10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Never Had A Five Star Match

9. Mick Foley

Kurt Angle The Rock
WWE.com

Mick Foley was a far more cerebral wrestler than his legacy obscures. Someone like known detractor Ric Flair might have a point, in admonishing Foley for failing to grasp the essence of pro wrestling by using real violence to get himself over, but it was enterprising - Foley's natural shape didn't lend itself to superstardom.

But to reduce his body of work because of it is to also miss the point; Foley as Cactus Jack wasn't a garbage wrestler - his famed matches with Sting and Vader were as gripping as they were savage - but his best work came under his first WWF guise.

Closest Candidate: Mankind Vs. Shawn Michaels, WWF In Your House: Mind Games.

The docked quarter of a star can only be contributed to Vader's deflating run in because the near half hour violence festival is one of the greatest matches in WWF/E history. It was completely atypical of its time. Shawn was the babyface (and with the exception of this bout, not a particularly well-received one) but it was Mankind who fought from underneath at first. Literally; Michaels buried him under the protective matting and stomped on him before spiking his head onto the exposed concrete from the top turnbuckle.

Aside from the aberrative ultra violence, the match told a rich and unique story of Mankind invoking Michaels' ugly id out of him. Bray Wyatt should study it, ****3/4 or not.

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!