The Top Ten 1.16.07: Opening Matches

Honorable Mention: Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle (Summerslam ’02)
This was a great way to kick off one of the best Summerslam’s ever. This is easily one of the best matches you’ll ever see under 10 minutes. In that short frame of time, these two men held nothing back and the match was non-stop action from bell-to-bell. Each move seemed to have a counter move and the transition that they made between these moves were virtually flawless. I believe that if this match had gone an extra 10 minutes, it might have been one of the best matches EVER. As it stands, though, it is still one of the best openers I’ve ever seen.

Honorable Mention: Rey Mysterio vs. Ultimo Dragon (Hog Wild ’97)
The way you know this match was great was the fact that it was put on in front of mainly non-wrestling fans (aka drunken bikers) and it was received with a lot of enthusiasm and respect. The match featured many unbelievable moves including a ridiculous plancha delivered from the ring to the outside by Rey, even though the ring was set up on a pedestal. It’s hard to describe, but if you saw it, you’d understand just how insane that move was. The match ended with a springboard hurricarana by Rey and this was just a super hot opener with virtually no rest time and loads of action.

Honorable Mention: Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle (No Way Out 2000)
This was a battle between two future World Champions and this match was a testimony to how great these two would become. Coming into this match, Kurt was already the European Champion and Jericho was the IC Champ and his belt was on the line. This was a great back and forth affair that saw Kurt try to work over Jericho’s arm and Jericho try to out-quick the Olympic Hero. The ending saw Jericho go for the Lionsault, but getting hit in the face with the title belt on his way down. It made Kurt the first Euro-Continental Champ (well except for D-Lo Brown, but he doesn’t really count) and gave us a glimpse of the bright future ahead for both men.

10) Ultimo Dragon vs. Yuji Nagata (Halloween Havoc ’97)
This PPV event is mainly remembered for the classic Eddie Guerrero/Rey Mysterio match which is considered by many to be one the best matches of the 90’s, but there was another fantastic match on this card and it happened to be the opening bout between these two men. This match featured some absolutely STIFF action with both men taking some insane shots to the head as well as some of the most brutal kicks you’ll see in any match. Nagata focused on Dragon’s arm most of the match and that wound up paying off at the end as Dragon’s arm was hurt so severely that he couldn’t connect with his finisher which allowed Nagata to counter into a Fujiwara armbar for the submission. Excellent, stiff action here. Fans of the Japanese style of wrestling would dig this.

9) Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho (King Of The Ring ’02)
This was a match mired in a lot of controversy due to Chris Jericho feeling that the IWC was very rough on this match that he considered to be excellent. I just recently got to see this match when I picked up the Rob Van Dam DVD and I’ve got to say that I agree with Jericho. That may get my IWC card revoked, but this was a damn good match that deserved a better rating than it initially got. I remember some people rating it as low as *** and I think this match is easily **** and probably worth even more. This was a great way to kick off the King Of The Ring PPV as it got the crowd insanely hot and that’s the real purpose of an opening match, to get the crowd into the show. This match was filled with various near falls and had the crowd on the edge of their seat as they honestly couldn’t tell who was going to pull off the victory. RVD wound up getting the W in the end, but I believe Jericho’s assessment was right as this was one of the best KOR matches I’ve ever seen.

8) Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero (Fall Brawl ’97)
This was a glimpse of two future world champions when they were still low on the totum pole and trying to earn some respect. This match wound up stealing the show as both men were simply on fire and built the pace of the match from a slow, deliberate one to a frenetic, high-paced one. In a sort of reversal, Jericho was the face and Eddie was the heel who tried various cheating tactics to try to pick up the win, but would you expect anything less from Eddie. The match ended after Eddie countered a suplerplex attempt into a crossbody and then went back up to deliver one of the sweetest frog splashes you’ll ever see for the win. This was a simply awesome match that must be seen by any fan of Jericho or Eddie.

7) Triple H vs. Mankind (Summerslam ’97)
When a PPV starts with a cage match, it better deliver otherwise it can deflate the crowd for the whole night. This match certainly delivered and is fondly remembered to this day by many fans as one of the greatest cage matches ever. This match featured some absolutely sick spots including Mankind gets superplexed from the top of the cage as well as Mankind taking a shot to the head with the cage door thanks to Chyna in a spot that Mick Foley called one of the most painful of his career. Coming from Mick Foley, that’s saying A LOT! This was just a fantastic way to kick off Summerslam

6) Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit (Vengeance ’03)
The WWE had brought back the US Championship made famous in WCW and the finals of the tournament to crown a new champion saw two longtime rivals square off in an instant classic. This match saw Eddie and Benoit let it all out and deliver a match that absolutely blew the audience away. This match was so good that despite a ridiculous amount of ref bumps and a run in from Rhyno, it’s still remembered as one of the better matches the WWE has put on in the last few years. Anytime Eddie and Benoit were in a ring together, you were almost guaranteed a great match and this certainly was no different.

5) Chris Benoit vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger (Starrcade ’95)
Starrcade 1995 had a theme built around it being that a bunch of wrestlers from New Japan Pro Wrestling came over to wrestle some of WCW’s brightest up and coming stars and the results were some absolutely fantastic matches and this was the one to kick off the event. These two had many classic bouts competing in the Super J Cup tournament in Japan and while this match wasn’t quite as good as some of their Japanese encounters, it was still pure awesomeness. This match was just complete balls to the walls action where it was impossible to tell who was going to get the win because both men kept fighting off each other. The ending saw Kevin Sullivan distract Benoit which allowed Liger to snap off a hurricarana for a 3 count. Screwy ending aside, this was still a great match and worth the effort to go see.

4) Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko (Uncensored ’97)
Come on, this is Eddie vs. Dean, do you need anymore of a reason why this match is on the list? You do? Ok fine. This match was a No DQ match for Eddie’s US Championship and it featured some absolute technical goodness. Eddie worked on Malenko’s leg the majority of the match, including a SWEEET hilo onto the hurt leg and badmouthing Malenko while doing it. Malenko retaliated by hitting a nice frog splash on Eddie and Eddie returned the favor by locking in the Texas Cloverleaf on Malenko. The match saw Syxx (that’s X-Pac for those allergic to WCW) distract Eddie by stealing the belt which allowed Malenko to nail Eddie with a video camera (don’t ask) and pick up the win. At least the match was No DQ so the interference and foreign object usage was more acceptable and the crowd was very into the match. Say what you will about WCW, but they gave talented performers like Eddie and Dean enough freedom to put on incredible matches like this one.

3) Rey Mysterio vs. Psicosis (Bash At The Beach ‘96)
This match is a perfect example of how an opener should be. It was virtually flawless, the right man went over and the crowd was insanely into it. This match started off with some great matwork until both men decided to just let it all hang out and the result was a match that left you breathless with all the action packed into it. These two were flying all over the place and this was a testimony to just how talented Psicosis is which is why I’m still disappointed he didn’t amount to much in the ‘E. If you love matches filled with non-stop action and some insane high-flying action, this is the match for you.

2) Brian Pillman vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger (Superbrawl II)
This was a match to decide who would be the first Light Heavyweight Champion in WCW’s history and these two men gave a performance that automatically gave some legitimacy to the belt. Liger was an outsider from Japan so the crowd didn’t know what to expect from him, but he quickly won them over through some impressive moves. Pillman more than held his own by delivering some high risk maneuvers that proved why his nickname was “Flyin” Brian. This match had it all with high flying action, technical wrestling, and submission holds. The ending saw Liger so for a diving headbutt and miss which allowed Pillman to roll him up for the win and become the first WCW Light Heavyweight Champion. This is a perfect, timeless match. If you haven’t seen it, please do so immediately.

1) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Wrestlemania X)
This isn’t only the best opening match of all time, this is one of the best matches EVER. The storyline connected to this match was terrific as Owen’s jealousy of his brother, Bret, became so overwhelming that he couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to prove that he was the better Hart once and for all. Everyone was expecting Bret to win going into this match, nobody gave Owen a shot. Not only did Owen hold his own with The Hitman, but he dominated most of the match, much to the surprise of the MSG audience. When Bret finally started to take control of the match and it seemed like a victory was near, Owen shocked the world by reversing an attempted rollup into a pin for the 3 count. The hush that came over the crowd was amazing as they were truly stunned that Owen was able to get the win over his heavily favored brother. I’ve watched this match dozens of times and everytime I’m left in awe of how great this match is. The definition of a classic match.

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