SNAG's Top 10 Moments in Wrestling History
Whether it was Friday Night Smackdown, Monday Night Raw, or any of the several installments from wrestling history, this was a culture that had profound effects on a lot of childhoods.
While some interests in the sport may have waned since childhood, there are still several moments that we hold close to our hearts. And yes, we are about to get sentimental about steel cage matches and men in tights.
Here are Snag Collective’s top ten moments in wrestling history.
1. Mike Tyson Joins DX
When it comes to crossovers, no one does it better than the WWE. On this night of Monday Night Raw, tensions were building between DX and Tyson following a heated encounter at Wrestlemania. When Shawn Michaels and Tyson entered the ring and started circling each other, the audience was sure they were going to go at it. This made the shirt rip reveal and the theme song drop all the more electric.
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin Pulls Up in a Coors Truck and Gives The Corporation a Beer Bath
Stone Cold Steve Austin loves beer like we love vintage snapbacks. Vince McMahon and oftentimes Shane and The Rock were villains that you love to hate. One of the best moments during their never-ending feud was when Stone Cold drove a beer truck down the aisle and doused them with some ice cold Coors. Always with the theatrics, Vince McMahon trying to swim through the beer makes this scene gold.
3. Edge Spears Jeff Hardy In Mid-Air
So we know that a lot of wrestling is fake and choreographed. But moves like this make it hard to believe that these guys aren’t inflicting huge amounts of damage to each other. At Wrestlemania 17 in Houston, Texas, Bubba Ray Dudley pulled the ladder out from Jeff Hardy as he was going for the briefcase. This left Hardy wide open for a devastating spear off the 20-foot ladder courtesy of Edge.
4. The Macho Man Randy Savage is The Cream of The Crop
Randy Savage has an endless amount of all-time moments on the mic. But one of our favorites has to be this moment when he pulls out one cup of creamer after another seemingly out of thin air. The reporter, the legendary Mean Gene Okerlund, makes this interview even more perfect.
5. Mysterio vs. Guerrero: Custody of Dominick Ladder Match
This was one of those moments where the WWE was taking storylines to extremes but looking back, it was all in good fun. When Eddie Guerrero revealed that he was actually Dominik Mysterio’s biological father, the wrestling world was shocked. Naturally, Ray Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, who were once kinfolk, faced off in a ladder match at SummerSlam with Dominik’s custody papers hanging above the ring. Mysterio would go on to win the match and win a tag team championship with his son years later.
6. Jeff Hardy Twist of Fate Off Steel Cage
Jeff Hardy was one of the most dazzling acrobats in wrestling history and it was for insane moments like this. It was the main event for Monday Night Raw on January 7th, 2008 and Jeff Hardy was about to exit the cage and take the W. However, just climbing down the cage and arriving safely on the ground isn’t what Jeff Hardy had in mind. Instead, he leaps backward into a flawless twist of fate unto the just-risen Umaga and then seals the deal with a pin. By far one of the most epic Jeff Hardy moments in history.
7. The Nature Boy Is One Limousine Riding, Jet Flying, Son of a Gun
As one of the biggest icons in Wrestling history and by far one of the best promoters, The Nature Boy Ric Flair had a larger-than-life personality. His highlight reel of moments on the mic runs deep, but this line remains our favorite. WHOO.
8. “The Slam Heard Around The World” - Hulk Hogan Slams Andre the Giant
Wrestling fan or not, people all over the world know who Hulk Hogan is. Although he became a household name for a variety of reasons, people seem to forget this insane moment when he picked up the 7’4”, 520 lb Andre The Giant and slammed him to the mat. Hogan then proceeded with one of his infamous leg drops and took the win home at Wrestlemania III.
9. Sabu Jumps Off the Raw sign
On this historic night in wrestling history, fans got to witness a crossover between ECW and WWF. Sabu was squaring off against Taz and in one of Sabu’s brazen attempts at glory, he climbed to the top of the Raw logo and jumped/fell of the ‘R.’ Some say it was a fall, some say he did it on purpose, whatever the case may be it solidifies Sabu as one of the most daring high-flyers in wrestling history.
10. The Debut of Wrestlemania
The 1985 debut of Wrestlemania made it onto our list just because of how crazy it is to think of how far the industry has come nearly 40 years later. If you compare this footage to some of the more recent events you can see how the sport has evolved and made an insane sport even crazier.
Although right now is an odd time for the wrestling world with all the controversy surrounding ownership, we hope that cool heads prevail and the legacy continues. Until then, we have these incredible moments to cherish.