When it comes to champion vs. champion matches, there’s nothing quite like them. So as WWE gears up for Crown Jewel weekend, it got us thinking — what are the greatest champ vs. champ matches in history?
When it comes to champion vs. champion matches, there’s nothing quite like them. It’s the rarest kind of collision in professional wrestling — a battle not just for pride or supremacy, but for legacy. Typically, when one holds championship gold, they’re the king of their county — the ruler of their division, the top of their mountain. Whether it’s a secondary title like the Intercontinental or United States Championship, or the pinnacle of them all — the WWE World Heavyweight or Undisputed WWE Championship — each belt creates its own small universe.
You exist in your own orbit and every other competitor is a planet circling you, hoping to pull you out of position and take your place. Most of the time, those worlds stay separate — each champion reigning in their respective lane, defending their own turf. But every so often, those orbits collide. Every so often, champions clash in the kinds of matches that make fans stop scrolling, turn their heads and say, “Wait, they’re actually doing that?” (Clash of Champions — that’s a good name for a PLE, by the way.)
When that happens, the question becomes simple but seismic: Who is the real best in the world?
Over the decades, WWE has only pulled the trigger on this type of showdown a handful of times — going all the way back to the territorial era of the 1980s, when champions from rival companies would dare to share the same ring. Those rare nights when belts didn’t just represent divisions, but ideologies.
Fast-forward to today, and the spirit of those matchups lives on. As WWE approaches this year’s Crown Jewel event on Saturday in Perth, Australia, the company has brought back, for the second year in a row, the concept of the Crown Jewel Championship. Last year, Cody Rhodes claimed that crown in a champion vs. champion battle against Gunther. This year, he finds himself in familiar territory, stepping into the ring against Seth Rollins, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.
And that’s just the men’s side. On the women’s side, the unstoppable Tiffany Stratton, the long-reigning WWE Women’s Champion, will face Stephanie Vaquer, the newly-crowned Women’s World Champion, in a collision of style and sheer star power.
Two matches. Four champions. No excuses.
So, it made me think — as WWE gears up for another pair of high-stakes encounters — what are the greatest champion vs. champion matches in WWE history? The ones that made us hold our collective breath, stand on our feet, and remember exactly where we were when the bell rang?
Let’s take a look.
Honorable Mention: Bob Backlund vs. Harley Race (WWF Champion vs. NWA Champion, 1980)
Before diving into the top five, we have to start with a match that predates modern sports entertainment as we know it — a true battle of worlds that defined what it meant to be a pro-wrestling champion. Before there were crossover storylines, brand supremacy, or NXT titleholders stepping into "Raw" and "SmackDown" rings, there was a time when the idea of two champions from rival promotions sharing the same space felt almost mythical.
That’s what made September 1980 at Madison Square Garden so historic. On that night, WWF Champion Bob Backlund faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race in a one-of-a-kind inter-promotional showdown. It wasn’t a unification bout. No titles changed hands. It was something even bigger: A rare opportunity to see who stood tallest among giants.
At the time, the WWF and NWA were fierce competitors. These weren’t two brands under one corporate umbrella. These were two opposing empires — two visions of what professional wrestling could be. For one night, they let their figureheads step into the same ring to settle the debate that had long fueled barroom arguments, fan discussions, and promoter dreams.
Backlund, then the young and technically sound babyface, carried the torch that Bruno Sammartino had lit years earlier. He was pure, disciplined, the definition of the company man — a champion who represented honor, athleticism and tradition. On the opposite side was Harley Race, the seasoned veteran and road warrior. Race was tough as nails, no-frills, no wasted motion. He’d bled on every continent and fought in every territory worth a damn. He wasn’t there to dazzle anyone — he was there to prove a point.
The clash was everything fans could have hoped for — and more. It was physical, methodical, and laced with tension. You could sense the mutual respect, but you could also sense the rivalry that came from representing two entirely different worlds. Both men wrestled as if they were defending the honor of their home promotions — and, in truth, they were.
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After a grueling 30 minutes of action, the match ended in controversy. Race tossed Backlund over the top rope — an act that, in the rules of that era, constituted a disqualification. It wasn’t the ending fans wanted, but it was the ending both companies could live with. No one looked weak. No one’s title was devalued. Both champions left with their belts intact, and both men walked out looking stronger than ever.
Looking back, it’s easy to see how this match helped plant the seeds for the “champion vs. champion” format we know today. It wasn’t about brand warfare or social media bragging rights. It was about respect. It was about proving yourself against another elite.
In a sense, Backlund vs. Race was the first great inter-promotional dream match — a glimpse of what could happen when pride, skill and championship glory collided under one spotlight. That’s why, even though it’s not part of our official five, it earns a place of honor here.
5. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho (Vengeance 2001)
If the 1980s were about territorial pride, then 2001 was about consolidation. The wars were over. The Monday Night Wars, to be specific — and WWE had won.
For a time, WCW had become the powerhouse of pro wrestling, the first company to knock Vince McMahon off his throne. But by the dawn of the new millennium, the empire had crumbled. Mismanagement, creative chaos, and a string of financial disasters left Turner Broadcasting with no choice but to pull the plug. When the dust settled, McMahon stood alone atop the mountain, with both companies’ legacies — and championships — now in his grasp.
And that’s what set the stage for one of the most important nights in wrestling history: Vengeance 2001, the night the WWF would crown its first-ever Undisputed Champion.
The company had two top prizes at the time — the WWF Championship and the WCW Championship — and for one night only, both were on the line in a single-elimination mini-tournament to unify them. Four men entered the bracket:
Stone Cold Steve Austin, the face of the Attitude Era and the reigning WWF Champion.
Kurt Angle, the Olympic Hero with the technical chops to beat anyone.
The Rock, the most electrifying man in sports entertainment and the current WCW Champion.
Chris Jericho, the loudmouthed underdog who, up to that point, had never held a world title in WWE.
On paper, Jericho was a long shot. Sure, he was charismatic, clever and an elite performer, but this was a field filled with megastars. The betting odds would have favored Austin, The Rock, or Angle — guys who had already headlined WrestleMania and defined the company’s boom years.
But on that December night in San Diego, fate — and McMahon — had other plans.
The first round went as expected: Austin defeated Angle in a brutal, hard-hitting match to retain his title. Meanwhile, Jericho shocked everyone by beating The Rock — clean — to capture the WCW Championship. You could feel the tide turning. Suddenly, the self-proclaimed “Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla” was one win away from doing the impossible.
Then came the final showdown: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho. "The Texas Rattlesnake" vs. "Y2J." The ultimate fan-favorite versus the cocky, ambitious challenger.
The crowd was on fire. Austin, battered from his earlier match, came out swinging — fists, stomps, Lou Thesz presses, the whole Austin playbook. Jericho, ever the opportunist, fought dirty, clawing, scratching, doing whatever he could to survive.
And just when it looked like Austin would inevitably win — when the company’s most popular star was seconds away from making history — chaos erupted. Booker T interfered, attacking Austin, and McMahon himself got involved, adding insult to injury.
The interference opened the door for Jericho to capitalize, and in one of the most shocking moments of that era, Chris Jericho pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin.
History was made. Chris Jericho became the first-ever Undisputed Champion in WWE history, holding both the WWF and WCW titles high above his head.
It was surreal. Fans couldn’t believe it. Jericho couldn’t believe it. And apparently, neither could McMahon, who, in typical Vince fashion, delivered one of the most backhanded compliments ever uttered backstage. As Jericho later recalled:
“Vince said, ‘You know how you know the business is going to hell? We’re putting the title on Jericho.’”
That was Vince — sarcastic, smug, but also brilliant. In his own way, he passed the torch to a new kind of star. Jericho wasn’t built like Austin or The Rock. He wasn’t a body guy or a company prototype. He was a loudmouthed Canadian who’d clawed his way up from ECW to WCW to WWE — and now, he was the man.
4. Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan (Survivor Series 2018)
Before Crown Jewel became the stage for WWE’s most high-stakes clashes between champions, that honor belonged to Survivor Series. In the late 2010s, the annual November event transformed into a battleground for brand supremacy — a night where the "Raw" and "SmackDown" champions faced off to prove which brand truly reigned supreme.
And during that stretch, one man seemed to define Survivor Series season: Brock Lesnar. Back when the Universal Championship still existed, Lesnar was its undisputed standard-bearer. His matches against AJ Styles, Finn Bálor and others showed that despite his reputation as a “part-time monster,” Lesnar could tell some of the most compelling stories in the business. But of all those matches, none stood out more than his 2018 showdown with Daniel Bryan.
This wasn’t just a clash of champions. It was a clash of worlds.
At the time, Daniel Bryan had returned from what was once thought to be a career-ending retirement. After years on the sidelines, countless doctor visits and months of speculation, Bryan finally stepped back into the ring — and didn’t just return; he reinvented himself. The “Yes!” Movement’s beloved underdog had become a bitter, self-righteous eco-warrior, disgusted by consumerism and hypocrisy. He was smug, brilliant, and absolutely on fire as WWE Champion — a title he'd eventually lose to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35.
Standing across from him was "The Beast Incarnate," Brock Lesnar — a man who had already carved his name into wrestling immortality. He was the conqueror who ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, the destroyer who'd eviscerated John Cena in one of the most dominant SummerSlam performances ever. A former UFC heavyweight champion, a multi-time WWE Champion — Lesnar was an apex predator in every sense of the word.
So when the two clashed at Survivor Series 2018, fans weren’t expecting an even contest. The assumption was that Lesnar would steamroll Bryan in minutes — another squash match in a long line of Lesnar's highlight reels. After all, both men were technically heels at the time, and Bryan, still relatively new to his villainous persona, didn’t have the size or aura of someone who could take down “The Beast.”
But then the bell rang — and what unfolded was a storytelling masterpiece.
The early minutes went as everyone predicted: Lesnar rag-dolled Bryan around the ring, tossing him with suplexes and laughing with that signature, sinister smirk. It looked like another massacre. But somewhere in the chaos, Bryan found his rhythm.
He began chopping at the giant’s legs, using every ounce of his technical brilliance to slow the monster down. He trapped Lesnar in submissions, targeted his knees, and finally locked in the Yes! Lock, wrenching with every bit of strength he had. The crowd, initially silent, began to rally — not because Bryan was the hero, but because his sheer defiance reminded them why they had fallen in love with him in the first place.
It became a modern-day David and Goliath story — a war of survival, not dominance. Each near-fall was believable. Each counter was electric. For a brief, incredible stretch, it truly felt like Daniel Bryan might actually beat Brock Lesnar.
But in the end, Lesnar caught Bryan midair, turned momentum into muscle, and drilled him with a devastating F-5 to seal the victory.
Yet what makes this match unforgettable isn’t who won — it’s how both men walked away looking stronger than ever. Bryan proved once again that he’s not just one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation — he’s one of the best storytellers the business has ever seen. And for all the people who accuse Lesnar of being one-dimensional, this match served as undeniable proof: When Brock wants to work, he can be one of the best professional wrestlers alive.
3. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (Survivor Series 2021)
Another Survivor Series classic — this one from 2021 and deeply personal.
It wasn’t just a brand vs. brand bout. It wasn’t just Becky Lynch, the Raw Women’s Champion, taking on Charlotte Flair, the SmackDown Women’s Champion. This match stood apart because of the reality that surrounded it. This wasn’t merely a storyline pairing of two titleholders. It was an emotional showdown between two women whose friendship had fractured — both on-screen and off.
Lynch and Flair's history is well-documented. They came up together, two of the original Four Horsewomen who helped usher in WWE’s Women’s Revolution. Together, they helped redefine women’s wrestling in the company — main-eventing pay-per-views, breaking barriers and changing perceptions. But by 2021, that sisterhood had splintered.
Just a month before Survivor Series, reports surfaced of a real backstage confrontation between the two after an awkward title exchange segment on "SmackDown." The segment was supposed to be routine — each woman simply handing the other her respective brand’s championship after the draft. Instead, it turned into a tense and uncomfortable live moment, with visible frustration and improvisation. What followed were rumors, whispers and fan theories about what really happened between two of WWE’s biggest stars.
It was obvious to anyone watching that things weren’t what they used to be. The once inseparable friends — women who had celebrated each other’s success, cried together, and carved out a new era for female wrestlers — now stood on opposite sides of an emotional divide. And WWE, in true fashion, saw an opportunity.
The company didn’t hide the tension. It leaned into it.
The buildup to Survivor Series 2021 felt raw and unfiltered. Promos weren’t polished; they were sharp, biting, and uncomfortably real. The air around this match carried the sense that something could go wrong — that this wasn’t just a performance, but perhaps a confrontation that might spill over. The lines between reality and fiction blurred completely.
Then came the match.
From the opening bell, the atmosphere was electric. The friction, the ego, the emotion — it was all palpable. Every lock-up, every slap, every move landed with extra venom. This was more release than just wrestling. Trash talk filled the ring. Tempers flared. Each woman fought not just to win, but to prove a point. It was gritty, stiff and real.
After a tense, back-and-forth battle, the ending came with poetic irony. Flair went for a roll-up, but Lynch countered — grabbing the ropes for leverage — and pinned her rival for the three count. The “Dirtiest Player in the Game’s” daughter had just been beaten by her own trick.
The post-match moment said it all. Lynch, nearly teary-eyed in her backstage interview, called the match cathartic. You could see the mixture of relief, emotion and exhaustion wash over her. For both women, this wasn’t just a pay-per-view main event — it was years of friendship, competition and tension exploding inside a 20-minute spectacle.
To this day, it remains one of the most talked-about women’s matches of the era — not only because of its technical brilliance, but because of the truth that fueled it. It wasn’t about titles. It was about respect.
And sometimes that’s the most powerful story a wrestling ring can tell.
2. The Ultimate Challenge: Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania VI, 1990)
Few matches in wrestling history have felt as massive — or as mythic — as The Ultimate Challenge. WrestleMania VI. Toronto SkyDome. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior.
By 1990, Hulk Hogan was still the undeniable centerpiece of the WWF. He was the red-and-yellow superhero McMahon built his empire around — the living embodiment of “say your prayers and eat your vitamins.” For six straight WrestleManias, Hogan had been the company’s preeminent draw, the man who transcended wrestling and became a pop-culture phenomenon. McMahon’s gamble on Hogan not only paid off — it redefined the business.
But in wrestling, even the mightiest runs eventually lose steam. McMahon sensed that Hogan’s heroic reign had reached its peak. The company needed a new standard-bearer — a new larger-than-life figure to carry the torch into the next decade.
Enter The Ultimate Warrior.
The Ultimate Warrior looked like something ripped straight out of a child’s imagination of a wrestling superhero — face paint streaked across his cheeks, neon tassels flying from his arms, veins pulsing like ropes, and an intensity that bordered on cosmic. His ring entrances were pure adrenaline, sprinting full speed to the ring, shaking the ropes with enough fury to make the camera shake. His interviews were nonsensical poetry about gods, galaxies and destiny — but to many of the kids watching, he wasn’t just believable; he was unforgettable.
When Warrior squashed the Honky Tonk Man in record time at SummerSlam 1988 to win the Intercontinental Championship, fans saw him as more than just another colorful character. He was the next one. His run with the Intercontinental Title cemented him as a top-tier superstar, and by the time WrestleMania VI rolled around, the timing felt perfect.
It was rare to see two babyfaces — two beloved heroes — collide on the grandest stage of them all. But the moment demanded it. The storyline didn’t need bitterness or betrayal. It was simply the best versus the best. Billed as “The Ultimate Challenge,” the match had both the WWF Championship and the Intercontinental Championship on the line. But it wasn’t just about belts — whoever won would walk away with the crown as the face of professional wrestling.
And the match itself delivered beyond expectations.
This was, without question, The Ultimate Warrior’s greatest performance. Hogan, ever the ring general, worked to make Warrior look like his equal. Every moment felt monumental — two unstoppable forces colliding in front of a crowd that was split right down the middle. You could feel the emotion with every shoulder block, every near fall.
In the final moments, Hogan went for the leg drop — the move that had finished countless opponents. Warrior rolled away, hit the ropes and delivered his trademark splash. One. Two. Three.
The SkyDome erupted.
Hogan, in a moment of genuine sportsmanship and symbolic storytelling, handed The Ultimate Warrior his championship belt and raised his hand. The torch had been passed.
The Warrior’s reign would never again live up to that night. Behind the scenes, erratic behavior and creative stagnation led to a disappointing run. By the following year’s WrestleMania VII, Hogan was back in the main event — right where he had been before. Still, for that one night, The Ultimate Challenge captured the magic of wrestling at its purest: Spectacle, story and emotion colliding under the brightest lights imaginable. It was more than a match — it was a moment in time.
1. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X, 1994)
Finally, our number one champion vs. champion match of all time is another WrestleMania classic — one that didn’t just deliver a great bout, but redefined what professional wrestling could be.
Taking place just four years after The Ultimate Challenge, WrestleMania X gave us a revolutionary encounter: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon — two men battling to determine the undisputed Intercontinental Champion in WWE’s first-ever televised ladder match.
To understand why this match remains immortal, you have to know how it came to be.
Months prior, Shawn Michaels had been stripped of the Intercontinental Championship after refusing to defend it, a storyline inspired by real-life tension. While he was suspended, Razor Ramon rose through the ranks and claimed the vacant title, becoming the new lineal Intercontinental Champion. But when Michaels returned, he didn’t come empty-handed — he brought his own championship belt, declaring himself to be the rightful champion.
Two belts. Two claims. One ladder.
And so, the stage was set. WrestleMania X, Madison Square Garden, 1994 — two of the coolest, most charismatic performers of their era meeting in a match that would change wrestling forever.
At the time, the ladder gimmick was barely known to mainstream audiences. It had existed before — in smaller promotions and dark matches — but never like this. Never on this stage. Traditionally, a ladder was just a tool, a prop to climb and retrieve the title hanging above the ring. But what Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon did that night was something entirely new.
They used the ladder as a weapon, as an opponent, and as an extension of their in-ring storytelling. Michaels launched himself off of it like a missile, Ramon smashed it into Michaels’ ribs, and every bump, every spot, felt raw, dangerous and innovative. The psychology of the match was brilliant — not about chaos for chaos’ sake, but about struggle, desperation and the lengths both men would go to prove who the real champion was.
The image of Shawn Michaels swinging from the cable, dangling helplessly before crashing to the mat, is etched in wrestling history. So is the sight of Razor Ramon — bruised, battered and exhausted — climbing that ladder one final time and unhooking both title belts to the roar of Madison Square Garden.
Razor stood tall as the undisputed Intercontinental Champion, but both men left as icons.
Although Michaels vs. Ramon wasn’t the main event of WrestleMania X, it felt like it was. It was more than a match — it was a movement. A technical masterpiece, a high-flying spectacle, and an emotional story told entirely through physicality.
To this day, that bout stands as one of the most important matches in wrestling history. It didn’t just elevate Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon — it elevated the Intercontinental Championship itself and forever changed what fans expected from a WrestleMania.
It was innovation, art and athleticism all rolled into one — poetry in motion.
And as WrestleMania moments go, it remains perfect.
Category: General Sports
