WWE June Madness: Championship Match!

For those of you following The Irish Whip's first Inaugural June Madness tournament, you've seen the predictable outcomes (The Undertaker over Chris Jericho) as well as the major upsets (Mankind over #1 seed Stone Cold Steve Austin). And now, it all leads to this, the championship match between...

4-The Undertaker (beat Chris Jericho 80-20, The Rock 67-33, Mankind 57-43)

vs.

3-Shawn Michaels (beat Kane 80-20, Diesel 100-0, Bret Hart 67-33)

This leaves us with one of the most legendary matches of all-time. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels met in the first five-star match and Hell in a Cell to date at In Your House: Badd Blood. The Undertaker dominated most of the match, but Kane's eventual interference led to HBK's win. Prior to this, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels fought to a no contest at In Your House: Ground Zero (they each attacked the referee).

The two met at Royal Rumble 1998 in a Casket Match, which ended once again with interference from Kane. Following continued dominance from the dead man, Kane appeared to trap Taker in the casket and light it on fire. Although The Undertaker had been the aggressor in the pair's first three matches, Michaels managed to fight to a record of 2-0-1.

The Undertaker would get his revenge, 9 years later, at Royal Rumble 2007. The pair were the last two in the ring when The Undertaker ducked Sweet Chin Music and threw Michaels over the ropes. Historically, HBK has gotten the better of The Undertaker, but the Dead Man has had the last laugh.

In this legendary feud lasting over a decade, who will take the final battle? Make sure to vote and check back next week for our first champion!

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Top Ten WWE Matches Of The 90s

It should be obvious what happened here. We took four Top Ten matches of the 90s lists and saw what overlapped, what made sense, what didn't, who was where, and what we missed. The following jumble of letters and numbers is what we came up with.

Ben Zeidler
10. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 1997)
9. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (IYH: Mind Games)
8. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
7. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
6. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (KOTR 1998)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
4. The Rock vs. HHH (SummerSlam 1998)
3. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
2. The Rock vs. Mankind (Royal Rumble 1999)
1. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)

Jesse Hill
10. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (SummerSlam 1992)
9. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (Wrestlemania 13)
8. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
7. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
6. Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold (WrestleMania XIV)
5. Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz (No Mercy 1999)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
3. Stone Cold vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XV)
2. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (KOTR 1998)
1. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)

ProWrestlingTorch.com (Octavio Fierros)
10. Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz (No Mercy 1999)
9. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania X)
8. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (Summerslam 1992)
7. Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1992)
6. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
3. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (King Of The Ring 1998)
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
1. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)

DeathValleyDriver.com
10. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
9. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Summerslam 1994)
8. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 1996)
7. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (Summerslam 1992)
6. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (IYH: Mind Games)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Summerslam 1995)
3. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
1. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)

Matches On All Four Lists
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)*
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)*
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)*
*Denotes a Five-Star match

Reappearing Wrestlers
Out of the 40 total contests listed here, Bret Hart appeared in the most matches (18), followed closely by Shawn Michaels (17), The Undertaker (7), and Stone Cold Steve Austin (7).

Had the list been allowed to include matches through today, the following contests would have been highly considered for the list:
Cactus Jack vs. HHH (Royal Rumble 2000)
Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 2000)
Hardys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge and Christian (SummerSlam 2000)
Hardys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge and Christian (WrestleMania X-7)
Chris Benoit vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XX)
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 21)

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Backlash Predictions!

Usually, Drew does the ppv predictions on The Irish Whip. However, for Backlash, Drew and I (Jared) have gotten together to do joint predictions. Let’s get started.

John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels

Cena: One of the two possible winners. Although his unnecessarily long title reign is quite boring, I could see WWE letting him retain.
Randy Orton: No chance. He was sent home from the European tour because of the mysterious hotel room problem (he apparently was found passed out in his hotel room that he had trashed and it ended up being 30,000 dollars in damages).
Shawn Michaels: I couldn’t see the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels holding titles at the same time. WWE recently is all about passing the torch so I couldn’t see Michaels winning. Plus there is the rumor that he is moving to Smackdown (I doubt it, but it is a rumor).
Edge: The other of the two possible winners. His title reign was extremely fun to watch (although he was fighting Cena for about half a year) and I am ready for another R-Rated champ.

Jared Pick: Edge
Drew Pick: Cena


Melina vs. Mickie James

Melina: Apparently she is in the doghouse right now, but that didn’t stop her win at Wrestlemania. WWE is certainly building her and Mickie James up to be their top divas.
Mickie James: Clearly she is the better wrestler out of the two, but Melina is receiving a strong push.

Jared Pick: Melina
Drew Pick: Melina


The Hardy Boyz vs. Cade & Murdoch

If Cade and Murdoch win this, the tag-team division is officially destroyed. I can’t see having Cade and Murdoch champs at the same time that Deuce and Domino are champs on Smackdown.

Jared Pick: The Hardy Boyz (please God)
Drew Pick: The Hardy Boyz


Undertaker vs. Batista

Undertaker: I keep hearing about how his title reign is going to be long, but there is no telling because WWE changes its mind in a second.
Batista: Vince loves him because he is big….but everyone else hates him. He has gotten much worse as a wrestler since his return from his injury, and even a few of the “face-faithful” fans are starting to join the boos.

Jared Pick: The Undertaker
Drew Pick: The Undertaker


Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga vs. Lashley

Umaga: Will NOT move to ECW, because that would be ridiculous. Although they are pushing him, I can’t see this.
Vince McMahon: I hope Vince realizes that giving himself the belt would kill ECW.
Shane McMahon: Shane face turn??? I have been waiting for it for awhile now. He would be incredibly good in ECW as well.
Lashley: Is in the middle of the biggest push in wrestling right now. Obviously the favorite in the match.

Jared Pick: Shane
Drew Pick: Lashley


Chris Benoit vs. MVP

First of all I would like to say that this has been a fantastic rivalry to watch, and it has been the only reason that I have watched Smackdown in the past few weeks.
Chris Benoit: WWE is in the “pass-the-torch” mode and I could definitely see Benoit go down here to an up and coming MVP.
MVP: Receiving a push, young superstar, and good wrestler. That seems like the right combination for a United States title reign.

Jared Pick: MVP
Drew Pick: MVP


There is a rumored match between Deuce & Domino and London & Kendrick.

London & Kendrick: Held the titles for an ass-load of time. They were exciting and did some cool stuff, but they never reached “star” status.
Deuce & Domino: Maybe WWE is going to try out Deuce & Domino and see how the crowd reacts to the new talent. Only time will tell.

Jared Pick: London & Kendrick
Drew Pick: Deuce and Domino

Drew and I will check back in sometime after the ppv and look at how we each did. Thanks for reading and make sure you post your own views.

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Mistaaaaa Kennedy!!!...

I know that here at The Irish Whip we often hype Mr. Kennedy and say that he is the next Stone Cold, or the man who will save wrestling, or however you want to put it. I decided that I would add to the hype and compare him to the self-proclaimed "greatest of all time", the Rock.

Mic Skills: The Rock’s mic skills are without a doubt amazing. When he recently came back to RAW to hype the “hair vs. hair” match, he totally ad-libbed his promo. Also, he had/has the greatest catchphrases not only in wrestling, but on television overall. However, Mr. Kennedy is catching up with his mic skills. His ring entrance is extremely creative and allows him to use his skills to taunt the fans. And when Mr. Kennedy was feuding with the Undertaker, he did some of the best promos that I have ever seen. The promo with the bloody mic was absolutely wonderful, so much that I almost cried. If you don't believe me, then let him tell you himself.

Wrestling Skills: The Rock is one of the most exciting wrestlers of all time. He has been in classic matches with Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, even Goldberg. He also has the most creative and unnecessarily elaborate finishing move of all time, the People's Elbow. This move is so ridiculous that I don't know where to start, but almost nothing has ever gotten the fans up out of their seats quite like the People's Elbow does. Mr. Kennedy has defeated the likes of the Undertaker, Batista, Booker T, etc... Also, he is almost as interesting in the ring as the Rock is. Actually he is very similar to when the Rock was a heel. Kennedy's illegal actions in the ring (steel chairs, low blows) remind me of the Rock, because the Rock would purposefully wait till it seemed like the face would surely win to deliver the low blow or the rake to the eyes. This creates great excitement to what could be horrible and boring matches. Kennedy is great at executing in the ring and he makes most of his matches flow extremely well.

Although the Rock truly is “the jabroni beating, pie eating, trail blazing, eye brow raising, the best in the present, future and past, and if ya'll don't like him you can kiss the people's ass”….Mr. Kennedy is definitely following in his footsteps. In fact, Smackdown is no longer “the Rock’s show”…it is Kennedy’s. All that WWE has to do is make him a storyline and put him up for the title, and the Kennedy era will officially begin.

...Kennedy


(You have 5 seconds, and the Rock means 5 SECONDS, to comment on this post)

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Who will end The Undertaker's streak?

A guest column, by Langdon Beck:

For nearly on a decade and a half now, The Undertaker has been my favorite wrestler. I love the entrance, I love the character, I love the moves and for the most part, I love the matches. And every year when the Road to WrestleMania kicks off, I hope that whoever he's facing at that year's event doesn't end his winning streak. This is not because I'm fundamentally opposed to the streak ending; I'm not. I think that it should happen at some point. It's not like The Undertaker character will be forgotten without it, and it could literally make an entire career of whoever manages to achieve the feat. I don't think it'll happen this year but if it's going down, it's going down relatively soon. And it must, and this is the important thing, be to the right man. For simplicity's sake, I've narrowed the potential streak-enders down to the males currently on the active WWE rosters. Including Johnny Jeter, Paul Burchill, and Vladimir Koslov who are not currently committed to any one brand, there are 84 possibilities for the position of the man who ends the streak. Now, we begin the task of narrowing it down to the most likely contenders.

First of all, we can forget about those who have been established for a few years now, but have made no significant impact, i.e. the guys who appear on the flagship shows so infrequently that if you didn't check the internet, you'd barely know they were under contract at all. While we're at it, best forget about the cruiserweights too because, let's face it, a cruiserweight ending the streak just ain't happening (but for the moment, we'll keep the more high-profile members of the weight class in mind). Without these wrestlers, we now have 64 possibilities.

Next, we'll eliminate those who don't wrestle full time, or may be nearing the end of their careers. As good as Undertaker vs. Finlay or Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels would be, someone who's not going to be around for years and years to come shouldn't really be the one to beat Taker at WrestleMania. The man who wins has to have enough years of active competition left to really take advantage of the claim for a long time. Ending The Undertaker's winning streak should be enough to get, or keep, a younger guy over for a sustained period of time. If you're a part-timer, or if you're winding down or retiring in six months anyway, what good would ending the streak do your career in the long run? When we put this logic into action, we eliminate not only the likes of Finlay and HBK, but also Chris Benoit, Kane, and Batista, as well as the chance of returns from, or dream matches with, anyone from Stone Cold to The Rock to JBL, taking us down to approximately 35 contenders. We're more than half way there!

In the field of WWE, turning from a good guy to a bad guy and vice versa is a fairly regular occurrence (just ask Kurt Angle; he did it about three times a year. Of course, he does it three times a month in TNA right now, but I digress). Therefore, it's difficult to predict who's going to be cheered and who's going to be booed in a few months time, let alone in a couple of years, but it seems sensible to conclude that it's going to be a heel that'll beat Undertaker at Mania. Whoever does it will be booed for life (at least Id hope so -- I know I'd hate them forever) so not even WWE could expect the ending of the streak to be cheered. It's not necessarily that a face ending the streak would be a bad thing in itself - it's just that a heel would be able to take more advantage of it for a longer period of time. There's only so much momentum you could gain from it as a face. So, we can remove from the list anybody who looks like they'll be babyfaces or should be babyfaces for a long time to come. Consequently, RVD, Rey Mysterio and the Hardys are out of the running.

The streak-ender should, as I've said above, have longevity in terms of his career. That means no pulling a Brock, and nobody who's susceptible to injury, and nobody with short-term appeal, both in terms of gimmick and as a wrestler in general. This gets rid of a trio of monsters; Mark Henry, the Great Khali, and Umaga (who, good as he is, would be quite a likely candidate were it not for the fact that I can't see the gimmick being a long-term thing).

We're left with a pretty good couple of dozen guys now, but to narrow the field down further, it's going to get ruthless, so I'll get rid of anyone who has very little chance of becoming a World Champion in WWE during their career, because the man that beats Undertaker would surely have at least one championship reign in their future. If I also take Triple H out of the equation - as he's been at the top long enough to have absolutely no need to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania and doing so would do nothing for him - we're left with just over a dozen wrestlers. They are:

Carlito, CM Punk, Edge, John Cena, Johnny Nitro, Ken Kennedy, Kenny Dykstra, Lashley, Marquis Cor Von, Mike Knox, Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, and Test.

Hold on now. Mike Knox. MIKE KNOX? There'd be no way, right? Well? I'm not so sure about that, myself. From the sounds of Deep South Wrestling TV reports, the Knox we've seen on WWE TV is nowhere near the standard of DSW's Mike Knox. DSW's Mike Knox can wrestle and he can talk. Given the right opportunity he could shine in WWE, so he's in. For now. Except that since I've just taken him, Shelton Benjamin, Johnny Nitro, and Carlito out of the running.

Nine left. I'm hoping to be left with three contenders by the end of this, but that's probably not going to happen. I will now have a look in more detail at each of these wrestlers and what ending the streak could do for them.

CM Punk: It could do the world for him. People like Punk, but in my opinion, he's a better heel than a babyface. A move to one of the two big brands is likely forthcoming, and let's say he took on Undertaker as a good guy. It'd be a competitive match - a size difference for sure, but that didn't affect Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart in their matches with Taker. Punk might pull off the upset win and follow it with a cheap attack and a variation on his "you stupid old man, I'm a snake" promo from ROH. Instant mega-heel, which, with Punk's charisma, would continue for a long time. It'd make him.

Edge: He's been WWE Champion a couple of times, sure, but in between reigns, he's been shifted up and down the card in various places. A win over Undertaker would cement him firmly at the very highest echelon. The match would be one to remember (I can't be the only one who thinks they'd match up well?) and hey, if I remember correctly, Edge is unbeaten at WrestleMania too. It writes itself.

John Cena: It'd only work if Cena became a long-term heel. I don't see that happening, so Cena is officially out of contention.

Ken Kennedy: Like with Punk, ending the streak would make Kennedy. But he and Undertaker have already had a big rivalry, and Kennedy already has plenty going for him (the nearly-legit claim to have defeated half a dozen World Champions, for one thing). A win would undeniably do him wonders, but does he need it? I'm not 100% sure, so I'm afraid he's out.

Kenny Dykstra: He did, in years past, describe himself as a WrestleMania Moment Waiting To Happen, and this could be that moment. He's got the personality and attitude to pull it off, and would benefit magnificently from a win. My only concern would be age. The streak-ender should be young, but would Dykstra, in his early twenties, be TOO young? Taker's streak should probably end while he's still relatively young, but while that's true, if Dykstra were to beat him at age 24, he still has decades of career left. If WWE were to wait until Kenny was in his late twenties, Undertaker will be nearing, if not in, his fifties, and beating him might become like beating Ric Flair is now; still an accomplishment, but not as big an achievement as it once was. Sadly, Dykstra's out.

Lashley: First things first, if Lashley were to do this he'd need a manager or a mouthpiece. Good mic skills are essential for whoever ends the streak to fully capitalize on it, and Lashley can't do that - at least, not by himself. Other than this problem, if Lashley were a heel, this would be all he needed to keep himself right up at the top of the heap. But if not, the honor would be wasted on him. I have a feeling Lashley's future will favor being the good guy, so, despite a Taker-Lashley contest likely being an entertaining one, he's out of contention.

Marquis Cor Von: Can I just call him Monty Brown? It just sounds so much less ... I don't know ... ridiculous. But anyway, this is another guy for whom ending Undertaker's streak would be a career maker - in a few years' time when he's more established, that is. He's certainly got the charisma to pull it off. Could be another one of those "a new era has begun" moments. The Alpha Male is definitely in the running.

Randy Orton: It has been done before, but it could be done again with the outcomes reversed. But I have reservations - Orton's been near or at the top a number of times before and has never really been able to keep himself there effectively. Winning against Undertaker would be great for him, but he may not be able to take advantage of it as successfully as someone else. Orton's out.

Test: Test? Seriously? Yeah, seriously. WWE likes him (when they're not firing him, that is) and he'll probably be around for a while, but he's never really been able to get over. This could be the thing that does it for him. It's a long shot, so Test is out.

CM Punk. Edge. Marquis Cor Von. Test. If The Undertaker is to lose a WrestleMania match, I think (or perhaps I hope) it will be one of these men. They would make the most out of it, and in turn, it would make the most out of them.


Article written by Langdon Beck, Article edited by Benjamin Zeidler

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Overrated/Underrated Superstars

Since the Matt Hardy post generated a good deal of commentary and Drew reminded us all of the classic literary form of the list, I thought it would be fun to combine both and take a look at the most overrated and underrated wrestlers currently employed by the WWE.

Overrated wrestlers:
5. King Booker. He used to be a good wrestler in his WCW days, but age and a terrible gimmick have taken a serious toll on the man who used to delight us with that spinning thing. He shouldn't be anywhere near a title shot.

4. Umaga. I know he's from the family that produced The Rock, Rikishi, The Wild Samoans, and Yokozuna, but he's just not interesting to watch. Thank God that the powers that be prevented him from ever beating Cena for the title.



3. Matt Hardy. See previous post.

2. Batista. Another one of McMahon's over-muscled favorites, Batista features a limited move set and virtually no mic skills. Without his huge push, he'd just be another Chris Masters.

1. John Cena. The current champ spends his time defeating future legends with a crappy finisher and generally not being able to wrestle. His good mic skills make him a serviceable champion, but not a good wrestler, and certainly not the Hall of Famer he is painted to become.

Underrated wrestlers:
5. Kenny. I think Kenny has been mishandled. First, he was put with the misfit Spirit Squad. Next, he was forced to wear pink tights and main card RAW. What we really have here is a young Owen Hart: whiny, athletic, and trained by the best (Stu Hart and Killer Kowalski, respectively).

4. The Undertaker. I know, I know. How could one of the most decorated champions of all-time make it onto my underrated list? Well, people still doubt The Dead Man. Every year, there are more and more groans about the age and ability of Taker, and yet he continues to show up, most recently evidenced by his over-the-top-rope dive onto Batista at WrestleMania 23.

3. Shelton Benjamin. Another case of names gone wrong (Does anyone know anyone named Bobby Lashley or Kenny Dykstra?!). Benjamin, a two-time state wrestling champion and Ohio Valley product, has all the moves and the looks to make it big in the WWE. Now all he needs is a name and a push.

2. Carlito. Carlito has a downright nasty move set and yet he's stuck with Ric Flair. I know that the Flair dynamic was supposed to make him a better wrestler and more recognizable, but he didn't even make WrestleMania this year. Missing chances to perform on the greatest stage in the world is going to hurt Carlito in the long run, keeping him as one of the most underrated wrestlers.

1. Mr. Kennedy. Yes, the future of the sport (according to Drew's list) is also the most underrated (according to me). Again, I have a problem with the generic yet odd gimmick name. Mr. Kennedy has a unique mix of power, speed, and flight which is seen in few wrestlers. Some of the most versatile (Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels) can combine two, but not three. Kennedy needs to develop a more defined personality so he can avoid showing up on this list in a few months.


Please comment on the board with your own lists.

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Backlash promo suggests a Cena loss

Other than the fact that the picture of Edge peering through broken boards like Jack Nicholson in The Shining is probably the coolest idea for a promo I've seen in years, it may just tell us something about the outcome of the main event as well.

See, the WWE forgets that I spend hours checking out the wealth of information on wikipedia. They also forget that before I post, I do my homework. This post's homework led me to look at the most recent promos and the eventual outcome of the event, seeing if there was any correlation. Most featured all the wrestlers in the main event for that night, but a few did not. Let's take a look:

New Year's Revolution 07: DX is in the poster but loses the match to Team Rated RKO due to a legit quadricep injury. I call this one a wash as I feel that DX was supposed to win this match. After seeing the awful finish to the Summerslam 1997 match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Owen Hart (after a botched Hart Driver broke Stone Cold Steve Austin's neck), I'd much rather just stop the match than have them finish as they did at SS 1997.

Armageddon: Kane and The Undertaker are featured in the front of the poster with MVP and Kennedy behind them. The winners? Both 7 footers.





Cyber Sunday: The promo featured all three champs (Cena, Booker, Big Show) holding their respective belts. By the time the night was over, all three were...still holding their respective belts.




No Mercy: King Booker is placed in the very front of the poster with the technically-impressive trio of Finlay, Lashley, and Batista behind him. Booker retains the title.





Unforgiven: The promo features a sole picture of John Cena, who of course, would go on later that night to defeat Edge for the WWE title.






This analysis would seem to suggest that Edge is in line for another title run. Fortunately, my research is consistent with everything I've been hearing about current backstage politics. Apparently, Cena has been getting heat from other wrestlers in response to his streak of beating veteran opponents much more talented than he. Combined with the fact that Edge has been well documented as unhappy with the length of his previous title run, the storms seem to be aligning for a Rated R championship in the WWE. I'm sure Drew will have some interesting ideas regarding how this will all transpire in less than two weeks. Stay tuned for his predictions!

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Top Five Wrestlers of the 1990s

With apologies to Mankind, Kane, Diesel, Yokozuna, Sycho Sid, HHH, and others:

The top five wrestlers of arguably the greatest period in wrestling history were determined by a number of factors including title reigns, number of wins, quality of wins, and others. However, the most important component is how these wrestlers perform against other elite wrestlers; more clearly, how any one of the top five wrestled against the any of the other four. When wins and losses are mentioned, only quality and relatively fairly finished matches will be mentioned. For example, the Undertaker's DQ win over Bret Hart at Royal Rumble 1996 does not count as a victory over Bret Hart in the same sense that Shawn Michael's WrestleMania 12 win does.

5. The Undertaker. Let's put it this way: with the exception of the Big Show, Kane, and maybe Kurt Angle, no one is going to beat The Undertaker clean. Unfortunately for him, this means an unusual number of interference prompted losses on the record. Taker has lost to The Rock twice, lost to Shawn Michaels twice (interference by Kane at Badd Blood 1997, half the locker room at Royal Rumble 1998), and lost to Bret Hart once (referee HBK mistakenly hits Taker with chair at Summerslam 1997). Against Austin, Taker has accumulated 3 wins and 4 losses in a relatively even feud. 4 WWE Championships and 6 Tag Team Championships later, the Deadman falls into place at #5.

4. The Rock. Other than my #1 pick, The Rock is the only wrestler on the list to boast wins over both The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He is also responsible for one of the most memorable feuds and partnerships of the 90s (with Mankind). Unfortunately, The Rock didn't "arrive" on the scene until WrestleMania 13 in 1997. He never faced HBK or Bret Hart, to my knowledge. He also lost to Austin more times than he won (1-3). For these reasons, The Rock, who won the WWE Championship 7 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, and the Tag Team Championship 5 times sits firmly at #4 overall.

3. Shawn Michaels. Michaels boasts two inference wins over The Undertaker as well as two wins over Bret Hart (one clean, one screwjob). However, he never beat Stone Cold Steve Austin, something both The Rock, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart were all able to do. To his credit, Michaels was the first "grand slam" champion of the WWE and held the WWE championship on 3 separate occasions. Not to be overlooked are his 3 Intercontinental reigns, his 3 Tag Team Championships, and his back-to-back Royal Rumble victories. HBK has been involved in two of the four "five star" matches that have ever taken place in the WWE.

2. Bret Hart. Other than the Rock, whom he never wrestled, Bret holds victories over The Undertaker, HBK, and Austin. Other than the Summerslam 1997 victory over Taker, his other notable wins have been clean. Hart is probably the best technical wrestler in the history of the WWE, met only by the likes of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. Like all the others, Hart holds a Royal Rumble victory along with two King of the Ring victories, 5 WWE Championships, 2 Intercontinental Championships, and 2 Tag Team Championships. Like Michaels, Hart has also been involved in two of the four "five star" matches that have ever taken place in the WWE.

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin. At first, I was hesitant to put a mere brawler with little wrestling ability at my number 1 spot. After looking at his credentials for the position, there was no other choice. Austin holds victories over ALL of the other 4 members of the top five, holding winning records against Taker (4-3), The Rock (3-1), and HBK (who never avenged his loss). His only losing record to an opponent in the top 5 is Bret Hart (1-2). Austin lost to Hart early in his career at Survivor Series 1996 and then again at WrestleMania 13 where Austin never submitted but passed out from a Sharpshooter. Austin would eventually get his revenge on Hart when he injured Hart's leg in a no disqualification match on RAW, which featured Austin refusing to let go of his own Sharpshooter and beating Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. See my list of apologies at the top? The three that Austin wrestled (HHH, Mankind, Kane), he beat. Like the other top 5, Austin boasts a Royal Rumble victory. He also boasts a second and a third Royal Rumble victory, a feat never again accomplished in the WWE. Like Bret Hart, he won the King of the Ring tournament (1996). He held the WWE title 6 times, the Intercontinental twice, and the Tag belts 4 times. It's hard to find belts Austin hasn't held and people he hasn't beat, making him a tough but fair choice for the #1 spot on this list.

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