26. The Great Sasuke Vs. Taka Michinoku (Canadian Stampede)
The WWF began a somewhat-earnest attempt to counter WCW's Cruiserweight division by building a Light Heavyweight Division that vied to match the awing athletics of Rey Misterio and Chris Jericho. Through a working agreement with Michinoku Pro Wrestling, founder Sasuke and his protege Taka were brought in to astonish viewers with their jaw-dropping acrobatics. It took a little bit of time for the debuting duo to win over the Calgary fans, but a stiff array of kicks and strikes, followed by a Michinoku springboard dive, firmly had the fans hooked. This was unlike anything WWF crowds were used to. While it looked like a good omen for the budding division, Sasuke was soon cast away, and the division faded not long after Michinoku became its first champion. A crying shame, really.
25. Ric Flair Vs. Bret Hart (Superstars Taping, 10/12/92)
By the fall of 1992, Vince McMahon reportedly kept a short list of potential flagbearers for the company going forward. Hart's name was picked over aging Randy Savage and embedded-heel Shawn Michaels, among others, to be 'the man'. On Monday morning, October 12, 1992, Hart flew into Saskatoon, and was informed by McMahon that he would be winning the WWF Championship from Flair that very night. The culmination of Hart's decades of hard work came with virtually ten hours notice. The gem of a match was never televised, but made its way to a number of company video releases. Hart superplexed Flair nearly a half hour into the contest and snared the Sharpshooter, capturing the gold in front of thousands of his jubilant countrymen.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
