WWE: Five matches that changed the business

How often have we seen something unbelievable unfold in front of our eyes? Something magical taking shape, history being written right before you. Wrestling is truly unpredictable; yes, the matches are rehearsed and the winners are pre determined, but that’s not the beauty of pro wrestling. Let me go on the record and say Vince doesn’t own pro wrestling. Just because he says WWE isn’t ‘Sports Entertainment’ doesn’t mean pro wrestling isn’t. And when you are in such a captivating business, sometimes things just happen, even they weren’t meant to be that way. In that sense, pro wrestling is in a whole different league of its own. When you have a scripted scene turning into reality, breathing on its own, taking its own course of life, you cannot do anything but just stand back and watch in awe as the magic unfolds, and you feel lucky to be part of the experience.

Such things have happened in pro wrestling before. You have scenarios where the so called ‘scripted business’ turns into reality, something much more than what you could have anticipated. An example of that would be the Montreal Screwjob. Going into the match, everyone thought it would be an iconic battle and in the end, one of the two men would win fair and square (at least in the wrestling business’ sense), and Bret would leave for WCW. But what happened during the match gave glimpses of how pro wrestling can take a life of its own, how reality is induced into the sport, and how it can change the landscape of the industry. How it can create heroes, and the way it can make someone a villain in an instant. This is why pro wrestling has such an ardent following.

In this article, I will go through 5 such major instances which, while they didn’t necessarily go out of control based on their reality aspect, but did help in changing the careers of the superstars involved. How heroes were made, legends were born and good guys turned into the villains, although it wasn’t meant to be.

5. HHH vs The Rock (SummerSlam ’98)

We all know who HHH is and who Dwayne Johnson a.k.a The Rock is. At this point in time, these two men have been two of the biggest names in the WWE history. Both men have had impressive careers in the wrestling business, and have entertained the fans all the world over for years. One nicknamed ‘The Game’ and the other ‘The People’s Champion’, the Rock and HHH have had one of the most intense rivalries in the history of the WWE. But back in ’98, these two guys were in the mid card, climbing the ladder inch by inch, scrapping to the main event level. They weren’t there yet; they needed something to elevate themselves to the next level.

Then came Summerslam ’98 for the Intercontinental title. Back in those days, IC title was one of the most prestigious titles, and actually mattered in the WWF. So we saw two younger wrestlers taking on each other for the WWF IC title. At this point, The Rock was with The Nation of Domination, while HHH was a member of the original DX.

When these two guys met, something changed. Something big happened for both these guys. Their careers were catapulted into the big league, and their rise to fame received a big push.

The Rock and HHH put on one of the best matches of ’98, and one of the best ladder matches at that time. Both of these guys gave everything they had to win the IC title. Back in those days, the IC title was the pedestal for a young superstar to burst into the main event scene. HHH and Rock put on a classic, and in the end, HHH won the title. What happened next? These two superstars went on to become two of the biggest names in the industry, with HHH winning the WWF/E World title multiple times, as did The Rock.

http://youtu.be/1hjT9lKkmEM

4. Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels (WM 19)

This was built as a ‘Protégé vs Mentor’ classic, and the match itself was highly anticipated. Leading into the event, the ‘Ayatollah of Rock n’ Rolla’ Chris Jericho proclaimed how he was better than Shawn Michaels, and how he had emulated him throughout his entire career, and how he always wanted to be like him. And then he claimed he would beat the HBK at Wrestlemania, since Shawn was known as ‘Mr. WrestleMania’. At the showdown, these guys put on one of the best matches of WrestleMania history. They two guys tore the house down, and the Seattle crowd witnessed one of the best matches taking place right in front of their eyes. I remember watching the match, and just being blown away by the pace of it.

On this night, something interesting happened. Jericho was a former World Champion, and had accomplished almost everything in the business. Everything, except the one thing that would put him on the shelf of the greats: stealing the show at WrestleMania. Before the match, Jericho was seen as a former World champion, but after the bout, he was seen as a great in the business. It is fascinating how one match can change the stake of an individual in the world of pro wrestling, and on this night, even though Jericho lost to HBK, he cemented his legacy among the greats in the wrestling world.

3. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (HIAC – No Mercy 2002)

Brock Lesnar came into the business and took it by storm. Holding incredible credentials while coming into the business, Brock left the people speechless with his incredible raw power, his speed and his athleticism, both of which were uncommon for a guy of his size. Vince had backed Brock from the beginning, with him winning the King of the Ring, the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship when he was just 25, making him the youngest WWE Champion in the history of the WWE. When Brock seemed to have won it all, he wasn’t quite the biggest name of the business the way Vince wanted him to be. He had defeated the likes of Hogan and Rock, but he still wasn’t at the helm of the business. Something was missing, something that would make him a monster, something that would put his name among the greats of the business. That something was a win against the biggest name in the industry, The Undertaker.

The Undertaker has always helped the younger guys. He is perhaps the only legend who has always put the business ahead of his needs and what was good for him. Then came the time when Brock went toe to toe with The Undertaker, in a feud which made Brock invincible in the WWE. The storyline involved Brock breaking Taker’s hand, and trash talking his then wife who was also pregnant. Come the match, it became the launch pad for Brock’s future as THE man in the WWE, and was also his greatest feud in his short stay in the WWE. This also showed why Taker is the yard stick in the business. The match in itself was off the hook, and the win established Brock as the top dog in the industry, which was also explained in his DVD.

http://youtu.be/vF6B7VH3SHA

2. Undertaker vs Jeff Hardy (Ladder match, 2002 RAW)

Again, this shows why the future revolved so much around the Undertaker, and always has, even though he wasn’t the centre of the attention, the focus of the main storylines. This was at a point when Taker was the WWE Undisputed Champion, and was involved in a feud with the Hardy Boyz which escalated after the Royal Rumble encounter, with the Hardys distracting Taker and getting him eliminated.

This match wasn’t taken seriously; as people thought Jeff would be fed to Undertaker, which wasn’t the case. The match made Jeff’s future in the business, and was the stepping stone for Jeff to get into the main event scene, and the current scenario only proves the point. Jeff went on to become a multiple time WWE/World Champion, and is currently the TNA World Champion.

The match was fast paced and was voted one of the best matches of the year, and it wasn’t a surprise. Taker and Jeff went at it, with Jeff nearly winning the WWE title on many occasions. Jim Ross’s commentary made the match all the more memorable, and just increased the passion seen in the match. But what made the match an epic wasn’t just the match itself, but in the end when Taker, after giving Jeff a choke slam after the match was over, came back to raise Jeff’s hand, showing him respect, which is the ultimate show of appreciation for any youngster in the business. If you have Taker’s respect, you have achieved ‘it’ in the business.

http://youtu.be/SFYmKo9YJUQ

1. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (WM 13, No disqualifications submission match)

This is perhaps the best example of the point I tried to make with this article. The background of the match is interesting. After losing to HBK the previous WM, Bret spoke out how the next WM was going to be HBK’s ‘giving back’ match, so to say. But it turned into a Bret – Austin feud, with them going at it since the SS ’96, and then escalated when Hart eliminated Austin at RR ’97, but the refs didn’t pay attention, and Austin came back to eliminate Bret, and win the RR. Austin then cost Bret the WWF title on numerous occasions. The blow off match at WM also featured the MMA legend, Ken Shamrock, who was the referee for the bout. Going into the match, Bret was the good guy and Austin was the heel, but by the end of the match, that changed.

Austin considers this match, and rightly so, the best match of his career. The match was simply sensational and would make the top 5 of the greatest WM matches of all time, and might even go on to win it! The subsequent ‘double turn’ came when Austin, in spite of losing a lot of blood, didn’t give up, and when Hart applied his finisher, the Sharpshooter, Austin passed out due to the pain instead of giving up and the match was awarded to Bret Hart. But Hart still didn’t let go, attacking the lifeless body of Austin, and Ken interfered. And the fans started to cheer Austin and boo Bret. And this was when Hart became ‘The bad guy’, and the rise of Austin began.

http://youtu.be/stGzIBIaTRM