Top 100 Matches Of Past 50 Years: 20-1

With the success of our Top 100 Wrestlers Of All Time list, we’ve decided to go even bolder. We’re going to rank the top 100 wrestling matches of the past 50 years!

Our ranking differs from the PWI 500 because we use math. Well, at least we try to. Just as we did before, we all submitted our own list of the top matches of all time, and each ranking represents points. For example, #1 = 100 points, #2 = 99 points, etc. At the end, we’d calculate which had the most points and assign ranking from there.

We narrowed the list down to the past 50 years because it’s quite challenging to find readily available footage from the 1960s and earlier (all of these matches except for one were televised). In a future Twitter Spaces, we’ll all break down the criteria we used in crafting our own lists. We’ll also bust each other’s balls over our choices and their absurdly low or ridiculously high rankings.

Here are 100-81.

Here are 80-61.

Here are 60-41.

Here are 40-21.

20. CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe, October 16, 2004

The second installment of their legendary trilogy. What made their matches so magical is that CM Punk and Samoa Joe ushered old-school, NWA-style main events into the 21st century. Two of the best of their generation, they spent an hour trying to outwit one another. Even though we all wanted a winner, the action left us satisfied (and breathless). – Juan Bautista

19. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada, Dominion 2017

The rematch of their Wrestle Kingdom main event had the wrestling world buzzing. Everyone thought it was time for Omega to get the win. Okada took the first fall and Omega took the second, creating suspense over whose hand would be raised at the end. Nobody’s, as it turned out, as these warriors battled to a 60-minute time-limit draw. It was all action, somehow improving upon their first encounter, hard to believe. – Neal Wagner

18. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania XX

Chris Benoit’s 18-year odyssey culminated on the Grandest Stage. Even the all mighty forces of Triple H and Shawn Michaels couldn’t stop the Canadian Crippler from achieving his destiny. With New York City cheering him on, Benoit did the unthinkable and made “The Game” submit. It’s one of the greatest triple threat matches ever. – Juan Bautista

17. Undertaker vs. Mankind, King of the Ring 1998

After seeing it 100 times, I still can’t believe Mick Foley survived. It’s the most brutal, uncomfortable match ever, but you couldn’t peel your eyes off the carnage. Everybody forgets that Undertaker went into this with a broken foot, and of course Foley kept going after numerous injuries. It’s a yearly tradition to watch this, the most famous Hell in a Cell, in June. – Neal Wagner

16. Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk, SummerSlam 2013

The Best in the World versus The Beast. In Lesnar’s best match since returning and Punk’s last great match, these two athletes tore the house down in a fantastic big man-little man brawl. With one eye on Heyman, Punk told an enthralling story of trying to get his hands on his weasel ex-manager hiding behind the unstoppable monster. Of course, the Beast Incarnate does not allow for happy endings. – John Corrigan

15. Royal Rumble 1992

It’s timeless. The most star-studded Royal Rumble ever centered on Ric Flair entering at the regrettable position of No. 3, enduring an hour’s worth of abuse from rivals he had faced over the past decade, and somehow, someway, emerging victorious. Bobby Heenan’s commentary catapults this one into legendary status. – Juan Bautista

14. Kenny Omega & Hangman Adam Page vs. Young Bucks, Revolution 2020

The Elite collided in what many consider the match of 2020. Despite only teaming together for two months, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega gelled (for the most part) like a veteran unit, like brothers, if you will. Everybody was on pins and needles waiting to see if Omega or Page would betray the other, plus, who would The Young Bucks side with when all was said and done? Maybe they wouldn’t align with either man, deciding to do whatever it took to win the Tag Team Titles. I love this match, it might be the best tag team bout in North American history. – Neal Wagner

13. British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart, SummerSlam 1992

“I’m fooked.” The British Bulldog may have been the star of the show at Wembley Stadium, the site of SummerSlam 1992, but this was the night the legend of Bret Hart was born. Sure, Hart had the reputation as the WWE’s top technical wrestler at the time, but never before did he have to main event a marquee pay-per-view where his opponent forgot all the spots of the match. As a result, Hart essentially led a blind man through a 25-minute critically acclaimed match.

It certainly went down as the greatest in the career of Davey Boy Smith. This match may have also had an extra something special, since it took place in the Bulldog’s home country against his brother-in-law with his wife, Diana, stuck in the middle watching at ringside. The match also marks the most recent time the Intercontinental Championship has headlined a Big-4 PPV. – Jack Goodwillie

12. Steve Austin vs. The Rock, WrestleMania X-7

I hated the finish to this match as a kid, which was the point. In hindsight, I’ve gained an appreciation for the storytelling. Stone Cold spends the whole match teasing his heel turn, but it’s cloaked in desperation. He’s more physical than usual with The Rock and even brings back his Million Dollar Dream submission. Unable to finish The Great One off by himself, Austin recruits his arch nemesis – Satan himself – to get the job done. – John Corrigan

11. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart, WrestleMania X

Although the ladder match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels is considered the show stealer of WrestleMania X, don’t forget what opened the show: brother vs. brother. Bret and Owen had tremendous chemistry, telling an all-too relatable story about family squabbles and determining who’s the better man. It only gets better when Bret wins the WWF Championship in the main event and the show goes off the air with Bret celebrating while Owen, who won earlier in the night, stands in the entrance way knowing that he can indeed become the next champion. – Neal Wagner

10. CM Punk vs. John Cena, Money in the Bank 2011

In 2011, I don’t think I would have called myself a lapsed fan, but I was definitely in the mode of not watching every weekly WWE show, following along with recaps from the likes of WrestleZone and The Torch. But once CM Punk set his sights on John Cena and the WWE Championship, all of a sudden I was back full throttle. Punk, as a talent, is everything Cena is not: tattooed, skinny, technically sound, and oh yeah, a heel. Although, Punk was certainly no heel to the crowd in Chicago at Money in the Bank 2011. In fact, the match gave off Cena vs. RVD vibes, though on a much grander scale. The promos leading up checked every box, but the match delivered, too, and Punk showed he can be THEE foil for Cena both outside the ring and in it. – Jack Goodwillie

9. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, Survivor Series 1996

The greatest professional wrestling match of all-time. It is legendary and flawless. Months before their classic WrestleMania encounter, “The Hitman” and the “Texas Rattlesnake” tore the house down at Madison Square Garden. It was Hart’s first match since losing the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII, and he chose Steve Austin to be his victim. As you can imagine, Austin was happy to oblige and brought the fight to the Hitman. Although he was the villain, Stone Cold received a massive pop from the New York City fans, and really evolved into a legit main eventer during this match. If you do one thing after reading this list, please watch this match for me. – Steven Jackson

8. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit, Royal Rumble 2003

When you talk about great dance partners, Rock & Austin, Flair & Steamboat and Michaels & Undertaker often come to mind. But so should Angle and Benoit, a pairing that never produced a less than really good match. Whether as partners or rivals, their chemistry was palpable – tremendous athletes who took their profession very seriously and made you believe everything they did. Royal Rumble 2003 was their finest hour, as they followed a show killer in Triple H vs. Scott Steiner and brought the crowd to their feet. Exchanging suplexes and submissions and developing innovative counters for both, Angle and Benoit produced a masterpiece that could turn even the biggest naysayer into a diehard wrestling fan. – John Corrigan

7. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania X-8

Many of today’s top stars, including Cody, name this as their favorite match. The Toronto crowd absolutely made this, going nuts for Hulk Hogan and even booing The Rock. Everything these two icons of different generations did drew a huge pop, and with Hogan’s age, they were pretty limited. After the past decade of WWE prioritizing legends and part-timers over the current roster, it’s nice to see an instance where Vince McMahon made the right decision of who put over who. – John Corrigan

6. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles, Unbreakable 2005

Human highlight reel wrestling. These three pillars of Ring of Honor brought their talent and chemistry to TNA, taking the X-Division to unprecedented heights. The greatest triple threat of all time, this is probably the most re-watchable wrestling match. TNA was a gimmicky name, but in response to this match it couldn’t have been more true: Total Nonstop Action! – Steven Jackson

5. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, WrestleMania 13

This is the match that made Steve Austin one of the biggest stars of all time. After a technical masterpiece at Survivor Series, Bret Hart and Stone Cold had a hellacious brawl here, redefining what a submission match could be. Historic for being the most successful double turn, Austin’s crimson mask while locked in the Sharpshooter is iconic. Never has a wrestler gained so much from losing. – John Corrigan

4. Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage, WrestleMania III

For 22 years, this was universally regarded as the best WrestleMania match. After all, Randy Savage made Ricky Steamboat rehearse it ad nauseum in the week leading up. All that practice paid off as Macho Man and the Dragon stole the show with an exhilarating exhibition of athleticism and stamina. The finish even paid off the storyline from the year prior, as George Steele (infatuated with Miss Elizabeth) dumped Savage off the top rope, preventing a flying elbow and leading to Steamboat’s ingenious counter to a bodyslam. – John Corrigan

3. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero, Halloween Havoc 1997

This was way ahead of its time in terms of innovative moves and the fast-paced action. There are moves in the match that can’t be replicated today outside of a video game. Both Guerrero and Mysterio have gone on record saying they could never duplicate the magic created that night. – Neal Wagner

2. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania 21

Mr. WrestleMania meets The Wrestling Machine. A rare dream match that not only met expectations, but exceeded them. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels gave you everything – a slugfest, a technical wrestling clinic, death-defying high spots, jaw-dropping reversals and an edge-of-your-seat conclusion. – Juan Bautista

1. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania XXV

What I find so crazy about the WrestleMania matches Undertaker and Shawn Michaels had is that they came at the tail end of one of the WWE’s most incredible eras and it would be all downhill from there. As a show, I didn’t really like WrestleMania 25. It was the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania for God’s sakes, so I expected a better show than anything we’d seen before! But the card was lacking. Triple H vs. Randy Orton was a bad main event both on paper and in the ring, Matt vs. Jeff took a weird turn with the dog getting involved in the feud, and I don’t think anybody thought putting John Cena, Edge and Big Show in a midcard world title match was the best use of any of them.

However, none of that really mattered, because when people think of WrestleMania 25, all that comes to mind is The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. This was the first WrestleMania I didn’t bother convincing my mom to purchase for us, and I was more than content to watch what I could of it on the computer. Big mistake. Taker and HBK had one of the most critically acclaimed matches ever, cementing their legacies as 1 and 1A on the list of most notable WrestleMania legends.

I knew this match would be great from the onset, as Shawn really won me over with the juxtaposition his entrance had with The Undertaker’s, but I had no idea how good it could truly be. The athleticism, stakes, psychology, timing, symbolism and commentary all worked in tandem, and there’s really no one reason as to why this match is as revered as it is, though Shawn’s kick-out of the Tombstone is one of my favorite near-falls. For anyone who’s involved in the wrestling business, this match really should be mandatory yearly viewing. – Jack Goodwillie