The Blacktop Bully vs. Dustin Rhodes – King of the Road match – WCW Uncensored 1995
Ok, so I’m going to add this one. It’s not WWE, but I came across it while researching. Apparently both guys were fired by WCW for blading during the match. An example of two guys losing their jobs because they wanted to add something to this horrendously bad match type. Dustin Rhodes would inevitably go on to be Goldust in the WWF, and yeah, who’s Blacktop Bully?
The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar – No Mercy 2002 – Hell In A Cell For The WWE Championship.
There’s more than one reason to forget this. Obviously the recent Hell in a Cell match between them saw WWE completely ignore the previous encounter and how it ended. Needless to say, while the match isn’t a classic (probably 3 out of 5 at best), the blood is as much as you will find in any Hell in a Cell. Lesnar, Taker, and Heyman bled on this day
Just to top it all off, if you fast forward to the 30-minute mark, you can see blood on the camera lens. The match isn’t fondly remembered, Brock Lesnar beat Undertaker at his own game, and I can only remember (back in 2002) feeling depressed because I wanted Undertaker to defeat Lesnar for the title.
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson – May 1981
While I wasn’t alive to see this, it’s an example of a bad blade job adding to a match. At the 12-minute mark, Patterson launched Slaughter to the turnbuckle, and Slaughter hit his head on the metal pole, blading immediately. It was voted match of the year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. What does that tell ya!?
Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog – WWF In Your House 5
Bret didn’t blade often, so it was shocking to see Bret bleeding all over the mat on the outside. The WWF denied Bret bladed, but it’s clearly visible at 14:10. Not the best match between these two, and the shots of Diana Hart are a bit much, but still a good contest between them in 1995.
Vince McMahon vs Hulk Hogan – Wrestlemania XIX
You may or may not know this, but I’ve been writing a Wrestlemania series, and this was a match I praised.because Vince was really on his game, and his evil persona added to the brutality. Also Vince did a leg drop on Hogan, from a ladder, through the announce table! The match wouldn’t fly in WWE today .. but back then, Vince had no issues with the practice.
Difficult to find a decent video, however, I stumbled across a high-quality one with a big WWE logo watermark over it; not ideal, but it works. Skip forward to 15:57 to witness Vince McMahon’s evil smile through the crimson mask.
Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman vs. The Dudleys – ECW One Night Stand 2005
Love One Night Stand 2005! The main event was vintage ECW. Sandman’s epic entrance, Dudleys using tables, run-ins, flaming tables, catfights, and of course, a bloodied Tommy Dreamer who could only smile at his wife through his crimson mask. And you can find it at the 28:40 mark. EC-DUB! EC-DUB!
Edge vs Mick Foley – Wrestlemania 22
I’ll never get bored of seeing this. I love it because the intensity was high, Foley bled, Edge bled, even Lita bled after eating HARDCORE SOCKO! And if the barbed wire bat shoved in the head wounds of Edge isn’t enough to make you cringe, remember how it ended. WWE does not want the new generation to be aware of this hardcore style, it’s just too much for them. I’m kidding, we should never forget this diamond in the rough. 14:40 for vintage Mick Foley.
JBL vs John Cena – Judgement Day 2005
This is remembered as Cena’s biggest blade job ever. Cena was young, he wasn’t set in his ways as a role model to kids, so he could get away with blading, but I’m sure he did an Eddie Guerrero on it and went too far. What is it with Judgement Day? But I guess the main question is: did it encourage you to cheer for Cena? Fast forward to the 13:50 mark to see JBL smash Cena with the chair. And that’s when business picks up.
MNM vs. London/Kendrick vs.Hardys vs. Regal/Taylor – Armageddon 2006
Oh lord. Words cannot describe how brutal this incident was. Joey Mercury could have died from this, so while his face and body wasn’t completely covered in blood, you know it was done in the hardest way imaginable; with a ladder smashing his nose to pieces. No protection at all, Mercury didn’t lift his hand in time to stop the real blow to the face.
I remember watching it live. I was so traumatized by the sight of Mercury’s face I couldn’t focus on the rest of the match, or the rest of the PPV for that matter. It’s a haunting image of what can go wrong in a wrestling ring. While some idiot troll may say “WRESTLING’S FAKE DURR!”, show them this video and ask them how you fake someone’s face being rearranged live on PPV. Fast forward to 16:40 for the horrific incident.
Eddie Guerrero vs JBL – Judgement Day 2004
Eddie wasn’t known for his blading. He could do the job when it was needed, but he was so professional you rarely saw him bleed out like others on the list. At the 20:47 mark, JBL clocked Eddie with the chair the same way he hit Cena one year later. Eddie bladed and immediately gushed blood down his face and body. Truly not the best sight, he had gone too far and now it was a concern to everyone.
Despite the bad cut, the match continued and the blood continued to pour from Eddie’s head; even more so when JBL got him in a headlock. Minutes later, the blood continued to pour and it was all over the ring mat. At 30:35, Eddie picked the title up and struck JBL with it, who bladed as well. Watch through to the end to see who survived the bloodiest match of Eddie Guerrero’s career.
And with that said, I would like to dedicate this article to Eddie Guerrero, one of the greatest of all time. I sit here in my ten-year old Eddie Guerrero shirt, and it’s crazy how many years have passed by since that fateful day. RIP Latino Heat, we miss you! Thanks for reading everyone. Appreciated.
