Shawn Michaels making the boyhood dream come true at WrestleMania XII. The Austin Era officially beginning at WrestleMania XIV. Ric Flair lasting over an hour in the Royal Rumble. Bret Hart and the 1-2-3 Kid putting on a classic on an episode of Raw. These are some of the most iconic WWE Championship matches from the '90s.
With title matches happening less frequently during that decade, we often remember most of them. Still, there were a bunch of great WWE Championship bouts that flew under the radar or are forgotten. Whether it was due to the stars involved or the significance of the event, these contests deserved to be remembered better.
10 Hulk Hogan vs. The Macho King - The Main Event 2/23/90
A spinoff of Saturday Night's Main Event, The Main Event was an even rarer show for the company during the '80s and early '90s. This night featured a huge clash as it offered fans a rematch of the previous year's WrestleMania headliner.
This time, it was Hulk Hogan entering as the defending champion. Macho Man, having adopted a king gimmick, was his challenger. As always, during their WWE run, the two put on an exciting match together. The finish was controversial as guest enforcer Buster Douglas counted fast for Hogan's win.
9 Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna - Raw 2/28/94
With WWE in dire need of star power, it makes no sense that they relegated Randy Savage to commentary. He could still go and was wildly popular. Savage would return to the ring sporadically and it led to one of the better TV matches of the era.
Yokozuna was enjoying a lengthy reign as WWE Champion. The big man just hadn't been having many good matches. Savage played the underdog role perfectly and had the fans believing he'd be the one to finally beat Yokozuna. Crush would interfere to cause a DQ and further his feud with Savage but what fans got before that was entertaining.
8 Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker - A Cold Day In Hell 1997
The rivalry between Stone Cold and The Undertaker was a pivotal one during the Attitude Era. Fans recall the "highway to hell" and their SummerSlam 1998 meeting. They also remember the Higher Power storyline and the wars they had during 1999.
Yet this match is barely ever discussed. That's a shame because it is probably their best together. At In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell, the two met in a hidden gem. There was some involvement from the Hart Foundation at ringside but that didn't hurt the confrontation. Undertaker won a series of Tombstone counters to retain.
7 Randy Savage vs. Shawn Michaels - Euro Rampage 92
Not many people even remember that this match ever happened. There are some hidden classics available in the Coliseum Home Video section of the WWE Network, which is where you can find Euro Rampage 92.
Shortly after Randy Savage won the title at WrestleMania VIII, he defended it against rising star Shawn Michaels in Sheffield, England. They put on a great match for nearly 20 minutes that captivated the crowd and was unlike anything else on the show.
6 The Undertaker vs. Vader - Canadian Stampede 1997
There's a very good chance that In Your House: Canadian Stampede might be the best WWE pay-per-view of the '90s. It's that good. The show lasts about two hours and only has four matches but each of them is pretty fantastic.
One of them is a WWE Championship battle of the behemoths. Vader had beaten The Undertaker at Royal Rumble earlier in the year. This meeting was far better and saw two big men slugging it out. Undertaker gained a measure of revenge on this night.
5 Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker - One Night Only 1997
The reason so many people don't know about this match is that they probably didn't even get the chance to see it. That sounds odd considering it's a WWE Title fight between two of the company's biggest stars in history.
When One Night Only, a UK-exclusive show, was released on VHS, it had to be cut down to two hours. That meant a classic between Undertaker and Bret Hart was removed. The match was hidden until it was put on a Bret Hart DVD set and is now available on the WWE Network. Seek it out because it's arguably better than their SummerSlam 1997 outing.
4 Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior - SummerSlam 1992
Whenever people talk about The Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man, their minds tend to go to WrestleMania VII. There's a good reason for that since that Retirement Match is one of the best in WrestleMania history and is filled with emotion.
Both Savage and Warrior made returns to WWE and by the summer of 1992, they had this rematch. It's often overlooked because of the Bret Hart/British Bulldog main event. In the middle of the show, these two nearly stole the show with great action and a compelling story involving Ric Flair.
3 Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels - Good Friends, Better Enemies 1996
Shawn Michaels winning the WWE Title at WrestleMania XII came a year after he failed to do so against Diesel. Their roles had reversed by 1996 and a month after Shawn's victory, he was pitted against the now treacherous Big Daddy Cool.
At In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies, the two put on an incredible match. With a No Holds Barred stipulation, they threw everything at each other. It was the end of Diesel's WWE run and he went out on a high note.
2 Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker vs. Vader - Final Four 1997
The 1997 Royal Rumble match ended in controversy. Steve Austin was eliminated but the referees missed it. He snuck back in to eliminate The Undertaker, Vader, and Bret Hart. An injury to Shawn Michaels and a vacated WWE Title meant the four would go at it for the gold.
With elimination rules, including being thrown over the top, this was unique. It was a brutal contest, with Vader gushing blood at points. It came down to Hart and Undertaker, and it was Bret who was able to secure his fourth WWE Title.
1 Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog - Season's Beatings 1995
Similar to a few earlier entries, this is a match that gets lost in the shuffle because they have a more famous meeting under their belts. As noted, Hart and Bulldog had what many consider to be one of the best matches in history at SummerSlam 1992.
However, this might have been better. Fresh off of winning the title, Hart faced a villainous Bulldog. This turned out to be a bloodbath and was different from that SummerSlam match. They still played off of it, including a moment that mimicked the finish from that one. Bret retained, seemingly out of desperation, against his brother-in-law.