This next list is very hard for me to narrow down as there are thousands of choices to choose from. For this list though, I picked matches that have stuck with me throughout the 20+ years that I have been watching wrestling. You'll see plenty of matches from the PG/Reality Era as that is the era I most associate with. There might be a couple matches from either the Golden Age or the Attitude Era but expect to see mostly 2000s matches. If anyone disagrees with these matches, and I'm sure you will, please tell me your favorites in the comments below or through my social media platforms. Alright, let's get on with the list!
Once again, these are MY opinions. I'm sure there are plenty of matches that you think that I missed but these are the ten that did something for me. My favorite match might not mean anything to you but once again, this is ALL OPINION BASED. Also, I don't have any matches from the 90s on here. NOTHING. I'm sorry if that disturbs some of you Attitude Era/New Generation fans.
Honorable Mentions
Batista VS Triple H - Vengeance 2005
Daniel Bryan VS Dolph Ziggler - Bragging Rights 2010
Brock Lesnar VS CM Punk - SummerSlam 2013
Brock Lesnar VS Kurt Angle - Wrestlemania XIX
HBK/HHH/Benoit - WMXX
Shawn Michaels VS Bret Hart - WM12
10. Edge VS John Cena - Unforgiven 2006 - Everyone likes to put John Cena and Randy Orton together as the top feud of this generation because they were perfect for each other. Both debuted the same year, won their first world titles around the same time, etc. WWE really pushed for these guys to be the next big feud in the company. It was a good feud but in my opinion, Edge and John Cena were always the perfect enemies.
Edge won his first World Title from John Cena in the beginning of 2006. Cena won the title back three weeks later. Edge won the title back during the summer and they went on to main event SummerSlam that year. This led to the match on this list, a TLC match for the title in Edge's hometown of Toronto. Edge just beat Cena at SS in HIS hometown of Boston. Cena also put his status on Raw on the line. If he didn't win the match, he was going straight to Smackdown. The match was on.
Edge got a massive reaction as expected while Cena was met with boos, not surprising AT ALL. Cena/Edge never had a Hell in a Cell match but this was a good feud ender for the time being. There were a lot of good spots, like Edge spearing Cena off the ladder, Lita pushing Cena into some tables and of course....THIS.
It's spots like that that ended Edge's career much earlier than he wanted. Edge and Cena were perfect rivals and the two always brought out the best in each other. This match was no different and they continued to have good matches until Edge finally retired in 2011. Still, their clash here was something to remember.
9. TLC 2 - Dudleys/Hardys/E&C - Wrestlemania 17 - These guys had no fear and it made for amazing television. These three teams were the TEAMS of the Attitude Era. They were always trading the titles around and revolutionized tag team warfare. After already having a Triangle Ladder match at WM2000 and the first ever TLC match at SummerSlam 2000, it was time for them to do it all again at Wrestlemania 17, which was the end of the Attitude Era.
These guys had the era leave in a blaze of glory. The amount of risks these guys took were unreal. Hardy would always put his body on the line and in one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, Edge speared Hardy from the hanging titles to the mat below.
Truly and utterly amazing. The match itself is a highlight reel of death defying stunts. Edge and Christian wouldn't be denied as they once again won the tag team titles, cementing their legacy as the greatest team of this era. There's not much to say about this match. It's something everyone as a wrestling fan has to see because it's the perfect example of what a TLC match should. Tag match wise I guess. Easily the best match these guys all put on together/
8. Triple H VS Cactus Jack - No Way Out 2000 - This is one of the matches that made Triple H a household top heel in WWE. Mick Foley always did a good job of putting him over. It was very hard to rank this match over their chaotic Street Fight from the Royal Rumble but I had to do it. The story is simple in this one, Triple H never respected Foley and after beating him for the belt at RR, Foley wanted another shot. Triple H wanted his career and he put in on the line in this dangerous match.
First off, it was super risky for WWE to put their top stars in a HIAC match before Wrestlemania. Just saying. It was a risk and reward type thing as this was a fantastic way to end their one on one feud. This was a time when HIACs' happened inside AND outside the ring. These two wrestled on top of the cage! If you know ANYTHING about WWE, you should know the now iconic image of Foley falling off of the cage. When you put a guy like back up there, bad things might happen. And it did. This match had it all, blood, big spots and fire. What else could you want from a Hell in a Cell? The spot of the match is when HHH flips Foley from reversing a piledriver and Foley flings 20 feet to the ring. This was obviously planned, unlike his fall 2 years prior. It wasn't enough to keep Foley down though as Triple H STILL needed a Pedigree to finish off the career of Foley.
Career matches never stick in WWE and Foley had plenty of WWE matches after this, mostly on the losing end. This match was solely done to continue to push Hunter as a top heel, a heel that would be the first one to ever retain the championship in the main event of Wrestlemania. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Another great Attitude Era HIAC!
7. Undertaker VS Brock Lesnar - No Mercy 2002 - While I loved the HHH/Jack HIAC, I just think Lesnar and Taker was a tiny bit better. Brock Lesnar was having some year in WWE. He debuted in March 2002 and never looked back. He won the King of the Ring tournament in June, destroyed Hulk Hogan, and won his first WWE Title five months after his debut. Lesnar was on top of the world. He then met The Undertaker, leader of Smackdown. This would lead to a great feud between the two, one that existed in WWE and outside.
This HIAC is exactly what I imagine when I think about this match type. Blood and violence. A REAL FEUD ENDER. This is how you get two guys away from each other for awhile. Undertaker came in the match with a 'broken hand' so it had a cast on it. While a handicap for Taker, it became a weapon as well, one he used to strike Lesnar in the head plenty of time. Did I mention that this match was bloody? EVERYONE bled, even Heyman. Lesnar would eventually get the cast off thanks to chair shots and his own freakish strength. These two just beat the holy hell out of each other. In the end, Lesnar beautifully reversed the Tombstone into the F-5, giving him the definitive victory.
THIS IS WHAT A HELL IN A CELL SHOULD BE. A great, personal feud ending in a brutal and barbaric match, not a street fight in a cage. Sorry, Cena/Orton. Lesnar/Taker was a great HIAC, in a time when WWE was transitioning to focus on future stars of the company. This is easily my favorite HIAC ever.
6. Stone Cold VS The Rock - Wrestlemania 17 - The end of an era. This is the match to many what ended one of the most loved periods of professional wrestling; The Attitude Era. Wrestlemania 17 is lauded as the best Mania ever and this main event is definitely one of the key reasons why. Let's set the stage here.
Austin had a neck injury in 1999, which sidelined him for basically the entire year. In his absence, The Rock REALLY took over as the #1 face of the company, feuding with top heels such as Triple H and Kurt Angle. Austin would eventually return in 2000 and started his comeback tour. He won his 3rd Royal Rumble in 2001 and started looking toward who he would face at Wrestlemania 17. Rock and Angle did battle for the championship at No Way Out and many were waiting for Rock to do his part and give us the match we all wanted. Rock didn't disappoint as he punched his ticked to Mania with a great win over Angle and as simple as that, you have The Rock VS Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania again.
Although a rematch from two years prior at the point, it didn't FEEL like a rematch. Both superstars were different men in 2001. Rock had become the face of the company at this point while Austin was desperate to get back in the limelight he left in 99. It made for a tense match between the two top faces of the Attitude Era. What followed was a match that closed out an entire three era that put WWE on the map.
The match was announced to be No DQ before the wrestlers came out, which made it even better. This match is on my list because it represents everything that the Attitude Era was known for. Violence, cursing, blood and shenanigans. It was the PERFECT match to end a fantastic era of WWE. How do we know it ended an era? Just look at the ending. After a brutal and vicious fight between the two, Austin took a chair from long time nemesis Mr. McMahon and bashed The Rock to hell with the thing. He would not let up. I never seen anyone win a championship by just swinging a title repeatedly over someone, but that's what Austin did. The real thing to end the era was the handshake between Austin and McMahon. When the two guys who had the longest feud of the era and really defined the era on its own end up being on the same page, yeah, the era is over and done with. Move on!
Austin and Rock had a great war but it's the long term effects that made this a classic in my mind. To close out an entire era with one moment, wow. It's going to be forever in my head as the moment WWF ended the Attitude Era. This along with a great representation of what the Attitude Era was made for a spot on this list.
5. The Undertaker VS Edge - Wrestlemania XXIV - Edge is a true success story in WWE. A fan all of his life, Edge went to WWE to live his dreams with his best friend Christian. They won multiple tag titles together and then Edge went onto win plenty of IC Titles before changing his look and gimmick to the Rated R Superstar. This shift in character propelled him to main event status and led to the first ever Money in the Bank cash in. Edge had the pleasure of ending the first WWE Title reign of John Cena. A guy that WWE said wouldn't be more than a mid card guy. Edge would continue to win World Title after his initial title win in 06. Eventually, he found his way to Smackdown and became World Champion after cashing in another contract on an injured Undertaker. This would set the stage for the main event of Wrestlemania XXIV almost a year later.
When Taker came back, Edge was now injured himself and eventually came back to cost Taker his shot at Batista inside Hell in a Cell. Edge wins back the title the next month while Taker wins an Eliminaton Chamber match to set up for this perfect match-up. Thanks to multiple injuries, this would be the first ever meeting one on one for the World Title between the two. Edge looked like a serious threat to The Undertaker's storied streak in the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania.
Edge got to main event his first and only Wrestlemania, over the Cena/Orton/Triple H title match. That was a big shocker for me. Edge deserved it though as he worked hard to return from injury, as did Taker. The two had absolute amazing chemistry together. This match was the start of a 6 month feud. EVERY match from their feud could be on this list. They were all that good but the original sticks with me. They went all out. Edge surprised everyone with his tenacity to kick out of all of The Undertaker's moves, even the fabled Tombstone Piledriver, which was preceded by Charles Robinson RACING down to the ring to get the pinfall.
Edge had a counter for EVERY move Taker threw at him. He really looked like he was going end Taker's streak. Undertaker wouldn't be denied though, as he locked in Hell's Gate and ended Wrestlemania with him holding the World Title. It would be the 3rd straight Mania to end with a submission victory. Anyway, it was a fantastic main event between two guys who never faced each other one on one.
In their first ever meeting, Edge and Taker stole the show of a great Wrestlemania card. This was only the beginning of their fantastic feud and what followed was probably the best feud WWE had since well Edge/Cena. This was another great main event on the grandest stage of Wrestlemania.
4. John Cena VS Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 23 - Around January 2007, it looked like WWE was prepping for a rematch between John Cena and Triple H at Wrestlemania 23, at least to me it did. Triple H unfortunately got injured at the PPV New Year's Revolution and was sidelined for the first half of the year. That left Shawn Michaels all alone on Raw and a new desire in life; to win the WWE Championship for his friend. HBK was unsuccessful in winning the Royal Rumble to secure his match with Cena but got there by beating Orton and Edge in a Triple Threat #1 Contender's match. What followed were mind games played between Cena and HBK, about when HBK would deliver his signature Sweet Chin Music. During this time, Cena and HBK won the tag titles and looked to be friends leading up to their match, until HBK finally delivered SCM on the lead up Raw to Mania 23. That set the stage for one of the best matches in Cena's career.
While many love the 45 minute rematch on the Raw before Backlash a couple weeks later, it was the original clash between these two that gets the nod for me. HBK took Cena to school in this match. Cena at this point in his career, was still fairly new to the main event scene. This would be his 3rd straight WWE Title match at the big event. Fans were tired of Cena, saying he couldn't wrestle and that he was a five move pony. Cena dominance of Raw angered many fans and many hoped HBK would put an end to Cena's reign of terror. Of course, we didn't know that Cena would only lose the title because of injury 5 months later.
The match was fantastic and proved to many that Cena can hold his own in a mat based wrestling match. This wasn't a war or a bloddbath. This was two top guys, fighting over who was the best. HBK was trying to win a title that he hadn't held in almost 10 years while Cena was enjoying being on top of the mountain. JR said a disgusting stat; Cena was champion for 22 of the last 24 months. That's insane! HBK had to challenge a man who was ruling Raw with an iron fist. He didn't get the job done though. There were many amazing sequences in this match and you could see how truly desperate HBK was to win the title. He even related to using heel tactics to try to win the belt. A spike piledriver on the steel steps? Sounds pretty heel like! This two waged battle for over 20 minutes before Cena locked in the BEST STF of his career and finally made HBK tap out. Cena once again entered Wrestlemania as champion and walked out as champion. Cena solidified his name at Mania, as he had now beaten JBL, HHH and HBK in three straight years. He would obviously go on to add Batista and Rock to his amazing resume as well.
HBK/Cena at Wrestlemania 23 was a display by WWE to show that their top guy can put on mat matches when the situation calls for it. Not just a brawler, Cena put on his finest performance to that date when he stepped in the ring with HBK. By beating HBK at Mania 23, he made himself that much more of a household name than he already was. This was HBK's way of giving his endorsement to Cena and Cena's been running with it ever since. Fantastic WRESTLING based main event.
3. Team WWF VS Team Alliance - Survivor Series 2001 - I love elimination matches, whether it's the Elimination Chamber, elimination tags or this, the traditional Survivor Series elimination match. I just love all the possible ways they can go. Out of all the ones I've seen, this one had the most on the line. Just to recap, in the past Stone Cold's career, The Authority's jobs and even being the General Manager of Raw have all been on the line in this type of match-up. This match was to determine which company would stay alive.
First off, let me say that the Invasion angle wasn't great. A lot of the original WCW stars didn't make the jump initially, like Goldberg, Sting, Hogan etc. Without those guys, it certainly hurt the angle as a whole. It wasn't a true WCW invasion. Thankfully, there were ECW guys involved as well but the lack of the big time WCW leaders really hurt this angle. They had to put Stone Cold and Kurt Angle on Team Alliance to compensate for this. It doesn't take away from the overall greatness of the match but it sure does make you wonder, what if? And we can't forget about Attitude Era mainstay Triple H. He tore his quad earlier in the year and missed the ENTIRE angle.
So, it was The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane and Big Show VS Stone Cold, Kurt Angle, Booker T, RVD and Shane McMahon. Once again, not really WWF VS WCW AND ECW but it will do I guess. The match was great and featured everything I love about these types of matches. Cheap eliminations, interference and an epic one on one between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was the big payoff needed for a long feud. It also embodies what a lot of people like about the Attitude Era. After over 40 minutes, Angle turned on his team and struck Austin with the WWF Title belt which led to Rock hitting the Rock Bottom and getting the three count. It was such a satisfying way to end, especially with the two top stars of the feud and the company. Rock and Austin always delivered on big occasions.
This match wasn't a wrestling classic like the next two matches on this list, but it was a whole lot of fun and was definitely one that kept many on the edge of their seats, even though the outcome was probably obvious. Weak storyline due to the major players not being involved, but great build and pay off match.
2. The Undertaker VS Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 25 - This match was money as soon as it was announced. WWE had done a great job of keeping these two away from each other since HBK came back in 2002. Both guys were the only two guys on the roster who were around when Raw first premiered. They were the top guys on their respective shows. A match between the two at the grandest stage of them all was very poetic and a dream match for the fans. And what a dream match it turned out to be.
The setup for the match really started in 2007, two years before the match even started. HBK and Taker were the last two in the Royal Rumble match that year and to my knowledge, this was their first time facing each other since the late 90s. This was probably the best sequence between the last two superstars in the Rumble ever. It was very tense and both guys were hungry to once again main event a Wrestlemania. In the end, it was The Undertaker who was victorious. They started the next year's Royal Rumble and HBK got revenge by eliminating Taker but their paths separated for a full year. HBK was in a storyline with JBL where he was basically his employee and they were going to have a match at NWO 2009 to get him out of his contract. Taker met up with HBK and they had a brief promo before the match. HBK won his freedom back and was back to being the old HBK. His new goal in life was to end The Undertaker's streak at Wrestlemania and after beating Vladimir Kozlov, he earned the right to face Taker at Mania. This is the first reason why this match is important. HBK and Kozlov fought for an opportunity at Taker, making the streak look just as important as winning a World Title. HBK was willing to do anything to get his match with Taker.
The build was great as well and it played on the fact that Undertaker was the darkness and that HBK was the true light. HBK showed some heelish tendencies during the build but never went full on heel. They both got shots in before the match and everyone in the WWE Universe were looking forward to the first one on one meeting between the two in over a decade. The match started with a grand entrance for HBK who was once again building himself as the light which calls to his real life as a Christian. Taker had his usual long walk to the ring. The match was straight wrestling with many chops and takedowns. The match really started to pick up when Taker tried his usual suicide dive. HBK pulled a cameraman into the way and Taker basically nosedived and landed on his head. It looked vicious and sounded even worse. The intensity on got better from there. Undertaker would proceed to hit all over his big moves, including an impressively reversed Tombstone Piledriver. The move that put away most of his other victims did not put HBK right away as he was able to kick out. There were a lot of close finishes in the match as well that made you truly believe that HBK was the one who was going to end the streak. HBK would go for a moonsault because, well, he's Mr. Wrestlemania and this match is big stakes. Taker caught Michaels with a Tombstone and after 30 minutes, The Undertaker finally defeated Shawn Michaels in a one on one match. It was vindication for the Deadman and improved his record to 17-0. They would go onto main event Wrestlemania 26 in a great match that saw The Undertaker end HBK's career.
This match wasn't one that projected two future stars but rather it was a match between two legends. It's kind of a sad match because you realize that since these guys are older, it's not something that will likely happen again. Good thing we got two classics from these two Hall of Famers. Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker told a fantastic story through their feud and it's one that wrestling fans won't forget.
1. CM Punk VS John Cena - Money in the Bank 2011 - There will never be a more perfect match up then when CM Punk battled against John Cena in his hometown of Chicago on his last contracted night with World Wrestling Entertainment. I call this match the match of the PG Era. It's a match that shifted things to reality because Punk was obviously very upset with the directions of the company. At the time this match happened, WWE has VERY VERY stale. John Cena just ended The Miz's title reign and was regular old Super Cena. He got destroyed by Miz in the I Quit rematch, only to do two moves and win it and then had a bland main event with R-Truth. WWE was boring, they didn't really try. Wrestlemania 27 was one of the worst WMs in history. They needed something fresh and different and they got it in CM Punk.
Punk won a Triple Threat #1 Contender's match that featured Mysterio and Del Rio. After winning, Punk dropped the news that his contract was coming to an end the day of Money in the Bank and that he was leaving with the title. Strong words but to be honest, no one believed him. Sure, we wanted to because we dislike Cena and all of his reigns but this is Super Cena we're talking about here. The guy doesn't just lose to anybody. The next week, Punk helps Truth beat Cena in a Tables match and then Truth vanishes from the title picture, never to return. It's on this date that Punk did his famous promo on the state of WWE. It was a promo with so much truth, things that were taboo to WWE were talked about. He referenced Brock Lesnar, who they never talked about. He spoke of other companies, such as ROH and NJPW. Funny that after this, WWE acquired Prince Devitt AND Kevin Steen, who were from NJPW and ROH respectively. Ironic huh? Punk just spoke from his heart and it led to one of the best WWE promos of all time. It's so good because the promo started to help WWE break out of its staleness, bit by bit. It wasn't an overnight thing but little by little, WWE started to change their ways. This promo helped with blurring the lines of reality and pro wrestling. Was Punk really leaving or was it all just to get attention? That kind of question helped build up to the match. Say what you will but this is PRO wrestling, where things are already pre determined. This isn't a real sport. While they are taking risks, they already know who's going to win or lose and due to this, the build is just as important as the match itself. This couldn't be more clear than with this match.
MITB came along and it was already WWE's best event in years. Every match was solid on the card. Daniel Bryan shockingly won the Smackdown MITB while Christian regained the World Title. The promo for the main event came on at around 10PM, which is very early considering WWE used to end PPVs around 10:40 usually. Punk came out to a huge ovation from his hometown. Cena was met with a chorus of boos. Boos like that weren't heard of since his days in the Hammerstein Ballroom. While you could see Cena fans in the crowd, by noise alone, Cena was by himself. The bell rang and what followed was the best match WWE has ever put on. Cena and Punk were so in sync with each other throughout the entire 33 minute match. Yes, 33 minutes these two wrestled and told a fantastic story. They knew each other's moves so well and had many great sequences together. Punk's reversal of Cena's signature Five Knuckle Shuffle was great. Punk making Cena use moves that you haven't seen from him was great. The AA reversal into the GTS REVERSED into the STF. Punk kicking out of TWO AAs. Everything about this match clicked. It was truly magical. This is a love letter to pro wrestling fans and paved the way for guys to come. You think Daniel Bryan or Seth Rollins would have had their Wrestlemania moments if Punk didn't tear down the house with John Cena on this fateful Sunday night? You think Kevin Owens would have beaten John Cena CLEAN had it not been for Punk doing it first? You think Samoa Joe, from the non-existent to WWE company TNA, would have ever signed to WWE if Punk didn't stand up for what he believed in? I love this match so much not just because of the great build or because of the great in ring spectacle it was. It led the way for all guys like CM Punk to come. Guys who were told they couldn't make it or that they would never succeed. It was the change Punk worked so hard for. WWE has become a much better company thanks to this match. This is why I call it THE MATCH of the PG/Reality Era. It changed so much of what we can expect from WWE without the blood and sex. I watch this match yearly because it's so fantastic. There are botches yes, but it didn't hold the match back at all. Pro wrestling is just as much about story as it is wrestling and in this match between CM Punk and John Cena, both were through the roof.
This is the greatest match of all time for me. Watch it for yourselves and see. There will NEVER be a match like this again. One that is on point with EVERYTHING. I'm sorry, I just can't be moved from this point. No match has ever meant this much. This is the same as Austin/HBK from WM14, where it started a new era or when Cena and Batista both won their first World Titles at Wrestlemania 21. It's going to be very hard to beat for me. Punk didn't end up becoming the face of the generation like he may have wanted to but he definitely changed the pace of WWE and paved the way for guys like him to come.
Yes, I'm sure you're going to disagree, which is completely fine. I'm entitled to my opinion and you to yours. Regardless, that's my list, please comment some of your favorite matches below or through social media. See you next week for my Money in the Bank predictions. We all know what WWE is planning right? Hint, it's very similar to Survivor Series 1998. Fair warning!
No comments:
Post a Comment