Everyone remembers many of the legendary and historic matches in WWE history. The Steamboat/Savage’s and Undertaker/HBK’s of the world are forever engrained in the lore of the sport. Many others are forgotten, however, and lost to history for a variety of reasons. With a lack of build, being overshadowed by other aspects and matches, or just being flat-out under-appreciated, these matches deserve some flowers too. This is not to say they are anywhere near the level of the all-time greatest matches to ever take place, but they are matches that, to me, should be given more of the time of day and have a chance to be remembered more fondly than they are. These are 10 matches that fit that bill.
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose – Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship – Battleground 2016
Looking back, this was a match that was pegged for a Wrestlemania main event for years. When the Shield debuted on WWE’s main roster in the Fall of 2012, everyone saw three future stars of the industry almost immediately. Following their historic split in the summer of 2014, it seemed only a matter of time before all 3 were main event superstars winning world titles, with a custom-made storyline built exactly for the Wrestlemania main event. Although it never manifested in that way, this match taking place when it did was the only time it happened under WWE’s banner.
They went out there and had a very fun and entertaining triple threat built on two things: their history as a trio, and which brand, Raw or Smackdown, would take home WWE’s one World Title at the time. The match was overshadowed in the moment by the preceding WWE draft, as well as Roman Reigns’ 30-day suspension for violating the wellness policy. Dean and Seth carried the feud on TV, but with Roman’s inclusion in the match, the 3 men delivered as one would hope. It’s a forgotten match looking back in history, especially given how amazing the careers of all 3 men have been in the years since, but it was a fun and important night that should be held in higher regard.
The Uso’s vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. The Bar – Fatal-4-Way Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship – Wrestlemania 35
This one may suffer from the bias that I was in attendance to watch this match, but I felt as though the 8 men involved did a lot with the limited time they were presented with. The match was well-paced, well thought out, and everyone got their moment to shine. Ricochet was a genuine star at the time and seeing how far he’s fallen since then is a crying shame, but on this night, his first (and only, at this stage) Wrestlemania appearance was a fun one. The Uso’s victory that night was a well-deserved one for a team who had been a pillar of a plagued tag team division for years (along with the New Day) who had not had a proper moment at the biggest show of the year, so it was well-deserved and a fun way to get the tag titles onto the card.
John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels – WWE Championship Match – Wrestlemania 23
This match elevated John Cena to the highest of levels, in my opinion. In 2007, Cena was destined for a rematch against Triple H from the previous year’s Wrestlemania, but The Game’s January injury caused plans to change. Penciled in HHH’s place was none other than his tag team partner, and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Shawn Michaels. It was Michaels first world title opportunity in many years, and it was on him to elevate Cena to a new level. Cena went out and put on a show with one of the GOATs, an early sign of the status Cena would one day reach in his career. This match capped off a trilogy of Wrestlemanias in a row where Cena walked out as WWE Champion and his second consecutive main event. Cena is now better remembered for his matches with The Rock, this one may very well be Cena’s most technically proficient, well-put-together Wrestlemania encounters, and it gets lost in a career’s worth of classics for the 16-time world champion. It is always a fun match to go back and watch again, and it should 100% be given more of a look as one of Cena’s all-time best.
JBL vs. Finlay – Belfast Brawl – Wrestlemania 24
Wrestlemania 24 was the first one I ever watched, and this match opened the main card up. So, for me as a fan, this was the first Wrestlemania match I had ever seen, and it was much more fun than it is remembered for. Shockingly, this was the payoff to the long-running Mr. McMahon’s illegitimate son angle, which saw McMahon be worked out of the story, and JBL moved in as he returned to the ring a few months prior. JBL and Finlay, two all-time great brawlers in the business, went out there and had a fun match full of plunder, and it is always great seeing the good guy come out on top, even if it was for a story that was well past its time. Finlay took home the win in a fun match that is definitely worth a re-watch at the very least.
Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio – Wrestlemania 27
Cody and Rey put on a fun match from a show that is historically bad for many reasons, and this is most of the reason it is forgotten. The one major highlight of a match from this show that everyone remembers was Triple H and the Undertaker doing what they do best: stealing the show on a card that mostly stunk out the arena. The moment everyone remembers is when the Rock nailed John Cena with a Rock Bottom to end the show, setting up their 2 matches in the impending few years. However, Cody and Rey had a fun match built off a story contrived from a real-life injury to Cody’s face. Cody spoke about this match during his interview with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the “Broken Skull Sessions” saying that this match meant way more to him than many may remember. It was his first singles match at Wrestlemania, it was his first win at Wrestlemania, and it helped him embark on a fun run with the Intercontinental Championship during the upcoming year. A re-watch is something worth doing from this show that is mostly remembered for one match but had some higher points than some may remember.
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels – Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – No Mercy 2008
This match was the culmination of a long feud between Jericho and Michaels that saw Jericho re-tool his entire character in a way that was beyond necessary, and an early example of how he can do anything and everything you ask him to. Starting in April of 2008, the earliest seeds of this feud were planted while HBK feuded with Batista fresh off of Michaels retiring Ric Flair at Wrestlemania. That was the seed planted, and while they did face one another at Judgement Day 2008, as well as the Great American Bash and Unforgiven, this match right here was the cream of that crop. These two went out and had a banger main event, as HBK came mere inches away from becoming World Heavyweight Champion. Jericho squeaked away with a win and with his title still in his possession in one of the most innovative closing spots to a ladder match I have ever seen. The tug of war over the title belt, while they fought one another to fall, was perfect, and followed nearly a half-hour of brutal spots, sequences, and fun moments that had callbacks from the entirety of their half-year-long feud. I remember watching this match live as a kid, and I have made it a point to show several non-wrestling fans this after getting them more invested, and they have all loved it too, making it a fun one to check out again if you’re looking to go back in time and find a hidden gem.
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar – Fatal-4-Way Match for the Universal Championship – Summerslam 2017
In another match that I was live in attendance to see, I don’t think the crowd sat down once during this match. From the opening bell, it was high octane, high intensity, and compelling action. Brock doing a stretcher job mid-match was something I did not see coming in this one, and his return got the live crowd very excited. The winner being Brock was something not too many people wanted, but that can be overlooked because of the performance of the other 3 men in dealing with Brock, as well as trying to take advantage of him being gone for a portion of the match. Braun looked like a star, Joe fit the mold he was expected to play perfectly, and even though this was during his awkward period, Roman Reigns was looking like the star he really is. This match gets looked past now with Braun and Joe no longer being with the company, but its place in the history of Brock and Roman’s long-term story has been very vital this past year with their 2 previous battles, as well as their upcoming Summerslam 2022 one as well.
The Revival vs. The New Day – Ladder Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship – TLC 2019
In one of the Revival’s final major matches on the main roster of WWE TV, they continued their long battle with the New Day just a few months prior to their departure from WWE and arrival in AEW. This match had everything you want in a ladder match: fun high spots, great false finishes, and a massive OMG moment towards the end. As disgruntled as the future FTR may have been in WWE, they always gave it their all, and it was something they have prided themselves on, and rightfully so. This match was another example of what they are capable of, and what great tag team wrestling can be. WWE does not seem to have a desire to pursue that, however, and so if FTR is better suited in AEW and on the indies, then I’m glad that’s where they are now.
The New Day vs. The Shield – Survivor Series 2017
This match was the one I was most excited about heading into Survivor Series 2017. The repetitive builds that we have seen since the 2016 brand split for Survivor Series is all about brand supremacy something that gets older and older as the years go by, but in those first few years, it was top-notch. We get one of the most vital moments in the rise of Becky Lynch and THE greatest 5-on-5 Survivor Series match ever, but the highlight of those first 3 years of this type of Thanksgiving show was the original “under-siege” concept. When this match was announced, I was well prepared for an all-out battle between 6 of WWE’s best at the time, and that is exactly what they did. Two trios who specialized in 6-man tag matches for much of their existence paced a fun one out and gave a great look at the genius of all of them. They each got to showcase their skills, and out of the 6 men involved, 5 of them were former and/or future WWE Champions, which shows that this was the cream of WWE’s crop. Xavier Woods, the one man of the bunch to not be a world champion as of now, is not to be overlooked, as he has long since proven to be extremely great at what he does, and I sincerely hope he gets a run one day. But go and watch this (or re-watch if you’ve seen it before), as it is very fun and exactly what you would hope it to be.
Cody Rhodes & Goldust w/ Dusty Rhodes vs. The Shield w/ Dean Ambrose – Battleground 2013
Finally, the match that inspired this list for me. I recently got to re-watch this one, and I felt like I was 13 again watching it live. To have seen this on TV live was to know the level of emotion that the Rhodes’ had that night. They were fighting for their jobs. The Authority had been trying to get rid of Cody and Dusty, and Goldust returned to try and get them their jobs back. After some top-notch action between the two veterans in Cody and Goldust against two of WWE’s up-and-comers in Seth and Roman, Dusty whipped the belt off and popped the crowd big before Cody his the greatest of his Crossroad’s moves ever to win the match and send the crowd into a euphoric blast of happiness for one of wrestling’s royal families. Watching back, the emotion of the match can be a little bit lost, and so I can see why it may come across as just another match at just another WWE Pay-Per-View from 2013, but if you go in understanding the significance of the match and enjoy it for the beauty that it possesses, then you will find yourself the ultimate WWE hidden gem of a match.
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