5 Best Wrestling Matches of 1990
Professional wrestling is a notoriously subjective form of entertainment. There are fans and critics everywhere, each one of them having their own criteria for what constitutes a great match.
Some fans only prefer a specific style of match, while others are more diverse in their tastes. Some people emphasize in-ring action and dynamism, while others prefer storytelling and emotion-based rivalries, while others still prefer matches with insane crowd noise.
What this list will do is look at various matches from around the world in 1990 and look at the best of the best. Having scoured the internet and various forums, we’ve narrowed it down to the five best matches of 1990. While we’re keeping this list more or less spoiler-free, there is one note: unfortunately, WWE did not have the best year when it came to exciting matches, so no WWE match made the top five.
To that end, this list will feature matches from wrestlers that readers might not be too familiar with, but will hopefully enjoy watching all the same.
5. Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane vs. Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong
The bout even included a short ‘karate’ contest, which somehow managed to bring the fans to their feet when it occurred. The match is high on athleticism and agility, which makes it feel like an older version of an NXT tag team match.
This ****3/4 classic was one of the reasons why the NWA was held in such high regard during a time when WWE was rapidly taking over the American wrestling market. Featuring classic ‘southern’ wrestling style and excellent managerial work by Jim Cornette, this match is a must-see for any classic wrestling fan.
In fact, this match has a lot of similarities with the Revival’s NXT tag team matches, which makes it clear where those wrestlers got their name in the first place.