Shawn Michaels' 10 Best Matches Ever

The Pulp Fiction of wrestling matches, in that people watching it for the first time today (without timely context) may not see why it was so special. Sure, ladder matches since then have delivered more bone-crunching stunts than a Jackass marathon, and some of the high spots in Michaels vs. Ramon may seem a bit tame by comparison.

In 1994, what Ramon vs. Michaels put together had never been done. There had been ladder matches previously, but all were about the drama of the climb, not the can-you-top-this ethos of a full-blown spotfest. There was no template in place for what Ramon and Michaels achieved in 19 minutes. They had to build a template themselves.

That's not to say the match wasn't alluringly dangerous - both men take their share of perilous bumps throughout, with Michaels at his uninhibited ragdoll best. But the end result still headlined over the spots, as pride over ownership of the IC Championship was paramount. It was a stunt show with a purpose, where everything they did made perfect sense. It's the best of its kind, and it's Shawn Michaels' masterpiece of masterpieces.