Favourite HBK match?

Vince135792003

To liven things up a bit and I don't think its been been disccussed yet.

As the title reads, what's your favourite Shawn Michaels match of all time?

It goes without saying that he's had a lot of great matches and its hard for me to just pick 1. But I'll go for his Summerslam match with Triple H in 2002.

He's definitely had alot more athletic and maybe even better exectued matches than that one. But for me the emotion in that match with him coming back after 4 or so years, the unknown factor of how his body would hold up and the question mark as to whether he could come back and deliver one more time just made it really special.

It might be interesting to do this for a few different wrestlers over the next few weeks. Just thought I 'd start with Micheals as he's not short of great matches to choose from.

Gillie

Mine would be against Shelton last year. Maybe not his best ever but up there with his best outside a PPV.
A close second would be his one against HHH on RAW where Bisch screwed him.

Ruu_Old

My favourite would have to be the ladder match with Razor at WM10 (I think).

J.R.HARTLEY

Ruu wrote:

My favourite would have to be the ladder match with Razor at WM10 (I think).

this one and the rematch at summerslam that year,

triple h

Ruu wrote:

My favourite would have to be the ladder match with Razor at WM10 (I think).

yes agreed.

Stalfos

Matches with Angle last year were pretty good i thought. Ladder match is a classic as well.

Mr.Nice Guy

For me it's also Summerslam 2002 against Triple H. Everything about that match was well done including the video package before the bout. There was a lot of emotion in that match alright and it's a match I often go back and watch again.

gimmick

I would have to go with WM21 Vs Angle. What a match that was. It had everything, including a good storyline to lead it in.

After this, I would say HBK Vs Jericho at WM19. A dream match of sorts, it was given a good 25 minutes to allow both men really express themselves. It was an epic battle where no-one could call the outcome. Great storyline and build as well.

HIAC Vs Taker Badd Blood 98(?). Best HIAC match of them all (closely followed by Trips and Foley).

HBK Vs HHH at SS02. For all intents and purposes a hardcore match, but had a huge build, great in ring psychology, and some great spots.

1st Elimination Chamber - who wasn't on their feet with HBK flipped HHH out of the pedigree, SCM, 123. Amazing.

chopperbyrne

His two matches with Owen Hart. The one where he was "knocked out" with an insuguri and the rematch.

Two of the best in two great matches.

A very big pity Owen never got a title run.

gimmick

^ I know its off topic, but would Owen have been a cfedible main eventer? Or would he have been a great mid-carder, whose primary use would have been to put over future main eventers? I dont mean that in a bad way, I mean it much like the way Kane has been used most of his career (I dont count his title 'run').

Vince135792003

Another one I love is his match against Mankind at Mind Games. The match is often forgotten but it was just really well done.

Another match I love is the survivor series elimination match he was in 2003(I think) where if Austin lost he had to retire. He worked as the underdog so well and had the crowd in the arena and me just totally absorbed by it.

Another question is whether he was better during his "main" run or when he returned in 2002?

I think for me its hard one to answer. Too tough to call. On the one hand his matches were that bit more athletic in his prime. But at the same time, he's had a lot of really great matches since he's returned.

Vince135792003

gimmick wrote:

^ I know its off topic, but would Owen have been a cfedible main eventer? Or would he have been a great mid-carder, whose primary use would have been to put over future main eventers? I dont mean that in a bad way, I mean it much like the way Kane has been used most of his career (I dont count his title 'run').

I think in his feud with Bret he could easily have been the top heel champ. In 1993 it was n't as if there was a queue of people with his wrestling ability or even his promo skills in the WWE. I mean in that feud he really was a credible main eventer for basically a whole year.

From 1994-1995, Vince was going through his big man stage and Owen was never gonna get a look in.

Having read the book that his wife did, as soon as the attitude era rolled in he just struggled to fit into that kind of product and kinda lost his passion for it. He tried to get out of wrestling a couple of times.

el rabitos

i think michaels really hit his prime as a character and a performer just before he was forced to retire, alot of my favourte michaels promo's were during his last few months before wm 14.

favourate match is a hard question, but HBK vs Austin, wm 14 would be my favourate for alot of reasons. michaels had no real business being in a right in the shape his back was in at the time.

i remember watching it live and there was just alot of tension around the whole thing, it had a real 'big match' feel, and the only time i remember the changing of a championship making it onto sky news, even if it was mainly due to tyson's involvement.

Vince135792003

el rabitos wrote:

favourate match is a hard question, but HBK vs Austin, wm 14 would be my favourate for alot of reasons. michaels had no real business being in a right in the shape his back was in at the time.

i remember watching it live and there was just alot of tension around the whole

There was even more tension backstage. Micheals did n't want to do the job until Undertaker notified him of the physical consequences if he refused. And thats not a rumour, Undertaker spoke about it on Off the Record in Canada.

el rabitos

Vince135792003 wrote:

There was even more tension backstage. Micheals did n't want to do the job until Undertaker notified him of the physical consequences if he refused. And thats not a rumour, Undertaker spoke about it on Off the Record in Canada.

yeah seen that myself. but i dont particularly care what goes on backstage to be honest, i subscribe to the "i dont care, entertain me" line of thinking.

Vince135792003

Sometimes whats rumoured to be going on backstage is more interesting than what happens onstage. Some might say its been like that for the last 5 years!

el rabitos

Vince135792003 wrote:

Sometimes whats rumoured to be going on backstage is more interesting than what happens onstage. Some might say its been like that for the last 5 years!

thats why i've been looking forward to my weekly dose of MMA/UFC, ROH and TNA.

to get things back on topic, whatever problems michaels had behind the scenes, it never detracted from his in ring performances, he was always steller in the ring.

Fozzy

Can't believe the iron man match vs Bret hasn't been mentioned yet. That's an absolute classic

Personally, I'd pick either of his ppv matches against Angle as my favourites. The WM slightly ahead (Kurt won that one..didn't he?!)

I do remember being very very into his comeback match vs HHH at Summerslam, because I knew that he had been legitimately injured and I was genuinely worried in case he wasn't able for what he was doing after all those years, especially with some of the bumps in that match. Really had me on the edge of my seat, similar to Angle vs Lesnar at WM in that way

I don't understand what the fascination is with his match vs Shelton on Raw last year. I'll say that it was a good bit better than practically all the matches you get on Raw in the last while, but I don't think it can go down as a classic in any way. The main thing people seem to remember about the match is the Sweet Chin Music at the end, but there was no psychology behind the move at all, it was just a stunt. If Shawn had stayed put, Shelton would have just landed 3 or 4 feet in front of him and that would have been that. Just didn't make any sense to me in the context of the match!

HorseRadish

Again,for me,the match vs HHH at Summerslam. Had me so into it,and the sledgehammer shot made me curse HHH like a mad yoke! The build up was class for it too. Also the double pin match with HHH in Phoenix on RAW,maybe early 2004? As HBK was born in Arizona,the crowd was RABID when they thought he'd the title won!

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote:

Can't believe the iron man match vs Bret hasn't been mentioned yet. That's an absolute classic
!

I'm gonna get slughtered for this most probably! But I'm really not a big fan of this match.

Don't get me wrong it was a very good match. But the first 20 minutes bored me. The crowd heat was totally dead apart from the last two minutes of the whole thing. Aparently half the people had left before it even ended.

And just a 60 minute match with no falls is a very hard thing to pull off and make the whole thing compelling.

The wrestling observer gave it 4 and a quarter stars. And I think thats about right. Both guys have had better matches in my opinion.

Fozzy

It really is the sort of match that divides people. They either love it or don't really get it. I can understand why a lot of people don't like it, but to me, it was one of those matches that was just amazing. The fact that they actually tried something like it is almost shocking! It was like a tightly contested football match going all the way through extra time and into penalties

He used to have some really good tag matches back in the day too. None spring to mind right now as being up there with ones already mentioned, but they were so much better than the matches you get in WWE these days, and he was only a young fella at the time!

Mr.Nice Guy

Vince135792003 wrote:

I'm gonna get slughtered for this most probably! But I'm really not a big fan of this match.

Don't get me wrong it was a very good match. But the first 20 minutes bored me. The crowd heat was totally dead apart from the last two minutes of the whole thing. Aparently half the people had left before it even ended.

And just a 60 minute match with no falls is a very hard thing to pull off and make the whole thing compelling.

The wrestling observer gave it 4 and a quarter stars. And I think thats about right. Both guys have had better matches in my opinion.

I agree. I've watched it back and I don't get the fascination with it. I'm not saying it's a bad match but I think a lot of the credit for the match goes to the fact it was the first Iron Man match. I thought Benoit/HHH and Angle/Lesnar had more compelling Iron Man matches personally.