While this list is in no way inclusive to every moment that has shaped our beloved business, this is my view as to the top moments that changed professional wrestling forever. I'm not going to preface it, because there is no way to preface some of the greatest turning points in sports entertainment. So, enjoy the read, and hopefully, enjoy the ensuing debate!
5. The Four Horsemen. Simply put, before the Four Horsemen arrived on the scene, wrestling was primarily about one or two men going up against another one or two men. There had been loose friendships before in the business, but when Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Arn & Ole Anderson, with the managerial services of J.J. Dillon, formed up their posse, they changed the way business was done.
Furthermore, they set the stage for stables down the line—guys who may not always, and oftentimes rarely do, wrestle together exclusively, but rather guys who watch out for each other, both in the ring and behind the curtain.
Before the Horsemen, you only had to worry about your opponents in the ring, their managers, and potentially other wrestlers you might have had a beef with. With the Horsemen, you knew that, even if you were only "riding" against one member, you were riding against all four or five.
4. The T.I.T. Final. What, you don't remember the T.I.T. final? Yes, you do. The Terri Invitational Tournament was a best-of-five series between two up-and-coming teams for $100,000 and the rights to the managerial services of Terri Runnels. The two teams? The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian. The final match? A ladder match at No Mercy 1999, with the money and contract suspended high in the air.
Ladder matches were not new. Tag matches were not new. Stipulation matches were not new. And death-defying moves in matches were not new. What was new was combining them all, and doing it with four guys, none of whom were particularly physically imposing. In the ladder matches and Hell In A Cell matches and all the matches before that, at least one of the competitors was a fairly large individual.
The same couldn't be said for this match. Further, they not only got wicked violent, but did so in some of the most innovative ways the business had ever seen. The new innovation has led to an era where it's not only cool to get extreme, but to top your opponent in doing so. Like a suplex from the top of a ladder?
How's about someone using a ladder as a ramp against another ladder to perform a clothesline? How's about someone spearing a person that's hanging onto the prize above? How's about a moonsault while holding a ladder? Thanks to the innovation of Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Adam Copeland, and Jay Reso, we have seen all these, and more.
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