Matches that did not live up to the hype

Emperoreddy

Show Me What You Got!
Apr 13, 2010
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New Jersey, Exit 16E
What hyped up matches have you watched and disagreed with the norm thinking it didn't live up to the hype? Could be watching it live, or watching it years later.

Going to douse this with gasoline off the bat.

Randy vs Steamboat at Mania 3. Good match for sure, but growing up people the talk is this is one of the GOAT matches. All the stories about how OCD Randy was about planning the spots.

I enjoyed it when I finally watched it, but I didn't think it was that amazingly special. Maybe it didn't age well I don't know but I think I've seen better matches out of Randy then this one.
 

ColePens

RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
Mar 27, 2008
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First one that pops into my mind is a recent one - Punk/Jericho. The feud was bad. Their Chicago Street Fight at a worthless PPV was the best out of everything. The whole lead to WM sucked and it could have been epic after those videos of the kids.
 

Sacha Baron Corbin

Registered User
Jan 19, 2011
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I might get some flak for this one but Styles-Jericho III disappointed me at Fastlane. I thought both the Raw and Smackdown matches were much better
 

BonMorrison

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Jun 17, 2011
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Toronto, ON
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think OP means matches that are universally looked at as great or classics that you simply didn't like.
 

Paris in Flames

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Feb 4, 2009
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I might get some flak for this one but Styles-Jericho III disappointed me at Fastlane. I thought both the Raw and Smackdown matches were much better

100000000% agreed.

Fastlane match was sloppy and lazy with botch after botch. Far from their best work but people, even some on HF, act like it was not only good but a **** match.

Y'all must have been drunk if you think that.
 

M.C.G. 31

Damn, he brave!
Oct 6, 2008
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I wrote up about it either on this board or on WF about a year ago. It's good, but not that great as I remembered it from my live watch.
 

bruins309

Krejci Fight Club
Sep 17, 2007
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I love Angle-HBK at WM21 and I am generally predisposed to be harder on Michaels matches than most.

With that said: HBK-Taker at WM25. Alright, it's a really good match and all but spare me this "best of all time" nonsense when a lot of it is "high spot....rest.....high spot....rest"

Harley Race and Flair at '83 Starrcade, but this has the caveat of Gene Kiniski the special ref really ruining the match by getting in the way so much. Despite that it will won match of the year awards.

I think the WM12 Ironman match isn't all that great, though that's partly due to the booking.
 

GKJ

Global Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
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Warrior/Hogan at Wrestlemania. Both of them no-selling eye rakes was cringeworthy
 

The Lunatic Fridge

why is my name here?
Aug 20, 2008
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Hogan vs Rock

Everything was ass backwards for this besides rock shockingly winning but people were eating it up cause it was Rock vs the (then) golden child that could do no wrong besides sabotaging people's careers secretly backstage.

I remember the crowd refusing to cheer Rock at the event. It's like the people completely forgot that the NWO tried to kill Rock in an ambulance like 2 weeks before the match.

Hogan making it all about himself in the end was cringe worthy as well.

Much like his entire career.
 

ColePens

RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
Mar 27, 2008
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Pittsburgh
With that said: HBK-Taker at WM25. Alright, it's a really good match and all but spare me this "best of all time" nonsense when a lot of it is "high spot....rest.....high spot....rest"

I want to fight you right now. :laugh: That is by far my favorite match of all time and IMO the best match of all time. It was one of the only matches that blew my mind. I seriously didn't know who was going to win and the story they told in the match was insane.
 

ColePens

RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
Mar 27, 2008
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This one probably makes the most sense. Hogan vs. Andre is near unwatchable in today's standards. I understand it changed the world of wrestling, but it's god awful without the context of what it was all about.
 

bruins309

Krejci Fight Club
Sep 17, 2007
4,702
51
I want to fight you right now. :laugh: That is by far my favorite match of all time and IMO the best match of all time. It was one of the only matches that blew my mind. I seriously didn't know who was going to win and the story they told in the match was insane.

Oh I knew there would be hurt feelings in this thread aplenty.
 

M.C.G. 31

Damn, he brave!
Oct 6, 2008
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Ottawa
Hogan vs Rock

Everything was ass backwards for this besides rock shockingly winning but people were eating it up cause it was Rock vs the (then) golden child that could do no wrong besides sabotaging people's careers secretly backstage.

I remember the crowd refusing to cheer Rock at the event. It's like the people completely forgot that the NWO tried to kill Rock in an ambulance like 2 weeks before the match.



Much like his entire career.

My favourite moment of that entire Hulk Hogan run from 2002-2003 was when The Undertaker almost killed him by dragging him after tying his ankles to his motorcycle. :laugh:

This one probably makes the most sense. Hogan vs. Andre is near unwatchable in today's standards. I understand it changed the world of wrestling, but it's god awful without the context of what it was all about.

I refuse to watch anything from that match aside from the body slam that WWE will show. And IMO, Lesnar lifting Show up on his shoulders and dropping him with an F5 is more impressive. That, or Lesnar lifting Undertaker's dead weight from across his chest and up to his shoulders like nothing.
 

Emperoreddy

Show Me What You Got!
Apr 13, 2010
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New Jersey, Exit 16E
Oh I knew there would be hurt feelings in this thread aplenty.

Why I started it. Figured it would create some interesting conversation. :popcorn:

Hogan/Rock for me was fun the first time I saw it and gets less fun on other viewings. And it was only really fun because the crowd was just insanely hot for Hogan and forced Rock to (smartly) start working heel.

The hulk up with the crowd and Rock's face was really fun on the first viewing.

That is the thing with Hogan. He is a gigantic piece of ****, but he was good at what he did. His coked out promos from the 80s, some of those are gold.

Totally agree with Mania 3 Andre/Hogan. That match is unwatchable by today's standards. Andre wasn't as limited as he would get in the next few years but it was clear he was on the way out badly.
 

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