6. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat III (WrestleWar 1989)
The Ric Flair/Ricky Steamboat rivalry of 1989 is unlike many of the great rivalries on this list - or indeed in wrestling history - in that it wasn't necessarily based on hatred, but rather a mutual competitive respect and a shared desire to be world champion. Widely acknowledged as the greatest trilogy of matches that professional wrestling has ever known; the feud between these competitors would come to a head at Wrestle War 1989. As their previous matches had ended in controversy, this time three judges (Lou Thesz, Pat O' Conner and Terry Funk) would sit at ringside to call the winner in the event of a draw. They would bear witness to another classic between Flair and Steamboat that would not only subtly call-back to their previous encounters in clever ways, but would carry with it a level of intensity not quite as present in their last matches. Though their previous 2/3 falls encounter at Clash of Champions may be the slightly superior contest, what makes this match such an appropriate finale is the ending. After Flair defeats Steamboat with a roll-up, Terry Funk entered the ring to congratulate the new champion and challenge him to a match. After being denied in favor of younger competition, Funk would sucker punch Flair and start another all-time great rivalry. The concept of ending one feud and immediately starting another has been attempted many times over the years, but it will likely never be done as well as it was here.