DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu #100 - Ranking The Greatest 100 Professional Wrestling Items
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 at 4:29 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #100

When I first started writing my column in August 2002, I didn't think that I would ever say this, but.....

Welcome one and all to the 100th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I was expecting a quiet week to write this column, but what I got was an extraordinary amount of hits & emails for last week's edition #99 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. That's really appreciated & won't be forgotten. I will write about some of that feedback in next week's column.

It will be a very long & special edition today (almost double my usual length), so I won't waste any more time here. On with the show.....


APPETIZERS - Today's Column

I remember that when I first started out on writing 'The Wrestling Menu', my original plan was to have milestone editions as special columns. Things like history columns & the like. Of course, I had a lot more time on my hands back then. As the months went by & I got busier & busier, I basically ditched the idea of posting special columns full stop.

However, I just had to drag one out for edition #100. It's a little different, and to a certain extent touches on a lot of items that I have commented on previously. But I think it's an excellent idea, which not only summarizes a lot of things into one column, but also adds that personal touch which makes it truly my column. Remember that I have always stated that I am simply a professional wrestling fan that is purely writing down his opinion & posting it on a great website. I have never professed to being right or wrong on anything that I have ever written. It's simply my opinion.

So, what I will be doing today is the following: I'm going to take 7 separate professional wrestling categories & do my rankings for them. Some will be top 10's, some top 15's, while others will be top 20's. I will have brief comments next to each ranking. I'd love to do more detailed comments, but if I did, you would have to trust me that this would be the longest column ever written by anyone. At the conclusion of the 'Main' section of this column, the total rankings will add up to 100. I think that's pretty clear, and if it's not, I'm sure it will be as you read on.

When reading the rankings, please take into account the following: I began watching the WWE (as it was known back then) in 1985, but did not have the opportunity to view any WCW (or the old NWA) until 1996, or much ECW at any stage. So that's why, for example, you will not see the likes of The Midnight Express, The Rock 'N' Roll Express or The Eliminators in the tag-team rankings.

So let's start it off with the grandaddy of them all.....


MAIN - 100 Wrestling Rankings


The 20 Greatest WrestleManias

1. WRESTLEMANIA 10 (1994): A sensational opener between Bret & Owen Hart that had it all; Mat-wrestling, excitement, entertainment, a heated feud & a surprise upset ending. While there were a few very average matches on this card, three other matches held the event up: A truly fantastic ladder match between Razor Ramon & Shawn Michaels for the InterContinental Title. I also enjoyed the best of 3 falls match between Crush & Randy Savage, while I thought the main event where Bret Hart pinned Yokozuna was a fitting end.

2. WRESTLEMANIA 17 (2001): Patchy, but this 4 hour event is jam-packed with excellent, entertaining & memorable matches. Special mention to the Houston crowd who were great. It's tough choosing a match of the night for this card. Austin vs The Rock, the triple threat TLC match, Vince vs Shane, Angle vs Benoit, and even Triple H vs The Undertaker are all contenders & excellent matches in their own right. All those matches rated an 8 out of 10 or better.

3. WRESTLEMANIA 14 (1998): There isn't a bad match on this card. Very good from top to bottom. Unfortunately what it didn't have, was a stand-out match. The main event between Austin & Michaels (involving Mike Tyson) is great & probably the match of the night, but not what I would call a stand-out. I'm not going through any of the other matches because I would list them all. They are all very good.

4. WRESTLEMANIA 3 (1987): The crowd, the atmosphere, a mind-blowing match, a classic match & memories galore. From the mind-blowing match of the night for the InterContinental Title between Ricky Steamboat & Randy Savage, to the classic memory of Hulk Hogan slamming & pinning Andre The Giant, the WWE really hit a home run with this event. Has to be seen to be believed. Other bouts weren't anything to write home about, but most of them had great feuds surrounding them, thus there was a lot of heat in the matches.

5. WRESTLEMANIA 6 (1990): When The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan in a genuinely classic match, I just jumped for joy. I rank that main event match right up there with the best I've seen. The rest of the card was arguably very average, but the mixed tag match was surprisingly entertaining, while I also got a kick out of the Ted Dibiase vs Jake Roberts bout.

6. WRESTLEMANIA 8 (1992): Big feuds, good payoffs and a lot of interest. It practically has 3 main events. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice was a bit of a farce, but the World Title bout between Randy Savage & Ric Flair was great. Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart & Tito Santana vs Shawn Michaels round out a great trio of matches. Although, the rest of the card is so-so at best.

7. WRESTLEMANIA 5 (1989): A huge WrestleMania in terms of feuds & payoffs. Prototypical in many aspects. The main event match of the night was the perfect example as the Mega-Powers of Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage exploded. The rest of the card was really even. There were a couple of stinkers, but most are worth a watch, and add to the spectacle.

8. WRESTLEMANIA 19 (2003): Last year's event should last the test of time as a fairly good WrestleMania. There wasn't really a terrible match, while I think Michaels vs Jericho & Lesnar vs Angle were truly excellent matches. I just wish that some of the undercard was given more time.

9. WRESTLEMANIA 4 (1988): A strangely structured WrestleMania. The first time I had seen an extended one-night tournament for a world title. I really enjoyed it. I knew from the moment that Andre & Hogan were eliminated, that we were going to see something special. 2 non-tournament matches help as well; A tag title bout between Demolition & Strike Force, plus a battle royal won by Bad News Brown.

10. WRESTLEMANIA 12 (1996): Another strangely structured WrestleMania that practically relies on the Iron Man Match main event between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Most of the other matches were gimmicky, even though The Undertaker vs Diesel bout was ok.

11. WRESTLEMANIA 20 (2004): This year's event which could improve with time. A great triple-threat main event is backed up by a couple of other entertaining matches. But at over 4 hours in length, there was a lot of filler bouts & lost opportunities to improve the product on this card.

12. WRESTLEMANIA 18 (2002): Disappointing with the talent roster available. While The Rock vs Hulk Hogan is a classic, this card surprisingly struggled in the midcard. Potentially great matches such as RVD vs Regal, Angle vs Kane, Edge vs Booker T and the fourway tag match were all acceptable, but very average.

13. WRESTLEMANIA 7 (1991): Divided opinion here. It definitely had an old-style WrestleMania feel to it, but after starting off really well & then peaking with The Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage Retirement match, the card went downhill really fast. Throwaway match after throwaway match ended with the main event between Hulk Hogan & Sgt Slaughter, which I didn't like.

14. WRESTLEMANIA 15 (1999): This isn't a horrible show, but as a whole, I don't really enjoy it. The main event between Austin & The Rock is very good. There is also an excellently planned out swervefest involving Triple H, Chyna & X-Pac throughout the night. Unfortunately, during all this, not enough time & effort was put into the quality of the other matches.

15. WRESTLEMANIA 16 (2000): Should have been so much better. You can almost skip all matches except for 3 of them. The match of the night was the excellent 3 team Ladder match between Edge & Christian, The Dudley Boyz & The Hardy Boyz. While both the fourway main event & the 2 falls triple threat match between Angle, Jericho & Benoit make for satisfactory viewing.

16. WRESTLEMANIA 2 (1986): Attracted mainstream attention. I liked the 3 city format of the event. There were boxing matches, NFL players, mainstream stars, battle royals & cage matches. The main event cage match between Hulk Hogan & King Kong Bundy achieved it's purpose, but the match of the night was The British Bulldogs vs Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake.

17. WRESTLEMANIA 11 (1995): This event received heaps of media attention, but Lawrence Taylor should not have been in a WrestleMania main event. Hell, neither should have Bam Bam Bigelow. The saving grace was the HeavyWeight Title bout which saw Kevin 'Diesel' Nash defeat Shawn Michaels.

18. WRESTLEMANIA 13 (1997): Disappointing. The first 2 matches were just terrible, while others were very average (including the main event). Of course, one of the best matches of all time was on this card; Bret Hart defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin in a Submissions match.

19. WRESTLEMANIA 1 (1985): Meant so much to the professional wrestling industry at the time. But it doesn't really stand the test of time. It was more about establishing wrestling to mainstream audiences by having Mr T involved in the main event, while having Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali & Liberace amongst others playing roles on the night. The main event & tag-title matches are probably the 2 best bouts.

20. WRESTLEMANIA 9 (1993): Gimmick overload. Emanating from Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, there were togas & camels involved. There were also evil clowns & Argentinean Giants, but they were actually part of the show!!! The opener between Shawn Michaels & Tatanka was good, while the main event was also ok (despite the terrible aftermath).


The 10 Greatest Finishing Moves

1. THE VERTABREAKER: Shane 'Hurricane' Helms' WCW finisher is so brutal & has maximum impact on the neck/head region. Basically, it looks like it hurts & no-one should be escaping a pin after the move has been performed. Also had that extra little bit of 'wow' factor, as helm's used to apply it from a few different situations.

2. THE STEINER SCREWDRIVER: A short-lived WCW finisher of Scott Steiner's, this was a cross between a brain buster & a piledriver. Again, the impact was purely on the neck & head region.

3. THE SPINAL TAP: A.J Styles alternative finisher, this top-rope maneuver is a thing of beauty. I can't remember how many times he spins through the air (ie: whether its' a 360 or 450 or whatever), but he throws a twist in for good measure, while getting amazing elevation & distance into a legdrop.

4. THE STONE COLD STUNNER: Has all the ingredients of a great finishing move; The impact, the flare & the fact that it could literally be hit out of nowhere.

5. THE DIAMOND CUTTER: Diamond Dallas Page's WCW finisher which has now been turned into the RKO by Randy Orton. Similar to the Stunner, but with a little less impact.

6. THE DDT: Whether it be Jake Roberts, Arn Anderson or Raven, I love this move. It has great impact & when performed well, looks like it could almost kill a person.

7. THE WEST COAST POP: Rey Mysterio's finisher which has lost it's importance a little. Looked so much better in WCW when other Mexican cruiserweights helped him perform the move more efficiently. A great mix of high-flying & technical wrestling in one.

8. THE HARLEM HANGOVER: Booker T's WCW finisher is rather simple in that it is a somersault leg drop from the top-rope. But it was performed with an excellent mix of flare & impact.

9. THE TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER: Great impact to the neck/head region & had that little bit of mystique with The Undertaker performing it. Not as well performed nowadays, as in the mid 90's.

10. THE ROLL OF THE DICE: Never used by a big star, this move has great impact. You would swear that, at the very least, someone was going to get a severe case of whiplash from it.


The 15 Greatest Moments

1. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR PINNING HULK HOGAN AT WRESTLEMANIA 6: Even as a youngster who didn't fully understand professional wrestling, I was bored with Hogan as champ. I so wanted the Warrior to defeat Hogan & become dual champ. Early on, it looked good, but this was how countless other Hogan matches began. I wasn't surprised when Warrior went for his pinning combination & Hogan kicked out. But I definitely was when Hogan went for his pinning combination & Warrior kicked out. A moment or so later, Warrior was champ, I was happy & I couldn't get the chill out of my spine or the goosebumps off my body!!!.

2. HULK HOGAN'S HEEL TURN / NWO FORMATION: Not only a surprise, but it was a well-performed & booked occurrence which turned the whole wrestling industry upside down.

3. ECW REFORMATION ON RAW: Perfectly produced, performed, written & executed... I'm no huge ECW fan, but this moment just left me breathless. The atmosphere was absolutely priceless when the former ECW wrestlers revealed exactly what they were doing in the ring. Paul Heyman's commentary rounded out the perfection.

4. RIC FLAIR WINNING HIS 1ST WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: Amazing & memorable Royal Rumble battle royal win in 1992.

5. SHAWN MICHAELS WINNING HIS 1ST WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: After 63 odd minutes of gruelling action, HBK lived out his boyhood dream, as he pinned Bret Hart & won the WWE Title. The emotion shown after the match looked genuinely real.

6. HBK SUPERKICKING MARTY JANNETTY: Referring to the barbershop interview incident that turned HBK heel, this was a perfectly produced, performed & executed segment which could very well be classed as the prototype for heel turns.

7. THE MONTREAL SCREWJOB: The surreal moment back in 1997 which will never be forgotten by those who watched it. Even as a relatively uneducated fan at the time, I knew something real big had just happened.

8. THE ROCK WINNING HIS 1ST WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: The heel turn that I just didn't see coming, as The Rock joined The McMahon's as the corporate champion, at the end of a tournament for the WWE title.

9. HULK HOGAN SLAMMING & PINNING ANDRE THE GIANT: The big finale at WrestleMania 3 was truly a sight to see. Memorable & exciting, this will never be forgotten

10. MICK FOLEY & HELL IN A CELL: Referring to the match against 'Taker at KOTR '98, Foley not only near killed himself by throwing himself off of the cell onto the commentary desk, but then did something almost as silly by allowing himself to be slammed through the cell onto the canvas many feet below. This isn't even mentioning the thumbtack abuse that was to come!!!.

11. DEGENERATION X IMPERSONATING THE NATION OF DOMINATION: Quite simply the funniest moment I've ever seen on WWE programming. Hilarious!!!

12. HULK HOGAN vs THE ROCK: WrestleMania 18 match which encapsulates everything about these 2 legend's meeting; The feud, the crowd reaction, the match, and the aftermath. Truly memorable & one of those moments where time appears to stand still.

13. BILL GOLDBERG WINNING HIS 1ST WCW TITLE: Nitro match in front of a huge sold-out crowd in Atlanta, where Goldberg pinned Hollywood Hogan for his 1st WCW Title reign. Excellently booked throughout the evening. Very memorable & exciting.

14. CHRIS JERICHO'S WWE DEBUT: The hype was huge, and it was an extremely well performed moment (by both Jericho & The Rock). Not exactly unpredictable, but funny & achieved it's purpose memorably.

15. CHRIS BENOIT WINNING AT WRESTLEMANIA 20: On basically the biggest stage ever & at the end of a great match, Benoit emerged tired, emotional & victorious. Having WWE champion Eddie Guerrero joining him in the ring afterwards capped it off nicely.


The 10 Greatest Tag-Teams

1. THE BRITISH BULLDOGS: The bulldogs had many attributes of the perfect team. They looked, spoke & wrestled like a team. Their tagging & teamwork were seamless. Their statures & styles complimented each other perfectly. Neither were large men, but both were extremely strong for their size. The less experienced DaveyBoy relied more on an unusual combination of speed & strength, while the more experienced Dynamite Kid would mix together his own strength with brilliant technical wrestling & patches of high-flying.

2. THE LEGION OF DOOM: Also known as The Road Warriors, Hawk & Animal had great longevity as a team, along with excellent impact in their wrestling.

3. THE STEINER BROTHERS: When performing at their best, Rick & Scott were an excellent mixture of everything & complimented each other very well.

4. THE HART FOUNDATION: I was never a huge fan of Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart, but these guys were very similar to the Steiner's in that they complimented each other very well.

5. THE HARDY BOYZ: Love them or hate them, Matt & Jeff were consistently entertaining, and sometimes truly amazing, in the ring. Could have been ranked higher if they remained as a team for longer.

6. DEMOLITION: Ax & Smash were a variation on The Legion Of Doom, but a very good one. Also surprisingly played the roles of both heels & faces very well.

7. THE ROCKERS: The prototype for the likes of The Hardyz & Edge/Christian. Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty were always entertaining & were ahead of their time. Their brutal AWA matches should also not be forgotten.

8. EDGE & CHRISTIAN: Similar to The Hardy Boyz, these guys were always entertaining (as heels or faces), but didn't remain a team for all that long a time.

9. THE OUTSIDERS: While not teaming for all that long, an argument could be made that nobody could beat Kevin Nash & Scott Hall, if they were performing at their best.

10. THE DUDLEY BOYZ: While 'The New Age Outlawz' & 'Harlem Heat' could make a case for this position, The Dudleyz deserve it. Another variation on The Road Warriors, Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von added more to the mix. Multi-time tag-team champs, and almost as effective as faces or heels. Under-rated on the mic & decent in the ring, using many double-team moves.


The 15 Greatest Wrestlers

1. SHAWN MICHAELS: The professional wrestler most able to adapt to what is necessary at any given time, both inside & outside of the ring. Good longevity, loyal & many titles won. Excellent charisma. Under-rated technical ability. Fast-paced wrestling style that can include high-flying. HBK has it all.

2. CHRIS BENOIT: Shows an intensity level that is unmatched in the history of professional wrestling: Practically every single move is done with superb intensity. The same can be said for his selling which is also the best ever, in my opinion.

3. BRET HART: Technically proficient. Many titles won over a long period of time. Like HBK, started out in the big leagues as a tag-team wrestler & successfully moved on from there.

4. HULK HOGAN: Nothing special inside the squared circle, but had a charisma level that is possibly the highest of all. Overall contribution to the wrestling business can never be equalled. Would we be seeing the WWE in it's current form today, if it wasn't for Hogan?

5. RIC FLAIR: Numerous titles won. Good intensity (both in & out of the ring), excellent longevity at the top, excellent charisma & above average wrestling skill. Furthermore, his overall contribution to the business could not be under-estimated.

6. STEVE AUSTIN: Arguably, the modern day version of Hulk Hogan, but a lot better in the ring. Played a huge role in helping the WWE overcome WCW in the late 1990's. Also under-rated during his early WCW run.

7. RANDY SAVAGE: Very good, if not outstanding. Savage made the transition well to main-event wrestling against the bigger guys. His charisma & microphone work are under-rated, as he always received an excellent crowd reaction (whether heel or face).

8. REY MYSTERIO: Amazing wrestler that re-defined popular wrestling to a certain extent. The one wrestler that consistently tops the list of whose matches I would show to a non-wrestling fan. That cannot be under-estimated.

9. KURT ANGLE: A great mix of everything in the ring, his ability to wrestle all styles against anyone is top-notch. Great intensity & is only not ranked higher on this list due to his lack of longevity (mainly due to injuries).

10. THE ROCK: Arguably matches Hogan on the charisma front. Effective as a heel or face & his contribution to the business cannot be under-estimated.

11. MICK FOLEY: Gave his all for the business & contributed heavily to a particular portion of it (hardcore wrestling). Always was entertaining both in & out of the ring. Longevity was way longer than his style should have allowed.

12. CHRIS JERICHO: Similarly to HBK, Jericho is seen as basically a cruiserweight who made the jump to become a successful heavyweight. His ability to change styles against different opponents has served him well. As has his above average charisma.

13. EDDIE GUERRERO: See comments for Chris Jericho.

14. TRIPLE H: When he was at his best, he was a great mix of everything that a main-event wrestler should be. Good intensity & an exceptional knowledge for the business, both in & out of the ring.

15. THE UNDERTAKER: I had to include The Undertaker in my top 15. Initially, an effective heel, to say he made a great transition to portraying a face is a huge understatement. Longevity is excellent, as is his loyalty.


The 10 Greatest Pay-Per-Views

1. KING OF THE RING 1996: A practically perfect mix of matches, angles & promos. Austin 3:16 started here, Brian Pillman made a memorable debut. Great matches in Austin vs Mero, Johnson vs Goldust, Mankind vs 'Taker & HBK vs DaveyBoy.

2. WRESTLEMANIA 10 (1994): 2 bouts in the top 10 greatest wrestling matches ever. 2 other very good matches, a few surprises & a terrific ending. What more can one ask for!?!?!?

3. WRESTLEMANIA 17 (2001): Extremely exciting & was really a top-notch show in every sense of the word. Innovative, entertaining & the perfect prototype for modern-day WrestleManias.

4. SUMMERSLAM 2002: The WWE went back to the basics at this event & it worked a treat. Every match is at least worth a watch & there is a terrific array of wrestling styles on showcase. Also included the amazing & unbelievable return of HBK.

5. WRESTLEMANIA 14 (1998): Similarly to SummerSlam 2002, all the matches on this card were very good & worth a watch. If it had a standout match, it would have ranked higher.

6. WRESTLEMANIA 3 (1987): Arguably the pay-per-view which has done more for the WWE than any other. 90,000+ were on hand in Michigan & they saw great feuds & angles completed, plus 2 amazing matches in Savage vs Steamboat & Hogan vs Andre.

7. ROYAL RUMBLE 2000: Just an excellently booked event. Memorable & with great variety. Tazz's WWE debut, a tremendous tables match between The Hardyz & The Dudleyz, the always fun Rumble battle royal, plus a great Triple H vs Foley streetfight.

8. ROYAL RUMBLE 1992: Dominated by the tremendous main event for the WWE Championship which Ric Flair memorably won for the first time.

9. SUMMERSLAM 1992: With it's attendance, this event proved to me that the WWF was truly a worldwide phenomenon. The atmosphere at Wembley Stadium on that day would have been something to bottle. Includes the excellent Bret Hart vs Davey Boy Smith bout & a good Warrior vs Savage WWE Championship match.

10. KING OF THE RING 1998: Dominated by the 'Taker vs Mankind HIAC Match, but also included an unpredictable first blood bout between Austin & Kane, plus Ken Shamrock vs The Rock in the King Of The Ring Final.


The 20 Greatest Matches

1. BRET HART vs DAVEYBOY SMITH. InterContinental Title Match from SummerSlam 1992: Just the perfect mix of everything. Two huge faces (& brothers-in-law) fighting in front of a huge 80,000+ crowd in London, England, put together an excellent combination of technical, power & psychological wrestling. The match that elevated Hart to main-event status & gave DaveyBoy a significant push. 26 minutes in length & the final 7 or so is better than anything you will ever see.

2. RANDY SAVAGE vs RICKY 'THE DRAGON' STEAMBOAT. InterContinental Title Match from WrestleMania 3: 90,000+ had the pleasure to watch this match live. It had everything. It was fast-paced without being confusing & had a great mixture of mat, psychological, high-flying & power wrestling. It took place in the ring, outside of the ring & on the top-rope. It had amazing attention to detail. And at 14 minutes in length, is by far the most efficient match ever. Ahead of it's time.

3. KURT ANGLE vs CHRIS BENOIT. WWE Championship Match from Royal Rumble 2003: Similarly to Savage vs Steamboat, this bout is extremely efficient. At only 20 minutes in duration, it showcases both men's strengths extremely well. While containing technical bursts, it didn't get bogged down. There were a few new reversals performed & the overall psychology of the match was top-notch. The competitiveness, intensity, counters & false finishes of this match are as good as in any match ever.

4. BRET HART vs 'STONE COLD' STEVE AUSTIN. Submissions Match from WrestleMania 13: Amazing bout which basically ended a 5 month long feud after Bret made a return following 7 months on the sidelines. Contained the infamous double-turn & really pushed both superstars to a new level. Considering the submissions match stipulation, the 2 somehow made the match extremely entertaining.

5. RAZOR RAMON vs SHAWN MICHAELS. Ladder Match for the InterContinental Title from WrestleMania 10: Groundbreaking at the time. Nothing is held back at all & the action begins practically immediately. The offense is innovative & both competitors play their part very well. Scott Hall's alter-ego picked up the win in this bout that just failed to last 20 minutes..

6. BRET HART vs OWEN HART. WrestleMania 10 Opener: Amazing match which actually opened a pay-per-view. Had a very good mix of all types of wrestling. Extremely psychological due to their past & what would happen later on in the night. Terrific ending with the upset win to Owen.

7. HULK HOGAN vs THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR. WWE Championship vs InterContinental Title Match from WrestleMania 6: Not technically brilliant, but as exciting as anything you would want to see. Huge to see 2 faces with 2 titles square off against each other at the main-event of the biggest ppv of the year. The ending is as well booked as you would ever want to see.

8. 1992 ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH Won By Ric Flair: The first & only time that the Royal Rumble battle royal has been for the WWE Championship. Thus, all the top superstars were entered. The usual fun of the annual event, but with so much more intensity & importance. Excellently booked from start to finish, with a truly memorable, intriguing & exciting finish.

9. EDDIE GUERRERO vs REY MYSTERIO JR. Mask vs WCW Cruiserweight Title Match from Halloween Havoc 1997: Top notch in so many ways; Heel to face interaction, pacing, psychology, mat-wrestling, aerial wrestling, intensity, excitement, entertainment & unpredictability. Unfortunately, 14 minutes was way too short.

10. EDGE & CHRISTIAN vs THE HARDY BOYZ. Ladder Match from No Mercy 1999: Ahead of it's time & was the forerunner for many great & innovative tag-team stipulation match battles. 16 minutes worth that was intense, exciting, entertaining & extremely spotty. Elevated the tag-team division as a whole, to practically main-event status there for a while.

11. RIC FLAIR vs RANDY SAVAGE. WWE Championship Match from WrestleMania 8: The hatred & intensity that these 2 showed for each other in their feud, completely came through in this bout. Two professionals at work in an extremely psychological & brutal bout which was fitting of a main event status.

12. AJ STYLES vs JERRY LYNN vs LOW-KI vs PSYCHOSIS. NWA/TNA Double Elimination Match for the Inaugural X-Division Championship: Amazing bout which had strange rules, but was never confusing. Extremely well booked with a great combination of psychological, fast-paced & high-flying action. Great stamina shown by Styles & Lynn. Exciting & memorable, it kick-started the promotion perfectly.

13. EDGE & CHRISTIAN vs THE HARDY BOYZ vs THE DUDLEY BOYZ. TLC Match from SummerSlam 2000: These 3 teams made what could have been an over-booked rabble into one of the most amazing stipulation matches ever. It just had everything, including the promised tables, ladders & chairs. Spots galore. Exciting, innovative & memorable.

14. HULK HOGAN vs ANDRE THE GIANT. WWE Championship Match from WrestleMania 3: Not technically brilliant, but as memorable as there probably ever is in professional wrestling. The crowd, the feud, the amazing beginning to the match, and of course, the exciting finish.

15. THE UNDERTAKER vs MANKIND. Hell In A Cell Match from King Of The Ring 1998: Not exactly the most structured bout in WWE history, but this is truly a match never to be forgotten. Brutal hardcore action with 2 infamous & unbelievable Foley falls that have to be seen to be believed.

16. EDGE & CHRISTIAN vs THE HARDY BOYZ vs THE DUDLEY BOYZ. TLC2 Match from WrestleMania 17: The rematch was a lot more spotty than the original, but the attempts to outdo it were extremely brave. Basically added Rhyno, Spike & Lita to the mix & somehow did not become too over-booked. Very entertaining.

17. THE ROCK vs TRIPLE H. Ladder Match for the InterContinental Title from SummerSlam 1998: Memorable bout which showed 2 up-and-comers really coming into their own. Good psychology, as both were not perfectly suited to the ladder match stipulation. Very entertaining & a very good attempt to re-create HBK vs Razor.

18. EDGE & CHRISTIAN vs THE HARDY BOYZ vs THE DUDLEY BOYZ. 3 Way Ladder Match from WrestleMania 16: The first ever match between the 3 teams, this had memorable spots, entertaining action & a rather unpredictable finish to cap it all off.

19. BRET HART vs MR.PERFECT. InterContinental Title Match from SummerSlam 1991: Very good match emanating from an excellent feud. Excellent array of wrestling styles which was the forerunner for the likes of Angle vs Benoit & Hart vs DaveyBoy. A great finale capped it all off.

20. TRIPLE H vs CACTUS JACK. Streetfight for the WWE Championship from Royal Rumble 2000: Another intense & excellent feud came together almost perfectly in this brutal 27 minute match. Pretty much non-stop & very hard hitting, it even told a story. The moment that truly elevated Triple H to a main event superstar. Complete with thumbtacks, chairs & a barbed-wire covered 2x4.


DESSERT - My Top 5 Columns

Well, the above 7 categories add up to 100 rankings in total, but I thought as a separate topic, I would take part in some self-indulgence & self-promotion to finish it all off. I thought about including what I thought was my best 5 columns next week, but figured it was a little more special to have them included here in this 100th column.

I will simply state the edition number, it's title, a brief comment as to why I liked the column so much & finish it off with a link to the relevant column. Happy reading if you've got some spare time on your hands.

1. EDITION #50 - The History Of Kane: One of 2 wrestler histories that I have written. Took me an eternity to research & write. Informative, fascinating & entertaining. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003/articles/1056535684.php

2. EDITION #38 - Rocky Selling Out? + Mark or Smart? + Booker T: Three excellent topics rolled up into one column. I was pretty strong on these arguments & felt that I conveyed my thoughts exceptionally well. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003/articles/1047462038.php

3. EDITION #25 - The History Of Al Snow: Almost as informative, fascinating & entertaining to read as the Kane history. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2002_/articles/1038994515.php

4. EDITION #21: Rookie Rankings & Women's Division: My first main page column. It includes a good little intro to myself & my column, my opinion on what could make the women’s division successful (which still holds to this day), plus a look at possibly the finest group of WWE rookies that there ever will be. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2002_/articles/1037182419.php

5. EDITION #42: Jeff Hardy's Motivation, Backlash Predictions & The Kliqs Return?: A mini history on Jeff Hardy which probably tells us why he still isn’t in the WWE today. Plus a look at the infamous Kliq & why they did not start over in 2003. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003/articles/1051101947.php


Phew!!! Well, that’s it for column #100 & probably the longest column that I have ever written. It took me a long time to compile & write, but I hope it was all worth it. I think it was a good summary of everything that is professional wrestling & everything that is my opinion. I’m sure something in amongst it would make for a good discussion topic as well. Please do not hesitate to let me know what you thought of this special column. As per usual, all emails will be responded to. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Now, while I’d love to take next week off, due to all this writing & replying that’s going on, I’m not going to. I will be back as always with my ‘PPV Predictions’. Yep, Unforgiven is already upon us. On top of that, I may return with some feedback to a column I wrote a couple of weeks back. And if it’s worthy, I may also include some feedback to this column. Look out for that column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.













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