10 Classic Matches Bettered By Spiritual Sequels
7. Roddy Piper Vs. Goldust - WWF WrestleMania XII
Bettered by: Dean Ambrose Vs. Luke Harper - WWE Extreme Rules 2015
Classic might be a stretch, realistically, but Piper Vs. Goldust was something very unique and damn fun for its time. As famous for Piper's potato punching as its literal two-act structure, like much of Goldust's mid-90's oeuvre, it is nevertheless distinctly uneasy in retrospect. The idea of a revulsed Piper being somehow awarded for his homophobia is as unpleasant as the idea of Goldust as an unwelcome predator.
Ambrose and Harper pilfered the structure, leaving fans to fill in the blanks of what transpired when the cameras stopped rolling, but left the unpleasantness back in '96. In doing so, they provided a far more palatable update on a match which was progressive in spite of itself. With all due respect to Piper and Goldust, too, Ambrose and Harper were in much better condition when they wrestled their match.
The finish of the Hollywood Back Lot brawl was also fairly risible - it was geared almost entirely towards Piper's dubious vindication. Piper crotched Goldust on the ropes before outright crushing his testicles in his hand, in a disturbing approximation of castration. Their attempt to draw hur-hur laughs from Goldust's tendency to cross-dress was also borderline uncomfortable.
Ambrose Vs. Harper meanwhile was a rare, great intersection of the performer and the constraints imposed on him: whacky but d*mn violent.