7. Mankind - WWE Championship Match vs. Shawn Michaels - In Your House: Mind Games 1996
By September 1996, Mankind had become a legitimate breakout character for Vince McMahon's WWE. His rivalry with The Undertaker had helped provide the company with the edginess and chaotic brawling that it had sorely been missing in the face of the nWo invasion in WCW and the hardcore revolution of ECW. As great as Mankind was, and as over as his character became shortly after his debut, there were still questions by some about his ability to mix it up in a quality match that did not rely too heavily on weapons and other gimmicks to achieve a certain quality. Luckily for him, his first chance to compete for the WWE Championship would coincide with the breakout match that would convince even the harshest of critics that he was a special, once-in-a-lifetime performer. On September 22, 1996, at In Your House: Mind Games, Mankind not only held his own against the man widely considered the best worker in North America at the time, Shawn Michaels, he also brought a side out of the Heartbreak Kid in a match that was equal parts epic and classic. More importantly, for the long-term health of the company, he evoked a nastier, grittier side of Michaels that fans had never before seen. It was that side that would eventually be coupled with his degenerate attitude that helped lead to the birth of D-Generation X and the Attitude Era, thus making Mankind's performance so much more than his own personal breakout.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
