The world of professional wrestling has all sorts of shapes in sizes in terms of talent. Likely thanks to that, there’s been some incredible matches over the years when one wrestler is far larger than the other. For the most part, these David vs. Goliath matches when done well, are some of the most entertaining things in wrestling.
That being said, some David vs. Goliath matches are better than others across WWE, Impact, and other companies. Whenever these wrestlers took the ring, they put on an incredible match where fans suspended their belief to see a smaller man put on a show with a giant.
10 Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid (Raw 1993)
While it’s not commonplace today, squash matches were regularly used to make up WWE television. In the early part of his career, Sean Waltman was used as a jobber to the stars. However, in early 1993, he was put against Razor Ramon on an episode of RAW that changed everything.
The match was expected to just be a squash for Ramon, who was arguably the company’s biggest heel at the time. Incredibly, The Kid pulled out the win, in one of the biggest upsets in wrestling history.
9 Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley (ECW Guilty As Charged 2000)
Spike Dudley was used as little more than something to throw for most of his career. While many have always believed that the smallest member of The Dudleys was nothing more than a spot monkey, that wasn’t the case. That is best evidenced by the main event of Guilty as Charged 2000.
In the main event, Spike Dudley got an unexpected ECW Heavyweight Title match against Mike Awesome. The outcome was never really in doubt, but these two still put on an incredible match with some big bumps in it.
8 EC3 vs. Rockstar Spud (Impact 2015)
Just to be clear, the entirety of the EC3 vs. Rockstar Spud feud in Impact was excellent. For years, being used as a comedy character, few expected the future Drake Maverick to find himself in a match with the face of Impact. Well, at the time anyway.
Nonetheless, their best match was arguably their Hair vs. Hair match on Impact in early 2015. The two put on a bloody affair that saw EC3 come out on top, but fans around the globe gained respect for Spud.
7 The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy (Raw 2002)
Arguably one of the greatest television matches of all time came on a 2002 edition of Raw. The build to the match was simple, Jeff Hardy was a risk-taker and daredevil who was ready for gold. The Undertaker was ready to put him down and show him that it was not the case.
Ultimately, Undertaker came out on top in an all-time great ladder match. That being said, Hardy showed his worth as a future superstar, and he would later get that WWE Championship title run.
6 Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim (Final Resoluton 2008)
The rivalry between Awesome Kong and Gail Kim is arguably the best in Knockouts’ history. The two competed many times over the decade, but their best match came in January 2008 at Final Resolution.
They put on a no-disqualification match for the Knockouts Title, and it was an all-time great. Ultimately, Kim picked up the win on that night, but it would be far from the last time they would face off.
5 Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk (SummerSlam 2013)
‘The Beast’ vs. ‘The Best’ was the tagline for Summerslam’s 2013 match between Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. With Paul Heyman turning on the straight-edge superstar, fans were excited to see the two all-time greats square off.
Ultimately, it was the only time CM Punk and Brock Lesnar faced off, and they made it count. Arguably the best match of the year, the Beast picked up the win in an incredibly high-paced and fun contest.
4 Antonio Inoki vs. Big Van Vader (Wrestling World 1996)
Eight years after Big Van Vader sparked a riot by upsetting Antonio Inoki, they ran it back at Wrestling World 1996. While the Japanese legend was far from a small guy, he was next to the massive super-heavyweight wrestler.
Ultimately, Inoki got his win back at Wrestling World 1996, but it was far from easy. Simply put, these two beat the absolute hell out of each other in this match.
3 Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima (ROH Final Battle 2008)
Bryan Danielson has been on the wrong end of the David vs. Goliath matchup on many occasions. These two faced off on many occasions, with each being a classic. However, his greatest effort came at ROH Final Battle 2008, as he faced Takeshi Morishima.
Ultimately, Danielson picked up the win, in one of the greatest matches in promotional history.
2 WALTER vs. Tyler Bate (NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff)
WALTER is still relatively early in his WWE career but has already put on some of the greatest matches in company history. That being said, arguably his best work came in the main event of NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff against Tyler Bate.
The two wrestled for over 40 minutes, battling for the NXT United Kingdom Title. WALTER pulled out the win, but it was an extremely impressive effort from both men.
1 Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero (No Way Out 2004)
To his credit, Brock Lesnar put on a lot of great David vs. Goliath matches in his career. That being said, his finest hour likely came in the main event of No Way Out 2004. There, he faced Eddie Guerrero, who was finally getting his shot at gold.
Ultimately, this match is a bit of a slow-paced affair, as Guerrero targeted the leg while Lesnar tried to his strength and size. This one was back and forth until Goldberg interfered near the end. A Spear to Lesnar, and a frog splash later, Guerrero was finally world champion.