130. Bret Hart (c) vs The British Bulldog (WWF Championship, WWF In Your House : Season’s Beatings)

Tis the Season to be jolly…well, I know Christmas 2022 has been and gone, but I’ve been busy, so only managed to watch one Christmas themed wrestling match! In 1995, WWE presented In Your House: Season’s Beatings. The only bout that prevented it from being instantly forgettable was Bret Jart vs The British Bulldog for the WWE Championship. We all know about their Summerslam 1992 classic, but this underrated bout is just as good.

103. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage (c) vs The Ultimate Warrior (WWF Championship Match, WWE Summerslam 1992)

Finally, WWE PPVs (sorry, PLEs) are coming back to Britain! It’s been a long time coming, and tomorrow’s ‘Clash at the Castle’ is being treated as a big event by the WWE. Drew McIntyre was on ITV News, for the love of God! We all talk about Summerslam 1992, and The British Bulldog’s victory over Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in the main event. However, the WWF Championship was also fought over earlier on the show. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage defended his World Title against The Ultimate Warrior. They had one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time the previous year. Could this match equal (or even better) that masterpiece?

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #10 Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE Title, 60 Minute Iron Man Match. WWE Wrestlemania XII)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31348419?contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wrestlemania&contentId=67696930&watchlistAltButtonContext=series )

Oh goodness, we’re entering the Top 10! My journey through the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To Watch Before You Die has taken me over two years…but I’m nearly there!

I’ve mentioned before during my reviews of the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches…List that the original version of a gimmick match is, more often than not, the best version of it. Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, Ladder match…all the originals are superior to what came after them. Not only that, but they usually involve Shawn Michaels as well. However, Shawn Michaels failed to make the inaugural 60 Minute Iron Man Match better than what succeeded it. The Iron Man match between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle, placed at #53, is far better than this one (click here for my review). It’s a match of two halves. The first half is as dull as waiting for a bus. The second half is action-packed, but the wait was so long for the action that it’s hard to feel excited for it.

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #22 The Royal Rumble Match (WWE Title, WWE Royal Rumble 1992)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345295?contextType=wwe-show&contextId=royal_rumble&contentId=67733236&watchlistAltButtonContext=series )

I’ve never enjoyed the Royal Rumble as a match. It’s all about the excitement of who comes next, the surprise entrants, and who will win. Yes, there may be a few memorable moments (the past few years, for example, have seen Kofi Kingston avoid elimination by innovative means). The final five minutes are always tense (unless Roman Reigns is involved…). But much of the match involves wrestlers attempting to lift other wrestlers over the top rope in unconvincing ways. I can only name a few Royal Rumble matches that I’d watch more than once. The Royal Rumble 2001 is one of them. #22, Royal Rumble 1992, is now another one. But does that mean it should be in the WWE Network#s 100 Best Matches…List?

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #24 Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage (WWE Title, WWE Wrestlemania VIII)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31348403?contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wrestlemania&contentId=67734570&watchlistAltButtonContext=series )

The match every wrestling fan wanted to main event WrestleMania VIII was Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair. It’s the dream match that many thought might never happen. Would Flair ever go to WWF? Go to WWF he did, but Hogan and Flair never fought on TV during Flair’s first turn in WWF. Instead, we received the awful main event of Hogan vs Sid Justice. However, we were still treated to one of the all time great WrestleMania matches: Flair vs Randy Savage. With two of the best wrestling talents ever going one on one, could we expect anything less than greatness? Bolstered by a blistering feud, Flair vs Savage was everything a wrestling fan wanted…

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #26 Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (WWF Championship, Streetfight, WWE Royal Rumble 2000)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31345807?contextType=wwe-show&contextId=royal_rumble&contentId=67733314&watchlistAltButtonContext=series )

​This is one of my all-time favourite matches. It  developed from  a believable and brutal rivalry between HHH and Mick Foley that really extended far back to 1997. HHH became a star and Mick Foley proved he could still put on a hell of a match after a relatively quiet 1999. We’ve already seen HHH and Cactus Jack fight in the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches…List (at #95, click here for my review!) This match is an evolution of #95. It ramps the ultraviolence to a degree rarely seen in WWE, even back in the Attitude Era. They had a PPV level match on Raw in 1997. This actual PPV match at Royal Rumble 2000 is one for the ages.

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches: #48 Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WWE Championship and WWE Intercontinental Championship Match, WWE Wrestlemania VI)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31356295/?contentId=31356295&contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wrestlemania)

I knew we’d come to this bout sooner or later. ‘The ULTIMATE CHALLENGEEEE,’ as Vince McMahon screamed during the opening video package of WrestleMania VI. We saw the two biggest babyfaces of the early WWF go one on one in the ‘ultimate’ WrestleMania main event. Like #49, pitting Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock (click here for my review of that match!), Hogan vs The Warrior is placed on the list more for its significance in WWF/E history rather than its in-ring brilliance. It isn’t as terrible as some would make it out, let me say that first. But it isn’t anywhere near the quality that one would expect from  the WWE Network 100 Best Matches…List.