15 Greatest Match Finishes In Modern Wrestling History
14. Gunther Vs. Sheamus - WWE Clash At The Castle
Gunther Vs. Sheamus was the first real indication that, under Triple H, WWE was headed towards a new artistic resurgence.
Triple H inherited an open goal and a difficult chance at the same time, if that makes sense. All he had to do was book a coherent product to feel like the saviour, such was the awfulness of WWE under latter-day Vince McMahon. Vince McMahon's product however was so profoundly awful that it would take a lot more than that. Triple H didn't restore the value of the United States title; his attempts to reframe its long legacy as something great extended to "Tommaso Ciampa wears Harley Race's old robe when modern WWE fans have no idea who Harley Race is".
Triple H did however accomplish something fans thought was never, ever going to happen: he actually brought the prestige back to the Intercontinental title.
He did it by going back to the fundamentals. For a while, the Intercontinental title match was the best on the show; a shockingly stiff, super-dramatic war in which Gunther was the incredibly protected invincible warlord. Those matches were free of the run-ins and WWE big match pacing that defined the main event. The IC title finishes were clean. A profoundly missed staple of millennial youth was back, with a violent twist. The tone was set beautifully in Wales.
The body of the match was an incredible bit of business, and the finish was a sublime demonstration of how a disqualification need not be used to "protect" a babyface. Sheamus didn't know he was done until he attempted the Brogue Kick and his back gave out on him - depicting him as a battle-worn badass who fought valiantly until it was physically impossible.