10 Best Wrestling Trilogies
When the first, second, and third times were the charm...
Three is an important number in storytelling, and since pro wrestling is a form of storytelling, it's no surprise that three is an important number there, too. Each wrestling match can be divided into three parts in the same way a work of fiction can - first the good guy establishes himself, then the bad guy takes control, and finally, the good guy makes a comeback leading into an exciting climax. Not only is it a formula for most heroic fiction, but it's the same pattern nearly every WWE match follows.
Repeat business is also important in wrestling, with some of the best matches in the sport leading to the some of the most incredible rematches of all time. In wrestling, a feud is also a story, so there's no surprise that feuds often follow the same three-act structure, making for a trilogy of wrestling matches. The rules aren't as strict here - sometimes a trilogy involves competitors fighting to a rubber match, while other times one grappler fights tooth and nail to finally score a win over his foe - but the number three is just as important. This list is a ranking of the greatest three-match series in wrestling history.
Just an important note before we start - most of these matches actually happened more than three times over the course of the wrestlers' careers. The "trilogy" in each entry consists of the three most memorable matches, or the three matches that told a complete story.
10. The Undertaker Vs Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania XXX, SummerSlam 2015, Hell In A Cell 2015)
Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker had an amazing Hell in a Cell match back in 2002, but when Lesnar came back to WWE as a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, a bout with Undertaker - at WrestleMania, no less - had entirely different implications. The two men fought at WrestleMania XXX, with Brock scoring the most shocking win since Ivan Koloff beat Bruno Sammartino.
The match left something to be desired, as Undertaker suffered a serious concussion in the early goings and couldn't perform properly. Many assumed this would be his swan song, a fading-away after a sad contest. He continued to compete, though, and eventually challenged Brock to a bout at SummerSlam 2015. This time, the two men had the match they were destined to have - a hard-hitting affair with Lesnar throwing suplexes and The Phenom defying nature to battle back.
Undertaker won the SummerSlam match under the most controversial of circumstances (he choked Brock out with Hell's Gate after "The Beast" forced him to submit to a Kimura, but referee Charles Robinson didn't see the submission), setting up a rubber match at the Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View. The two men clashed in the steel structure, with blood and suplexes the order of the day.
Finally, Lesnar tore up the ring canvas and planted Undertaker with an F5 on the exposed dasher boards to pick up a decisive win.