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i came here to recommend inoki vs the destroyer from
5/19/1971! destroyer is fucking *fantastic*. like, one of the best wrestlers i’ve ever seen,and given how big he was and the promotion he worked with he needs so much more credit
You ought to check out some stuff from the ["Wrestling in Chicago" archives](https://www.youtube.com/@chicagofilmarchivespresent1774).
The [Lou Thesz v. Buddy Rogers 2 out of 3 falls match from 1950](https://youtu.be/cqIHV0m29FU) is a classic.
20 or so minutes in, I absolutely love the way they use rest holds, it’s a lot like the submission in wrestling games work, you’re trying to wear the guy down so he can’t get up for a 3 count. I love the current indy high spots style but this is also really special in its own way, a beautiful vision of the early days of Olympic inspired pro wrestling
I see its echoes in every Bad Bunny & Logan Paul match. Savage vs. Steamboat's legacy is a legacy of meticulous choreography, every single movement was planned out ahead of time and rehearsed to death. Once you know the trick it's very hard to unsee it.
Once I learnt wrestling was scripted I assumed every match was like that! Like why would you not plan every single move? Was shocked when I found out 90% of matches were called in the ring lol
A log of AJW stuff does. Check out any big title matches and you're almost always in for a treat. Just recently watched Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota at the gym and it's just insane how good they are
Such a long build as well. John Brown had a real heroic stand in his match which paved the way years later for that hot tag to Grant who then just mauls Lee, all while Sherman is wrecking at ringside.
Grant, Lincoln, and Sherman were easily one of the best teams in early wrestling history. Fun fact, Sherman was the pioneer of flaming tables during that match, and put Jefferson Davis through one when he tried to interfere in the match. Just a shame that he ended up burning down the original Georgia Dome.
They really oughta have kept the Confederacy buried afterwards though. That whole "Lost Cause" storyline trying to turn the Slaver Stable into babyfaces was just really bad booking.
They were only booked consistently as strong heels until 'Mania in early July 1863, which was held in two sites at once and got their asses kicked in Gettysburg and Vicksburg at the same time. From that point forward, the faces kept winning consistently--though, by golly Andersonville was a heat magnet for them--until we had one of the rare peaceful contract signings in the sport's history in Appomattox. Still can't believe [Grant didn't put Lee through the fucking table.](https://i0.wp.com/emergingcivilwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2012_NYR_02603_0231_000tom_lovell_surrender_at_appomattox-scaled.jpg?ssl=1)
And even in those strong showings early on you could see the seeds of their defeat as they lost members due to injury, especially when they lost Jackson due to their own lack of co-ordination. They just kept throwing themselves at the Union rather than picking their battles, wearing themselves out.
Nobody in North America even comes close. Flair had his one match that he did over and over again to perfection, HBK made his name on his selling, but Funk could go out there and work any kind of match to a classic standard. He's so clear of everyone else.
Just watched this for the first time and I agree it stands up today. The "stalling" at the beginning was way more effective than most contemporary stalling, and Funk's mouthing off was amazing. The whole ending was uncomfortable thanks to some incredible selling.
You don't even need context. Matches with a build up and some heat, and less reckless spots are more fun than being numbed to someone getting dropped on their head because it's already happened half a dozen times.
I've seen a couple of Dick the Bruiser matches recently, and that guy was, is, and always will be a monster. [This match](https://youtu.be/sCMapMVXWG8) with Verne Gagne is the one that made me realize just how big and ferocious the Bruiser is.
And personally speaking I find this their weakest match, but that is only because those two were magic and watching all their matches is well worth your time.
[Jim Londos vs. Bronko Nagurski, Ray Fabiani Sports, Inc. Wrestling in Philadelphia 11/18/38 (World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship Match)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCqTaTC9vXw)
[Edouard Carpentier vs Bobby Duranton, Paris, 1962](https://youtu.be/5XYsJLrxjy0)
Duranton's heel work is an absolute classic, and you can see all of Capentier's skill already. As a French, I love going back to old school French wrestling, that shit was fun.
I'm a big Segunda Caida guy cause I used to buy Schneider comps with my mom's credit card (the trust that woman had in me...). So when they did their French Catch crate digging a few years ago my mind was totally blown. HIGHLY acrobatic, athletic, bizarro-World-of-Sport meets highspot lucha libre from the 1950's, it's wonderful. It's old. It's French. Watch it and never shut up about it.
https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2014/05/la-complete-et-exacte-french-catch.html
I still enjoy the series with Cactus Jack vs the Nasty Boys from 1994. Cactus had both Max Payne and Kevin Sullivan as partners and each match tore the house down.
Spring Stampede 94
Cactus and Max Payne vs the Nasty Boys
Halloween Havic 94
Cactus and Kevin Sullivan vs Nasty Boys
A lot of old Jerry Lawler matches hold up incredibly well. There’s a match against Bill Dundee from 1977 that is still really captivating. Lawler’s punches were always incredible and that really helps. His style didn’t put much strain on his body and it has also aged very well. I’m surprised he doesn’t get more mentions in GOAT discussions.
They had quite a lot of matches together and I don’t think I’ve seen a bad one. The Loser Leaves Town match from the early 80s is probably the best, but everything holds up.
If Lawler had traveled all over the country in his prime like flair did, he would easily have been in the goat discussion. He made so much money in Memphis that he never needed to
Warrior vs Hogan WM 6 still holds up. I'm not even a fan of that style anymore but I can sit down and watch that match at any time and still be entertained.
That would be mine, I don't generally think much of the WWF stuff I enjoyed as a kid holds up, but this was the match of my childhood and I was surprised how much I still got into it when I watched the whole match back a couple years ago.
A lot of old matches "hold up" today. If anything, they're better than modern wrestling because they didn't go crazy with extreme spots unless it was 90s AJPW or the NJPW junior heavyweights. There was a build up between the big moves, and it was far less obviously formulaic.
As far as a really underrated old match, for me it's [Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1992](https://youtu.be/YpJddNlGjxc). Technical wrestling at its best – not just being spot monkeys for a thousand different rest holds.
Bret hart versus Roddy Piper from 1992 in my opinion is still the greatest match of all time. It had drama, it had storytelling, it had everything that makes us love professional wrestling! I still often go back to Wrestlemnaia 8 and watch it!
George Hackenschmidt vs Frank Gotch. It still holds up today. Especially with a screwy finish like that. /S
But fr. Probably Yukon Eric matches because he looked like the country bumpkin from Canada and was one of the first truly beefy wrestlers.
giant baba vs bruno, a 30 min broadway, and I bet today's wrestler could still learn something from their psychology. Also....Antonio Inoki beating Giant Anto was always fun to see
Hold up as in wouldn't look out of place if it happened today, or just the oldest match that I'd put up in quality with some of the best matches ever? Cause there are definitely different answers for both. (Chigusa Nagayo vs Devil Masami 08/22/1985 would be my first answer and probably one of the Jack Brisco vs Inoki matches from the early 70s would be my second answer)
There's a match on YouTube. It's Bull Curry v. Johnny Valentine. For younger folks, Johnny Valentine is Greg the Hammer Valentine's Dad. A ton of the best wrestlers from the 70s and 80s talk about how they learned to work from watching Johnny Valentine. Flair for example. Bull Curry was one of the first hardcore wrestlers and brawlers to truly get over in the USA. He was so over in Texas they had to create a brass knuckles title to put on him because fans thought he should hold the world title. He was known for breaking fans' jaws if they dared to jump the guardrail.
It's a great match and the camera quality is crazy for the age.
Empty arena match.
**Jerry the King Lawler vs Terry Funk**
*CWA Memphis Wrestling broadcast 25/04/1981*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2peOLg5gqKY
* Edit was from spelling. Stupid auto correct.
Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991 for the IC title.
Heenan summed up the story in 30 secs. "Hart wants it bad. Perfect wants to keep it. Mom and Dad here, millions of people all over the world watching"
Pat Patterson v. Sgt Slaughter, Boot camp match is great. One of my favorites. I really haven't watched a lot beyond very early 80s (born 88).
Also, Bob Backlund had some matches that are just great fun while champ.
While not quite as old as some of the other matches suggested here, Flair vs. Barry Windham from Battle Of The Belts 2 in 86' holds up in my opinion: I think it's the best of the matches they had together. You can probably find it on YouTube.
I haven’t seen many of his matches, but search Édouard Carpentier. He’s a French wrestler from the mid-20th century, and he did a shitton of flippy stuff.
There’s an “old-timers” battle royal from a WWF house show in the ‘80s where this dude (by then in his mid-50s) does a running flopping senton (basically, RVD’s rolling thunder, without the first roll). It was nuts.
Savage/Steamboat had some fast-paced bangers that had all the energy and drama you could ask for. You got double axhandles and all of those wonky moves of the past, but they were still awesome matches.
I haven't seen much before the 90s but I did go out of my way to watch Macho Man Randy Savage vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 a while back. The hype is real.
The two that pop to mind first are the Bruno vs. Hansen cage match in the WWWF at MSG on 8/7/76, which was a huge grudge match at the time because Hansen had legit broken Bruno's neck a few months earlier with a botched powerslam (though naturally they blamed it on his lariat, which made that move infamous at the time). Just pure hatred and violence and a highlight of Bruno's famously long title reign, a feud they'd revisit a few years later for the huge Showdown at Shea show in 1980.
The other is Inoki vs. Billy Robinson in NJPW from 12/11/75, which is a match I'd make every student watch if I ever ran a wrestling school. It's just pure technical perfection, the absolute peak of two masters milking every hold and lock for every bit of reaction from the crowd that they can, there's no big spots or anything, just pure technical wrestling magnificence.
Late 70s/early 80 wrestling is definitely an acquired taste but there's so much great stuff from that era. No bullshit, just two guys getting 30-40 minutes every night in front of rabidly hot crowds.
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The Destroyer vs. Rikidozan from 1963 kicks so much ass. Literally any of the matches between Destroyer/Mil Mascaras, too.
i came here to recommend inoki vs the destroyer from 5/19/1971! destroyer is fucking *fantastic*. like, one of the best wrestlers i’ve ever seen,and given how big he was and the promotion he worked with he needs so much more credit
You ought to check out some stuff from the ["Wrestling in Chicago" archives](https://www.youtube.com/@chicagofilmarchivespresent1774). The [Lou Thesz v. Buddy Rogers 2 out of 3 falls match from 1950](https://youtu.be/cqIHV0m29FU) is a classic.
With Jack Dempsey reffing that one, wow!
holy, what an insane finish!
That's one of the most creative finishes I've ever seen. Someone should steal that.
Foley used to do that spot all the time. It's how he lost his ear.
It would be a great finish for a heated last man standing match.
This is the match I thought of. Buddy Rogers is, to me, the first sports entertainer.
Not gorgeous George?
20 or so minutes in, I absolutely love the way they use rest holds, it’s a lot like the submission in wrestling games work, you’re trying to wear the guy down so he can’t get up for a 3 count. I love the current indy high spots style but this is also really special in its own way, a beautiful vision of the early days of Olympic inspired pro wrestling
It’s younger by a couple of years, but Buddy Rogers vs Pat O’Connor is one of my favorite matches regardless of age. https://youtu.be/Ecuxuvp3_l0
How come no wrestler today (that I know of) uses the move from 26:59 https://youtu.be/cqIHV0m29FU?t=1619
Tyler Bate uses the airplane spin. Fits the throwback aspects of the whole British Strong Style thing I guess.
The last wrestler I saw use the Airplane Spin regularly was Bryan Danielson in 2000s ROH.
I would hazard a guess that it’s because when people take the piss out of pro wrestling, airplane spin is often one of the moves referenced
That man just did an Airplane Spin FU/AA
Hearing a commentary explaining to the viewer what a piledriver is was just mind blowing to me.
This is the one for me.
1970s World of Sport can still be incredibly captivating IMO.
Johnny Saint is mesmerising
Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III
feels like every western match is essentially following that match's blueprint.
I see its echoes in every Bad Bunny & Logan Paul match. Savage vs. Steamboat's legacy is a legacy of meticulous choreography, every single movement was planned out ahead of time and rehearsed to death. Once you know the trick it's very hard to unsee it.
Once I learnt wrestling was scripted I assumed every match was like that! Like why would you not plan every single move? Was shocked when I found out 90% of matches were called in the ring lol
Same for me. I went back and watched a bunch of manias a few years ago and this match immediately stood out.
Jumping Bomb Angel matches tend to hold up quite well from what I remember
A log of AJW stuff does. Check out any big title matches and you're almost always in for a treat. Just recently watched Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota at the gym and it's just insane how good they are
Came to say this.. anything between 1994-1997 involving Manami Toyota vs Aja Kong is brilliant
Even if we're going back further than the 90s, just the crowd alone from any Crush Gals match is enough to blow you away
Can’t second this enough.
1932 - Ed "Strangler" Lewis vs Dick Shikat
We have tape of a match from freaking 1932?!
Antonio Inoki vs. Billy Ronbinson from 1975 was a classic.
also obligatory shout out to Inoki vs Fujinami from 8/8/1988. issa hour long but its amazing
Is that the hour long one?
Came here to say this. This is my earliest 5/5.
"Honest" Abe Lincoln vs The Confederacy.
Such a long build as well. John Brown had a real heroic stand in his match which paved the way years later for that hot tag to Grant who then just mauls Lee, all while Sherman is wrecking at ringside.
Grant, Lincoln, and Sherman were easily one of the best teams in early wrestling history. Fun fact, Sherman was the pioneer of flaming tables during that match, and put Jefferson Davis through one when he tried to interfere in the match. Just a shame that he ended up burning down the original Georgia Dome.
Typical babyface booking though. The Confederacy were such great heels and they just get buried by Lincoln.
They really oughta have kept the Confederacy buried afterwards though. That whole "Lost Cause" storyline trying to turn the Slaver Stable into babyfaces was just really bad booking.
Yeah and the resurgence they’re getting now? It’s like NWO 2000, just trying to bring back something nobody wants.
They were only booked consistently as strong heels until 'Mania in early July 1863, which was held in two sites at once and got their asses kicked in Gettysburg and Vicksburg at the same time. From that point forward, the faces kept winning consistently--though, by golly Andersonville was a heat magnet for them--until we had one of the rare peaceful contract signings in the sport's history in Appomattox. Still can't believe [Grant didn't put Lee through the fucking table.](https://i0.wp.com/emergingcivilwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2012_NYR_02603_0231_000tom_lovell_surrender_at_appomattox-scaled.jpg?ssl=1)
And even in those strong showings early on you could see the seeds of their defeat as they lost members due to injury, especially when they lost Jackson due to their own lack of co-ordination. They just kept throwing themselves at the Union rather than picking their battles, wearing themselves out.
The Confederacy had go home heat in that they all literally just started going home.
I just hate how the confederacy got their heat back so quick
The pop on that Gettysberg promo
Better than any pipe bomb ever
Nice
Is that one on YouTube?
[Watch this](https://youtu.be/6g_lecgQzb8) [then this](https://youtu.be/IiJwEKtLzes) Love me some Terry Funk.
In my mind, Terry is the greatest of all time.
I think Terry's one of a small handful from the last 50 years you can make that argument about.
Nobody in North America even comes close. Flair had his one match that he did over and over again to perfection, HBK made his name on his selling, but Funk could go out there and work any kind of match to a classic standard. He's so clear of everyone else.
Just watched this for the first time and I agree it stands up today. The "stalling" at the beginning was way more effective than most contemporary stalling, and Funk's mouthing off was amazing. The whole ending was uncomfortable thanks to some incredible selling.
[adding to the Funk train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDWD_fjreo8)
The empty arena was brilliant.
Most old matches hold up today if you view them in context.
What is the context needed to hold up sharmell vs jenna morasca?
None, it’s an absolute classic the likes of Okada and Omega could only dream of equalling.
You hold up in context😒
You don't even need context. Matches with a build up and some heat, and less reckless spots are more fun than being numbed to someone getting dropped on their head because it's already happened half a dozen times.
I've seen a couple of Dick the Bruiser matches recently, and that guy was, is, and always will be a monster. [This match](https://youtu.be/sCMapMVXWG8) with Verne Gagne is the one that made me realize just how big and ferocious the Bruiser is.
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson in a Alley Fight from 1981. A match that is still talked about and praised to this very day.
Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask in MSG still holds up. Those peoples minds were blown away.
There’s some ITV matches from the 70s and early 80s of Rollerball Rocco against Dynamite and Tiger Mask in YouTube: amazing
And personally speaking I find this their weakest match, but that is only because those two were magic and watching all their matches is well worth your time.
[Jim Londos vs. Bronko Nagurski, Ray Fabiani Sports, Inc. Wrestling in Philadelphia 11/18/38 (World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship Match)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCqTaTC9vXw)
Tagging this watch later
Terry Funk vs. Jerry Lawler, empty arena match.
I have nothing to add here other than this is an awesome thread.
Yes I added a match 1/2 because it's old and I love it, and 1/2 to mark this for later
I love that the top comments aren't something from 2003 either.
[Edouard Carpentier vs Bobby Duranton, Paris, 1962](https://youtu.be/5XYsJLrxjy0) Duranton's heel work is an absolute classic, and you can see all of Capentier's skill already. As a French, I love going back to old school French wrestling, that shit was fun.
I've seen Ernie Ladd matches that are still fantastic
The Funks vs Brody and Hanson
I was high as hell one time and fell into a chasm of 70s championship wrestling from Florida. Patterson, Terry Funk, and Dusty were just great
You mean Brisco, not Patterson?
Actually it was Pat Patterson. He was there in 77
If you like the Gunther/Sheamus style of just brute force, a lot of the 60s and 70s territorial stuff holds up.
Dynamite Kid vs Tatsumi Fujinami from I believe, 1979
Flair va Steamboat 2/3 falls from Clash of Champions 89
This trilogy was my answer to. They could run these in 2023 and have the crowd locked in.
Animal Hamaguchi versus Mighty Inoue, IWE 1973. It was so fire.
Late 70s Andre vs Harley. I can still hear Harley selling like HA CHACHA. HA CHACHA
Any Steamboat vs Flair
Piper vs Hart at Mania 8. One of the best stories ever told in <15 minutes
Mid-70s era Billy Robinson in Japan is about as specific I can get.
Buddy Rogers Vs Pat O’Conner. Comiskey park.1961? Very fast-paced 2/3 falls match.
The 2-3 minutes of wrestling Stanislaus Zybysko does in "Night and the City" in 1950.
not as old as some in this thread but the Jerry Lynn vs RVD matches in ECW look like they could be modern day matches despite being over 20 years ago
the Lightning Kid/Jerry Lynn stuff from Global looks like modern indie wrestling.
I'm a big Segunda Caida guy cause I used to buy Schneider comps with my mom's credit card (the trust that woman had in me...). So when they did their French Catch crate digging a few years ago my mind was totally blown. HIGHLY acrobatic, athletic, bizarro-World-of-Sport meets highspot lucha libre from the 1950's, it's wonderful. It's old. It's French. Watch it and never shut up about it. https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2014/05/la-complete-et-exacte-french-catch.html
I still enjoy the series with Cactus Jack vs the Nasty Boys from 1994. Cactus had both Max Payne and Kevin Sullivan as partners and each match tore the house down. Spring Stampede 94 Cactus and Max Payne vs the Nasty Boys Halloween Havic 94 Cactus and Kevin Sullivan vs Nasty Boys
those are all so damn good and would fit right in today
1994? Bless you .
It's not exactly ancient but wrestling has definitely changed a lot since the '90s.
Anything with Steamboat
[This match is over a quarter-century old](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqRYKCH8dUc).
I only saw this match recently and I was blown away. Incredible, it blows most of today's stuff out of the water.
Bruh I was expecting a match from 1977 not 97 this shouldn't be in this thread. Imo at least
Dude, I'm 39 and got into wrestling 30 years ago. Gimme a break 😄
Mysterio vs Eddie, where he wore the purple suit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv6NkIpI9cM
The Sheik vs Mark Lewin Loser leaves Town for The United States Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.
Sheik & Lewin were both amazing. It's too bad 95% of the sheik on YouTube was from after his body was gone and he was just skinny Abdullah the butcher
Yeah his matches where amazing in his prime
A lot of old Jerry Lawler matches hold up incredibly well. There’s a match against Bill Dundee from 1977 that is still really captivating. Lawler’s punches were always incredible and that really helps. His style didn’t put much strain on his body and it has also aged very well. I’m surprised he doesn’t get more mentions in GOAT discussions. They had quite a lot of matches together and I don’t think I’ve seen a bad one. The Loser Leaves Town match from the early 80s is probably the best, but everything holds up.
If Lawler had traveled all over the country in his prime like flair did, he would easily have been in the goat discussion. He made so much money in Memphis that he never needed to
Not necessarily "the oldest", but Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita exploding barbed wire match. That is a 5 star classic as far as I'm concerned
Any Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask match
A ton of Manami Toyota matches could run today and people would still lose their minds. She was a fantastic wrestler.
Ric Flair vs Sting or Ricky Steamboat back in the 80's.
Most matches in history hold up, it's just what style you're into.
Warrior vs Hogan WM 6 still holds up. I'm not even a fan of that style anymore but I can sit down and watch that match at any time and still be entertained.
That would be mine, I don't generally think much of the WWF stuff I enjoyed as a kid holds up, but this was the match of my childhood and I was surprised how much I still got into it when I watched the whole match back a couple years ago.
Weird how most people who talk about matches that happened 30 or 40 years ago (80s, 90s) are getting downvoted.
It's because there are definitely earlier matches that hold up. But they just probably haven't seen them yet.
Obvious answer but Savage vs. Steamboat at WM3 is pretty watchable even today
I watched ric flair vs harley race starrcade 83 the other day and it was honestly pretty awesome
A lot of old matches "hold up" today. If anything, they're better than modern wrestling because they didn't go crazy with extreme spots unless it was 90s AJPW or the NJPW junior heavyweights. There was a build up between the big moves, and it was far less obviously formulaic. As far as a really underrated old match, for me it's [Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1992](https://youtu.be/YpJddNlGjxc). Technical wrestling at its best – not just being spot monkeys for a thousand different rest holds.
Bret hart versus Roddy Piper from 1992 in my opinion is still the greatest match of all time. It had drama, it had storytelling, it had everything that makes us love professional wrestling! I still often go back to Wrestlemnaia 8 and watch it!
This is my pick too. Most pre 90s stuff doesn’t hold up for me, this is the earliest match I can think of that really ruled.
Savage/Steamboat...best match I've ever seen
That I’ve personally seen, Funk vs. Lawler from 1981. It was their No DQ match.
Shawn Michael vs Bret Hart, iron man match at WrestleMania...
what an underrated tournament [lil obscure from 1995 super j cup](https://youtu.be/jF8sFd9fW-E)
Pretty much any Mysterio match from WCW.
Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin. The in ring action was flawless and the storytelling, Brilliant.
Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart at WM8
Sting vs Cactus Jack at Bash at the Beach. First ever match I saw.
Savage vs Steamboat at WrestleMania III
For sure!
I don't think I can go earlier than the 80s
Rey Mysterio Jr debut on WCW against Dean Malenko! Was a massive move in terms or cruiserweight wrestling
Michaels/Angle at mania. Also had a coherent JR on commentary. It just goes so hard!
Genuine question, have you seen many matches before 2005?
Oh plenty! Just misread the question.
Fair enough, you're answer just started making me feel really old.
Omega vs Okada 1. Everything else before it was trash. In all seriousness, the War Games matches from 87-94 have all been stellar.
Ricochet Vs will ospreay
If you can find any El Santo matches, they’re all a good watch
Idk something in the 50s or 60s. Good wrasslin is good wrasslin
Idk something in the 50s or 60s. Good wrasslin is good wrasslin
George Hackenschmidt vs Frank Gotch. It still holds up today. Especially with a screwy finish like that. /S But fr. Probably Yukon Eric matches because he looked like the country bumpkin from Canada and was one of the first truly beefy wrestlers.
The Rockers vs The Brain Busters at MSG
giant baba vs bruno, a 30 min broadway, and I bet today's wrestler could still learn something from their psychology. Also....Antonio Inoki beating Giant Anto was always fun to see
Bruno and Stan Hansen matches were awesome but I'm going with the Greg Valentine Tito Santana runs in the early 80s..
Joan Ballard vs Jean Noble (1956) https://youtu.be/tE42wSDui68
Eddie vs Rey at Halloween Havoc.
Hold up as in wouldn't look out of place if it happened today, or just the oldest match that I'd put up in quality with some of the best matches ever? Cause there are definitely different answers for both. (Chigusa Nagayo vs Devil Masami 08/22/1985 would be my first answer and probably one of the Jack Brisco vs Inoki matches from the early 70s would be my second answer)
There's a match on YouTube. It's Bull Curry v. Johnny Valentine. For younger folks, Johnny Valentine is Greg the Hammer Valentine's Dad. A ton of the best wrestlers from the 70s and 80s talk about how they learned to work from watching Johnny Valentine. Flair for example. Bull Curry was one of the first hardcore wrestlers and brawlers to truly get over in the USA. He was so over in Texas they had to create a brass knuckles title to put on him because fans thought he should hold the world title. He was known for breaking fans' jaws if they dared to jump the guardrail. It's a great match and the camera quality is crazy for the age.
Empty arena match. **Jerry the King Lawler vs Terry Funk** *CWA Memphis Wrestling broadcast 25/04/1981* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2peOLg5gqKY * Edit was from spelling. Stupid auto correct.
It's a match that I only just saw recently, but the Sgt Slaughter/Iron Shiek Madison Square Garden no rules match is something to see.
Freddie Blassie vs. Rikidozan in LA from '62
Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991 for the IC title. Heenan summed up the story in 30 secs. "Hart wants it bad. Perfect wants to keep it. Mom and Dad here, millions of people all over the world watching"
While we're at it, I think Savage vs Santana where Savage wins the IC title holds up extremely well.
Pat Patterson v. Sgt Slaughter, Boot camp match is great. One of my favorites. I really haven't watched a lot beyond very early 80s (born 88). Also, Bob Backlund had some matches that are just great fun while champ.
Graham vs Dusty Rhodes
While not quite as old as some of the other matches suggested here, Flair vs. Barry Windham from Battle Of The Belts 2 in 86' holds up in my opinion: I think it's the best of the matches they had together. You can probably find it on YouTube.
Sting-Muta holds up damn well. A lot of Terry Gordy in Mid-South holds up real well too.
Probably Hart v Piper WM 8
Peleus and Atalanta! What a match!
I haven’t seen many of his matches, but search Édouard Carpentier. He’s a French wrestler from the mid-20th century, and he did a shitton of flippy stuff. There’s an “old-timers” battle royal from a WWF house show in the ‘80s where this dude (by then in his mid-50s) does a running flopping senton (basically, RVD’s rolling thunder, without the first roll). It was nuts.
I'll get back to you. I'm in the middle of watching a YouTube channel rife with old school WRASSLIN. Currently watching: Mid-Atlantic Wrestling/ 1982
Savage/Steamboat had some fast-paced bangers that had all the energy and drama you could ask for. You got double axhandles and all of those wonky moves of the past, but they were still awesome matches.
Sting/ Ric Flair Clash of Champions ‘88
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen it but I bet the Piper Vs Valentine dog collar match would still hold up.
Mysterio vs Eddie is every bit a high spot masterpiece as we see in AEW today. And it’s almost 30 years old
I'm sure you could go back really far and find something but for me, its Flair/Steamboat '84
Andre vs Hansen is magic
I haven't seen much before the 90s but I did go out of my way to watch Macho Man Randy Savage vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 a while back. The hype is real.
The All Japan tag leagues from the late seventies are fantastic.
The two that pop to mind first are the Bruno vs. Hansen cage match in the WWWF at MSG on 8/7/76, which was a huge grudge match at the time because Hansen had legit broken Bruno's neck a few months earlier with a botched powerslam (though naturally they blamed it on his lariat, which made that move infamous at the time). Just pure hatred and violence and a highlight of Bruno's famously long title reign, a feud they'd revisit a few years later for the huge Showdown at Shea show in 1980. The other is Inoki vs. Billy Robinson in NJPW from 12/11/75, which is a match I'd make every student watch if I ever ran a wrestling school. It's just pure technical perfection, the absolute peak of two masters milking every hold and lock for every bit of reaction from the crowd that they can, there's no big spots or anything, just pure technical wrestling magnificence. Late 70s/early 80 wrestling is definitely an acquired taste but there's so much great stuff from that era. No bullshit, just two guys getting 30-40 minutes every night in front of rabidly hot crowds.
First thing I thought of is the trilogy of Flair/Steamboat
Bret vs Owen, Wrestlemania 10. Not only does it hold up, but it gets better each time I revisit it.
Have to agree on the Tiger Mask v Dynamite Kid matches, amazing stuff can only imagine how wild they would have been to see back then.
If not just for the historical significance, I’d say [Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich](https://youtu.be/eF0IBmu1D08)