Top 10 W/WWF/E Feuds

[cawthon777 0]

I’m curious as to what you guys regard as the top 10 feuds in the history of the company, from 1963 to the present.

 

It can be based on nostalgia, drawing power, quality of matches, or the amount of heat. The criteria are entirely up to you but state your case and provide evidence to back it up.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I’m curious as to what you guys regard as the top 10 feuds in the history of the company, from 1963 to the present.

 

It can be based on nostalgia, drawing power, quality of matches, or the amount of heat. The criteria are entirely up to you but state your case and provide evidence to back it up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The first to come to mind:

 

95 Funk vs Foley, in general(Japan, ECW, etc.)

 

McMahon vs. Austin-98/early 99 in particular

 

Hogan vs. Andre 1987

 

Bret vs. Austin 1997

 

Bret vs Owen 1994

[Guest Duke_The_Dog]

1 - Hogan/Andre, 1987-88 Grew up watching this, Hogan was unstopable, Andre was unbeatable. Perfectly booked fued that had at least 5 money matches (WM 3, S. Series - Andre's 1st match since WM 3- Andre outsmarts Hogan, the Main Event on NBC with a finish that may never be duplicated, WM 4, Hogan/Andre Cage at Mil Stadium, Mega Powers vs Mega Bucks final blowoff) Andre and Hogan were best friends and Main event partners for nearly 6 years prior to the big turn, so the build is nearly impossible to duplicate.

 

2 - Hogan/Savage - Again long term booking saw the 2 as enemies, reluctant friends, real friends with jealously (Hogan of Savage's belt, Savage of Hogan/Liz's friendship) A big blowup vs Twin Towers, then a 6 month long fued leading to SSLAM's tag main event.

 

The rest are in no particular order:

 

Austin vs McMahon - Vince was the genial babyface for 20 + years who suddenly was mad with power and wanted to stop a rebel who had been breaking all the rules of combat and taste. They teased Austin and mcMahon fighting on 2 Raw's over 9 or so months time, and finally got 2 PPV matches out of their 1st clash (Rumble 99 and St Val Day 99) Fued morphed after that and got a little stale, but it provided mass entertainment for over a year.

 

Savage/Steamboat - Savage saw the Dragon as a major threat after a few too many close calls, so he tries to KILL Steamboat by crushing his throat. Steamboat gets his revenge on the grand stage (WM 3) and the year long + fued of Steele and Savage is blown off all in one great swoop.

 

Bruno/Larry Z - Larry is established as Bruno's student and spends many years as a successful mid carder while watching Bruno still work high on the cards, He finally challenges bruno to see if he can take out Old man Bruno and then throws the rule book out and injuries his father figure. They had a many month fued with a packed stadium steel cage blowoff.

 

 

Notable entries:

 

Bret/Micheals on again off again fued spanning 5 years.

 

Savage/Jake - Vicious fued with wild matches, and awesome dueling promos

 

Hogan/Ornorff - Another fued that had many layers as the Title, jealousy, friendship and other themes were all intertwined. Fued spawned one huge gate (Toronto) and headlined for 6 months or so. The blowoff cage match is one of my favorite from my mark days

 

Hogan/Piper - The fued that made the WWF a success, this fued led to MTV, mainstream press, Wrestlemania, NBC network specials, A cartoon, An album and much much more. The best Heel vs the best face.

 

I'll leave # 10 blank as I am sure I'm over looking some very obvious fued (Bret/Backlund was my pick otherwise)

[Carnival 0]

Hogan vs Andre

Hogan vs Savage

Bret vs Owen

Bret vs HBK

Undertaker vs Kane

Rock vs Austin

 

Amendments

 

Hogan vs Piper

Bret vs Austin

HHH vs Foley

Vince vs Austin

[Black Lushus 0]

Bret/Austin will always be my favorite fued...96/97 was golden for Bret...

[Papacita 0]

I've gotta say Austin/Hart was the best WWF feud I've ever seen. It was just so well done with the double turn and everything, plus it was really easy to buy into. To this day it kinda bugs me out to hear them say nice things about each other because at the time the heat between those two seemed so real.

 

Also, while I'm not too sure how well it'd match up on an all-time list, I was a big fan of the Nation/DX feud from 98.

[CanadianChris 0]

In no order whatsoever...

 

Hogan/Andre - spawned the biggest money match of all time at the biggest live event of all time, and continued on for another year and a half doing huge business and carrying Savage and DiBiase into the main event.

 

Austin/McMahon - literally saved the company. Its importance cannot be underestimated, as it produced some good matches (notably the Dude Love match from Over The Edge 98) and fantastic TV that pushed it past WCW once again.

 

Hogan/Savage - probably the best angle they've ever done, from start to finish. Adding the Zeus stuff after WM5 was unnecessary, but from the handshake on SNME at the end of 1987 to the breakup on the Main Event in February 1989 to Megapowers Explode blowoff at WM5, this angle was legendary.

 

Hogan/Orndorff - these two drew more money than anyone else in the 80s, including Hogan/Andre. A ridiculously hot feud that culminated in not one, but TWO blowoff matches (at the Big Event in Toronto, and their SNME cage match).

 

HHH/Foley - these two had a great feud in 1997 that led to some really good matches, but no one remembers them because of the fantastic pair of matches they had in 2000. This was the feud that put HHH over for good as a main-eventer, which makes it pretty historic.

 

Austin/Rock - these two are the faces of the Attitude Era. One fantastic match at WMX-7, plus tons of great TV, particularly during their IC title feud in 1997.

 

Austin/Hart - produced three terrific matches (Survivor Series 96, WMXIII, Canadian Stampede), and (as seems to always be the case with Austin pre-2002) great TV, with tons of memorable moments, being the focal point of the great Hart Foundation angle.

 

Savage/Steamboat - produced some of the most memorable moments of 1987, from Savage crushing Steamboat's throat with the bell to Steamboat's return on Superstars, and the greatest match of all time up to that point.

 

Savage/Flair - considering these two weren't even supposed to feud, they had a great feud throughout the middle of 1992, with the awesome "She was mine before she was yours" angle heading into their great match at WMVIII, and the equally awesome "Whose corner is Mr. Perfect in?" angle going into the Savage/Warrior match at SummerSlam 92.

 

Hogan/Piper - if I were going to rank these, this one would be last because it was never properly blown off, but since this is the feud that catapulted the WWF into the mainstream and headlined the first WrestleMania, it has to be mentioned. Piper was just ridiculously good with his mic work.

[Guest JoeJoe]

Hogan/Andre

Savage/Steamboat

Flair/Savage

Bret/Owen

Bret/Austin

Shawn/Taker

Austin/Vince

Shawn/Jericho

Hogan/Shawn

[Dimensions 0]

I agree with most here but what do you all think of Rock/HHH. I only started wrasslin in late 98 so I'm more about Attitude era and I thought this was a pretty good rivalry and their feud over the title was pretty good.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Hart Foundation vs America.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Mankind/Undertaker

The feud brought The Undertaker back into the spotlight of the WWF after years of being stuck in meaningless feuds against huge monsters...and even a double that happened to be 4-6 inches shorter than he was...with matches so bland that the only highlights were 'Taker's entrance and the Tombstone. Foley brought out the best in 'Taker like no other could, save for Austin in '98, Brock in '02, and Cena during their brief run in '03. Boiler Room Brawl, Buried Alive, Hell in a Cell II...three matches whose legacies have been immortalized because of how much punishment the two gave each other.

 

Mankind/Rock

Foley has a way of taking somebody whose popularity is hitting an all-time low or who just needs that one push to become a bonafide main eventer and being the one to help them make it. The Rock was his first "uppercard-to-legitimate main eventer" success. They KILLED each other for three months solid, with Rock knocking Foley so silly during their infamous Rumble '99 encounter that not only were his kids and wife crying because they knew he was actually hurt, but also enough to be one of the few people to truly knock Foley out (IIRC, of course).

 

Foley/HHH

It's already been touched upon, but the awesome feud in '97 where Foley used all three of his personalities (Mankind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack) to bring pain to Hunter. Then the pick-up during the McMahon-Helmsley Era in late '99 that all started off with the Pink Slip on a Pole match between The Rock and Mankind. If it wasn't for Foley, HHH would've never been taken nearly as seriously a main eventer as he was in 2000, and his entire career would have been much different. The promo's, the brawls, and of course the matches...they're all picture-perfect examples of how to build up a feud that is only meant to last 2 PPVs and make it legendary. I still stare in awe at my Foley DVDs when I see HHH's reaction at the transformation of Mankind into Cactus Jack on a SmackDown before Rumble '00.

 

Austin/Hart

A tremendous "passing of the torch" feud. I can't add anything that hasn't already been said, because everybody else has said it better.

 

Austin/McMahon

Again, the feud that brought the WWF back to prominence in '98.

 

The Nation/DX

Were the matches fantastic? No. Most of them were outright atrocious, as a matter of fact. Did every member of each stable have one single opponent on the opposing team? No, because outside of each stable's leaders (HHH and Rock for DX and The Nation, respectively), they all just hated each other. But was it memorable for an in-ring skit, a few good brutal brawls, and a damn fine ladder match to cap the feud off between each stable's leaders? Hell yes. The DX parody of The Nation is classic comedy, and I miss the days when HHH was more than just a "grr, I am the best" heel and actually had some humor to him. DX-era HHH is my favorite simply due to how good he was in the role of a pompous ass that made bad dick jokes. The brawl where The Nation singled HHH out and beat the hell out of him leading into Fully Loaded, IIRC, was shit, but the images it contained were memorable. The 2/3 Falls match between HHH and The Rock at Fully Loaded was decent enough, but the way the feud capped off at SummerSlam '98 - with members of each stable interfering to help their man, but the end coming when Chyna low-blow's Mark Henry and then The Rock so that HHH can grab the Intercontinental title - was more than just plain old overbooking: it was meant to show the unity in each opposing team. When The Nation lost the feud, D'Lo and Henry disbanded the group by attacking the other members. DX disbanded just over half a year later during a feud with another stable, that being The Corporation.

[gWIL 0]

Sting/NWO, got me the most into wrestling I have ever been, ever. Starrcade sucked big time and still pisses me off, but up till then sting was just booked awesomely, coming uo through the ring from the rafters. WCW 96-01>WWE 99-Present.

[caboose 0]

Savage/Steamboat (86-87)

 

Savage/Hogan (87-89)

 

Rocky/Austin (97-03)

 

Bret/Austin (96-97)

 

McMahon/Austin (97-99)

 

Rocky/Jericho (01-02) (Jericho was THIS CLOSE to becoming the star he should have been in 2000)

 

Savage/Flair (92)

 

Undertaker/Michaels (97) (I seriously wanted to see Taker murder Michaels)

 

Bret/Owen (93-94)

 

Michaels/Jericho (02-03) (Great stuff until the finish at Wrestlemania)

[Jericholic82 0]

Im tempted to add Michaels/Jannetty because of the barber shop angle and Jannetty returns angles (plus Martys shocking ic title win on raw)

 

Rock/HHH is a fine choice since it started way back on Rocks first night at the 1996 Survivor Series when Rocky was the sole survivor for his team against HHHs team. Later Rocky won the IC title on Thursday Raw Thursday. It ended from there but picke dup for most of 98 with the ladder blowoff, only to be revisted after HHHS heel turn in 99 (HHH using the sledgehammer on Rock who was inside a casket, debuting his now trademark prop), then most of the first half of 2000, with the real final blowoff being the summerslam 00 3 way with rock/hhh/angle

[hyperchord24 0]

Flair/Savage: Good storytelling with flair messing around with elizabeth

Mankind and just about anyone: Hey, kick the living crap out of anyone is enough to gain popularity

Bret/Austin: solidified both stars as great MEers. Guys really wanted to destory one anothers' careers.

[Guest Sturm316]

I started to really follow the WWF in 1984, at the age of 8. I know I'm missing a ton from earlier than 1984. From what I've heard and the little I've seen, I know Bruno/Larry would have to be included on any such list.

 

In no particular order:

 

Hogan/Andre - The biggest feud of all time.

Hogan/Piper - The feud that defined the Rock 'n' Wrestling era.

Austin/McMahon - The feud that defined the Attitude era.

Austin/Rock - The second defining feud of the Attitude era and beyond.

Bruno/Larry Z. - Larry's turn was the shot heard round the world.

Hogan/Orndorff - Orndorff's turn was the second shot heard round the world.

Hogan/Savage - One of the greatest, most dramatic, intense, longest-running angles ever.

Bret/Owen - Right next to Hogan/Savage in terms of drama, intensity, and long-term booking.

Harts/Bulldogs - The best WWF tag team rivalry of the 80's, along with the best WWF tag team matches ever.

Austin/Bret - USA vs Canada - I blended these two feuds because one led to another and they overlapped each other for the most part. These feuds produced some of the greatest crowd heat and most memorable moments in the company's history.

 

I consider Bret and Shawn to have had more of a rivalry than an actual feud, at least in the ring. What happened behind the scenes, and later on in the ring, was definitely a feud but I'm listing in-ring feuds only.

 

Other notable feuds: Snuka/Piper, Rock/HHH, HHH/Foley, Foley/Undertaker, Roberts/Rude, Steamboat/Muraco, Savage/Steamboat, Snuka/Muraco, Savage/Roberts, Santana/Valentine, Flair/Savage, Hart/Lawler, Sheik/Slaughter.

[Dangerous A 0]

Since it's only WWF/E, I go with the following in no particular order...

 

 

Hogan/Andre

Savage/Steamboat

Savage/Hogan

Hart/Michaels

Hart/Austin

Austin/McMahon

Austin/Rock

Bruno/Superstar

Hogan/Piper

Bruno/Zybszko

[slabinskia 0]

10.Savage vs Roberts

 

This may just be a personal favorite but this was the best work of jake's career.

 

9.Bret vs Shawn

 

No explanation really needed imo.

 

8.Bret vs Owen

 

Awesome storytelling with 2 great matches.

 

7.Hogan vs Orndorff

 

Hogan was capable of drawing money with almost anyone at the time.His matches with mr. wonderful were pretty good.

 

6.HHH vs Rock

 

Several year long fued and carried the ball in 2000 with austin out.

 

5.Hogan vs Piper

 

The start oof the wrestling boom period.

 

4.Austin vs Bret

 

My favorite fued that had 2 of the best matches in company history.The best double turn ever.The best work bret has done as the heel.And the match that launched the attitude era.Can't ask for more than that.

 

3.Hogan vs Savage

 

A fued that had a year long build.I believe the highest rated wm to that point.Savage was hogan's best opponent.

 

2.Austin vs Vince

 

Everyone tuned into raw every week just to see 10 minutes of an austin/vince confrontation.It produced some of the best segments ever on tv.They have tried to copy the formula ever since.

 

1.Hogan vs Andre /(dibiase)

 

Well,all you have to say is wrestlemania 3 but I think this fued was at its best when ted dibiase was put in the fued.The main event had one of the best angles of all time imo.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Austin-Rock isn't getting much love here. I thought that was an excellent long term rivalry (compared to many a short time "grr I suddenly hate you for no real reason!" feud). Their WM X7 match remains my favourite "WWF/E style" main event, and the re-match from X9 is curiously touching.

[CanadianChris 0]

The one I'm not getting is Bret/Shawn. THEY NEVER REALLY FEUDED.

 

There was the match at Survivor Series 92 (that was just a one-off), there was the match wt WMXII (both were faces, so it wasn't really a feud), and then the stuff in 1997, where there was an attempt to have a feud, but was always short-circuited for one reason or another.

[Guest Sturm316]

The one I'm not getting is Bret/Shawn.  THEY NEVER REALLY FEUDED. 

 

There was the match at Survivor Series 92 (that was just a one-off), there was the match wt WMXII (both were faces, so it wasn't really a feud), and then the stuff in 1997, where there was an attempt to have a feud, but was always short-circuited for one reason or another.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree, though their house show run in 1992 (post-WM VIII) was considered a "feud". See my post above:

 

"I consider Bret and Shawn to have had more of a rivalry than an actual feud, at least in the ring. What happened behind the scenes, and later on in the ring, was definitely a feud but I'm listing in-ring feuds only."

[snuffbox 0]

Some to consider besides the obvious...

 

Bruno-Stan Hansen...The feud based on a broken neck.

Piper-Snuka

Roberts-Rude

Slaughter-Sheik

Muraco-Snuka

Backlund-Muraco

Backlund-Superstar

Roberts-Savage

Savage-Animal Steele

Demolition-LoD

HBK-Razor

[BigDawgCarl 0]

Austin/McMahon: What has been said already is right, it put the Fed back on top for good. Classic TV.

 

Austin/Bret: Even in their two biggest singles matches (SS 96 & WM 13) where Bret won, Austin came out stronger, especially at WM 13. The crimson mask defined his whole career, and the image of Austin in the sharpshooter with blood running down his face is classic as Michaels shooting down to the ring at WM 12. I can go on for days about Austin/Bret.

 

Austin/Rock: Good TV in 97 where Austin through the IC belt over the bridge, also around WM 15/Backlash time was also very good TV. Their feud is natural, seeing that they were the faces of the Attitude Era.

 

Rock/HHH: This one is it. I'm still mad to this day that Rock & HHH didn't get to headline WM 2000 on their own, the "McMahon In Every Corner" thing was ridiculous. But still, with the Nation/DX rivalry the second biggest thing going in the WWF in 98 and during the year 2000 when Rock & HHH carried the company, this feud has to be on the list.

 

Foley/Rock or HHH: Like someone posted earlier, Foley has this special gift to give a superstar that last push that they needed. He did it with the Rock in 99, and with HHH in 2000. After the UT/Kane feud, Taker came out of KOTR looking like a complete monster and made him look even stronger going into the lackluster SummerSlam main event w/Austin.

 

 

Other 5:

Bret/Owen

Foley/Taker

Hogan/Savage

Hogan/Piper

Hogan/Andre

[Guest Duke_The_Dog]

LARRY ZBYSZKO does an interview, expressing his frustration over being looked at as nothing more than Bruno's protege. ZBYSZKO says he's tired of being seen as Bruno's protege, and challenges Bruno Sammartino to a match on TV.

 

LARRY ZBYSZKO announces his retirement after Bruno turns down his challenge. Sammartino comes out and agrees to wrestle ZBYSZKO on TV with one stipulation- that he will wrestle ZBYSZKO defensively, and will not try to hurt his protege.

 

BRUNO SAMMARTINO v LARRY ZBYSZKO from Allentown, PA, 1/22/80- ZBYSZKO fares well, but it's obvious that Bruno is just a little bit better. When Bruno lets ZBYSZKO out of the bearhug, ZBYSZKO is visibly angry and frustrated. ZBYSZKO gets outmanuvered and finds himself on his rear outside the ring, and Bruno opens the ropes to help Larry back in. ZBYSZKO cheap-shots Sammartino and pounds him, eventually grabbing a chair and using it to crack Bruno in the head three times. Bruno is reduced to a bloody pulp, and is taken out on a stretcher.

 

BRUNO SAMMARTINO v LARRY ZBYSZKO from Philadelphia, 3/1/80- excellent match where Bruno gets DQed for shoving the referee.

BRUNO SAMMARTINO v LARRY ZBYSZKO from Philadelphia, 4/12/80- another terrific match with great ring psychology.

 

BRUNO SAMMARTINO v LARRY ZBYSZKO from New York, 4/21/80- good match that's different from either of the Philadelphia bouts.

 

CAGE MATCH: BRUNO SAMMARTINO v LARRY ZBYSZKO, from Shea Stadium, New York, 8/9/80. Forgotten history- after Bruno wipes Larry out, ZBYSZKO chases him out of the cage and raises his hand. Allegedly, this was supposed to be the beginning of a babyface turn that would catapult ZBYSZKO all the way to the world title. It never happened, as ZBYSZKO had a falling out with the promotion. So ZBYSZKO shoots one of the biggest angle in history- and leaves a year later, never to return. ZBYSZKO could have still drawn in 1982 or 1983.