16. Mr. Perfect vs. Tito Santana (WWF Superstars May 1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1bsAeyj8QA When Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWE Championship, he was forced to vacate the Intercontinental Championship that he had held since the previous years Summerslam. Shortly after WrestleMania VI, a title tournament to crown a new IC champ was held, the finals of which were held on WWE Superstars in May. It came down to Mr. Perfect and Tito Santana. Perfect was an incomparable star with a bumping ability that has never quite been topped in WWE history and his move into the IC title division essentially morphed it into the workers championship that the likes of HBK, Edge, and Chris Jericho would covet early in their careers. To win the belt, Perfect had to get through one of the steadiest presences in the early WrestleMania Era in Tito, who had been IC Champion before and had excellent feuds with the likes of Greg Valentine and Randy Savage. The pace of their 10-minute title match was lightning quick, full of the kind of bumping that made Perfect famous and the sort of controlled fury that made Santana so much fun to watch for his time. Curt Hennigs style was well suited for having to tell a story in short order, as was typical for the 80s/early 90s wrestling boom.
Chad Matthews
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"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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