1. Steve Austin vs. Triple H (No Way Out 2001)
The top heel of the Attitude Era and the top babyface of the Attitude Era never faced off at WrestleMania. Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin had an incredible rivalry that culminated one month shy of WrestleMania X-Seven. Their Three Stages of Hell match is still, though, one of the all-time most epic matches in WWE history. Triple H wrestled as if it were his WrestleMania main-event, proverbially slapping management in the face for daring to leave him out of the World Championship scene after the year he had in 2000. Believe it or not, the match came at a time when the Internet Wrestling Community, in its infancy, actually got mad that The Game was not in the main-event. Imagine that. This match was not perfect, so if you by any chance have not seen it before, then do not expect it to be flawless. What it was, however, was one of wrestling lore's pinnacle examples of the result produced when two insanely passionate individuals who ate, slept, and breathed pro wrestling were given nearly 40-minutes to showcase the final chapter in their celebrated story.
Chad Matthews
Contributor
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
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