The Pre-Show idea has received mixed reviews since it’s concept was debuted on Wrestlemania 28 and was originally posted on WWE.com. The idea was to air matches that originally only the audience would see (which were known as dark matches before WWE decided to air them) air them for free on sites such as WWE.com and YouTube in the hope that it would entice the viewer to buy the PPV it was on before. This idea hasn’t necessarily worked as most of these Pre-shows have consisted of a match being thrown together last minute with no real story behind with two wrestlers nobody really cares about. Despite this now and again there have been matches produced on the Pre-show that were both very exciting and memorable, this list will showcase said matches and rank what in my opinion are the top 5 Pre-Show matches of all time.
5. Kalisto (c) vs Ryback Wrestlemania 32 US Title Match
We start with a very recent match and is one that should have been on the main card and in front of a much bigger crowd. This is a match that was very enjoyable to watch and had an interesting feud with a newly heel turned Ryback were he used his size to his advantage in the match forcing Kalisto to use his athleticism to hit the Salida Del Sol for the win. During his short reign Kalisto has demonstrated that he is a very good underdog champion so far and demonstrated this in this match by taking down the much larger and more dominant Ryback in a very entertaining match-up. The fact that these two didn’t get a chance to showcase their talents in front of a proper crowd is why it ranks so low on the list.
4. WeeLC Extreme Rules 2014
On paper this match should have been terrible and very offensive to watch but somehow this is one of the better Pre-Show matches out there. What really helped this match was the wrestlers on the outside who have some immense talent such as Drew Mcintyre and Jinder Mahal to name a few. El Torito is also a great high-flyer that helped carry Hornswoggle to a very fun match that with some very entertaining spots on miniature weapons ranks number 4 on the list.
3. Antonio Cesaro vs Santino Marella (c) SummerSlam 2012 US Title Match
This is a bit of a throwback to a time where Cesaro had just recently made his debut and was brash new heel in WWE with a ridiculous background of having been banned from rugby for excessive force. At the same time Marella’s run with US title and overall stick had become really tired which made this wrestling fan heavily rooting for Cesaro throughout this match. Thankfully Cesaro beat Marella in mere minutes in a one sided match were Cesaro really proved his dominance. This win marked the begging of a long underrated title run for Cesaro which also hinted at the star he would eventually become.
2. Kalisto (c) vs Alberto Del Rio Fastlane 2016
A very very good match that showed how good Del Rio could be if WWE would just use him properly. This was also a half decent feud that showed off Del Rio as the great arrogant heel that he is with Kalisto being a good underdog champion for the second time on this list. The match had an interesting arc as a whole with Del Rio getting himself initially disqualified to inflict more damage to Kalisto on the outside. Then for the second fall Del Rio easily pinned Kalisto after the harsh beating he had just suffered and Kalisto pulled off the upset at the end with a very nice Salida Del Sol being the great underdog that he is now known for.
1. The Shield (c) vs The Uso’s Money In The Bank 2013
Rollins and reigns really were a great tag team when they were the champions and this is one of the best matches these two had as a team. This is also the match that legitimized The Uso’s as a tag team and is the match that turned them from an average team to a team that headlined the division at Wrestlemania more than half a year later. The match was really good match with a false finish near the end with Roman saving Rollins from defeat after receiving a splash from the top rope. The match also ended well with reigns powerbombing an Uso of the turnbuckle then Reigns hitting a spear for the win.
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