While the New Generation Era (1993–1997) in the then-WWF is often remembered for its cartoonish gimmicks and declining business metrics, its overlooked rivalries contain the psychological storytelling and in-ring innovation that would later fuel the Attitude Era. This collection of 15 deep-cut feuds, preserved through exclusive revelations and firsthand accounts, showcases the creative risks that kept WWE afloat during its darkest hour.
1. Owen Hart vs. British Bulldog (1993 – 1997)
Tensions were brought to the surface in 1997 as Bret Hart attempted to bring the British Bulldog and Owen Hart together under the Hart Foundation banner on an episode of Raw. Photo Credit: WWE.
With a smaller-than-average roster at the time, certain figures in the WWF’s New Generation Era would bump up against each other repeatedly in different match configurations. There is no better example of this dynamic than Owen Hart and the British Bulldog, two competitors who found themselves on opposite sides of the ring before being eventually partnered.
Owen Hart was a defining figure of the New Generation Era, rising up from one-half of the tag team High Energy alongside Koko B. Ware and being vaulted into a year-long feud with brother Bret Hart for the better part of 1994. Capping off the Hart vs. Hart rivalry with a cage match for the WWF World Title at SummerSlam that year.
This chaotic cage match saw the return of the British Bulldog, who sided with Bret and would go on to engage in predominantly multi-man matches against Owen Hart and various partners, including a losing effort against Owen and Yokozuna for the tag team championships at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks.
By the end of 1995, Davey Boy Smith had turned heel and aligned himself with Camp Cornette, a stable also involving Owen.
Setting aside past tensions, the two formed a tag team and went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championships in 1996. For the next year, they would sit atop the WWF tag team division, winning clashes against the Smokin’ Gunns, Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon, Vader and Mankind, and the Legion of Doom.
The longer Owen and the Bulldog were a team, the more strained the relationship became.
The culmination of the friendly tensions between Owen Hart and the British Bulldog was the finals of the WWF European Championship tournament, which took place on February 26, 1997, in Berlin, Germany, but aired on Monday Night Raw on March 3, 1997. In a memorable twenty-minute bout, the Bulldog defeated Owen and became the first-ever holder of the title.
2. Doink vs. Jerry Lawler (1993 – 1994)
Here we have the original team of Doink, Dink, Pink, and Wink in their official Survivor Series 1994 promo shot. Photo Credit: WWE.
Voted “Worst Feud of the Year” in 1994 in the Wrestling Observer, Doink The Clown and Jerry Lawler had a memorable midcard feud from this era.
How it all began was when Doink, originally portrayed as an evil clown, started to change. On the September 26, 1993 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, during The King’s Court segment, Doink turned on Jerry Lawler, emptying a bucket of water over his head.
From there, Doink would go on to engage in a six-month feud with Bam Bam Bigelow, but he would revisit his animosity with Jerry Lawler in the summer of 1994.
It was, in large part, played for comedy with Doink The Clown aligning with three midget wrestlers in Dink, Pink, and Wink and targeting Jerry Lawler and his own midget sidekicks in Queasy, Sleezy, and Cheesy.
This eventually culminated in a 4-on-4 classic match at Survivor Series, where Jerry Lawler’s team was victorious.
This feud is most representative of the WWF’s style of comedy throughout the New Generation Era.
3. Diesel vs. Sycho Sid (1995)
A stare-down between then-champion Diesel and Sycho Sid at the second ever In Your House in May 1995. Photo Credit: WWE.
Upon Sycho Sid’s return to the WWF in the spring of 1995 as Shawn Michaels’ new bodyguard, there was little doubt that he would eventually find his way into the main event picture. The man holding the WWF Title at the time was the incomparable Diesel.
Diesel vs. Sycho Sid headlined the inaugural In Your House 1. Despite a promising build, this match ended in Diesel retaining by disqualification after interference from Tatanka.
This led to a subsequent tag team match, in which Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow lost to Sid and Tatanka at King Of The Ring 1995.
The final bout, concluding the short yet passionate rivalry between Diesel and Sycho Sid, took place at In Your House 2 in a Lumberjack match. With the majority of the WWF roster surrounding the ring and in a match that was full of tension and interference, Diesel would decisively retain against Sycho Sid.
Despite a strong setup, the feud did not quite live up to management’s hopes, nor were the matches particularly well-received. In The Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer wrote of their blow-off clash:
"Sid manages to get worse every time you see him and Diesel didn’t look any good here, either. The lumberjacks, particularly the heel ones, kept interfering to take attention away from the fact that these two simple can’t work together. Half a star."
When asked on his Something to Wrestle With podcast, Bruce Pritchard said of this match, "It was rough, not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. Thankfully, it was short."
Ted DiBiase, a key figure in turning Sid heel during this time, said of this match on Everybody’s Got A Pod, "I think realistically, a lot of his promos were pretty good. I think his promos were a little better than his ability to carry a match. I think he needed help in the ring."
This would send Diesel on to his next opponent and kept Sid from returning to the main event picture for nearly a year.
4. Tatanka vs. Ludvig Borga (1993 – 1994)
Ludvig Borga mocks Tatanka after pinning him with a single finger – a direct callback to Lex Luger’s “Narcissist” persona. Photo Credit: WWE.
This is a take on a New Generation Era that could have been something truly special but unfortunately didn’t quite get there.
Tatanka debuted in the WWF on a February 1, 1992 episode of WWF Superstars and would remain undefeated for over a year.
His first loss came at the hands of Ludvig Borga, who defeated him on an October 30, 1993, edition of WWF Superstars after his manager, Mr. Fuji, distracted the referee, allowing Borga to use a chair. This instantly elevated Borga as a threat who had debuted the previous July.
A match was set for the Royal Rumble in 1994 between Tatanka and Ludvig Borga, however, Borga injured his ankle days before it was to take place and ultimately the feud was never followed up on. Ludvig Borga left the company later that year.
In an interview with RF Video, Tatanka would discuss his feud with Ludvig Borga.
"The WWE at the time was really looking to push him as a big star. I know what they were doing there when he defeated me. Here’s a great way to push him. Let him beat Tatanka. Let him do a major screwjob and defeat Tatanka by cheating, and defeating me cocky and arrogant. That was a great thing for him to elevate him. It was going to be a big thing for Borga. He had a great opportunity but he just sort of faded off."
To explore the turbulent life behind the Ludvig Borga persona—from political scandals to tragic downfall—dive into our in-depth profile: The Shocking Life of ‘Ludvig Borga’ Tony Halme.
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5. Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger (1993 – 1994)
Lex Luger struggles to put Yokozuna down in the later moments of their final encounter at WrestleMania X in 1994. Photo Credit: WWE.
A freshly turned All-American Lex Luger positioned in a way not dissimilar to Hulk Hogan in his heyday was what the WWF presented as Yokozuna’s counterpart.
After bodyslamming Yokozuna at a special event on the USS Intrepid on July 4th, 1993, and then engaging in a Lex Express tour across the United States all summer long, Lex Luger could not have been set up any stronger for a WWF World Championship match against Yoko at SummerSlam 1993.
Surprisingly, Lex Luger did not walk away with the World Title on this night but won the match by count-out after Luger knocked out Yokozuna on the outside of the ring.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said of the Luger/Yokozuna feud, "Lex had the look. He looked amazing in red, white, and blue. They had the plan to do the Lex Express and all that good stuff. I thought the idea in general was a very good idea. But Lex had challenges connecting with the audience somewhat. In the beginning, I thought, ‘What an amazing idea this is.’"
Lex Luger has had nothing but good things to say about the feud on an episode of WWF Timeline for Kayfabe Commentaries.
"Yokozuna, he was so agile. I think he’s one of the greatest top three big men ever in the business. I’ll never forget. I would hit him with two, three, four clotheslines off the ropes as hard as I could. He would go down a little more with each one.”
Luger continued, “He had long hair that would come out of that thing, and he could literally be on his feet with his hair touching the ground behind him. The flexibility and balance he displayed were remarkable. He was an absolutely amazing guy, very light in his movements. Working with Yoko felt like a night off.”
The stipulation of their SummerSlam encounter was that Lex Luger would only receive this one and only shot at Yokozuna’s title and if he lost, he could not challenge again.
Despite this coming to pass, Luger would go on to be a co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble and challenge Yokozuna again at WrestleMania X, albeit unsuccessfully, and win the match by disqualification but not the title.
Despite some classic WWF storytelling and early potential, this feud is often overlooked because it lacked a clear conclusion.
This rivalry’s unraveling is inseparable from the Lex Express’s doomed journey. For a forensic breakdown of how corporate miscalculations and backstage hesitancy derailed wrestling’s most lavish marketing spectacle, immerse yourself in our definitive analysis: Lex Luger and The Failed Lex Express Experiment.
6. Ahmed Johnson vs. Goldust (1996)
Goldust provocatively leans over an incapacitated Ahmed Johnson, attempting to “resuscitate” him with an unwanted kiss during their 1996 Intercontinental Championship feud. This boundary-pushing angle exemplified the WWF’s transition toward edgier content that would later define the Attitude Era, while also highlighting the real-life tensions between the performers. Photo Credit: WWE.
During the New Generation Era, Ahmed Johnson was one of the fastest-rising stars the WWF had, while Goldust was one of the most controversial new characters to hit the scene, pushing the boundaries into the more mature Attitude Era storytelling.
It was natural for these two to clash at some point, and so they did in the spring of 1996, post-WrestleMania XII.
This feud over the Intercontinental Title led up to the King Of The Ring in 1996 when Ahmed defeated Goldust to win his first championship.
This match was particularly stiff and surrounded by backstage controversy due to Ahmed’s lack of interest in engaging in the kissing and touching that Goldust was known for at this stage in his character’s development.
Speaking on The Unsanctioned Podcast, Ahmed Johnson said about the match, “What happened was, I told him not to be kissing me and stuff for real because we had rehearsed it to where he was supposed to put his hand over my mouth and kiss his hand. Because it was live TV I couldn’t move if he did whatever he did that he said he would. And he didn’t do it. He kissed me for real. And I was like, ‘Nuh-uh.’ That was blow-up time!”
Due to the lack of cooperation and chemistry between the two, the feud was quickly curtailed and closed.
7. Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett (1995)
Jeff Jarrett pulls Razor Ramon over to the ropes in their first battle at the Royal Rumble in January 1995. Photo Credit: WWE.
The feud between Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett over the WWF Intercontinental Championship was an important piece of the fabric of 1995.
The arrogant, country music-influenced Jarrett was a natural contrast against the cool, laid-back demeanor of Ramon.
Throughout the first half of 1995, the competitors engaged in a series of controversial bouts with the prestigious title changing hands multiple times:
Royal Rumble 1995: Jarrett originally wins the match by count-out. The match is controversially restarted, and Jarrett wins the IC Title with a small package.
WrestleMania XI: Ramon wins by disqualification following interference from Jarrett’s assistant, The Roadie.
In Your House 1: Ramon wins a handicap match against Jarrett and The Roadie but does not go home with the Intercontinental Title.
May 19, 1995 house show: Ramon defeats Jarrett in a ladder match on a house show to become the company’s first three-time Intercontinental Champion.
May 22, 1995 house show: Due to a rib injury suffered during the prior ladder match, Ramon competes and loses in a ladder match rematch, giving Jarrett the last laugh and final victory in this six-month New Generation feud.
Jeff Jarrett spoke fondly of this time and Razor Ramon’s work, sharing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast:
"You know later when he went to WCW as Scott Hall, that was still Razor; he was still Razor. It goes without saying his athletic ability, his mind for the business and all of that–he knew how to connect. He connected with literally millions around the world. It was a cool time and we had about a we call it in the business being married to one another for about 12 months."
8. Bret Hart vs. Hakushi (1995)
Hakushi with the upper hand over Bret Hart in what many consider to be his finest WWF match. Photo Credit: WWE.
Hakushi brought to the WWF a first-of-its-kind exotic Japanese character, while Bret Hart’s submission-led, classic championship-style matches made for an underrated feud that ultimately spanned over twenty-five matches between the two performers.
Making his WWF debut in November 1994, Hakushi initially built momentum by defeating jobbers and midcard talent. He was known for his aerial maneuvers and stood out for his fast-paced, Japanese-style approach to the action.
After Bret Hart won the WWF Magazine “Award of the People,” Jerry Lawler suggested Japanese votes were excluded and insinuated that Hart was racist. He successfully persuaded Hakushi to believe the same, resulting in Hakushi turning on Hart and attacking him on a March 25, 1995, episode of Superstars of Wrestling.
Their in-ring confrontation at the inaugural In Your House pay-per-view on May 14, 1995, in Syracuse, New York, became a career highlight for both performers.
“I didn’t get enough sleep and training in the morning was tough. Perhaps because of my anxiety, time passes quickly… My legs feel tangled. Am I nervous? Mentally I am going to be calm, but my body can’t keep up.”
Despite Hakushi’s concerns, their chemistry was undeniable. After the match, Hakushi wrote, “It was a great match. My best ever. The crowd reacted great. I can’t breathe due to tension I had. I was doing everything feverishly and I ended up hitting my head hard during the brainbuster outside of the ring. I hit the quebrada clean, but I hit my head on the guard rail. I was very satisfied overall with the match, though.”
The flow between Hart’s technical precision and Hakushi’s high-flying style captivated the audience, from headlocks to arm drags to moonsaults. Hart would ultimately secure victory with a perfectly executed roll-up after reversing a suplex, ending Hakushi’s impressive six-month undefeated streak.
Bret Hart, speaking in his recommended book Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, similarly praised their chemistry, writing, “We completely blew them away with unexpected aerial moves that’d only been seen in Japan. Then I rolled him up tighter than a sushi roll for the pinfall.”
Hakushi would go on to interfere in the Lawler/Hart match later that night, helping Jerry Lawler secure victory.
Though their rivalry included a later steel cage match that also received rave reviews, the full potential of this feud was never realized.
Hakushi later reflected that “getting to wrestle Bret Hart was worth his journey to the WWF during this time.”
The physical toll of constant traveling, language barriers, and initial negative crowd reactions affected his performances, though fan appreciation for his in-ring work gradually increased. Hakushi would briefly receive a push as a babyface, having better-received matches with competitors like the Fake Doink, Bodydonna Skip, and Barry Horowitz before eventually departing the company.
Instead of continuing this promising program, Bret carried on with his headlining 1995 feud with Jerry Lawler, as Hakushi was primarily relegated to being a henchman for Lawler.
9. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor (1995)
Eye-to-eye with NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor stepped up to face Bam Bam Bigelow in the WrestleMania XI main event. Photo Credit: WWE.
This was arguably Bam Bam Bigelow’s biggest opportunity in his career as he challenged NFL superstar Lawrence Taylor to a one-on-one match at WrestleMania XI.
After a loss to the 1-2-3 Kid at the 1995 Royal Rumble, Bigelow launched the feud with a shove to Lawrence Taylor, who was sitting ringside.
By late February, after weeks of insults traded back and forth, Lawrence Taylor accepted a challenge from Bam Bam Bigelow, and the then WWF had their main event for WrestleMania XI.
The feud garnered the most press coverage of anything in the New Generation Era, with stories featured in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and other mainstream news publications.
The headlining one-on-one match also was an exceptional affair, with Bam Bam Bigelow highly praised for his work.
Bruce Prichard discussed on Something to Wrestle With how Bam Bam Bigelow came to be the top pick to face LT and how the overall angle and match progressed:
"Looking outside of our business and you look at who is gonna face Lawrence Taylor, you’re looking at a big monster of a man with a very unique look that can handle himself in the ring with LT and be able to take LT through a match and know he would be able to get that job done. That was Bam Bam. And the match was excellent. It was very good for an outsider to come in and have the performance that LT had. Absolutely tremendous. It was a remarkably good job on everyone’s part."
The Undertaker and Kama battle in their casket match at SummerSlam 1995. The feud’s eerie intensity reached its peak here, with the melted urn, black wreaths, and a decisive burial capping one of the New Generation Era’s most underrated storylines. Photo Credit: WWE.
Most Undertaker feuds are well-remembered, but his feud with Kama often gets overlooked.
Following WrestleMania XI, this feud really took off. At the behest of the Million Dollar Corporation’s figurehead, Ted DiBiase, Kama’s theft of the Undertaker’s urn at WrestleMania XI and then melting down the urn into a chain that he wore into the ring was the heart and soul of the conflict between these two characters.
In response, the Undertaker would lay black wreaths out at ringside during Kama’s matches.
Kama would repeatedly interfere in the Undertaker’s matches, attack Undertaker fans, and continue building himself up under the tag of ‘The Supreme Fighting Machine.’ He played a key role in costing the Undertaker the King Of The Ring tournament that year.
From spring to summer, layers were added to their story until finally, the Undertaker challenged Kama to a casket match at SummerSlam 1995.
In this 16-minute back-and-forth match, Undertaker would soundly defeat Kama and quite literally close the casket the feud.
In an interview with Film Hounds, Kama discussed his dislike of the casket at SummerSlam 1995.
"I tell you what I remember — I hated going in that casket. But my friendship with him aside, just working with ‘Taker… I had matches against him as Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa in the Nation, The Godfather, and The Goodfather. That’s something that needs to be checked. I think I’ve wrestled against Undertaker as more characters than anybody (laughs). So I’ve been in that casket so many times, I don’t remember.”
He continued, “I remember I couldn’t stand going in that casket — I remember that. I don’t remember one time him going in that casket and staying in."
11. Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Henry Godwinn (1995)
Midway through the infamous Hog Pen match, Henry Godwin had Hunter Hearst Helmsley tied up in the ropes. Photo Credit: WWE.
Before he was Triple H, one of the most organic feuds that could have been dropped on Hunter Hearst Helmsley was the blue blood against the country boy, with him doing battle with Henry Godwin.
This was a brief New Generation feud that occurred in the fall of 1995. It is remembered primarily for the infamous Arkansas Hog Pen match at In Your House 5: Season’s Beatings.
To win the Hog Pen match, one had to throw their opponent into a hog pen that was erected up by the arena stage.
The match was as messy as one might imagine, with images of mud and pigs as the backdrop and eventual setting for this brawl, which you can witness in its chaotic glory below:
Hunter Hearst Helmsley surprisingly gained the victory but did not leave the ringside before being thrown into the hog pen himself, sending the fans home happy.
During a post-show media call for NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2020, Triple H spoke candidly about how the hog pen match came about.
"That whole scenario with me and Henry Godwinn came based on somebody else. Henry was a heel and would put slop on people, and guys didn’t wanna take it,” recalled Triple H.
“I went to Vince and said, ‘If you turn him babyface, I’ll take that slop all day long.’ Nobody would want to get that slop more than I, as my character was a snob. I wouldn’t even want to get in the ring with this guy. So, Vince said, ‘Oh, that’s great!'”
Triple H continued, “He turned Henry babyface, and we did that slop match all over the country, every night. It was awesome and I loved it. When they threw the pig pen match at me, I thought it was phenomenal. As a snob heel, what better thing than to be thrown in a pen with pig poop and all that stuff? I could have done without quite as much poop in the pen, as those pigs were big and they had been in there all day. It was quite a significant amount, and also right before we went in there, the farmer told me, ‘Keep your fingers tucked underneath, because the pigs sometimes get antsy, and they’ll bite and take your finger off!
“People still talk about that match, to this day. It was ’95 or ’96, so if you’re still talking about it to this day, it’s pretty awesome."
12. Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart (1994 – 1995)
Bob Backlund snapped and turned heel after the first encounter in his feud with Bret Hart in 1994. Photo Credit: WWE.
The Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart feud proved to be a clash of styles, resulting in a series of matches that, despite being realistically performed and expertly executed, lacked the excitement to capture fans’ attention.
For the first time in his career, Bob Backlund played a heel and delivered an absolute masterclass in portraying an unhinged, delusional villain.
This new Mr. Backlund character began after a babyface vs. babyface ‘Old Generation vs. New Generation’ match between him and Bret Hart on the July 30, 1994 episode of WWF Superstars.
After Bret pulled out the victory, Backlund snapped and locked in the cross-face chicken wing, refusing to let go.
This led to a feud that resulted in perhaps their best match at 1994’s Survivor Series, a submission match, with Bob Backlund winning his final WWF World Championship by defeating Bret in a controversial fashion.
Bob Backlund and Bret Hart would meet once again in an I Quit Match at WrestleMania XI, this time with no title on the line.
Despite Backlund never having said the words ‘I quit,’ guest referee Rowdy Roddy Piper would award the match to Bret after hearing Backlund begin screaming unintelligibly while locked in a submission.
Bruce Prichard discussing the feud on Something to Wrestle With summed up the feud, stating, "This was something Pat Patterson and I really wanted to try because you never got your Bob Backlund heel run in the 1970s. It was an experiment we weren’t sure if it was going to work. I thought they had great matches. I thought they had tremendous matches that I loved watching."
Bret Hart, however, had a different take, as he discussed on the E&C Pod of Awesomeness in 2018.
"Going into WrestleMania, I knew from my own experience with Bob Backlund, I think I had an ‘I Quit’ match with him at WrestleMania 11, which was probably my worst pay-per-view match I ever had, no offense to Bob. It wasn’t Bob’s fault either. Submission matches are a death sentence. You take out half of the fun of false finishes with pinfalls. I mean, that’s why more spots you can do. It cuts your match in half as far as what you can do.”
The two would meet one final time on the December 11, 1995 episode of Monday Night Raw in a non-title match where Bret Hart would defeat Bob Backlund by disqualification when Backlund applied the cross-face chicken wing and refused to release it.
13. 1-2-3 Kid vs. Razor Ramon (1993 – 1996)
A lock-up between established star Razor Ramon and a then-unknown The Kid on Monday Night Raw in 1993. Photo Credit: WWE.
Many remember the May 17, 1993, upset victory when The 1-2-3 Kid beat Razor Ramon on Monday Night Raw, but some forget the feud that followed—and the physical toll it took on the young performer behind the 1-2-3 Kid character.
In an effort to claim a victory, Razor Ramon challenged the 1-2-3 Kid to a rematch, wagering $10,000 of his own money, only to see Kid grab the money mid-match and run off with the prize. What fans didn’t realize was that this match featured a terrifying moment when Waltman slipped off the top rope and crashed onto the exposed concrete floor.
“The problem with that botch was that I didn’t even go to the hospital after that, and that was major head trauma,” Waltman revealed in an interview with ProWrestlingStories.com’s JP Zarka on The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo podcast. “Not just my head, but my whole body was messed up from that fall. I couldn’t even walk the next day. I don’t even know exactly how bad the injury was because I never went to the hospital.”
Remarkably, Waltman was asked to compete again that same night. “Right after that match, I’m all messed up, and an agent came up to me—we used to do multiple TV tapings in one night—and says, ‘Hey, um, you have another match with Reno Riggins in a little bit. It’s your call!'”
As events continued to unfold between the two, Razor Ramon would eventually acknowledge the skill of his opponent and begin to express respect for the 1-2-3 Kid. As the story progressed, Razor became a fan favorite organically.
Eventually, Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid formed a short-lived tag team in 1995, going on to unsuccessfully challenge for the WWF Tag Team Championship.
In November of 1995, the 1-2-3 Kid would turn on Razor Ramon by double-crossing him in a match against Sycho Sid and aligning himself with Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation. This reinvigorated their rivalry, this time with Razor as the babyface and 1-2-3 Kid as the heel.
This new rivalry extended another four months, concluding with a Crybaby Match held at In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage. The stipulation required the loser to wear a diaper. Unlike in May 1993, it was Razor Ramon who came away with the victory this time around, bringing their New Generation feud to an end.
What makes this feud even more remarkable is that Waltman had been told by doctors to quit wrestling entirely just months before his WWF debut, following a previous severe head injury.
“Doctors told me, ‘You should never wrestle again,'” Waltman shared. “You hear these things from doctors, but you’re at that age, especially when you become a wrestler, and you think—and I don’t know about other guys, but you feel kind of superhuman. Like you can handle anything. I just wasn’t hearing it.”
This resilience, while dangerous, exemplified the era’s attitude toward injuries. “Whenever you ask a pro wrestler, ‘Hey, can you do it? It’s your call!’ one hundred percent of the time, they’re going to go, ‘Yeah, I’m good!’ regardless of whether we are or not. That’s what it was back then and not how it is now. Thank God.”
14. Diesel vs. Mabel (1995)
Diesel and Mabel clash up close during their ill-fated WWE World Championship match at SummerSlam 1995. This bout marked the peak, and unraveling, of Mabel’s main event push, culminating in a real-life injury that nearly cost him his job. Photo Credit: WWE.
The Diesel/Mabel feud of summer 1995 reflects the sort of throw-everything-at-the-wall approach the WWF was taking during this difficult year.
By most accounts, 1995 represented the absolute bottom of the New Generation Era, a period when the company stared financial oblivion in the face. Pay-per-view attendance collapsed, with multiple events drawing fewer than 7,000 fans.
Long-time babyface and tag team wrestler with the tag team Men on a Mission, Mabel would turn heel in the spring of 1995 and be set up for a push as a singles star.
The WWF chose to vault Mabel to the top heel position by facilitating him to win the King Of The Ring that year, however, the rise was fast and not organic, and did not quite resonate with fans in the way other stories in the New Generation did. During the tournament finals in Philadelphia, fans responded with chants of “ECW!” rather than cheering the intended new top villain.
According to Jim Ross, the push had specific financial motivations: Vince McMahon’s biggest goal was to push a new big man into becoming a draw during a time when WWE was struggling with attendance.
The WWF marched on, pitting Mabel against then-champion Diesel at SummerSlam 1995 for the World Title. What fans didn’t see was the backstage fallout that occurred during their match. Mabel performed a sitdown splash on Kevin Nash despite being explicitly told not to, causing a significant injury.
“I told [Mabel] not to do it [before the match], and he did it like a dumb ****!” Nash later revealed on his Kliq THIS podcast. “I was supposed to go off the top rope, but I couldn’t feel my legs after he did it.”
The incident left Nash with a strained abdomen and lower back injury. McMahon was reportedly so furious that he wanted to fire Mabel immediately, but Nash intervened to save the big man’s job.
By the time the show arrived, the story had never really found its footing, and the championship match saw Diesel decisively defeat Mabel, thereby putting the brakes on his sudden ascension to the top of the card.
Shortly after their feud concluded, Mabel would injure The Undertaker’s orbital bone in another match, leading to a severe backstage confrontation that further damaged his standing, and he was released from the company within months.
For the complete saga of Mabel’s controversial King of the Ring run, including the mysterious custom championship belt he commissioned, the urban legend it spawned, and The Undertaker’s frightening backstage confrontation that left Mabel “scared ****less,” dive into our in-depth investigation: Mabel and the King of the Ring Championship Belt Controversy.
15. Owen Hart vs. 1-2-3- Kid (1994)
The 1-2-3 Kid catches Owen Hart in a half-crab during a match on Monday Night Raw. Photo Credit: WWE.
Unlike the other feuds on this list, Owen Hart and the 1-2-3 Kid never developed a central storyline to facilitate a traditional multi-week program. Instead, their encounters represented something increasingly rare during the New Generation Era: pure wrestling showcases that prioritized in-ring artistry over character-driven spectacle.
Their unexpected chemistry produced two of 1994’s most technically brilliant matches. Owen, fresh off his heel turn against brother Bret and riding a wave of momentum as the “King of Harts,” brought his versatile technical prowess and precise aerial moves. Meanwhile, the 1-2-3 Kid countered with his innovative offense and underdog resilience, creating a perfect stylistic canvas for both men to paint masterpieces.
Their definitive clash came during the 1994 King of the Ring tournament semifinals, where Owen defeated the Kid in a compact yet extraordinary 11-minute confrontation that historian Dave Meltzer praised as “a clinic in how to tell a complete story in limited time.” The victory propelled Owen toward his tournament win later that night.
The rematch materialized on the August 15, 1994, edition of Monday Night Raw, where the 1-2-3 Kid secured a victory by disqualification after Owen’s frustration boiled over into illegal tactics. Though brief, this follow-up maintained the exceptional technical standard they had established.
For aficionados of wrestling as an athletic art form, Owen Hart and the 1-2-3 Kid delivered performances that transcended the era’s sometimes cartoonish presentation. Their matches remain textbook examples of how contrasting styles (Owen’s technical precision versus Kid’s innovative risk-taking) could create magic when traditional storytelling took a backseat to in-ring excellence.
15 New Generation Era Feuds That Secretly Shaped Modern Wrestling’s DNA
Spotted at an airport circa ’93 — the unsung architects of wrestling’s next boom. Before the Attitude Era broke records, these New Generation stars were quietly rewriting the blueprint. Their overlooked feuds didn’t just fill airtime—they sparked a revolution. Photo Credit: WWE.
These overlooked rivalries reveal a crucial truth: The New Generation Era wasn’t a creative wasteland, but a laboratory where Shawn Michaels’ ladder matches, Steve Austin’s anti-hero persona, and Mick Foley’s hardcore innovations gestated.
While business metrics faltered, the in-ring storytelling seeds planted between 1993-1997 would blossom into the Attitude Era’s record-breaking success. As Bruce Prichard noted on Something to Wrestle With, “We were building the plane while flying it – these feuds kept the engines running until we reached clearer skies.”
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Jason LeBlanc is a writer, passionate pro wrestling fan, and marketing expert. A 30+ year wrestling historian, his freelance work has appeared in newspapers and publications across his home country of Canada and all over the world.
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