The Public Enemy Vs The Gangstas (ECW House Party 96, street fight. Jan 5th 96)
The Public Enemies farewell match in ECW currently lived up to the hype thanks to the incredible send off they got from the ECW audience. It was quiet a sight to see 1,000 plus white boys weeping at their heroes leaving for the greener pastures of wcw at the time. OK the match wasn't anything special it was your usual walking brawl you got from both the enemy and gangstas but what made it special was the crowd and the send off they gave to their heroes in the ECW arena that night.
Ric Flair Vs Macho Man Randy Savage (WCW Superbrawl 6, WCW world heavyweight title steel cage match. Feb 11th 96)
This match will probably be remembered for one thing the way the WWF would mock it in the billionaire ted skits in the weeks that followed thanks to the shoe finish but what WWF failed to say and in all honesty wouldnt have said was that the shoe finish was quiet shocking considering it was Elizabeth shoe which she handed to flair that cost savage his second wcw world heavyweight title. Considering savage and Liz had been an item on and off on WWF tv throughout there run thier , her coming back and costing savage the match and aligning with the nature boy was incredibly shocking and the match itself wasn't that bad in fact flair and savage had a enjoyable match even with shoe finish.
Belfast Bruiser Vs Lord Steven Regal (WCW Uncensored 96. Mar 24th 96)
It May have ended in a cheap DQ but these two battered the holy hell out of one another for a near 20 minutes. Afterwards regal had a broken nose and finlay looked just as bad. If its strong style was your thing in 96 and you didn't want to wait months for a vhs tape then this was the match for you.
Shawn Michaels Vs Diesel (WWF IYH 7: Good Friends Better Enemies, No Holds Barred. Apr 28th 96)
Diesel was saying farewell to the WWF and went out the right way putting over his best bud and WWF champion Shawn Michaels in a excellent match and maybe WWF match of the year up and until that point in 1996.
Rob Van Dam Vs Sabu (ECW A Matter of Respect 96, Respect Match. May 11th 96)
These two had a classic which was made even better by the post match angle where RVD refused to shake sabu's hand and began a feud for the ages.
Rey Mysterio Jr Vs Dean Malenko (WCW Great American Bash 96, WCW cruiser weight title match. June 16th 96)
You can guarantee two things in wcw in 1996. One hulk hogan will headline and underneath guys like misterio, malenko, Benoit and Guerrero will continue to steal the show and this match was no exception. A fast paced classic where both men made a crowd care about them by the time it was over.
Chris Benoit Vs The Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan (WCW Great American Bash 96, Falls Count Anywhere Match. June 16th 96)
Another walking brawl makes it onto the list. These two hated one another and they went out of there way to prove that to the crowd in Baltimore by taking the fight all over the building and into the ladies toilet to the delight of commentator dusty Rhodes. This match was the highlight of thee awesome great american bash show and deserves its spot on this list.
Rob Van Dam Vs Sabu (ECW Hardcore Heaven 96. June 22nd 96)
Maybe this match was doomed After the ring broke during a 2 cold scorpio/Shane Douglas TV title match. The crowd was forced to wait over an hour and 30 minutes before they got this match. You could have forgiven the crowd for not caring about this match but the ecw faithful did care and gave it the great reaction it deserved. With the building being well over a 100 degrees that night as well and 5 minutes in the top rope snapped again you'd think maybe rvd and sabu may phone it in but with a red hot crowd and a broken rope these two delivered another stellar performance in the arena in philly.
Rey Mysterio Vs Psicosis (WCW Bash at the Beach 96, July 7th 96)
Another red hot opener as long time rivals misterio and psicosis went all out to have a classic. Yeah it maybe overshadowed by the main event where hogan turned heel and joined the nWo but this was right kind of opener as it had loads of action and some breath talking aireal displays on display here.
Chris Benoit Vs Dean Malenko (WCW Hogg Wild. Aug 10th 96)
the two originally went to a 20 minute draw then a extra 5 minutes which ended in another draw then it went into sudden death rules where Benoit picked up the win thanks to interference from Liz and woman. Yes the crowd my have chanted boring throughout but this match was a technical masterpiece in my opinion and deserves a spot on this list.
Chris Benoit Vs Chris Jericho (WCW Fall Brawl. Sep 15th 96)
Another technical masterpiece makes it onto the list this time its Jericho vs Benoit. After a Luke warm debut for babyface Jericho he was desperate for a good match in wcw and thanks to Benoit he got it. Both men got 20 minutes and traded hold for hold and big move for big move. It probably didn't get many people backstage in wcw taking notice or that these two where bona fide main eventers but a man with a brain could see after this performance you had two very special talents who can carry wcw into the millennium and beyond.
Shawn Michaels Vs Mankind (WWF IYH 10: Mind Games. WWF Title Match. Sep 22nd 96)
You probably went in thinking this is a b level main event on a b level show so why should i order it and if you had that thinking then you really missed out as Shawn and jack went out and stole the show and up and until this point my favourite match of 1996. Yeah it may be another shit DQ finish but it was how they got there which really made this match so great. Shawn and mick went back and fourth going from big move to big bump seamlessly, the flow to this match was just perfect and everything just seemed to go alright on the night and that table spot dropped my jaw to the ground. It really was that good and maybe cactus jacks best match ever and one of Shawn's better title defences after a hit and miss WWF title run so far during 1996.
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