This is, hopefully, the most complicated season I'll have to cobble together. WWE and WCW start this season at their creative peaks. The Attitude Era is in full swing at The Fed, and NWO is printing money for the former NWA. The heroes of the 80s and early 90s become the villains, the anti-heroes rise to the top of each company. Their weekly soap operas go from One Hour Superstar vs Enhancement Talent With Occasional Interview Segments to Two Hour Chaos Machines Where Superstars Are Frequently Arrested, Assaulted, And Who Knows What Else.

This was a terrible era to be female identified in the industry. The WWE frequently put on pillow fights, stripteases, and bikini matches. Those will not show up in this condensed history. We DO see the slow build rise of Chyna, who will be a huge influence on the eventual Women's Revolution, fifteen years later. We will also continue to see Alundra Blayze/Madusa be as massively underused in the WCW as she was in the WWE. Miss Elizabeth, an absolute delight in the WWE, will also be hugely miscast and misused in WCW. 

Some of the highlights of this season are MMA star Ken Shamrock's time in the WWE, the Montreal Screwjob, the creation of the Mr. McMahon character and The Corporation, Stone Cold's ascendance, the formation of Degeneration X (though we will be skipping their problematic anti-Nation Of Domination and much of their phallus-obsessed nonsense, and focus on their war with WCW and then The Corporation), the dominance of Kane, and Goldberg's WCW undefeated streak. We'll also say goodbye to ECW with just one episode this season, as it became a self-parody due to Paul Heyman's bouncing checks. Oh, and we'll also say goodbye to WCW by the end of the season. Yeup, both of them will reappear next season as properties of WWE, as Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, and Paul Heyman all take massive losses, establishing the WWE as THE main wrestling organization in the US (but stay tuned for the rise of TNA Impact and Ring Of Honor in Season Six).

1. New World Order, 1996

Hulk Hogan shocked the wrestling world at the end of last season, and now begins his Reign Of Terror as the biggest villain in wrestling, not just in the ring but behind the scenes as he continues to squash the potential stars of the industry under his big, black boots.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, Eric Bischoff, Gene Okerlund, Mike Tenay, David Penzer, Michael Buffer

1. Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho
2. Big Show (as The Giant) vs Randy Savage
3. NWO vs WCW War Games
Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, NWO Sting vs Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Sting

4. Harlem Heat (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs Outsiders
5. Hulk Hogan (WCW Champ) vs Randy Savage​

2. Cold Day In Hell, 1996

To counter the shock of WCW's Hulk Hogan surprise heel turn, WWE executes an amazing slow burn heel turn as Bret The Hitman Hart becomes a villain for complaining about the way the industry is treating him while Stone Cold Steve Austin becomes a hero for doing pretty much the same thing.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Todd Pettingill, Dok Hendrix, Howard Finkel

1. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin in a Submission Match
2. Undertaker (WWE Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Mankind)
3. Bret Hart Goes Full Canadian
4. Ken Shamrock vs Vader in a No Disqualification Match
5. Undertaker (WWE Champ) vs Steve Austin

3.  Filling Vacancies, 1996

Some undercard fun in WCW here as the Radicalz get some time to shine and Chris Jericho wrestles a referee. Plus, the first appearance of spooky Sting, and then it's Antique vs Antique as Hogan and Piper renew their feud from the early 80s.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, Larry Zybysko, Lee Marshall, Gene Okerlund, Mike Tenay, David Penzer, Michael Buffer

1. Ultimo Dragon vs Rey Mysterio for the J Crown
2. Chris Jericho with one hand tied behind his back vs Referee Nick Patrick 
3. Dean Malenko (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs Ultimo Dragon (J-Crown Champ)
4. Alundra Blayze (as Madusa) vs Akira Hokotu for WCW Womens Championship
5. Jushin Thunder Liger vs Rey Mysterio
6.William Regal vs Juventud Guerrera
8. Hulk Hogan (WCW Champ) vs Roddy Piper

4. Have A Nice Day, 1997

Mick Foley as Mankind was already a massive favorite in WWE, moreso than his WCW/ECW character, Cactus Jack. But his three part interview with Jim Ross turned him into a superstar. We also get to see our first WWE Light Heavyweight match as Taka Michinoku joins the party.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Dok Hendrix, Howard Finkel

1. Owen Hart vs British Bulldog
​2. Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels
3. Jim Ross Interviews Mick Foley
4. Taka Michinoku vs Great Sasuke
5. The Undertaker (WWE Champ) vs Vader

​5. Ultimate Jeopardy 1996, 1997

ECW had devolved into a pale imitation of itself. The Monday Night Wars left the company in the dust, and this is the last time we'll see the ECW proper. WWE will snatch it up next season, and some of these stars will be a part of that, but this is Paul Heyman's company's swan song, and it's....ok.

1. RvD vs Tommy Dreamer
2. Bubba Ray Dudley vs D-Von Dudley
3. The Gangstas (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs The Eliminators vs Sabu & RvD
4. Sandman (ECW Champ) vs Raven
5. Taz vs RvD
6. Sabu vs Perry Saturn
7. Sandman (ECW Champ) vs Raven in a Barbed Wire Match 

6. Radical Ascendence, 1997

The next generation of WCW stars steal the spotlight from the egomaniacs, apart from a spectacular Macho Man/DDP match. 


Announcers: Tony Shiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, Eric Bischoff, Ted Dibiase, Mike Tenay, Gene Okerlund, Lee Marshall, Jeff Katz, David Penzer, Michael Buffer, Neil Pruitt

1. Eddie Guerrero (WCW US Champ) vs XPac (as Syxx) in a Ladder Match
2. Dean Malenko (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs XPac (as Syxx)
3. Eddie Guerrero (WCW US Champ) vs Chris Jericho
4. The Outsiders (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs Lex Luger & The Giant
5. DDP vs Squire Dave Taylor
5. Rey Mysterio vs Ultimo Dragon
6. Akira Hokuto (WCW Womans Champ) vs Alundra Blayze (as Madusa)
7. DDP vs Randy Savage

7. Canadian Stampede, 1997

The Harts as Canadian diehards were the most fun group in an era of too many stables (The Nation Of Domination, Los Boricuas, and Disciples Of Apocalypse spring to mind). It's a pity how it all ended but their war with The Undertaker and Stone Cold was the highlight of this era of the WWE.

Announcers: VInce McMahon, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Pettengill, Howard Finkel 

1. Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs Triple H in a Steel Cage
2. The Hart Foundation (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Steve Austin & Mick Foley (as Dude Love)
3. British Bulldog (WWE European Champ) vs Ken Shamrock
​4. Owen Hart (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Steve Austin
5. Undertaker (WWE Champ) vs Bret Hart

8. Nitro, 1997

The WCW vs NWO angle stayed fresher a bit longer than I remembered, but still not that long, we begin to get a little long in the tooth here as more and more people defect from WCW, making NWO a little too big to take seriously.

Announcers:  Tony Shiavone, Bobby Heenan, Larry Zybysko, Mike Tenay, Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Gene Okerlund, Michael Buffer, David Penzer 

1. Dean Malenko (WCW US Champ) vs Jeff Jarret
2. Akira Hakuto (WCW Womans Champ) vs Alundra Blayze (as Madusa) Title vs Career Match
3. Chris Benoit vs Ultimo Dragon
4. THe Outsiders vs DDP & Mr. Perfect
​5. Roddy Piper vs Ric Flair 
6. NWO vs Four Hoursemen WarGames
Kevin Nash, Buff Bagwell, XPac, Konnan vs Ric Flair, Mr Perfect, Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael

9. Road Wild, 1997

GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! And also Sting in the rafters and The Radicalz in the ring. Truly, this is Golden Age WCW. 
​

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Boby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Larry Zybysko, Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Gene Okerlund, David Penzer, Michael Buffer

1. Goldberg vs Hugh Morris
2. Eddie Guerrero (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs Rey Mysterio
3. Goldberg vs The Barbarian
4. DDP vs Randy Savage
5. Goldberg vs Haku
6. Yuji Nagata vs Ultimo Dragon
7. Eddie Guerrero (WCW Cruiserweight Champ) vs Rey Mysterio
8. Mr. Perfect (WCW US Champ) vs Ric Flair with no DQs

10. The Montreal Screwjob, 1997

Y'all heard about this match, right? Easily the most important match in turning the tide from WCW to WWE in the Monday Night Wars.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Kevin Kelly, Albert DeFrusia

1. Steve Austin banned from Raw
2. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker Hell In A Cell
3. Kane vs. Hardy Boys
4. Classic Survivor Series Match
Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, Legion Of Doom vs Nation Of Domination

6. Owen Hart (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Steve Austin
7. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Shawn Michaels

11. Souled Out, 1997 1998

Fallout from WWE spills over into WCW in what should have been the momentum swinger to WCW. Instead, they completely botch the arrival of Bret Hart and continue the dinosaur stampede of 1980s stars, even beginning to phase out The Radicalz. The slow plod to WCW's collapse begins at this time, but we'll focus on the great matches that still managed to take place during this decay.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Mike Tenay, Gene Okerlund, David Penzer, Michael Buffer

1. Chavo Guerrero Jr., Juventud Guerrera, Lizmark Jr. & Super Calo vs El Dandy, La Parka, Psychosis & Silver King in a Lucha Libre Rules Match

2. Goldberg vs Steve McMichael
3.Raven vs Chris Benoit in Ravens Rules Match
4. Scott Hall vs Lex Luger
5. Rey Mysterio (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs Chris Jericho
6. Booker T (WCW TV Champ) vs Rick Martel
7. Chris Jericho (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs Juventud Guerrera Title vs Mask
8. Bret Hart vs Ric Flair

12. D-Generation X

The crux of this episode is one of the greatest Royal Rumbles of all time. Like a couple of the rumbles that I've cut, there are a lot of filler characters in this who don't need to be remembered (The Godwinns, 8-Ball and Chains, the Headbangers ... I don't even know who Tom Brandi is, and I've seen this rumble dozens of times). But the pacing and storytelling of this match is superb. Plus, THREE MICK FOLEY CHARACTERS IN ONE MATCH!

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry  Lawler, Michael Cole, Howard Finkel

1. The Rock (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Ken Shamrock
2. Royal Rumble
Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack), Terry Funk (as Chainsaw Charlie), Tom Brandi, The Rock , Mosh, Phineas I. Godwinn, 8-Ball, JBL (as Blackjack Bradshaw), Owen Hart, Steve Blackman, D'Lo Brown, Kurrgan, Marc Mero, Ken Shamrock, Thrasher, Mick Foley again (as Mankind), (The Artist Formerly Known as) Goldust,  Jeff Jarrett, The Honky Tonk Man, Ahmed Johnson, Mark Henry, The Godfather (as  Kama Mustafa), Steve Austin, Henry O. Godwinn, Savio Vega, Faarooq ,  Mick Foley (as Dude Love), Chainz , Vader

13. War Of Attrition, 1998

Sure, WWE was already returning to their status as Top Empire In Wrestling but in order to pull in a record number of previous non-wrestling fans, they brought in one of the biggest names in the history of combat sports, Mike Tyson to play a part in the Shawn Michaels/Steve Austin fued. We also get a fun gimmick tag team match, and finally, Finally, Undertaker vs Kane (part 1 of roughly 1,000).

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Michael Cole, Doc Hendrix, Kevin Kelly, Howard Finkel

1. Mike Tyson on Raw
2. War Of Attrition
Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, Chainz, 8-Ball, Skull vs The Rock, Farooq, Mark Henry, D-Lo Brown, The Godfather

3. Taka Michinoku vs Essa Rios
4. Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) and Terry Funk (as Chainsaw Charlie) vs New Age Outlaws in a Dumpster Match

5. Undertaker vs Kane
6. Shawn Michaels (WWE Champ) vs Steve Austin

14. The Streak (1998)

WCW begins to circle the drain. And we can't even blame Vince Russo, yet. The Goldberg Streak and the WCW Undercard were putting on spectacular matches while Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kevin Nash, Roddy Piper, Scott Hall, and the rest of the main eventers involved in the NWO storyline put on some of the most unwatchably dull matches in wrestling history. SO we're not going to watch the NWO split into the Black and White and The Wolfpac, we're not going to focus on the washed up WWE stars trying to relive their glory years, instead, we're going to watch the future WWE stars put on the matches that would make them famous.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Gene Okerlund, Michael Buffer, David Penzer

1. DDP (WCW US Champ) vs Raven vs Chris Benoit
2. Goldberg vs Perry Saturn
3. Chavo Guerrero vs Ultimo Dragon
4. Booker T (WCW TV Champ) vs Chris Benoit
5. DDP (WCW US Champ) vs Raven in a Raven's Rules Match
6. Raven (WCW US Champ) vs Goldberg
7. Finlay (WCW TV Champ) vs Chris Benoit
8. Goldberg (WCW Us Champ) vs Hugh Morris

15. The War Zone, 1998

The Austin/McMahon feud is one of the surprisingly greatest feuds in the history of sports entertainment. And it really gets going here. The Rock also begins to properly ascend as the company's greatese heel, and the Mick Foley/McMahon relationship turns all sorts of weird. It's almost glorious.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Dok Hendrix, Howard Finkel 

1. Steve Austin (WWE Champ) vs Vince McMahon
2. The Rock (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Farooq
3. Triple H (WWE European Champ) vs Owen Hart
4. Undertaker vs Kane in an Inferno Match
5. Steve Austin (WWE Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Dude Love)

16. The Bottom Line, 1998

DX was a silly, profane, controversial group in WWE history. They were characterised as misognyist, homophobic, racist, but also supposed to be funny good guys. It aged Very Poorly. I've tried not to include their problematic material, and instead focus on their fun, such as their "attack" on WCW, and their feud with the McMahon family. We also see Dan Severn start to show up. I'd completely forgotten about him but he was an interesting counterbalance to Ken Shamrock for a few months in 1998, and his matches are worth the watches. Also, we don't get to hear it but while Triple H calls a match as a commentator, Chyna is commentating the match with the Spanish Announce Team. 

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Michael Cole, Howard Finkel 

1. DX vs WCW
2. Kane vs Vader
3. The Nation vs DX
D-Lo Brown, Owen Hart, Kama Mustafa vs Triple H, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn
​
​4. Steve Austin (WWE Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Dude Love)  in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
5. Ken Shamrock vs Jeff Jarrett
6. The Rock vs Dan Severen
7. Ken Shamrock vs The Rock

17. Last Gasps, 1998 1999

Here endeth The Last Great Thing in WCW history. These are all title matches with very little storyline developement because the stories were bad, but many of the matches were worse.  There is an entire year's worth of Pay-Per-Views used as the basis of this episode. It's bleak.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Gene Okerlund, Michael Buffer, David Penzer

1. Goldberg (WCW US Champ) vs Scott Hall
2. Booker T (WCW TV Champ) vs Bret Hart
3. Hulk Hogan (WCW Heavyweight Champ) vs Goldberg
4. Kidman (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs Juventud Guererra vs Rey Mysterio
5. Goldberg (WCW Heavyweight Champ) vs Sting
6. Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sandman in a Hardcore Match
7. Goldberg (WCW Champ) vs DDP
8. Goldberg (WCW Heavyweight Champ) vs Kevin Nash

18. Gimmickmania B'Gawd, 1998

There are some great gimmick matches in here, including The Greatest Hell In A Cell Of All Time, B'gawd!

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole,  Howard Finkel


1. D-Lo Brown vs X-Pac
2. Owen Hart vs Ken Shamrock in a Dungeon Match
​3. X-Pac vs Jeff Jarrett
4. Ken Shamrock vs Owen Hart in a Lion's Den Match
5. The Undertaker vs Mankind in Hell In A Cell B'Gawd
6. Steve Austin (WWE Champ) vs Kane in a First Blood Match
7. Kane (WWE Champ) vs Steve Austin

19. Socko Zamboni, 1998

Delightful shenanigans abound in this mostly fun Attitude Era classic.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Kevin Kelly, Dok Hendix, Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel

​1. The Rock vs Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs Ken Shamrock
2. Taka Michinoku (WWE Lightweight Champ) vs Christian
3. Ken Shamrock (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Mankind)
4. Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs Steve Austin
5. The Rock vs Undertaker
6. Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs The Rock for the WWE Championship

20. The Fingerpoke Of Doom & Butts In Seats, 1999

On January 4th, 1999, WCW signs their own death warrant in The Monday Night Wars. Their younger stars start to shift over to WWE while their geriatric headliners continue to put on the same boring shows over and over and over. At the beginning of the show that lost the war, host Tony Schiavone decides to roast the WWE by announcing that their show is taped and he spoils the new winner of the WWE title. As a result, millions of viewers switched over to Raw to see the title change. Those that stuck with WCW for that night were rewarded with what is widely regarded as The Worst Main Event in wrestling history.

Announcers: Tony Shiavone, Eric Bischoff, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Gene Okerlund, Michael Cole, Dok Hendix, Michael Buffer, Howard Finkel


1. The Rock (WWE Champ) vs X-Pac
2. Triple H vs Mick Foley (as Mankind)
3. Goldberg vs Miss Elizabeth & The Detroit PD
4. The Rock (WWE Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Mankind)
5. Kevin Nash (WCW Champ) vs Hulk Hogan
6. The Corporate Rumble
7. Mick Foley (as Mankind) (WWE Champ) vs The Rock

Hey, yo. This is the season of The Cliq. A heartbreaker, a bad guy, a big sexy, an upstart kid, and the future son-in-law of the owner first cement themselves on the main event scene in WWE, and then split up and take over WCW as well. And the WCW is already full of WWE's aging castoffs taking up valuable headlining real estate while an amazing crop of up and comers get buried. Oh, and then they go to WWE.

At the same time, ECW comes to promenence, and most of those undercard WCW players put on some excellent headlining matches there. 

The star pupil of this season though, is Mrs. Foley's baby boy, who wrestles as Cactus Jack in WCW, then becomes the massively over Cactus Jack in ECW, then becomes megaheel Mankind in WWE. His mic skills and his willingness to destroy his body is like nothing from the previous two seasons. And it's a joy to watch him become one of The Guys in the industry.  

1. Everything Old Is New Again, 1994 1995

While ECW gives us some new faces, and some intriguing new gimmicks for some of the 70s and 80s wrestling stars, WCW buys the contracts of WWE's biggest names and uses them to buffer its roster. And, sure enough, we start off with their biggest grab, as Hulk Hogan arrives and immediately begins feuding with Ric Flair.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Gene Okerlund, Mike Tenay, Gary Michael Cappetta 

1. Steve Austin (WCW US Champ) vs Ricky Steamboat
3. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Hulk Hogan
4. Steve Austin (WCW US Champ) vs Jim Duggan
5. Vader vs Sting vs Big Boss Man

2. The Great Undertaking, 1994

WWE is about to go from slight creative problems to a massive drought so we start this sort of understated WWE part of the season with holdover storylines from last season, and the return of The Undertaker, and the return of another Undertaker?

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Randy Savage, Gorilla Monsoon, Todd Pettengill, Howard Finkel

1. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Owen Hart in a Steel Cage
2. Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Jeff Jarrett
3. Undertaker Vs Underfaker
4. The Teamsters Vs The Bad Guys
Sean Michaels, Kevin Nash (as Diesel), Owen Heart, Jim Neidhart, and Jeff Jarret vs Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon), X-Pac (as 123 Kid), British Bulldog, Rikishi (as Fatu), The Barbarian (as Seone) 

 No Jacket Required, 1995

Weird storylines abound, with the payoff to some longterm events. The Owen vs Bret Hart feud continues but now involves Bob Backlund reliving his loss to The Iron Sheik from the early 80s. And The Undertaker (not Faker) gets his revenge on Yokozuna from their previous casket match. The Bret Hart grudge over a stolen jacket is one of my favorite short term rivalries.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon, Jerry Lawler, Todd Pettengill, Howard Finkel

1. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Bob Backlund
2. The Undertaker vs Yokozuna in a Casket Match
3. Razor Ramon (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Jeff Jarret
4. Brett Hart Vs Jean-Pierre Lafitte

4. Uncensored, 1995

WCW gets in the Hogan Groove, as Flair takes a break. There's just a ton of old WWE talent here, Duggan, Randy Savage, Big Boss Man, Earthquake, even Smash from Demolition is around.  It's hard to believe the company is on the brink of reaching its apex.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Gary Michael Capetta, Michael Buffer

1. Sting & Randy Savage vs Earthquake & Big Boss Man
2. Smash vs Goldust in a King Of The Road Match
3. Nasty Boys vs Harlem Heat in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
4. Hulk Hogan (WCW Champ) vs Vader in a Strap Match
5. Sting vs Big Boss Man
6. Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs Ric Flair & Vader

5. In Your House, 1995

It's fairly dim days for the WWE. They expand their pay-per-views so that they're monthly "In Your House" events, but apart from The Cliq (Shawn Michaels, Kavin Nash as Diesel, and Scott Hall as Razor Ramon), and the Hart Family, none of their superstars or supervillains really connect with their audience. These matches are from three separate In Your House shows, plus the 1995 Summer Slam.  The storylines were all drab, the highlight match is Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall having their second ladder match because, well, the first one was really good, why not?

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Doc Hendrix,  Jerry Lawler, Tod Pettengill, Jim Ross, Howard Finkel

1. Bret Hart vs Hakushi
2. Road Dogg vs XPac (as 1-2-3 Kid)
3. Jeff Jarrett (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Shawn Michaels
4. Kevin Nash (as Diesel) (WWE Champ) vs Sycho Sid
5. Alundra Blayze (WWE Woman's Champ) vs Bertha Faye
6. Shawn Michaels (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon)

6. November To Remember, 1994/1995

ECW! ECW! The underdog wrestling federation doesn't have a ton of good storylines but the matches from this era are just chock full of talent with very little gimmicry.

Announcers: Paul Heyman, Joey Styles, Matt Dematt, Tod Gordon, Bob Artese

1. Dean Malenko vs Taz
2. Shane Douglas (ECW Champ) vs Farooq
3. Public Enemy (ECW Tag Team Champs) vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) & Mikey Whipcrack
4. Dean Malenko vs Ray Odyssey
5. Chris Benoit vs Hack Meyers
6. Mick Foley & Mikey Whipcrack vs Sandman & Tommy Cairo
7. Public Enemy (ECW Tag Team Champs) vs Sabu & Taz
8. Tommy Dreamer vs Stevie Richards
9. Chris Benoit vs Al Snow
10. Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) vs Sandman in a Texas Death Match
11. Public Enemy (ECW Tag Team Champs) vs Taz & Sabu

​7. World Cup American Shoe, 1995/1996

While the WWE's Kliq Days are numbered, over in WCW (and, simultaneously, ECW), we start to see the rise of The Radicalz, some of the best wrestlers to come out of the 90s WCW. Unfortunately, they're massively overshadowed by the booking of the greying stars of the 80s, both the homegrown WCW legends like Flair and Luger, and the WWE dinosaurs like Hogan and Savage.

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, Gene Okerlund, David Penzer

1. Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuto vs Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki
2. Jushin Thunder Liger vs Chris Benoit
3. Shinjiri Otani vs Eddie Guerrero
4. Randy Savage (WCW Champ) vs Ric Flair
5. Nasty Boys vs Public Enemy in a Street Fight
6. Marc Mero (WCW TV Champ) vs DDP
7. One Mang Gang (WCW TV Champ) vs Konnan
8. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Randy Savage in a Steel Cage

9. Extreme Warfare, 1995

More violent fun from Paul Heyman's House Of Bouncing Checks!

Announcers: Paul Heyman, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, Tod Gordon, Bob Artese

1. Shane Douglas (ECW Champ) vs Marty Janetty
2. Sabu & Taz (ECW Tag Team Champs) vs Triple Threat
3. Raven vs Tommy Dreamer
4. 2 Cold Scorpio (ECW TV Champ) vs Eddie Guerrero
5. Three Way Dance for the ECW Tag Team Championship
Public Enemy vs Triple Threat vs Taz & Sabu

6. Shane Douglas (ECW Champ) vs Sandman
7. Terry Funk vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack)
8.  Sandman (ECW Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) in a Barbed Wire Match

10. Nerves Of Steel, 1996

There's a weird 80s resurgence in the WWE here as Roddy Piper and The Ultimate Warrior weigh down the rises of Steve Austin, Savio Vega, and Triple H.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Mr. Perfect, Jerry Lawler, Dok Hendrix, Todd Pettengill, Howard Finkel

1. Vader vs Savio Vega
2. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Kevin Nash (as Diesel) in a Steel Cage
3. Roddy Piper vs Goldust in The Backlot Brawl
4. Steve Austin vs Savio Vega
7. Undertaker vs Kevin Nash (as Diesel)
8. Mick Foley (as Mankind)  vs Bob Holly
9. Undertaker vs JBL (as Bradshaw)

11. Slamboree, 1996

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, Eric Bischoff, Gene Okerlund, Lee Marshall, David Penzer, Michael Buffer


1. Alundra Blayze (as Madusa) throws the WWE Womans Title in the trash
2. Eddie Guerrero vs Ric Flair
3. Randy Savage (WCW Champ) vs The Big Show (as The Giant)
4. Konnan (WCW US Champ) vs Eddie Guerrero
5. Finlay (as The Belfast Bruiser)  vs William Regal
6. Sting & Booker T vs Legion Of Doom in a Chicago Street Fight
7. Big Show (WCW Champ) vs Sting

13. Wrestlepalooza, 1995/1996

​Announcers: Paul Heyman, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, Rick Rude, Tod Gordon, Bob Artese

1. 2 Cold Scorpio, Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack), and Dean Malenko vs Eddie Guerrero and The Steiner Brothers
2. Rey Mysterio vs Psicosis
3.​ Mikey Whipcrack & Public Enemy vs 2 Cold Scorpio, New Jack & Sandman in a Gangsta's Paradise Cage Match
4. Rey Mysterio vs Psicosis in a Mexican Death Match
5. Taz vs Shark Attack Kid
6. Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) & Mikey Whipcrack (ECW Tag Team Champs) vs Eliminators

14. Just Another Night, 1996

Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, RvD, and Mick Foley show why they're the future of wrestling.

Announcers: Paul Heyman, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, Tod Gordon, Bob Artese

1. Rey Mysterio (ECW Welterweight Champ)vs Juventud Guerrero
2. Chris Jericho vs RvD
3. Raven (ECW Champ) vs Sandman
4. Bam Bam Bigelow vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack)
5. Raven (ECW Champ) vs Shane Douglas
6. Chris Jericho vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack)
7. Rey Mysterio vs Juventud Guerrero 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match

15. The Outsiders, 1996

WCW's undercard (which was also the best part of the ECW roster) continues to be fantastic, but to freshen up the Senior Citizen Headliners, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash form The Outsiders along with The Third Man, as the preliminary to the rise of the NWO (which, you know, eventually destroyed WCW, resulting in it being purchased by the WWE).

Announcers: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Mike Tenay, Gene Okerlund, Lee Marshall, Michael Buffer, David Penzer

1. Dean Malenko (WCW Cruserweight Champ) vs Rey Mysterio
2. Sting vs Steven Regal
3. Big Show (WCW Champ) vs Lex Luger
4. Rey Mysterio Vs Psicosis
5. Randy Savage, Sting & Lex Luger vs The Outsiders & The Third Man

16. 3:16, 1996

We start this off with the King Of The Ring tournament that essentially kicks off the WWE's Attitude Era as Steve Austin gets his first two catchphrases. Also, Mick Foley shows up to the WWE as Mankind (Don't worry, he's still going to show up on the ECW episodes as Cactus Jack, as well.) and begins an Epic Feud with The Undertaker.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Mr. Perfect, Owen Heart, Mark Henry, Dok Hendrix, Tod Pettengill, Howard Finkel

1. Steve Austin vs Marc Mero
2. Jake Roberts vs Vader
3. Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs Undertaker
4. Steve Austin vs Jake Roberts
5. Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs Undertaker
​6. Shawn Michaels (WWE Champ) vs Vader 

17. Buried Alive, 1996

The Attitude Era starts to bubble up through The New Generation as Vince McMahon realizes he's going to have to get a bit edgier if he wants to squash the WCW.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jim Cornette, Mr. Perfect, Dok Hendrix, Todd Pettengill, Kevin Kelly, Howard Finkel

1. Shawn Michaels (WWE Champ) vs Mick Foley (as Mankind)
2. Steve Austin vs Triple H
3. Marc Mero (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Goldust
4. Sycho Sid vs Vader 
5. Undertaker vs Mick Foley (as Mankind) in a Buried Alive Match

18. The Royal Screwjob 1997

The tables are turning in WWE (while they burn and are being crashed through in ECW). Long time faces are forced to turn heel as antiheroes become the new faces of the company. This is really leading us towards the Attitude Era and the Montreal Screwjob. But first, a lesser screwjob that really strengthens one of the best feuds of 20th century wrestling.

1. Mick Foley (as Mankind) vs The Undertaker
2. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin
3. Farooq vs Ahmed Johnson
4. Royal Rumble

Crush, Ahmed Johnson, Fake Razor Ramon, Phineas I. Godwinn, Steve Austin, Bart Gunn, Jake Roberts, The British Bulldog, Pierroth, The Sultan, Mil Máscaras, Triple H, Owen Hart, Goldust, Cibernético, Marc Mero, Latin Lover, Faarooq, Savio Vega, Road Dogg, Bret Hart, Jerry Lawler, Fake Diesel, Terry Funk, The Rock, Mankind, 2 Cold Scorpio, Vader, Henry O. Godwinn, The Undertaker​​

19. Shawn Michaels Loses His Smile, 1997

While The Nation of Domination becomes a thing, and fake Razor Ramons and Diesels litter the landscape, The Heartbreak Kid gets a big sad-on and announces his retirement for neither the first nor the last time. He takes the prestige of The New Generation with him, as this is really the final pay-per-view before The Attitude Era really kicks off. You can tell it's coming because both Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler are on commentary for this one.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Dok Hendrix, Todd Pettengill, Howard Finkel

1. Shawn Michaels Loses His Smile
2. Four Corners Match to determine  new WWE Champ
Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Undertaker, Vader

3. Goldust vs Triple H
4. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Sycho Sid
5. ECW Invasion
6. Goldust vs Triple H
​7. Sycho Sid (WWE Champ) vs Undertaker

20. Hog Wild, 1996

And while the WWE gets ready to go All Attitude, WCW is about to go All-In on the NWO experiment, as the conclusion of this episode sees Hollywood Hulk Hogan deface the WCW belt to make it the property of wrestling's newest fad.

1. Lex Luger vs Big Boss Man
2. Alundra Blayze vs Bull Nakano
3. Chris Benoit vs Dean Malenko
4. Ric Flair (WCW US Champ) vs Eddie Guerrero
5. The Outsiders vs Sting & Lex Luger
6. The Big Show (WCW Champ) vs Hulk Hogan

The 1980s were a bloated, cheesy masterpiece of professional wrestling. Soap opera storylines with Big Heroes (mind you, Hulk Hogan, the biggest "hero" in the WWE was always cheating to win, overcelebrating his friends' victories, hogging the spotlight, and stabbing his friends in the back while waving The American Flag), steroid riddled promos about vitamins, warriors, maniacs, hard times, and Space Mountain, and A-B-C match formats where the hero used the same stale and unimpressive move to somehow annihilate his previously healthy opponents. Something had to give.

It took time. Time and evolution (not Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista; although they eventually contributed). Technical wrestling improved, storylines became more complex, and more room was made at the top for a wider variety of heroes and heels with fewer jobbers making their way on TV.

This season sees The Four Horseman Era continue in WCW while their undercard trains to be the future of the WWE. Meanwhile WWE becomes more than just the Hogan/Savage/Warrior show, as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker make their presences known.

The middle of this season sees one of the three Gaping Creative Drouts that occured in wrestling during my lifetime. And, yet, they still contain some spectacular matches.  

1. Old Business, 1990 

While we bid adieu to Hulkamania running wild at the end of last season, it's not dead. The 80s wrestlers didn't just disappear as 1990 rolled in. So here we see the old guard start to wind down as slightly younger wrestlers like Mr Perfect, Texas Tornado, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker all make their way to the top of the WWE wrestling cards. This also includes the Survivor Series where, at the end, everyone who survived the previous matches teamed up for a random faces vs random heels match. Zero points for guessing who overcame the odds to win.

​Announcers: Roddy Piper, Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Howard Finkel.

1. Mr Perfect (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Texas Tornado
2. Demolition (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Rockers
3. Ultimate Warrior (WWE Champ) vs Rick Rude in a Steel Cage
4. Million Dollar Team vs The Dream Team
Ted Dibiase, Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Undertaker vs Dusty Rhodes, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Koko B Ware

5. Visionaries Vs Vipers
Rick Martel, Hercules, Paul Roma, Warlord vs Jake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetti

6. Survivors vs Survivors
Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Tito Santana vs  Ted Dibiase, Rick Martel, Hercules, Paul Roma, Warlord

2. Capitol Combat, 1990

WWE isn't alone in starting to push new stars a bit. Weirdly, almost all of the younger generation that appears in this season of WCW moves to WWE to get real famous next season. Still, it's fun to see Mick Foley as Cactus Jack, Steve Austin as The Hollywood Blond, and Ron Simmons just being his badass self before WWE started tossing gimmicks at him.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Terry Funk, Bob Caudle, Paul Heyman, Gordon Solie, Missy Hyatt, Tony Schiavone, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Rock & Roll Express vs Freebirds in a Corporal Punishment Match
2. Steiner Brothers (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs Doom
3. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Lex Luger in a Steel Cage
4. Vader vs Tom Zenk
5. Doom (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs Rock & Roll Express
6. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Sting

3. American Nationalism Run Amuck, 1991

This is all over the place. We even start with The Rising Hero Of The Late 80s (Ultimate Warrior) vs 70s Superstar Sgt Slaughter, whose scond run in the WWE we're going to mostly skip because it was super cringey when it was happening, and it's worse now. Likewise, the Royal Rumble calls back to the 1970s, let's some of the 80s undercard and some up-and-coming 90s stars mix it up before totally 1987ing the ending.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Roddy Piper, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Howard Finkel
​
​1. Ultimate Warrior (WWE Champ) vs Sgt Slaughter
2. Ted Dibiase and Virgil vs Dusty Rhodes and Goldust
3. Royal Rumble
Bret Hart, Dino Bravo, Greg Valentine, Paul Roma, The Texas Tornado, Rick Martel, Saba Simba, Bushwhacker Butch, Jake Roberts, Hercules, Tito Santana, The Undertaker, Jimmy Snuka, The British Bulldog, Smash, Hawk, Shane Douglas, Animal , Crush , Jim Duggan, Earthquake, Mr. Perfect, Hulk Hogan , Haku , Jim Neidhart , Bushwhacker Luke, Brian Knobbs, The Warlord, Tugboat 

4. The Japanese Invasion, 1991

While the WWE is being Super Problematic with their nationalism, WCW starts to do crossover events with New Japan Wrestling that highlight the mastery of Japanese Wrestling rather than trying to crush all of the performers under their American competitors. I haven't watched it for a while, so I don't know if it's completely uncringey but I think I would remember if it was as politically graceless as the WWE. Also, bonus points for a very early Rey Mysterio match before he disappeared back to Mexico for a while.

Announcers:  Jim Ross, Dusty Rhodes, Paul Heyman, Tony Schiavone, Missy Hyatt, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Steiner Brothers vs Konnan & Rey Mysterio
2. Mr Saito & Great Muta vs Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashminikov
3. Stan Hansen (WCW US Champ) vs Lex Luger
4. Steiner Brothers vs Mr Saito & Great Muta
5. Jushi Thunder Liger vs Akira Nogami
6. Four Horseman vs Masa Saito & Masahiro Chono
7. Barry Wyndham vs Brian Pillman in a Taped Wrist Match
8. Great Muta vs Sting
9. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Tatsumi Fujinami (NJW Champ)

5.  Redemption, 1991

We continue the slow passing of torches in 1991 with some excellent slow burn storylines, including the Ted Dibase/Virgil feud, and the blurring of whether Jake Roberts is a face or heel. It's also the beginning of the Golden Age of The Intercontinental Championship as some of the biggest future stars take their turns with the belt.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper, Jim Duggan, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Howard Finkel

1. Hart Foundation (WWE Tag Team Champs)  vs Nasty Boys
2. Jake Roberts vs Rick Martel in a Blindfold Match
3. Undertaker vs Jimmy Snuka
4. Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage in a Retirement Match
5. Ted Dibiase vs Virgil
6. Texas Tornado (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Mr Perfect
7. Mr Perfect (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Bret Hart

​6. The Chamber Of Horrors

While the future of both WWE and WCW wrestling start to take control of the WWE in the early 1990s, WCW starts to descend into terrible gimmicks and an overreliance on tournaments to give shape to their pay-per-views. There are still some stellar performers and matches, though.  

Announcers: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, Eric Bischoff, Missy Hyatt, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Steiner Brothers (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs Lex Luger & Sting
2. Arn Anderson (WCW TV Champ) vs Bobby Eaton
3. Tatsumi Fujinaki (NWA Champ) vs Ric Flair (WCW Champ)
4. Brian Pillman v Marc Mero
5. Nikita Koloff vs Sting in a Russian Chain Match
6. Lex Luger vs Barry Wyndham in a Steel Cage Match for the WCW Championship
7. Chamber Of Horrors Match
Sting, El Gigante, The Steiner Brothers vs Abdullah the Butcher, The Diamond Studd, Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack), Vader

7. Match Made In Heaven,  1991

The double turn of Randy Savage and Jake Roberts was a perfect way to see them out of the WWE, it's almost a shame it wasn't either of their last matches for the company. They worked incredibly well together. We don't get to see their matchup in this episode, but it's totally set up here. We also get a better Dibiase/Virgil match, the total redemption of Randy Savage, and we realize that The Earthquake isn't going to get the chance to be The Monster Heel in place of Andre The Giant because The Undertaker is an unstoppable force.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper, Gene Okerlund, Howard Finkel 

1. Bushwhackers vs Natural Disasters
2. Ted Dibiase vs Virgil for the Million Dollar Championship
3. Nasty Boys (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Legion Of Doom
4. Match Made In Heaven/Reception Made In Hell
5. Million Dollar Team vs Hitman Squad
Ted Dibiase, Ric Flair, Warlord, The Mountie vs Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Virgil, British Bulldog

6. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Undertaker

8. Lethal Lottery, 1991, 1992

WCW did a few of these Lethal Lotteries, where tag teams were put together randomly, and the winning teams' members were thrown into a 16 Man Battle Royal. It's an interesting concept. But this will be the only one I'm including in the series. Also, those Japanese wrestlers haven't gone away. They're still a vital part of this era of WCW, and it is Glorious.

Announcers:  Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Eric Bischoff, Missy Hyatt, Magnum TA, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Steve Austin & Rick Rude vs Van Hammer & Doink
2. Bill Kaamier & Jushin Thunder Liger vs DDP & Mike Graham
3. Ricky Steamboat & Todd Champion vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) & Buddy Lee Parker
4. Vader & Mr Hughes Vs Rick Steiner & Adam Bomb
5. Battlebowl Battle Royal
6.Enforcers Vs Michiyoshi Ohara & Shiro Koshinaka
7. Dusty Rhodes & Goldust vs Masa Saito & Kim Duk
8. Lex Luger (WCW Champ) vs Masahiro Chono
9. Sting & Great Muta vs Steiner Brothers

9.  Fair To Flair 1991, 1992

Bobby Heenan's finest hour is calling the 1992 Royal Rumble, as WCW's biggest star has jumped ship and is running around the WWE with the WCW belt around his waist. It's fantastic. The rest of this match is the ending of feuds from previous episodes, and showing off a couple of new talents. 

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Howard Finkel

1.The Barbershop Incident
2. Jake Roberts vs Randy Savage
3. Undertaker (WWE Champ) vs Hulk Hogan
4. Royal Rumble Match
The British Bulldog , Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair, Jerry Sags, Haku, Shawn Michaels, Tito Santana, The Barbarian, The Texas Tornado, Repo Man, Greg Valentine, Nikolai Volkoff, Big Boss Man, Hercules ,  Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts,  Jim Duggan, Irwin R. Schyster, Jimmy Snuka, The Undertaker, Randy Savage, The Berzerker, Virgil, Col. Mustafa,  Rick Martel, Hulk Hogan, Skinner, Sgt. Slaughter,  Sid Justice,  The Warlord

10. Superbrawl 2, 1992

Again, this is kind of a gold buried under crap era for WCW, as it's slowly morphing from NWA to the official WCW. This episode, in particular, aligns with the earlier WWE matches from this season as 70s, 80s, and 90s stars are all represented pretty equally.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura, Tony Schiavone, Eric Bischoff, Missy Hyatt, Barry Abrams, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Jushin Thunder Liger (WCW Lightweight Champ) vs Brian Pillman
2. Barry Wyndham & Goldust vs Steve Austin & Larry Zbysko
3. Rick Rude (WCW US Champ) vs Ricky Steamboat
4. Lex Luger (WCW Champ) vs Sting
5. Sting's Squadron vs Dangerous Alliance
Sting, Barry Wyndham, Goldust, Ricky Steamboat, Nikita Koloff vs Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbysko)

11. Damaged Goods, 1992

After the last episode's Superkick Heard Round The Industry, Shawn Michaels begins his spinning heel turn, Ric Flair's plan to go after Hogan goes belly up when Hogan is suspended for steroids, so, instead, we get Flair vs Randy Savage, which proved to be more fun, anyway. (Don't worry, Hogan vs Flair is coming.) 

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Vince McMahon, Mr Perfect, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Howard Finkel

1. Damaged Goods
2. Shawn Michaels vs Tito Santana
3. Undertaker vs Jake Roberts
4. Money Inc (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Natural Disasters
5. Owen Hart vs Skinner
6. Roddy Piper (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Bret Hart
7. Ric Flair (WWE Champ) vs Randy Savage

12. Beach Blast, 1992

Jake Roberts crosses over to WCW here, along with Greg Valentine. There's not much to say about this episode other than Congratulations to these wrestlers for making entertaining matches during one of the worst booked eras of a wrestling company that doesn't have Vince Russo on the payroll yet.

Announcers:  Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura, Tony Schiavonne, Eric Bischoff, Bruno Sammartino, Missy Hyatt, Teddy Long, Magnum TA, Tony Gilliam, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Raven vs Brian Pillman
2. Greg Valentine vs Buff Bagwell
3. Sting vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack)
4. Rick Rude (WCW Heavyweight Champ) vs Ricky Steamboat
5. Sting (WCW US Champ) vs Vader
6. Farooq (WCW Heavyweight Champ) vs Barbarian
7. Sting vs Jake Roberts in a Coal Miner's Glove Match

13. The Excellence of Execution, 1992

Here we go, the old guard is almost completely gone (Hogan's appearance at the end of this episode is just to show what a desperate, aging cliche he had become THIRTY YEARS AGO.) and The Kliq (Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and XPac) are starting to dominate the entire industry, and will continue to do so for the rest of the decade. 

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Howard Finkel

1. Bret Hart (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs British Bulldog
2. Head Shrinkers vs High Energy
3. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Shawn Michaels
​4.  Shawn Michaels (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Marty Jannetty
5. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Yokozuna
6. Yokozuna (WWE Champ) vs Hulk Hogan

15. King Of Harts, 1993

WWE launches Monday Night Raw. The Kliq and the Hart family continue to run rampant, Hulk Hogan wrestles his last WWE match for a decade, and XPac debuts (as the 123 Kid) becoming the most famous jobber of all time.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage, Rob Bartlett, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Howard Finkel

1. Bobby Heenan Can't Get In The Building
2. Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) vs XPac (as The Kid)
3. Mr. Perfect vs Ric Flair in Loser Leaves Town Match
4. Bret Hart vs Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon)
​5. Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect
6. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Yokozuna
7. Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow  for King Of The Ring

16. Supershow, 1993

Another New Japan crossover supports the otherwise awful booking of the era. Chris Benoit debuts, and Mick Foley vs Vader is an early 90s Highlight.

Announcers: Tony Schiavonne,  Jim Ross, Larry Zbysko, Jesse Ventura, Eric Bischoff, Missy Hyatt, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Ultimo Dragon (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champ) vs Jushin Thunder Liger 
2. Great Muta (IWGP Champ) vs Masahiro Chono (WCW Champ)
3. BattleBowl 2
4. 2 Cold Scorpio vs Chris Benoit
5. British Bulldog vs Bill Irwin
6. Hollywood Blonds (WCW Tag Team Champs) vs Dos Hombres in a Steel Cage
7. Vader vs Mick Foley in a Texas Death Match

17. Everybody's Got A Price, 1993

WWE's prime time show, Raw, expanded their ability to play with mid-term storytelling. You no longer had to compact a storyline into a single episode or make it months long in order to reach a pay-per-view event. I choose to celebrate this by condensing the Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid/Money Inc storyline into half an episode. We also get to see the short term revenge of Bret Hart against Jerry Lawler. Their storyline went on for months after this but the matches were at best terrible, and at worst, gross. We'll just pretend it stopped here. I've also tossed in the highlights from the 1993 WWF Family Feud shows, an amazing product of that era.

Announcers:  Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Ray Combs, Gene Okerlund,  Gene Wood, Howard Finkel

1. Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) vs XPac (as The 1-2-3 Kid) for $10,000
2. Ted Dibiase vs X-Pac (as The 1-2-3 Kid)
3. Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) vs Ted Dibiase
4. IRS v X-Pac (as The 1-2-3 Kid)
5. Bret Hart vs Doink & Jerry Lawler
6. Bam Bam Bigelow & Headshrinkers vs Tatanka & Smoking Guns

7. The Family Feud
Randy Savage, Slick, Crush, Tatanka, Big Boss Man vs Shawn Michaels, Jimmy Hart, IRS, Papa Shango, Repo Man 

19. Return Of The Flair, 1994

The Dirtiest Player In The Game returns home to spice things up for the final WCW episode of the season. 

Announcers: Tony Schiavonne, Jesse Ventura, Bobby Heenan, Eric Bischoff, Gene Okerlund, Michael Buffer, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Return Of Ric Flair
2. Vader (WCW Champ) vs Ric Flair in Title Vs Career Match
3. Harlem Heat vs Thunder & Lightning
4. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Vader in Thundercage Match
5. Rick Rude (WCW International Champ) vs Sting
6. Vader vs Big Boss Man
7. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Ricky Steamboat

20. Raw, 1994

This episode is a bit of a placeholder, mainly here for The royal Rumble Match, but the Casket Match is also a classic, and the intra-family Hart feud will heat up even more next season.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Ted Dibiase, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage, Gene Okerlund, Todd Pettingill, Howard Finkel

1.  Yokozuna (WWE Champ) vs Undertaker in a Casket Match
2. Royal Rumble 
Scott Steiner, Samu, Rick Steiner, Kwang, Owen Hart, Bart Gunn, Kevin Nash (as Diesel), Bob Backlund, Billy Gunn, Virgil, Randy Savage, Jeff Jarrett, Crush, Doink the Clown, Viscera, Bob Holly, Shawn Michaels, Mo, Greg Valentine, Tatanka, The Great Kabuki, Lex Luger, Genichiro Tenryu, Rick Martel, Bret Hart, Rikishi, Marty Jannetty, Adam Bomb

3. Owen Hart vs Bret Hart

21. The New Generation Takeover, 1994

Heresoeth endeth the 80's control of the WWE. No more shall Hogan, Heenan, Savage, Okerlund, Mr Perfect, Dibiase, Jimmy Hart, or any of their ilk cast their shadows on the WWE (well, ok, so SOME of them will come back eventually, but never for long). All the rising Harts, and Michaelses and, Razors both Ramon and not Ramon, and Diesels both Kevin Nash and Kane, Jerry Lawlers, and Jim Rosses shall come to forever be known as The Faces Of The WWE. I mean, for a few minutes, anyway.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage, Gene Okerlund, Todd Pettingill. Burt Reynolds, Howard Finkel 

1. Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match
2. Yokozuna (WWE Champ) vs Bret Hart
​3. Bret Hart (WWE Champ) vs Kevin Nash (as Diesel)
4. Owen Hart vs Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) for King Of The Ring
5. Alundra Blayze (WWE Womans Champ) vs Bull Nakano
6. Kevin Nash (as Diesel) (WWE Intercontinental Champ)  vs Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon)  
7. Gorilla Monsoon vs Bobby Heenan

Wrestling is a work. It's sports entertainment with predetermined results. It's a soap opera famously designed for late twentieth century male-identified fans of steroid-riddled beefcakes. It's silly. It, like all sports, is 90% garbage, 10% amazing. It's way better than fat old white guys wearing tacky clothes on a liesurely walk through manicured grass while occasionally hitting a ball with a stick, or that other ball with a stick sport where a bunch of steroid-riddled non-beefcakes stand around in the sun (or the moon if it's a night game) waiting for someone to hit the ball in their general direction so they can maybe catch it or something.

Look, it makes just as much sense as soccer or lacrosse or underwater foosball . When it's great, it's Ping Pong Parkour Great, and when it's bad, it's insufferable golf with sweatier men.

I've watched A Lot of it. First in the eighties. All of my friends were into wrestling during the Hogan-centric era. All of them. Kids would act out The Interviews, not even the matches, The Interviews during recess, probably realizing they were more likely to grow up into Gene Okerlund or Tony Schiavone than Bret Hart of The Ultimate Warrior.

In the 90s, I lived with a family who got really into The Rock, Steve Austin, and Rey Mysterio, and I got hooked back in for a couple of years.

Poetry slam took over most of my life in the 21st century, but I would hear people talk about certain names that I would remember, and I would go on Youtube or DailyMotion and seek out the match and see if it still had any emotional resonance. And sometimes it did.

I am going to Seriously Condense wrestling history into a few seasons. Each season will contain YEARS of storylines. Maybe that sucks some of the drama out when you don't have to wait a full year for a feud to peak and resolve, but I want this list to MOVE. It will be mostly WWE (which is the product I grew up on) and some WCW.

The first season, Rock And Wrestling starts off with a Pilot Episode that doesn't really fit with the rest of the season but includes a bunch of famous matches from before I was born. Some of those matches are historically important, some of them just introduce characters who will come back much later but who you should probably see some of their Ancient Work.

I have edited all of these episodes together for my own personal use. I won't ever be sending these files out to people (because copyright is important) but I might do some free Discord viewing if people are interested.

Pilot: All-American Wrestling

I got into wrestling during Hulkamania, and never watched classic 70s or early 80s matches until I decided to work on this project. So this episode are all matches that are Historically Important. I was going to start with the end of Bruno Sammartino's first (and longest in history) reign as WWE (then WWWF) Champion, but the video from that match is really terrible, so I've decided to begin the series with the end of Sammartino's second reign, which also introduces us to the prototype that Hulk Hogan is based on.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, Howard Finkel, and more.

1. Bruno Sammartino (WWE Champ) vs Superstar Billy Graham, 1977
2. Superstar Billy Graham (WWE Chanp) vs Bob Backlund, 1978
3. Terry Funk Vs Jerry Lawler in an Empty Arena Match, 1981
4. Andre The Giant Vs Killer Khan in a Mongolian Stretcher Match, 1981
5. Pat Patterson vs Sgt Slaughter in a Street Fight, 1981
6. Bob Backlund (WWE Champ) vs Superfly Jimmy Snuka in a Steel Cage, 1983
7. Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask 3 in Japan, 1983
8. Andre The Giant Vs Abdullah The Butcher, 1983
9. Bob Backlund (WWE Champ) & The Persian Club Incident, 1983 sets up
10.  Bob Backlund (WWE Champ) vs. The Iron Shiek, 1983
11. Iron Shiek (WWE Champ) vs. Hulk Hogan, 1983

Episode 1: WCW Starrcade 1983/1984 

The first closed-circuit wrestling spectacular for a revamped wrestling promotion, Starrcade introduces us to a bunch of faces who will become famous in the WWE but who put on some of their best matches in this slightly less soap-operay divison.

1. Abdullah The Butcher vs Carlos Colon
2. Roddy Piper Vs Greg Valentine in a Dog Collar Match
3.  Brisco Brothers (WCW Tag Champs) vs Ricky Steamboat and Tully Blanchard
4. Harley Race (WCW Champ) vs Ric Flair
5. Tully Blanchard (WCW TV Champ) vs Ricky Steamboat
6. Wahoo McDaniel (WWE US Champ) vs Superstar Billy Graham

Episode 2: The Birth Of Wrestlemania, 1984

No one can deny that Hulk Hogan was The Guy who made wrestling mainstream, and as quirky as the weekly wrestling Superstars shows were, I'm really not inflicting people with Famous Wrestlers Take On Jobbers (usually local talent whose job it was to lose matches and make the stars look good), so  the WWE story really gets revved up with the first WWE (then WWF, no longer the WWWF) pay-per-view spectacular. The first match does not take place at Wrestlemania but was a match worthy of being on the ppv. I've also tacked on some early Saturday Night Main Event matches to stretch this out to two hours. This really helps because the main event of Wrestlemania was kind of meh. This allows the main event to be Hulk Hogan (in white diapers instead of the usual yellow) waving an American flag. Ain't nothing more 1980s WWE than that.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Vince McMahon, Gene Okerlund, Alfred Hayes, Howard Finkel

1. The Iron Shiek vs Sgt Slaughter
2. Junkyard Dog vs Greg Valentine
3. Andre The Giant Vs Big John Studd
4. Wendi Richter (WWE Woman's Champ) vs Leilani Kai
5. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) and Mr. T vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorfff
6. Wendi Richter (WWE Woman's Champ) vs Fabulous Moolah
7. Terry Funk vs The Junkyard Dog
8. Randy Savage vs George Steele
9. The Dream Team (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs The British Bulldogs
10. Hulk Hogan Vs Nikolai Volkov in a Flag Match

Episode 6: The Slam Heard Round The World, 1987

More Saturday Night Main Events matches to end old storylines and tease events for Wrestlemania 3.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Alfred Hayes, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, Bob Eueker, Mary Hart,  Gene Okerlund, Howard Finkel

1. Hulk Hogan and Junkyard Dog vs. The Funks
2. Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts
3. Hart Foundation vs Tito Santana & Dan Spivey 
4. Junkyard Dog vs King Harley Race
5. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat
6. Honky Tonk Man (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Jake Roberts
7. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Andre The Giant ​​

Episode 9: The Tournament Of Champion, 1988

Another Wrestling Classic style tournament takes place at Wrestlemania 4, but this time, it's to crown a new champion due to some chicanery from The Main Event that led to the tournament. Also, the closing match gives us a new champion, who's not wearing yellow and red! I've also tacked on some matches post-Wrestlemania so you can see Hulk Hogan with Elizabeth as his manager, but also end with Randy Savage defending his title, and not having Hogan around to hog his spotlight.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Vince McMahon,  Bob Ueker, Gene Okerlund, Vanna White, Robin Leach, and Howard Finkel

1. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Andre The Giant
2. Ted Dibiase vs Jim Duggan
3. Honky Tonk Man  (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Brutus Beefcake
4. Randy Savage vs One Man Gang
5. Strike Force (WWE Tag Champs) vs Demolition
6. Rady Savage vs Ted Dibiase for the WWE Title
7. Rick Rude vs Koko B Ware
8. Randy Savage (WWE Champ) vs One Man Gang

Episode 10: Bunkhouse Stampede, 1988

As an event, The Bunkhouse Stampede is often considered a failure, but if you smush it together with the following event, The Great American Bash, you get a pretty solid WCW ppv event.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Bob Caudle, Missy Hyatt, Jack Gregory, and Tom Miller 
​
1. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Hawk
2. Steel Cage Bukhouse Stampede
Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Barbarian, Warlord, Ivan Koloff,  Animal, and Tully Blanchard
3. Tower Of Doom Match
Legion Of Doom, Steve Williams, Ron and Jimmy Garvin  vs Al Perez, Ivan Koloff, Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda and The Russian Assassin
4. Barry Wyndham (WCW US Champ) vs Dusty Rhodes

Episode 11: The Megapowers, 1988

Hulk Hogan, egomaniacal former champ, and Randy Savage, egomanical current champ, join forces to utterly dominate the industry with their storyline. This episode features the first ever Summer Slam, and the second Survivor Series. Please note that the "Hart Family" here is not, in fact The Hart Family (Bret, Owen British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart), who will become the main stars of season two, but members of Jimmy Hart's wrestling stable. 

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, Superstar Billy Graham, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, and Howard Finkel

1. Randy Savage (WWE Champ) vs Andre The Giant
2. 4. Hulk Hogan vs King Haku
3. Honky Tonk Man (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Ultimate Warrior
4. Demolition (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Hart Foundation
5. Megapowers vs Megabucks
6. The Hart Family vs The Warriors
Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Bad News Brown, Ron Bass, and Danny Davis vs Ultimate Warrior, Brutus Beefcake, Owen Hart, Jim Brunzell, and Sam Houston

7. Super Megapowers vs Million Dollar Dream Team
Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Hercules, Koko B Ware, and Hillbilly Jim vs  Ted Dibiase, Big Boss Man, One Man Gang, Haku, and the Red Rooster

Episode 13: The Royal Rumble, 1988/89

Featuring matches from Saturday Night Main Event, The Survivor Series, and The Royal Rumble, storylines develop that will keep building until Wrestlemania 5. We also have the second Royal Rumble, which contains storybeats and choreographed moves as opposed to the general chaos of the first rumble.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Vince McMahon, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, and Howard Finkel

1. Ultimate Warrior (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Honky Tonk Man
2. Mr. Perfect vs Koko B Ware
3. King Haku vs Harley Race for the cape and crown
4. Royal Rumble Match
Ax, Smash, Andre The Giant, Mr Perfect, Ronnie Garvin, Greg Valentine, Jake Roberts, Ron Bass, Shawn Michaels, Bushwhacker Butch, Honky Tonk Man, Tito Santana, Bad News Brown, Marty Janetti, Macho Man, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Hulk Hogan, Bushwhacker Luke, Koko B Ware, Warlod, Big Boss Man, Akeem, Brutus Beefcake, Red Rooster, Barbarian, Big John Studd, Hercules, Rick Martel, and Ted Dibiase

5. MegaPowers vs Twin Towers

Episode 16: Rise Of The Warrior, 1989

The man who dethroned The Honkey Tonk Man lost his Intercontinental Championship in the last episode but now begins his time to shine. We also see Hacksaw Jim Duggan as King of the WWE, the tag team reign of two of the biggest WCW stars (Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson of the Four Horsemen are now the WWE's Brain Busters), and a couple of Survivor Series matches. Despite being the WWE Champ, there is no Hulk Hogan in this episode. 

Annoucers:  Jesse Ventura, Tony Schiavonne, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Howard Finkel, Ron Garvin

1. King Hacksaw vs Rick Rude
2. Brain Busters (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Hart Foundation
3. Dusty Rhodes vs Honkey Tonk Man
4. Rick Rude (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Ultimate Warrior
5. Brain Busters (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Demolition
6. Debut of Earthquale
​7. The King's Court vs The 4x4s
Randy Savage, Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and Greg Valentine vs Jim Duggan, Bret Hart, Ronnie Gavin, and Hercules

8. The Ultimate Warriors vs The Heenan Family
The Ultimate Warrior, Jim Neidhart, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty vs  Bobby Heenan, André the Giant, Haku and Arn Anderson

Episode 17: Kings Of The Hill, 1989

NWA/WCW loved to put multiple rings together for special gimmick matches. Here we begin with a two-ring Battle Royal, throw some War Games in the mix, and end with the WCW answer to The Megapowers, about a year too late.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Bob Caudle, Gordon Sollie, Chris Cruise, and Gary Michael Cappetta

1. King Of The Hill Battle Royal
2. Sting (WCW TV Champ) vs The Great Muta
3. War Games Match
Legion Of Doom, The Midnight Express, and Steve Williams vs The Fabulous Freebirds and The Samoan SWAT Team

4. Ric Flair (WCW Champ) vs Terry Funk
5. Doom vs The Steiner Brothers
6. Lex Luger vs Brian Pillman

Episode 18: Superstars Of Wrestling, 1989/90

Some classic matchups from Saturday Night's Main Events. Plus, the 1990 Royal Rumble which sets up the feud that will finally topple Hogan from his perch.

Announcers: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Jesse Ventura, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, and Howard Finkel

1.  Ultimate Warrior (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Andre The Giant
2. Dusty Rhodes vs The Big Boss Man
3. Rockers vs Brain Busters
4. Rockers vs Hart Foundation
5. Royal Rumble Match
Ted DiBiase, Koko B. Ware, Marty Jannetty, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, The Warlord, Bret Hart, Bad News Brown, Dusty Rhodes, André the Giant, The Red Rooster, Ax, Haku, Smash, One Man Gang, Jimmy Snuka, Dino Bravo, The Earthquake, Jim Neidhart, The Ultimate Warrior, Rick Martel, Tito Santana, The Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, The Barbarian, Rick Rude, Hercules, Mr. Perfect

Episode 19: Future Shock, 1989/1990

A two tournament simultaneous pay-per-view. One individual tournament, and one tag team tournament. Why? Why not? We'll also include the steel cage tag team match from the previous pay-per-view, and our first glance at Mick Foley, who debuts here as Cactus Jack Manson.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Terry Funk, Gordon Solie, Missy Hyatt, Gary Michael Cappetta

1. Ric Flair/Sting vs Great Muta/Terry Funk
2. Norman The Lunatic vs Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack Manson)
3. Legion Of Doom vs Doom
4. Ric Flair vs Great Muta
5. Steiner Brothers vs Legion Of Doom
6. Sting vs Great Muta
7. New Wild Samoans vs Doom
8. Legion Of Doom vs New Wild Samoans
9. Sting vs Ric Flair

Episode 20: The Ultimate Challenge, 1990

Make no mistake, Hulk Hogan is in every wrestling season for years and years and years, but this Wrestlemania 6 outing marks the end of Hogan's death grip on the WWE Heavyweight title. Sure, he'll snatch it again a few times, but he'll never have another five year long run with the gold again. This also signals the end of 80s stars' domination of  the industry, as "The New Generation" starts stepping into the spotlight. We also highlight the role of The Earthquake who is about to replace Andre The Giant as the WWE's Monster Heel.

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Jim Ross, Bob Caudle, Gene Okerlund, Sean Mooney, Tony Schiavone, Gordon Solie, Gary Michael Cappetta, Howard Finkel.

1. Ultimate Warrior (WWE Intercontintenal Champ) vs Dino Bravo
2. Ted Dibiase vs Lee Peak
3. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Dino Bravo
4. Collossal Connection (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Demolition
5. Dusty Rhodes/Sapphire vs Randy Savage/Sensational Sherri
6. Ted Dibiase vs Jake Roberts
7. Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Ultimate Warrior (WWE Intercontinental Champ)