10 Relatively Unheralded Matches Worth A WWE Network Revisit

Not quite *****, nowhere near 4/10.

Sabu Rey Mysterio ECW one Night Stand 2006
WWE.com

It's hard not to single out undisputed classics when browsing the Network with a spare hour to hand.

Some matches and cards are so essential that they practically pick themselves. It's all too easy to watch WrestleMania 13's life-affirming Submissions match, or the entirety of 'Mania X-Seven (with the possible exception of Chyna Vs. Ivory). But this selective approach might cause some of the lesser but still bright lights of wrestling lore to be lost in the playlist shuffle.

This is a list of matches which haven't quite made it into the Greatest Of All Time conversation, often with justified reasoning. They may have been bettered by sequels, let down slightly by a minor complaint, or outshone by better matches held that same night.

That said, in some cases they are constructed with more intelligence than some of their more famous counterparts; in others, they're more believable variations of gimmick matches which can often strain suspension of disbelief.

In short, they're definitely good enough to watch again...

10. Shane Helms & Shannon Moore Vs. Kaz Hayashi & Yun Yang Vs. Evan Karagias & Jamie Noble - WCW StarrCade 2000

Sabu Rey Mysterio ECW one Night Stand 2006
wwe.com

WCW was in total free-fall by the time they presented this ladder match, the bizarre set-up of which had to be transcended by the six men involved.

Despite being contested between three tag teams, who were all introduced as such, the aim of the match was to win contendership for Chavo Guerrero, Jr.'s singles Cruiserweight crown. The logic is difficult to parse, but the action is sublime to take in. Marred ever so slightly by some timing errors in the opening moments, all six men regain their composure quickly enough to assemble a thrilling collection of sequences.

Strategy is even considered by Helms and Moore, who retrieve a ladder they'd stashed under the ring as the rest of the field fight each other off in their attempts to capture their own from the entrance ramp. That's about the extent of the psychology, but they differentiate their six man ladder match from those made famous by the Hardy Boyz et al. that same year with some unique bridged ladder spots, which are atypically uncontrived.

The ladder gimmick while not the invention is nonetheless the preserve of WWE, in which it has been used to catapult some of its greatest stars to lasting stardom. While WCW always struggled with that aspect of it, their entries to the genre canon are not inconsiderable.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!