There are some matches which are defined by the match itself, whether that be insane moments, celebratory victories, or simply just world-class in-ring work. Most of the time, fans remember the closing stages more fondly - the final pinfall or submission, the pop for a victory, and the celebrations of a win, but sometimes it is the opening seconds which are more memorable.
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Throughout professional wrestling history, mostly in WWE with all the grandeur, spectacle, and larger than life talents, the opening stages of the bout can be goosebump-inducing, and the following matches are the best examples of exactly that.
10 The Crowd Were Wild Before John Cena & AJ Styles Locked Up
The Audience Made These First Seconds Iconic
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
AJ Styles defeated John Cena | WWE Money In The Bank 2016 | 24:10 |
AJ Styles’ arrival in WWE went better than perhaps anyone expected, with him getting very over with the crowd. Even after turning heel, the fans were wild for everything he did, and they went wild when Styles went one-on-one with John Cena at Money In The Bank 2016 in a first time ever matchup.
Before the bell even rang, the atmosphere was electric, and it became even more so when the referee began the match. Warring chants of “Let’s Go Cena” and “AJ Styles” filled up the arena in what was a thrilling start to this bout.
9 Kurt Angle & Rey Mysterio Went Full Throttle At SummerSlam
The Opening To This Match Was Electric
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
Kurt Angle defeated Rey Mysterio | WWE SummerSlam 2002 | 9:25 |
One of WWE’s best PPVs of all time kicked off in the best way possible when Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio opened up the show. Mysterio came out of nowhere to attack Angle at the start of the match, resulting in a non-stop and action packed sequence in the opening seconds.
The crisp offense, the speed in which it was executed, and the way it set the precedent for not just the rest of the match but for the rest of the show too was simply fantastic. Angle & Mysterio had effortless chemistry.
8 CM Punk And Eddie Kingston Went At It Straight Away In Their AEW Clash
One Of The Most Intense Match Openings Ever
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
CM Punk defeated Eddie Kingston | AEW Full Gear 2021 | 11:07 |
There is perhaps no match in AEW history which started with the amount of intensity as this. CM Punk and Eddie Kingston did not waste a moment when the bell rang, laying into each other in what felt like an authentic fight.
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The crowd ate into the level of intensity in the opening seconds, making for a match which was hot, physical, and incredibly entertaining. The match continued on with this sort of savage and chaotic brawling, which led to one of the best matches of either man’s AEW career.
7 John Cena Vs. Shawn Michaels Vs. Triple H Opened In An Exciting Way
HBK Superkicked His Best Friend
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels & Triple H | WWE Survivor Series 2009 | 21:19 |
The main event of Survivor Series 2009 saw John Cena defending the WWE Championship against Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who had been teaming together as D-Generation X in the months leading up to this match. It was always going to be an intriguing dynamic given their status as tag team partners, but no one expected things to unravel from the opening seconds.
The three world beaters faced off, but it wasn’t long until Michaels turned and superkicked Triple H in a stunning moment. This was an incredible way to kick off the match and it elevated the rest of the contest.
6 WWE’s First Main Event Since The Crowds Returned Had An Emotional Opening Few Seconds
Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks Took In The Moment
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks | WWE WrestleMania 37 Saturday | 17:16 |
WrestleMania 37 was a special show, even if it wasn’t perfect. The return of live fans made this a surreal experience, and the moment was overwhelming for both Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in the main event of Night One.
When the bell rang, both Belair and Banks took in the occasion and welled up. The raw emotion shown by both women, despite their babyface/heel status and the fact they were rivals, was a very real few seconds and one which will forever be a “WrestleMania moment”.
5 Fans Thought They Were Seeing Another Upset When Becky Lynch & Bianca Belair Clashed
Lynch Nearly Won In A Few Seconds
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch | WWE WrestleMania 38 Saturday | 19:08 |
At SummerSlam 2021, Becky Lynch returned to WWE and squashed Bianca Belair in just a few seconds to win the world title and cause anger amongst fans. Fast forward to WrestleMania 38, and Belair was seeking revenge and redemption.
When the bell rang, Belair went full throttle, but her own momentum and intensity led to Lynch once again hitting her finisher and going for the win in just the opening seconds. For a moment, the crowd could not believe what they were seeing, and were worried over a rehash of the SummerSlam match. Belair kicked out in a fantastic moment, kicking the match off with a bang.
4 The First John Cena Vs. The Rock Match Had A Special Face-Off
Fans Were Crazy For This “Once In A Lifetime” Match
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
The Rock defeated John Cena | WWE WrestleMania 28 | 30:35 |
It was very special when two all-time greats stepped foot in the ring at WrestleMania 28, as John Cena and The Rock battled in the “Once In A Lifetime” attraction match which had been built up for an entire year.
The Rock and Cena did not even have to lock up for the buzz in the stadium to be felt through every TV screen. Their face-off was stunning, and it proved to be one of the greatest opening seconds to a match in WrestleMania history for sure.
3 Goldberg Squashing Brock Lesnar In Seconds Was A Stunning Moment
Golbderg’s WWE Return Shocked The World
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar | WWE Survivor Series 2016 |
Goldberg’s WWE comeback match in 2016 against Brock Lesnar was a spectacle. When looking back at the “opening seconds”, a hot face-off occurred, followed by Goldberg pushing Lesnar to the ground and then spearing the soul out of him.
He went on to squash Lesnar in under two minutes, but the first spear especially was an incredible moment and some of the best opening seconds to match ever given the shock value of it.
2 Bryan Danielson’s AEW Debut Against Kenny Omega Had A Phenomenal Opening
The Audience Treated This Like The Dream Match That It Was
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega ended in a draw | AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam 2021 | 30:00 |
There was a lot of anticipation when Bryan Danielson stepped foot in an AEW ring for the first time ever, facing off with Kenny Omega in a dream match. Before the two even locked horns, the crowd went wild.
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They cheered for the bell, and continued on roaring and chanting, filling the Arthur Ashe Stadium with a wall of noise that made the opening seconds of this match the most special in the entire history of AEW to date. Danielslon and Omega would go on to have a match of the year candidate too.
1 The Rock Vs. Hulk Hogan Is The Most Memorable Start To A Match Ever
The Audience Came Unglued For Their Face-Off
Match Result | Event | Match Length |
|---|---|---|
The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan | WWE WrestleMania 18 | 16:24 |
There is no doubt which match has the greatest few opening seconds in wrestling history, and it is the WrestleMania 18 spectacle between The Rock and Hulk Hogan. There has perhaps never been a crowd as hot as this one for nothing more than a simple face-to-face between two men.
Both felt larger than life as the crowd went absolutely wild for the opening bell. The opening seconds of this match will never, ever be forgotten.
