10 Times WWE Totally Changed Its In-Ring Style

9. WrestleMania X

Eddie Guerrero Kurt Angle
WWE.com

Bret Hart had worked several sumptuous, decidedly non-Hogan matches well before 1994. Shawn Michaels had shown serious glimpses of an ability to challenge his throne as the top guy of what would be marketed imminently as the New Generation.

The triumph that was WrestleMania X marked the night it all come together; "it" being, and this was an incredible claim to make at any point in the 1980s, the WWF's ascent to the throne of the best in-ring North American promotion.

Bret Hart and brother Owen worked one of the all-time great WWF matches, one that incorporated gorgeous flexing technicality, high emotion and combustible brawl elements into its own distinct, stirring story of an older brother remonstrating with - and helplessly exploding on - his younger brother.

In the other legendary attraction, Razor Ramon won the undisputed Intercontinental Title in a groundbreaking Ladder match with Shawn Michaels. A tremendous match in its violence, drama, and spectacle, it informed a new genre of WWE's in-ring storytelling: the weapons match as an organic extension of a trad wrestling encounter, as opposed to a plunder brawl.

Before the Attitude Era lowered the tone, and the quality, the New Generation saw the WWF dominate a (healthy) North American in-ring scene for the first and only time.

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!