10 Wrestling Duos Who Shared The Most Bizarre Chemistry

3. The Undertaker & Batista

Undertaker, Batista, WrestleMania 23
WWE.com

Not many forecast a great match between the Undertaker and Batista at WrestleMania 23, including WWE itself.

Scheduled for the midcard and allocated a duration not consistent with the old, sprawling epics customary of the main event, this pissed both men off. It pissed them off so much that it fuelled them to steal the show. 'Taker was legendary big man predator who excelled against sinewy prey (Shawn Michaels) and reckless psycho bumpers (Mankind). Batista meanwhile was an emerging monster tainted with sh*t luck. His power game depended on pacing. Anything remotely methodical robbed him of his explosive impact.

In an improbable, perfect realisation of the dynamic, 'Taker and Batista showed up management by showing ass in a relentless, physical, furniture-destroying hoss sprint in which both men sold and bumped for the other. Not so much a tedious test of strength but a rapid-fire exchange of massive bombs, both motivated performers bantered off the need to appear super-powerful and created a match all the more powerful for it.

The word awesome is used mostly as a synonym of great, but this was a strictly awesome match overwhelming in its big-time spectacle.

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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!