What are the Greatest Storylines Ever in Professional Wrestling?
I feel like a great story is born from realism that the audience can relate to, but there absolutely are exceptions? What stories in professional wrestling have you witnessed that you would consider among the greatest? The matches that come about don't necessarily have to be great as we'll see as long as they got over in the end. Here's my list:
The Brothers of Destruction, 1997-1998: From the great backstory of Undertaker's arson murder that left Kane scarred to the growing tension between Taker and Paul Bearer to Kane's debut at Badd Blood: In Your House to the fiery conclusion in an Inferno match, this story may be WWE's best and most creative work in their bizarre world of fiction.
CM Punk, the Anti-Corporate Rebel, 2011: Punk's promo at the end of the June 27, 2011 edition of Raw was one for the record books. He spoke from the heart airing his grievances live on air to say what he felt about the company he worked for. He criticized everyone from John Cena to The Rock to Hulk Hogan to Triple H to Vince McMahon to the fans themselves for continuing to support and invest into a product that didn't care about him one way or another. Cena, the franchise player and company man, aimed to stop Punk in his tracks before he went too far, but Punk was a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain, which he did. Their weeks of promos set up an all-time event in Money in the Bank, maybe WWE's most cohesive pay-per-view ever, and Punk walked out of the WWE and into his hometown champion.
Kenny Omega's Vision Quest: After being the first gaijin to win the G1 Climax, Kenny Omega was set to challenge Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11 for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and what was to come would change wrestling forever. We were able to witness one of the most competitive pro wrestling matches ever with Kenny swinging with all his might to hit Okada with the One-Winged Angel, and Okada found a way out EVERY time before putting Kenny down with a final Rainmaker. However, Okada knew he was in a war he very well could lose. Fast forward to Dominion, and Okada couldn't beat the ever-resilient Omega in an hour while he narrowly escaped defeat thanks to a rope break. Kenny, moving with a sense of urgency in their third match, defeated Okada in what felt like a lopsided affair. Their fourth and final clash has been hailed by many as the greatest pro wrestling match of all time which saw Kenny finally dethrone Okada and win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, concluding one of the all-time great stories in wrestling.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon: It goes without saying. It is the greatest story in professional wrestling history. A blue-collar, surly redneck worker who hates his detestable white-collar boss who will do anything to prevent him from representing the company. It's the story of America in professional wrestling and the story that gave us the greatest babyface and heel of all time.
Notable Others
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock: The Battle for Greatness
- AJ Styles vs. John Cena: The Battle for Legitimacy
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi: The Ace vs. The Rainmaker
- Shinsuke Nakamura Becomes "The King of Strong Style"
- Triple H vs. Mick Foley
- Daniel Bryan's Road to WrestleMania
- Lesnar Conquers All
- Becky Lynch Becomes "The Man"
- Flair vs. Steamboat
- Batista vs. Undertaker: What Does It Mean to Be Champion?
- Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa: Best Friends, Bitter Enemies
- Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz
- AJ Styles Is the Best in the World: TNA to NJPW to WWE
What are some of yours?
EDIT: Can someone tell me about the CZW vs. ROH story?
Posted May 6, 2022, 6:46 PM UTC · edited