10 Great WWE Moments We Came Agonisingly Close To

5. Shawn Michaels Vs. Eddie Guerrero - WrestleMania 22

Rousey Lynch
WWE.com

Can you imagine how good this match, rendered impossible for the most tragic of reasons, would have been?

The parallels between both men are clear. Both combined irresistible babyface fire and top-notch, blood-pumping workrate with their own, idiosyncratic take on tweener psychology. They were both charming b*stards who weren’t above cheating to achieve their improbable goals—which likely informed the initial pitch—and that dynamic would, in turn, have informed the match.

The eclectic tone was incredible in scope: a who’s-fooling-who exhibition of heel brinksmanship; Shawn Michaels setting up for an early Sweet Chin Music, only to discover his laces are untied; a tonal shift from comedy to agony as Guerrero cinches in the Gory Special, compounding Shawn’s career-defining back problems; Michaels mounting an uplifting babyface comeback, capped off with a flying forearm splash—only for Guerrero to reverse it and spike that broken body part with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker; Michaels, drawing on the last reserves of his body, reversing course with an Asai moonsault you could barely bring yourself to watch, no matter how spectacular it always looked…

This, and there’s no hyperbole here, could have been the greatest match in WWE history.

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!