10 Wrestling Matches One Second Away From Perfection

7. Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker (WWE WrestleMania XXV)

Bret Hart Mr Perfect
WWE.com

It spoke to the quality of this match and both men in it that a potentially disastrous spot was instead converted into a moment of enormous drama by one of the quick-thinking competitors.

The Undertaker had just about hit the zenith of his in-ring career by WrestleMania 25, but he went some way to expediting its end after spiking himself during his iconic dive.

The planned spot called for a planted cameraman played by Sim Snuka to catch 'The Deadman', or at very least give him a softer landing than the arena floor. It infamously wasn't to be, and for a split second it looked as though a confirmed classic was climaxing early.

Fortunately for all involved, 'The Deadman' was able to play through the pain, arguably adding more lore to a 'Show Of Shows' masterpiece in the process. Not that he should have had to, of course. The gnarly bump dates the contest somewhat - it's possible and even probable that the match wouldn't have continued if this happened today.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett