Before I begin, I must caution you that these are all
my opinion. As such, feel free to disagree with them.
I compiled these, after conferring with some
associates, and I really do believe that they typify
what the top wrestling moments were of the 90's. I
was limited into selecting only "moments" and as such,
one rule that I followed was that I could simply
select moments, and not revolutionary wrestlers such
as Stone Cold, The Rock, or Chris Benoit. So without
further ado, here they are. My top ten:

10. Rick Rude appearing on Nitro and RAW on the same
night. The Ravishing one (R.I.P.) was a classic
example of the lack of loyalty in professional
wrestling today. Kicking salt into the wound of the
Bret Hart screwing in Titan-Land, not only was
Bischoff signing him a coup for World Championship
Wrestling, but knowing that RAW was airing a taped
episode the same night, Bischoff had Rude appear
cleanly-shaven (to counter the thick beard he had on
the World Wrestling Federation show). Although he
could not wrestle as a result of the injuries he
accumulated, Rick Rude was the embodiment on the
1980's. The fact that he could leave the organization
he was so faithful too (other than a stint in ECW I
believe) for the competition, showed that contracts
have to be signed (just ask Vince Russo) and money is
the bottom line.

9. Miss Kitty at Armageddon. Although I know that it
sounds like this is too recent to be deemed a truly
memorable event, especially considering all that has
happened in the 1990's, it is clear that sex has moved
to the forefront in this decade. I would even venture
to say that to most fans, T&A is more important than
the action in the squared circle. Speaking honestly,
I know that is the case for me. The Kat and Vince
McMahon (despite what he says), pushed the envelope to
a whole other level, and it will be interesting to see
where we go from here. For further analysis of what
went down, just read last week's Claw...

8. Hogan going to WCW. The first of a couple of
Hogan mentions on my list. Self-admittedly, I am the
biggest Hulkster mark on the planet, and even for
however few of you that believe that he is a two-move
overrated pompous jerk (that was a joke) we all have
to admit that he is the face of professional
wrestling. While his stock may have sagged a bit in
this era of attitude, his signing remains a major and
memorable moment. Who can forget the Press
conference, or his classic matches with Ric Flair?
There is no question that he was the guy that made
wrestling mainstream, and it was shocking for me to
see him a) leave the WWF, and b) sign with the
competition. Truly a moment that I will never forget.

7. King Of The Ring Hell In A Cell (Mankind vs.
Undertaker for the one person who doesn't know who
participated, mom!) The greatest professional
wrestling match I have ever seen. And one that tells
the story of what the nineties have been all about.
This match did not feature the technical prowess of
Bret Hart. Nor did it feature Rock-like interviews.
The hype wasn't there for a Hogan-esque match, and it
wasn't even the Main Event of the evening. I know
this sounds totally Jim Ross like, and I apologize,
but the match was simply two guys beating the hell out
of each other. And I enjoyed every moment of it. The
bumps that Mick took, the experience of the
Undertaker, and of course the spots. The plunge
through the commentator tables, the Cell breaking, and
of course the thumbtacks. No one can dispute this
making my list. Only where it is.

6. DX forming with the Outlaws and X-Pac. On one of
the best RAW's, I can remember after Wrestlemania 14,
Triple H and Sean Waltman both really broke kayfabe in
their wicked "shoot-style" interviews. Whereas Hunter
was consumed on commenting how his buddy HBK Shawn
Michaels dropped the ball, signing and introducing the
former Syxx of the nWo was a big deal. It
re-established the Kliq as well as gave the WWF a huge
stable to work with, as well as giving the option of a
Nation/DX feud. But the reason I found this moment to
be so memorable, is because of the Outlaws. Jesse
James and Billy Gunn both were going nowhere fast.
After ripping apart the tag team ranks, they even
earned the respect of the Kliq which consisted of very
few members, the majority of which at the time were in
WCW. No longer were they bottom-feeding
mid-carders... they were the top tag-team in arguably
the greatest faction of all time. And they were
entertaining! A huge ending to that cage match which
saw the old generation (Mick Foley and Terry Funk) get
their collective asses handed to them by the new
generation... or should I say DE-generation.

5. Wrestlemania VI- Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior.
The first and only World Wrestling Federation PPV to
come out of Toronto (dramatic pause) Ontario, Canada,
and I was there. A young mark at the ripe old age of
ten, I was introduced to Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate
Warrior in person for the first time, and immediately
I had new favourites. And it wasn't like the match
didn't deliver. Argue with me all you want, but I
still maintain to this day that the WM 6 main event is
the best match of any Wrestlemania and considering the
March/April PPV is the biggest for the WWF, that is
certainly saying a lot. Sure, Austin/Hart at WM 13
was a big deal, but we were a different generation
back then, and Warrior and Hogan delivered a match
that was unbelievable to those standards. This was a
match, that for the first time that I can remember
actually pitted two hugely over babyfaces, and while
this is considered to be a "usual" now, in the early
90's it was a big and bold move by Vince McMahon.
Even though I enjoyed the second PPV in Toronto (WCW
Mayhem) the atmosphere at WM 6 was just breathtaking.
I have tapes of the event, and although I enjoyed the
entire card (remember Roddy painting half his body?!)
the main event was truly a moment that old school fans
like myself can appreciate, and never forget. Both
participants were in their prime. Both men fought and
injured themselves during the match. Warrior's paint
rubbed off his face, as Andre's torch was passed from
Hogan to the Warrior, who became both the World
Wrestling Federation Heavyweight and Intercontinental
Champion. The match will forever be one of the most
memorable of all time.

4. ECW's first TNN show/Raven's return. I had never
seen Extreme Championship Wrestling. I had read the
urban legends being passed around on the internet
about how violent it was, about how blood was a
requirement at every PPV etc. I was curious, but how
was I supposed to see the program here in the Great
White North? Then the deal was struck. Of all the
national stations available, I was shocked to learn
that the promotion had signed a deal with... THE
NASHVILLE NETWORK?! And soon after, problems between
Eric Bischoff and Scott Levy started circulating. I
always liked Raven in WCW, and could tell that his
talents were being wasted. So when I tuned in that
first Friday night to see the Dudley BoyZ actually win
the ECW Tag Titles and threaten to "take them to
Stamford" I noticed a big change from the Big Two.
For one thing, Joey Styles was actually acknowledging
that wrestlers were leaving ECW in favour of another
promotion (neither the WWF or WCW do that). Secondly,
the Dudley's actually had won the titles on their
final show! A huge moment... would they actually make
good on their threats and taken them to Vince?
Obviously not, but just the idea of them taking the
belts was unique. So then I met Tommy Dreamer for the
first time. "The Original Hardcore Icon" and while he
was getting pulverized... I thought the end was near.
That was until the coolest theme in wrestling today
blared out, and Raven entered. What a moment. What a
day. What a memory. ECW had debuted nationally, and
attracted one more follower. E-C-dub! E-C-dub!

3. The New World Order. Without question, the single
smartest angle in wrestling. Obviously the events
that led up to it were big in and of themselves.
Signing "Razor Ramon" and "Big Daddy Cool Diesel" were
pluses for Eric Bischoff and Ted Turner. An
equivalent would be 90210 signing Calista Flockhart
and Dylan McDermott. They had ransacked the
competition. Bringing Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in
slowly as billing them as invaders or "Outsiders" was
a brilliant move. And then we all know what happened
at Bash In The Beach. The unthinkable. Perennial
role model, and world superhero Hulk Hogan turned
heel. It was a risky move, but a bold one at that.
The result paid immediate dividends. Hogan finally
became cool again. The WWF had taken over WCW, only
they weren't the WWF anymore, they were the New World
Order, and they would take anything they wanted, and
step over anything in their way. Numbers started to
rise, and while the WWF countered with lame storylines
such as Jim Ross bringing back fake Razor Diesels
(which is what I refer to his fakes as). WCW was on
top of the wrestling world. And the nWo was the
reason. Sure, Bischoff played the angle out too long,
but his reasoning was justified. Why end it when it
could get hot again? Obviously the Wolfpac was a lame
idea as was the red/black and black/white merger, but
the intial story was solid and definitely the defining
moment was Hogan giving Macho Man Randy Savage the
legdrop, and raising the arms of his new running
mates. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

2. Survivor Series 1997. Vince Screwed Bret. Bret
Screwed Vince. Bret screwed Bret. I am sure, that
for many this was the biggest moment in wrestling.
Changing the outcome of a match while it happened was
unthinkable, and that is exactly what happened.
Movies have been made about it. Interviews have been
shared by both sides. Rumours and controversy about
the entire episode being an intricate work consumed
the lives of dirt-sheet reporters. Ultimately the
story went down like this. Bret Hart was signed to a
long deal for a ridiculous sum of money, money which
he had earned for his loyalty. Vince McMahon could
not afford the deal, that he offered Bret, and asked
the Hitman to pursue his "other options." A deal was
struck between Hart and Bischoff, and a Survivor
Series Main Event against Shawn Michaels would be
Bret's farewell to the organization that had made him
into a superstar. Note that the match was to be
taking place in Montreal (dramatic pause) Quebec,
Canada. Obviously Bret was asked to job away the
title before he left. He refused citing the fact that
Shawn had won the last meeting between the pair and
that it was airing live from Canada. McMahon agreed
and determined the finish to be a DQ or "schmozz." We
all know the rest. Vince came down to ringside, and
when the spot called for Bret to reverse the
Sharpshooter that HBK had locked him in, McMahon rang
the bell and Bret was sent packing. McMahon was
punched for his cowardly actions, and him being
portrayed as the "evil owner" helped bring the WWF
back to respectability and eventually superiority.
The fact remains that it had a great impact on the
world of wrestling, and a moment that no one will ever
forget other than....

1. Owen Hart's Death. Over The Edge was the title of
the Pay-Per-View and some say it was an ironic pun to
end the life and career of one of the greatest
wrestlers ever. It told us what wrestling has become
in the 90's and what we all have made it. A talented
performer in the ring, was forced into dressing up
like a total moron and flying from the rafters into
the ring, simply because the fans didn't care what he
would do once he landed. We will never know what he
could have done that night because we will never see
Owen Hart again. His death and the attitude toward it
is my most memorable moment of the 1990's. The PPV
kept going (a move, which I have always disagreed
with). A lawsuit was filed. Owen's brother-in-law
was brought in (as a safety precaution perhaps?).
Bret continued to work for the writers that scripted
the fall. The impact of Owen's death became a
national story in Canada. Coverage of the funeral was
everywhere. It left us all asking the question:
"Why?" And the reason why it became memorable for me,
is because even after JR had announced that Owen was
severely injured, I thought the whole thing was an
angle, a storyline, a plot. Even after the
announcement had been made, it still did not sink in.
Only until after the next match started, did I realize
what had happened. Owen's death was memorable for two
reasons. Primarily, because of how sad the whole
situation was. And secondly, because even though Owen
was scripted to "fly" no one gave the stunt a
second-thought when it was suggested, because we are
so accustomed to this stunts. It is what wrestling in
the nineties has evolved into. The idea of a man
plunging from the ceiling would have been considered
ludicrous in the 80's, but now it was nothing more
than the "usual." Owen's death and funeral were
covered by every Canadian news station I tuned into.
It was a nation mourning, and I mean that. Owen was
one of my favourite atheletes, and perhaps that is why
he made it to the top of another one of my lists (for
those of you that read the MCF column). He was a
legend, and I still cannot believe he is gone. There
are rumblings that he refused to work a Debra angle
with Jarrett and was stuck with the Blazer gimmick
because of his integrity. Unlike Chris Jericho or
Sid, he is the real "Millenium Man." In Canada we see
him as a wrestler figurehead and national hero. And
even though he wasn't from the States, he truly was a
man we should all respect and say a prayer for during
the holidays. There is no question that Owen at Over
The Edge was the most memorable moment of the decade.
As we approach the new millenium, we must wonder what
Owen's death is foreshadowing, and what will it be
followed by.

So there you have it. The top ten moments of the
1990's. At least how I see it. I know that the Bret
story was big, but it was his brother that 1999 and
the nineties in general will always be remembered for
(even if it is for the wrong reasons).

(Murtz is a featured columnist on Scoops and TSN in Canada!)