WWE in the 1990s had its fair share of iconic feuds that revolutionized the industry, with most of these rivalries culminating in the making of a new main event star or the start of a new era in the business. Some of these rivalries headlined multiple PPVs, but other historical feuds got the short end of the stick and never actually main evented a PPV, even though they probably should have.

The 1990s was one of the star-studded decades in wrestling history, which made it even more special to close out a PPV. Even though these rivalries never headlined a PPV, they still had a major impact in wrestling history.

10 The Undertaker And Vader Were Two Of The 1990s’ Most Iconic Big Men

They Were Both Managed By Paul Bearer

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
Royal Rumble 1997
Singles Match
13:19
Vader

2
In Your House: Canadian Stampede
WWE Championship Match
12:39
Undertaker

Vader’s WWE tenure proved to be extremely underwhelming, but there were still a few positives during his run. He had great battles with multiple wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Vader and Shawn main evented Summerslam 1996 for the WWE Championship, but Vader never headlined a PPV against The Undertaker.

They only had 2 PPV matches, but they were both great bouts. At the 1997 Royal Rumble, Vader scored a big win over The Undertaker after Paul Bearer struck The Undertaker with his urn. A few months later, they had a rematch at In Your House: Canadian Stampede, but this time, it was for Undertaker’s WWE Championship, and Vader was once again unsuccessful in capturing the WWE title.

9 Owen Hart And Triple H Had A Personal Feud In 1998

Owen Joined Forces With The Nation To Go Up Against Triple H And DX

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
WrestleMania 14
European Championship Match
11:29
Triple H

2
Unforgiven: In Your House
European Championship Match
12:26
Triple H

After the Montreal Screwjob, WWE wanted Owen Hart to be the company’s new Canadian hero, but things didn’t go according to plan. Owen returned at D-Generation X: In Your House and attacked Shawn Michaels, as it looked like the two were set for a big WWE Championship program. However, Owen challenged Shawn for the WWE Championship on the last Raw of 1997, but the match ended in disqualification because of Triple H’s interference.

Owen set his sights on Triple H and his European Championship instead. Both men faced off at WrestleMania 14, but Triple H was able to retain his title due to Chyna’s dirty tactics at ringside. They had a rematch at the following PPV at Unforgiven, this time with Chyna being stuck in a shark cage 20 feet in the air. Chyna and the rest of DX still found a way to interfere and cost Owen the victory, which put an end to his chase of the European Championship.

8 Bob Backlund Was One Of Bret Hart’s Biggest Rivals During The Mid 1990s

Backlund Ended Bret’s Second WWE Championship Reign

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
Survivor Series 1994
WWE Championship Match
35:11
Bob Backlund

2
WrestleMania 11
I Quit Match
9:34
Bret Hart

Bob Backlund was one of WWE’s biggest names during the 70s and 80s, as he held the WWE Championship for almost 6 years, which still lives on as the second longest WWE Championship reign of all time. Backlund returned to the company during the New Generation Era, but during his first year back with the company, he mostly put over up-and-coming talent like Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. In 1994, Backlund turned heel and set out on teaching the new generation a lesson in and out of the ring. He challenged Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1994, which was main evented by The Undertaker and Yokozuna in a casket match.

At the time, Bret was in the midst of his second WWE title reign and had just come off a heated rivalry with his brother Owen. Backlund defeated Bret for the WWE Championship after Helen Hart threw in the towel while her son Bret was in the Crossface Chickenwing. Backlund served as a transitional champion as he lost the title to Diesel a few days later at Madison Square Garden. Bret and Backlund had a rematch at WrestleMania 11, but this time, it was an I Quit Match with Roddy Piper as special guest referee. Bret defeated Backlund with his own Crossface Chickenwing, and decades later, he claimed this was the worst PPV match of his career, not because of Backlund, but because I Quit/Submission matches were difficult to execute.

7 The Ultimate Warrior Had His Best Match Ever Against Randy Savage

Both Men Were Two Of WWE’s Biggest Babyfaces During The Golden Era

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
WrestleMania 7
Retirement Match
20:47
The Ultimate Warrior

2
SummerSlam 1992
WWE Championship Match
28:00
The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior had the biggest moment of his career at WrestleMania 6, where he defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship in one of the biggest matches in wrestling history. Warrior went on to hold the WWE title for close to 300 days, but the reign wasn’t so successful in terms of business, as the WWE began to experience its first decline in popularity since Hogan became the face of the company. Warrior lost the WWE title at Royal Rumble 1991 against Sgt. Slaughter, mainly due to the interference of Randy Savage, which sparked a feud between the two.

This rivalry culminated in a retirement match at WrestleMania 7, which turned out to be an absolute classic. Savage lost the match and was forced to retire, but post-match, he reunited with Miss Elizabeth and turned face for the first time in 2 years. Towards the end of the year, Savage was reinstated as an in-ring competitor again, as he wanted to get his hands on Jake Roberts. At WrestleMania 8, Savage defeated Ric Flair to capture his second WWE Championship, and his first title defense on PPV came against none other than the Ultimate Warrior himself. This time, both men were babyfaces, and they were once again able to have a great match, but it ended with an Ultimate Warrior countout victory.

6 Razor Ramon And Jeff Jarrett Were Prominent Names In The Intercontinental Title Scene

Both Men Exchanged The Intercontinental Title Multiple Times In Early 1995

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
Royal Rumble 1995
Intercontinental Championship Match
18:06
Jeff Jarrett

2
WrestleMania 11
Intercontinental Championship Match
13:32
Razor Ramon

Throughout the New Generation Era, Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett became synonymous with the Intercontinental Championship, as both men held the title a combined 7 times during the mid 90s. In early 1995, they feuded for the Intercontinental Championship, and their first encounter took place at the 1995 Royal Rumble, where Jeff Jarrett defeated Razor Ramon to capture his first Intercontinental Championship.

They had a rematch for the title at WrestleMania 11, with Razor Ramon gaining a disqualification victory after The Roadie interfered. This was their last PPV singles match against each other, but as their feud continued, they faced off at the first In Your House event in a handicap match, with The Roadie getting involved in the mix.

5 Randy Savage And Ric Flair Feuded For The WWE Championship In 1992

Their WrestleMania 8 Match Was One Of The Best Matches Of The Year

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
WrestleMania 8
WWE Championship Match
18:04
Randy Savage

In January 1992, Ric Flair produced one of the best Royal Rumble performances ever, entering at number 3 and winning the whole match to capture his first WWE Championship. Flair became only the second wrestler to win the NWA and WWE Championships, after Buddy Rogers. Flair’s first PPV title defense came against Randy Savage at WrestleMania 8, as the two had been feuding over Miss Elizabeth, with Flair claiming that he was in a past relationship with Savage’s wife.

Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice main evented WrestleMania 8 over Savage and Flair, which was the first time the WWE title or champion was not involved in the main event of the showcase of the immortals. Savage and Flair had arguably the best match on the show, which ended with Savage capturing his second WWE Championship. Flair recaptured the WWE title 5 months later on an episode of Prime Time Wrestling, and their storied rivalry continued years later in WCW.

4 Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler Initially Feuded Over Bret’s New King Moniker

Their Feud Began At King Of The Ring 1993

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
SummerSlam 1993
Singles Match
6:32
Jerry Lawler

2
In Your House 1
Singles Match
5:01
Jerry Lawler

3
King Of The Ring 1995
Kiss My Foot Match
9:20
Bret Hart

After Bret Hart’s iconic 1993 King of the Ring victory, Jerry Lawler interrupted Bret’s coronation segment to claim that he was the only king in WWE. After a verbal exchange, Lawler attacked Bret with the scepter, which set off a feud between the two. Their first PPV match took place at SummerSlam 1993, where Bret initially defeated Doink The Clown, before finally getting his hands on Lawler. Bret defeated Lawler by submission and after the match, he took a while to release the Sharpshooter, which made the referees reverse the decision and award a disqualification win to Jerry Lawler.

Their next encounter on PPV took place almost 2 years later at the first In Your House event. Bret defeated Hakushi earlier in the night, but he was unable to defeat Lawler after interference from Hakushi himself. They had a rematch at King of the Ring 1995 in a Kiss my Foot match, which Bret Hart won. After Lawler had Bret’s foot shoved in his mouth, he hired his own personal dentist, Isaac Yankem DDS, which notoriously became one of the worst gimmicks in WWE history.

3 Shawn Michaels And Razor Ramon Innovated The Ladder Match In WWE

They Had Two Iconic Ladder Matches In The Mid 1990s

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
WrestleMania 10
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
18:47
Razor Ramon

2
SummerSlam 1995
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
25:04
Shawn Michaels

At WrestleMania 10, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon had a classic ladder match that created a legacy that still lives on today. WWE audiences weren’t accustomed to these type of matches, but after Razor and Shawn delivered the goods in Madison Square Garden, they couldn’t wait to see more.

At SummerSlam 1995, Razor and Shawn had a rematch of their epic WrestleMania 10 clash, as WWE wanted to generate more interest for the event. The match was just as good if not better than the previous clash, but this time, it was Shawn Michaels walking out on top and as Intercontinental Champion.

2 Mick Foley Was One Of Triple H’s Biggest Rivals Ever

Their Most Notorious Battles Took Place In 1997 And 2000

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
King Of The Ring 1997
King Of The Ring Final Match
19:26
Triple H

2
In Your House: Canadian Stampede
Singles Match
13:14
Double Countout

3
SummerSlam 1997
Steel Cage Match
16:26
Mick Foley

4
One Night Only 1997
Singles Match
12:51
Triple H

Mick Foley played a vital role in turning Triple H into a main event guy, as in 1997, Triple H won the King of the Ring tournament and his status on the card took a big leap. Foley and Triple H continued their feud throughout the summer of 1997, facing each other across multiple PPV events, with their most iconic bout of the year taking place at SummerSlam, where Foley delivered an elbow off the top of the cage to win the match.

Towards the end of the decade, Triple H continued to elevate himself towards the main event scene. He finally won the big one in 1999, and one of his first major world title programs came against Mick Foley himself. Triple H and Foley had 2 iconic bouts at Royal Rumble and No Way Out 2000, as the two finally main evented a PPV at No Way Out, after not getting a chance to do so during the 1990s.

1 Bret Vs. Owen Hart Is The Best Brother Vs. Brother Rivalry In WWE History

Both Are Two Of The Greatest Technical Wrestlers Ever

PPV Singles Match
Event
Stipulation
Time
Winner

1
WrestleMania 10
Singles Match
20:21
Owen Hart

2
SummerSlam 1994
Steel Cage WWE Championship Match
32:22
Bret Hart

If there’s a feud that defined the New Generation Era, it’s most certainly Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. In 1994, the Hart brothers indulged in one of the greatest wrestling rivalries ever, toppled with 2 all-time classics that have aged well to this very day.

At WrestleMania 10, Owen upset his older brother after a 20 minute technical masterclass. Bret won the WWE Championship later that night, and Owen made it clear that he would set his sights on Bret’s title. Owen won the 1994 King of the Ring tournament, and at SummerSlam, he challenged Bret for the WWE title in a steel cage match. They managed to produce another classic in a completely different style of match and story, which helped further cement an iconic rivalry between two of the best wrestlers ever.