10 Great Matches That Inadvertently Ruined Wrestling

So many speak of The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 as the greatest match in pro wrestling history that it might as well be. Wrestling is funny like that.

It was a fantastically structured and paced battle between two inseparable legends putting on the performance of their careers to put the other away. The layout demanded that level of performance, and we received it. Never had the Undertaker struck his choke slam with such velocity. Never had Michaels reached the height he did to sell it with such conviction.

Michaels Vs. 'Taker wasn't just a open air festival of massive moves. The psychology was so impeccable that the Texans rendered a fairly obvious outcome doubtful. The famous visual saw 'Taker, having failed to put Michaels away with the Tombstone, plaster a look of complete incredulity across his face. He almost looked silly, but that was the point. The failure humanised him. He made you believe that Michaels just might end his Streak of immortality.

'Taker did eventually win - but only after he and Michaels assembled roughly fifteen false finishes. Not one of them stretched disbelief. This was WrestleMania, the Showcase of the Immortals. 'Taker and Michaels lived up to that better than anybody with their sublime if on-the-nose story.

Unfortunately, its tropes have been borrowed to such an extent that many WWE matches since read as a parody of them. Every major near-fall requires a version of that kickout face. Every main event requires at least three false finishes to get over the idea that it is a Big WWE Match.

All matches have to follow a template they do not have a hope of living up to.