These matches will make you want to watch wrestling a lot more, my friend.

Professional Wrestling is something that is both a sport and a form entertainment, and yes it can fall between both terms. However, the way wrestling is received by those who do not watch wrestling refer to it as just 'a kiddie thing' or a 'sad way of holding onto your childhood'. Let me be honest, I've been watching wrestling since I was a kid, and yes the passion to watch it has not left me.

A lot of my friends and even close family members have told me time and time again to find something new to watch, but can King Joffrey spear someone through a table, mom? I don't think so. Additionally, the term 'fake' that is used to describe wrestling is also another big word that gets tossed out there from a 'non-watcher': wrestling fans know it's fake, but it's the entertainment and the way matches are presented that makes fans check their disbelief at the door. As a newcomer, you may think the WWE, the biggest wrestling company in the world, is the only company out there. It is actually perceived as the number one 'promotion' in the world, with other companies such as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) following Vince McMahon's conglomerate in terms of popularity. Matches from many different promotions will come into play in this list, so I invite you to take a look at the ten bouts you, as a newcomer, must watch.

*Note, there is no ranking in this list regarding which match is better. The numbers are purely numbers, nothing else.*

10. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (WWE, Battleground 2016)

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are two wrestlers that come to mind whenever fans talk about 'The Indies', a voluminous sea of independent promotions where famous wrestlers got their start. During the late 2000s, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were once El Generico and Kevin Steen. Promoted as best friends and tag team partners, these two had a fantastic rivalry in ROH that culminated in a fiery ladder match at the company's 2012 Final Battle event. As the two signed with WWE, the company immediately reignited their rivalry with Kevin Owens now backstabbing Sami Zayn. The two battled throughout the summer of 2015 in WWE's developmental brand NXT until Zayn was forced to walk away from the company for a while to rehab his shoulder.

As Owens moved on to WWE's main shows Raw and Smackdown, Zayn would bide his time to get his revenge...and he did. Throwing Owens out of the ring during the Royal Rumble 2016 was the first part, Zayn suplexing Owens through a ladder at Wrestlemania so that Owens would lose his Intercontinental championship was the second, and Zayn continually attacking Owens throughout the year prompted the two to finally have a showdown at the company's Battleground event in July. The match has everything: story, action, and some parts of real drama. Which of the two warriors won? That's for you to watch!

9. Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio, Jr. (WCW, Halloween Havoc 1997)

If you were a kid around 2006, then you probably heard of Rey Mysterio. The 'Little Man in A Big Man's World' has provided an interesting look into his career and how he overcame the odds as a small-sized wrestler. His relationship with famed wrestler Eddie Guerrero also gave fans a chance to witness magic when friends wrestle. At the now-defunct WCW's Halloween Havoc event in 1997, both wrestlers put on a performance that fans are still calling a 'classic', nearly twenty years later.

That purple jumpsuit tho...

8. The Undertaker & Batista vs John Cena & Shawn Michaels (WWE, No Way Out, 2007)

The four biggest names collided one night in Los Angeles, and not without drama. Shawn Michaels and John Cena, flagbearers of two generations of wrestling and their brand Raw, were booked for a main event at that year's Wrestlemania for Cena's WWE Championship, something Michaels was willing to do whatever it took to get that title back in his possession. Batista and The Undertaker, on the other hand, represented their brand Smackdown but were also eyeing Batista's world title and The Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. As Michaels and Cena tried to maintain teamwork, Batista and the Deadman were hellbent on clashing no matter how much their tag team match meant to their brand.

The match itself offered just the right amount of intrigue and action that fueled both brand's main event stars' feud with each other, with Batista and Undertaker hinting to the audience that one of them would betray their teammate at any time. This is a definite dark horse among many great tag team matches.

7. Taz vs Sabu (ECW, Barely Legal 1997)

ECW! ECW! ECW! The now-defunct (but never dead) promotion that was Paul Heyman's brainchild has it's fair share of classic bouts from the company's original tenure from 1993 to 2001. Sabu, the crazy, Hannibal mask-wearing freak, was a mainstay attraction in ECW. His rivalry with the Human Suplex Machine, Taz, is etched among many diehard ECW fans as one of the most well-crafted rivalries in the 1990s. Their match at the company's first PPV was the culmination of that deep rivalry. "Sabu! I'm gonna choke you out! See you on the thirteenth!" is a phrase that still cements Taz as one of the most intimidating wrestlers that ever walked this planet. This match helped prove both wrestlers' strength...and did I mention the swerve that happens at the end? Oh well, looks like you have to watch it for yourself.

6.

The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) vs The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose) [WWE, Elimination Chamber 2014]

Two factions that made a name during 2013 were finally booked for a clash that many fans called 'a dream match that came true'. Bray Wyatt's mysterious cult/family played mind games with The Shield for some time during the early part of 2014, and their match at that year's Elimination Chamber event provided a perfect blend of story, action, and considered one of those matches where the fans were fully invested in both sides no matter who won. In fact, the fans looked like they never sat down during the entire bout because of how well both groups were itching to fight each other.

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock (WWE, Wrestlemania XV)

These two names are definitely familiar to you, and not because of their film careers. In fact, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin's popularity as wrestlers in the late 1990s propelled them as the biggest names in the sports' history. Their early rivalry in the tail end of 1997 set the pieces for their more famous rivalry. A bad guy Rock and fan favorite Stone Cold were at opposite ends in early 1999, with Austin eyeing Rock's recently won WWE Championship. Fans were rioting for Rock and Austin to clash for the title, and McMahon did not disappoint.

At that year's 15th anniversary of Wrestlemania, Rock and Austin collided for the first of three Wrestlemania matches between the two megastars. Although fans say their second encounter at Wrestlemania 17 was better, it was this bout that stands out for their pure hatred for each other and how well their rivalry would pay off in this No DQ match for the industry's top prize.

4. Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit (WWE, Wrestlemania XX)

It's no mystery that the entire Chris Benoit tragedy back in 2007 has been basically swept under the carpet by WWE. Yes, they have erased all history of Benoit, but this list does not involve bringing up topics outside the ring. WWE's flagship PPV, Wrestlemania, celebrated it's twentieth anniversary back in 2004 where it all started: Madison Square Garden. That night, WWE booked the first ever triple threat match to close the show. Heading into the match, Benoit was heading into his first (and only) Wrestlemania main event since he had won that year's Royal Rumble, earning at shot at Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship. However, Triple H and former best friend Shawn Michaels had some more issues to settle, and Michaels was also inserted into the match. It was basically a risk taken by WWE officials, whereas going against tradition and not closing the show with a one-on-one encounter.

The risk proved to be rewarding, as many fans consider this the greatest main event of a PPV. The action, drama, and the atmosphere that any of the three could win the match makes this bout a definite must-see on any newcomer's list.

3. Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW, Wrestle Kingdom 10)

It's hard to make a list where great matches are being put on as we speak: take a look back at number 10 on this list. It was almost a year ago. In Japan, wrestling is more about the actual in-ring action rather than the way wrestlers' talk or present themselves. New Japan, for example, is the flagbearer of that kind of wrestling. At their showcase show in January 2016, Wrestle Kingdom, two wrestlers proved that the sport itself can be pure wrestling rather than who can talk better on the mic. AJ Styles, a renowned wrestler around the world, faced NJPW megastar Shinsuke Nakamura in an incredible bout.

Both men put on a performance second to none that many fans are calling a 'living dream match with all the fixings'. The hard-hitting style of Nakamura meshed perfectly with Styles' hybrid of aerial offense and ground attacks, but who am I to flaunt the tenacity of this match? Go see for yourself!

2. Sasha Banks vs Bayley (WWE/NXT, Takeover: Brooklyn)

Women's wrestling has often been perceived as second-class in the entirety of this industry. WWE, for example, showcased many women as managers to male wrestlers most of the time. Although there were some women's wrestlers putting on great matches in WWE during the 1980s, women's wrestling was not entirely there. As the 1990s brought about WWE's Attitude Era, women were wrestling more and presented as 'Divas'. As the Attitude Era came to a close, women's wrestling evolved again with the likes of Trish Stratus and Lita spearheading a new direction where women's wrestling were becoming more and more an equal product with their male counterparts' matches. In 2015, an entire 'Women's Revolution' swept the WWE. The starting point of that revolution began with an incredible match between NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks and Bayley.

Their 20-minute match cemented NXT as not just a man's brand, but a wrestler's brand, regardless of gender. Fans of all ages were blown away but both wrestler's skill and precision in this semi-main event match. The Boss and The Hugger performed to the highest degree and left it all out there in a match where fans continue to replay even two years after it occurred.

Before number 1 is discussed, I must suggest some honorable mentions: AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels vs Samoa Joe (TNA, Unbreakable 2005); Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (WWE, Wrestlemania X); Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels (WWE, Wrestlemania XIV); John Cena vs CM Punk (WWE, Money in the Bank 2011); "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (WWE, Wrestlemania III).

1. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WWE, Wrestlemania XXV)

The match that is the epitome of Wrestlemania. Two icons of the industry, both knowledgeable of each other from years past, squared off at WWE's Showcase of Immortals in a match that many (including myself) as THE greatest match of all time. No exceptions. Michaels, wanting to be the first man to end Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania, added another layer to their bout: light vs darkness. The Undertaker was simply a chess piece to Michaels, but it was the game that Michaels needed to win.

The match itself has everything a wrestling fan wants: close calls, aerial offense, and an incredible moment that left everyone speechless as whether one of the men was injured. Michaels and Undertaker gave it all their might to put on a complete show-stealer, with commentator Jim Ross even screaming "I JUST HAD AN OUTER BODY EXPERIENCE!". This match is clearly the first match you want to see, especially if you want to see two of the greatest wrestlers go at it at the Show of Shows.

This list was tough to create, and that was narrowing down a huge list of potential candidates. However, do not let this list be the only set of ten matches. There are incredible matches not even on this list that can take your breath away. As for you, newcomer, I leave you with this: check your disbelief at the door. You won't regret it.