10 Most Influential WWE Matches Ever
Changing the wrestling world in under two minutes.
WWE isn't just the premier wrestling organisation on the planet because WCW failed to follow up on the white-hot nWo angle; for all of the company's many faults, past and present, their in-ring product is arguably the most diverse and progressive of all-time.
The most influential matches in its history, either consciously or otherwise, have changed the landscape of wrestling forever. Without the bouts listed here, WWE would be a very different company indeed.
Some were wrestled with the express intent of doing just that; knowing that they were embarking on a new road, the competitors involved innovated or popularised their way to immortality. Others blazed a trail without knowing that their unique artistic decisions would be woven, inextricably, into the WWE tapestry.
The influence these matches have had has not always been positive; some have inadvertently given rise to the more irksome trends in WWE history, leading to futile and oft-counterproductive attempts to replicate the magic or the controversy they created.
Regardless, the path traversed by today's WWE superstars was painstakingly forged over decades by the Hall of Fame-level performers they break their bodies trying to emulate.
In this article, we afford them the proper respect...
10. The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXV
In many circles, this is considered to be the greatest match ever of those promoted by Vince McMahon, Jr.
It didn't create a new star in its wake - both The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were already established as legends by 5th April, 2009 - but its influence has been assimilated into the in-ring language of WWE - to less than stellar effect, unfortunately.
The multiple finisher trope was hardly a new phenomenon by 2009 - All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s and WWE in their Attitude Era had already diluted the power of signature moves - but in making a match predicated almost entirely on the false finish, the two men unwittingly created an easy shortcut to dramatic tension.
It worked for 'Taker and Michaels. Their mythical association with the grand stage almost necessitated the narrative through-line. But in seeking the same adoring response, too many WWE superstars have arbitrarily coopted the match structure, weakening the finisher to an irritating extent.
More gallingly, barely one WWE match goes by without one, both, or all men involved replicating Undertaker's incredulous, I-can't-believe-he-kicked-out-of-that face. The logic is understandable. It sells the move, and mitigates the damage of the kick-out, but the expression is so commonplace that it has lost all meaning.