In terms of length, the New Generation Era did not blow anyone out of the water. It was a transitional time in WWE when they moved between two eras of unprecedented prosperity.
It was an era where WWE struggled to find its identity and produced some ridiculous gimmicks. The era became more comical than anything with a lot of its programming, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any greatness going on.
Odd angles aside, WWE was still putting on fantastic matches during the New Generation Era. Their era was littered with some of the best wrestlers competing in matches so great that it made us forget about all the ridiculous that came along with the New Generation.
Below is a definitive list of these fantastic matches.
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (SummerSlam 1994)
Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
It was a toss-up between this match and the brother-versus-brother showdown at WrestleMania 10. Both are classics in storytelling and in-ring work, but the steel cage gimmick added so much more to the contest that puts it slightly ahead of its predecessor.
Bret and Owen Hart were always going to put on a fantastic match. The sons of Stu Hart had the training to put together a great match. They trained to be wrestlers, and wrestling was what they were good at.
Put them together and there was always going to be magic. They had chemistry coming out of their ears and would turn even the worst gimmick into gold. Luckily, they weren’t saddled with a terrible gimmick for this match.
Working within the confines of the classic blue steel cage, the Hart brothers took everything to another level. The match was great, as usual, but the family drama made everything mean that much more. It was a tale of hatred between two siblings that was the highlight of 1994.
Shawn Michaels vs Mankind (In Your House: Mind Games)
WWE Championship Match
Shawn Michaels’ initial run as WWE Champion was filled with fantastic matches. The storylines were so-so, but it was a near guarantee that every match was going to be awesome. Strangely enough, though, the best of these matches came from a very unlikely opponent.
Mankind and HBK, on paper, were an odd-couple pairing, but they were perfect matches in the ring. They put on a very Attitude Era, forward contest that saw a vicious side to the character that was Shawn Michaels. He and Mankind took the fight all over the ring, with a particular highlight being their table spot as the match drew to a conclusion.
This match had all the wonky finishes that one would come to expect, but it was such a deviation from the norm that was the New Generation. It was the Attitude Era before the Attitude Era was a thing.
Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (WrestleMania 10)
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels were embroiled in a bitter feud over the Intercontinental Championship. Michaels was stripped of his title, for failure to defend it over 30 days, and Ramon won the ensuing battle royale to claim it.
When Michaels returned, they both laid a legitimate claim to the championship and there was only one way to settle that score. This was with a gimmick match that the WWE audience was not familiar with.
Michaels and Ramon’s ladder match still ranks as one of the best of all time. It featured two great performers in an unprecedented contest. One where they were able to utilize their creativity to produce spots that no one had laid eyes on before.
We have become desensitized to ladder match spots, but the ones in this match were brand new. They showed what could be done when two men were given a different framework to work in. It was one of the first and remains one of the best.
Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow (King of The Ring 1993)
King of the Ring Finals
The King of the Ring tournament is a long-standing tradition. It has been around for decades, and its winners have been propelled towards the top of the card.
It was a tournament everyone wanted to win and a show that produced some great matches. Bret Hart’s finals win in 1993 was one of the best.
Hart and Bigelow were at different ends of the spectrum but were able to combine their styles well. Hart was able to work Bigelow over while Bam Bam used his strength to control most of the match. It also helped that Bigelow was one of the best big men in the business.
His agility allowed him to work a faster-paced match with Hart that was one of the best of his career. The crowd was into it, the world was into it, and it was the perfect way to cap off the first King of the Ring PPV.
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13)
Submission Match
There might not be a better wrestling feud than Bret Hart and Steve Austin. The latter broke into WWE knowing that he needed to make an impact, and he targeted the best there is.
Hart was the measuring stick and Austin was determined to end the career of the Excellence of Execution. It was a program of great match after great match, but all pale in comparison to their five-star clinic at Wrestlemania 13.
Hart and Austin had a good old-fashioned fight. It was not the mat classic of their previous encounters; it was two men who hated each other tearing into one another. They brawled all over the arena using anything that wasn’t tied down.
It was a match that resembled the old-school street fights of NWA, WCW, or even WWE. It harkened back to an age of realistic fights and of course, included one of the greatest double turns in wrestling history.
Bret Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid (Monday Night Raw, July 1994)
WWE Championship Match
Bret Hart was the definition of a fighting champion. There isn’t a wrestler on the roster that he would duck, during his run, and it gave us some fresh matchups.
Matchups that would elevate his opponent and shine a light on new stars. The best example of this was the fantastic WWE Championship match between Bret Hart and the 1-2-3 Kid on a random episode of Monday Night Raw.
We all knew that Hart was a master in the ring, but this match showed the potential of the Kid. He went toe-to-toe with Hart, matching his speed and technical skill. The match was crisp and contained some of the best chain wrestling during the New Generation.
Hart was never going to drop the championship to the 1-2-3 Kid but both men did a great job of making the crowd believe that it could happen. That’s how talented both of these men were. The match shows that Hart could go with anyone and that the 1-2-3 Kid was more than just a flash in the pan.
Shawn Michaels vs Marty Jannetty (Monday Night Raw, May 1993)
Intercontinental Championship Match
The split of the Rockers was a heartbreaking, pun intended, moment. It was inevitable that the team would split, but that didn’t make the event hurt that much less. However, the sadness that overcame the WWE audience was replaced with awe when Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty turned in one of the best matches of the New Generation.
With years of teaming up between them, there should be no doubt that the chemistry was there. Michaels and Jannetty were amazing performers, and this match showcased why.
It was fast-paced and a deviation from the big man matches of the era prior. It showed what can be done when two workhorses are given time to tell a compelling story. Of course, the icing on the cake was Jannetty getting the surprise win and capturing the IC strap.
The Hart Brothers vs The Steiner Brothers (Wrestling Challenge 1994)
The tag team division would not be described as deep during the New Generation era. It was not booked as well as it should have been, and the tag championships often took a backseat to most angles. It is hard to find a diamond in the rough of the tag division, but The Hart Brothers taking on The Steiners was that diamond.
This was a match told in stages. The first 10-15 minutes was a beautiful showcase of the amateur wrestling skill of each man. It may be deemed a slow start, but it was the methodical nature of the beginning stage that made the final flurry that much more exciting.
Everything boiled down into all-out chaos as the match ended. The Steiners used their suplexes expertly, while Bret and Owen chimed in with their high-impact moves. It was also interesting to see too huge babyface tandem resort to the slight bending of the rules.
Nothing egregious, mind you, but enough to show an edge to each team. Why this match was hidden away on the Wrestling Challenge will always be a mystery.
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