Squash matches have become less common in recent years, but they're a fantastic show when done right. Here are our 10 favourite squash matches ever! Comment below your personal favourite.
Watch the worst mistakes WWE made with Roman Reigns here! https://youtu.be/6EDZVYXF82Y
0:00 - Introduction
1:13 - #10
2:07 - #9
2:53 - #8
3:48 - #7
4:43 - #6
5:52 - #5
6:46 - #4
8:05 - #3
9:02 - #2
10:03 - #1
#WWE #WrestlingNews #WrestleTalk #WWERAW #SquashMatches #WWETop10 #PartsFunKnown
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Watch the worst mistakes WWE made with Roman Reigns here! https://youtu.be/6EDZVYXF82Y
0:00 - Introduction
1:13 - #10
2:07 - #9
2:53 - #8
3:48 - #7
4:43 - #6
5:52 - #5
6:46 - #4
8:05 - #3
9:02 - #2
10:03 - #1
#WWE #WrestlingNews #WrestleTalk #WWERAW #SquashMatches #WWETop10 #PartsFunKnown
SUBSCRIBE TO partsFUNknown: https://bit.ly/2J2Hl6q
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/partsfunknown
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/partsfunknown/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 You know what's really hard to say over and over again?
00:02 Squash matches.
00:03 Squash matches.
00:04 According to Rebster's dictionary, a "squash match" is a one-sided wrestling match designed
00:10 to showcase the monstrous dominance of one of the competitors and/or the inability of
00:13 their opponent to withstand their beefy onslaught.
00:16 Squash matches were the backbone of WWE television programming throughout much of the 80s and
00:20 early 90s, with a steady parade of milquetoast-quivering lads being fed to establish superstars in
00:25 order to build their credibility as one rough, tough billy goat buff.
00:28 Nowadays, with hardcore fans more invested in competitive matchups, squash matches have
00:32 fallen out of favour, often regarded as repetitive and an increasingly transparent booking strategy
00:36 for less capable meatheads.
00:38 But damn it, when used sparingly, a good squash can create a bigger reaction and tell a better,
00:43 more emotive story than a million moves of evenly balanced offense.
00:47 These are the 10 Greatest Wrestling Squash Matches Ever.
00:50 A few honourable mentions first.
00:51 Diesel destroying Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship would have placed better if WWE
00:55 had filmed it on something better than a f***ing potato.
00:57 Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan at Mania 28 had an unparalleled legacy in helping to create the
01:02 Yes Movement, but damn it, the memories still hurt.
01:04 And Kurt Angle vs Roderick Strong on Smackdown in 2005, which didn't do much from a storyline
01:08 perspective, but holy s***, Kurt slaps the undisputed piss out of him.
01:12 Right, onto the list proper.
01:13 10.
01:14 Zach Gowen vs Brock Lesnar
01:16 Oh no, it's a murder!
01:18 And not just any murder, Bork killed One Leg Man in front of his One Leg Mam.
01:22 On the 21st of August, episode of Smackdown in 2003, Brick Lorenzo, Bad Man with Bad Plans,
01:28 proved his dominance by squashing Zach Gowen, a one-legged wrestler.
01:32 After getting himself DQ'd by cracking Zach open with a chair, Lesnar repeatedly F5s the
01:37 lad into the ring post, throws him around, and does it all whilst performing a Type 5
01:41 comedy set in front of Zach's real-life actual mum, gloating, offering her to shake
01:45 his hand, all while she stands there with an 'oh no my boy' expression.
01:49 Look, we've all seen a look of concern from our mothers' real-life choices, but thankfully
01:53 not many of us have seen Brock Lesnar then physically barge our mothers out the way in
01:56 order to keelhaul us off a stretcher and continue the nightmare violence.
02:00 Few things have made Brock seem more of a heartless, unstoppable villain, and it's
02:04 not exactly a comfortable watch, but it's damn sure memorable.
02:07 9.
02:08 Honky Tonk Man vs Ultimate Warrior
02:10 The Honky Tonk Man's intercontinental title run of the late 80s is defined by two numbers,
02:14 454 and 31.
02:16 He held the belt for 454 days, a record which still stands to this day, and at SummerSlam
02:21 88, the first ever SummerSlam PPV WWE ever produced, he lost it to the Ultimate Warrior
02:26 in 31 seconds.
02:28 Warrior runs to the ring, and before Honky can say 'well this is quite the dilly of
02:31 a pickle', he's up over Warrior's head.
02:33 A running splash later, and the year and a quarter long reign was over in the blink of
02:37 an eye.
02:38 It's the first great SummerSlam memory, and one of the most enduring moments in the history
02:42 of the IC title.
02:43 Squash matches aren't just an effective tool in building the myth of a monster, they
02:47 can also be a jolt of unexpected adrenaline on even the biggest of cards.
02:51 Speaking of…
02:52 8.
02:53 John Cena vs The Undertaker
02:54 Daft, this.
02:55 So a lot of this match's legacy has been reduced by morbid George's Last Ride documentary,
03:00 which revealed that Taker Cena being an exhibition squash was a big disappointment to the deadman.
03:05 Even though the newly-hipped Taker and Cena could have, in Taker's words, gone full
03:09 dream match length during their bout at WrestleMania 34, evidently WWE were gun-shy after Mania
03:14 33's dodgy dogfight, and had Taker 'drub' Cena with mind games both spooky and ooky.
03:20 Considering that Taker Cena was still a dream match to many, a three minute match is disappointing,
03:24 but it's still a monumental piece of entertainment.
03:27 The whole Cena in the crowd angle, with John utterly failing to convince as a regular person
03:31 with a regular shirt, regular jeans, and a regular beer.
03:35 The fake out with Elias, and then finally the Phenom utterly triumphant after Mania
03:40 33 made him look all too human.
03:42 It's all very silly, but suitably memorable for what may be the silliest and most memorable
03:47 gimmick of all time.
03:48 7.
03:49 Braun Strowman vs James Ellsworth
03:51 When a squash match helps create a character that people want to see more of, it's a
03:55 good squash match.
03:56 When it helps create two, it's undeniably great.
03:59 For the longest time, Braun Strowman was s***.
04:01 A lumbering farmhand who looked like he'd been hit by lightning and p***d himself because
04:05 of it.
04:06 Just another uncoordinated, ultimately unthreatening tall boy to join the ranks of Giant Gonzalez
04:11 and The Great Khali.
04:12 However, in July 2016, WWE drafted Strowman to Raw, repackaged him to have a decent haircut,
04:18 and put him on a strict regimen of hyper-violent, hyper-entertaining squash matches against
04:22 foes like The Splash Brothers, Johnny Knockout who likes big sweaty men, and of course peaking
04:27 with James Ellsworth, whose beak from X-Men look and his catchphrase of "any man with
04:31 two hands is a fighting chance" made him a cult fan favourite, so much so that he was
04:35 signed to a contract that culminated in him becoming the first ever Ms Money in the bank.
04:40 Sometimes dreams do come true, and then Braun kills you.
04:43 6.
04:44 Hiromu Takahashi vs Kushida
04:46 New Japan Pro Wrestling don't really do squash matches, especially between named talent,
04:50 and especially on PPV.
04:52 Fans expect marquee New Japan matches to be long, super competitive with a gradual build
04:56 to insanity, which makes the rare New Japan squash even more effective.
05:00 At Sakura Genesis in 2017, Hiromu Takahashi, who is an insane no-concern-for-his-own-safety
05:05 anime character who once used to be accompanied to the ring by a stuffed cat named Darryl,
05:10 defended his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Kushida.
05:13 Kushida, as you probably already know, is a big deal.
05:15 Hiromu Takahashi beat him in two minutes.
05:18 What makes this match so great, aside from the stunned reaction of the crowd, was the
05:22 story explaining it.
05:23 Takahashi's offense was so dangerous, so unpredictable, that no one had a game plan
05:28 for taking on the ticking time bomb of New Japan.
05:30 Still hurting from being beaten by Takahashi at WrestleKingdom that year, Kushida ambushed
05:34 him before the bell, basically trying to beat Hiromu at his own unpredictable game.
05:38 Kushida stepped away from his methodical working style, and it blew up in his face, eating
05:43 a horrible powerbomb to the outside, two finishers, and being destroyed in the time it takes to
05:48 make a sandwich.
05:49 Deliberate, character-focused booking, and a hell of a statement.
05:52 5.
05:53 Ramon vs Lightning Kid
05:55 Important thing to remember, the dominant guy doesn't always have to win his squash
05:58 match for it to count.
06:00 In fact, in May 1993, one of the most iconic upsets in wrestling history, as well as one
06:04 of the first headline grabbing moments from WWF's new show Monday Night Raw, took place.
06:09 Razor was battling the Pichu version of X-Pac, the Lightning Kid, tossing him around the
06:13 ring, showboating before the Kid hits Razor with a Fluke Moonsault for the Fluke victory.
06:18 Seen as a shocking subversion of what had already become an overused match type in Raw's
06:22 4 month history, the Manhattan Center goes bananas, and Heenan's cracking voice as
06:27 he shrieks "He just beat Razor Ramon!" is almost as memorable as the match itself.
06:31 In fact, it was so impactful that the Kid's name was changed to the "123 Kid" after
06:36 his 3 count win, and fans took to chanting "123" at Razor Ramon.
06:40 One single squash led to months of storyline, and a brand new star from out of nowhere.
06:45 And speaking of,
06:46 4.
06:47 Big Van Vader vs Antonio Inoki
06:49 Back to New Japan we go for a squash match that was so unexpected, so shocking, and that
06:54 worked the crowd so much, it started an actual riot.
06:57 Japanese crowds don't make signs about "wrestler wins" or "we riot", they just f*cking
07:02 do it.
07:03 Antonio Inoki was basically the Vern Garnier of Japan, founding his own breakaway wrestling
07:06 promotion before taking it to great success by booking himself as the top star.
07:10 At the end of 1987, Antonio Inoki was 2 years deep into an undefeated streak in New Japan,
07:15 and felt his run had gotten stale.
07:17 To shake things up, he decided to bring in a brand new gaijin monster and push him to
07:21 the moon.
07:22 Enter Big Van Vader, a man who wore the coolest entrance gear of all time and became a legend
07:27 in Japanese wrestling.
07:28 How did he become that legend?
07:29 In December 1987, at Tokyo's prestigious Sumo Hall, he wrestled Antonio Inoki, the
07:34 man who 10 years earlier had taken Muhammad Ali to a draw, a man who had once unofficially
07:39 become WWF champion by beating Bob Backlund, one of the most recognisable Japanese athletes
07:44 of all time, and Vader beat him, checks notes, without Inoki hitting a single move.
07:50 Hot damn.
07:51 Confused and incensed at the death of their hero, fans tore up the seating of Sumo Hall,
07:55 leading to New Japan Pro Wrestling being banned from the venue for 2 years, while Vader began
08:00 a run that would shift thousands upon thousands of tickets for the company.
08:04 3.
08:05 Brock Lesnar vs John Cena
08:07 Oh, this is silly, but I love it.
08:09 Some fans really hate Suplex City, believing that on his worst day, Brock to show up, perform
08:14 the same exact match as he has on countless occasions.
08:17 German Suplex, German Suplex, Hope Spot, counter, finisher into an F5, home in time to try out
08:21 a brand new fashion look.
08:23 Maybe cowboy boots and a three piece suit.
08:25 Maybe a f***ing fedora.
08:26 What odd volcano you are, Mr Lesnar.
08:28 And sure, there have been some bad times, but holy hell, the birth of Suplex City was
08:32 a sheer unexpected industry shifting joy.
08:36 Lesnar squashed John Cena in the main event of Summerslam 2014, just ate his lunch, made
08:41 him a brand new lunch to say sorry, and then ate that lunch too.
08:44 Cena hadn't been dominated like that since that episode of Total Divas that I saw in
08:47 a dream one time, and fans loved it.
08:50 And Brock briefly became the best thing in wrestling, and Suplex City was a metagaming
08:54 wrestling cheat code that somehow gave us a brand new type of hyper entertaining exhibition
08:59 squash match.
09:00 The best kind of surprise.
09:02 2.
09:03 Mr Brodie Lee vs Cody
09:04 Man founds his own wrestling promotion, man becomes tentpole figure for said promotion,
09:09 books himself to become champion, goes on an undefeated run, only to book an outside
09:13 monster to mercilessly squash him.
09:15 If all this sounds familiar, that's because Cody has explicitly stated in interviews that
09:19 for his match against the late great Brodie Lee on the August 22nd 2020 episode of Dynamite,
09:24 he was trying to exactly recreate Vader vs Inoki.
09:27 I just wish this had had a proper crowd.
09:31 Cody gets a few punches in, and then nothing.
09:34 Brodie Lee shuts him down and just batters him, smashing him inside out with a lariat,
09:39 purposefully not hooking the leg, and becoming TNT champion in a bona fide squash match.
09:44 Exceptional booking, fantastic promo after the match, a star cementing turn that took
09:49 all of our expectations and ripped them apart in the best possible ways.
09:52 Brodie Lee will always have this night, and the only thing that keeps it from the top
09:57 spot is the cruel lack of crowd.
09:59 Because as we'll see, sometimes the right squash can send the crowd insane.
10:02 1.
10:04 Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar
10:06 Goldberg is the Da Vinci of squash matches.
10:09 No other wrestler has had squash matches built so deeply and irreplaceably into their entire
10:13 deal than Big Bill.
10:14 In the late 90s, Goldie became one of the biggest stars on the planet through a magical
10:18 formula of pyro, violence and going NYEH with his face.
10:22 His squash against La Parker is a huge amount of fun, eating a chair shot to the head before
10:26 La Parker does a spooky scary TikTok dance and then eats shit.
10:29 His match and post-match shenanigans with Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam 2019 was hugely
10:34 entertaining, but it's this match.
10:35 Of course it's this match.
10:37 Survivor Series 2016.
10:40 After beating Taker's Streak, squashing Cena, after dominating everyone, Brock Lesnar challenged
10:45 Goldberg to a fight, Goldberg showed up, did a silly face and then squashed Brock.
10:50 Silly.
10:51 A shove, two spears, a jackhammer and pandemonium ensued.
10:55 Goldberg's first match back, Brock's run of dominance, it was so shocking that it briefly
10:58 broke my and every other wrestling fan's brain.
11:01 Sure, it may have led to bad things like Goldberg squashing Kevin Owens and The Fiend, but good
11:06 god damn, at Survivor Series that night it was a beautiful moment of everyone coming
11:11 together to rant and/or rave about pro wrestling still having the power to shock us to the
11:15 core.
11:16 And that's our list.
11:17 What are your favourite squash matches?
11:18 Let us know below and don't forget to subscribe to partsFUNknown, the new home of my wrestling
11:23 lists, as well as fantasy bookings, actually good videos, Explained, QuizzleMania, all
11:27 the good stuff.
11:28 Jam that jam.
11:28 Jam that jam.
11:29 Jam that jam.
11:29 Jam that jam.
11:30 Jam that jam.
11:30 Jam that jam.
11:31 Jam that jam.
11:31 (gentle music)
11:34 (gentle music)