Top 10 Biggest Wrestling Rivalries
For this list, we'll be ranking the most storied and well known instances where long term grudge matches produced entertaining or influential content. Professional wrestling is all about telling stories, and these rivalries were a mixture of athletic ability, memorable writing and believable delivery.
#10: Edge and Christian, The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz
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Today, the WWE's "Tables, Ladders and Chairs" pay-per-view is a staple, a night where fans anxiously await a night of acrobatic carnage. The WWE Universe also knows that they have these three teams to thank for TLC, and we A'INT talkin' about tender loving care. Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz put every ounce of their physical well being on the line over the course of their TLC series. Their match at "Wrestleman X-Seven" is particularly well-remembered, not only for how visceral it was, but for how it set the template for every such match that would arrive in its wake. All three were truly tag team specialists, and worked some one-a-kind magic in the ring.
#9: CM Punk and John Cena
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The "Money in the Bank" show from 2011 didn't take place during the Attitude Era, but this rivalry between CM Punk and John Cena almost made the WWE feel as popular as it did during those halcyon days. Punk's infamous "pipe bomb" promo, and the questions surrounding whether or not he was going to sign a new company contract made the hype feel very real, pushing "Money in the Bank" into headline news for the mainstream media. Truth be told, the pair worked well together prior to this legendary night, but there's no denying that the image of Punk storming out into the crowd, holding his newly won WWE Championship remains one that's indelibly linked with the company's history.
#8: Hulk Hogan and Randy "Macho Man" Savage
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Today, the WWE can often barely keep up with its own continuity and basic storylines, never mind crafting the sort of epic, long term storytelling which defined this awesome 1980s rivalry. Hulk Hogan and Randy "Macho Man" Savage had made the earth move with their partnership as the Mega-Powers in late 1987, putting away their differences as former enemies. The team was box office gold for over a year, before the seeds of discontent were slowly sown into the pair, thanks primarily to Savage's perception that Hulk had designs on his manager, Miss Elizabeth. It wasn't until 1989 that the team properly "exploded," giving the fans three full years of soap opera worthy drama and high level action.
#7: Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness
Repetition is key when it comes to competing in the world of professional wrestling. The more you work with someone, the more you get to know their move set, and how you can put on the best match together for the fans. This isn't easy when you're a journeyman wrestler, traveling with the indie scene away from the very structured world of a WWE. Both Bryan Danielson (a.k.a. Daniel Bryan) and current NXT announcer Nigel McGuinness were no strangers to this feeling, which makes their series of contests in Ring of Honor all the more impressive. The pair found a rhythm while working for the promotion, and made sure that all of their technically captivating matches floored audiences around the world.
#6: Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa
These two names are legendary ones for anyone who has followed the world of Japanese pro wrestling. The sport is immensely popular, arguably more so than anywhere else in the world, with the late Misawa serving as an icon of the country's All Japan Pro Wrestling circuit. The man has had numerous five star matches and feuds over the years, but the story behind his rivalry with Kenta Kobashi is one that simply can’t be beat.
Kobashi and Misawa’s rivalry was one which stretched from AJPW all the way to Pro Wrestling NOAH, and the two had multiple 5-star matches to decorate it. This feud was Puro at its finest.
#5: Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart
Sometimes, pro wrestling drama is kicked up thanks to real life hard feelings. The rivalry between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart definitely fit this description, as the two could barely hide their disdain for one another. Michaels was a notorious bad boy behind the curtain, bending management's ear and politicking as often as possible. Meanwhile, the "Hit Man" was a WWF workhorse who was unhappy with his place in the company hierarchy, and sought out greener pastures in WCW. It all came to a head with the infamous "Montreal Screwjob," where owner Vince McMahon had Hart screwed out of his title in front of a hometown crowd by having a ref call for the bell, despite Hart not tapping out during the match. The rest is history.
#4: The Fabulous Freebirds and The Von Erichs
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Today's pro wrestling fans are smarter than ever, and often know some of the best-kept secrets about the sport and its policies. The 1970s and 80s were a very different time, however, where kayfabe still ruled, and many average fans were unaware about sports entertainment's back stage scripts. Specifically, Texas was Von Erich Country, and their bloody feuds with The Fabulous Freebirds are the stuff of legend within the region. The two wrestling stables got over big time in World Class Championship Wrestling, where their matches would cause near riot situations for audiences. It's a testament to how much of a reaction wrestling can evoke when the scenarios feel real, and those in the ring believe in it just as much as the fans.
#3: Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes
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Speaking of old school Southern "rasslin'," is there any rivalry from this period that can come close to the nuclear heat that was Ric Flair versus Dusty Rhodes? Sure, Flair has flip flopped between antihero and heel at times, but Dusty has always been the common man's wrestler; a magnetic personality whose legitimate charisma and heart-stirring promos can get even the most jaded wrestling fan fired up. The pair had a monumental feud over the NWA Heavyweight Championship, a program which featured Dusty providing what's inarguably his most defining promo, the "Hard Times" speech. Just watch it today and see for yourself.
#2: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada
No one is on top forever, and sometimes it's just your time to step aside. Although we'd be remiss not to mention Hiroshi Tanahashi's 2018 Cinderella year of winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the eighth time, we're flashing back six years prior, to the feud which cemented a superstar. Kazuchika Okada wasn't yet the Rainmaking legend when he beat Tanahashi back in 2012, but he would soon shoot to mega-stardom, thanks largely to the back-and-forth run the pair had for the next years. Okada and Tanahashi would trade wins and losses, but the matches themselves were always full of breathtaking spots and emotional storytelling. Today, both men are legends, and their rivalry shows no signs of letting up.
#1: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock
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It's not hard to get a good rivalry when you're entering into a program with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The man is unquestionably one of the all time greats. Put him in there with none other than The Rock, and what do you get? Pure pro wrestling gold. Sure, Austin vs. the "Mr. McMahon" character was great, but Austin and Rocky were evenly matched in the ring, comparable on the microphone and capable of keeping every audience in the palms of their hands. It didn't matter whether it was The Rock as "The Corporate Champion" or "Stone Cold" turning heel and joining up with Vince to take out Rocky at WrestleMania X-Seven, these two had a pro wrestling rivalry for the ages.
