10 WWE Pay-Per-View Matches That Surpassed Expectations

2. Mankind Vs. Shawn Michaels (In Your House 10: Mind Games)

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WWE.com

1996 was a tough, pressure-filled year for Shawn Michaels. Finally realising his boyhood dream at WrestleMania XII, he became WWF Heavyweight Champion, but that's when the real challenge started. Struggling to deal with the weight of expectation, Michaels stuttered through a Summer feud with Vader.

By October, cracks had appeared in his title reign. Michaels needed that one big match to prove he deserved to be 'the man', and Mick Foley was the perfect foil to help deliver that.

As the deranged Mankind, Foley was one of the most genuinely compelling characters WWF fans had witnessed in years, and he was the top challenger for HBK's belt at In Your House 10: Mind Games.

The match turned out to be a blistering affair, even though Michaels looked lacking in confidence beforehand and Mankind wasn't a proven commodity at the top of WWF cards quite yet.

For years, this was Foley's favourite match, and it's really not too difficult to see why.

What was originally a diversionary match for Michaels on his road to the Survivor Series turned into a bonafide classic.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.