great "I Quit" matches in Funk/Flair, but this one takes the cake due to the sick punishment these two rival went through. The crazy part was that no one was really thinking that the extreme hardcore Foley would say the two words until the Rock started bashing him bloody in the head with a steel chair over a dozen consecutive times…even then he never really gave up. True definition of "I Quit".

The 24/7 Hardcore Title/Crash Holly Era - I cheated here…technically of course this isn't a single match. But you have to give play to how well they played up the "defending 24/7" gimmick for the Hardcore matches back then. It definitely provided some hilarious and pretty interesting "bouts", especially with Crash Holly being paranoid after getting attacked at places like an amusement park and the laundrymat for the title.

5.Cactus Jack/Chainsaw Charlie (Terry Funk) vs. New Age Outlaws – "Dumpster Match" (Wrestlemania XIV) - The idea of using a "dumpster" may sound lame on paper for a match, but these four ran with it and put one of the most entertaining gimmick-based bouts ever seen. The funny story behind it was that the duo of Jack/Charlie (aka Foley and Funk) were just messing around and got themselves into a dumpster on the main Raw stage after fighting…until the Outlaws came, locked them inside the dumpster, and proceeded to push them off of the stage! The sight was so insane at the time and they decided to create a whole match out of it. This is one of the best simply because they used a freakin' simple dumpster and incorporated some many innovative moves around it (i.e. a Russian leg sweep into dumpster, a sick ladder fall into the dumpster, etc). Awesome match.

4.Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart – "Steel Cage Match" (Summerslam 1994) - Of all of the excellent cage matches I've seen in my life, this is the one that truly made me first go…"Oh shit!!!…someone's going to get messed up!". The brotherly feud between the two Hart brothers was one of the best things that had me hooked on wrestling as a young. So when the "climax" of the feud was to take place in a old school "blue steel" cage match, I knew that the shit had officially hit the fan. Great match, great use of the cage, and great place for this score to be settled.

3.Frankie Kazarian vs. Michael Shane vs. Chris Sabin – "Ultimate X" (TNA Weekly PPV) - Sure the first thing that a fan may say is that the Ultimate X with A.J. Styles, Petey Williams and Chris Sabin done later was much better than this bout (which I agree with), but the built-up and anticipation of the then-unknown "Ultimate X" gimmick made this first bout a classic. Back then these three then-new X-Division wrestlers were tearing it up each week with bouts against each other to see who the best one was at the time and they figured that the only way to settle it was to create a brand new type of bout to test their abilities. At first glance, I thought that the contraption looked kind of silly with the wires going across and the belt hanging in the middle, but these three (and many others after) took full advantage and made this "experiment" into a must-see gimmick bout every year.

2.Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels – "Ladder Match" (Wrestlemania X/Summerslam 1995) - It's so crazy that there's SOOOO many awesome ladder matches to choose from (TLC, Hardys/Edge & Christian – No Mercy, Jericho/Benoit, Money In The Bank, 8 Man Tag at Armagedeon). But I opted to put one of the originals here with the infamous Ramon/Michaels series because I honestly felt that this match put the "gimmick bug" into most of us viewers now. Once we saw how great two good wrestlers can use a simple gimmick, it made us want more and more every year. If one thinks about it, the number of gimmick matches definitely increased every year since the bout at Wrestlemania X and this match should be credited for doing so.

1.Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker – "Hell In A Cell" (Badd Blood 1997) - While the much more infamous Foley/Taker bout was definitely crazier spot-wise, the built-up to this original Cell match was INSANE. Michaels and Taker had been feuding heavily for months over the World Title and they thought that the best way for Taker to get a fair shot with DX or anyone else interfering was to lock them in, not just into a regular sized cage, but instead the crazy big Hell In A Cell structure. Despite all of us fans now being used to and even "numb" to the carnage that happens inside the cell, back then I honestly thought that someone was going to be permanently injured coming out of it because I never see anything like it before. God Bless Foley for nearing killing himself during his bout, but this first one was truly the match that stuck fear in me for the safety of the participates just mainly due to the actual gimmick itself.



Aaron Hubbard

Note: Obviously this is just a personal thing, but I'm going to avoid standard Cage matches and Ladder matches. I think both of those are worthy of their own columns.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Elimination Chamber: Triple H vs. Umaga vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Hardy vs. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Chris Jericho (No Way Out 2008) - Unlike a lot of people, I LOVE the Elimination Chamber, and this is the best one in my opinion, with great booking and hard work. Only New Year's Revolution 2005 comes close.

Casket Match: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (Royal Rumble 1998) - I know a lot of guys are giving credit to another, more famous match between these two, but of all the Taker-Shawn matches, I feel this one gets unnoticed, which is a shame, because it's at least as good as Ground Zero and features A DIVING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER INTO A CASKET!

Monster's Ball: Jeff Hardy vs. Rhyno vs. Abyss vs. Sabu (Bound For Glory 2005) - This truly was Total Nonstop Action and one of the best matches of it's type.

5.Dog Collar Match: Greg Valentine vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (Starrcade 1983) - Dog Collar/Strap/Chain matches are a guilty pleasure of mine, as long as they are done right. Out of all the matches of this type, I haven't seen one better done than this one from the original Starrcade. It was violent, it was bloody, it was hard hitting, and it was dramatic. Piper and Valentine are two very underappreciated workers, because they knew how to tell a story long before people were doing 630 Sentons and Burning Hammers. Not saying those are bad, but simple is great.

4.Tables Match: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz (Royal Rumble 2000) - This surved as a precursor to the Tables, Ladders & Chairs matches and featured all three as well as the steel steps. This is how you do a hardcore match: you have a clear way to finish, you take big bumps and keep a fast pace. Surprisingly, this match still holds up well today.

3.Street Fight: Mick Foley vs. Triple H (Royal Rumble 2000) - And from that some card comes another classic gimmick match. It just wouldn't be right to do this list without a Mick Foley match. I absolutely love this match, because it perfectly showcased what Mick was all about: telling a story with lots of dangerous objects. This match certainly wasn't wanting in the props department, as chairs, handcuffs, tables, wooden palettes, trashcans, steel steps, thumbtacks and barbwire baseball bats all saw use. But what seperates it from typical "garbage wrestling" is the narrative.

2.Ultimate X: AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams (Final Resolution 2005) - It wasn't the first, but it was certainly the best. Williams and Sabin had great chemistry with each other and AJ Styles is plain awesome. This was all about the gimmick and the spots, but man is it ever exciting. It's very difficult to be innovative these days, but these guys went out there and fixed the kinks from earlier matches and came up with new spots as well. This is the only Ultimate X match I can think of where "something" didn't go wrong. Everything just clicked, and it made it very special.

1.No Disqualification Submission Match: Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Wrestlemania XIII) - For all intents and purposes, this is an "I Quit" match, and for my money, it's the best of its kind. This one had great booking and a spectacular finish. But what often gets overlooked is the quality work that built to the finish. This match probably has faults, but if it does, I can't find any. Even the crowd brawling works. You could ask me make a list of just about any category, and if this match qualifies, I'll probably put it in.



Dan Torkel

HONORABLE MENTIONS

HBK/Razor - WM X Ladder match - The match that made the gimmick famous, still is great 15 years later.

Flair/Anderson/Tully/Luger/JJ vs. Dusty/Nikita/Road Warriors/Ellering - Wargames 87 - The first and best of the greatest feud ending gimmick match ever!

5.Bret vs. Owen - Summerslam 94 Cage match - The best steel cage match the E has ever run, with the family feud angle to boot and great ending.

4.British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation - 2/3 Falls from SNME 87 - Always loved 2/3 falls matches and these were my two favorite teams and when the Bulldogs won in two straight, I remember jumping around my living room until Jesse the Body so gleefully ruined everything by telling us the titles didn't change hands since the first fall was DQ. One of all time wrestling memories.

3.Austin vs. Dude Love - Over the Edge 1998 - The match that single handedly encompasses the Attitude Era for me, is this, another of my favorite matches. Austin was one a roll and McMahon tried every trick by making himself the ref, and the match went from straight match to No Countout, then No DQ and finally Falls count Anywhere. In the end, Austin Stunned Dude and counted 3 with Vince's dead hand. Often repeated, never duplicated.

2.Royal Rumble 1992/2004 - I know the stigma of 04 is hard to take, but both the 04, and 92 Rumbles are perfect and in themselves two of the greatest matches ever. Flair battling old foes like Valentine, and Von Erich before winning after 60+minutes, and Benoit going the distance to eliminate the Big Show.

1.Austin vs. Bret Hart - I Quit from Wrestlemania XIII - This is without any hyperbole, the single most important match in wrestling history as it triggered Austin's elevation to superstardom and paved the way for the late 97 - 98 run that finally took over the ratings from WCW and changed wrestling forever. Oh yeah, its also one of the greatest match ever!



Scott Rutherford

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mankind v. The Undertaker - KoTR ‘98 - Probably then most famous gimmick match of all time but hardly the best. Foley's bumps make it a must see match

RAW 10 Man Tag Team Match - 2000 - Chris Benoit's involvement means you'll probably never see this on a WWE DVD so Youtube and comp tape providers are your best way to catch this amazingly, entertaining match from RAW. Everything is here, action, fun, workrate and big names. Would have been higher if another 10-man tag didn't already make the list.

HHH v. Steve Austin – No Way Out '01: Three Stages of Hell - A intensely bloody match that showed Trips at the height of his abilities and announced Austin was back from his neck surgery and ready to kick ass.

5.The Hardy's v. The Dudley's – Royal Rumble '00 Table Match - While the Hardy's/E&C ladder match from No Mercy suddenly jump started the tag division and brought in a new era of gimmick matches, this ladder match a few months later is twice as fun. Back when tables being used in the WWF was still novel, these guys went out and just tore it up with some great spots with my favorites being Jeff doing his suicide dive over the top rope on what was supposed to be a prone D-Von on a table that was placed from the edge of the mat to the guard rail but found no one home. Of course, the Jeff swanton from the top of the entrance way is also great stuff. While TLC is certainly more famous, this match has less contrived spots and has more flow as they set up spots on the fly without it being obvious.

4.XXX v. America's Most Wanted – TNA Tag Team Title Cage Match - This is from the hot period of TNA where gimmick matches weren't flooding the product and they were putting on their weekly PPV's in lieu of your usual TV show. Most thought straight cage matches were passé by this time but these four talented men really blew that theory out of the water. Intense doesn't begin to describe this match as blood flowed, spots were spectacular and violence was had. The ending of Elix Skipper trying for one-to many big moves of the top of the cage only to be knocked outside leaving Chris Daniels by himself and falling victim to the Death Sentence form the top of the cage and thus losing the titles was ironically awesome finish to a unbelievably great match.

3.Kaientai DX v. M-Pro Home Unit - MPro 3rd Anniversary Show - 10 guys, Dick Togo, MEN's Teioh, Shoichi Funaki, TAKA Michinoku, Shiryu (a.k.a. Kaz Hayashi) versus Gran Hamada, Super Delfin, Tiger Mask IV, Gran Naniwa, & Masato Yakushiji in what is one of the most glorious spotfests you have ever seen. There's no real flow to the match other than ten extremely talented wrestlers trying to outdo each other and for 32 minutes you just sit in amazement at the total athleticism of these guys. I got this match as part of a homebrew comp tape form Wrestle Tapes and I highly encourage anyone out there to go there and get this match.

2.Steve Austin v. Dude Love – Over The Edge ‘98 - This has to be the most fun match in wrestling history. I mean, have you ever been so entertained this much by another match? The beauty was you knew that Austin was never going to lose but they booked the match so masterfully that they competitors involved managed to create excitement and intrigue as to how Austin was going to get out of jail. From the ever-evolving stipulations, Vince as ref, Dude Love as a lackey, The Stooges and was perfectly timed Undertaker interference, this match had chaos that ECW would wet themselves to have and booking smarts that WCW would never have. This match completely re-ignited my love for wrestling and reminded me of why I loved watching matches so much.

1.The Dangerous Alliance v. Sting's Squadron – Wrestle War '92 War Games - Often hailed as the best WCW match of the 90's and probable the best War Games ever, this was a blood soaked masterpiece that had some of the best workers of the past 20 years involved (Austin, Windham, Anderson, Steamboat, Eaton) and some great back up (Sting, Rhodes, Rude) to create perhaps the greatest spectacle I have seen in a wrestling match. The reason it's so good is that even the crappier workers (Nikita and Zbyszko) can make a good showing because all you need to do is kick and punch and it's all in context instead of boring. A word I have used repeatedly in this selection of matches is intensity and there is no shortage here. The link I gave for Wrestle Tapes…use it and go get this match and all the other mentioned here by everyone. They are truly worth your time.



Larry Csonka

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The King of the Mountain Match - TNA gets a lot of shit, and the match isn't for everyone, but I give them credit for a match that they build to once a year and try to make special. Plus the match is usually pretty good.

I QUIT MATCH - Clash of the Champions IX – Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk - Coming out of the awesome feud with Ricky Steamboat, Flair engaged in another great feud with Terry Funk. The culmination of the feud was the "I QUIT MATCH" at the Clash of the Champions. A much different match for Flair, ala his matches with Brody, a wild and uncontrolled brawl, nothing like the usual Flair match, which makes it even more special.

HELL IN A CELL - Mick Foley vs. The Undertaker: The 1998 King of the Ring - Foley's falls from the cell made him in many ways, they are now entrenched in the history of wrestling, and they were SCARY AS HELL! I was there live, and the match is burnt into my memory, and for that fact, it has to make my list.

5. LADDER MATCH - Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania X - Not only was this the first of the "high spot gimmick matches" at the biggest show of the year, it because the standard for all matches like this. It was innovative, different, and again, remembered to this day in a big way.

4. DOG COLLAR MATCH - Greg Valentine vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Starrcade 1983 - Let's be completely honest here, 90% of Dog Collar/Chain/Bullrope style matches suck rhinoceros cock. Out of the 10% left, only 5% are good, and then there is like 1% that rocks your face. This match falls into that 1%. One of the best matches from either guy, and one I can watch repeatedly.

3. WAR FUCKING GAMES - That's all I have to say about that.

2. ULTIMATE X - AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams Final Resolution 2005 - Contrary to popular belief, TNA has done a few things right. Giving guys like AJ, Sabin and Petey chances to shine is one of them, and the other was the invention of the Ultimate X. This match right here was THE best ever Ultimate X match in the company's short history, and a match that you HAVE to see if you haven't.

1. I QUIT CAGE MATCH - Starrcade US Title Cage Match: Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard - This is my favorite I Quit match and is right up there with my favorite cage match as well. The double dip gets it the top spot in all reality. Magnum and Tully had one hell of a feud, battling all around the loop and Tully always getting the victory due to nefarious means, and this was the ultimate climax. An excellent match, tremendous emotion and an all-time classic.



Shawn S. Lealos

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Stretcher Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu (ECW The Doctor is In, August 03, 1996) - This is one of the best stretcher matches I have seen with both men just beating the crap out of each other until RVD missed a senton onto the stretcher, missed and knocked himself out.

Hell in the Cell: Undertaker vs. Mankind (King of the Ring, June 20, 1998) - It's not the best HitC match, but the two major bumps alone proves it deserves a spot here.

Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramone (Wrestlemania XX, March 20, 1994) - It's the match that set the standard for all ladder matches in the future.

5. Ladder Match: Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boys vs. The Dudley Boys (Wrestlemania 2000, April 02, 2000) - The ladder match between Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boys in 1999 was the first time tag teams had ever competed in such a match. By the time Wrestlemania 2000 rolled around, they had perfected it. The Dudley Boys came in as champions and all six men put their bodies on the line with high spots that were inspired and jaw dropping. Edge speared Jeff Hardy off the ladder from the top turnbuckle. Edge and Christian hit a superplex on Devon Dudley from the top of the ladder. Jeff Hardy, of course, hit a senton off the top of a giant ladder, putting Bubba Ray through a table. Midway through the match, the Dudley Boys stood two ladders side-by-side and placed a table on top of them. I expected someone to go through them in another giant spot. The end was better, as Edge and Christian threw Matt Hardy off the table on the ladders, through another table, and grabbed the belts for themselves. The sight of Edge and Christian sitting on the table lying across the top of the ladders, with their belts, was the perfect culmination to a fantastic ladder match.

4. Hell in the Cell: Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (Badd Blood 1997, October 05, 1997) - This was the first Hell in the Cell match and while it may not the most popular HitC match, it is still the best. This is the second meeting between Shawn and the Undertaker and was at the height of the original DX. The match went 30 minutes and never slowed down. The idea of a steel cage surrounding the ring, allowing the men to be outside the ring but still in the cage was awesome. The roof on the cage, making sure no one could escape was great as well. Plus it involved the greatest performer in the WWE and the biggest attraction in the WWE. When the two got out of the cage (in a much more realistic way then just breaking through the door) and climbed to the top, I thought someone was gonna die. Mick Foley took the huge fall that everyone remembers but Shawn took his own fall off the cage that was just as incredible at the time. This was the match that started it all and remains an all-time great. Even a screw ending where Kane made his first appearance and cost his brother the win doesn't hurt my overall impression of the match.

3. War Games: Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, Steve Williams, Nikita Koloff & Paul Ellering vs. Ric Flair, Barry Windham, JJ Dillon, Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (Great American Bash, July 16, 1988) - I loved War Games and it is the one gimmick match from the NWA that I miss most. In interviews, Dusty gives Arn Anderson credit for making the matches great and I can see that as the two almost always start the matches and Arn is solid throughout. Hell, Arn and Dusty were bloody messes before the third man even entered the ring. I love just about any match with Arn and Tully in it and I put this above the War Games involving the Road Warriors because I think both Nikita and Dr. Death were great in this match and I'm kind of a mark for both men. The match is high on both energy and drama and the fans were louder than hell. When Dr, Death went in, they erupted. When Lex Luger went in, they went ballistic. When JJ Dillon tapped out to Dusty's figure four it was a great end to a great match. It's available on the Four Horsemen DVD and has no commentary during the match, yet it is not needed in this fantastic match which speaks volumes for the wrestlers involved.

2. Steel Cage I Quit Match: Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum TA (Starrcade, November 28, 1985) - Tully had beaten Magnum by hook and crook and this was the culmination of that feud. Tully Blanchard said on the Starrcade DVD that while Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair was on the card, the match everyone wanted to see was this cage match. Magnum TA was the most popular wrestler in the NWA and Tully Blanchard was the most hated member of the Four Horsemen. This match is what all I Quit matches should strive to be. It is by far the greatest of the gimmick and since it took place in another gimmick match makes it even greater. The match was a perfect end to the feud with Magnum finally getting his revenge for all the torment he suffered at the hands of Tully. The two men were bloody messes when Magnum began to dig into Tully's head with a piece of wood and Tully gave up, screaming in obvious pain. It is one of the most violent matches I have seen in the squared circle. I find it interesting that Tully said on the Starrcade DVD that he may have gave up but never said I Quit.

1. Royal Rumble, January 19, 1992 - I was an NWA fan in the eighties. I didn't care so much for the cartoony WWF and always stood by the fact that Ric Flair was a better world champion than Hulk Hogan. I had actually grown to hate the fan favorite Hulk Hogan, believing he was holding down better wrestlers in the WWF like Ricky Steamboat, Paul Orndorff and Randy Savage. So that fateful day when Bobby Heenan introduced Ric Flair to the WWF audiences, I was instantly excited. The Royal Rumble is where Ric Flair proved he belonged at the top, even in the WWF. The 1992 Rumble is where the championship, which was held up, was given to the winner. The first two competitors that year was Davey Boy Smith and Ted DiBiase. Rick Martel held the record for 52 minutes in a Rumble match. When Ric Flair came out to the ring as the third contestant, he would break the record with his record breaking 59 minute win for the championship. Along the way, he would face off against men youngsters like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, old enemies such as Kerry Von Erich and Greg Valentine, and superstars such as Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. What makes Flair's performance so great was he didn't duck and hide like Bobby Heenan hoped he would, but took the fight to his opponents. It is, in my opinion, the best Royal Rumble of all time.



Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ladder Match: Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy (Raw 7/1/02) - I know this match has a lot of haters, but really, screw them. It was a great match with some really fun spots and really made you believe Jeff was gonna win.

Hell in a Cell: Mankind vs. The Undertaker (King of the Ring 1998) - No way does this not get on the list. It;s not my overall favorite HIAC and it's not my overall favorite Mankind match, but for pure "HOLY SHIT" factor, it's tough to beat.

Unsanctioned Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (SummerSlam 2002) - This was a really great "match" between two long-time friends that always worked against each other well, and the booking was perfect.

5.Ultimate X: AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams (Final Resolution 2005) - We give TNA a lot of crap, but Ultimate X is something they sure as hell deserve credit for. There've been a lot of great Ultimate X matches, but nothing tops this. Hell, nothing TNA's done comes even comes close. AJ, Sabin and Petey went out there and busted their asses within the Ultimate X environment and showed us exactly what TNA could be at its best, and anyone who wasn't intrigued before stood up and took notice.

4.I Quit Submission Match: Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XIII) - It really pains me that Austin vs. Hart is this low, because it is such a phenomenal match. It's definitely Austin's best match ever, and one of Bret's. With intense drama and that unforgettable image of Austin shouting in rage and pain with blood dripping down his face and into his mouth is something that's etched into wrestling history. The booking was perfect, as evidenced by the number of guys who have tried to be put over as the guy who loses by submission only by passing out. They've never topped this one, though.

3.TLC II: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boys vs. Edge & Christian (WrestleMania X-7) - I know a lot of my colleagues are putting up the Tables Match between the Hardys and Dudleys, and that was a great match, but I just loved the way this played out. The six men in this match just gave everything they had to give and the tension and storytelling was phenomenal. It was overbooked, but in a really good way with Spike, Lita and Rhyno all coming down and getting involved. It was just an absolutely amazing match, and one that no TLC match has topped yet.

2.I Quit: Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions IX) - This one also made my Top 5 Free TV Matches, and for damn good reason. This was the first Flair/Funk match I actually saw. Hell of a way to start off, right? It was a brutal, intense brawl between the both of them that ended with Flair getting the win but Funk looking like a million bucks in his loss. It's a must-see match that one can't help but be amazed by.

1.Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X) - C'mon people, you know I'm a Shawn Michaels mark...did you expect any different? Shawn and Scott Hall delivered enormously here, and there's almost little more that can be said about this that other people haven't said. Yes, it clearly set the standard for ladder matches, and yes it clearly established the bar for WrestleMania High Spot matches. This was a matter of the stars aligning just perfectly and Shawn and Scott making magic in the ring.



Robert S. Leighty Jr

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Hell in a Cell: Mankind vs The Undertaker (King of the Ring 98) - Not as great as most people will remember, but Foley damn near killed himself and provided two of the most famous moments in wrestling history.

Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (WM X and SummerSlam 95) - Take your pick of either because both are awesome and both changed the business.

5.TLC II: The Dudleys vs The Hardys vs Edge and Christian (WrestleMania X-Seven) - Breathtaking match that capped the end of a great Tag Team era in the WWE that hasn't been seen since. Way too many crazy spots to mention, but the Super Spear is still one of those spots that leaves me shaking my head. God Bless these 3 teams, and a shout-out to Rhino, Lita, and Spike for helping out with this one.

4.War Games: The Dangerous Alliance v. Sting's Squadron (Wrestle War '92) - Not mutch to say except this was fucking epic, and one of the greatest blood baths you will see. My favorite War Games ever, and I feel sorry for those who've never seen this orgy of violence.

3.Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WWF Badd Blood) - The first Hell in a Cell and the one that every other Cell match has tried to live up to. This was basically a horror movie as Shawn Michaels tried all he could to run away from Taker. Shawn rarely had control and took a beating from one side of the cell to the other, and bumped enough for 20 men. Most hate the ending, but it doesn't take away from the previous 20 + minutes.

2.Six Sides of Steel: AMW vs XXX (TNA Turning Point) - My favorite TNA match of all time, and one of the greatest Cage matches you will ever see. This remembered for Skipper's Cage Walk 'Rana and for good reason, but everything else about this match was awesome.

1.Broad Street Bullies Match: WCW Tag Titles: Nasty Boys vs Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan (Slamboree 1994) - One of my 4 favorite matches of all time here. I love the fact that for 10 minutes these 4 men beat the hell out of each other and the only pin attempt was the final one. A classic brawl with a tremendous ending that blew off multiple feuds. The violence was so awesome for a WCW show that Tony Schiavone was left speechless for a good portion of the match.



Michael Bauer

Hell in a Cell: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Badd Blood 1997) - I personally think the match is overrated, but it is still a great match.

Ladder Match: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania X) - Put the ladder match on the map.

The First Money in the Bank (WrestleMania XXI) - It might be overdone nowadays, but five years ago, this match was the match that stole the show as nobody knew what to expect.

5. NO DQ Match: Edge vs. Mick Foley (WrestleMania 22) - I don't care if anyone thinks this match is overrated, I still view the ending as the freaking craziest moments in WrestleMania history. Mick Foley wanted his WrestleMania and he got it. And it wouldn't have been as good if Edge didn't sell it like he just survived a trip to hell and back.

4. Hell in a Cell: Mankind vs. The Undertaker (King of the Ring 1998) - Yeah, it may not be considered the best Hell in a Cell match ever, but it is the most iconic. The Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off and through the Cell still lives as the craziest spots ever seen in the industry. How Mick Foley still finished the match is beyond me.

3. Submission Match: Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XIII) - The iconic view of the a turn in the direction of the WWF no doubt belongs on this list. Stone Cold and Bret Hart gave Wrestlemania one of the best matches twelve years ago and the vision of Stone Cold not giving in, dripping in the Crimson Mask is still iconic today and will always live on.

2. I Quit: Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions IX) - Everything that was said before, I have to echo. This match was brutal and it made both men look like a million bucks. Flair is not known for brutality, but here he shined like only the Nature Boy can against one of the most craziest men ever to step inside the ring.

1. Unsanctioned Match: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Summerslam 2002) - I am slightly partial to this match since I was at the PPV and saw it live. Either way, this match was one of those matches that had you on the edge of your seat from the opening bell. Shawn Michaels first match back after four years and it started one of the greatest, most personal feuds ever.



So with all said and done, here is the 411 Wrestling's Overall Top 5 Gimmick Matches.

5. Steel Cage I Quit Match: Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum TA (Starrcade, November 28, 1985) - 9 points (1 1st place vote, 1 2nd place vote)

4. I Quit Match: Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions IX) - 10 points (2 2nd place votes, 1 4th place vote, 1 Honorable Mention)

3. Ladder Match: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania X) - 11 points (1 1st place vote, 1 2nd place vote, 2 5th place votes, 4 Honorable Mentions)

2. Submission Match: Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XIII) - 15 points (2 1st place votes, 1 3rd place vote, 1 4th place vote)

1. Hell in a Cell: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Badd Blood 1997) - 18 points (2 1st place votes, 1 2nd place vote, 1 3rd place vote, 1 5th place vote, 1 Honorable Mention)



Join us next week as we continue with the month of May, which will be a completely themed 411 Wrestling Top 5, as we look back at the greatest matches in Wrestling History. Next week we will finish up the theme month and the topic will be the Top 5 Fantasy Matches. This one will be a doozy.