2. King Of The Ring 1996 - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Marc Mero
King of the Ring 1996 is remembered fondly due to its status as the birthplace of 'Austin 3:16', the genesis of not only his personal rise, but of the hottest period in wrestling history. The fact that the show itself was an absolute stinker seems to have been lost along the way. The KOTR tournament itself must be regarded as particularly weak, featuring a past-it Jake Roberts and a plodding Vader. The iconic post-final promo thankfully overshadows a lacklustre 4-minute match, while elsewhere on the card, disappointing bouts such as Mankind vs. Undertaker and Goldust vs. Ahmed Johnson seem to stretch on into infinity. The opening match is the show's solitary saving grace, perhaps excluding the Shawn Michaels vs. British Bulldog main event. It sees a pre-neck injury Austin hungry to prove his wrestling credentials, telling a fantastic story alongside the high-flying Marc Mero. The booking seems curiously backwards; this match comes off far more like a climax than the tournament's actual final with Jake the Snake. Then again, Austin's merciless promo wouldn't have had nearly the same bite had it been delivered to the younger, less-loveable Mero - nor would Stone Cold have been provided with the religious inspiration for his iconic '3:16' line. Never has a bad PPV benefitted WWE as much as this.