The 411 Wrestling Top 5 11.10.10: Week 100 – Epic Moments

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. Most of our topics will be based on recent events in the Wrestling World, looking at those events that make us think of times past.

So, on to this week’s topic…

Top 5 Epic Moments

Those moments so big, so memorable, they could never be forgotten no matter how much we choose not to like the current state of wrestling as it is. There is much history to choose from, how do you narrow it down. That’s what the writers here had to do.

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

Michael Ornelas

Keep in mind, I’ve only been watching wrestling since 2001, so I’m only going to include what occurred while I’ve been watching. (I’ve SEEN plenty from before then, but barring my number 2 selection, they’re all between 2001-Present.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Nigel McGuinness walks onto my TV set and beats down Kurt Angle – I don’t really need to say anything other than I wish Desmond was pushed harder because his first two Pay-Per-View matches with Kurt TORE THE HOUSE DOWN.

Joe/Kobashi & the Joe/Punk trilogy in Ring of Honor – If you haven’t seen Kenta Kobashi’s match with Samoa Joe in 2005 then you’re missing out. Same goes for the 3 matches Samoa Joe had with CM Punk at World Title Classic, Joe vs. Punk II, and All Star Extravaganza 2 in 2004. Awesome.

Wrestlemania X-Seven – This was the first wrestling Pay-Per-View I ever ordered, and I have been “chasing that first high” ever since.

5. CM Punk’s 2010 Royal Rumble Performance – Despite making a “high” comment in the choice above this, I’m actually very straight-edge, and CM Punk’s push in 2009 to me was one of my favorite things to witness since I’ve been watching wrestling. The high point after he lost the belt to the Undertaker for me was his performance in this year’s Royal Rumble match where he’d eliminate someone, get on the mic and heat up the crowd, and repeat. It was awesome.

4. Daniel Bryanson vs. Chris Jericho on NXT’s debut – For a HUGE mark of BOTH men, we get a 9-minute DREAM MATCH on the first episode of NXT. From the promo with the Miz, the interview with Matt Striker, and the main event match, Daniel Bryanson proved he was born to fit in to the WWE landscape, regardless of whether or not he “fit the mold”. Then there was the suicide dive felt round the world, and the bumps he took afterwards. Jericho put him in a Liontamer to end one of the best debut matches I’ve ever seen. I was really hopeful for Daniel Bryan’s career in WWE, and as a fan, this match showed me that the ‘E knows exactly where they wanted to go with Danielson’s character.

3. Matt Hardy blindsides Edge – I hate putting Matt Hardy at number 3, but in the summer of 2005, Matt Hardy had a RAVENOUS fan following in the wake of his unjust firing. His rehiring was executed perfectly. All that suffered was the booking of the matches, as both Matt AND Edge could have made it to the main event of WWE if booked more evenly. If nothing more, I’ll remember the Leg Drop off the top of the cage at 2005’s Unforgiven PPV.

2. Anything Stone Cold Steve Austin ever did with The Rock or Vince McMahon – Austin vs. The Corporation was one of the awesomest things to hit wrestling ever. Everything Austin did was golden. The beer truck, the Zamboni, the abduction and fake gun that made McMahon piss his pants. Wrestlemanias XV, X-Seven, and XIX with Rocky. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre…. There’s a reason WWF won the Monday Night Wars…and this was it.

1. Shawn Michaels – SummerSlam 2002 to Wrestlemania XIX – As soon as I saw the topic, I thought “The Miz, lol” and then I thought of the Shawn Michaels return story. I started watching wrestling regularly when my parents deemed me “old enough”, which was in the 6th grade, February 2001. My brother had been a fan during the Attitude Era, so I’d hear about Steve Austin, the Undertaker, and D-Generation X. The first Pay-Per-View I ever saw in its entirety was Wrestlemania X-7 (Not a bad place to start, huh?). My favorite wrestler was Stone Cold Steve Austin, but based on hearsay from my brother, I thought that the greatest of ALL TIME was Shawn Michaels, despite never having seen a match of his. I knew what he looked like, but that was about it. When he returned to Raw in 2002 as a part of the nWo, I marked out, until it seemed like he wasn’t going to wrestle again. I still thought his presence was awesome, but then they did the storyline with HHH, setting up his return match. I was beaming with anticipation. I saw the match and INSTANTLY, Shawn Michaels eclipsed everyone else I’d ever seen wrestle. He followed that up with winning the World Heavyweight Championship from HHH in the first Elimination Chamber match, and then began a program with Chris Jericho, leading into Wrestlemania XIX. His show-stealing match was his way of proving that he’s BACK and arguably BETTER than ever before. It almost seems unreal that he was able to do what he did, but thanks to Shawn Michaels, I’m still a wrestling fan. When wrestling sucked, I’d tell myself “at least HBK is still putting on great matches” and I’d man up and keep watching. Now I don’t see my fandom going anywhere (especially with the American Dragon in the WWE). Just an awesome (series of) moment(s) that I’ll never forget.

Len Archibald

5. WrestleMania III – This will look more like a “Top WrestleMania Moments” list than anything else, but really, when it comes to bringing the awesome – there is absolutely nothing in professional wrestling like the atmosphere WrestleMania brings. For me, WM III is still the Holy Grail of pro wrestling. It is really – the show that made me the fan I am today. It is the first Pay Per View I ever watched. The awe-inspiring sight of an ocean of people surrounding a tiny ring at the Pontiac Silverdome; Aretha Franklin’s rendition of “America The Beautiful”; The (unofficial) Full-Nelson Match between Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules; The Six-Man Tag between The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana; The “retirement” match between Roddy Piper and Adrian Adonis that eventually led to the birth of Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake; King Harley Race’s attempts to make The Junk Yard Dog bow to him; the still AWESOME mixed Tag Match between Hillbilly Jim and his midgets vs. King Kong Bundy and his midgets that made Bundy look like the biggest asshole on the planet. Bob Uecker; Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon’s flawless commentary; and finally…The 1-2 punch in the wrestling perfection of Savage vs. Steamboat and the ridiculous spectacle of Hulk vs. Andre. The crowd was essentially hot for EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. This was integral to my childhood, my fandom and the pro wrestling landscape in general. If this show didn’t exist – I wouldn’t be writing for 411 – and I’m pretty certain a good chunk of you wouldn’t be reading here. For all those who bitch about WWE’s PG rating – who would you be today if this show never was?

4. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat – The only moment that was not contributed via the WWF/E for me, was watching a 2 out of 3 Falls Match that I received via VHS tape from my cousin who lived in Georgia in 1991. He didn’t tell me he was sending it – I just got a box in the mail with a message to call him. I did and he simply said, “you HAVE to see this!” He was right. For nearly an hour, I witnessed two of the greatest of all time display just why they deserved that moniker. Jim Ross and Terry Funk’s passionate commentary heightened the spectacle of this match. Chops echoed like gunshots. The crowd ate the simplest gestures – like Steamboat shoving Flair off him as he was on the receiving end of a wicked shot to the chest – up like it was the greatest dessert one could ingest. It was pro wrestling in its absolute purest form: two men compete in order to prove to their opponent, the world and themselves that they are the very best and pull out all the stops bring that mindset to fruition. A year later, just as Flair was winning the 1992 Royal Rumble, my cousin got me the tapes to see the other two matches between he and Steamboat and I was convinced in my heart that Ric Flair was the single greatest professional wrestler that ever walked the Planet Earth.

3. Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth Reconcile: WrestleMania VII – I will get into more detail about this particular moment in a later column of mine, but I will essentially sum it up with this: The match between Randy “Macho King” Savage and The Ultimate Warrior that led to this moment perfectly encompasses why the majority of us are fans in the first place. Compelling characters, flawless storytelling and a climax that will always give me goosebumps. This wasn’t just a match – but it was archetypical humanistic storytelling; the pinnacle of – in my mind – the single best wrestling storyline ever (Savage’s SIX YEAR relationship arc with Elizabeth.) Most Hollywood movies can’t even get the dynamics of why this worked so well.

2. Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart: WrestleMania 13 – My favorite match of all time. This wasn’t just a matter of two people who hated each other pummeling themselves in a wrestling ring, but an evolution into something more – something more intricate that speaks to our basic impulses as human beings. Austin/Hart was wrestling’s answer to a Shakespearian tragedy: the fall from grace of one of the most beloved faces of all time, and the rise to greatness of another in the face of defeat. Notice the pattern with my top three as they all display a circumstance where the one performer’s ultimate loss in a match becomes the catalyst to reveal their true nature and intentions for good.

1. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan: WrestleMania X-8 – The defining moment that rekindled my childlike approach to wrestling fandom. I was one of the smarkiest smarks who ever smarked, then this bomb was dropped on me and the fellow 68,000 fans that packed the SkyDome in my home city of Toronto. For nearly forty of the most glorious minutes of my life, I was involved in a communal tidal wave of emotion that ultimately became my spiritual re-awakening as a wrestling fan. I personally took part in the resurrection of Hulkamania, the rise in status for The Rock from simply “Great Entertainer” to “Wrestling Icon” and the message sent to any fan who turned their back on my favorite form of live entertainment that, yes, you CAN be a grown-ass man and still be a “mark” for this industry. I communicated with men, women and children – of different ages, cultures and beliefs – people who I never met and who I will never meet again, and shared with them an intense moment of pure, unadulterated, joyous wrestling bliss. If I never reach that high again, at least I know before I die that I experienced it once in my life.

Greg DeMarco

HONORABLE MENTIONS

There are so many moments I’d like to add to this list, but it was my personal reactions to each that cements their position here. I look forward to the trip down memory lane that my fellow 411Mania writers provide, and the same that you–our readers–provide in the comments section.

Rey Mysterio wins the Royal Rumble – I remember sitting in Hooters thinking–no, knowing–that Randy Orton was the WWE’s golden boy, and he was about to eliminate Rey Mysterio and win the Royal Rumble. There was that glimmer of hope, as rumors were rampant that Eddie Guerrero’s death would lead to a title run for Rey. But I didn’t believe it. But when Rey eliminated Orton and went on to WrestleMania, I got to be a fan again.

Rob Van Dam wins the WWE Championship from John Cena at One Night Stand – The fans made this match for me. It was great to see RVD finally win the big one, but with the rabid ECW crowd (with the believable “if Cena wins we riot” sign), Heyman counting the fall, and the celebration afterwards, this escalated from a great moment to a truly memorable one.

Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero celebrate as world champions to end Wrestlemania 20 – When Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero stood at the forefront of the grandest stage in all of wrestling, it was just a surreal moment. Two undersized specialists had broken through the glass ceiling and won the two biggest championships in all of wrestling. The years that followed in the lives (and deaths) of both men are hard for their fans to swallow, but the moment that they created at WM20 can’t be ignored.

5. Goldberg beats Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship – The pinnacle of “The Streak” for Goldberg, he was hot-shotted into a Monday Nitro main event in the Georgia Dome, and gave 38,000+ fans exactly what they wanted. He won the WCW title from Hollywood Hogan. Nevermind that it was given away on free TV, or that what followed couldn’t possibly live up to the moment. The moment was awesome.

4. Chris Jericho wins the WWF Championship from Triple H on RAW – When the match started, we all knew how it would end. Triple H would use overcome the upstart efforts of Jericho and walk out of RAW with the belt. While the end result was the same–and the title win doesn’t even count–the moment can never be erased. It was the moment that made Chris Jericho a main event player in the WWF, and the eventual first ever Undisputed Champion.

3. CM Punk cashes in his Money in the Bank title shot – I was happy for CM Punk when he signed with the WWE. He busted his ass all over the indies for years, in ways that made me a huge fan of his, and was now finally reaping the benefits he so deserved. I figured he could have a decent WWE career, make it to the mid-card, possible even the Intercontinental Championship. He was great on the mic and good in the ring, a great recipe for WWE success. When he won his first Money in the Bank Ladder Match, I assumed he’d be the first wrestler to cash in & lose, but that wasn’t the case. The segment has 2 false endings (with Edge leaving, then with Batista leaving), but the real ending was one for the scrapbooks.

2. Mankind wins the WWF Championship from The Rock – Mankind was the ultimate underdog. The Rock was the ultimate alpha dog. But one night, on a pre-taped RAW (where Eric Boschiff gave away the result and a nation changed the channel) the underdog beat the alpha dog. It was an amazing bit of storytelling that likely started with Mick Foley’s charming first book. Much like my #1 moment below, the fact that it was obvious didn’t ruin the moment one bit.

WWF RAW Mankind vs The Rock – WWF Championship 4th Jan 1999Uploaded by MyWrestlingForum. – Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.

1. Chris Jericho’s WWF debut – Jericho’s second appearance on my list. The Countdown to the Millennium that eventually ended on August 9, 1999 was, in hindsight, a countdown to my favorite moment in wrestling history. Anyone reading about wrestling on the internet when at that time assumed it was Jericho, and it didn’t ruin the surprise at all. Chicago provided the perfect reaction, and Jericho played off The Rock in a way that made him a bigger player in the WWF after promo than in all of his WCW career. His WCW history wasn’t ignored, and Jericho was allowed to be himself. Complain all you want about how WWE debuts are handled now–but that’s not what this is about. It’s about a great point in wrestling history provided by Chris Jericho and The Rock.

Robert S. Leighty Jr

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Angle wins WCW and WWF Title Just a cool historic fact as I was there to see Angle win the WCW Title from Booker T on SmackDown in July 2001 and then win the WWF Title from Austin in Sept 2001. Seeing someone win those two titles in person in under 2 months time was pretty awesome.

Edge Cashes in (Take 2) – I was there for this historic night in the Igloo. Edge has been my favorite wrestler for the past 5 years, and I knew heading into this edition of SmackDown what may happen. Taker vs Batista was scheduled for the World Title in a cage match, but on RAW Edge won the Money in the Bank shot from an injured (shocking I know) Kennedy. Taker was also injured and needed to get the strap off him and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going to happen that night. Immediately when the match ended in a draw I started a “We Want Edge” chant, and a small kid yelled that Edge was on RAW. Mark Henry then came out and beat down Taker and that only confirmed what was about to happen. Sure enough Edge picked the bones, cashed in, and was your New World Heavyweight Champion. I have never cheered so much in my life, and having a teenager dressed like Taker yelling that I sucked while he cried made this even more awesome.

5. RAW/Nitro Simulcast – Hell had frozen over as Vince McMahon bought WCW, and was appearing live on Nitro. A simulcast was done and it was one of the most surreal things I’ve ever seen. Vince naming various WCW stars to gauge crowd reaction was genius, and the fans starting a Goldberg chant without any prompting was tremendous. The thing with Shane swooping in and buying only added to the awesomeness of this night.

4. Rock vs Hogan: WrestleMania X-8 – Wrestling at it’s core is entertainment and nothing has entertained me more than this match. Nobody will call this a classic wrestling match but it didn’t need to be. Sure 2 guys in a gym in West Virginia were probably having a match that’s techincally better featuring 450 hurricanra rhino splahes with a twist, but nothing can match what these two men delivered. The Toronto crowd was solidly behind Hogan and it made for quite possibly the hottest crowd you will ever see.

3. Hell in a Cell ’98 – Unlike other Western PA residents I won’t claim I was there when Foley flew off the cell. I was at home watching with my girlfriend, and the moment Foley went flying I pushed her away, jumped off the bed and started screaming. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen, and still can’t believe he got off the stretcher to climb again. The second fall is just brutal to watch as it not only looked bad, but sounded even worse. Something that caused a man so much pain and misery shouldn’t be Awesome, but in crazy world of pro-wrestling it can be.

2. Bash at the Beach 96: nWo – Hulk Hogan is my favorite wrestler ever and was my hero growing up. My jaw immediately dropped when he walked down the aisle at BAB 96 and I knew what was about to happen. Hogan turning heel is the single most shocking thing I have seen, and that makes it quite awesome.

1. WrestleMania XXV – Awesome because was the first Mania I have ever attended and that alone makes this #1 awesome moment for me ever. What adds to it though is the match that stole the show: Shawn vs Taker. Easily the greatest match I have ever seen and I can’t even find the words to describe what it was like to be there. The crowd reaction was insane and once it ended fans were just euphoric at what they had witnessed.

LARRY CSONKA

5. THE ROAD WARRIORS TRY TO BLIND DUSTY RHODES – As a kid, this was horrifying to me, but as I got older, it became a moment that I have remembered vividly. Dusty was MY hero at the time, and I LOVED the Road Warriors, but when they turned on Dusty, I was shocked, didn’t understand what happened, and yes, I had nightmares as a kid. That’s a moment to remember, and looking back, a completely awesome moment.

4. JOHN CENA RETURNS AT THE ROYAL RUMBLE 2008 – To go more recent, I have to say that the return of John Cena at the 2008 Royal Rumble PPV was awesome. Cena was injured, and wasn’t supposed to be back until WrestleMania of he was lucky. Cena used his superman powers to recover, the WWE kept it quiet, they hid him during the day, and when his music hit, it was a GREAT surprise, and an awesome moment.

3. CHRIS JERICHO MAKES HIS WWE DEBUT – In WCW Chris Jericho was a guy that myself and many others enjoyed, but after some time, it was clear that he would never be used to his potential, and then he disappeared and word came out that he was leaving WCW. We all knew that he would be coming to the then WWF, but we had no clue how awesome it would be. His debut electrified the crowd, his interaction with the Rock was priceless, and the rest, was history.

2. BIG SHOW AND BROCK DESTROY THE RING – Two BIG fuckers doing a superplex and DESTROYING THE RING. Enough said.

1. FOLEY FLIES OFF THE CELL – King of the Ring 1998 was an event that was looking to be very forgettable. The Headbangers vs. Kaientai was about what you’d expect, not bad, but nothing special. The KOTR semifinal matches were short and uninspired, Too Much vs. Al Snow and Head was decent and the New Age Outlaws vs. The NEW Midnight Express was the tag title match. Remember kids, when you add NEW in front of something, you may as well add SHIT. Ken Shamrock would finally get some redemption on The Rock as he defeated him to become the KOTR for that year in another forgettable match. This certainly wasn’t going to be the best event I had ever attended, but it was about to become the most memorable.

What happened next is a part of wrestling history, and according to Mick Foley ,there were 500,000 in the Igloo that night, because everyone he meets claims to be there. Clue to you all, unless you remember what the guy was screaming from the upper decks all night, you were not there. Trust me, nearly four hours of this asshole does not leave your memory. Hell in a Cell was next, Mankind and The Undertaker. Now since I was MR. SMARKETY SMARK at the time, I knew that the Undertaker had hurt his ankle and that Foley hated cage matches, so I was not expecting anything special. We all know what happens next. As I stand in the box, right at the edge of the window, they climb the cell. They fight, and as they turn their backs to the box, Taker tosses Mankind off of the cell and through an announce table. It wasn’t until hours later that I would hear Jim Ross’ screams of “OH MY GOD THEY KILLED HIM. AS GOD AS MY WITNESS HE IS BROKEN IN HALF!” But those were my thoughts. I seriously thought that Foley was dead. Time seemed to stand still, I looked around and there were women and children crying in an eerie hush I had never heard at the arena. But then, in another ICONIC/STUPID moment, let’s be honest here, Foley gets to his feet and once again climbs the demonic structure. Watching this live, I will admit, after I got over the fact that he was alive standing, I was FUCKING PUMPED. Shit was on and I wanted to see more destruction. And I got it. Foley then gets chokslammed THROUGH the cage, and at this point, we’re all talking, “There is no way he continues, dude is done, he’s going to the hospital for sure.” Foley amazingly enough does finish, with a LOT of walking through by Taker, and what I came away with was my greatest live moment at a wrestling show.

Nick Bazar

5. The Deadman Returns (2004) – The Undertaker was the first wrestler I ever saw when I turned to the USA Network one random Monday night in the mid-90s. I became a total mark for his character from that point on. So, when he returned with his deadman persona at Wrestlemania XX, I was one happy guy. I’m not afraid to admit that when the lights dimmed and a familiar “Ohh, yessss” was heard, I had goose bumps. Then watching him emerge from the behind the curtain- long black coat, hat and all- just put it over the top.

4. Hogan Turns Heel (1996) – An iconic moment that was just so well done. It really brought forth a new era in wrestling- a rarity to be sure. We all know the story by now, so there isn’t much more to say, other than that the Lebron/Wade/Bosh parody of it is pure gold.

3. Mankind Wins The Big One (1999) – The Mankind character during this time period was really easy to get behind. He was the sentimental favorite; the guy you wanted to see win at the end and surprise us all. After countless displays of bodily harm, that type of reaction was the least Mick Foley deserved. So it’s really no shock that when Steve Austin ran down the ramp, knocked out The Rock with a steel chair and allowed Mankind to make the pin, the crowd went ballistic. His celebration in and around the ring displayed real emotion; you could tell it was a dream come true for Mrs. Foley’s baby boy.

2. Total Nonstop Angle (2006) – I have watched TNA since 2004 when I discovered it on Fox Sports Net, and have stuck with it through the good, bad and ugly. When that video of a man wrestling in the shadows with an American flag slung across his shoulders aired, and the familiar voice-over guy said “Kirk Angle is coming to TNA,” I couldn’t believe it. It made me the most excited for wrestling that I had been in a very long time. It really made me think that TNA could finally become some real competition to WWE. It hasn’t worked out that way, but the conclusion to No Surrender 2006 will always be a special one for me.

1. HBK Returns (2002) – Shawn Michaels is my favorite wrestler of all time. For me, there is no one that comes close to his abilities in a wrestling ring. That period from 1998-2002, even if it included the most successful era in wrestling, really felt as if it was missing something. So when HBK showed up on the TitanTron- bruised up from an attack in the parking lot some weeks earlier- and challenged Triple H to a match at Summerslam, I was ecstatic. His performance in that Unsanctioned Street Fight was really a sight to behold- a true testament to his talents in a squared circle. It was just awesome.

Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Jushin Liger Gets Unmasked (10/20/96) – Two of the most prolific, over the top characters in Japanese pro wrestling are Jushin Liger and the Great Muta. When the two met in this unique match, Muta brutalized Liger and ripped off his mask . . . but the joke was on him, as an even more powerful form of Liger, known as Kishin Liger, laid underneath and gave Muta a run for his money.

Der Bruderhschaft Forms (11/22/09) – Indy group CHIKARA is known for very intricate, long-term booking, and there was perhaps no bigger culmination of this long-term booking than the formation of Der Bruderschaft des Kreuzes late last year. Many heels came together and many babyfaces turned to join them, each with a legitimate motive to become part of the supergroup that wasn’t obvious at first but made perfect sense in retrospect.

5. “Forever!” (8/31/83) – There are some moments which transcend time and place, meaning that, when you see them, the emotion is so strong that you feel almost exactly as fans did at the time, even though you’re watching it many years later. Such was the case with Terry Funk’s first retirement ceremony in All Japan Pro Wrestling. It happened when I was a year old and I did not see it on videotape until the late nineties, but it still had enough raw power to send a chill down my spine and to get tears to well up in my eyes.

4. Kurt Angle Returns to “Clocks” (2003) – I remember being absolutely enraptured by the buildup to Wrestlemania XIX and the match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lensar. Why? Because the word going around was that Angle intended to wrestle the match with a very real and very serious neck injury and that one bad landing could leave him paralyzed. Though with a few more years of life experience and maturity behind me, I now question whether he should have done this, at the time I couldn’t possibly admire his courage any more than I did. The match was breathtaking and had me on the edge of my seat throughout, and, when it came to an end, it was time for Angle to take some time away to let his injuries heal. When he did come back, he came back to the only thing more dramatic than the WMXIX build and match. It was an amazing music video set to Coldplay’s “Clocks,” and it made me more excited for Angle’s return than I have been for any return in wrestling since.

3. Bret Pays Tribute to Owen (10/4/99) – In the same city where his brother Owen had died just months before, Bret Hart had an epic forty-five minute tribute match with Chris Benoit, a man whose wrestling style and history in the business most closely matched that of the youngest Hart. The match wasn’t part of any larger storyline, but it still had goosebumps on my skin throughout its duration, just because watching every move lead the viewer to sense how much it meant to both wrestlers in the ring.

2. Bill Goldberg wins the WCW Title (7/6/98) – For a short period of time in the late 1990’s, there was no hotter wrestling star than Bill Goldberg. The only person bigger at the time was Steve Austin, and even Austin’s title matches never quite meant as much as Goldberg’s first championship encounter, in part because a) they were never held in a venue as large with a crowd as hot as the Georgia Dome, b) they were never against an icon as big as Hulk Hogan, and c) they were never the culmination of a storyline as big as Goldberg’s massive undefeated streak. Even though I was not that big of a Bill Goldberg fan at the time of the event, even I recognized that, with the electric crowd and the near perfect booking of the wrestler’s rise to fame, his getting a three count over the Hulkster to take the big gold belt off of him was a truly historic moment in wrestling history that will never be forgotten by those who were fans at the time.

1. “I’m Sorry, I Love You” (Wrestlemania XXIV) – I started watching pro wrestling in the early 1990’s, and one of the guys who I first gravitated towards (after Roddy Piper, who cut the promo that hooked me on wrestling) was none other than “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Even though he was a heel at the time, there was charisma oozing off of this man . . . plus his character had all of the money and all of the women, and what young boy isn’t going to worship a man in that position? I would go on to follow wrestling nonstop for the next eighteen or so years, and, at least until recently, Flair has been the one constant who has almost always been there for me to get behind and root for. As a result, I knew when Naitch started wrapping up his full-time professional wrestling career in late 2007 and early 2008, things were going to get a little bit emotional. However, I wasn’t prepared for the brilliant storytelling that Flair and Shawn Michaels worked into the Nature Boy’s last stand at Wrestlemania XXIV. When the Heartbreak Kid uttered the words “I’m sorry, I love you,” to Flair before superkicking him and pinning him to bring the match to an end, he basically said the words that any professional wrestling fan would have said if he were the individual in the ring with Flair at the time. It was the perfect conclusion to the perfect story, and I’m glad that I’ve not seen Flair wrestle since that time.