Vince McMahon Jr, who took over the company in 1982, put the WWE Championship on larger-than-life characters like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior during The Golden Era as he wanted to turn WWE into a national (and eventually international) success. Although that was the company's main goal, some great technical wrestlers did get to win the WWE Championship during that time.
Related
10 Best WWE Wrestlers Of The Golden Era, Ranked By Skill
WWE's Golden Era is famous for its larger-than-life superstars, but there were also some great technical wrestlers on the roster back in the day.
WWE had always been known as a 'babyface territory' because their face champions held the gold for years - particularly Bruno Sammartino. That tradition was still alive early into the Golden Era, with Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan both holding the WWE Championship for a very long time. But WWE was forced to change its business model as the company went through some scandals in the early 1990s. In 1993, Hulk Hogan's departure led to the end of the era. Here are the best WWE Championship matches of the Golden Era.
Every WWE Champion Of The Golden Era (June 1982-June 1993) | Number of reigns during the Golden Era | Combined days during the Golden Era |
|---|---|---|
Bob Backlund | 1 | 569 days |
The Iron Sheik | 1 | 28 days |
Hulk Hogan | 5 | 2157 days |
Andre the Giant | 1 | 0 days |
Randy Savage | 2 | 520 days |
The Ultimate Warrior | 1 | 293 days |
Sgt. Slaughter | 1 | 64 days |
The Undertaker | 1 | 6 days |
Ric Flair | 2 | 118 days |
Bret Hart | 1 | 174 days |
Yokozuna | 1 | 0 days |
To learn more about how we rank wrestling matches on TheSportster, please check out our match ranking criteria guide here.
10 Bret Hart Vs. Razor Ramon (Royal Rumble 1993)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.5/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 3.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.20
The final years of the Golden Era might not have been as successful as some previous years, but it did give us some of the most exciting WWE Championship matches of the whole era. Bret Hart was one of the best wrestlers in the world when he won his first WWE Title , defending the gold in enjoyable matches against several different opponents for about half a year.
At the last Royal Rumble event of the Golden Era, The Hitman had one of the best title defenses of his first reign against newcomer Razor Ramon. Fans loved Ramon's vignettes and charisma, but this was his first chance to show he could deliver in the ring on a big stage. They had a great match with a dramatic finish, which saw Hart applying the Sharpshooter while both men were down on the canvas.
9 Randy Savage Vs. Shawn Michaels (UK Rampage 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: N/R
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.79
Some readers might be surprised to Shawn Michaels' name on this list. While The Heartbreak Kid only became WWE Champion years after the Golden Era ended and he was still a midcarder at the time, he did get a rare WWE Title shot against newly-crowned champion Macho Man Randy Savage at UK Rampage in April 1992.
You can tell it was a great match just by looking at the names involved. Michaels wasn't in his prime yet, Savage was almost 40 years old and the match was predictable, but it was still an awesome bout. In a perfect world with both men in their prime, this had the potential to be one of the greatest matches of all time.
8 Hulk Hogan Vs. Andre The Giant (WrestleMania 3)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 0.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 1 Star
- Cagematch.net Rating: 5.61
Everyone has an opinion about this match, regardless if they love it or hate it. We won't pretend it was a technical masterpiece - it obviously wasn't. But we also can't ignore the fact that it was one of the biggest spectacles in professional wrestling history. Everything else about the match was perfect , and the fact everyone still talks about it nearly 4 decades later proves it.
The match started with one of the best nearfalls of all time; as Hogan tried to slam Andre in the first seconds of the match, Andre fell on top of the champion and almost won. The match built from there, with Hogan selling the back until he made his comeback, slammed the big man and dropped the big leg. The nearfall in the beginning of the match allowed them to carry the story into the next year.
7 Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 1.75/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.31
Shawn Michaels grew as a performer in 1992. He was just starting out as a singles wrestler when he challenged Savage, having defeated El Matador in a midcard match at WrestleMania 8. By November, Michaels was already the Intercontinental Champion who was about to start an intense rivalry with his former partner, Marty Jannetty. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart had their first WWE PPV main event match at Survivor Series 1992.
Related
From friends to heated rivals, to being on good terms again, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have had an interesting relationship throughout the years!
They closed out the big event by putting on a 26-minute wrestling clinic. The buildup might've been far from the greatest, but they worked hard. The action was great and the selling in particular was tremendous. The small detail of the veteran Bret outwrestling Michaels in the beginning, only for Michaels to slowly get the upper hand as the match grew longer due to The Hitman's grueling schedule as champion, was brilliant.
6 Hulk Hogan Vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania 6)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.49
During the Golden Era, Hulk Hogan was the golden goose. As Hogan got older in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, Vince McMahon chose The Ultimate Warrior as his company's next headliner. Warrior got more and more over as the Intercontinental Champion, so McMahon decided the torch passing moment would take place at WrestleMania 6 in Toronto, Canada.
The world stopped when this match was booked, with fans - especially kids - not knowing who to support. The two unstoppable forces battled at 'Mania 6 in a match that exceeded expectations. The match was very good and the crowd loved every second of it. In the end, Warrior managed to escape Hogan's Leg Drop, splashed The Hulkster and pinned him to become the new WWE Champion.
5 Ric Flair Vs. Bret Hart (WWE House Show, October 12, 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: N/R
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.72
Speaking of torch passing moments. While nowhere near as big or memorable as the main event of WrestleMania 6 - it took place at a house show in Saskatoon, Canada - Bret Hart captured his first WWE Championship in one hell of a wrestling match against 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair.
The two legends had a back-and-forth battle, with both wrestlers going after the legs as they tried to set up for their respective submission finishers. The Hitman ended up coming out on top that night, winning the title by forcing Naitch to submit to his patented Sharpshooter.
4 Randy Savage Vs. The Ultimate Warrior (SummerSlam 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.31
Randy Savage had some awesome matches during his second WWE Title reign. After great matches with the likes of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, Macho Man managed to have a classic with The Ultimate Warrior. More than a year after their heated Retirement Match at WrestleMania 7, the pair went at it over Savage's WWE Championship in Wembley Stadium.
The match between Bret Hart and The British Bulldog at that event was so good that people often forget about this great battle. Warrior and Savage had a fantastic WWE Title match, and chances are it would've been even higher on the list if it had a better finish.
3 Randy Savage Vs. Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 5)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 2.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.21
As we mentioned in the previous entry, Savage had incredible title match after incredible title match in his second reign. But his first reign was more memorable because of the epic storyline with Hulk Hogan. When Hogan and Savage joined forces as The Mega Powers, they ruled WWE throughout 1988. Nobody could stop them.
Related
Mega Powers: The Hulk Hogan/ Randy Savage Rivalry, Explained
Macho Man and Hulk Hogan are two of wrestling's biggest icons. Their rivalry spanned decades and is laid out here.
Eventually, jealousy and ego were the only tag team that could take The Mega Powers down. Macho Man turned heel heading into the main event of WrestleMania 5, where the former partners stole the show. They closed out 'Mania 5 with an intense fight that culminated with Hogan winning the WWE Championship for a second time.
2 Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.67
Usually, we avoid including Royal Rumble matches in these kinds of articles because, in many cases, half of the entries would be Rumble matches only. But we can't talk about the best WWE Championship matches of the Golden Era without mentioning Royal Rumble 1992, so we have to make an exception.
Not only was it one of the greatest Rumble matches of all time, but the booking was beyond perfect. Ric Flair had history with most of the participants, which made it fun from start to finish since Flair came in at number three. Flair won the WWE Championship by last eliminating the late great Sid Justice with help from Hulk Hogan.
We can't ignore Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, who put on a show on commentary.
1 Ric Flair Vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania 8)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.54
After winning the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 1992, The Nature Boy carried the gold heading into WrestleMania 8. Fans wanted to see a showdown with Hulk Hogan , but the company decided to book The Hulkster against Sid Justice. Instead, Flair defended the WWE Championship against Randy Savage in a fantastic matchup.
The in-ring action was amazing, but the build-up and the heat between Flair and Savage is what took this match to the next level. Fans felt Savage really wanted to destroy Flair after what he'd said about Miss Elizabeth. Savage was intense right from the get go, while Flair managed to use that to his own advantage due to his mind games. Still, Savage was able to come out on top, winning the WWE Championship for the second time in his career.
