“In order to do wrestling right, it’s a story OK? So you gotta start at the beginning, you gotta build the belief…. You gotta build the story and you gotta have an ending.”
– David Manning: Heroes of World Class (WCCW documentary, 2003)
“Wrestling!? I can’t believe you watch that. Why?” That’s how most people react upon finding out that it’s my number one interest. After nearly 25 years though, I’ve learned exactly how to deal with the non-believers who make fun of me for my preferred form of entertainment.
“Well. What did you watch on TV last night?” is my usual reaction to such ridicule. The fact that so many TV soaps and reality shows can also be seen as a guilty pleasure by those watching it makes it that much easier to deflect the sense of geek-guilt one feels when disclosing that you’re a wrestling fan to someone who isn’t. By far the best way I’ve ever heard wrestling described is by talking up the soap opera side of it. Because that’s essentially what we love most about this crazy thing which we invest so much of our time, money and emotion in and it’s this aspect which surely attracts many mainstream viewers to the action in the ring, rather than the lure of faux athletic competition.
Granted the combat, athleticism and action movie style scripted violence are also key factors in our enjoyment, as is the overall MTV style presentation, the pyro and the loud music. But most of all we love the episodic nature of the TV rivalries. These disputes provide continuity to all wrestling programming in exactly the same way as every other TV show has storyline arcs running through them and for the most part it is these plot developments (and the characters involved in telling such stories) which keeps us tuning in week after week.
WWE is the undisputed master of wrestling storytelling. Granted they’ve presented us with some absolute stinkers over the years and for every awesome storyline which keeps us engrossed in the shows there has to be an equally as awful, forgettable piece of tiresome, boring dross. However telling stories is what they do best and when wrestling storytelling is done right it’s an absolute joy to watch. WWE recently released another in their popular line of anthology collections, in this case documenting what they consider to be the top 25 rivalries in wrestling history. Even though this is a great idea, despite their best intentions it isn’t perfect. It never could be. When undertaking such a project there are far too many factors to take into consideration in order to present a truly definitive list; wrestling politics for instance. Who is on good terms with the company and who do they want to avoid doing business with.
Also, consider the availability of talent for contributing an interview. It’s no good compiling a list of matches for DVD release where all the participants are sadly no longer with us or are contracted to rival companies. What would that ultimately achieve? These match compilations are as much a tool to generate further interest in the current product as they are to reminisce about names of the past. Therefore an appropriate number of wrestlers still on the active roster also need to be included thus increasing their exposure in the here and now.
Finally and perhaps most importantly is the availability of matches to be used in the final cut; It’s all well and good presenting a definitive list but if most of the match-ups have already been used on previous releases then few people will want to buy a new DVD box set when they already own 70% of the match listing across 6 or 7 previous titles. No doubt then that there is a lot to consider when taking on such an endeavour. So it’s understandable that certain omissions have to be made. Looking at the list of feuds on The Top 25 Rivalries of All Time release, whilst certainly an awesome collection featuring most of the top names of the last 30 years, can anyone categorically state that these really are the best of the best? I would have to say not. But again I come back to the criteria for selection discussed above. For one reason or another some absolute classic feuds seemingly weren’t allowed to make the cut. That’s life.
But I’ve been working on a list of my own. A comparison piece if you will and I’m happy to bring that to you right here. In my list of 25 Memorable Rivalries, I don’t need to work to such strict rules as laid out above. I can choose whatever match-ups I want to. So that’s exactly what I did. However in compiling an alternative, companion piece to the WWE’s official list, I did set myself a few basic guidelines. Firstly all the disputes included in the WWE’s DVD release were disqualified from inclusion. Secondly, as well as including feuds which were more storyline-based and performed over a matter of months or even years, just as much consideration was given to the following:
Match Quality
Consistently great quality of stand-alone matches over several years and in different promotions between the same grapplers but without a comprehensive storyline.
Perennial Rivals & Real-life Heat
Wrestlers whose careers either followed similar paths which kept intertwining, backstage pals who had extraordinary chemistry in the ring or storyline disputes born out of real world animosity.
Career Enhancement
Feuds which either by design or by accident accelerated the progress of talent to the main event level.
Just for the fun of it, for each entry I’ve also listed a DVD chapter as if this were also a proper collection. It might provide a visual reference if you care to look up said match either on Youtube or if you’re lucky enough to have an expansive a collection of tapes and DVD’s as I have littered all over the house. In this first part then, we’ll take a look at numbers 25 to 16 with the top 15 following in part 2. Pretty self explanatory yes? Well let’s get to it. I hope you approve of the battles listed herein and I hope that you also got as much enjoyment watching them as I did. For me, these are definitely some of the greatest TRUE rivalries in wrestling history.
25.) Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka
A prime example of ECW misfits producing a killer series of matches together. Starting as opponents in Japan’s FMW promotion before bringing their ultra high impact styles to the original ECW and trading victories on pay per view between 1998-2000. Probably most fondly remembered for hi-jacking the memorable One Night Stand show in 2005 and leaving a lasting impression on everyone who saw their match, whether old-school ECW fans or not. At the end of that awesome event, more fans were talking about their barn burning battle than anything else on the card.
DVD Chapter: Awesome vs Tanaka – ECW Heatwave 1998
24.) Edge vs Kurt Angle
Definitely the program which elevated Edge to the upper portion of the WWE card more effectively than any other he was involved in beforehand. Firstly squaring off in the final of the King of the Ring tourney in 2001 before entering into a heated dispute the following year which included battles at Backlash and Judgment Day where Angle lost a hair vs hair match, resulting in the streamlined, bald headed look he still sports today. Teamed with Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit respectively to contest a cracking series of matches over the newly created Smackdown Tag Team Titles in late 2002.
DVD Chapter: Edge vs Angle (Hair vs Hair match) – WWE Judgment Day 2002
23.) Diamond Dallas Page vs Macho Man Randy Savage
Another feud which elevated a respected grappler to the main event level, this time in WCW in 1997. At the height of the nWo’s run, DDP’s stance as a lone wolf opposite the ever growing numbers of the outlaw faction boosted his popularity considerably, just as the in-ring series with Savage boosted his credibility as a top hand between the ropes. With Kimberley and Elizabeth in tow, the two contested awesome battles throughout the spring and summer, culminating in a red hot finale to the rivalry at Halloween Havoc that year. This last truly great chapter in the career of Savage once again showed that when it comes to fine details that make all the difference in the believability of a feud and also within the context of a match, there really was no-one better.
DVD Chapter: DDP vs Savage (Death Match) – WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
22.) Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs Ravishing Rick Rude
Squaring off at Superbrawl in February ‘92 and after one too many interference attempts prevented The Dragon from capturing the U.S Title, an incensed Steamboat lost his cool, intentionally striking Rude’s valet Madusa only to instantly seek forgiveness for his actions. This momentary lapse in his normally clean cut demeanour was a perfectly scripted and performed flaw in his character and the resulting beat down was equally as well received. The short haired WCW Rude was at his aggressive, brilliant best here and far from forgiving as alongside stable mates Austin, Anderson, Eaton & Zbyzsko he inflicted a vicious beating on The Dragon.
In shattering his nose by slamming him face-first into the unprotected ringside floor, Paul E’s group put fan support firmly back behind Steamboat. Enter Sting, Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham who, also at odds with The Dangerous Alliance began to cement their own team bond, ultimately colliding with their rival faction in the greatest War Games match of all times at Wrestle War ’92. Boiling the dispute back down to it’s basic components though, Steamer & Rude butted heads at that year’s Beach Blast show, in a fantastic, well paced 30 minute Iron Man match. Definitely a highlight of early 90’s WCW.
DVD Chapter: Steamboat vs Rude (30 minute Iron Man Challenge) – WCW Beach Blast 1992
21.) Chris Benoit vs Kevin Sullivan
Definitely a case of life imitating art here, as booker-man Sullivan paired up his then wife Nancy/Woman with rising star (and newest member of The Four Horsemen) Benoit. Before too long though, the couple were linked as an item behind the curtain as well as on-screen so it was definitely the catalyst for a super heated and hard hitting series of matches between the always intense Crippler and the crazed “Taskmaster”. Wrestling some absolute wars on WCW pay per view for over a year, from May 1996 through to July 1997 and dragging in the likes of Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, The Giant, Meng & The Barbarian from both the Horsemen & Dungeon of Doom camps these two finally had their big payoff in a retirement match at Bash at the Beach ’97. Strong work indeed.
DVD Chapter: Benoit vs Sullivan (Falls Count Anywhere Match) – WCW Clash XXXIV
20.) Dean Malenko vs Eddie Guerrero
Their highly rated series of matches from 1995 in ECW is perhaps the chapter in their history together which is most fondly remembered by fans but let’s not forget the always crisp clashes between them in both singles and tag matches (often alongside their chum Chris Benoit) from New Japan’s junior heavyweight division in the mid-nineties and also their on/off clashes in WCW throughout 1996 and 1997.
Trading wins on TV and on pay per view and as perennial rivals over the Cruiserweight & U.S Titles during this time, these two mat masters could always be relied upon to put on a fantastic contest. Jumping to the WWF in January 2000, it wasn’t long before their “Radicalz” association with messrs Benoit and Saturn dissolved and the two were once again battling over championship gold, this time the revitalised European Title. Great friends outside the ring, but tremendous professional rivals within the squared circle. Truly stellar stuff.
DVD Chapter: Malenko vs Guerrero – ECW Hostile City Showdown 1995
19.) The Rock vs Ken Shamrock
Talk about polar opposite characters. Shortly after debuting in the WWF in 1997 after battling the likes of Vader, Davey Boy Smith and Shawn Michaels “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” was paired up in a program with the increasingly watchable former Rocky Maivia. Ditching his tiresome babyface routine after returning from injury and joining The Nation of Domination, The Rock’s new found bad guy charisma was the perfect complement to Shamrock’s stoic, UFC badass. Facing off in 4-on-4 action at Survivor Series in 1997, with Shamrock outlasting Rocky to be the sole survivor then battling at both the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania XIV in 1998 over the IC Title, their best match came in the KotR final that year where Kenny became king.
Interestingly, rather than build Shamrock to main event level though, which was probably the original intention it was The Rock who went from strength to strength during and undoubtedly after the conclusion of the program. Indeed, as Shamrock remained firmly rooted in the mid-card, by year’s end Rocky found himself as the WWF’s number 1 heel and WWF Champion. Not bad going eh?
DVD Chapter: Shamrock vs Rocky (KotR Final) – WWF King of the Ring 1998
18.) Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts vs Ravishing Rick Rude
On an episode of Superstars of Wrestling back in 1988 when Rude beckoned a random woman from the crowd to receive his weekly “Rude Awakening” post-match snog, few expected her to refuse the treatment offered up by The Ravishing One and received by so many before her. Fewer people still would’ve ever thought that upon proclaiming she was only in attendance to watch her husband perform in the squared circle, the man to whom she referred was in fact Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts.
After surviving the initial scuffle which ensued when Jake (for perhaps the only time in his career) played the knight in shining armour to save his stricken wife, Rude poured more fuel on the fire and began to wear wrestling tights bearing the likeness of Cheryl Roberts and the two collided on numerous occasions. Having already worked opposite one another in the Championship tournament at Wrestlemania IV, they later squared off at the often forgotten Wrestlefest supershow before moving onto Summerslam where they fought in separate inter-twined bouts and then onto Survivor Series whereupon Jake had the final word. Throughout the summer of ’88 these two waged an awesome battle of intangibles. Both supremely skilled on the mic with an unparalleled grasp of ring psychology, this was undoubtedly one of the greatest mid-card feuds in history.
DVD Chapter: Jake vs Rude – WWF Wrestlefest 1988
17.) Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit
As Canadian contemporaries, both followed the same path from Stu Hart’s Calgary dungeon, making a name for themselves on the indie circuit. Heading into Japan in the mid-90’s they clashed in numerous junior-heavyweight division bouts before ECW came calling albeit at different times. Missing each other in Philadelphia by only a matter of months, their initial encounters in the U.S took place under the WCW banner in 1996 where they battled at, amongst numerous other shows, Fall Brawl in September that year.
They arrived in the WWF within 6 months of each other at the turn of the millennium and ultimately squared off in a fantastic series as polar opposite rivals over the IC strap in 2000/2001 and even beyond. Much like their good friends Malenko & Guerrero, despite their wicked battles in the ring, the two were close chums behind the curtain. Occasionally teaming up and at one point shocking the world with a classic tag team title winning effort over top heels Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H. Also participated in the original Money in the Bank Ladder Match together at Wrestlemania 21.
DVD Chapter: Jericho vs Benoit (I.C Title Ladder Match) – WWF Royal Rumble 2001
16.) Lita vs Trish Stratus
What the two Canadian Chrises did in the men’s division, these two mirrored for the ladies league. The two most popular names in the recent history of U.S women’s wrestling were obvious rivals right from the start. The grungy, sassy rock-chick tomboy versus the buxom, seductive, sultry blonde bombshell. Never the most amazing athletes or technically proficient super-workers, the two made the most of their modest abilities and through extraordinary hard work, coupled with unparalleled fan support, these ladies rose to become the benchmark for every future WWE diva. Alongside The Hardy Boys and Test & Albert, their initial tussles came in 2000 in 6-person tags beside their boys, then later in a series of 1-on-1 bouts including a strap match in July that year.
The influx of new WCW names in 2001 shelved any further feuding between the 2, choosing instead to team up to battle the equally as hot Torrie Wilson and Stacey Keibler during the Invasion storyline, putting smiles on the faces of male fans everywhere. As 2002 dawned then, and with the hottest period in the WWE’s Diva division in full swing, they remained perennial rivals, squaring off numerous times in singles as well as 3-Way Dance and Fatal Four-Way bouts with the likes of Jazz, Victoria and Molly Holly. Their final match came at Unforgiven in 2006 when in Trish’s “retirement” match she unseated her great rival to become WWE Women’s Champion for the unprecedented 7th time.
DVD Chapter: Lita vs Trish (WWE Women’s Title Match) – WWE Unforgiven 2006
We hope this has give you a nice taster for what we’ve got coming up. Next time, we’ll pick up right from where we left off, counting down from No. 15 to No. 1 and incorporating loads more top names and memorable rivalries from WWE, WCW and ECW including Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Ultimate Warrior, Rob Van Dam, Sting, Randy Savage and plenty more.
– By Dave Green