10 Cult Wrestling Matches To See Before You Die

9. Dynamite Kid Vs. Tiger Mask I - NJPW Summer Fight Series II, 23/07/1982

Tom Magee Bret Hart Still
NJPW

Proto-everything that is awesome about this jaw-dropping modern in-ring standard, this match somehow contrived to fuse and invent several styles.

It is the big bang of pro wrestling.

The pace is so frenetic and the style so unprecedented that the beleaguered referee almost gets battered, literally in the face of such brand new and propulsive aerial offence. He has now idea how to react, mirroring the awe-struck crowd; after Kid smashes Tiger Mask with a dangerously-angled back suplex, they stand up en masse, concerned for his safety, unaware that the two performers were flirting very dangerously with the proximity of the bump, and not actually trying to end one another.

The impact of every throw creates a shudder to this day, and Kid's agonised selling, trapped in Tiger Mask's submissions, is all too palpable. He literally broke his back in pursuit of etching his legend in stone.

The post-match aftermath underscores with a neat visual the stupefied audience reaction; as Kid is backdropped over the guardrail, a woman, almost crushed, cradles her head with a half-grimace, half-smile, entirely dazed.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!