Most would agree that WWE's Golden Era was defined more by its storytelling and character work than its classic matches. If you listen to podcasts with figures like Bruce Pritchard, you'll know that WWE was much more preoccupied with narrative and larger than life personalities, than regularly featuring five-star matches.
RELATED: 10 WWE Golden Era Storylines That Didn't Live Up To The Hype
However, it certainly wasn't out of the question for great matches to occur during the Golden Era. Some of WWE's biggest and most important matches took place in this period. In some cases, a match was only held back from being an all-time classic, thanks to a single flaw.
10 20-Man Tag Team Match - Survivor Series 1988 (Flaw: Too Long)
The sight of this match has to be seen to be believed. It has the same number of wrestlers that usually make up a battle royal, but seeing them all on the apron is unusual to say the least. This was a surprisingly well worked match with great pacing. They even fit in some storytelling with a masterfully orchestrated double turn, when Mr. Fuji betrayed his charges, Demolition, in favor of The Powers Of Pain. The flaw with this match is that it was too long. WWE has been criticized for its rapid-fire eliminations in Survivor Series matches in the modern era, but that tactic might have behooved this match that clocked in around an hour.
9 Bret Hart Vs. Tom Magee (One Trick: Pony)
This match was considered something of a lost artifact, until it was recently located by a Bret Hart fan. Bret tells the story of this match in his book, and how he was tasked with having a match with a young prospect by the name of Tom Magee. The match was surprisingly excellent and Vince McMahon felt that he possibly had his next mega star in Magee. The problem was that Magee was green and severely limited in the ring. Working with Bret hid his flaws, but as soon as he was booked with someone else, it was painfully obvious how under skilled he was.
8 Randy Savage Vs. Ted Dibiase - Saturday Night's Main Event (Flaw: Countout Finish)
Randy Savage and Ted Dibiase were synonymous with one another's WWE careers. The two would actually main event WrestleMania opposite one another in 1988, in a match that saw Savage capture his first WWE Championship. It was just prior to that event that these two would deliver what Dave Meltzer considers to be their best ever match against one another. At Saturday Night's Main Event in March 1988, Meltzer would give the match between Dibiase and Savage 4.5 stars, which is still the second highest rated match of the Golden Era according to him. The only caveat? This match would end in a count-out, most likely to protect the finish for the forthcoming WrestleMania bout.
7 Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series 1992 (Flaw: Shouldn't Have Main Evented)
This was one of the most fundamentally sound matches that Hart and Michaels would ever have, which is certainly saying something. Most feel that the WWE Title match should always main event a PPV, but sometimes there are exceptions. This was one occasion in which Hart and Michaels were put in a difficult position, as the tag match between The Ultimate Maniacs and Razor Ramon & Ric Flair was the most hyped match on the card going on. When Ultimate Warrior left the company due to a payoff issue, he was replaced by Mr. Perfect, taking some steam out of the planned tag match. While Hart and Michaels delivered a clinic, neither of them felt like marquee stars at that point.
6 The Undertaker Vs. Hulk Hogan- Survivor Series 1991 (Flaw: Politics, Brother)
The major flaw in this match has as much to do with the aftermath as the match itself. Hulk Hogan is notorious for changing finishes to benefit himself. This match with a young Undertaker was no exception, especially considering that Hogan was asked to drop the title to the Deadman on this night.
RELATED:The First 10 WWE Title Matches At Survivor Series, Ranked Worst To Best
There were shenanigans of course when Ric Flair interfered on Undertaker's behalf, costing Hogan the title in the process. This would lead to the all-time classic 1992 Royal Rumble, but not before Hogan would play mind games with the rookie. It was another example of Hogan looking out for his own interests, as he did many times throughout his career.
5 Brain Busters Vs. Hart Foundation - SummerSlam 1989 (Flaw: Non-Title)
Sometimes you just know a match is going to be a classic by simply looking at it on paper. Such as the case with The Hart Foundation and The Brain Busters at SummerSlam 1989. The flaw here is that for some inexplicable reason the titles were not on the line, even though The Brain Busters held them at the time. For an event the magnitude of SummerSlam, you'd think that it would be the appropriate time to hold a title match. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic match.
4 Randy Savage Vs. Ricky Steamboat - WrestleMania 3 (Flaw: Overly Choreographed)
This is likely to be a polarizing selection as the suggested flaw might not be considered one at all by some. You can say that Randy Savage was ahead of his time, in that he preferred to meticulously plan out his matches ahead of time. Such as the case with his classic Intercontinental Title match with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3. Ric Flair claims that Ricky Steamboat wasn't as high on this match as others because Savage had requested that they rehearse the match ahead of time, a practice that Steamboat wasn't comfortable with. Flair goes even further and said that while he was a fan of Savage, he wouldn't call him a great worker, due to his inability to call a match on the fly.
3 Randy Savage Vs. The Ultimate Warrior - WrestleMania 7 (Flaw: Unnecessary Stipulation)
WrestleMania 7 was something of an awkward event for WWE. The company had been on something of a downward cycle in business, and they didn't exactly have any hot angles going into the event. In order to create extra intrigue and higher stakes, the Randy Savage/Ultimate Warrior bout would be promoted as a retirement match. It was Savage who would go on to take the fall in the match, and the post show angle was certainly a WrestleMania moment. In actuality, however, Savage had no business retiring at this point, as the company still desperately needed star power. This was a great match that didn't need a stipulation to sell it.
2 Randy Savage Vs. Ric Flair - WrestleMania 8 (Flaw: It Wasn't Hogan/Flair)
We've discussed how Hulk Hogan's political maneuverings adversely affected the WWE product throughout the Golden Era, but truth be told, Randy Savage was quite possibly guilty of doing the same. WrestleMania 8 has long been considered to be a misfire when it comes to the booking of the event. The main event was originally planned to be the long-awaited dream match between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan.
RELATED:30 Year Challenge: 10 "Where Are They Now" Stories From WrestleMania 8
It was Flair that claimed that it was Savage who lobbied to be put into the title match with him, and to win in the process. In hindsight, this doesn't make any sense, as Savage had done little to deserve a title match at that time. Even worse, a mediocre storyline involving a love triangle with Miss Elizabeth, made this match less of what it could have been.
1 Hulk Hogan Vs. The Ultimate Warrior - WrestleMania 6 (Flaw: Wrong Winner)
This was easily one of the most anticipated matches ever. It captured people's imaginations in the same way that Andre and Hogan had. The idea of the two indomitable forces that were Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior colliding was enough to sell this event. It was a foregone conclusion, but many believed that Warrior's time had come. And ultimately, no pun intended, Warrior would dethrone Hogan and become a double champion in the process. The massive flaw with this match is that at the time, Jim Hellwig the man lacked both the maturity and the leadership abilities to take the mantle from Hogan. In hindsight, The Hulkster should have had his hand raised that night in Toronto.
