Passing the torch moments in professional wrestling can be important, with a top star giving the rub to the next in line to become a big name. The matches are often built up heavily and given a lot of focus in order to have as much hype as possible, but that doesn't mean it always works.
Sometimes a passing of the torch moment can feel genuine, emotional, and it creates an unforgettable moment that stands the test of time. But when it feels forced, the match often fails to pack the same feelings that people are hoping for in the first place, which instantly makes it disappointing.
10 Match That Worked: Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus (SummerSlam, 2019)
There hasn't been many genuine passing of the torch moments in women's wrestling, but Charlotte Flair defeating Trish Stratus was certainly one of them. The two women who are often labeled as the best ever in WWE going toe to toe just made sense.
The build-up was well done, which made the moment feel even greater, and the match they had was competitive and enjoyable. It was filled with respect and felt genuine, which truly put Charlotte over.
9 Felt Forced: The Rock vs. John Cena (WrestleMania XXIX)
This match was incredibly forced by WWE at the time, simply to give John Cena his win back and let The Rock pass the torch. WWE built up their previous clash as 'Once In A Lifetime' so the fact they did this match in the first place shows how forced this was.
John Cena didn't need the victory at that point in his career, and while it was nice to see Rock pass the torch on, this moment would have worked better the first time around.
8 Match That Worked: Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock (SummerSlam, 2002)
While The Rock putting over John Cena did feel forced, the moment he passed the torch to Brock Lesnar didn't. At this time, Brock had dominated as the Next Big Thing, and it was clear that he was going to be a big star in wrestling.
The Rock was the true top star at the time, so having Lesnar dominate him to become World Champion felt like the right moment. It's what fans wanted to see and it cemented Lesnar as the true main event star, which is the purpose of a passing the torch match.
7 Felt Forced: Braun Strowman vs. Big Show (Raw, 9/4/17)
Whenever a new big man appears in WWE it feels like the company always has to have an older big man put them over. It's a passing of the torch in the big man world, and it's something that isn't needed.
For Braun Strowman, that came in a feud with Big Show, which was only kept to Raw, which is when it clearly became forced, not feeling like a special moment at all. It was simply done to put Braun over as the new monster in town, but smashing Big Show through a steel cage wasn't needed to tell people that.
6 Match That Worked: Sting vs. Ric Flair (Great American Bash, 1990)
This moment helped to solidify Sting as the next big star in wrestling, with Ric Flair doing the honors. It was built up well with Sting climbing the ladder to eventually get his big moment against the biggest star in wrestling at the time. Few could put over a babyface like Ric Flair in his prime, so the stars aligned perfectly for this one.
The Nature Boy losing was the right call and the fact that Sting went on to become one of the biggest names in wrestling history, proves that this moment was well worth it.
5 Felt Forced: Magnus vs. Sting (Bound For Glory, 2013)
Sting tried to repay the passing of the torch moment to the wrestling business during his time in TNA, and his feud with Magnus was the big one for that. However, this is a moment that indeed felt forced, as Sting was still working at a high level at this point.
Magnus's big victory at Bound For Glory was supposed to be the moment he truly broke out. However, while the Englishman was a great talent in TNA, he never quite got to the level of being the true face of the company.
4 Match That Worked: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley (Backlash, 2004)
This match still holds up as one of the best in each man's careers which says a lot about the quality of it. The storyline felt genuine due to Randy Orton's legend killer character at the time, with Mick Foley's hardcore style being the perfect opponent for that young, arrogant kid.
It was great character work as nobody expected that Orton would be able to stand up and deal with Foley's aggression. However, that is exactly what he did in a match that saw everyone gain respect for the young Viper.
3 Felt Forced: The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz (Hell In A Cell, 2015)
The storyline between The Dudley Boyz and The New Day was entertaining for the most part, but the passing of the torch moment was a forced one. It was clear what the company wanted with the legendary team being there to put over the upcoming group.
It did help The New Day, but it isn't exactly a moment that is still spoken about, which is because it was forced overall, and why it didn't end up working.
2 Match That Worked: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania X8)
There's no doubt that this was the greatest passing of the torch moment in wrestling history. It's one of the greatest matches of all time and the moment felt as genuine as it gets, with the two legends having a fantastic encounter in front of a red-hot crowd.
While The Rock was already an established name by this point, defeating Hulk Hogan and having his arm raised just took him to a new level. It was a crucial moment in his career and is something that absolutely worked and felt genuine.
1 Felt Forced: Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 33)
The problem with this match is that it wasn't very good, with The Undertaker clearly not being in the right condition to compete. However, WWE still forced it through and it meant that the impact was lost, with this feeling like a forced segment to put Roman over as the Big Dog.
The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak was already broken at this point too, which meant that the victory had less meaning than it could have had. Had Roman ended the streak himself, this would have been great, but giving 'Taker a second WrestleMania defeat just felt forced to push Roman.