Pro wrestling's 10 best rivalries of the past two decades

When do people fight? Most of the times, it is because they hate each other. Same goes for pro-wrestling, where the finest matches happen as a result of the most devious hatred between people. Here is a tribute to the ten most memorable feuds between superstars/ factions in professional wrestling in the last two decades:

#10. Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels

From one of the most finest technical performances at WrestleMania XIX to the bloodiest, most brutal matches at No Mercy 2008, these two have done it all, and the fans had never been treated to such a versatile rivalry. It all started when Jericho was furious at Michaels getting the Mr. WrestleMania tag, a feud which got settled at WrestleMania XIX. And six years later, HBK was at the wrong end of Jericho’s apparent ‘attitude shift’, which resulted in an injured retina when Jericho smashed him against the titantron.

#9. Randy Orton vs Triple H

Many believe that were it not for Triple H’s guidance, Randy Orton would never have made it big in the WWE. Orton got his big break as The Game’s protégé in evolution, but things turned sour when Triple H’s jealousy at Orton winning the World Heavyweight Championship turned the two into the bitter most rivals. Triple H came out on top in their initial encounters, and the seeds of hatred sown by Triple H would come back to haunt him years later when Orton made things personal, attacking The Game’s family. This storied rivalry culminated at the main event at WrestleMania XXV, a fitting climax to such an intense tale.

#8. CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy

This was a rivalry between two totally opposite personalities, each representing a unique lifestyle. While Jeff Hardy had a fabled history with substance abuse which often landed him on the wrong side of the law, Punk had epitomized the straight-edge lifestyle, and that was the foundation on which his entire life was derived. And when these two clashed, sparks flew everywhere. A series of great matches took place between the two, and it ended only when Jeff Hardy put his career on the line, and lost it, against Punk.

#7. Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz

This tripartite struggle for the top spot on the WWE tag team division spawned countless brilliant matches during the ‘Attitude’ era. Their finest matches include a huge ladder match at WrestleMania 2000, and the two inaugural TLC matches at WrestleMania X-Seven and Summerslam 2001. Actually, the concept of TLC was designed solely to combine the different skills of the three teams into one match. And every time these three teams got in the ring, they would receive a standing ovation.

#6. Triple H vs Shawn Michaels

Two former best friends turned into bitter rivals shortly after the dissolution of the nWo, and their first match in the ring was one of the most physical bloodbaths ever. The Game put Michaels out of action for 6 months, only to lose the World Heavyweight title to him at the inaugural Elimination Chamber match. Triple H would regain the belt in the first-ever ‘3 Stages of Hell’ match, which both men have defined as ‘the ultimate career-shortener’. The last encounter between the two was a vicious Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood 2003. The two would later renew their old friendship and reunite as D-Generation-X, a bond which stayed until HBK’s retirement from the WWE.

#5. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock

Two of the most dominant personalities in professional wrestling.

Two of the greatest in-ring performers in the business.

Two of the biggest egos on the planet.

Three WrestleManias.

Enough said.

#4. John Cena vs Edge

To be the perfect hero, every valiant knight needs the most evil sorcerer. What the Joker was for Batman, and Skeletor was for He-Man, Edge was for Cena. The Master Manipulator was the proverbial thorn in Cena’s side, the exact antithesis of Cena’s ‘Hustle, Loyalty and respect’ principles. The two would have a rivalry spanning two years, which included Edge’s only TLC defeat at Unforgiven 2005.

#3. Kane vs The Undertaker

The one thing that stands out in this sibling rivalry is its longevity. It all started in 1997 when Paul Bearer introduced The Undertaker’s sick, twisted brother Kane, and it has gone on for 13 years. The two have beaten the living hell out of each other in every way imaginable, including Hell in a Cell matches, Inferno matches and Buried Alive matches. The two did have short stints as a tag team (they unified the WWE and WCW tag team championships), but destiny would always put brother against brother. The two had classic matches at WrestleMania XXVI and XX, and their last encounter was as recent as 2010, when Kane defeated his big brother inside Hell in a Cell.

#2. The Rock vs Triple H

Many die-hard wrestling fans refer to the period between 1998 and 2002 as the ‘Golden Era’ of the WWE. And the top two feuds in this list are the very reason why it was called so. The Rock and Triple H, both classic main-event wrestlers, took the WWE to its present popularity during what was the peak of their careers. Any show featuring a match between these two would be an instant sell-out, which included the main event of the very first episode of SmackDown. The Rock and Triple H have both acknowledged the fact that they brought out the best in each other as they battled for every major honour in the WWE.

#1. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon

If The Rock and Triple H took WWE’s popularity to great heights, this rivalry is what made people watch those two in the first place. There was a time when WCW was giving WWE a really hard time in the war for ratings, but this epic battle drew people to the WWE. On one hand, we had the company’s topmost authority. On the other, there was the toughest and most dauntless personality the business had ever seen. As an unstoppable force met an immovable object, hell was raised as nobody had seen it before. And it resulted into one of the best selling DVDs ever released by the WWE.