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In 1994, a lot of amazing wrestling matches took place around the world. WWE was experiencing something of a revival with the company focusing more on smaller and more technical stars like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart.
WCW had its fair share of legends that were providing stiff competition for Vince McMahon like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Cactus Jack. Worse (at least for Vince), as ECW was gaining more momentum with each passing year, especially as they started forming partnerships with promotions in both Mexico and Japan.
And speaking of foreign promotions, some of the best wrestling matches in the world took place outside of the United States. Eddy Guerrero wrestled in a legendary tag team match for AAA that made him one of the biggest heels in all of Mexico.
In New Japan Pro Wrestling, Jushin Liger booked (and wrestled on) one of the best wrestling shows of all time. Oh, and NJPW’s rival All Japan featured a match that was so great that it was retroactively rated six stars out of five almost 22 years after it took place.
Unfortunately, we cannot honor every single great match that took place in 1994. Instead, we can only pick the five best…
#5 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart – WrestleMania X
This match is widely considered the best opening match in WrestleMania history, and for good reason. Bret and Owen told put on an outstanding match that not only told a great story but also showed just how good both wrestlers really were, especially Owen.
Up to this point, Owen was very much considered to be in Bret’s shadow. But as this match progressed, Owen looked like the better wrestler. He had more technical precision, he had more control, and his mannerisms and cockiness were believable. You felt like it was Owen and not Bret that was out-wrestling the other.
The match starts off slow, with lots of chain grappling and scientific wrestling. But by the middle of the match, things shift into a higher gear as they start hitting some far more dramatic moves, including an awesome Spike Tombstone Piledriver from Owen. Things also take a more dramatic turn shortly afterward as Bret hurts his knee, which Owen proceeds to target without remorse. It’s basic wrestling psychology like this that makes some older matches better than today’s matches since this sort of ‘limb targeting’ doesn’t seem to happen that often.
Although Bret was the one who would remain in the World Title picture, Owen was the star in this match. His technique was amazing, his timing was perfect, and selling was spectacular. The way he sold big moves and 2-counts made each 2-count believable and each big move look like a match-ender.
Some people believe that if Owen Hart hadn’t tragically passed away, he would’ve surpassed Bret as the best Hart in the family. After watching how well he wrestled in this match, that statement might not be too far from the truth.
#4 Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) vs. The Great Sasuke - Super J Cup Finals 1994
This is one of the most technically-precise matches ever put together. Pegasus and Sasuke execute every move with pinpoint precision, and nothing looks awkward or out of place. Both of them were rising stars, yet once the match ended, both of them looked like true superstars. For those that don’t know, the Super J Cup was a one-night tournament created by Jushin Liger designed to showcase the best rising junior heavyweight stars. It was a standard single-elimination match, which ended with this tournament final match. It was also long-considered to be the single-greatest night of pro wrestling in history from an in-ring action perspective.
Although Sasuke more than held his own and showed some absolutely breathtaking acrobatics, this was Pegasus (Chris Benoit)’s match. His execution and timing were flawless, and his natural technique shines throughout the match. He moved around like he had been wrestling his whole life, which the crowd appreciated, as they cheered the ‘gaijin’ as he won the match and the tournament.
If there was ever a match that acted as a harbinger of things to come for a wrestler, this was Benoit’s. Regardless of how you may feel about his actions outside the ring, he was a phenomenal wrestler inside the ring and proved it in matches like this one.
#3 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart - Steel Cage Match - SummerSlam 1994
For half an hour, Bret and Owen tore into each other in one of the most personal and bitter matches in WWE history. They made perfect use of the Steel Cage match stipulation, which gave fans a more personal and ‘violent’ encounter than their more ‘traditional wrestling’ encounter at WrestleMania X. It was made even more personal by the frequent shots of Hart Family patriarch Stu, who watched in horror as his children looked like they were trying to destroy one another. It is one of the most classic tales in wrestling history and is one that resonates with so many people. Two brothers, fighting to see which is the better wrestler.
There wasn’t any blood in this match, and the only way to win was to escape the cage (which made any submission holds a bit less exciting). So both men had to rely on their sense of timing to make this match work. And boy did they succeed. Each time either Hart climbed the cage wall or leaped for the cage door it brought the crowd to their feet. The drama was beyond palpable as the Hart brothers fought atop the cage, both desperate to escape and beat the other.
The match was unbelievably dramatic and unpredictable, down to the final seconds when both brothers were hitting each other’s head into the cage wall. Unlike in many matches you see today, both Bret and Owen looked like they could win several times in the match, which only makes it that much more fun to watch.
#2 Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - Ladder Match - WrestleMania X
This was the first Ladder match ever seen on a televised WWE broadcast and was central to the bitter feud between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels. It was a novel concept in WWE, as no one had ever seen this before on any of Vince McMahon’s programs. So when it was announced, fans tuned in by the thousands to see how these two greats would work with a ladder involved.
This match is simply astonishing. It’s simply unbelievable how much drama two men could pack into a single, twenty-minute match. Shawn and Razor stole the show here to such a degree that one of them earned the nickname ‘The Showstopper’.
This is also the match that led to one of the most repeated moments in WWE history: Shawn Michaels diving off the ladder onto Razor Ramon. When that happened, you could hear the entire audience scream in excitement and horror.
The ladder proved to be not only a fantastic source of drama but also a fantastic offensive weapon as well. Each time a ladder-based move was done, it got a thunderous reaction.
Finally, the closing moments of the match with Shawn Michaels getting tangled in the ring ropes were pure wrestling genius; as it gave Razor’s final ladder climb an enormous amount of additional drama.
Truly, this is one of the best matches in WWE history.
#1 Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada - June 3rd, 1994
It has also been referred to be some as the ‘Singles Match of the Decade’, which isn’t too farfetched of a statement, to be honest. This match has risen to mythical status among pro wrestling enthusiasts. Initially rated as a 5-star match, Dave Meltzer has since gone back and rated this match 6 stars out of five, making it the first-ever match to get an official 6-star rating.
Simply put, this match was the epitome of wrestling perfection. The technical wrestling was outstanding, the match’s structure exciting and logical, the strikes looked real and brutal, the big spots looked devastating, and the audience was both loud and fully immersed in what they were watching.
It was a match that didn't even need a storyline or any gimmicks. It was a straightforward battle of champion versus challenger, both wanting to show why they were the best. The rest they told through in-ring action and wrestling psychology that was light years ahead of anything else in the world at the time.
When the match ended, not only did the fans erupt like never before (up to that point), but the lead commentator pulled a Jim Ross and proceeded to lose his mind as if he had just witnessed the greatest match of all time. Then again, given how awesome this match was, it very well still might be.
If nothing else, this match gets remembered for its unrelenting brutality and the superhuman toughness of both Misawa and Kawada. Of course, Kawada deserves a little extra credit for taking one of the most vicious neck drops ever in a sick Tiger Driver ’91 that will make you wince just by watching it.
