8. Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid - WWE Championship (Survivor Series 1996)
At 10PM EST on November 17, 1996, the usual competition that occurred between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels for best match of the night was thought to be over. Hart had just wrestled a classic against Steve Austin and there was no way that a match featuring Sid Vicious was going to top it. Accept that it nearly did All the credit in the world to Hart vs. Austin, who undeniably had the best match at Survivor Series 96, but major kudos to HBK for nearly stealing the show with Sid. HBK vs. Sid was a great match. Somehow, some way, Michaels managed to carry him to a memorable encounter that fired on all cylinders. They did not miss a spot. Everything that they tried worked well. It was quite the impressive effort from them both, actually. HBK was well known for his ability to work excellent bouts against bigger wrestlers, but give praise to Sid for stepping up his game. Sid never had a better match than he did that night. His bouts with Chris Benoit and Bret Hart were good, but Sid did something special that night at MSG. Perhaps it was the combination of the title change, the incredible New York crowd, and the motivation to try and live up to the match that Austin and Hart had just a few minutes prior. Whatever the reason, Sid vs. HBK is still one of the best bouts in the history of WWEs Fall Classic. At 20-minutes in length, it was an analogous action film to Bret vs. Austins Academy Award-winning drama.
"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.
