Coming out of the “Golden Era” WWE was in a massive flux. The money machines they had depended on were gone to other pastures and in their place was a new set of stars.
The leaders of this ‘New Generation’ were charged with taking the company into a new era. An era of uncertainty but one that also produced some of the best rivalries in WWE history.
The New Generation had an uphill battle. Some of the stars were known commodities, but others were unproven talents. The combination of these workers could have gone wrong for the company, but luckily, WWE hit gold with several of the combinations. Various combinations of these wrestlers made for great television and endearing rivalries that are fondly remembered today.
Below are some examples of these rivalries.
Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler
‘The Hitman’ was the leader of the New Generation. WWE put a lot of their eggs in his basket and as great as some of his other feuds were there might not be one better than his rivalry with ‘The King.’
Jerry Lawler was constantly a thorn in Bret’s side. It was no secret that he harbored ill will towards Hart and would take every chance he could to take shots at both Bret and his family.
Lawler spent most of his time behind the commentary desk, giving him ample airwaves to fill with his hatred of the Hart Family. It was a running theme for the entirety of the New Generation and one that provided for some darn entertaining television.
Bret always got the best of Lawler, in the ring, but this was a rivalry that was more about family than it was about in-ring action.
The Undertaker vs. Diesel
The early part of The Undertaker’s career saw him taking on all sorts of giants, but none posed much of a threat. That changed dramatically when Diesel set his sights on ‘The Deadman.’ Diesel was deep into his tweener role, and his new attitude made him a perfect adversary for ‘Taker.
This feud was unlike many we had seen before. Diesel was a physically imposing man, and his cocky attitude was great to see across from the usually stoic Undertaker. Diesel laughing in the face of “death” was not something that most had seen from a feud with The Undertaker. Of course, ‘Taker had to up his game creating a chilling fake Diesel that was in a casket.
Their Wrestlemania match was a great big-man match. It’s a shame Diesel left soon after because this was a rivalry that had lots of legs.
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon
The mid-card of the New Generation might be the best, and these two men are a huge reason why that’s the case.
In the early-to-mid 90s, Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels were a fantastic pairing. Their battles over the Intercontinental Championship are iconic. They had a tremendous professional rivalry that made the mid-card the best part of television. ‘The Bad Guy’ and ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ made it cool to like the IC strap again.
Of course, the matches involved in their feud rank as the best of the best. The ladder matches at WrestleMania X and SummerSlam 1995 set the tone for what a ladder match should be. It made the gimmick popular and inspired hundreds of matches following them.
Yokozuna vs. The Undertaker
The Sumo Champion was unbeatable and afraid of nothing until The Undertaker set his sights on the WWE Championship. It was an oddball pairing that worked incredibly well. Yokozuna was used to beating his opponents handily, but The Undertaker was the one who just kept coming. It was the first time that we saw fear in the eyes of the WWE Champion.
Both of their matches were fantastic for what they needed to be. They were gimmick-heavy but that worked to the advantage of both men. It was a big-time feud that felt important both with and without the WWE Championship.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
What makes a great rivalry is personal animosity between the two combatants. It doesn’t get much more personal than the family jealousy that existed between Bret and Owen Hart.
The youngest Hart brother always felt like he was being pushed to the side by his brother Bret. It created such a hatred in him that he turned on his brother, sparking a fantastic rivalry between the two.
What transpired was one of the intense feuds of the New Generation. With every fiber of his being Owen tried to get one over on his brother. It was a bitter feud that involved various members of the Hart Family and didn’t get resolved for years.
1994 was the best year of their rivalry. Matches at WrestleMania X and SummerSlam 1994 were 5-star classics. Every time they stepped in the ring they put on gold. That is not something every feud can say.
Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel
HBK needed help in his early heel days. He could feel his grasp on the Intercontinental Championship slipping and he brought in a heavy to watch his back.
Diesel was a great bodyguard for Michaels, but when his spotlight began to shine brighter Michaels took exception. It led to jealousy, on the part of Michaels, and he began to slowly sabotage Diesel and when ‘Big Daddy Cool’ had enough the team broke.
It was a great slow burn that developed into a great rivalry. A rivalry built on swelling hatred of how Diesel was held down by his former boss.
Diesel was never one to have great matches, that is unless he was in the ring with HBK. Their WrestleMania XI match stole the show and their main event at In Your House 7 is a very underrated No-DQ match.
Anytime these two stepped into the ring it was magic. Magic that made Diesel a star.
Goldust vs. Razor Ramon
This was a program that didn’t have the distance, but it sure made its impact on the WWE Universe.
Goldust was a man who no one really could get a read on. His actions were distracting but is that all they were. They were actions that led to him focusing his attention on Razor Ramon and distracting the Bad Guy. T
he television segments between the two were some of the best of the year. It was a controversial angle with Goldust proclaiming his love for Ramon. Was it a rouse? Was it a way to get under the Bad Guys’ skin so the Golden One can steal the Intercontinental Championship?
At the Royal Rumble, their match contained more of the mind games but included some solid wrestlers from two great veterans. The match was not the highlight of the program though as both Goldust and Ramon turned in the best character work of their careers.
Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty
When the fateful Barber Shop ended, don’t lie we were all tearing up. The Rockers’ spilt was telegraphed but no one could have predicted that it would end this way. It was heartbreaking but it did help to produce a great rivalry.
Jannetty and Michaels were one of the best tag teams in WWE history, and they also proved to be great adversaries. Their styles matched so well that all of their matches were fantastic. It was a quicker style than we were used to, but it was dynamic. Every time they stepped into the ring; we knew we were going to get gold.
This program was also one to give us a great title change. No one expected Jannetty to win the strap from Michaels. It was a huge shock and one that brought this rivalry to another level.
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
This rivalry was always going to be on this list. It might be the greatest of the New Generation and one that kept fans watching during turbulent times.
Bret and Shawn was a rivalry that became famous both behind and in front of the camera. They started as rivals in the ring, producing banger after banger, but it soon became personal. Bret and Shawn had different approaches to how they presented themselves.
One was the consummate professional while the other was a loudmouth who rubbed just about everyone the wrong way. It caused them to develop a true hatred for one another.
Their hatred was vicious, but it didn’t prevent them from putting on technical masterpieces. WrestleMania XII’s Iron Man Match was iconic, and their Survivor Series 1992 title vs title contest is a must-watch for anyone.
They put on the best matches they could and provided a blueprint for everyone else in the company. Combine that with a personal rivalry that was second to none and you have one of the greatest of an era.
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