10 WWE Stars Loved For The Wrong Match

9. Shawn Michaels

MANIA X SEVEN
WWE.com

Loved for: Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker, WrestleMania 25

Nobody can deny the power of this, one of the greatest matches in company history. Fought between eternal legends as their physical and psychological primes intersected, this epic match flew by in a haze of superb in-ring work, at least two jaw-dropping moments, and the facial expressions of two performers with a surgical ability to extract drama from the space between moves. The greatest tribute that can be paid to it is that virtually every WWE match of note since has cribbed from its bulletproof big match structure.

Deserves as much, if not more credit for: Shawn Michaels Vs. Triple H, SummerSlam 2002

Wrestling, at its best, is an appeal to emotion. The art form is so athletically advanced - and technology allows so much in the way of instant inspiration - that several performers now come equipped with the ability to assemble a cosmetic epic. But how many matches, even in this age of awesome in-ring action, truly make you feel? Shawn managed that at SummerSlam 2002, in a match informed by four years of agonising history. His selling was peerless, surpassing even that of Ricky Steamboat, in how every last attack targeted to his back drove the empathy of all watching.

Michaels could always drop jaws; on that night, he put hearts in mouths.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!