Opinion

Mishal: Has NXT Lost Its Edge?

Mishal asks a very important question about WWE NXT: has it lost its edge? It’s a topic that needs to be explored.

Published

5 years ago

May 17, 2020

Mishal Shuhaiber

Mishal asks a very important question about WWE NXT: has it lost its edge? It’s a topic that needs to be explored.

A ‘brief’ recap.

Very few brands across the history of professional wrestling have managed to garner the praise, respect, quality talent & following that the modern-day brand known as NXT has since it’s reincarnation during the early 2010s in WWE.

Once upon a time, the brand of NXT was essentially a ‘reality television’ game show, shot in front of a live WWE audience on that given week that blended together the reality of wanting to be a WWE superstar with that very world to try and create something that fits into the category of shows like The Ultimate Fighter, where mentors try to drag out the best in their ‘pros’ or ‘rookies’. Like most expected, it accomplished very little. With the exception of a brilliant start to the Nexus vs WWE feud which lasted all of 5 minutes & the exposure of one of the company’s biggest current stars in Daniel Bryan, the initial NXT was a failure by all other measures.

It wasted its top talents, did nothing for the live crowd, reduced potentially immensely talented performers to competing in ‘obstacle courses’, added nothing of value once each season ended & was more or less a completely pointless venture once fans & those in charge lost interest in it.

However, that’s when Triple H came into the picture.

Since around 2012 the brand underwent substantial changes, being placed in the hands of WWE’s COO to take hold of and inject with newfound energy, passion & offer something alternative for the younger talent outside the ranks of FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) which garnered little to no exposure from most wrestling audiences. While its beginnings were certainly quiet compared to now, the brand introduced fans to something very different. Giving us the likes of Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Big E, Bo Dallas, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Xavier Woods & a dozen others, it utilized many of the WWE talents being groomed for the main roster and produced a show that was about one thing; wrestling. It didn’t possess the spectacle of the main roster shows, the mainstream desires, the bigger names to draw huge audiences or worldwide appeal that could quite literally boost economies, it was all about wrestling’s roots & that changed the very nature of the company.

Instead of attempting to mimic the bigger brands surrounding them, NXT became its own thing entirely. It was about what the fans wanted & whom they fell behind, not what was ‘best for business’, as the company had so famously held up as their slogan for keeping many names down below the glass ceiling. This kind of product delivered energy, and a fanbase that instilled the passion in the likes of someone like myself for professional wrestling all over again, wrestling was cool for the first time in a very, very long time.

As the product grew, so did the NXT brands reach. Shows became larger in scale but still felt very contained & reserved, never straying away from what they were at their core, the fans & the squared circle. Newer talents came in from across the planet, many of whom we’d thought we’d likely never see with Finn Balor, Asuka, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Bobby Roode, Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, Ember Moon, Pete Dunne & too many others to name bringing a larger-than-life vibe to the brand that made this feel like the main roster product, but with booking & matches that catered to the interest of the paying audience first & foremost. It was almost surreal in a way, that a brand like this wasn’t just a wrestling fans dream but almost flawless, with every show receiving near-universal praise & always managing to give their audience something new to invest in.

It was (and for the most part, still is) an incredible time to be a fan of the business because even if what the WWE was doing on their headline shows such of RAW or SmackDown, NXT was the ideal counterbalance to your problems, generally offering solutions to a good chunk of the issues fans like myself had with the direction of their product. Despite it technically being under the WWE banner, the NXT brand felt very much detached from its actual ‘parent’ brand, embodying something that the main roster products could never realistically embrace due to the nature of the company & how it’s structured in the business world.

NXT was very much a wrestling fans biggest dream come true, but like any brand or company, it isn’t without slip-ups.

And as of late, something just doesn’t feel right to me.

In the midst of not just a pandemic that is shifting the entertainment business as a whole in a very different direction but a big creative change to the brand since late last year, the landscape of NXT looks a tad different. While it isn’t bad by any means, I wanted to look into why the NXT brand seems to have lost its ‘edge’ during these strange times we live in.

Familiar Faces

NXT’s decision to bring back some former main roster talents they’d lost over the last 3-4 years was at first an exciting decision for many people. Bringing back certain names can infuse a lot of nostalgia into the brand that would remind fans of former days before the brand became the phenomenon that it is, it could open the door to dozens of dream matches that fans have been clamoring for that the main roster likely wouldn’t satisfy & depending on the talents, gives some misused names a chance to re-establish themselves.

We’ve seen the likes of Finn Balor, Tyler Breeze, Fandango & most recently, Charlotte Flair make their returns to their original home of NXT and involve themselves with a plethora of different talent across the US version of NXT, as well as stars from the more recent UK branch of NXT which doesn’t always get the attention it deserves in an overcrowded marketplace. And while in theory, the idea sounds like something that could benefit talent in the long-run, I’m not sure it played out how we’d imagined.

Much of the flatness of this angle falls on external circumstances, whether that be the creative direction or the circumstances the company might have to operate under for the foreseeable future, but the results haven’t been up to the usual level of excitement that the brand gives off. Finn Balor had a decent little feud with Johnny Gargano which worked but ended in a manner that divided many fans, Charlotte Flair’s victory of Rhea Ripley at Wrestlemania added nothing of real value to the brand & any other remaining talents haven’t done anything to really justify their moves back ‘down’ from the main roster.

If anything this transfer of talent has resulted in the brand losing a slight bit of its own identity, based around newer talents from around the globe in search of a new chapter in their careers, and while the number of main roster stars returning has been minimal, can give off the vibe that a slight change of pace has been made to a product that was really hitting its stride.

Stagnant Storylines

In terms of writing, NXT isn’t really at its apex at this very moment.

There’s actually a lot happening on the brand; Gargano’s heel turn, Velveteen Dream chasing Adam Cole for the NXT Title, Charlotte Flair reigning supreme with her NXT Women’s Title, Karrion Kross (the former Killer Kross) eyeing Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle making the most out of the situation with his NXT Tag Team Titles & an on-going Cruiserweight Tournament to boot.

On paper, all of this sounds plentiful, yet the only thing of genuine intrigue is the debut of Karrion Kross. Most of NXT’s remaining angles just don’t have the spark behind them that we’ve come to expect. Gargano’s heel turn came off a mostly panned performance against Ciampa which started that angle off on the wrong foot, Flair’s reign just doesn’t bode as well as you’d think despite starting off on NXT & the tag team scene across WWE hasn’t exactly been bursting with life as of late as it is. Even the chase for the brand’s main titleholder in Adam Cole just isn’t clicking despite the potential of Velveteen Dream finally claiming the brands biggest prize being a potential outcome, which shocks me watching the product every week.

Obviously the business is in a weird place at the moment, and with certain stars being limited on availability it does place products in a precarious position, NXT, however, has a general track record of making the most of that situations in the past.

Whether this is a transition period into a brand new era for NXT or just a period that’s taking its toll on the business entirely, it’s fairly clear that the volume might need to be ramped up on storylines with some fans beginning to display disinterest.

Have the ‘higher-ups’ spoken?

While I personally drift away from this theory, addressing it is worth some merit since it hasn’t only be mentioned by fans but some ex-WWE talent as of late. The issue being that the products current move over to the USA Network last year has somewhat sucked the product of its appeal to fans compared to what it once was, which in my opinion is a bit of a stretch.

NXT’s product, in spite of some structural changes to its overall airtime & distribution, has continued feel like it’s very much catering to the fans it once was prior to being moved against AEW Dynamite on the very same evening of its airtime. USA Network has granted the show more airtime (2 hours as opposed to the previous 60-minute version of the show that aired on the network) but if anything, this has helped flesh out more talent than in the past and grant more exposure to a number of stars not just on a writing level but to a whole new, more broad audience. It’s involvement in the Survivor Series show last year made things all the more fascinating for fans of every WWE show & it has made the show feel much more significant, even more than it was when it was being streamed.

Obviously, certain decisions have been made to satisfy some heads on the television network but none of them has necessarily wrecked what the product is supposed to be at its core. Most gripes with the product fall on how it’s being handled on a creative front, which I addressed earlier. If anything the move to the USA Network has been a tremendous gain for the brand & talent involved to truly strut their stuff in front of the world. We get more matches on a weekly basis, new characters more frequently & faith that others aside from just the WWE want the world to see what NXT has to offer.

Blaming the ‘higher-ups’ is a constant thing in many communities, particularly wrestling ones, and for good reason. Seeing NXT manage to continue to be what it was created to is extremely satisfying to a fan like me though, as it gives faith that this is a product that won’t be trifled with in the way the very first incarnation of NXT was back in the day. If anything, let’s be happy what we have now isn’t near what it was back in 2010.

Conclusion

NXT isn’t at its peak right now, as myself and obviously a few others have aired throughout the media. Most of its current gripes, however, fall on the shoulders of creative direction more than anything external to the product itself.

Having a platform like the USA Network is the least of the brand’s worries for the moment, and our concerns should lay where stories are being handled or aimed towards in the future. As the summer season has more or less began for the WWE it’s this transition period that concerns me the most, because the potential that the brand has on its hands right now isn’t reaching the levels of excitement I’m used to.

The current situation is a blend of a few things that have gotten us to this point, and while my flare for NXT isn’t as positive as I generally am, that doesn’t mean in any way that NXT won’t rebound from a small hiccup and knock it out of the park with what they do next.

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Related Topics:AEW Dynamite Featured Featured Big Finn Balor Karrion Kross NXT Shinsuke Nakamura WWE

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: WrestleMania 41 Las Vegas

Time for The Chairshot personalities to put their money where their mouths are! WreslteMania 41 predictions from the “expert” staff at TheChairshot.com and Chairshot Radio Network.

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2025

PC Tunney

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Chairshot Staff Picks. And what better setting than WrestleMania for this article to return! This 41st edition has one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history. So, without further ado, let us get to the predictions and prognostications…

AJ – The New Day
Andrew – The New Day – No one seems to hold tag titles long anymore.
Dave – The New Day – They have earned it.
DJ – The New Day – Feel tha Powah!
DPP – War Raiders – Big E distraction.
Jason – The New Day – We are not getting E in a working capacity though everyone wants it.
Patrick – The New Day – WWE doesn’t care about this match, so why should I?
Rey – The New Day – Its a New Day, bruh.
Rob – The New Day – New Day rocks and wins!
Greg – The New Day – New. Day wins. New. Day wins!

Tunney’s Take: War Machine – Yes, WAR MACHINE. I have personally had the pleasure of throwing back a few cold ones with these guys on more than one occasion. Not only being tag champs in WWE but defending the titles at Mania and against The New Day is really cool for me as a long-time fan. Would it be fun to see The New Day have another title run.. YES. I think it’s smarter to give the War Raiders a big Mania W.

Chairshot Pick: THE NEW DAY 9-2

AJ – Jade Cargill
Andrew – Jade Cargill – She needs to stay a dominant force.
Dave – Jade Cargill – Gotta gear her up for the long term.
DJ – No contest – Naomi puts another beat down on Jade.
DPP – Jade Cargill – Nervous for how this match will go.
Jason – Naomi – Way more runway with Naomi as a bad guy. Keep it going!
Patrick – Jade Cargill – Jade gets her revenge.
Rey – Jade Cargill – Best non-title feud going. Naomi should win but Jade sneaks by.
Rob – Naomi – Naomi gets help to win.
Greg – Jade Cargill – They ain’t beating Jade here.

Tunney’s Take: Jade Cargill – I imagine WWE sees Jade’s ceiling much higher than Naomi’s. What better way to keep Jade climbing the ladder towards a World Title than to pick up a decisive victory in Vegas!

Chairshot Pick: Jade Cargill 8-2-1

AJ – Jacob Fatu – “AJ does a pretty good LA Knight impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – I’m biased, Jacob for President.
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Getting gold back in the Bloodline is smart.
DJ – Jacob Fatu
DPP – Jacob Fatu
Jason – Jacob Fatu – Thanks for coming pal, YEAH!
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – C’mon cuz! All gas no brakes with it. Yadadamean??
Rob – LA Knight – Solo costs Jacob.
Greg – LA Knight – Solo screws Jacob.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – It has been quite the journey for the Samoan Werewolf. I feel like that journey and the positive turn around it has taken deserves to be rewarded. Let’s see what Jacob can do on his own. Plus, LA Knight is ready to challenge for a World Title.

Chairshot Pick: Jacob Fatu 9-2

AJ – Tiffany Straton
Andrew – Tiffany Straton – I hate Charlotte Flair, no objectivity here.
Dave – Charlotte Flair – Tiffy might be the future, but she kinda failed the litmus test.
DJ – Charlotte Flair – The Queen crowns the freshman.
DPP – Tiffany Stratton
Jason – Charlotte Flair – Tiff wasn’t ready for this spot. Charnos is inevitable.
Patrick – Charlotte Flair – Lol Charlotte wins.
Rey – Charlotte Flair – Tiffany SHOULD win but, if Charlotte can squash, she will.
Rob – Charlotte Flair – Charlotte gets number 15.
Greg – Tiffany Stratton – Lol Charlotte wins. (Actually she doesn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Charlotte Flair – Charlotte needs the title for the first time in her career. Tiffy has had a nice run but now needs to take that all important step of not losing momentum after losing the title. Despite the drama and lackluster build here, I see a really good match coming this weekend from these two.

Chairshot Pick: Charlotte Flair 7-4

AJ – El Grande Americano
Andrew – El Grande Americano – I’d like to see Gable gain some momentum. Rey is Teflon.
Dave – El Grand Americano – He needs a marque win much more than Rey.
DJ – Rey Mysterio
DPP – El Grande Americano – Grande wins with the switcheroo to prove he is not Gable.
Jason – Rey Mysterio – Unmask Grande at the end. It is fun but has a shelf life.
Patrick – El Grande Americano – TOTALLY NOT CHAD GABLE
Rey – Rey Mysterio – Someone’s mask is coming off and it ain’t Rey.
Rob – El Grande Americano
Greg – Rey Mysterio – Hall of Famer wins but doesn’t take the mask.

Tunney’s Take: Rey Mysterio – Go listen to DWI 471. DP, Greg and I lay out exactly what this match should be, FUN! Multiple Americanos!!!

Chairshot Pick: El Grande Americano 6-5

AJ – Jey Uso
Andrew – Jey Uso – Kinda booked themselves into a corner here.
Dave – Jey Uso – It just makes sense.
DJ – Jey Uso – Jey YEETS all over The Ring Genreal.
DPP – Jey Uso – Jey wins after normal Gunther beating.
Jason – Jey Uso – Land the plane man. YEET
Patrick – Jey Uso – Jey has earned this one.
Rey – Jey Uso – YEEEEEEEEEEEET!
Rob – Jey Uso – YEET
Greg – Jey Uso – If Jey loses we riot. We don’t cause he wins.

Tunney’s Take: Jey Uso – ‘Til sweat drop down my balls, ‘Til all these bitches crawl, ‘Til all… YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chairshot Pick: Jey Uso 11-0

AJ – Roman Reigns
Andrew – Seth Rollins – I can see Rollins being the last piece of Team Rock.
Dave – Roman Reigns – I can’t see Roman losing two years in a row.
DJ – Seth Rollins – Paul Heyman is a Seth Freakin Rollins guy.
DPP – Seth Rollins – The Rock helps Rollins.
Jason – Roman Reigns – Seth’s favor is a red herring. Make-A-Wish Brooks got his main, now look at the lights.
Patrick – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins… Paul Heyman guy.
Rey – Seth Rollins – I smeeeeellllllll a new soul to sell.
Rob – Roman Reigns – Paul Heyman helps Roman win.
Greg – Seth Rollins – Brock Lesnar returns to help Seth win.

Tunney’s Take: CM Punk – I really have no idea here. I picked Punk because nobody else did. This is going to be professional wrestling cinema at its finest. The story is thick and neatly woven. All the participants are legends and so are the potential party crashers. Will The Rock stick his nose in here? Will Brock Lesnar return to play a factor? Obviously, Paul Heyman has a Plan A… but what is it? All these questions and more will be answered Saturday as night 1 will definitely go out with a bang!

Chairshot Pick: Seth Rollins 6-4-1

AJ – Iyo Sky
Andrew – Iyo Sky – Rhea vs Bianca doesn’t need a belt to be compelling.
Dave – Rhea Ripley – Going with Rhea barely, hoping Iyo wins.
DJ – Iyo Sky – Unfinished business.
DPP – Iyo Sky – Rhea and Bianca are too consumed with each other.
Jason – Iyo Sky – More layers to Rhea/Bianca. Iyo rules.
Patrick – Iyo Sky – Iyo stole the build and gets the win.
Rey – Iyo Sky – Smart money is on the underdog champ.
Rob – Iyo Sky – Iyo survives.
Greg – Bianca Belair – Naomi helps Bianca win and turn heel.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – Rhea is the best women’s wrestler in the world. Give her the biggest win on the grandest stage of them all!!! Bianca needs to go full heel. Iyo has been amazing in this build.

Chairshot Pick: Iyo Sky 8-2-1

AJ – Dominik Mysterio
Andrew – Finn Balor – I can see a Judgement Day meltdown incoming.
Dave – Bron Breakker – Bron is about to become a MegaStar.
DJ – Bron Breakker – Judgement Day implodes.
DPP – Dominik Mysterio – Finn take the pin.
Jason – Penta – I literally do not care because the winner is us, the fans.
Patrick – Bron Breakker – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Dominik Mysterio – Only match without a clear winner. I choose chaos.
Rob – Bron Breakker – Finn and Dom cancel each other out.
Greg – Dominik Mysterio – Dom steals the pin from Bron, on Finn.

Tunney’s Take: Bron Breakker – The case can be made for any of these four to walk away with the most prestigious non-World title in pro wrestling history. The short of it is though that the Main Event picture isn’t really readily accessible for Breakker right now. Let this IC reign go through the summer, to SummerSlam.

Chairshot Pick: Bron Breakker 5-4-1-1

AJ – Damian Priest – “AJ does a pretty good Drew impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Drew McIntyre – Priest has not been interesting in this face incarnation.
Dave – Drew McIntyre – Time for Drew to get that win back.
DJ – Fuck finish – To be continued at Backlash.
DPP – Drew McIntyre – Physical matchup!
Jason – Drew McIntyre – Either one is fine here.
Patrick – Drew McIntyre – With two eyes, Drew turns the tide.
Rey – Drew McIntyre – Low key match of the weekend.
Rob – Damien Priest
Greg – Damien Priest – Priest wins, Drew tweets about it half hour later.

Tunney’s Take: Drew McIntyre – With the addition of the Street fight rules, these two behemoths have a really good chance to have one of the best matches of the entire weekend (winks at Rey Ca$h-A-Mania)! I do wonder what is next for both of these talents moving forward. Priest has staled since leaving the Judgement Day and Drew seems stuck in the same cycle for a while now. Very interested to see what the summer holds for this pair.

Chairshot Pick: Drew McIntyre 7-3-1

WHO WILL BE RANDY’S OPPONENT?!?

AJ – Nick Aldis – Orton wins
Andrew – Orton and Aldis vs Solo and Tama – Orton and Aldis win
Dave – Someone is getting an RKO!
DJ – A segment w/ the Wyatt s6cks.
DPP – Rusev – Aldis introduces Rusev who defeats Orton.
Jason – Nick Aldis – You got one more in ya, bubba. Aldis wins!
Patrick – Nick Aldis
Rey – Solo then Rusev – Solo in a squash and Rusev MATCHKA(wins)
Rob – Nick Aldis – Aldis proves himself, Orton wins.
Greg – Nick Aldis – Orton beats Aldis, they shake after.

Tunney’s Take: I would really love to see a singles match between Orton and Aldis. More likely this is some type of involvement with Solo and Tama. Rusev as a surprise challenger would be cool but, I feel that would be better left for RAW. An impromptu Goldberg retirement match would be crazy and fun, yet highly unlikely and illogical. Whatever happens, best believe exactly what Dave Ungar said, “Someone is getting an RKO!”.

AJ – Logan Paul
Andrew – AJ Styles – Logan doesn’t need the rub and should stay upper mid card.
Dave – Logan Paul – It’s the smart move and would be a statement win for Paul.
DJ – Logan Paul – Kross gets involved somewhere.
DPP – AJ Styles – AJ wins a great high-flying match.
Jason – AJ Styles – Just enjoy it or get a beer, nerds.
Patrick – Logan Paul – Logan Paul will main-event Mania sooner than later…
Rey – Logan Paul – Pass the torch, my wily vet.
Rob – Logan Paul – Kross helps Paul win.
Greg – AJ Styles – Styles wins after Paul’s cheating backfires.

Tunney’s Take: Logan Paul – Logan seems to really have dedicated himself to becoming great in this business. Anyone with that type of goal must have a World title on their mind. Beating AJ at Mania will be a great springboard for Logan into the Main Event sooner than later (winks at Patrick O’Dowd).

Chairshot Pick: Logan Paul 7-4

AJ – Liv & Raquel
Andrew – Liv & Raquel – Not really a fan of Lyra, she needs more work.
Dave – Liv & Raquel – This Bayley and Lyra team makes no damn sense.
DJ – Liv & Raquel – Bayley crashes out.
DPP – Liv & Raquel – Bayley continues a potential heel turn tease.
Jason – Bayley & Lyra – Finish the story!
Patrick – Bayley & Lyra – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Liv and Raquel – Bayley want a title but it ain’t the ones in this match.
Rob – Liv & Raquel – Champs retain.
Greg – Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel retain thanks to Carlito and maybe JD.

Tunney’s Take: Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel need to be kept as the cornerstone of the women’s tag division for a lengthier period of time. Building tag teams in this division is difficult enough, let alone without a North Star.

Chairshot Pick: Liv & Raquel 9-2

AJ – Cody Rhodes
Andrew – Cody Rhodes – They are mentioning it so much, I don’t think 17 happens.
Dave – Joh Cena – Record falls and we head to summer with a built-in storyline.
DJ – John Cena – Some kind of Final Boss involvement.
DPP – John Cena – Cena wins and retires on RAW.
Jason – John Cena – Story’s over, “Captain” BIG MATCH JOHN.
Patrick – John Cena – A record breaking night for Cena.
Rey – John Cena – They’d be really stupid to turn John just to lose. (Post-Mania: Rock, Cena, T Scott, Seth & Drew, TEAM Corporate)
Rob – Cody Rhodes – Cody surprises us with the W.
Greg – Cody Rhodes – Cody wins to piss off Rock and set the table for Cena to turn back face. Crowd is behind Cena all the way through.

Tunney’s Take: Cody Rhodes – They had me until the threat of retirement. Been there. Done that. Didn’t fall in love with it back then. I love John Cena. I love this final run. John will get his 17th just not here. I expect nothing less than an absolute GEM of a match here to close WrestleMania 41. This has all been, is, and will continue to be about Cody Rhodes. WM40 defeats Roman Reigns. WM41 defeats John Cena. WM42 defeats The Rock (The Final Boss).

Chairshot Pick: John Cena 6-5

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We wait all year for this so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

For the latest, greatest and up to datest in coverage, opinions, and podcasts ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit TheCharishot.com

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About Chairshot Radio Network

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Blog

DeMarco: Top 5 Non-Title WrestleMania Matches In WWE History

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show & defined legacies. #WrestleMania #WWEHistory

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2025

Greg DeMarco

Shawn Michaels Kurt Angle WrestleMania 21

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show and defined legacies.

WrestleMania is the Showcase Of The Immortals, but it’s not always the championship matches that steal the show—or define careers. In fact, some of the most iconic, business-defining, and emotionally resonant contests at the Grandest Stage of Them All didn’t feature a title at all. These matches succeeded because of character work, in-ring execution, and the kind of storytelling that sells tickets and moves merch.

Here are the five best non-title matches in WrestleMania history—at least, according to me!

5. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania X8 (2002)

This was never going to be a five-star technical clinic—but it was always going to be the moment. “Icon vs. Icon” was a tagline, sure, but it was also the reality: the biggest star of the ‘80s vs. the biggest star of the Attitude Era. And Toronto turned it into magic. Hogan walked in a heel but walked out immortal (again), with the SkyDome shaking on every punch, every look, every gesture.

What made this work was its self-awareness. Rock and Hogan read the crowd and flipped roles mid-match—Rock became the arrogant aggressor while Hogan Hulked Up to thunderous applause. It’s not often a non-title match headlines a card emotionally the way this one did, but it dominated every headline and highlight reel.

4. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania X (1994)

Sibling rivalries don’t usually lead to technical masterpieces, but then again, this wasn’t your average family drama. Owen and Bret opened WrestleMania X with a wrestling clinic that stood tall over a night packed with title changes. Owen needed to prove he was more than Bret’s little brother, and he did it by out-wrestling the best wrestler in the company. Clean. One-two-three.

It wasn’t just a great match—it was perfect storytelling. Owen’s victory, contrasted with Bret’s later world title win, set the tone for an entire year of brother-vs-brother tension. Bret became champion, but Owen had the moral victory—and all the bragging rights. This is proof that opening matches can steal the show.

3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 25 (2009)

If WrestleMania moments could be trademarked, this match would be the reason why. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels wasn’t about championships—it was about legacy. Michaels wanted to be the man who ended The Streak. The build was steeped in biblical imagery: light vs. dark, heaven vs. hell. And the match? Pure perfection. Each man brought everything they had—near-falls, psychology, reversals that had 70,000+ people gasping in unison.

It was 30 minutes of generational storytelling that transcended pro wrestling. And here’s the kicker—it wasn’t even the main event. Yet it dwarfed everything that followed. Meltzer gave it 4.75 stars, fans gave it their hearts, and WWE gave it a sequel the next year. A match so good it forced the company to run it back—because lightning actually struck.

Now, if THIS MATCH is #3, what could possible be #2 and #1…

2. Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – WrestleMania 13 (1997)

This wasn’t just a match—it was the turning point of an era. The Submission Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was as violent as it was poetic, with Ken Shamrock enforcing the rules and the Chicago crowd growing more frenzied by the second. The brilliance? The shift. Bret Hart, the traditionalist hero, grew darker and more self-righteous by the second, while the disrespectful anti-hero Austin refused to quit, even when drowning in his own blood. There was no title on the line, but the stakes felt bigger than gold.

The infamous double turn changed the business. Austin’s defiance turned him into the voice of a new generation of fans—blue collar, anti-authority, Attitude Era. Meanwhile, Bret would go on to lead the heel Hart Foundation. WWE didn’t need a championship to create a moment that catapulted Austin into superstardom and ignited the company’s hottest era. This match is business-first booking at its absolute best.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21 (2005)

Dream matches often disappoint. This one didn’t. At WrestleMania 21, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle went hold-for-hold and spot-for-spot with Mr. WrestleMania himself, and together they delivered a masterclass in in-ring psychology. Every sequence had stakes, every near-fall had meaning. It was a stylistic war: Michaels’ heart vs. Angle’s intensity.

Angle forcing Michaels to tap was a statement—it told fans that pure wrestling, not just spectacle, could still main-event caliber storytelling without any need for a title. Michaels sold the ankle lock like death, and Angle’s post-match collapse sold the moment as a hard-fought war. This is the kind of match that keeps purists up at night, smiling, and leaves the storytelling fans like myself as happy as can be!

10 Honorable Mentions (Not Honorable, Just For The Heck Of It)

Edge vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22 (2006)
A hardcore war that solidified Edge as a top-tier main eventer. That flaming table spear is still played in every Edge highlight reel.
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 (2017)
Everyone expected smoke and mirrors—what they got was a surprisingly technical, high-energy opener that kicked off the show right.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 28 (2012)
“End of an Era” wasn’t just a tagline. The Hell in a Cell match, with HBK as referee, was a brutal epilogue to a generation’s legacy.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XIX (2003)
A student-teacher battle of wills. Jericho’s low blow post-match was the perfect heel punctuation to a career-defining contest.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (2015)
The greatest RKO of all time. That curb stomp reversal belongs in a museum.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show – WrestleMania XXIV (2008)
More sports-entertainment than wrestling, but a crossover moment that made mainstream headlines and paid off with a great finish.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis – WrestleMania III (1987)
A retirement match with big heat, a hot crowd, and Piper walking off into the sunset (for a minute).
The Firefly Funhouse Match – John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – WrestleMania 36 (2020)
Cinematic weirdness at its best. A meta masterstroke that broke Cena down in layers.
Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs. The Miz & John Morrison – WrestleMania 37 (2021)
Bad Bunny stunned everyone. He didn’t just belong—he elevated the show.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio – WrestleMania 39 (2023)
Father vs. son in a grudge match that played perfectly off real-life drama and Hall of Fame weekend emotions.

Some of these matches shaped legacies. Others shifted eras. But all of them proved that the most memorable moments at WrestleMania don’t need a title—they just need truth in the storytelling and fire in the execution.