Lewis Howse's 10 Favourite WWE Matches Of All-Time

I expected Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV to be good, based on their Hell in a Cell classic from Badd Blood 1997, their underrated Casket Match at Royal Rumble 1998 and their drama-filled closing stretch from the 2007 Rumble match itself.

That said, I didn't expect it to be that good. I don't think anyone did, really. I was looking forward to it more than anything else on the show, sure, and I hope it'd be exciting but I was completely surprised when it turned out to be one of the best WWE matches of all-time. Perhaps it was even the best.

It's hard to think of a match in recent times that comes close to it. There has been a tendency lately to stuff every major WrestleMania match with big moves and kickouts to the point of ridiculousness, but 'Taker and HBK hit the perfect note on this night, offering a thirty-minute barnburner full of thrills and spills.

Really, the match had everything from his death-defying high-flying (Undertaker's missed dive was insane), to slugfests, to psychology and strong character work to great reversals and big moves. It was exactly what a WrestleMania match between two stars of their calibre should be. It over-delivered, to the point where nothing could follow it.

I'll never forget sitting there and watching it with a couple of non-wrestling-fan friends who were completely engrossed by what was happening on the screen in front of them. It's a match I can re-watch time and time again and appreciate on different levels and that's why it knicks the top spot.

Want to see how the rest of the 100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time rank in the first issue of WhatCulture's Wrestling bookazine? Pre-order your copy of Issue One here.