Ok, so the idea is back with a new spin...

The base concept here is to cobble together a card of matches that represent wrestlers' best rivalries. The real challenge here is that you can only use a wrestler once per card, and that'll surely have cascading structural effects (as we well learned with the last SuperCard series).

This will be a lot more open ended; i.e., no time period-based constraints, no limit to how many world title matches, etc. But we can award each other Whose Line Is It Anyway bonus points for eliminating redundancies and limiting our cards to a more defined timeframe.

I'll try to get this rolling with an Attitude Era-ish Best Rivals SuperCard...

(NOTE: If timeframe constraints prove to be dumb, let's say you have to limit your SuperCard to 10 matches.)

PI's First Attempt: WWF-centric,
of course!

1. Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon - WrestleMania XIX
The only two entities bigger than the WWF title. It gets Hogan on the card to represent the Rock 'N' Wrestling generation. It gets Vince on the card as the evil owner. It blurs kayfabe with their real life rivalry stemming from steroid trial bullshit, jumping ship to WCW, etc. The only real alternatives for Vince IMO are Austin or Shane. I don't need Shane on this card, and Austin is better used elsewhere. Meanwhile, going with Vince against Hogan spares me from wading into the 80s and early 90s to figure out whether Hogan/Warrior, Hogan/Savage, Hogan/Piper, or Hogan/Andre is the best way to go.

2. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series 1997
I really don't think you can go with anyone else for either guy as their greatest rival. Both from a kayfabe and shoot standpoints. And this match is the best encapsulation of the kayfabe/shoot nature of their rivalry. As great as Austin, Owen, Perfect, Bulldog, and surprisingly even Diesel were as far as options for Bret... Shawn is a comfortable number one. Similarly, as solid as Jericho, Undertaker, Angle, Diesel, Razor, or HHH would've been as far as choices... Bret is the most obvious pick IMO.

3. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock - Backlash 1999
So if Bret is tied up with Shawn, Austin's other top rivals are either Vince McMahon or Rock. As great as Austin/McMahon was as a launching pad to new business heights, Austin's rivalry with Rock seems like the more natural choice. They both debut on WWF TV at opposite ends of the same year in 1996; their paths cross for the first real time in 1997 over the IC title; they both win their first world titles at opposite ends of the same year in 1998 (Austin while working against McMahon; Rock by siding with McMahon); have the first match of their 'Mania trilogy in 1999; become such hot faces that they're literally 1a & 1b (TBD on a day-to-day basis re: who's a and who's b); have possibly the best WWF title match in history to end the Attitude Era at 'Mania X-7; then complete their trilogy at 'Manka XIX to end Austin's in-ring career and send Rock off full-time to his Hollywood career. Since I'm going with the Montreal Screwjob, I worry that going with 'Mania X-7 is too many McMahon screwjobs on one SuperCard MashUp. WrestleMania XV was a rough hot mess, and I can't tell anymore if XIX is overrated or underrated or just lazy booking that worked out inoffensively. So I thought I'd go off the beaten path a bit with their Backlash 1999 encounter... Seems like a nice "average" representation of their rivalry.

4. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - Royal Rumble 2000
If you pair Rock with Austin, that takes him away from both HHH and Foley... which is totally OK because I'd argue that HHH and Foley were each other's best rivals. They feuded in 1997 thorough a solid series of encounters as up-and-coming midcard stars. Can't recall how much they touched in 1998, but did for sure in 1999. Then they wrote that should've/would've been a beautiful final chapter at Royal Rumble 2000.

5. The Undertaker vs. Kane (w/ Paul Bearer) - WrestleMania XIV
With all of Undertaker's better options tied up in better pairings, you're really left with nothing better than the best (and first) showdown between the Brothers of Destruction. This Godzilla vs. King Kong clash was the perfect blend of Undertaker's supernatural storylines and monster opponents. The only other idea I see for 'Taker with this card structure as it's developing is the HIAC against Lesnar at No Mercy 2002. It would get Brock a spot on the card, and serve a purpose in representing the transition from the old guard to the new guard... But Big Evil 'Taker doesn't feel as iconic in WWE history.

6. Brock Lesnar (Paul Heyman) vs. Goldberg - WrestleMania 33
OK, I had to get my main man Brock on here somehow. His feud with Angle never really materialized in a way that was as good as I thought it should've been. His series of matches against Big Show were better than they had any right to be, but Big Show also never felt like a true rival... More like fodder. Hogan, Rock, and Benoit only ever led to one match, so those rivalries are hindered a bit. So that leaves Cena, Undertaker, and Goldberg in my eyes. Undertaker is otherwise engaged, and Cena might be too. So that leaves Goldberg. Hard to resist going with the Mania XX match. The Mania rematch is my cheat out. This represents WWF conquering WCW, as well as the transition from the Attitude Era to the Brand Split WWE Era... Even if the match selected took place in 2017.

7. John Cena vs. Batista - WrestleMania 26
The Hogan and Warrior of the Ruthless Aggression Era are booked as undercard acts on this SuperCard MashUp. WWE wanted so badly for Cena/Orton to be THE rivalry, but it just never really worked. Keeping Cena and Batista separated and booked as such strong faces for so long created an indirect rivalry that made this eventual clash the closest thing to a homegrown fantasy dream match in ages. Picking the match where Cena goes over (vs. Summer Slam 2008) feels more appropriate considering who ultimately "won" this rivalry.

8. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - WrestleMania 21
Maybe that SD! match was better, so feel free to replace this with that. Their rivalry spanned the two biggest promotions in the world (and possibly several others as far as I know), and considering how important each guy would ultimately prove to be to WWE, they needed representation. Honestly not sure if either had better rivals than each other anyway.

9. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho - WrestleMania 2000
Probably the weakest match on this SuperCard, and totally only selected for structural reasons. In a way, this gives me both the Jericho/Benoit rivalry and the far greater Angle/Benoit rivalry. If I could figure out a better use for Jericho elsewhere, I would go with Benoit/Angle from RR2003.

10. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz - WrestleMania X-7
Hard to think of a more exciting way to kick off a card than the definitive TLC match. Involves 6 HOF worthy wrestlers, many of whom go on to become world champions, and highlights arguably the greatest tag rivalry to ever take place in WWE.

Hopefully the formatting of my post isn't too fucked. Hopefully the idea for this thread makes sense. I feel like it's so open-ended, we can produce a shit ton of awesome/different SuperCards. Let get it started in here!

WCW Rivalry Showdown: The Longest Card of All Time

Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk (Great American Bash '89)
Flair had rivalries with everybody, so it's a matter of finding the best combination for the rest of the card. Funk is the pick, which is cool because they had two of the greatest WCW Matches ever.

Big Van Vader Vs. Sting (Superbrawl III)
Sting mostly sucked without Flair. Except with Vader. Their matches were always awesome. This strap match was my favorite.

Hulk Hogan vs. Roddy Piper (Starrcade '96)
The rivalry that started modern wrestling showed up again about 11 years too late, and this match isn't great, but star power.

Randy Savage Vs. Diamond Dallas Page (Spring Stampede 1997)
The Outsiders made DDP as a fan favorite, then Macho made him as a wrestler. I think this was my favorite of their many 1997 matches, but I'm not sure. Haven't seen them in a while.

Lex Luger & The Giant vs. The Outsiders (SuperBrawl VII)
Luger and Giant tagged a surprising amount. Outsiders had a rivalry with all of WCW, Giant especially. I remembered this match being good. Double checked with Meltzer, who had it at 3.5 stars. That's probably about as high as any of these guys will get without Flair being involved.

Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner (Fall Brawl 2000)
We all know by now that this match was the most unlikely classic in WCW history.

Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig (Uncensored '98)
This match concludes their PPV Trilogy (SummerSlam '91/King of the Ring), and is not in that class, but good enough for midcard filler, where these two were overqualified in real life, and this card.

Ricky Steamboat Vs. Stunning Steve Austin (Clash of the Champions XXVIII)
I went Flair-Funk to get this rivalry on the card. I didn't want a WCW card without the Stunning one. 

Doom Vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (Starrcade 1990)
They wrestled a lot. This was their best. 

Eddy Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio (Halloween Havoc '97)
Maybe the best match in WCW history. It certainly is when you take Ric Flair out of the equation.

Chris Benoit Vs. Kevin Sullivan (Great American Bash '96)
If anything counts as a rivalry, it's when a wife actually leaves their wrestler husband with the man he's feuding with. 

The Midnight Express Vs. The Rock & Roll Express (WrestleWar 1990)
You can't have a WCW rivalry card without these two teams, who wrestled seemingly every night for a decade.

Harlem Heat vs. The Nasty Boys (Uncensored)
Concession stand! 

Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera (Superbrawl VIII)
I apparently like this match more than any other human being in the world. World class heeling by Jericho, who had only been a heel in WCW for about a month at that time.

Cactus Jack vs. Paul Orndorff (SuperBrawl III)
After Vader and Orndorff kicked the shit out of Cactus, Cactus wrestled Orndorff quite a bit, this being their best.

Flyin' Brian vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger (SuperBrawl II)
Kind of a stretch as a rivalry, I must admit, but my argument for it is despite oceans separating them, WCW decided that the first match on Nitro had to be these two men wrestling again.

Since PI did WWF and Kilgore tackled WCW I'll give ECW a try to round out the Big 3. 

ECW: The 2nd Longest Card of All Time

13. Taz vs. Sabu (Barely Legal 4/13/97)

12. Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven (Wrestlepalooza 6/7/97- Loser Leaves Town Match)

11. Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (Living Dangerously 3/21/99- TV Title Match)

10. Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk (Hostile City Showdown 4/15/95)

9. Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome (Heatwave 8/2/98)

8. Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #2 (The Doctor Is In 8/3/96- TV Title Match)

7. Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney vs. Dudley Boyz (August 1999- Tag Title Match)

6. Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko (ECW Arena 8/26/95- Farewell Match)

5. Gangstas vs. Eliminators (Natural Born Killaz 8/24/96- Tag Title Cage Match)

4. Mikey Whipwreck vs. Sandman (ECW Arena 10/28/95- ECW Championship Ladder Match)

3. Super Crazy vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri (ECW Arena January 2000- Mexican Death Match)

2. Chris Candido vs. Lance Storm (Heatwave 8/2/98)

1. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Psicosis (November To Remember 11/18/95)

I'm going to try to make this work. The idea that I have is for the Early-to-Mid 90s Japanese Interpromotional Era.

NJPW (2/17/94)
Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW) vs. Genichiro Tenryu (WAR)
As far as interpromotional matches go, Tenryu was the man in the 90s. After leaving All Japan in early 1990, he set up SWS and worked with the WWF, including matches with Hogan and Flair and a tag with Hogan against the Road Warriors. SWS splintered into different feds in 1992, including Tenryu's WAR, which would wage an 18-month feud with NJPW. Following that, he moved onto a feud with Onita's FMW and would work another with UWFi in 1996. This match was the conclusion of that long NJPW/WAR feud. Tenryu had beaten everyone he had come across at least once during it, only trading wins with Choshu and Fujinami. He had obtained an incredibly rare clean win over Inoki a month before this match and defeated Hashimoto twice the previous year. Hash had won his first IWGP Title back in September so this was a match where he was trying to finally get the better of Tenryu, win the war for his promotion, and establish himself as The Ace.

AJPW (6/9/95)
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue
While not an interpromotional match, All Japan has to be represented precisely for how they reacted to that whole era. Baba decided to be isolationist and would not be tempted to go any interpromotional route. Apparently Kawada was not happy about this stubbornness and some have argued this may have lead to some of his booking later in the decade. This match has been chosen because it is the peak of everything that they had been building since Tenryu left All Japan in 1990 really, with Misawa/Kawada having becoming the main feud of the promotion in the spring of 1993. This is the peak of pro wrestling as a whole in my opinion.

UWFi (12/5/93)
Nobuhiko Takada (UWFi) vs. Super Vader (WCW)
The first of their three-match series. The '94 bout is the best but by that point, Vader felt more like a regular UWFi guy. It is a lot easier to see this match as interpromotional due to Vader being the reigning WCW champion and how him joining UWFi initially came about. Takada and Lou Thesz called out the wrestling world, claimed they were the most legit and dared any of the champions of any other feds to face them. Takada was given Thesz' 90-year-old World Title and Vader was the one champion that answered the call. This match is not just great but has such a big-fight feel. In front of a 40k stadium crowd, you've got Thesz out first to talk about the importance of this match, comparing it to his match with Rikidozan 36 years prior and how this will crown a true undisputed world champion. Then we get the national anthems played before Takada and Vader duke it out.

AJW (4/2/93)
Akira Hokuto (AJW) vs. Shinobi Kandori (LLPW)
AJW was the big-time joshi fed. In 1992, the Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling company split into "entertainers" (JWP Joshi Puroresu) and "shooters" (LLPW). Kandori was the head of LLPW and a legit judoka. Her and Hokuto had a feud that was not just interpromotional but had that work/shoot aspect to it that is so loved in Japan. This would become the greatest feud of either's career. This was their first meeting - a bloody, intense classic. They would subsequently meet in a tag bout shortly after, a second singles towards the end of the year and would be forced to team together in early 1994 after the fans voted for it, to see if these rivals could co-exist.

AJW (11/26/92)
Toshiyo Yamada & Manami Toyota (AJW) vs. Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki (JWP)
The first big interpromotional tag and the first of a classic trio of matches.

NJPW (4/16/94)
Jushin "Thunder" Liger (NJPW) vs. The Great Sasuke (M-Pro)
The juniors got in on the interpromotional action as well. Liger set up the Super J Cup, inviting wrestlers from different feds to come. This was the best match and the shock result of the night. They would have a rematch in three months and face off multiple times years later, including over the ultimate interpromotional title, the J-Crown.

---------------------------------------------------------------

I do wish there was footage (rather than just photos) out there of Yoji Anjo leaving Rickson Gracie's dojo all bloodied and disoriented. If so, I would've thrown to a satellite link to this "UWFi vs. Gracie Jiu Jitsu fight", only to have missed it and just get the shot of Anjo leaving. Maybe Rickson will release the footage he has of the fight itself one day, but I wouldn't want that here as a shoot doesn't really fit. But the aftermath of a shoot as a backstage segment sure would.

I was going to try to get the '93 WWF Champ Hogan vs. IWGP Champ Muta on there, but in no way could it be called a feud or rivalry.

I know that's only 6 matches and I'm sure I could find some more to put on, but I'll leave it there for now. And maybe for all time. In terms of match lengths and sheer fucking awesomeness, it doesn't need any more.

Nov 25, 2017 23:24:53 GMT Strobe said:

AJW (4/2/93)
Akira Hokuto (AJW) vs. Shinobi Kandori (LLPW)
AJW was the big-time joshi fed. In 1992, the Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling company split into "entertainers" (JWP Joshi Puroresu) and "shooters" (LLPW). Kandori was the head of LLPW and a legit judoka. Her and Hokuto had a feud that was not just interpromotional but had that work/shoot aspect to it that is so loved in Japan. This would become the greatest feud of either's career. This was their first meeting - a bloody, intense classic. They would subsequently meet in a tag bout shortly after, a second singles towards the end of the year and would be forced to team together in early 1994 after the fans voted for it, to see if these rivals could co-exist.

I don't remember the names but "judoka" sparked a memory... is this the match you recommended back in the Getting My Wife Into Pro Wrestling thread on the old board? If so, I recall this being such a fucking nasty, real-seeming war. Like most things in life, the Japanese just do pro wrestling so right and treat it with such respect. If only it weren't for the fucking language barrier...

Yes, yes it was.

WWF: 1980s Edition

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (3/29/87)
I thought about getting cute with Hogan, but it has to be versus Andre at Wrestlemania 3. 

Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (Cage Match: 8/9/80)
WWF's first Stadium show! Bruno's last hurrah, and Zbyszko's only, really.

Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat (2/15/87)
I went Maple Leaf Gardens edition, just because it feels more like the "rival" match.

Paul Orndorff vs. Roddy Piper (7/13/85)
I watched a lot of WWF House shows from this era a couple years back, and Piper usually had really good matches. He had so much heat, all he had to do was brawl and every single punch got a crowd response like a high spot. Piper house show matches while he was still a heel is pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. His matches against Orndorff are the best example. The Philly and Boston matches aren't all that different, but I chose MSG because it was the first of the series, so it seemed the hottest.

Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera (Texas Deathmatch: 5/19/80)
Truth: I've never seen this match. It always makes "Best of 80s WWF lists," so I'm throwing it on. Bob was (unfortunately) a big part of the first four years of the decade. He should be represented. 

Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Iron Sheik (Bootcamp Match: 6/16/84)
Like Backlund-Patera, always makes the lists, but this one I've seen and can confirm is fucking awesome, like it needed my endorsement.

Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior (Cage Match: 8/28/89)
Warrior had a few feuds, but I think Rude would be his number one rival. Met for the IC Belt, and World, and Rude even got the rare win. This is probably Warrior's third best match ever, so not just a token Ultimate Warrior match, it's a real asset to the card.

The Hart Foundation vs. The Brainbusters (8/28/89)
I almost got cute and put a Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect Time Limit Draw match from the same year on, but the Hart Foundation have to be part of an 80's WWF Supercard. Getting Arn and Tully on there just adds to the necessity. Their SummerSlam match falls short of greatness, but is very good. If anybody knows of a house show match these two teams had that was better, I'm open to swapping this. 

Don Muraco vs. Jimmy Snuka (Cage Match: 10/17/83)
The rivalry that had Snuka surpass Backlund as the ace of the company (and a rivalry that endured all the way into the 90's launching a little company called Eastern Championship Wrestling). It of course ends with the high spot of all high spots, which wouldn't be surpassed in the WWF until ... I don't know. The Ladder Match in '94? Is that possible?

The British Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team (4/7/86)
This was the Wrestlemania 2 match, the culmination of the Bulldogs chase for the titles. 

Jake Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase  (No DQ: 12/28/89)
This is probably the worst match of the card. It's not bad, just kind of dull, especially when you hear "No DQ" as a stipulation. Jake kind of grounds DiBiase the whole match. I wanted a Piper Brawl. But they needed to be on the card, and this is the best match I could find they had against each other in the 80's, just barely making it with three days to spare.

Demolition vs. Strike Force (3/27/88)
I prefer Demolition as heels, and Strike Force was the perfect Babyface team for them to take their place on top of the tag division. 

Terry Funk vs. Junkyard Dog (8/18/85)
Not that anybody doubts Terry Funk, but his series of matches against JYD is where you really see how good Funk is, just because JYD adds close to nothing, and Funk bumps around like Stan Hansen is clubbing him and Taz is suplexing him. This match at Maple Leaf Gardens in particular, Funk flops extra, goes flying over the ropes to the outside repeatedly, staggers into the audience, swings at imaginary people, gets backdropped onto the wooden ramp, and even goes through a table (although not exactly how you picture it in a post-Sabu world). This is one of the definitive "making a broomstick look good" performances, and gets one legend on the card, along with a god. 

The Rockers vs. The Rougeau Brothers (10/13/89)
They had many great matches. This one is probably the best.

I feel like Tito/Valentine would have to be represented. Best choice could be from the same MSG show as Slaughter/Sheik.

Of course, that removes Demo/SF and Bulldogs/Dream Team, but that would be fine because I don't see the argument for Foundation/Busters really. They had that one isolated match at SummerSlam and then one random house show match. Whereas Demo/Busters had a full-on 3-month house show feud with two televised title changes. Foundation/Bulldogs is the most famous tag feud from 80s WWF and held up as a symbol of the era, so it feels right to be included.

So Tito/Valentine, Demo/Busters and Foundation/Busters instead of Demo/SF, Foundation/Busters and Bulldogs/Dream Team. That seems like an upgrade in terms of rivalries in order to only lose Beefcake.

I feel like an argument could be made for either Richter/Kai or Richter/Moolah to be added.

Nov 26, 2017 8:22:05 GMT Kilgore said:

vs
vs.
v.
Vs.

This triggered me.

1990s WWF

*All matches must take place between 1/1/90 & 12/31/99 and I'm sticking to 🤯 's 10 match rule this time around.

1. New Age Outlaws vs. Legion of Doom- Raw 2/23/98 (Tag Title Match)

WWF's two top tag teams of the 90s meet in a changing of the guard.

2. Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid- In Your House 2/18/96 (Crybaby Match)

You could go with any Razor/Kid match, really. I chose this one because it had years of backstory behind it. 

3. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart- Wrestlemania X- 3/20/94

Not a huge fan of having Bret this low on the card but it is what it is. Bret/Austin is Bret's best feud while Bret/Michaels is his most famous but I chose this one for structural reasons. And it's not like this feud and match didn't rule. 

4. Mr. Perfect vs. Ric Flair- Raw 1/25/93 (Loser Leaves Town Match)

Sometimes having to lose stuff for structural purposes works out well in the long run. This is one of those times.

5. Triple H vs. Rock- Summerslam 8/30/98 (IC Title Ladder Match)

Two rising stars meet in the gimmick match that had become synonymous with big time IC Title matches.

6. Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter- 6/3/91 (WWF Championship Desert Storm Match)

I've actually never seen this but I'm trusting all the people who say it's what Wrestlemania VII should have been. Was also just reminded that 90s WWF Hogan doesn't have the greatest selection of opponents.

7. Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel- In Your House 4/28/96 (No Holds Barred WWF Championship Match)

This is somewhere between Shawn's 3rd & 5th best feud of the 90s but for structural/quality/star power reasons I chose it over other stuff, including HBK/Marty.

8. Undertaker vs. Mankind- King of the Ring 6/28/98 (Hell In A Cell Match)

Chose it over Taker/Kane for historic + quality reasons.

9. Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage- Wrestlemania VII 3/24/91 (Retirement Match)

A no-brainer.

10. Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon- St. Valentine's Day Massacre 2/14/99 (Steel Cage Match)

The feud that turned WWF's fortunes around needs to be represented.