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By 1997, wrestling was becoming an even bigger phenomenon around the world. In WWE, the Austin Era was in full swing, yet the man himself was not yet at the top of the company. He had to overcome one of his biggest rivals ever, which led to one of the best matches in both WWE and WrestleMania history.
But Austin wasn’t the only person in WWE to have a legendary match in 1997. The Undertaker took part in his first and only 5-star match, which is remembered as much for a surprise entrant as it is for its sheer brutality.
Meanwhile, Japan was still the global hub of great in-ring workers. Both All Japan and New Japan had some great matches, most of which were filled with those trademark elements of puroresu: extremely stiff strikes, chain grappling, and signature moves being built on top of one another in an intelligent fashion.
In 1997, five matches were rated 5-stars by the Wrestling Observer, three were rated 4.75-stars and eight were rated 4.5-stars. Yet of these critically-acclaimed matches, only five will be showcased on this list. However, just because a match is rated 5-stars by the WON doesn’t mean that it’s just as great for everyone.
So which of these legendary matches stand as the five best of 1997? Read on…
5. El Samurai vs. Koji Kanemoto - June 5, 1997
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x47lxt3
The only thing you need to know about both these guys is that they’re both junior heavyweight wrestlers participating in a tournament called ‘Best of Super Juniors’, which is basically a cruiserweights-only G1 Climax-style tournament.
This was another one of those classic Japanese matches that was all about the in-ring action and technical precision. Kanemoto was a technical wizard, reversing his way out of every single hold and big move like he’s Kurt Angle’s long lost brother.
Samurai, meanwhile, more than held his own, locking in some painful submission holds and hit Kanemoto with some truly powerful slaps right to the face. By the halfway point, however, the match evolved into something else.
We started seeing the signature elements that make a great NJPW match: insane dives outside the ring, stiff lariats, and painful-looking and believable submission holds.
The crowd, which had been watching quietly and studiously beforehand, got really loud really fast. It only got better and better as the match progressed, with Kanemoto at one point unleashing a top-rope Poisoned Frankensteiner, two decades before it became a ‘regular’ move on the independent scene.
By the time it was over, Samurai had hit the biggest moves in his arsenal and the crowd became unglued as he scored the pinfall. Although it wasn’t on the same level of ‘lightning speed’ as some lucha libre wrestlers, it was still a spectacular back-and-forth contest between two great wrestlers.
4. Jushin Liger vs. Koji Kanemoto –February 16, 1997
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1t5n6t
When this match occurred, Liger was the J-Crown Champion, which was the combination of eight different cruiserweight championships from around the world. In other words, Liger held and defended eight championships at the same time. In this match, he defended said crown against Koji Kanemoto, one of the best technical wrestlers in New Japan at the time.
The match was awesome from the opening bell, with the wrestlers working a fast pace filled with scientific reversals. Even though Liger was a veteran at the time, he had his hands full with Kanemoto, who proceeded to out-wrestle Liger at first.
He then proceeded to kick Liger as hard as possible, which seemed to anger Liger with each strike. Eventually, Liger got mad and started hitting his big moves, including the Shotei palm strike and the Ligerbomb.
Oh, and to prove that Liger was mad at this point, he hit a Brainbuster on the outside, which got a huge pop from the crowd.
This is why Liger was so awesome in the 1990s: not only was he a daredevil high-flyer, but he could also hit power moves and strikes with laser precision and make them look both convincing and devastating.
Thanks to the incredible athleticism and grappling skills of both wrestlers, this match was rated 4.75 stars out of five. But what’s more impressive is that Liger wrestled this match in 1997, six months after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor. If that doesn’t scream dedication and badassery, I don’t know what does.
3. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada - June 6, 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQDamSWdagg
You can’t have a list of greatest matches without two of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Misawa and Kawada. These men were fierce rivals throughout the 1990s, and together have put on numerous critically-acclaimed matches.
In this classic, Misawa and Kawada hit each other with extremely stiff strikes from the opening bell, and then spend the following thirty minutes clobbering each other with various strikes and suplexes.
Kawada also showed some great psychology as well by targeting Misawa’s main elbowing arm, thus rendering Misawa’s signature elbows less effective. Because of that, the second half was less about Misawa hitting as many elbows as possible and more about absorbing an inhuman amount of punishment.
Misawa took powerbombs to the floor, terrifying Backdrop Drivers directly onto his head and neck, and several kicks to the face that should’ve broken his jaw. But Misawa would not give up, and after taking an incredible amount of punishment, demolished Kawada with some terrifying strikes and suplexes of his own.
By the end, both of them had dished out enough punishment to put an ordinary man in the hospital for life, as they both gave out and absorbed some of the most vicious offense ever seen, including a ton of moves targeting both the head and neck.
If you don’t care about storylines or theatrics and just want to see the wrestling equivalent of two bitter rivals wanting to more or less kill each other for a championship, this is the match for you.
2. Bret Hart vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin - WrestleMania 13
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ap2si
This is widely considered to be the greatest match in WWE and WrestleMania history, as well as the best match in both men’s respective careers. Bret Hart and Steve Austin told one of the greatest stories ever told in a wrestling ring, and it led to one of the rarest events in all of professional wrestling: the double turn.
Austin entered the match as the hated rulebreaker and Bret the beloved fan favorite. However, as the match progressed, they switched alignments. Bret started acting more underhanded and showed a level of aggression that was unbecoming of a fan favorite.
Meanwhile, Austin showed incredible toughness and determination, which made fans want to cheer him instead. This culminated in one of the most famous images in WWE history: a bloodied Austin screaming in pain, refusing to tap out to Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter.
This was not a technical masterpiece or scientific grappling contest; it was a savage, remorseless brawl, and the crowd loved every second.
Whether it’s the brawling in the crowd itself, the weapons shots, the blood, or the submission holds, the crowd was going absolutely nuts. It was just so much fun to watch.
This brawl not only told a spectacular story, but also led to some incredible character development for both men. Once this match was over, Bret Hart had established him as a new heel for the first time in many years, and Austin was the hero people could rally behind.
Lastly, this particular video has commentary from none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin himself. He provides excellent analysis and insight, telling viewers what was going through his mind at the time.
So not only do you get to watch arguably the best match in WrestleMania history, but you also get to hear one of the wrestlers involved in the match itself talk about it.
1. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - Hell In A Cell - Badd Blood 1997
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x51u6mw
This match is simply legendary. It’s the first-ever Hell in a Cell match, and as the saying goes, the first one is usually the best. This match had things that no one in WWE had ever seen before.
Although it started off rather slowly, it wasn’t long before the level of violence that defined the name ‘Hell in a Cell’.
Undertaker threw Michaels into the cell structure many times, brutalizing him for the first half of the match. To compensate for his smaller stature, HBK resorted to smashing Undertaker with various objects, including piledriving Undertaker onto steel stairs.
Later, Michaels cleverly managed to find his way out of the cell, which led to Shawn being bloodied as he was smashed into the cell wall again and again. Then things got even more awesome as the two of them climbed onto the Cell’s roof, leading to the crazy visual of Shawn’s blood raining down onto the camera.
As the brawl got more intense, the crowd started roaring, more excited with each passing moment of carnage and destruction.
Lastly, while the match itself was epic, the ending is the best part. That’s because it marked the WWE debut of Kane, who was introduced in the most badass way possible.
Coming down to the ring accompanied by eerie music, fire and Vince McMahon screaming ‘That’s gotta be KANE!’, Kane ripped the Cell door off its hinges and Tombstoned his own brother.
This set in motion one of the greatest rivalries in WWE history, and brought together two of the greatest big men in wrestling history.
