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The Cageside Seats Greatest Matches Tournament (CSSGMT, it's long, I know) kicks off today with a match-up pitting number one seed Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 taking on number 16 seed Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania 3.
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Before casting your vote you can check out a synopsis, as well as watch both matches in order to refresh your memory, after the jump. The updated bracket is also available.
Undertaker vs. Mankind, King of the Ring 1998
Widely recognized as one of if not thee most brutal matches in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) history, Undertaker vs. Mankind was a ridiculous spotfest that took place at King of the Ring on June 28, 1998. It was also a "Hell in a Cell" match.
Mick Foley sold his body out completely, electing to let 'Taker throw him off the top of the cage and onto the Spanish announce table in a planned spot that destroyed Foley's shoulder. Medical personnel tried to wheel him away but he went back for more punishment and was ultimately choke slammed through the top of the cage and onto the hard, unforgiving ring below.
That fall knocked him out cold, and before all was said and done, he had suffered a concussion, a dislocated jaw, a bruised kidney and a dislocated shoulder. That's without mentioning his two missing teeth and the 14 stitches he required on his lip.
This was all before the days of tables, ladders, and chairs. In fact, Foley is the guy who set the bar so high with the sick bumps he took in this match. He influenced an entire generation of pro wrestlers with this one match. Considering its placement in this tournament, it left a lasting impression.
Watch it again and relive the horror:
Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant, WrestleMania 3
In the annals of pro wrestling lore, perhaps no WWF match is more famous than this one. Hulkamania was running its wildest in the mid-to-late 1980s and the match that put it over the top and cemented Hogan as a household name was his WrestleMania 3 in main event against André on March 29, 1987.
The match itself is nothing to write home about. André was having trouble moving around and was on his last legs as a wrestler. But the story they told leading into the match struck the perfect tone, with the Giant turning heel on the uber-over babyface Hogan during a memorable segment on Piper's Pit that saw André rip Hogan's cross necklace off while the Hulkster was damn near in tears.
By the time they got to the match, they didn't need to tear the house down. And they didn't, lumbering through roughly 12 minutes in the main event. The payoff wasn't the match, though, it was the moment within the match when Hogan finally picked André up and body-slammed him.
It's become one of the most iconic moments in pro wrestling history and certainly one of the biggest moments in the history of the WWF.
Watch it happen:
Updated bracket:
