10 Wrestling Sequels That Were Even Better Than The Originals

3. Shawn Michaels Vs Diesel (In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies)

Kenny Omega Okada
WWE

Foul play and politics abounded in 1995, when best friends Diesel and Shawn Michaels fought over the WWE Title as the co-main event of WrestleMania 11. Frustrated at their placement on the card as well as a number of spots in the match Vince McMahon had insisted upon, Shawn went into business for himself, turning himself babyface and exposing 'Big Daddy Cool's limitations despite the huge company investment in Kevin Nash as champion.

A year later, and the belt had swapped places. Michaels had defeated Bret Hart in a disappointing Iron Man Match at WrestleMania 12, and was going to have his WrestleMania favour returned in a No Holds Barred match.

Diesel was shortly to leave the company, with the show marking his final televised appearance, but he gave absolutely everything alongside his Clique comrade to give the 'Heartbreak Kid' the best possible start to life as Champion.

The two waged an ungodly war, with Michaels simultaneously playing giant-killer and ass-kicker against his seven-foot opponent. No matter what he tried though, it looked as though the former champion would just be too strong for the incumbent fresh 'Leader of the New Generation'.

Late in the match, Nash powerbombed Shawn through the ringside commentary table as detritus flew everywhere, but came unstuck after ripping off the artificial leg of Mad Dog Vachon, who happened to be positioned ringside for the bout. Michaels wrestled it away and waffled the challenger, before hitting him with the match-winning Sweet Chin Music. Shawn's impassioned celebration sold the desperation of the battle.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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