WWE: 10 Awesome Matches That Showcased Great Ring Psychology

9. Randy Orton vs Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series (2007)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpa9sB5KUGY If Randy Orton is disqualified, he will lose the title. If Shawn uses his superkick, he loses the match. A simple concept that resulted in one of the most psychologically deep matches of the 21st century. Since Orton can't be disqualified, we get a match that is all about wrestling, as opposed to gimmicks. But it's the superkick stipulation that really makes this match something unique. Ok, not quite. Bret Hart used this same idea to wonderful effect at King Of The Ring 1993, where broken fingers forced him to come up with a plethora of ingenious ways of taking out his opponents. But Shawn's take on this story is perhaps the most fully realised, in part due to the split second nature of the move allowing him to play on the fact that he needs to keep his instincts in check to avoid throwing the match. A great moment comes when Shawn fakes a kick to lure Randy in for the small package for the near fall. Orton is fantastic here. He'd become so freaked out by the multiple superkicks he'd taken in the run up to this contest that he leaves himself open to mistakes. The ending is as terrific as the action that precedes it: Shawn instinctively goes for the superkick before stopping short, seconds before connecting. That moment's hesitation is enough to give Randy the RKO and the victory at 17.48. Matches like these are the antidote for the finisher heavy creative vacuums that occupy far too much of today's main event wrestling scene.