10 Times Wrestlers Got Over With ONE Match

9. Ronda Rousey

Orange Cassidy PAC
WWE.com

Ahead of WrestleMania, the optimistic projection was that, with a heavy road agent focus and keen preparation, WWE was to craft a wily smoke and mirrors match in a bid to obscure Ronda Rousey's limitations. Kurt Angle would toil and toil, crawl for the hot tag, Ronda would explode in a popular, short cameo, and secure the win.

This did happen, but the match was significantly - euphorically - better than estimated. It was always going to be structured so that Ronda would get over as the star on the marquee. In a transcendent performance, she got over as the star on the awards ballot, too.

Stephanie McMahon was exceptional in her role, seamlessly selling the imminent, terrifying threat when it was close, and smugly bantering it off when Angle was thoroughly subdued - and in a fortunate byproduct of Angle's deteriorated physical condition, that hot tag has rarely felt more elusive.

When it finally happened, Ronda morphed from celebrity to prodigy in seconds by decimating Steph in a torrent of skilled brutality. The action was impressive, but the psychology far more. She registered everything with a performer's instinct, looking to the hair she'd removed from Steph's scalp with a merciless, improvised shrug.

She was the machine gun to Triple H's comedy Hot Shots Part Deux body in a fabulous match that saw her become a legend of the U.S. Women's game in 22 minutes.

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!