Kevin’s Top 500 Matches Of The 2010s (#360 – 351)

360. Trios Championship: Angelico, Ivelisse, and Son of Havoc vs. The Crew – Lucha Underground 4/22/15

One of the very best things about Lucha Underground (and there were a lot) was the dynamic between Angelico, Ivelisse, and Son of Havoc. After weeks of tension and even some matches, they were forced into a Trios team by Dario Cueto. During the tournament to crown the first champions, they had issues but made it to the finals and won. Or so they thought. Dario announced they would have one more match, right after the finals, against the Crew and it would be “Anything Goes.” Now, this isn’t the greatest brawl ever, it isn’t the spottiest of spotfests and, at just 6:41, it is very short. However, it makes this list because of the story and emotion involved. Ivelisse and her bum leg was perfect prey for the Crew, who took out Havoc and Angelico. It wasn’t until Havoc hit a moonsault outside that things started to turn around. Still, with Ivelisse alone inside against two opponents and Angelico near the top of the Temple, hope looked lost. That was until Angelico leaped from the top of the Temple, in one of the coolest spots ever, to save Ivelisse. Ivelisse then got a weapon, took it to the Crew, and her boys hit stereo high flying moves to become the first ever Trios Champions.

359. NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte [c] vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: R-Evolution

Everyone knows about the historic rivalry between Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks. While their main roster battles and fights over the NXT Women’s Title in 2015 are the most notable ones, this is actually where it really got started. Charlotte was the champion and riding high as a top star in NXT. Meanwhile, this was Sasha’s first time appearance in a TakeOver match and she had to prove that she was one of the best females in the company. They came in with history as members of the BFFS but not much as opponents. Also, it marked the debut of her “Sky’s The Limit” theme. Sasha did a great job in playing up all the character tidbits like mocking the Flair legacy and talking trash. However, she also outwrestled Flair. Props to Charlotte as well because her impressive flexibility helped sell the hell out of Sasha’s offense. Sasha stepped up in a huge way. She gave Charlotte everything she could handle and it took a top rope Natural Selection for the champion to retain in 12:09. To that point, it was the best women’s match in NXT history.

358. WWE World Championship: John Cena [c] vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE SummerSlam 2014

At the time, this was the biggest match that WWE could book. The franchise and reigning WWE World Champion John Cena against the Beast that ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, Brock Lesnar. Even with Cena’s track record, pretty much everyone knew the outcome here. Brock would win to capitalize on the momentum from beating The Undertaker. However, not a single person could have predicted the way this match would go. Brock came out of the gates and hit an F5 in the first minute. Though it only got a near fall, he smiled and realized that he was in control. He dominated at every turn. You kept waiting for Cena to make the Superman comeback but it never happened. The match lasted 17:15 and Cena took 16 German suplexes. That’s a ridiculous rate. Brock won the title and set the stage for who he’d be going forward. This was a rout and was one of the better, more interesting ideas the company ever went with.

357. Kofi Kingston and Team Hell No vs. The Shield – WWE Raw 5/20/13

In case you haven’t noticed, the first year of The Shield was something truly special. This came a night after The Shield won their first titles, beating Kofi Kingston and Team Hell No for the United States and Tag Team Championships. This was also a notable match because it started the storyline of Daniel Bryan trying to prove that he wasn’t the weak link between himself and Kane. This was the kind of match that The Shield was so famous for. There was tons of action from bell to bell and they worked as a well-oiled machine. Dean was chaotic, Roman was the powerhouse, and Seth brought the speed. The opposition worked well and proved to be one of the biggest threats to their unblemished record to that point. Alas, a Roman Reigns spear continued their hot streak after an awesome 21:57. The Shield were guarantees for great matches in this era.

356. WWE Intercontinental Championship vs. Career: The Miz [c] vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE No Mercy 2016

Dolph Ziggler came up short time after time following the brand split. It started against Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam and continued into the feud with the Miz. Miz had no reason to give Dolph another title shot but finally agreed when Dolph, out of desperation, put his career on the line. Their match at Backlash a month prior was a pleasant surprise. WWE chose to have Styles/Cena/Ambrose open this show and with that decision, they should have put this match on last. It would have done wonders for the title and honestly, it felt like a main event program. The rumor of Dolph wanting to wrap up his career added to the drama as it could have gone either way. This started slower than their Backlash match as Miz worked a methodical pace. He garnered heat by mocking Daniel Bryan at every opportunity. Miz tried to win with his feet on the ropes and by pulling the tights but it was not to be. He also got help from Maryse, her spray can, and the Spirit Squad. You felt the desperation in Dolph with each close call. He fought through it all and just as the Spirit Squad and Maryse were ejected, nailed a superkick to win the title at 19:41. The emotion was off the charts here and the fans ate all this up.

355. Hybrid Fighting Rules: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly – ROH Best in the World 2012

Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly have had their careers intertwined for as long as anyone can remember. From arriving in ROH as Future Shock to their current status as members of the Undisputed Era, they’ve been connected. In between their stints as partners, they’ve feuded pretty extensively. That included them meeting at Final Battle 2015 and trading the ROH World Title at the tail end of 2016 and early 2017. However, an argument could be made that their best singles meeting was this one. At Best in the World 2012 in the Hammerstein Ballroom, the two had a unique match contested under Hybrid Fighting Rules. No pinfalls, just submissions or knockouts. That was up O’Reilly’s alley. However, Cole more than stepped up and proved that he was more than just a pretty face. He displayed the kind of toughness that made him a hit with fans. This was 12:38 of two guys trying to make a name for themselves and stealing the show. Despite a bloody mouth, Cole was able to win with the Figure Four.

354. World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian – WWE Extreme Rules 2011

The retirement of Edge in 2011 came as a shock to the wrestling world. The all-time great (and my personal all-time favorite) was riding high as World Heavyweight Champion. He retained the title against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII in what was his last match for nearly a decade. When he relinquished the title, it was held up in a ladder match between Del Rio and Edge’s real life best friend Christian. This is one of those matches that, while great, gets a bit of a boost because of what it means. The action was strong but the drama meant the world. Could Christian finally get over the hump and do so in honor of his friend? When he finally did after 21:04 of action, thanks to help from Edge, it made for one of the most feel-good moments of the entire decade. There are better ladder matches out there but not many more emotional.

353. Lucha Underground Championship: Prince Puma [c] vs. Mil Muertes – Ultima Lucha

The Lucha Underground Championship was on the line in the final match of the first season. Since day one, Prince Puma was pretty much the poster boy for the company, while Mil Muertes spent the entire time being built up as the ultimate monster. It all came to a head when the two collided to close the book on season one. It’s a simple, tried and true formula, but it almost always works and especially does when the two guys play their roles as well as these two did. Early on, they went with the brawling and busted out some cool spots. Puma used Catrina, who by the way, has come very far since her days as Maxine, as a weapon at one point. There was a powerbomb onto steps, spear off the apron through a table and Muertes nailed Puma with a steel chair on a suicide dive. It reminded me of the classic Benoit/Jericho spot from their ladder match. When things got back in the ring, both Muertes and Puma kicked out of each other’s finishers and it meant something here because both moves had been very well protected throughout the season. They built up the drama so very well, with Puma fighting tooth and nail out of desperation to overcome the force that is Mil Muertes. Puma went for another 630 but Catrina powered up Muertes, who nailed a top rope Flatliner to end season one as the new Lucha Underground champion after 17:41. A very fitting finish to an excellent year of television from the promotion.

352. Women’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble 2018

The first ever Women’s Royal Rumble proved to be something truly special. They were given the main event slot on the show and delivered in a big way. There were questions coming into this. For starters, the division wasn’t exactly brimming with 30 talents, especially with champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair not participating. Thankfully, they filled things out by mostly including women from the past. That made a lot of this Rumble a bit of a nostalgia run but that was okay. It was a ton of fun to see Vickie Guerrero go on a rant, see Molly Holly again, watch Michelle McCool dominate at times, and have Trish Stratus interact with the likes of Sasha Banks. The Bella Twins returned and were the final two left with Asuka. Nikki eliminated Brie and was then dumped out by Asuka, resulting in another win for the undefeated star after 58:59. As I said, it was a huge nostalgia trip but one that absolutely worked.

351. WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] vs. Seth Rollins – WWE SummerSlam 2019

The build for this match was atrocious. After Seth Rollins beat Brock Lesnar in a few minutes at WrestleMania, Brock won back the title by cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Brock spent the following weeks abusing the former champion at every turn. Seth looked like a joke and fans were left wondering what the plan was. Needless to say, expectations were low coming into this title fight. Rocking the DDP tape on his ribs, Rollins came in with a target that Brock went after. Then Rollins showed fire with an early Curb Stomp that let us know how this would go. They were going to throw everything at one another. Rollins found his biggest opening after Lesnar hit the ring post and he then put him through a table with an insane frog splash. Lesnar survived a bit more but then Rollins hit enough Curb Stomps to keep him down after 13:19. This was one hell of a contest that played to both of their strengths. Despite the lackluster build, the crowd was completely into it. It had drama, memorable moments, and was a shining performance in an up and down year for Rollins.