11. Dean Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon (Starrcade 96)
On WWEs DVD presentation from a few years ego titled, The Essential Starrcade, Malenko vs. Dragon was nowhere to be found, instead replaced by Rey Misterio vs. Jushin Liger. It was as if WWE took a poll of whoever was given the responsibility of putting together the compilation and those involved simply stated the cruiserweight match from 1996. Only, they chose the wrong one. Not to take anything away from the dream scenario that pitted the worlds most famous light heavyweight, pre-Rey, in Liger against the most famous high flyer of all-time in Misterio, but their bout was average compared to the Title vs. Titles match that preceded it on the same card. Ultimo vs. Malenko was one of the finest displays of the cruiserweight divisions style that has ever been seen in mainstream wrestling. Malenko was the WCW Cruiserweight Champion. Dragon held eight different equivalents from around the world and was looking to add the last piece to his trophy case. Malenko was the glue that held together the Cruiserweight division in WCW, capable of working with all the stylistically different grapplers from across the globe. As many great matches as that division produced, from 1996-1998 particularly, there were only a few truly world class performers and it was those few that made the division shine. Malenko was arguably at the top of the class, but Ultimo belonged in the conversation, as well. When they met at Starrcade 96, the audience was treated to a brilliant combination of pace, psychology, and (mostly) crisply executed sequences with an extremely high degree of difficulty. Only a small handful of cruiserweight matches were in its league.
"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.
