10 Wrestling Matches That Were Way Better Than Anyone Expected
Pleasant surprises...
Wrestling is all about hype - from hard pushes to gentle exaggeration to outright lies, it's the job of the promoter (and, by extension, his employees) to make any given event seem like the biggest and most spectacular one ever. With that in mind, it's no surprise that so many shows and matches fail to live up to the expectations that have been set.
At the same time, though, fans aren't sheep, and we've learned to see through some of the smoke and mirrors that accompany the coming of a major event. We can draw our own conclusions about which stars deliver in the ring and which don't, and that plays into what we expect when purchasing a show or a ticket.
The flipside, then, is that there are also matches that exceed our expectations. Sometimes the stars involved get past silly stipulations, unknown variables, or their own perceived limitations to deliver contests that impress the viewing public - maybe even to the point of achieving immortality as classics.
This list looks at just a few of those bouts that surprised us all, proving that the wrestlers involved were capable of that magic. Here are 10 matches that were way better than anyone expected:
10. John Cena Vs. The Great Khali - One Night Stand 2007
The semi-immobile Great Khali had a reputation for being a terrible worker that preceded him to WWE. Sure enough, when he did debut, even the legendary Undertaker could barely drag a watchable match out of him. Khali continued to stink up the ring throughout 2006 and 2007 before entering into a WWE Championship feud with John Cena.
The two first clashed at Judgment Day, where Cena managed to fell the giant and apply the STF to secure a submission victory. However, Khali's foot was under the bottom rope at the time, meaning that the match should have continued. That bout - which was actually one of Khali's better WWE encounters itself - set the stage for a falls count anywhere match at One Night Stand.
In the rematch, Cena managed to carry Khali to what was easily the best bout of his entire career, brawling through the crowd and up onto the stage. Finally, Cena hit an Attitude Adjustment off of a crane for the pinfall, shocking fans who thought Khali would drag the champ down with him.