Top 15 Wrestling Rivals with the Best in-Ring Chemistry

Some wrestlers just fit together like cogs in a machine.  Which of them have combined to make the most epic matches?

Who are the absolute best pairs of ring warriors?  In a fantasy supercard, which pairs of wrestlers would we want to see? 

This is not an examination of great feuds or the Rock and Stone Cold would be higher, but a ranking of how two guys worked together. 

The number of times they've faced off is factored in, giving wrestlers who've given us more classics than we count a higher ranking.

The more Matches of the Year awards and five-star matches the better.

Honorable Mention

Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage

Ric Flair and Harley Race

Mankind and Undertaker

CM Punk and Samoa Joe

Jake Roberts and Rick Rude

Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair

AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels

Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero

15. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit

Two of the best technical wrestlers we've ever seen were not surprisingly amazing in the ring together. 

Their similar styles had them performing numerous counters and reversals during their battles.  Watching Benoit and Angle, it was easy to be sucked into the story of the match. 

Of course, Benoit is remembered for all the wrong reasons, but we should not erase the Wolverine's wondrous clashes with Kurt Angle from our memories.

Classics between them:

WrestleMania Triple Threat with Chris Jericho

WrestleMania 17

Unforgiven 2002

Royal Rumble 2003

14. Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle

Two former collegiate wrestlers and two of WWE's biggest stars at the time had audiences enthralled with every clash.

Their matches were the perfect blend of technical wrestling, storytelling and action.   

A majority of the best moments of Lesnar's career were with Angle.  Angle made Lesnar better and Lesnar brought out the absolute best out of Angle.

Unfortunately for wrestling fans, Lesnar has not been involved with pro wrestling for years, preventing us from seeing any new classics from them.

Classics between them:

WrestleMania XIX

(Iron Man Match) Smackdown 2003

SummerSlam 2003

Angle vs. Lesnar vs. Big Show (Triple Threat) Vengeance 2003

13. Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada

Misawa makes his case as one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers ever by appearing two times on this list.

American audiences are obviously not as familiar with Kawada vs. Misawa as the Japanese, but they'd be overjoyed to discover the epic battles these two men fought over the years.

The former tag partners had an instinctive feel for countering each other.  Their similar size, Kawada's stiff kicks and Misawa's overall mastery helped the pair earn numerous five star matches from Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Their matches intensified as they went on, until the drama boiled over, the crowd whipped into a hot froth.

Classics between them:

1994 (W.O.N. Five Star Match)

1995 Kawada with Akira Taue vs Misawa with Kobashi

1997 (W.O.N. Five Star Match)

1997 Kawada with Akira Taue vs. Misawa and Jun Akiyama

12. Bret Hart and Owen Hart

How lucky was WWE to have two extremely talented brothers on their roster?  The sibling rivalry and family torn apart angles were just waiting to happen.

Few guys have a longer history together than Owen and Bret, going back to their days in Stu Hart's dungeon. 

Add the fact that both Harts were superbly talented in terms of technical wrestling, that Bret could tell a story like few others in the ring and Owen was an accomplished high-flyer and they were bound to create magic with every encounter.

Classics between them:

WrestleMania X

Summerslam 1994 Cage Match

1994 Lumberjack Match

11. The Rock and Mankind

Everything about these two men was in stark contrast.

The handsome, well-built, athletic and charismatic Brahma Bull spent much of 1999 battling the chubby, plodding, deranged brute that is Mankind.

While not a minute of their matches resembled anything technical, their often vicious brawls were a big part of the Attitude Era's success.   

Austin and Rock often gets more attention, but he and Mankind had something special as well. 

Classics between them:

Survivor Series 1998

Royal Rumble 1999 I Quit Match

1999 RAW Ladder Match

10. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels

Not to take anything away from Chris Jericho, but Shawn Michaels had great chemistry with everyone. 

Anytime he had the opportunity to face off with someone as talented as Jericho, Michaels seemed to elevate his game; the bigger the stage, the bigger the performance.

Jericho's skills parallel Michaels' in many ways and every match of theirs featured a gorgeous blend of high-flying, superbly constructed drama and fast paced action.

No wasted motion between them, the two master storytellers entertained us again and again.

Classics between them:

WrestleMania XIX

Great American Bash 2008

No Mercy 2008 Ladder Match

2008 RAW Last Man Standing Match

9. Triple H and Shawn Michaels

The best rivals are sometimes the best of friends.

Real-life friends and DX members, Triple H and Shawn Michaels have switched from friend to foe and back again more than a few times.

Every time they faced off, the stakes felt high and their hatred was always steamed up the screen. 

Triple H's power contrasted perfectly with HBK's speed and both of these men could make any match feel epic. 

Classics between them:

Summerslam 2002

Armageddon 2002 3 Stages of Hell

Wrestlemania XX Triple Threat with Chris Benoit

Bad Blood 2004 Hell in a Cell

Survivor Series 2009 Triple Threat with John Cena

8. Stone Cold and Bret Hart

A rising star at the time, Steve Austin truly made his mark on WWE fans through his feud with Bret Hart.

The technician vs. the fighter contrast and their ability to drench a match with drama from start to finish made every encounter unmissable.

They did not get nearly enough opportunities to shine together. 

Stone Cold may not have even become the star he was if not for that match at WrestleMania 13 that cemented his place as the toughest S.O.B. in the business and proved without a doubt what a megastar he was. 

Classics between them:

Survivor Series 1996

1997 In Your House 13 Four Corner Elimination Match with Vader and Undertaker

WrestleMania 13 Submission Match

1997 In Your House 14

7. Sting and Ric Flair

Perhaps no two wrestlers' careers are more linked than Flair's and Sting's.  Their rivalry and the great matches that the rivalry produced became the cornerstones of WCW in the early '90s.

Sting, the ultimate babyface (at the time) and Flair, the dirtiest player in the game turned the ring into a stage.  Their battles were pure theater. 

TNA has recently tried to recreate their old magic, but Flair is many years past his prime and Sting isn't the same guy he was years ago.

 Classics between them:

1988 Clash of the Champions I

1989 at the Omni

Great American Bash 1990

1995 World War 3

6. The Rock and Stone Cold

Rating these two icons on their overall feud, you'd be hard pressed not to give them the number one spot. 

They were the perfect compliments to each other and had a huge hand in having WWE beat out WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

Both were capable of more technical wrestling than they demonstrated in their intense, brutal brawls.  Everyone pretends to hate each other while wrestling, but no one made it feel more real than Austin and the Rock.

Their WrestleMania matches will be treasured forever.

Classics between them:

WrestleMania 15

Backlash 1999

WrestleMania 17

Rebellion 2001

WrestleMania 19

5. Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero

Rey and Eddie were great friends who were almost like family.  This translated into fantastic chemistry. 

Both employed a heavily Lucha Libre influenced style, both were extremely quick in their primes and both were among the hardest workers in the business. 

Whether battling on WCW programming or feuding in WWE, they never disappointed.  They brought out the best in each other and their mutual respect was obvious every time they locked up.  

Classics between them:

Halloween Havoc 1997

Summerslam 2005

Great American Bash 2005

WrestleMania 21

4. Undertaker and Shawn Michaels

Their two WrestleMania all-time classics alone would earn them a spot here, but Michaels and the Undertaker have always had great chemistry.

Had Michaels not injured his back in their 1998 casket match, they could have given us a few more thrilling wars between them. 

An odd pairing on paper, the much bigger Undertaker and the quicker Michaels were apparently made for each other. 

There are few wrestlers who tell a better story in the ring and build up drama from start to finish. 

Classics between them:

1997 Ground Zero: In Your House

Badd Blood 1997 Hell in a Cell

WrestleMania XXV

WrestleMania XXVI Streak vs. Career

3. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels

Their real-life animosity, drenched in respect, mixed with their immense talent produced some of the greatest matches ever. 

Michaels and Hart made the ideal rivals; American vs. Canadian, humble vs. cocky, the established veteran against the up and coming star. 

The Hitman brought phenomenal technical skills, Michaels brought his acrobatic ability and a sparkling showmanship. 

From their days as members of the Hart Foundation and the Rockers to the infamous Montreal Screwjob, these two men enthralled audiences whenever they faced off.

Classics between them:

1990 Wrestling Challenge

1992 Ladder Match

Survivor Series 1992

WrestleMania XII  Iron Man Match 

2. Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi

The friend turned enemy, partner turned rival angle has been played out time and time again.  Their story was nothing new, but almost no one wrestlers put on a better show together.

American fans may find their matches too slowly paced, but plenty can appreciate the mastery of in-ring storytelling that the two icons possessed. 

Counting their tag matches on opposing teams in 1999, Misawa and Kobashi have compiled four 5 star matches as opponents. 

Both Misawa and Kobashi saved their best for each other. 

Classics between them:

1997 Triple Crown Heavyweight Title Match

1998 Triple Crown Heavyweight Title Match

1998 Misawa and Takao Omori vs. Jinsei Shinzaki and Kobashi

1999 Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Takao Omori and Kobashi

2003 GHC Heavyweight Title Match

2004 10-Minute Time Limit

1. Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair

The feud between these two legends spanned decades and with good reason.  They were a perfect match for each other.

The soft spoken family man went head to head with the brash, playboy in classic after classic.

In their prime, Steamboat and Flair were among the best wrestlers ever.  Their matches were paced to perfection; they went back and forth with a beautiful grace. 

It's surprising that promotions didn't try to milk their chemistry even more.  Flair and Steamboat had three five star matches together and certainly could have had more. 

Classics between them:

1977 TV title match

WrestleWar 1989

Chi-Town Rumble 189

1989 Clash of the Champions VI 2 out of 3 falls