10 Best Opening 60 Seconds Of Wrestling Matches Ever

5. Sammy Guevara Vs. Darby Allin - AEW Revolution 2020

Sammy Guevara Darby Allin
AEW

Technically not the opening minute of the match - Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin burst out of the gates before the bell - but who cares?

The story of the match starts with the build, not the opening bell. Guevara had injured Darby's throat. Darby was out for revenge. This was a grudge match, even if the rules didn't frame it as such, and they were smart enough to work it as a grudge match. The lack of a stip here actually built the credibility of the story.

Darby Allin entered the ring second and immediately left it by flattening Guevara on the outside with what is the best suicide dive of all time. If nobody caught him, he'd have flown out of the exit doors - but Guevara didn't catch him. Allin was a bullet too fast to wait for with helpful, immersion-breaking open arms.

Allin registered the monster pop by roaring back to the masses before exploding into a basement dropkick. Guevara's spine collided sickeningly with the barricade, and the spot looked all the better for how it didn't budge. After a second throw into another railing, Guevara reversed the third and leapt off the steps to smash Darby in the face with a stunning flying back heel kick so fast that he flew into frame before a camera cut.

High-speed action fused with a hateful tone: f*cking class.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!