Best WWE Midcard Feuds Of The 1990s (2024)

The 1990s was the most transformative decade in WWE history. It began with the same cartoonish antics as the 1980s before the New Generation of stars sparked things up. Then the Attitude Era came to make for a wild time for wrestling fans. The feuds here are legendary, like Austin vs McMahon, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels, and many more. Notably, the midcard of this decade was quite strong and home to scores of rivalries.

So many stand out, with some headlining PPVS (Undertaker vs HBK), while others could be more forgettable. Yet some rivalries were terrific from the matches to their impact, making some huge stars for WWE. Other feuds were just pure excitement, more than what fans were getting in the main event scene. Here are the ten best rivalries in WWE in the 1990s that stand as a reminder of how great this decade was for fans.

10 X-Pac Vs D'Lo Brown Was Nicely Fun

The Pair Really Clicked In The Ring

This particular rivalry was part of the wider feud between DX and the Nation of Domination. Somehow, X-Pac and D'Lo clicked in the ring together, D'Lo's strength and X-Pac's skills a good match for some top one-on-one bouts. It got hotter when D'Lo won the European title and he and X-Pac had something to fight for.

The pair traded the belt a couple of times in matches that got better as they went along, not to mention part of bigger tag team bouts. Even when the DX-Nation feud cooled, the pair still faced off in 1999 a few times and while it's not as well remembered as other feuds on this list, it was a top rivalry of two guys trying to steal the show.

9 Ken Shamrock Vs The Rock Was Crazier Than It Seemed

Shamrock Came Off Dangerous Here

Besides rolling off the tongue nicely, Ken Shamrock vs The Rock was also one top-notch feud. Shamrock was known as the UFC star moving into wrestling, yet they hadn't faced a serious challenge. He got it by taking on Intercontinental champion the Rock, who was moving into heel stardom. Shamrock appeared to win the belt at the Royal Rumble, only for the decision to be reversed, thanks to the Rock cheating.

They had a great Wrestlemania match with Shamrock forcing the Rock to submit but cost himself the belt when he was disqualified for refusing to release the hold. The feud played on Shamrock's temper getting the best of him and the Rock lucking out yet still some fine conflicts involving the Nation of Domination. It helped the Rock rise more in WWE, and he and Shamrock forge a fun conflict.

8 Razor Ramon Vs Jeff Jarrett Was An Underrated Feud

The Pair Had An Exciting Rivalry Over The Intercontinental Championship

Surprisingly underrated, this feud began slowly in 1995 with Jeff Jarrett challenging Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental title at the Royal Rumble. Jarrett won the belt with the pair having a wild rematch at Wrestlemania 11 and then several house show battles that were pretty intense.

Ramon beat both Jarrett and the Roadie in a handicap match at the first In Your House event. Ramon then managed to accidentally regain the title in a house show ladder match with Jarrett winning it back soon afterward. The feud did fade a bit with Jarrett dropping the belt to Shawn Michaels, but it was a fun one when it lasted.

7 The Undertaker Vs Kane Was Destructive

The Brothers Of Destruction Were Epic Rivals & Partners

The Brothers of Destruction have been enemies and allies for so long that their early work together can be overlooked. The gist was Kane was supposedly burned alive years before and now coming for revenge on his brother. His debut was one of the best ever, showing up at the first Hell in the Cell match to lay the Undertaker out. Teasing a reunion, Kane burned Taker in a coffin.

Undertaker returned to battle Kane at WrestleMania, and they had a few more pay-per-view matches during that year. That's not to mention tag team matches, battle royals and more showdowns. The feud would drag on for years while the first parts in the '90s are among the hottest for it.

6 Before They Became Top Stars, Triple H Vs The Rock Was A Great Midcard Feud

The Pair First Tangled Over The Intercontinental Championship

Most will automatically think of Triple H and The Rock with their main event stuff. However, it was their earlier midcard feud that set the path for both men to WWE stardom. It began in early 1997 when Hunter Hearst Helmsley defended the Intercontinental title against rookie Rocky Mavia. Rocky shockingly upset Hunter for the belt with some later rematches.

The next year really kicked it up with Hunter leading DX and the heel Rock leading the Nation of Domination in some wild battles. The pair came alive both on the mic and in the ring, culminating in Hunter winning the IC title in a thrilling ladder match at SummerSlam. Their main event run was better, yet this feud was critical to the careers of the future mega-stars.

5 The Undertaker Vs Mankind Made Mick Foley A Legend

Few Expected Mick Foley To Become A Big Star In WWE

Despite a good reputation in other promotions, such as Cactus Jack, some were doubtful Mick Foley could work in WWE as well. The fact he was given the character of Mankind didn't help. Those doubts were silenced when Mankind's debut had him laying out The Undertaker, one of the rare times the Dead Man was humbled. Their boiler room brawl at SummerSlam ended in the shocking turn of Paul Bearer on Undertaker.

Undertaker came back with a new, darker attitude, and he and Mankind kept it up for a while at Survivor Series and a "Buried Alive" match. They had a brief revival of it in 1997, and, of course, the hell in a Cell match in 1998 as this feud began Mick Foley's road to becoming a wrestling legend.

It Wasn't Just WWE This Feud Took Off

This was a feud that actually stretched across promotions as well as years. It all began when Bret won the King of the Ring tournament in 1993. Naturally, Jerry Lawler took exception to anyone else called the King and attacked Bret. Lawler was in fine form insulting Bret's family and trying to sneak out of matches, such as using Doink as a substitute at SummerSlam.

The bigger part was that the pair carried the feud into the USWA, where Lawler was seen as the hero and Bret as the heel. They were to face off as Survivor Series 1993, but that didn't happen. The feud was revived in 1995 when Bret humiliated Lawler in a "Kiss My Foot" match, with both men giving a good intensity to be more entertaining than the main event stuff in WWE at that time.

3 Razor Ramon Vs Shawn Michaels & Diesel Reshaped WWE

This Set The Kliq To Stardom

Shawn Michaels was riding high in WWE in mid-1993 as Intercontinental champion, only to be suspended and stripped of the belt. Razor Ramon won the vacant title, with Shawn returning, still declaring himself the champ. They had some run-ins before the iconic WrestleMania 10 ladder match that wowed everyone.

Michaels would then set bodyguard Diesel to beat Ramon for the title. The trio kept up the conflict, including Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid in matches against the now tag champs HBK and Diesel. Ramon got the IC title back at Summerslam as the feud went on before Diesel's face turn. It made the Kliq members mega-stars for WWE and still one of the most groundbreaking battles in Wrestlemania history.

2 Jake Roberts Vs Randy Savage Was Wildly Awesome

The Pair Were Top Madmen In The Ring

Randy Savage appeared to have settled into "retirement" after WrestleMania 7, happy as a commentator. Jake Roberts had just turned heel to feud with the Ultimate Warrior, only to be left hanging after Warrior bolted. Roberts turned his attention toward Savage, threatening Elizabeth and goading him into the ring to bite him with his cobra.

A ticked-off Macho Man was always the best as he was reinstated, and he and Jake proceeded to have some wild battles. The clashes got bigger with the Undertaker involved and would turn on Jake. The promos of both guys were fantastic as both were more fired up than in years and while it lacked a real great blow-off, it was Jake's last great WWE program.

1 Bret Hart Vs Steve Austin Gave Us A WrestleMania Classic

It Turned Stone Cold Into An Icon

This could have become a main event feud had fate not taken a turn. As it is, it's hard to argue this wasn't a better midcard war than what the main event was giving us. After taking time away from WWE in 1996, Bret Hart returned and chose Steve Austin as his opponent. They had a classic Survivor Series match, which Bret won. This led to more clashes, with Austin cheating his way to beat Bret and win the Royal Rumble.

Austin then cost Bret the WWE title to Sid and Bret would hit back with his own attacks. That led to the masterpiece Wrestlemania 13 match that made Austin a huge fan favorite. Their continued battles in the spring and early summer were far better than the Undertaker's title reign of the time. It was clearly set for a main event run only for Austin's neck injury and Montreal to mar that. Yet the pair still put on a master class of a feud that was key to WWE's revival.