10 Loudest Wrestling Pops You Didn't Know About

3. The Perfect Dynamic Clashes At Clash Of The Champions II

Dean Malenko Ciclope
WWE Network

The event, headlined by Sting and Dusty Rhodes Vs. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, was titled Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem.

Really, it was a clash between the past, present and future of Jim Crockett Promotions. If the promotion had peaked, and it had, this remained a deafening spectacle - a composite of its greatness and, through Sting's unreal babyface work, a cruel glimpse into a stunning future that institutional mismanagement married with Vince McMahon's money could not realise.

Sting was Cody's favourite wrestler, and this is Cody's favourite match, tied with Hulk Hogan Vs. The Rock. On this glorious, heated evidence, you get a sense of why Cody sought to bring back the old-school babyface archetype in 2018. It wasn't old-school; it was timeless.

Sting was thrown to the canvas and jumped straight back up. Arn Anderson reacted with fright, using that marvellously expressive face, before trying again. Nope. Sting leapt to his feet, jerked his head towards Arn in defiance, and Arn, thinking better of things, slithered out of the ring to regroup. The fans went wild, nuts., apesh*t for Sting before he executed a single move.

The tag team was short-lived, much to that crowd's despair. Kick-ass, witty, and hugely popular, they act as evidence for tiresome discourse.

Modern pro wrestling is missing something, and it's this.

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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!