Best WWE Golden Era Matches, Ranked & Reviewed By Quality

WWE’s Golden Era was the period of time in which the promotion boomed into both national and worldwide notoriety, with Vince McMahon’s empire steadily taking over the professional wrestling business. The “Golden Era” of WWE, which saw the rise of WrestleMania, the boom of HulkaMania, and birth of the wrestling PPV, is considered to be between the years of 1984 and 1993, and in that time we saw several incredible matches.

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look back at WWE’s Golden Era to determine which matches were the absolute best of the best. These ratings will be compared to those from Cagematch.net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

8

Hulk Hogan Vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WWE WrestleMania 7)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.35

Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior was the perfect example of how to execute a world class match without really doing too much to push the boat in terms of technical work and high workrate. Hogan & Warrior did all the little things to perfection, whether it be something as simple as a “test of strength”.

Holding the crowd in the palm of their hands in one of the most buzzing atmospheres ever seen in WWE, these two larger than life stars collided in a classic WrestleMania main event, producing one of the best Golden Era matches. Despite Hogan being WWE’s biggest babyface, this match saw Warrior showcase wild resilience to overcome everything thrown his way, managing to beat Hogan right at the death to stand tall as both WWE & Intercontinental Champion.

7

Ric Flair Vs. Randy Savage (WWE WrestleMania 8)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.57

It is of no surprise that Ric Flair & Randy Savage, two of the biggest names during the Golden Era of wrestling, put on a clinic when they collided at WrestleMania 8. Even though it would have been nice to see this match in the main event, their WWE Championship battle proved to be the best match on the card.

Flair’s mind games were fantastic, the in-ring work was near flawless, the audience created a big fight feel, and the intensity and hatred between the two was well felt. In the end, it was a feel-good title change in which Savage overcame a bloodied Flair to stand tall.

6

Randy Savage Vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WWE WrestleMania 7)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.43

With Randy Savage’s professional wrestling career on the line, the stakes of his match with The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 7 could not have been higher, leading to a tense, emotional, and thunderous atmosphere during their battle that took the crowd through a journey.

No matter how much Savage (and his dastardly manager Sensational Sherri) tried, they simply could not find a way to defeat Warrior, who was resilient and displayed supreme babyface energy. It might not have been a technical clinic but the emotion and storytelling was top tier, leading to Savage’s heartbreaking loss and iconic reunion with Miss Elizabeth.

5

Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect (WWE King Of The Ring 1993)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.61

The King Of The Ring 1993 PPV is considered to be the final one of WWE’s Golden Era, just allowing this classic between Bret Hart & Mr. Perfect to sneak into the conversation for being one of the best bouts of this period.

After both men had already survived matches earlier in the night, Hart & Perfect showcased unreal psychology, selling, urgency, and more in their King Of The Ring semi-final matchup, displaying their very natural chemistry in the process. Perfect teased several times that he’d revert to some underhanded tactics, which was a nice element that kept the crowd invested, but in the end it was Hart who outsmarted his opponent to win the bout.

4

The Glamour Girls Vs. Jumping Bomb Angels (WWE On MSG Network 11/24/87)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: N/A
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.56

In an era where women’s wrestling was irrelevant in WWE, this tag team match involving Itsuki Yamazaki, Noriyo Tateno, Judy Martin & Leilani Kai was so ahead of its time that it took three decades for WWE to catch up.

Everything in this match was fast, smooth, impactful, and engaging, winning over the crowd with their sensational work between the ropes. The Jumping Bomb Angels ran wild, the Glamor Girls tried their utmost to slow them down, creating an enthralling dynamic that had the crowd going wild for the babyfaces. This match holds up today as one of WWE’s greatest women’s matches.

3

Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect (WWE SummerSlam 1991)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.76

Two of WWE’s best pure in-ring workers collided for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1991, putting together a clinic of mat-based offense, flawless counters, world class psychology, and masterful babyface and heel work that controlled the crowd with ease.

The match steadily built up in momentum, leading to a fun crescendo which saw Perfect tap out quickly to Hart’s Sharpshooter. The ending was arguably a little rushed with how quick Perfect submitted, but the crowd reaction was enormous regardless.

2

Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog (WWE SummerSlam 1992)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.03

In front of a red hot crowd inside the iconic Wembley Stadium, hometown hero The British Bulldog overcame Bret Hart to win the Intercontinental Championship in all-timer SummerSlam moment, and it proved to be one the Golden Era’s best title wins.

Even though Bulldog wasn’t in the best of physical conditions, Hart masterfully took them both through a belter of a matchup with fluid moves, technical wizardly, big moments, and a brilliant sense of urgency to try and win the contest. With how well this match ended up, it was impossible to tell that one of the two competitors was out of sorts.

1

Randy Savage Vs. Ricky Steamboat (WWE WrestleMania 3)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.97

Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat made history by having what is considered to be the first ever “classic” WrestleMania match. In front of one of WWE’s biggest ever crowds, these two icons battled for WWE’s workhorse championship in a match that was way ahead of its time with a fast pace, high risk moves, smooth and fluid technical exchanges, and more.

When comparing it to some of the matches of today it might not age as well, but without this match delivering on the level it did, those matches might not exist in the modern day. It is an example of how to deliver an in-ring story in the most effective way possible. Steamboat’s win capped this Golden Era classic off with a great moment.