10 Wrestling Matches One Second Away From Perfection

2. Shawn Michaels Vs Razor Ramon (WWE SummerSlam '95)

Bret Hart Mr Perfect
WWE.com

Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels' WrestleMania X Ladder Match made history for all the right reasons in 1994, but their SummerSlam sequel just over a year later now finds itself criminally underrated as a result.

Theoretically tougher to tell stories with due to both guys now being babyfaces and the match only really existing because WWE knew it would be better than 'HBK's planned bout with Psycho Sid, the encounter called back to the Madison Square Garden classic while simultaneously pitching Michaels as gutsy and brave the second time around in contrast to the cold and calculated way he attempted to win their first war.

All of this was supposed to feed into a finish that put over the Champion's incredible athleticism even more so than his iconic splash at the 'Show Of Shows'. Rather than simply grasping the gold, he was supposed to jump from the ladder and grab the belt en route to a crash landing below. Unfortunately, it was hung too high.

After an awesome superkick across two ladders, Michaels dived for the swinging prize and whiffed. The pair improvised a finish that left Razor on the floor, but yet again the title was out of reach and he hit the floor. An almighty and of-the-time tantrum followed before he shinned back up and finally took down the (lowered) belt. It was clumsy and clunky, but it couldn't deny a classic.

 
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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