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Pro-wrestling has been around since almost a century now. It has grown to become a worldwide phenomenon, with WrestleMania raking in millions of dollars every year, and fans from more than 60 countries flock in to witness the action unfold in a packed stadium.
The wrestling giant, WWE has more than a billion social media followers, proving that wrestling has a large fan following. One thing that has been a constant ever since the early 90s is the fact that mainstream media never takes wrestling seriously, and belittles it by calling it a fake sport.
Let's take a look at three legendary moments that proved the fact that even though pro-wrestling is a sport with pre-determined results, it is far from a joke.
#3 The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 25
This classic encounter turned out to be a saving grace for a lacklustre WrestleMania and is widely considered by many as being the single greatest match in pro-wrestling history.
For more than 30 minutes, these two legends went at it in front of a jam-packed Reliant Stadium. Near pinfalls, high flying spots and a plethora of finishing moves later, The Undertaker finally managed to put down Shawn Michaels in a match for the ages.
Undertaker's WrestleMania streak was still intact at this point, and it came close to being broken on multiple occasions throughout the match. The entire bout is a display of pure athleticism by two of the greatest superstars of all time.
The two rivals met again at the next year's Mania in another classic outing, but there was no way this match could be replicated. The second match also turned out to be Shawn Michaels' retirement match that led to his emotional exit from the WWE. The Heartbreak Kid went on to become a Hall of Famer in 2011, and The Undertaker is a sure shot first ballot Hall of Famer whenever his time comes.
Casual fans label this match as the point when they began taking wrestling seriously. It actually made them believe that even though all of this is pre-determined, going at it for 30 minutes and keeping the audience engaged is not a joke.
#2 Mankind falls off the cell
This visual has become so legendary, it is regularly shown as a part of WWE's highlight reels and is referenced whenever a Hell in a Cell match is on the horizon.
Mankind was far from what a traditional wrestler looked like. He was overweight and definitely not in the league of someone like Bret Hart. But no one would dare to do the things he ended up doing in the WWE. The greatest and the most memorable visual in his storied career came when he faced off against The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell during the peak of the Attitude Era.
Most of the match took place outside the cell and eventually, the moment arrived that's been etched into every fan's memories: The Undertaker throwing an unconscious Mankind off the top of the cell, 16 feet down, onto the announcer's table. Mankind miraculously came back after being put into a stretcher, and proceeded to take another fall, and lose a tooth.
Traditional fans tend to show this clip to anyone who brands wrestling as being a fake sport.
#1 Edge spears Foley through fire
As Mick Foley was nearing the end of his career, he decided to give a rub to The Rated R Superstar, Edge, at WrestleMania 22.
The hardcore match turned out to be one of the most brutal brawls in Mania history, as Edge fell back first on a bunch of thumbtacks, injured his shoulder in the process of spearing Mick Foley who was wearing a barbed wire under his shirt, and drew an insane amount of blood.
During the final moments of the match, Lita set a table on fire outside the ring. As Mick Foley struggled to keep his balance on the ring ropes, the ever-opportunistic Edge sprinted towards him and delivered a thunderous spear on the flaming table! The fire was immediately doused and Edge pinned Foley.
Edge was shivering with pain as he left the arena with Lita, leaving a sea of astonished fans who had just witnessed one of the most brutal matches of all time.
