10 Times WWE Totally Changed Its In-Ring Style

8. Shawn Michaels Vs. Mankind - WWF In Your House: Mind Games

Eddie Guerrero Kurt Angle
WWE.com

In 1995, Bret Hart and Diesel had tapped the wall of the WWE style by destroying the Spanish announce table for the first time.

At In Your House: Mind Games, Mankind and Shawn Michaels tore it down and the load it bore, collapsing the foundation and rearranging it in a new ultra-violent image.

The Firefly Fun House match drew awe-struck critical praise for its audacious and cathartic take-down of the John Cena myth. The main event of Mind Games followed a similar narrative path, but was actually told through the medium of a total banger of a professional wrestling match: Mankind evoked the vicious, combative side from Michaels, and it surfaced in an intoxicating and innovative war that rewarded the hardcore fan in virtually every sense. Michaels really was that man, and he worked the match like a strongly motivated version of the 1997 vintage; the brutal, destructive action was an insane spectacle the likes of which 'The Fed' were perceived as too cartoonish to deliver; and, in one awesome spot, Michaels worked the meltdown he had legit suffered the prior month at SummerSlam.

Convincing, unhinged and artful, this drafted the blueprints for the best of the Attitude Era.

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!