55 years ago, on the 17th of May, 1963, Bruno Sammartino defeated The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers for the World Wide Wrestling Federation Championship.
It was the very first title change in the history of what is now known as the WWE Championship. There have been 132 title changes as of this writing, and has been won by exactly 50 different men.
So, with the 55 year anniversary upon us, I thought I would keep the numeral alliteration going by listing the top 5 title winning matches over the last 55 years. These are what I consider to be the best matches that resulted in someone winning the WWE Title. I picked these matches based on their quality, how well they’ve aged, and their historical significance. Oh, and I also based on how much I just like the match in and of itself. And remember, these are all title matches, where the title changed hands.
So, without any further ado, let’s countdown our Five for Fifty-Five…
5. Mankind (c) vs. The Rock, I Quit Match – Royal Rumble 1999
This match is probably the most brutal match in the history of WWE. The physicality on display during this match is unlike any other I’ve seen in the WWE. It’s probably a good thing that’s the case, because the match borders on uncomfortable at times, but it is hard to not put this match on the list because of how much both men put on the line in this match.
Neither man was content with just phoning it in on this night. And they very well could have. The night’s main event was the traditional 30 man Royal Rumble match which could have covered up for any shortcomings in the WWF Title match. In other words, with the Rumble match happening just moments after, Rock and Mankind could have taken a backseat to the main event match. But they didn’t. Instead they put on a match that has aged incredibly well, with the brutality just as sharp today as it was in 1999.
4. John Cena (c) vs. Daniel Bryan – SummerSlam 2013
This match marked the start of the “Yes Movement” for Daniel Bryan. This is one of my favorite John Cena matches and the work both men put into the match was at the highest level. The match has been somewhat forgotten for a couple of reasons. Moments after the conclusion of the match, Randy Orton turned heel (along with Triple H) and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to beat Bryan for the title. That overshadowed the match itself quite a bit, as the heel turn from Orton and H drove the storylines for WWE for a considerable amount of time moving forward.
The other reason for the match being forgotten is how memorable Daniel Bryan’s title win at WrestleMania XXX was. It was such a big moment, it felt like he was finally reaching the top of the mountain for the first time, so the other times Bryan won the title were tucked away and the clip of him victoriously holding the titles at the end of Mania is what’s remembered.
But make no mistake about it, this match is worth remembering. It’s an excellent display of talent by both men and it featured a clean win by Bryan over Cena at a time when that didn’t happen too often. When people say Cena can’t wrestle, point them towards this match and make them sit in their wrongness and think about what they did.
3. Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, Ironman Match – WrestleMania XII
As a four year old child, I watched Shawn Michaels throw his best friend through a barbershop window and knew two things as a result: I was going to watch wrestling for the rest of my life and Shawn Michaels was my favorite person ever. Now, the fact that I was drawn to a guy that would attack his friend like that is probably a window (no pun intended) into my mind as a four year old.
But, despite my possible sociopathic tendency as a child, I knew Shawn Michaels was an amazing performer and I waited anxiously for the day he’d eventually win the WWF Title. So it’s no surprise that I was thrilled to see Shawn and Bret set to meet at the twelfth WrestleMania. And it is, to this day, my favorite WrestleMania match.
Hart and Michaels were artists and the forefathers to a style of wrestling that transformed the business into what it is today. Guys like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Adam Cole and many many many more would not be where they are at if not for the work these two men put in during the mid 1990s. These two were so smooth together that Bret said whenever he looked at the clock during the match, they were exactly where they expected to be when they talked over the match.
This was the first solid wrestling match to main event WrestleMania and set the bar for main events to follow. It was also the first time the WWE put on a one hour one-on-one match on television. It paved the way for what we would eventually get (after suffering through the Attitude Era’s plethora of 2 minute matches) in terms of quality in-ring performances.
2. Ric Flair, Royal Rumble Match for the vacant title – Royal Rumble 1992
This might be an unexpected entry in this list, but it was definitely a title changing match and worthy of this spot on the list as it was the best (or Greatest?) Royal Rumble of all time, with the best lineup of any Rumble, and even the best commentary of any Rumble. In addition to being the peak of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan’s commentary career, it was also the highlight of Ric Flair’s first run in the WWF which put his talents on display in one of the best ways possible.
Flair going over an hour in the Rumble not only put the Rumble match on the map (it was kind of a random cluster prior to 1992, it determined the Mania main event after 1992) but it showed that Flair was capable of getting over in the WWF and that the WWF had confidence in his ability to do so. It has aged beautifully over the years and is just as entertaining today as it was back then. For a match type that is beloved by fans everywhere, every Royal Rumble has the 1992 match to live up to. That’s why it’s number 2 on this list.
1. The Rock (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – WrestleMania X-Seven
This is a monumental match in WWE history as it essentially ended the Attitude Era. Despite how poorly the angle might have played out following the event, Austin’s heel turn at the end of the match was a huge deal. It brought to an end the era the saw the WWF rise like the phoenix and win the Monday Night War. It was also the first main event match to take place after WCW went out of business. It was essentially the culmination of everything that had been brewing in WWE for the past several years.
And the match itself is still a great one to watch today. The crowd was absolutely on fire for it, which made the crowd brawling at the start of the match even better. The no disqualification aspect of the match added a nice sizzle to the steak that these two always brought when facing each other. The story told from the backstage shots of both men, to the video package (with Limp Bizkit’s greatest moment in history), to the match itself, to the post-match handshake is beautifully told. It’s one of the best main events in the history of WWE. It’s one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time. It’s the best title winning match in the history of the WWE.
Well, that’s my 5 for 55. If you disagree with my list (you’re wrong, that’s fine) yell at me on twitter. If you loved the list, tell me that too on twitter (and maybe right swipe me on tinder). And as always, until next time, make good decisions.