10 Most Influential WWE Matches Ever

3. Bret Hart Vs. Diesel - Survivor Series 1995

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WWE Network

The majority of this match was gripping - if standard - Bret Hart fare, in which he recognised the strengths and limitations of his opponent and wove a typically realistic story around them.

The finish saw Diesel unceremoniously bump Hart off the ring apron and through the announce table in a spot which was controversial for its time. Despite the ostensibly devastating move - the impact of which obviously hadn't been rendered effete through overuse - Hart went on to win the match.

Randy Savage had smashed Ricky Morton through a table with a piledriver as far back as 1984, and Sabu had popularised the spot and made it his own across Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and the U.S. Independent scene in the early nineties, but the visceral impact of seeing Bret Hart careen through a table in the DayGlo New Generation era shocked the mainstream wrestling world.

The spot is a habitual occurrence on WWE television, and has been for several years. We probably have Vince Russo, as much as Hart, to thank for that; according to Jim Cornette, Russo was intent on wrecking the Spanish announce table at every conceivable opportunity.

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!