Like a bad case of hemorrhoids, Mike Gojira is back to whoop some ass!
I’ve returned from soul-searching with Round Two of my epic coverage of the feuds that made Superstars out of ordinary wrestlers. Last time I focused on four of the biggest names to come out of the Attitude Era: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and Mick Foley (which you can check out here). This week, as promised, my attention (short as it is) will be solely on the biggest stars of the 1990s.
I asked you guys to send in your thoughts and a few of you disagreed with me on some points, which is welcome and fully encouraged. There is honestly no real way to define the feud which propels certain wrestlers through the stratosphere because it is a combination of elements (right place, right time) which culminates in that ascension to greatness. This week’s column will be even more controversial simply because the people on this list have had such epic careers that there is no way to truly gauge the pinnacle of their time in the business. Without further ado, I give you the feuds that made THESE men famous.
The Undertaker: The Shawn Michaels Summerslam Fallout (late 1997)
Let’s be honest: Undertaker has had both good and bad times in the WWE, like any ridiculous gimmick, but his delivery in the ring and on the mic cemented his place in wrestling history even if some of his feuds were absurd. I could have picked many moments in his career, such as his face turn against Jake Roberts, or rising from the dead at the Royal Rumble, or his feud with Mankind, or the beginning of the Ministry (the end sucked). However, I chose his first true battles with the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, and here’s why.
In 1997, Undertaker won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania XIII and held the belt until Summerslam, which back then was an impressive feat as the ‘E seemed to be on an Employee of the Year kick in those days. His opponent at Summerslam was Bret Hart and HBK was the special guest referee. Hart spit in HBK’s eye, Michaels swung a chair at Bret and knocked out Taker with it, and Michaels had no choice but to give Bret the victory when he covered the Deadman.
This began an awesome feud with HBK that gave us a great match in September which led to a no-contest, as well as the first-ever Hell in a Cell (Taker lost due to Kane’s appearance) and an epic Royal Rumble casket match wherein HBK busted his back (the casket still has the dent; I saw it at Axxess a few years ago). For me, this feud showed that Taker was beyond a simple supernatural gimmick and could work a great story in the ring. Some might argue that HBK did all the work, but there’s no way you can deny Taker’s efforts. Hell, it even led to the two greatest Wrestlemania matches of all time over a decade later. Now that’s saying something.
Shawn Michaels: The Iron Man Match (March 1996)
HBK had always been known as a great high flyer and could sell the hell out of a clothesline. The Barbershp segment where he tossed Jannetty through the window could have been his moment, or it could have been his Intercontinental Championship feud with Razor Ramon, but I think the moment that defined Shawn Michaels was the changing of the guard at Wrestlemania XII (“The boyhood dream has come true!”).
His epic 60-minute-plus encounter with Bret Hart was the match that made me a hardcore fan of the wrestling business. That match took everything out of both men and the term “passing of the torch” was more than apropos. HBK became an idol and the guy to watch at every Wrestlemania he appeared in. Undertaker (twice), Flair, McMahon, Triple H/Benoit, Cena…every one of those matches was memorable because Michaels was involved and made them special.
Bret “The Hitman” Hart: Pulling Double Duty (March 1994)
I would have put Bret’s Intercontinental Championship win over Mr. Perfect here, or his first WWE Championship (non-televised over Ric Flair), but the hiccup that was Wrestlemania IX made both moments look like utter shit. No, for me it was Bret’s night of double duty when he faced Owen Hart AND Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X that made him a legend.
Bret was in the midst of a feud with his brother Owen and had won the Royal Rumble with Lex Luger earlier that year. Luger earned the opportunity to face the champ first and lost. Meanwhile, Bret had an amazing battle with Owen that I would define as the best match between brothers I have ever seen. He would lose that match, but regain the WWE Championship from Yokozuna later that night.
Sting: NWA Championship Victory Over Ric Flair (July 1990)
The Man Called Sting has often been billed as the WCW/NWA version of Hulk Hogan due to his uber-face persona and drawing power. When he defeated Flair at The Great American Bash for his first World Title victory, Sting became the hottest act in professional wrestling (other than Hogan, of course).
Many of his greatest feuds could be considered for the moment he became a wrestling legend, from his epic confrontations with Vader to his “Crow” persona versus the nWo, but it was his rivalry with Flair which spanned over a decade that truly defined Sting as the top dog.
This edition of The Stomping Ground will now come to an end. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts on this week’s column below. Next week I’ll pick out a few bright spots in the 1980s and see where we go from there. If there’s anyone you’d like me to focus on, drop the name in the comments section.
As always, you can find a shitload of great articles by our crack team of writing experts here on Pulse.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
