Shawn Michaels, Triple H and UndertakerGetting a time machine is probably the ultimate fantasy of everyone out there. And when it comes to wrestling fans, the urge to get the same goes to an entirely different level. This is because of all those memorable moments that professional wrestling has gifted us.Some of these moments filled us with surprises while some of them made us cry. The ones that did not fit into the first two categories probably shocked us to the core. No matter which emotions we went through, these moments were embedded into our memories. One day if some genius out there invents a time machine, the wrestling fans are sure to revisit to some moments and here is a look at them.
#10 Shane McMahon is the owner of WCW
WCW and WWE were locked in a bloody battle for supremacy during the Monday Night Wars. Both companies were willing to push the envelope but at the end of the day, it was WWE that survived. Once WCW went out of business, the next obvious question was about their future. And WWE, who bought out their competition, came up with the best possible angle.
Vince McMahon was all set to celebrate the demise of his rivals but was met with a big surprise when Shane McMahon showed up in the big screen. Shane claimed that he had purchased WCW and it marked the start of Invasion angle. It was a classic scenario of blurring the line between reality and kayfabe.
#9 Legends Embrace
Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker are three names without which the history of WWE wouldn’t be complete. These three men have been part of some iconic moments throughout their career and WrestleMania 28 saw an excellent addition to that list.
Triple H and Undertaker faced off inside a Hell in a Cell match at the pay-per-view. To add more hype to the match, WWE added Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. After a historic match, Undertaker’s streak lived on but what stole the show was the post-match embrace that these three legends had. The moment was filled with legitimate emotions and every fan would want to relive the same.
#8 End of the Streak
While the survival of Undertaker’s streak gave us the last moment, the end of his streak gave us another. Everything surrounding the match was below average. The buildup was far from being exciting and the match itself was not the best work from both wrestlers. However, when Lesnar successfully pinned Undertaker after an F-5, the whole WWE Universe went blank.
The streak that lasted more than two decades came to an end just like that. The result instantly broke the internet and fans that hadn’t been in the wrestling scene for so many years were suddenly shocked by the news. It was the end of an era and going through those emotions once again would be priceless.
#7 Mankind redefines wrestling
Another moment involving the Undertaker but this time, he was overshadowed by Mankind and the way he redefined the term wrestling. It was the second major Hell in a Cell match in WWE history and the expectations were clearly high. The highlight of the match came when Mankind was thrown off from top of the cell to the announce table.
There were no CGI, no stuntmen and no nothing. It was a pure case of craziness driven with adrenaline from Mankind and it was a miracle that he lived through it. And the next best part about the whole moment was Jim Ross. His "GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY, THAT KILLED HIM....AS GOD AS MY WITNESS, HE IS BROKEN IN HALF,” call is still textbook stuff and it was probably a legitimate reaction from JR.
#6 Beer Bath by Steve Austin
The rivalry between Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Steve Austin was a major attraction of the Attitude Era. Both superstars knew how to manipulate the crowd and it resulted in a thoroughly entertaining affair. Before their clash at WrestleMania XV, Rock and Austin had a confrontation on Monday Night Raw. Austin, in his trademark style, came into the arena with a beer truck.
Though the fans were just expecting yet another vehicular angle from WWE, it proved to be something else. Austin took out a hose from the beer truck and started spraying beer into the ring. In the end, Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon and Rock floundered around the ring while Austin stood tall on top of the beer truck.
#5 Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25
Undertaker has had many opponents throughout his career, but Shawn Michaels was probably the best one from the lot. These two men had some epic encounters in the squared circle and the most impressive match from their arsenal came at WrestleMania 25. Undertaker’s streak was up for grabs at the pay-per-view and these two gave an instance classic.
They would have another match a year later, but the clash at WrestleMania 25 stood out on its own. The value of Undertaker’s streak skyrocketed after the same and it became a big draw for WWE in the years that followed. We might have videos of the match but nothing could beat being there in person to witness these two legends.
#4 Hulk Hogan Slams Andre
The match between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant is considered to be historic. From a wrestling point of view, it was a slow affair. It was filled with strikes, holds and a lot of taunting. But when Hogan picked up Andre and slammed him, the whole place erupted. It felt like the entire match was a building up to that exact moment.
A leg drop later, Hogan won the match and it ended up being a moment to cherish for the WWE fans. if we had a time machine, we would have definetly revisited the match just to see that iconic body slam and nothing else.
#3 Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob is an obvious inclusion in the list. It was iconic, it was controversial and it was everything in-between. The moment has been dissected in every possible way over the years and it is something that needs no introduction or explanation.
It was a turning point in the wrestling history and many fans recognize this as the start of Attitude Era. The reason for including this in the list is not because it was iconic. It is because we still don’t know whether it was a real incident or a work. Living through the same one more time would clear up the doubt to an extent and that is why we should revisit the Montreal Screwjob.
#2 Mankind wins the WWE championship
The Monday Night Wars was at its peak during the late 90s and both the companies were spewing out dirty tricks. One of the tricks that Eric Bischoff used to take out WWE was giving out results. Raw was taped during the time and Bischoff simply announced the results of Raw during Nitro.
On the January 9, 1999 episode of Monday Night Raw, Mankind won his first ever WWE championship thanks to some help from Steve Austin. Bischoff, who knew the result beforehand revealed the same on Nitro. He expected the fans to keep watching Nitro but the trick backfired and everyone switched channels to see the title change. Raw won the ratings war that night and it turned the Monday Night Wars in WWE’s favour.
#1 Benoit and Eddie celebrates at WrestleMania XX
There are a lot of reasons why this moment is on top of the list. First of all, this was not planned. It was pure unadulterated emotions from both the superstars who were considered as ‘vanilla midgets’ in the wrestling business.
Chris Benoit was expected to be an extra fitting in the Shawn Michaels – Triple H feud but at the end of the day, Benoit stood tall. Earlier, Eddie won his epic encounter against Kurt Angle as well. After all the efforts and dedication that they showed to the business, Benoit and Eddie deserved a celebratory moment like this. No matter what happened in their life afterwards, it was a moment that made us realize the beauty of professional wrestling.
And a time machine is probably our only hope of seeing these legends in the ring once again.
Obviously, there will be a plethora of moments missed out, so feel free to comment them one by one in the comment section.
