10 Best Ever Wrestling Tournaments
Tournaments are back in fashion, but how do WWE's recent offerings compare to the classics?
Professional wrestling and tournaments go hand-in-hand. There's barely a promotion in the world that doesn't run at least one major tournament every year, and from NJPW's G1 Climax to PWG's Battle of Los Angeles, the wrestling calendar is full of prominent tourneys.
WWE are fond of tournaments themselves, and the company have ran dozens since first dabbling with the format in 1985. The Wrestling Classic was WWE's second pay-per-view after the original WrestleMania, and while far from the most exciting tournament, it helped lay the foundations for future competitions.
The winner, Junkyard Dog, enjoyed a significant push in the aftermath, and soon became one of his era's most popular stars, and countless other wrestlers have used a tournament win as a launchpad for greater success. Steve Austin's WWE career really took-off with his iconic "Austin 3:16" promo after becoming 1996 King of the Ring, and where would Randy Savage be if he hadn't become the "Macho King" in 1987?
It's these superstars that newly-crowned WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate will look to follow over the coming years, and there's no reason he can't use his UK Tournament success as a springboard to the top.
In wrestling, few things are more compelling than an exciting, well-booked tournament. History is littered with classic competitions, and from traditional single elimination tourneys to drawn-out round robins, big time tournaments often represent the best the sport has to offer.
Here are the 10 best wrestling tournaments ever.
10. WWE Championship Tournament (WrestleMania IV, 1988)
You’ll find many “better” wrestling matches within this list’s other tournaments than those that took place at WrestleMania IV, but WWE have prioritised showmanship over workrate for decades. This tournament wasn’t a night of blow-away matches, but it’s still one of the most important tourneys in WWE history for a number of reasons.
This is the only time WWE have held a one-night WWE championship tournament on their biggest show of the year, WrestleMania. The second round featured the rematch to Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant’s iconic WrestleMania III main event, and with those two compliment by the likes of Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat, the tournament featured some of the biggest stars in wrestling history.
In terms of pageantry and pure spectacle, it’s hard to top this tournament. The lack of awesome matches prevents it from finishing higher, but that’s not to say there wasn’t good wrestling on display. Savage had fun matches with Greg Valentine and Ted DiBiase, and Valentine vs. Steamboat helped eclipse the drudgery of Dino Bravo vs. Don Muraco and One Man Gang vs. Bam Bam Bigelow.
With Hogan by his side, Macho Man defeated DiBiase to win his first World Championship in the finals. This effectively set-off the paranoia and jealousy that would consume the Mega Powers over the coming year, leading to their big match at the following WrestleMania. If anything, this tournament deserves special mention for setting one of the biggest storylines in WWE history into motion.