In 1980, WWE emerged from the erstwhile WWWF fueled by Vince McMahon to become an international phenomenon. What followed was a boom in the pro-wrestling industry brought about by charismatic, larger than life characters such as Hulk Hogan, and Macho Man Randy Savage.
Vince’s first large-scale project, Wrestlemania in 1985, drew attention from mainstream media due to the inclusion of pop culture icons such as Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T. The success of Wrestlemania encouraged Vince McMahon to go ahead on a conquering spree as he acquired talent from different wrestling territories and went on his mission to build an international empire.
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The Golden Era of Wrestling is popularly believed to have stretched from 1983-92. This was a time when the crowds were passionate about the business and wrestlers sold out arenas every night.
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In this piece, we count down some of the best matches that WWE put on during this period and how these encounters went on to shape the future of the sports entertainment industry.
#10 Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Survivor Series (1992)
One of the lesser known matches between the two rivals, the Survivor Series encounter between Hart and Michaels subtly planted the seeds of a rivalry that would define an entire generation of the WWE.
Bret Hart was quickly being propelled to main event status and Shawn was right on his heels. The two men put on a spectacle, a typical characteristic of Michaels-Hart matches. Shawn Michaels was selling left, right and centre, making the Excellence of Execution look like a million bucks.
However, this trend gradually faded as the two men jostled for the top position in the company. Bret Hart retained the championship in emphatic fashion after he caught Michaels in a Sharpshooter forcing the Heartbreak Kid to tap out.
#9 ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair Wrestlemania VIII (1992)
The match for the WWE Championship was the joint main event of Wrestlemania VIII. Dubbed as the Macho/Flair affair, this match was made in lieu of pitting Hogan against Ric Flair.
Savage was fighting to save the honour of the sweet Elizabeth. For weeks, Ric Flair had accused Elizabeth of being in a relationship with him before siding with Savage. These allegations fueled Savage to become an absolute monster and unleash hell on the Nature Boy once the bell rung.
Flair added the dimension of blading to the match resulting in a bloodbath. All the heel tactics in the world could not save Ric Flair from Savage’s wrath. Macho Man overcame stiff odds to win the WWE Championship for the second time in his career.
#8 Mr Perfect vs. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart Summerslam (1991)
In an era where big, muscular men beat the lights out of each other, a technically sound wrestling match was a rare privilege. But the likes of Bret Hart and Mr Perfect had made up their minds that they would treat the Madison Square Garden crowd to a technical jewel.
The duo put on a classic for the Intercontinental Championship, a match that is still one of the best in an era dominated by the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man.
Even more baffling is the fact that Mr Perfect was working the match with a bad back and would not wrestle for over a year following this. Working in live events around the country, Hennig and Hart blew away the audiences in attendance.
So when the duo met on pay per view, they already had the chemistry to weave magic in the ring. They went hold for hold and move for move, bringing to life a timeless classic of a wrestling match that even today, is illustrated as an example of technical brilliance.
#7 Macho King’ Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior Wrestlemania VII (1991)
This match is another example of how good storytelling and in-ring psychology can turn a good match into something exceptional. This match was not about settling a rivalry or winning a belt, careers were at stake here. And two pretty big careers too – Macho King and The Ultimate Warrior.
Macho King entered the arena with the Sensational Sherri by his side. He was draped in a resplendent combination of purple and white. The crowd was strong behind Warrior and cheered him on as he took on the man that had cost him the WWE Championship.
With the stipulation of their careers being on the line, Savage and Warrior assembled a match that looked like a piece of art. At one point in the match, Ultimate Warrior looked up to the heavens asking for what more he needed to do in order to keep Savage down.
Macho Man faced the same crisis when five consecutive elbow drops could not get him the three-count he so desperately wanted. Finally, the Ultimate Warrior channelled his inner strength to win the match and send the Macho Man into retirement.
However, it was perhaps the post-match segment that embellished the encounter in the fans’ memories. Sherri was infuriated by Savage’s losing effort and started assaulting him, only to be stopped by his former manager Miss Elizabeth.
This led to Savage and Elizabeth reuniting after what seemed an eternity. There was not a single person sitting in the arena as Savage lifted Miss Elizabeth on his shoulders and Gorilla Monsoon claimed: “What a woman, and what a man!”
#6 Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior Wrestlemania VI (1990)
This match has gone on to become a defining encounter of the Golden Era. As much as WWE despised the idea of pitting face vs. face, the Hogan-Warrior bout broke the barriers of long worshipped tradition.
The match `was by no means the epitome of a technical masterpiece, but Hogan and Warrior managed to weave a compelling story with their limited arsenal of moves. The title for title stipulation was a stroke of genius going into the matchup.
Hogan had steadily been growing as the unrivalled face of the WWE, but a certain ripped, face painted, superhero-like, larger than life man from parts unknown had arrived to stake his claim for the WWE Championship.
The two men exemplified everything that the WWE had stood for in the 80s and early 90s. Two behemoths locked in a battle for supremacy. The crowd was split right down the middle for the two men and this added an extra dimension to the matchup. The match was booked to carefully brush away the inadequacies of the two men inside the ring.
Hogan handing over the belt to Warrior at the end of the match just fills the heart with a warm, fuzzy feeling now that we know how the relations between the two men went downhill as time progressed.
#5 Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant Wrestlemania III (1987)
This match is dubbed as the defining match of the Golden Era. It created a bona fide star in Hulk Hogan and allowed him to run with the Hulkamania gimmick that laid the foundations of the business as we know it today. Built on the back of two of the biggest names in the industry this match sold out the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
The seeds of the rivalry were planted when Andre felt slighted by the fact that Hogan was given a bigger trophy for being the WWE Champion, while his undefeated streak lasting 15 years had been acknowledged with a much smaller trophy. During a segment of Piper’s Pit, Andre revealed Bobby Heenan as his manager and ripped off Hogan’s shirt.
The match itself was not a technical masterpiece, but the names involved gave it a big fight feel. Hogan battled on as the typical babyface, matching Andre strike for strike, and often getting flattened.
But the writing was on the wall when Hogan bodyslammed Andre in a move touted as the ‘Bodyslam heard around the world.’ One leg drop and three counts later, Hulk Hogan became the biggest thing going on in the world of pro-wrestling and ushered in a generation of kids saying their prayers and taking their vitamins.
#4 The Royal Rumble Match (1992)
This may have been the very best Royal Rumble match in the history of the WWE. For the first time in history, the WWE Championship was up for grabs at the Royal Rumble. The greatest gathering of talent in a single WWE match fought tooth and nail for the coveted championship.
The participants included the likes of the British Bulldog, Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, Sid Vicious, Ted DiBiase, Kerry Von Erich, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper and much more. But more than any of these men, this Royal Rumble served as the crowning pedestal for a certain Ric Flair.
Flair entered the match at number three and the fans knew that he was in it for the long haul. What made the match memorable was Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan exchanging jabs on commentary.
Heenan was unabashedly in support of Flair and begged for anyone in the ring to help out the Nature Boy. The last four men were Hogan, Savage, Flair and Sid Vicious. Savage was eliminated by Hogan following which Sid eliminated the Hulkster.
However, Flair would have the last laugh as he would go on to eliminate Sid with some assistance from Hogan on the outside. This Royal Rumble portrayed WWE’s eagerness to move away from Hulk Hogan to leaner, better technicians as the face of the company. This match marked the beginning of the end for the Hulkamania Era.
#3 Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart vs. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper Wrestlemania VIII (1992)
There was a big fight feel to this match despite the fact that it was in the mid card of Wrestlemania VIII. That is how overflowing with talent the Golden Era was. Back at a time when the Intercontinental Championship was one of the most important titles in the company, these two men went to war with each other.
The Intercontinental Championship was the only title that Piper had ever won in the WWE and he was not going to give it up without a fight.
The match started off as a technical showdown with the two men going hold-for-hold against each other, but it soon turned into an all-out brawl. Midway into the match, Piper went full heel and focused his attack on Bret’s skull. Hart was soon busted open and shed crimson all over the ring.
With the referee taking a bump, Piper took his offence to the next level by introducing the ring bell to the mix. He was about to take out Bret Hart when the Hoosier Dome fans came into play.
Piper looked around the arena in awe as the crowd begged him not to use the bell – storytelling at its best. Roddy looked like he had the match in the bag when he traded the ring bell for a sleeper hold on Bret Hart. But the technical master that he is, Bret pushed off the turnbuckles, rolled on top, and picked up the three count.
In a perfect show of sportsmanship, Piper tied the belt around Hart’s waist in a symbolic passing of the torch. Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan called the entire match and ended the spectacle by saying that they never thought the match would have been that good.
#2 Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith Summerslam (1992)
In 1992, the excitement for the sport of pro-wrestling (if it may be referred to as a sport) was flat-lining in the United States. As saturated as the US market may have been during that period, the United Kingdom was undergoing a period renaissance in wrestling.
WWE decided to mint money off the growing momentum in the UK by setting up their second largest event of the year, Summerslam at the Wembley Stadium in London.
The star attraction of the evening was Britain’s own sweetheart, Davey Boy Smith going up against the Intercontinental Champion, Bret Hart. This match had been bumped to headline the show over the bout for the WWE Championship between Savage and Warrior.
The fans, fueled by overtures of patriotism, applauded their native boy with resounding cheers.
But it was not all smooth sailing for the British Bulldog as the 80,000 strong crowd in Wembley played on his nerves causing him to blank out just moments before the match started. Bret Hart carried the match, in what turned out to be a classic.
The two men went for near fall after near fall as the crowd lost its mind in a swirling pool of action. Davey Boy finally picked up the victory as the crowd exploded in jubilant celebration.
The match was arguably the best moment in the storied career of the British Bulldog. The post-match scenes of Diana Hart joining the celebrations with brother, Bret, and husband, Davey painted a befitting picture for one of WWE best pay-per-views ever.
#1 ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat Wrestlemania III (1987)
Hogan and Andre may have headlined Wrestlemania III, but this was the match that stole the show and inspired countless aspiring men and women to take up wrestling as a career.
This is a match that has stood the test of time and can still elicit a reaction from any crowd in the world, even in the modern, high flying, spot fest era of the business. Add to that stories about how Randy planned every minute detail of the match beforehand and then putting on segments of the match on live events with Steamboat.
All these small segments were stitched together to bring out a masterpiece in front of over 90,000 strong at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
The match had been fueled with a compelling angle, where Macho Man had taken a ring bell to Steamboat’s larynx. In a world where kayfabe was intact, WWE managed to sell Steamboat’s injury and convince the audience that it would take a miracle for Steamboat to return to the ring.
It was, therefore, a huge moment when Steamboat finally returned to challenge the vile Randy Savage for a match at Wrestlemania with the Intercontinental Championship on the line.
The match in itself was an exhilarating extravaganza filled with high spots and a staggering 21 false finishes, taking a bold step away from the slow-paced action of those times. The two men battled to and fro as their respective managers looked on in anxiously.
The match ended in karmic justice as Randy Savage was pushed off the top rope by George ‘The Animal’ Steele and banged his head on the same ring bell that he had planned to hit Steamboat with. Steamboat finally won the cliffhanger with a rollup making the matchup an instant classic.
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