10 Wrestling Matches That Deserved To Become Cult Classics (But Didn't)
Not enough people talk about 2016's Survivor Series war!
With so many outstanding or just plain dumb fun bouts being thrown into the wrestling history books each and every year, a few getting lost in the shuffle was always to be expected.
The fact it's never been easier to dive back into just about any contest that springs to mind, however, has led to many of these once lost or underrated pieces of wrestling goodness actually being unearthed by certain curious pockets of the fandom later down the road.
And these once forgotten or overlooked chunks of joy have often then found themselves growing into full-blown cult classics, adored and praised by those who have been lucky enough to revel in some of the more obscure wrestling hits out there.
Not every under-the-radar sensation has had the honour of being dusted off and celebrated as a bout you simply cannot afford to sleep on, though.
But in the case of the following unquestionably epic, gloriously entertaining, or deeply under-appreciated showcases of in-ring action, few would deny that they all deserve to be saluted as a lost cult favourite just waiting to be rediscovered.
10. A Five Minute Hardcore Clinic (WWE Raw, 2001)
Stepping into the squared-circle opposite another performer who can quite honestly be classed as One of a Kind in his own right, Rob Van Dam put his recently won Hardcore belt on the line against Tajiri on the July 30, 2001 edition of Raw - and the end results were about as wonderful as you can imagine.
During a five minute or so sprint of a contest, the pair brilliantly showed off their mesmerising martial arts prowess, laced in a few cheeky character beats - including an R-V-D taunt being met by a sweetly timed superkick - and the sort of jaw-dropping innovation you'd expect of these two creative souls.
Rather than completely pulverising each other with relentless high spots and excessive chair shots, the opponents picked their spots marvellously, with both a lovely chair-assisted baseball slide corner dropkick and handspring kick from The Japanese Buzzsaw leaving the fans in attendance in a state of brief euphoria.
The duo were even able to sneak a bit of technical brilliance on the mat, too!
In the age of bite-sized content, you'll struggle to find a five-minute piece of action as rewarding as RVD and Tajiri's Monday Night should-be cult classic rush.