10 Amazing (But Forgotten) WWE Pre-Show Matches You Need To See

2. The Usos Vs The Real Americans Vs RybAxel Vs Los Matadores (WrestleMania 30)

sasha banks becky lynch tlc 2015
WWE.com

Though divisive in places, WrestleMania 30 is considered by many to be a quintessentially 'perfect' edition of the 'Show of Shows'.

Daniel Bryan's opening and closing evocative displays against Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista respectively mirrored the effortful endeavours of Bret Hart 20 years earlier as he was begrudgingly placed back atop the pile by an organisation constantly looking elsewhere for their top star. Brock Lesnar shockingly scalped The Undertaker, ending his streak but ensuring a lifetime of infamy for the incredible moment. And Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan and The Rock shared beers and belly-laughs to open the show as the inarguable in-ring architects of WWE's empiric success.

The only company cornerstone it seemed to lack was a Tag Team Title clash. Yet another time of indifference for the doubles division saw the belts relegated to the pre-show, but the eight performers shunted in to do battle weren't prepared to be an afterthought.

Kickoff regulars before and after the event, The Usos and Los Matadores dazzled with their high flying best, whilst Ryback and Curtis Axel put in a shift befitting of their cult status on the Raw and SmackDown lowercard.

The bout also played host to the crumbling of Cesaro and Jack Swagger's 'Real Americans' act. 'The Swiss Superman' made a spirited babyface turn, and would go on to win the Andre The Giant Battle Royal later in the night to craft another lamentable false start in his chase for an elusive 'brass ring'.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett