5. The Rock Vs. Mankind Vs. Ken Shamrock - Breakdown: In Your House 1998
http://dai.ly/x25uq3u The stakes were very high. This triple threat match, inside a steel cage, would determine the Number 1 Contender for the WWF title. The story was there, all three performers had their stars shooting feverishly upward, and most importantly, they were genuinely engaging characters. (This is probably the first match that showed just how over The Rock was with the crowd.) So why isn't this one regarded as a classic? This match has a delicate blend of athletic maneuvers, tough bumps, and ring psychology that might not play to those who like their cage matches to be brutal and bloody, but there's no denying that it was a well-crafted, finely-tuned bit of wrestling artistry that could stand proudly alongside most of the great matches from that year. And how about that Jimmy Snuka elbow drop from the top of the cage by Mankind? No, it's not exactly his most death-defying leap from a cage (that happened a few months earlier), but the story behind that bump (drawing inspiration from his childhood backyard matches as Dude Love) added to the drama in a different way. And the ending was genuine, edge-of-your-seat stuff. But that's not the only match from this Pay-Per-View that deserves to be remembered a bit more fondly...