Top 5 Matches by Various Wrestlers

Bret Hart

1. (03/23/97) Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at WWF WrestleMania 13 (Submission)
2. (03/31/96) Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels at WWF WrestleMania XII (Iron Man; WWF Championship)
3. (03/30/94) Bret Hart vs Owen Hart at WWF WrestleMania X
4. (08/29/94) Bret Hart vs Owen Hart at WWF SummerSlam (Steel Cage; WWF Championship)
5. (10/04/99) Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit on WCW Nitro

Bryan Danielson

1. (08/12/06) Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness at ROH Unified (ROH World Championship & ROH Pure Championship)
2. (09/16/06) Bryan Danielson vs KENTA at ROH Glory By Honor V: Night 2 (ROH World Championship)
3. (08/25/07) Bryan Danielson vs Takeshi Morishima at ROH Manhattan Mayhem II (ROH World Championship)
4. (05/20/12) Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk at WWE Over the Limit 2012 (WWE Championship)
5. (04/12/03) Bryan Danielson vs Paul London at ROH: The Epic Encounter (2/3 Falls)

Chris Benoit

1. (03/14/04) Chris Benoit vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania XX (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
2. (04/16/94) Wild Pegasus vs The Great Sasuke at NJPW Super J Cup 1994 (Tournament Final)
3. (01/19/03) Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle at WWE Royal Rumble (WWE Championship)
4. (10/04/99) Chris Benoit vs Bret Hart on WCW Nitro
5. (06/15/93) Pegasus Kid vs El Samurai at NJPW Top of the Super Juniors 1993 (Tournament Final)

Chris Jericho

1. (01/21/01) Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit at WWF Royal Rumble (Ladder Match; WWF Intercontinental Championship)
2. (03/30/03) Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania XIX
3. (10/05/08) Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels at WWE No Mercy (Ladder; WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
4. (05/21/01) Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs Stone Cold Steve Austin & Triple H on WWF Raw (WWF Tag Team Championships)
5. (07/23/00) Chris Jericho vs Triple H at WWF Fully Loaded (Last Man Standing)

CM Punk

1. (07/17/11) CM Punk vs John Cena at WWE Money in the Bank (WWE Championship)
2. (10/16/04) CM Punk vs Samoa Joe at ROH Joe vs Punk II (ROH World Championship)
3. (05/20/12) CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan at WWE Over the Limit (WWE Championship)
4. (12/04/04) CM Punk vs Samoa Joe at ROH All Star Extravaganza II (No Time Limit; ROH World Championship)
5. (08/23/09) CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy at WWE SummerSlam (TLC; World Heavyweight Championship)

Eddie Guerrero

1. (08/26/95) Eddy Guerrero vs Dean Malenko on ECW Hardcore TV (2/3 Falls)
2. (10/26/97) Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Misterio Jr. at WCW Halloween Havoc (Mask vs Title; WCW Cruiserweight Championship)
3. (11/06/94) Los Gringos Locos vs Octagon & El Hijo del Santo at AAA/WCW When World’s Collide (2/3 Falls, Mask vs Hair)
4. (04/15/95) Eddy Guerrero vs Dean Malenko at ECW Hostile City Showdown (ECW World Television Championship)
5. (02/15/04) Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar at WWE No Way Out (WWE Championship)

HHH

1. (01/23/00) Triple H vs Cactus Jack at WWF Royal Rumble (Street Fight; WWF Championship)
2. (03/14/04) Triple H vs Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania XX (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
3. (02/25/01) Triple H vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at WWF No Way Out (Three Stages of Hell)
4. (05/21/01) Triple H & Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho at WWF Raw Is War (WWF World Tag Team Championship)
5. (04/01/12) Triple H vs The Undertaker at WWE WrestleMania XXVIII (Hell in a Cell)

Hulk Hogan

1. (03/29/87) Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant at WWF WrestleMania III (WWF Championship)
2. (04/01/89) Hulk Hogan vs Macho Man Randy Savage at WWF WrestleMania V (WWF Championship)
3. (04/01/90) Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior at WWF WrestleMania VI (WWF Championship, WWF Intercontinental Championship)
4. (03/17/02) Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs The Rock at WWF WrestleMania X8
5. (10/23/94) Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair at WCW Halloween Havoc (Steel Cage career vs career; WCW World Heavyweight Championship)

Jeff Hardy

1. (04/01/01) The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boys vs Edge & Christian at WWF Wrestlemania X-Seven (TLC; WWF Tag Team Championship)
2. (08/27/00) The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boys vs Edge & Christian at WWF Summerslam ’00 (TLC; WWF Tag Team Championship)
3. (04/02/00) The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boys vs Edge & Christian at WWF Wrestlemania 2000 (Triangle Ladder; WWF Tag Team Championship)
4. (07/01/02) Jeff Hardy vs The Undertaker on WWE Raw (Ladder; WWE Undisputed Championship)
5. (05/24/01) The Hardy Boyz vs Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho vs The Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian on WWF Smackdown (TLC; WWF Tag Team Championship)

Lex Luger

1. (12/26/88) Lex Luger vs Ric Flair at NWA Starrcade ’88 (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
2. (05/19/91) Lex Luger & Sting vs The Steiner Brothers at WCW Superbrawl I (WCW World Tag Team Championship)
3. (08/04/97) Lex Luger vs Hollywood Hogan on WCW Nitro (WCW World Heavyweight Championship)
4. (07/23/89) Lex Luger vs Ricky Steamboat at NWA The Great American Bash ’89 (NWA United States Heavyweight Championship)
5. (05/29/92) Lex Luger vs Sting at WCW Superbrawl 2 (WCW World Heavyweight Championship)

John Cena

1. (7/17/11) John Cena vs. CM Punk at WWE Money in the Bank (WWE Championship)
2. (4/23/07) John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels on WWE Raw
3. (1/28/07) John Cena vs. Umaga at WWE Royal Rumble (Last Man Standing Match; WWE Championship)
4. (4/29/12) John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at WWE Extreme Rules
5. (9/17/06) John Cena vs. Edge at WWE Unforgiven 2006 (TLC Match; WWE Championship)

Kevin Nash

1. (04/28/96) Diesel vs Shawn Michaels at In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies (No Holds Barred; WWF Championship)
2. (11/19/95) Diesel vs Bret Hart at Survivor Series (No DQ; WWF Championship)
3. (01/22/95) Diesel vs Bret Hart at Royal Rumble ’95 (WWF Championship)
4. (04/02/95) Diesel vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XI (WWF Championship)
5. (04/31/96) Diesel vs The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XII

Kurt Angle

1. (01/19/03) Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit at WWE Royal Rumble (WWE Championship)
2. (09/16/03) Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar on WWE Smackdown (Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship)
3. (04/03/05) Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania 21
4. (10/20/02) Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs Rey Mysterio & Edge at WWE No Mercy (WWE Tag Team Championships)
5. (03/30/03) Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar at WWE WrestleMania XIX (WWE Championship)

Mick Foley

1. (06/28/98) Mankind vs The Undertaker at WWF King of the Ring (Hell in a Cell)
2. (01/23/00) Cactus Jack vs Triple H at WWF Royal Rumble (Street Fight; WWF Championship)
3. (09/22/96) Mankind vs Shawn Michaels at WWF In Your House 10: Mind Games (WWF Championship)
4. (10/24/93) Cactus Jack vs Vader at WCW Halloween Havoc (Texas Death Match)
5. (01/24/99) Mankind vs The Rock at WWF Royal Rumble (“I Quit”; WWF Championship)

Owen Hart

1. (20/03/94) Owen Hart vs Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X
2. (08/29/94) Owen Hart vs Bret Hart at WWF Summerslam (Steel Cage; WWF Championship)
3. (07/06/97) The Hart Foundation vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom at WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
4. (03/03/97) Owen Hart vs The British Bulldog on WWF Raw (European Championship)
5. (02/18/96) Owen Hart vs Shawn Michaels at WWF In Your House 6: Rage In The Cage (#1 Contender)

Randy Orton

1. (04/18/04) Randy Orton vs Cactus Jack at WWE Backlash (Hardcore; WWE Intercontinental Championship)
2. (08/15/04) Randy Orton vs Chris Benoit at WWE Summerslam (World Heavyweight Championship)
3. (08/14/11) Randy Orton vs Christian at WWE Summerslam (No Holds Barred; World Heavyweight Championship)
4. (10/07/07) Randy Orton vs Triple H at WWE No Mercy (Last Man Standing; WWE Championship)
5. (04/03/05) Randy Orton vs The Undertaker at WWE Wrestlemania 21

Randy Savage

1. (03/29/87) Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat at WWF WrestleMania III (WWF Intercontinental Championship)
2. (03/24/91) Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior at WWF WrestleMania VII (Retirement Match)
3. (04/01/89) Randy Savage vs Hulk Hogan at WWF WrestleMania V (WWF Championship)
4. (04/05/92) Randy Savage vs Ric Flair at WWF WresteMania VIII (WWF Championship)
5. (08/29/92) Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior at WWF Summerslam ’92 (WWF Championship)

Ric Flair

1. (04/02/89) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat at NWA Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin’ Cajun (2/3 Falls; NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
2. (05/07/89) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat at NWA WrestleWar 1989: Music City Showdown (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
3. (02/20/89) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat at NWA Chi-Town Rumble (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
4. (11/15/89) Ric Flair vs Terry Funk at NWA Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout (“I Quit)
5. (03/27/88) Ric Flair vs Sting at Clash of the Champions I (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)

Ricky Steamboat

1. (04/02/89) Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair at NWA Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin’ Cajun (2/3 Falls; NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
2. (03/29/87) Ricky Steamboat vs Macho Man Randy Savage at WWF WrestleMania III (WWF Intercontinental Championship)
3. (05/07/89) Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair at NWA WrestleWar 1989: Music City Showdown (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
4. (02/20/89) Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair at NWA Chi-Town Rumble (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
5. (06/14/89) Ricky Steamboat vs Terry Funk at NWA Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory

The Rock

1. (04/01/01) The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at WWF WrestleMania X-Seven (No DQ; WWF Championship)
2. (03/17/02) The Rock vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WWF WrestleMania X8
3. (01/24/99) The Rock vs Mankind at WWF Royal Rumble (“I Quit”; WWF Championship)
4. (03/30/03) The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania XIX 
5. (10/21/01) The Rock vs Chris Jericho at WWF No Mercy (WCW Championship)

Roddy Piper

1. (04/04/92) Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart at WWF Wrestlemania VIII (WWF Intercontinental Championship)
2. (11/24/83) Roddy Piper vs Greg Valentine at NWA Starrcade ’83: A Flair for the Gold (Dog Collar Match)
3. (02/18/85) Roddy Piper vs Hulk Hogan at WWF The War to Settle the Score (WWF Championship)
4. (03/29/87) Roddy Piper vs Adrion Adonis at WWF Wrestlemania III (Hair vs Hair Match)
5. (12/28/89) Roddy Piper vs Rick Rude at WWF Live Event (Steel Cage Match)

Shawn Michaels

1. (03/20/94) Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon at WWF WrestleMania X (Ladder; WWF Intercontinental Championship)
2. (03/31/96) Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart at WWF WrestleMania XII (Iron Man; WWF Championship)
3. (10/05/97) Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker at WWF Badd Blood: In Your House (Hell in a Cell)
4. (03/14/04) Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit vs Triple H at WWE WrestleMania XX (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
5. (03/28/10) Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker at WWE WrestleMania XXVI (No Count-Out, No DQ, Streak vs Career)

Sting

1. (03/27/88) Sting vs Ric Flair at NWA Clash of the Champions I (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)
2. (02/21/93) Sting vs Big Van Vader at WCW SuperBrawl III (White Castle of Fear Strap Match)
3. (05/19/91) Sting & Lex Luger vs The Steiner Brothers at WCW SuperBrawl I (WCW World Tag Team Championship)
4. (06/20/92) Sting vs Cactus Jack at WCW Beach Bash (Falls Count Anywhere)
5. (07/07/90 Sting vs Ric Flair at WCW Great American Bash (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)

Stone Cold Steve Austin

1. (03/23/97) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart at WWF WrestleMania 13 (Submission)
2. (04/01/01) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock at WWF WrestleMania X-Seven (No DQ; WWF Championship)
3. (02/25/01) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Triple H at WWF No Way Out (Three Stages of Hell)
4. (11/17/96) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart at WWF Survivor Series
5. (05/21/01) Stone Cold Steve Austin & Triple H vs Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho at WWW Event (WWF Tag Team Championship)

The Undertaker

1. (10/05/97) The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at WWF Badd Blood: In Your House (Hell in a Cell)
2. (04/05/09) The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania XXV
3. (03/28/10) The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania XXVI (No Count-Out, No DQ, Streak vs Career)
4. (06/28/98) The Undertaker vs Mankind at WWF King of the Ring (Hell in a Cell)
5. (04/03/11) The Undertaker vs Triple H at WWE WrestleMania XXVII (No Holds Barred)

Top 10 Matches in Unofficial WWE Championship History

These are the top 10 greatest matches where the Unofficial WWE Championship changed hands. If by some odd chance you got here without knowing what the Unofficial WWE Championship is, I suggest you read up on it on this very blog – the home of the UWWEC!

The very nature of the Unofficial WWE Championship means that matches where the title changes hands is entirely random so the fact that there are matches as big as these ones that  are part of the UWWEC is amazing.

10.

[14/02/99] Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon at St. Valentines Day Massacre (Steel Cage Match)

In most people’s opinions, the Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon feud in the late 90s is the best and most important feud in professional wrestling history. The story of the blue collar worker vs the evil boss worked an absolute treat at the time and was one of the main reasons why WWF was able to become not only the most relevant wrestling promotion – but the only relevant wrestling promotion,

The match here isn’t an in-ring classic but it is quite a historically significant match. Stone Cold was finally able to officially get his hands on Vince and give him quite a bit of punishment. Vince flipping off Austin so that he wouldn’t leave the cage is also quite a great image. It also marked the debut of The Big Show, who appeared through the bottom of canvas and actually cost Vince the match.

UWWEC Statistics: Stone Cold Steve Austin won his 3rd Unofficial WWE Championship after this match and held the title for 16 days.

9.

[20/03/94] Bret Hart vs Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X (WWF Championship)

A 5 star classic. Bret Hart opens Wrestlemania X with a technical masterpiece, a performance that has possibly never been matched and one of the greatest opening matches in Wrestlemania history. It’s personally one my favourite matches of all time, so why is it #9 on this list? Because Bret pulls double duty at Wrestlemania X, fights his brother in an unbelievable match and decides there’s still enough time to win the WWF Championship against Yokozuna.

The match is basically a squash. Yokozuna spends the whole of it in charge and dominating Bret Hart who has a visible limp. Hart gets a few bits of offence but they are few and far between and usually ineffective. Bret capitalises on a mistake from Yokozana and pins him to win the WWF title and the Unofficial WWE title.

The reason that this match made the list is basically for the ending. It’s probably Yokozuna’s best match but Bret celebrating with the belt at the end is a great moment and worth watching.

UWWEC Statistics: Yokozuna won the title earlier in the night, stopping a 172 day reign from Lex Luger. Yokozuna wouldn’t even make it a few hours before he dropped the title to Bret Hart in the main event. Bret won his 2nd Unofficial WWE Championship and would go on to hold it for 91 days.

8.

[19/06/94] Bret Hart vs Diesel at King of the Ring (WWF Championship)

Bret Hart is well known for giving people their best matches, especially when they aren’t well known workers. I don’t know if this is Nash’s best (probably his match against Bret at Survivor Series or against Shawn at Good Friends, Better Enemies) but it did help the Diesel character become a “big deal” in the WWF. I say that with reservation because while he did go on to have a year long reign, it is usually accepted that it’s one of the worst WWF title reigns in history.

Bret Hart makes his opponents look incredible but what he really does is make himself look legendary. When you analyse the match you really see Nash’s limitations and how good Bret is to get a match like this out of him. It’s matches like these – as opposed to when he’s facing other competent workers – where you really find out how great Bret was in the ring. Basically, fuck Nash.

UWWEC Statistics: Diesel would stop the 91 day reign of Bret Hart after the Yokozuna match but would only go on to hold it for 1 day before losing the title to Razor Ramon.

7.

[07/09/08] Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels at WWE Unforgiven (Unsanctioned Match)

Unsanctioned Matches have never really made sense to me. I mean, there’s a referee there to count pinfalls and they go in the record books so what exactly does it mean? It has something to do with legal ramifications but I’ve never heard anything like that in a regular No DQ match. In any case, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels continued their ‘personal’ feud in 2008 and this match at Unforgiven was another successful one.

The match is pretty brutal and has some really cool spots. The fire extinguisher spot (pictured above) is great – even though I think it’s been done before? I dunno. The double table spot is also awesome. The match is annoying to watch without any heel commentators – it feels like no one is on Jericho’s side – but Jericho does a great job of looking like a psychopath throughout anyway and eventually Shawn Michaels turns into a psychopath, which allows him to not only win the match but get even more cheers. It perhaps goes a little long but it is still worthy of a watch if you haven’t seen it before.

UWWEC Statistics: This would be Shawn Michaels’ 5th Unofficial WWE Championship reign. His reign only lasted 28 days, which is one of his shortest because HBK is known for having really long reigns. He is 3rd of all time for most days as champion and has the highest average of days per reign. 

6.

[15/08/04] Chris Benoit vs Randy Orton at Summerslam (World Heavyweight Championship)

This is definitely a really interesting match looking back on it. First of all, the match is in Canada and Earl Hebner is the referee, which means most of the chants are directed at him – it starts with a “you screwed Bret” chant. Second of all, most of the fans are constantly dying for the WWE to build young stars and give them a chance – they did that here with Randy Orton and yet there were still thoughts of, “too soon”. Thirdly, Chris Benoit is someone that is not allowed to be mentioned on WWE television anymore so whenever they show highlights of Orton winning his first title, they have to show him RKO’ing someone else before he holds the title high.

Because of all that, I feel like this match gets somewhat overshadowed and underrated. I’d be comfortable calling it Randy Orton’s best match or at least very close to it. Benoit is universally called one of the greatest in-ring competitors in wrestling history and he rarely gives a bad performance. The match here starts of slowly but becomes an exciting contest towards the middle and end. Okay, so the match isn’t that great but I’m a real sucker for titles changing hands cleanly to younger guys.

UWWEC Statistics: Randy Orton held the Unofficial WWE Championship for a 3rd time before dropping it at Unforgiven to Triple H after 28 days.

5.

[01/04/07] The Undertaker vs Batista at WWE Wrestlemania 23 (World Heavyweight Championship)

Both of these men seem to bring out the best in each other (err, I guess should say The Undertaker brings out the best in Batista). Batista is not known for having great ring skills but he was intense and a monster and a great heel. The Undertaker takes Batista to arguably his best match in a WWE ring and it just so happens to be at Wrestlemania – that means it will probably be remembered more than any other of his matches by default.

The Undertaker’s entrance is particularly long and he takes about 10 minutes to get to the ring but as soon as the bell rings, they get into it. The Undertaker spends most of the early part of the match on the attack and brings out all of his big moves – old school, snake eyes, big boot, leg drop on the apron, leap over the top rope, etc. The match really gets going after Batista takes control and sends ‘Taker through the announce table. This match is great because you believe that Batista can take the streak. The match hits it stride with the typical finishers sequence of kicking out a ton of times but it is a legitimately great match.

UWWEC Statistics: Both of these men are known for having a lot of reigns as Unofficial WWE Champion. Batista has the second most reigns of all time and The Undertaker has the 4th most of all time. With this win, he won his 10th UWWEC which he held for 37 days.

4.

[30/03/08] The Undertaker vs Edge at WWE Wrestlemania 24 (World Heavyweight Championship)

In recent years, The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania has been highly anticipated, not because we wonder if it will be broken but because it usually produces the best match on the card. Before his classics with Shawn Michaels and Triple H, The Undertaker had a match of the night contender with Edge.

As a kid, I would’ve never guessed that Edge would go on to have such a storied career and win multiple world titles but he deserves every moment of it. To have the privilege of holding the title going into Wrestlemania and have a chance to break the streak is an amazing achievement regardless of the match at hand.

The match told a few stories throughout. One is that Edge had done his homework and knew what The Undertaker was going to throw at him. He countered every move possible and kicked out when those moves were eventually hit. He made ‘Taker look unprepared on his night.

The story that is told at multiple Wrestlemanias featuring The Undertaker is that he simply does not quit on the streak. It seems obvious after the match is over that he’ll be walking out of there as the new World Heavyweight Champion, but when Edge hits his second spear you start to think it might be done. The Undertaker, however, is at his no-selling best here and goes straight into Hell’s Gate to extend the streak to 16-0.

UWWEC Statistics: The Undertaker captured his 11th Unofficial WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 24 and held the title for 63 days.

3.

[05/10/08] Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels at WWE No Mercy (Ladder Match; World Heavyweight Championship)

In 2008, Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho had an incredible feud and gave us some of the best work of their careers. Their match at Unforgiven was the prelude to this match for the title. As individual wrestlers, both HBK and Y2J excelled in Ladder Matches are two of the biggest stars of the gimmick. HBK revolutionised the match with the Wrestlemania X match against Razor Ramon and Jericho was involved in many great matches himself (the best being against Benoit at the Royal Rumble in 2001).

It’s always a delight when you get a match that has seemingly exhausted all new possibilities and still manages to deliver some original spots. There are some parts in this match that I’d never seen before and it’s moments like that why we keep watching as fans. The match produced basically no signature moves and yet it was still enthralling from beginning to end.

Jericho and Michaels have always had an incredible chemistry (their match at Wrestlemania XIX is superb) and they show it here. I think in 2008, it was probably always unlikely that Shawn Michaels was going to have a run with the World Title but he makes you believe that he might win here.

UWWEC Statistics: Chris Jericho won his 5th Unofficial WWE Championship from this match and held the title for 8 days.

2.

[31/03/96] Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII (Iron Man Match; WWF Championship)

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels had one of the most important feuds of the 90s. They ushered in a new era of wrestling that was highlighted by great in-ring work and grounded characters. They weren’t larger than life but you believed that they could beat anyone and you knew that they would put on a clinic. Throughout the decade, they had great matches with just about everyone that they faced.

The HBK-Hitman feud has always been so interesting because of the real life animosity that the two had for each other (even though according to the DVD that discussed the feud, they were still friends by this point- I prefer to pretend that this is not the case).

Even though the match is very highly regarded and extremely influential, it also seems to be one of the more polarising matches in WWE. There are moments in the match that are downright classic and deserve every bit of praise they get but (according to some) there are moments that are, well, boring. I don’t consider this match to be boring at all so I’m going to write from the perspective of a fan.

The match is methodical and slowly builds as the clock counts down and the two hit their stride. The two of them don’t give each other an inch and it is fairly even from start to finish. With 5 minutes to go, the match really comes to life as Bret has HBK in the Sharp Shooter but he refuses to give up. The clock hits zero and the match ends in a draw – or does it?

The powers that be decide that a match of this magnitude can’t end in a draw and overtime is ordered. From here it doesn’t take long for Shawn Michaels to realise his boyhood dream and hold the WWF Championship in his arms.

UWWEC Statistics: This was Shawn Michaels 2nd reign as the Unofficial WWE Champion and it would last an impressive 176 days – the 8th longest of all time. 

1.

[01/04/01] Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock at Wrestlemania X-7 (No DQ Match; WWF Championship)

If you were a wrestling fan in 2001 then this match probably meant the world to you. A match between the two biggest stars during the biggest era in the main-event of the biggest stage for the biggest prize in wrestling had no choice but to be one of the most important matches in WWE history.

Beginning with Austin winning the 2001 Royal Rumble and The Rock winning the belt at No Way Out from Kurt Angle, the build-up to this match was incredible. The story was simple and summed up by Austin in the hype video for the match –  “the fact is, Rock, you’ve got the WWF title and I want it”. That video is the one and only time that Limp Bizkit has ever been tolerable – that is how incredible this feud was.

Before the match even started, Wrestlemania X-7 was already being hailed as one of the greatest wrestling events that was ever produced and the main-event confirmed that it might never be topped. The match itself is a brawl from beginning to end and in a way it set the standard for the major matches that followed. The formula relied heavily on multiple finishers being hit and multiple finishers being kicked-out of.  It wasn’t a technical masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but it never was going to be one. Austin would be willing to try anything to win the title and The Rock wouldn’t let him have it that easy.

The closing stages of the match gave us one of the most iconic images in WWE when Stone Cole Steve Austin decided that he couldn’t do it all on his own and joined forces with the devil himself in Vince McMahon. In many people’s minds this is the close to the most popular era in the history of professional wrestling. That image brings this list full circle – starting with a brutal cage match between Austin and Vince and ending with them sharing a beer.

UWWEC statistics: This was the start of Stone Cold’s 5th and final reign as Unofficial WWE Champion and would only last one day before losing the title the following night on Monday Night Raw.

Well, there you have it. The top ten matches where the Unofficial WWE Championship changes hands. You may not agree with the order, the matches listed or the analysis of each match but this is what I believe. The top two matches in particular are stuff of legends and will never be forgotten as long as professional wrestling is still alive.

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock at Wrestlemania X-7
2. Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII
3. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels at WWE No Mercy
4. The Undertaker vs Edge at WWE Wrestlemania 24
5.  The Undertaker vs Batista at WWE Wrestlemania 23
6. Chris Benoit vs Randy Orton at Summerslam
7. Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels at WWE Unforgiven
8. Bret Hart vs Diesel at King of the Ring
9. Bret Hart vs Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X
10. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon at St. Valentines Day Massacre

Thank you,

The Unofficial WWE Championship.

Statistics: Longest Individual Reign

Longest Individual Reigns of the Unofficial WWE Championship (Reigns longer than 50 days)

Days as champion [Wrestler; which # reign; dates the title was won and lost]

1. 512 [Hulk Hogan; 30th Reign; from 18/01/92 until 13/06/93]
2. 299 [Shawn Michaels; 4th Reign; 19/01/97 until 14/11/97]
3. 291 [Hulk Hogan; 21st Reign; 12/03/88 until 28/12/88]
4. 275 [Roddy Piper; 4th Reign; 18/02/90 until 20/11/90]
5. 209 [Goldberg; 1st Reign; 18/08/03 until 14/03/04]
6. 196 [The Rock; 6th Reign; 02/04/01 until 15/10/01]
7. 196 [Batista; 5th Reign; 08/01/06 until 23/07/06]
8. 176 [Shawn Michaels; 2nd Reign; 31/03/96 until 23/09/96]
9. 172 [Lex Luger; 2nd Reign; 29/09/93 until 20/03/94]
10. 165 [Batista; 4th Reign; 26/07/05 until 07/01/06]
11. 153 [Hulk Hogan; 16th Reign; 16/02/87 until 19/07/87]
12. 147 [Chris Benoit; 4th Reign; 21/03/04 until 15/08/04]
13. 143 [Hulk Hogan; 2nd Reign; 23/04/85 until 13/09/85]
14. 133 [Batista; 3th Reign; 13/03/05 until 24/07/05]
15. 120 [Batista; 7th Reign; 02/12/06 until 01/04/07]
16. 117 [Ken Shamrock; 1st Reign; 31/03/98 until 26/07/98]
17. 107 [Randy Orton; 13th Reign; 19/05/12 until 03/09/12]
18. 105 [The Undertaker; 2nd Reign; 12/03/95 until 25/06/95]
19. 94 [Kerry Von Erich; 3rd Reign; 20/01/91 until 24/04/91]
20. 94 [Roddy Piper; 8th Reign; 28/06/91 until 30/09/91]
21. 91 [Bret Hart; 2nd Reign; 20/03/94 until 19/06/94]
22. 91 [Shelton Benjamin; 1st Reign; 27/09/04 until 27/12/04]
23. 89 [Vince McMahon ; 2nd Reign; 14/09/99 until 12/12/99]
24. 84 [Steve Austin; 2nd Reign; 16/11/98 until 08/02/99]
25. 79 [Ryback; 2nd Reign; 18/01/13 – 07/04/13]
26. 78 [Edge; 7nd Reign; 12/01/08 until 30/03/08]
27. 77 [Lex Luger; 4th Reign; 26/09/94 until 12/12/94]
28. 77 [Steve Austin; 4th Reign; 28/06/99 until 13/09/99]
29. 75 [Mankind; 1st Reign; 02/03/99 until 16/05/99]
30. 74 [Bret Hart; 3rd Reign; 30/08/95 until 12/11/95]
31. 73 [Sheamus; 6th Reign; 20/08/11 until 01/11/11]
32. 71 [The Great Khali; 3rd Reign; 14/03/11 until 24/05/11]
33. 70 [Mark Henry; 4th Reign; 31/08/09 until 09/11/09]
34. 69 [Hulk Hogan; 18th Reign; 01/08/87 until 09/10/87]
35. 69 [Triple H; 12th Reign; 15/02/10 until 25/04/10]
36. 68 [Triple H; 11th Reign; 21/04/09 until 28/06/09]
37. 68 [Sheamus; 7th Reign; 10/11/11 until 17/01/12]
38. 66 [Hulk Hogan; 26th Reign; 15/02/89 until 22/04/89]
39. 66 [The Undertaker; 1st Reign; 26/12/94 until 02/03/95]
40. 65 [Ryback; 1st Reign; 03/11/12 until 07/01/13]
41. 63 [Ted Dibiase; 1st Reign; 09/10/87 until 11/12/87]
42. 63 [The Undertaker; 11th Reign; 30/03/08 until 01/06/08]
43. 62 [Savio Vega; 1st Reign; 28/06/95 until 29/08/95]
44. 61 [Tatanka; 1st Reign; 29/07/93 until 28/09/93]
45. 59 [Triple H; 10th Reign; 20/02/09 until 20/04/09]
46. 58 [The Undertaker; 9th Reign; 09/12/01 until 05/02/02]
47. 57 [Triple H; 6th Reign; 23/02/03 until 21/04/03]
48. 55 [Paul Orndorff; 3rd Reign; 07/03/86 until 01/05/86]
49. 55 [Jerry Lawler; 1st Reign; 27/12/10 until 20/02/11]
50. 54 [Shawn Michaels; 3rd Reign; 24/09/96 until 17/11/96]
51. 54 [The Rock; 5th Reign; 06/02/01 until 01/04/01]
52. 52 [Randy Orton; 2nd Reign; 27/06/03 until 18/08/03]
53. 51 [Hulk Hogan; 5th Reign; 27/06/86 until 17/08/86]
54. 51 [Triple H; 9th Reign; 21/01/05 until 13/03/05]
55. 50 [Hulk Hogan; 13th Reign; 08/11/86 until 28/12/86]

Statistics: Most Days As Unofficial WWE Champion

1. Hulk Hogan – 1584 days
2. Batista – 809 days
3. Shawn Michaels – 609 days
4. Roddy Piper – 446 days
5. The Undertaker – 411 days
6. Triple H- 384 days
7. The Rock – 294 days
8. Randy Orton – 290 days
9. Lex Luger – 267
10. Bret Hart – 265 days
11. John Cena – 243 days
12. Sheamus – 234
13. Ted Dibiase – 218 days
14. Chris Benoit – 210 days
15. Goldberg – 209 days
16. Kane – 185 days
17. Steve Austin – 183 days
18. Mark Henry – 153 days
19. Ken Shamrock – 147 days
20. Ryback – 145 days
21. Edge – 128 days
22. Randy Savage 123 days
23. Kerry Von Erich – 117 days
24. Paul Orndorff – 113
25. Brutus Beefcake – 111 days
– Rey Mysterio Jr. – 111 days
27. CM Punk – 101 days
28. Big Show – 100 days
29. Vince McMahon – 96 days
30. Booker T – 93 days
31. Tatanka – 92 days
32. Shelton Benjamin – 91 days
33. The Great Khali – 79 days
34. Mankind – 76 days
35. Dean Malenko- 71 days
36. Savio Vega – 62 days
37. The Miz – 56 days
38. Jerry Lawler – 55 days
39. Rob Van Damn – 54 days
40. Owen Hart – 51 days
41. Jesse Ventura – 49 days
42. Junkyard Dog – 47 days
43. Bradshaw/JBL – 44 days
-. Chris Jericho – 44 days
45. Bam Bam Bigelow – 42 days
-. Eddie Guerrero – 42 days
-. Curtis Axel – 42 days
48. Lance Storm – 41 days
49. Jeff Jarret – 40 days
– Hardcore Holly – 40 days
51. Kurt Angle – 38 days
52. Ken Kennedy – 36 days
53. Ric Flair – 35 days
– Razor Ramon -35 days
55. Scott Steiner – 34 days
56. Davey Boy Smith – 33 days
57. Tazz – 31 days
– Christian – 31 days
59. Rikishi – 30 days
– Maven – 30 days
61. Adrion Adonis – 28 days
– Jim Duggan – 28 days
– Psycho Sid – 28 days
64. Steve Blackman – 26 days
65. Tito Santana – 22 days
– Val Venis – 22 days
– Billy Gunn – 22 days
68. Yokozuna – 21 days
69. Dino Bravo – 18 days
– Wade Barrett – 18 days
71. Cody Rhodes- 17 days
72. Aguila – 16 days
73. IRS – 14 days
– Christopher Nowinski – 14 days
75. The Godfather – 13 days
– X-Pac – 13 days
– Goldust – 13 days
– Dolph Ziggler – 13 days
79. Crash Holly – 12 days
– MVP – 12 days
81. Diesel – 11 days
– Finlay – 11 days
83. Mabel/Big Daddy V – 10 days
84. Daniel Bryan – 9 days
85. Hercules – 8 days
– Big Bossman – 8 days
– Rick Rude – 8 days
– Scotty 2 Hotty – 8 days
– Test – 8 days
– Raven – 8 days
91. Alberto Del Rio – 7 days
92. Brian Christopher – 6 days
– Essa Rios – 6 days
94. D-Von Dudley – 4 days
95. Perry Saturn – 3 days
96. Terry Funk – 2 days
– Kamala – 2 days
– Rick Martel – 2 days
– Mr. Perfect – 2 days
100. Don Muraco – 1 day
-. Bob Orton Jr. – 1 day
-. Killer Khan – 1 day
-. Ludvig Borva – 1 day
-. The (fake) Undertaker – 1 day
-. Vader – 1 day
-. Taka Michinoku – 1 day
-. Marc Mero – 1 day
-. Road Dogg – 1 day
-. Al Snow – 1 day
-. Funaki – 1 day

Statistics: Most Reigns as Unofficial WWE Champion

By reigns:

30 Reigns

Hulk Hogan

16 Reigns

Randy Savage
Batista

14 Reigns

Kane
Randy Orton

12 Reigns

The Undertaker
Triple H

11 Reigns

Paul Orndorff
Roddy Piper

10 Reigns

Sheamus

9 Reigns

Ted Dibiase
Edge
Big Show
John Cena

8 Reigns

Jim Duggan

7 Reigns

Mark Henry
Bret Hart
CM Punk

6 Reigns

Brutus Beefcake
The Rock
Ric Flair
Shawn Michaels
Chris Jericho

5 Reigns

Big Bossman
Diesel
Steve Austin
Billy Gunn
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit

4 Reigns

Lex Luger
Psycho Sid
Davey Boy Smith
Tazz
Christian
Maven
Rey Mysterio Jr.
The Miz

3 Reigns

Tito Santana
Bam Bam Bigelow
Kerry Von Erich
Tatanka
Razor Ramon
Crash Holly
Dean Malenko
Rikishi
Val Venis
Hardcore Holly
Booker T
The Great Khali
Wade Barrett
Ryback

2 Reigns

Junkyard Dog
Adrion Adonis
Kamala
Rick Rude
Rick Martel
Mr. Perfect
Yokozuna
Mabel/Big Daddy V
Owen Hart
Ken Shamrock
Bradshaw/JBL
Vince McMahon
Mankind
X-Pac
Test
Raven
Al Snow
Rob Van Dam
D-Von Dudley
Ken Kennedy
Cody Rhodes

1 Reign

Don Muraco
Jesse Ventura
Terry Funk
Bob Orton Jr.
Hercules
Killer Khan
Dino Bravo
Ludvig Borga
The (fake) Undertaker
IRS
Savio Vega
Vader
Jeff Jarrett
Brian Christopher
Aguila
Taka Michinoku
Marc Mero
The Godfather
Road Dogg
Essa Rios
Scotty 2 Hotty
Eddie Guerrero
Steve Blackman
Perry Saturn
Goldust
Funaki
Lance Storm
Scott Steiner
Christopher Nowinski
Goldberg
Shelton Benjamin
Finlay
MVP
Jerry Lawler
Daniel Bryan
Alberto Del Rio
Dolph Ziggler
Curtis Axel