Wrestlemania has been home to some of the greatest matches and rivalries ever seen in the WWE. It is called “The Grandest Stage of Them All” for a reason, after all. Another thing synonymous with Wrestlemania is that a year’s worth of storylines culminates during that one weekend and rivalries are settled once and for all.
For all this talk about pro-wrestling being scripted and fake and all that jazz, there are instances where the “fake” looks so real, we wonder if it would have been better served inside a UFC Octagon rather than a WWE ring.
Of course, not every great match would be better in MMA rather than pro-wrestling, which is why we have picked the five matches which would fit perfectly, and probably yield a greater result when fought inside the Octagon:
#5 Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (Wrestlemania X-Seven)
We start off with a technical masterpiece. Kurt Angle and Christ Benoit were two of the most technically proficient wrestlers in the WWE during their time in Vince’s madhouse and looking at them in action, it’s easy to imagine that they would be right at home in MMA.
Putting on a wrestling clinic filled with beautiful grappling and top-notch submissions, Angle and Benoit went back and forth in a mid-card classic. Including a great sequence where they used each other’s finishers to try and end the match – Benoit with the Ankle Lock followed by Angle with the Crippler Crossface – Angle played his role as a heel to perfection, as he rolled up the Canadian and pinned him while grabbing his tights.
Two technical gifted wrestlers? Check. Two submission experts? Check. One epic MMA bout? Check, indeed.
#4 Edge vs. Matt Hardy (Wrestlemania X-Seven)
Okay, I’ll come clean here. This wasn’t a one-on-one bout. It was a tag-team Triple Threat as a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match between the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, and Edge/Christian.
The reason it appears on this list is the animosity between Matt Hardy and Edge. In case you’ve been under a rock, here’s the backstory between the two men. The two were good friends, rising through the ranks together in the WWE. As the years went by, though, Edge began hooking up with Matt’s then-girlfriend, Lita, behind the elder Hardy’s back.
This culminated in an epic feud that was made all the more intense due to the off-screen hatred between the two men. And it is this off-screen hatred that is the catalyst for an MMA bout. Edge and Hardy would be more than happy to hurt to each other for real, and what better place than inside the UFC Octagon? Tickets would sell like hotcakes!
#3 Triple H vs The Undertaker (Wrestlemania 27)
Now, we move forward a decade from the previous two entries. Triple H vs. Undertaker from Wrestlemania 27, is in my humble opinion, one of the very best ‘Mania matches of all-time. Two legends colliding in a bout for the ages.
Sure, Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker gets all the plaudits, but Triple H vs. Undertaker was better for me. The two behemoths beating the living hell out of each other and Undertaker kicking out of everything the Game threw at him, before locking in an unlikely triangle choke for the victory.
Perhaps the most iconic scene was Hunter walking back after the match while the Deadman was still down in the ring, despite the victory. The sheer brutality of this match is what makes me want to see what would happen if this clash took place under MMA rules. A true clash of the titans.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (Wrestlemania 19)
Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 19 had it all. An incredible show of pro-wrestling from two Superstars at the very top of their game. At a time when Angle was suffering from major back issues, the fact that he was able to put any kind of match at all was a miracle. But, no one expected the spectacle that would unfold before them.
Going back and forth with a number of false finishes – which were exacerbated by a horribly botched Shooting Star Press by Lesnar – the Beast Incarnate took the win in a monolithic encounter.
Now, Lesnar has shown us that he can damn well make an impact in MMA and with Angle’s technical brilliance, seeing them clash in the UFC would be every fight fan’s wet dream.
#1 Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 12)
Perhaps the best-ever Ironman match in history, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart put on a show for the ages as the Showstopper took home the win against the Hitman. But, that’s not why this match makes the list.
The reason Hart vs. Michaels is on this list is because of the incredible hatred between the two men. It was, after all, Michaels who was Bret’s opponent during the infamous Montreal Screwjob incident and the pair have been at each other’s throats ever since.
Sure, they apparently buried the hatchet with Hart’s return to the WWE, but there is still an undercurrent of that hatred still present between the two men. And where else to settle this feud once and for all than the Octagon in an all-out war?
What makes this even more appetising, is that Hart and Michales are both technical geniuses and would be right at home in the Octagon. This added with the aforementioned hatred creates the perfect storm.
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