The Top Ten 7.01.08: 21st Century Matches

Good day friends and welcome back to another modern edition of The Top Ten. This week we’re going to look back at The Top 50 Matches in the 21st Century. Do I really need anymore filler? I didn’t think so.

Random Thoughts Of A Disturbed Wrestling Fan

-So I’m a little too late for any in-depth draft analysis, but I will make a few comments about some of the moves. Having Rey go to Raw, Batista go to Raw and Umaga go to Smackdown were all necessary moves as all three men had done pretty much all they could do on their previous brands and needed a change in scenery to breathe new life into their character. I like Jeff Hardy going to Smackdown as I feel that he has a chance to really ascend to new heights and possibly become a World Champ. Obviously the CM Punk move was good stuff. I’m still on the fence about JR being moved to Smackdown because even though it makes the SD announce team awesome, its going to be weird not hearing Good Ol’ JR on Monday Nights anymore. Triple H going to SD was a move that definitely needed to happen and I’m glad they finally pulled the trigger. The move that actually pissed me off the most was Brian Kendrick being moved to Smackdown. What. The. FUCK! So Raw now was a fresh new heel tag team with no one to feud with. You know who would have been good for that role? LONDON AND FUCKING KENDRICK! But instead, they choose to break up the best tag team the ‘E has had in the last 3 years (even though that’s not saying much) just for both men to flounder on their respective shows. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or both released shortly. Way to go WWE, keep killing that tag team division.

-Is it just me or when Natalya Neidhart laughs doesn’t she look EXACTLY like Owen Hart circa 1994? Except with some D-cups plastered onto her chest.

-You know what’s the epitome of stupidity? VH1 and their I Love The New Millenium show. Now I’m usually a huge fan of VH1’s various countdown and variety shows, but this is just ridiculous. They couldn’t wait just 2 more years to do this special? And it’s kind of hard to be nostalgic about something that happened in 2005. Hey, you remember iPod’s? Yea, because I still fucking use it. What an idiotic idea. That doesn’t mean I didn’t watch them because of course I did. VH1 owns my soul.

-I’m really digging Fear Itself on NBC.

-A few weeks ago, CBS had an AFI special listing the Top 10 movies in 10 different genres and I have to say that this was perhaps the stupidest thing I’ve ever watched. They had a few categories like Sci-Fi, Sports and Fantasy which were fine but then they had categories like Romantic Comedies and Courtroom Dramas. Really? REALLY? What the bloody fuck? They couldn’t just countdown the top 10 COMEDIES and DRAMAS, why did it have to be specific types? What IDIOTS came up with the categories of Romantic Comedies and Courtroom Dramas. Nevermind that they didn’t have a Top Ten for Horror or Action movies. And don’t give me that shit that Sci-Fi counts as Horror because it doesn’t! Damn my love of countdowns. I seriously will watch anything containing a countdown. The Top Ten Transsexuals in Reality TV Show history? I’m there!

-There’s a radio station in New York called “Fresh FM” that gets played at my job sometime and it seriously is the most annoying station in the world. Their whole gimmick is that their music is “Fresh” and isn’t boring like other light music stations, but the fact that they have to say it between every damn song makes them reek of desperation. It’s like your uncle trying to prove that he’s “down” with the times because he knows who Rihanna is.

-Last night’s Raw is one of the best Raw’s I’ve seen in a looooonnnng time. Fantastic opening with Punk cashing in the MITB and winning the World Heavyweight Title. The rest of the show was fairly entertaining with nothing being bad and the end with Cena & Cryme Tyme brawling with JBL’s security was fantastic. I feared they would make Punk the shortest transitional champion in the history of ever, but luckily they actually put him over here and it is refreshing to see some new blood on top on RAW.

The Top FIFTY Matches of the 21st Century

50) Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle (Turning Point ’06)
Some people prefer their recent Lockdown match with Joe FINALLY winning the title, some lean more towards their first encounter at Genesis ’06, but my favorite Joe/Angle encounter was their first rematch in late 2006. This was the follow up to the awesome first encounter these two had at Genesis and they were able to surpass that effort due to having more time and busting out some absolutely brutal, stiff shit on each other. The match was back and forth and you honestly had no idea who would win because at times it seemed Kurt had it sealed up and then other times, it seemed Joe was taking it. The ending saw Angle get frustrated with not being able to put Joe away and try to result to a steel chair, which backfired on him, and caused him to fall into the Kokina Clutch and tap out to Joe.

49) London & Kendrick vs. MNM vs. The Hardys vs. Regal & Taylor (Armageddon ’06)
This is the kind of match that gets better everytime that you watch it. When I first saw it, I thought it was pretty damn good, but everytime I’ve watched it since then, my appreciation for it has grown more and more. This was a great surprise for the fans who watched Armageddon because these four teams busted their ass to provide an instant classic. The amount of insane shit seen in this match is off the charts from Regal suplexing London onto a ladder to Nitro kicking a ladder from underneath Jeff Hardy which guillotined him on the ring ropes to Kendrick giving Regal Sliced Bread #2 from the top of a ladder to Joey Mercury having his face absolutely EXPLODE when he was hit in the face with a ladder. The image of Mercury’s face swelled up and pissing blood is one of the most gruesome things I’ve ever seen in a wrestling match. This match was filled with high-flying action, death-defying spots, and unmeasured brutality and that’s exactly how a ladder match should be.

48) Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin (Raw, 5/2/05)
This was a part of the Gold Rush Tournament to crown a new #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship and it was a match that lived up to all the expectations the fans had for it and then some. This match made Shelton Benjamin look like an absolute BEAST as he was able to utilize his strength and agility to dominate HBK for the majority of it. This match was so fast-paced that if you blinked, you would probably miss something. It seemed as though Shelton had an answer to all of HBK’s offense and just when it seemed like Shelton was going to score the upset, one of the sickest finishers to a match I’ve ever seen happened. Shelton attempted to springboard onto HBK, but Michaels responded by taking Shelton’s head off with Sweet Chin Music while Benjamin was still in the air. Sick, sick, sick, sick, SICK finish to one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever seen.

47) Low Ki vs. Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles (TNA Weekly PPV, 8/28/02)
Easily the best ladder match in TNA’s history and one of the best ladder matches EVER! These three guys went out and first put on a wrestling clinic before incorporating the ladders. Once the ladders came into play, things really picked up. You had Low Ki receiving a double hip toss into an elevated ladder, you had AJ get belly to belly suplexed into a ladder sitting in the corner, you had Ki deliver a hurricarana to Lynn and drive him back first into a standing ladder, and finally you had Jerry Lynn deliver a MOTHERFUCKING CRADLE PILEDRIVER from the middle of the ladder and dropping Low-Ki right on his head. Sick, sick shit. Low-Ki was out of his damn mind for taking that bump.

46) The Embassy vs. Generation Next (ROH Steel Cage Warfare)
This was the culmination of one of the greatest feuds in ROH history as Generation Next and The Embassy clashed in a steel cage under WarGames rules. The only difference is that this match was under elimination rules which differed from the original Wargames rules of one fall. The Embassy consisted of Jimmy Rave, Abyss, Prince Nana and former Gen Next member Alex Shelley while Generation Next had Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Eva—I mean, Matt Sydal, and Jack Evans. This match featured way too much action for me to cover, but I would be remiss for not mentioning Jack Evans doing two of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring. First he scaled the cage and did a 630-splash to the OUTSIDE on top of The Embassy (and nearly cracked his head open on the hardwood floor in the process). Next, he once again climbed the top of the cage and did a springboard moonsault off the chest of Jimmy Rave onto a fallen Abyss. Trust me, it’s even cooler than it sounds. Ohh yea, and I also loved Roderick Strong giving Jimmy Rave like 745 backbreakers in a row. Gen Next was able to win after eliminating everyone but Prince Nana and beating the crap out of him until Aries pinned him with a 450 splash. Pure, unadulterated awesome.

45) Money In The Bank I (Wrestlemania 21)
This was the first ever Money In The Bank match and the spectacular performance that these six men put on made it inevitable that this would become a yearly tradition at Wrestlemania. The match started off at a fever pace with five of the competitors diving to the outside onto their opponents, even The Big Red Machine! From there, we saw even crazier spots like Shelton giving Edge a T-bone suplex from the top of a ladder, Benoit german suplexing Jericho with a ladder in his hand, Christian giving Benoit an armbreaker from the top of a ladder, and of course Shelton doing one of the most insane moves ever by running up one ladder to knock Chris Jericho off another one. At the end, the opportunist Edge laid in wait until everyone was out of the equation and then cracked Benoit’s already injured arm with a steel chair and climbed the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank. He would use that contract to win his first ever WWE Championship and this match was really the beginning for Edge becoming a certified main eventer.

44) AJ Styles vs. Abyss (Lockdown ’05)
This was the perfect way to cap off the night on TNA’s first cage-only PPV. AJ bumped like a maniac in this match and Abyss came off as an even bigger badass than he already was. This match had unbelievable spots and cringe-inducing brutality. Seeing AJ’s face get rammed by the cage door is still a spot that makes me shudder. You also had AJ leaping over the fans to clothesline Abyss, AJ getting launched into a chain covered turnbuckle, Abyss receiving the Styles Clash on tacks, and Abyss getting powerbombed from the top of the cage onto THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF THUMBTACKS BY GAWD!!! Sorry, wrong company. Just a fantastic brawl that made your jaw drop with all the insanity they were displaying.

43) Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker (No Way Out ’06)
Ok, raise your hand if you thought this match was going to be as great as it was. Liars. I don’t think any of us expected a match this good from a beat down Kurt Angle and an aging Undertaker. Most of us were hoping that they would recapture the magic of the Smackdown match they had from a few years ago, but this match far succeeded that one. You had Undertaker, who was hell bent on capturing the World Title against Kurt Angle who refused to let anyone even dream about taking his title. It was just an awesome affair that saw Taker beating the crap out of Kurt, but Kurt would keep fighting back and everytime it seemed as though Taker was about to put Kurt away, Angle would find a way to counter it(including the AWESOME counter from the Tombstone into the Anklelock). This match proved why Kurt Angle is the best in the world and Undertaker is probably the best big man to ever set foot in the squared circle.

42) Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk (Joe vs. Punk II)
Now some of my loyal readers (all 2 of you) might remember that I placed this match on my “Most Overrated” list, so you’re probably wondering why it’s showing up on this list. The simple answer is that this is a fantastic match, it’s just that people had hyped it up so much by calling it “THE GREATEST MATCH IN THE HISTORY OF HUMAN CREATION” that I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when I finally saw it and feel like its overrated. But there is no doubt this is still an awesome match with both men bringing the goods for an hour straight.

41) Triple H vs. Batista (Vengeance ’05)
This was a Hell In A Cell match for Batista’s World Heavyweight Title and despite the fact that Trips had lost cleanly to The Animal in their two previous encounters, many people felt as though HHH was just waiting to reclaim the belt in this match since he was undefeated in HIAC matches up to that point (Well not including the 2000 Armageddon HIAC, but who counts that one anyway). HHH once again proved his detractors wrong by putting over Batista clean for the third straight time in a brutal, bloody affair. Both men beat the hell out each other and absorbed a sick amount of punishment especially Trips who took a brutal shot to the face with a chair covered in barbed wire as well as a spinebuster on steel steps. This was a great effort from both men and showed that despite a lot of criticism, HHH is willing to do what is best for the company.

40) The Rock vs. Kurt Angle (No Way Out ’01)
This was a rematch for the WWE title that was held by Kurt Angle months after he had beaten The Rock for it at No Mercy. This match featured some off the charts intensity (By Gawd!!) as both men felt it was their destiny to go into Wrestlemania as the WWE champion. Kurt Angle showed glimpses of the future badass he would be including holding The Rock in an anklelock while screaming, “Tap out or I’ll break your fucking ankle, you son-of-a-bitch!” The Rock was able to put away Angle after two Rock Bottoms (even though Kurt never kicked out of the first one, but the ref said his shoulders were up) and went on to face Stone Cold at WM17 in a classic match while Angle went on to have his own classic with Chris Benoit also at WM17. But before those two classic encounters, these two modern day legends gave us this great match which should be remembered for years to come.

39) Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (Wrestlemania 19)
This match is a personal favorite of mine as it had two of my favorite wrestlers ever squaring off on the biggest stage of them all. A lot of people downplayed this match at the time because they felt that Jericho should have gone over and while that is certainly an understandable point, I don’t think you can ignore the quality of this match. This was a great battle between these two showmen and seeing Chris Jericho mimic HBK and give him Sweet Chin Music is one of the most glorious things I’ve ever seen. Even though some people were sour about HBK picking up the win (including me at the time), I think that he needed it being his big Wrestlemania comeback and all and Jericho got to get revenge in a HEELISH fashion after the match by kicking HBK square in the nads. Overall this was just an awesome match between two of the best performers to ever step foot in the squared circle.

38) John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Shawn Michaels (Backlash ’07)
This was a phenomenal match and it showed why all four men deserve to be in the upper echelon of the WWE. It was well paced, action packed, and filled with tense moments that made you wonder who was going to pick up the win. I knew that Cena was going to win, but I think that the way they did it was absolutely genius. Shawn had Cena beat after the superkick, but Cena was just fortunate enough to land on top of Orton otherwise his title would be lost. It added great tension to the Cena/Michaels feud and even though they blew it by having Cena start feuding with The Great Khali, it was immensely intriguing at the time. This was a fun match and a great way to cap off a great PPV.

37) Mick Foley vs. Edge (Wrestlemania 22)
This match is another personal favorite of mine because it gave Mick Foley a chance to finally shine on the Wrestlemania stage. This match completely stole WM22 by being the most brutal match ever seen at ‘Mania. These two men brutalized each other with steel chairs, thumbtacks, barbed wire, and finally a flaming table. That flaming table spot with Edge going FACE FIRST into fire is still one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen and I doubt I’ll see anything that surpasses it anytime soon. Foley finally got his Wrestlemania classic and I think we all know that after all the bumps and bruises he’s experienced during his career for our enjoyment, he deserved to shine on the grandest stage of all.

36) AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels (Against All Odds ’05)
Get two of the best performers in the X-Division and let them cut loose for 30 minutes and what do you get? One of the greatest matches not only in TNA’s history, but in the history of the wrestling industry. Styles and Daniels work so beautifully together that you can watch this 30 minute match and still want to see more. The match saw Daniels go up 1-0 with time expiring and AJ get a desperation roll up to tie the match up with six minutes left. Daniels then tried everything in his arsenal to get another fall on AJ, culminating in him locking in Koji Clutch on a bleeding AJ with seconds left. AJ was able to hold on, pushing the match into Sudden Death where AJ would pick up the win with the Styles Clash. An absolutely glorious match that showcased that the X-Division wasn’t only about sick spots, but great wrestling as well.

35) The Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (ROH Man Up ’07)
This was just an absolutely brutal affair. The Briscoes and Steen-erico had developed a blood feud throughout the course of 2007. After some of the most brutal matches ever seen in ROH, it seemed that the only way to end this feud was in a ladder war. I haven’t seen this kind of insanity since the vaunted days of the TLC era because these four men just absolutely BRUTALIZED each other. How much brutal shit is in this match, you ask? Let’s see, Generico gets bieled THROUGH a ladder, Mark Briscoe falls off one ladder and through another, Generico kicks a ladder right into Jay Bricoe’s face, Steen powerbombs Mark from the ring onto a ladder on the outside of the ring, Mark hits Generico with an Exploder Suplex onto a ladder, Jay gives Steen a Death Valler Driver onto the SIDE of a ladder, Mark gives Generico a Shooting Star Press with a ladder on top of him, Jay legdrops Steen through a table from the top rope to the outside of the ring, The Briscoes hit Generico with a springboard Doomsday Device in between a ladder, Steen gives Mark a Package Piledriver THROUGH a ladder, and Jay gives Generico a Jay Driller through a ladder. And that’s only SOME of the crazy shit in the match. The Briscoes were able to retain their tag team title and after this war, they deserve to be called the best tag team in the world.

34) John Cena vs. Umaga (Royal Rumble ’07)
What a brutal war this was. I was expecting a good match based on the above average encounter they had at New Year’s Revolution, but this exceeded my expectations as well as the expectations of just about everybody I think. I will never forget Umaga running the tables and doing that crazy dive onto the announce table or Cena choking out Umaga with the ring ropes with this look of desperation and craziness on his face. Umaga turned me into a fan of his after this match as I now greatly respect his abilities in the ring. And if Cena couldn’t end all the hate after this classic performance, I don’t know what will.

33) Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 24)
This match deserves a spot on the list for being Ric Flair’s final match. This match deserves a spot on the list for being a damn good bout. This match DEFINITELY deserves a spot on the list for being one of the most emotional and heartbreaking matches of all-time. What else can be said about this match? This is easily the most emotional match I’ve ever watched. Sure, we all knew it was Flair’s final match, but I don’t think any of us were certain of the outcome until that final Superkick. Seeing Shawn Michaels struggle with himself about whether or not to deliver the kick was very emotional, but didn’t compare to when he kicked the crap out of Flair and immediately started to hug him on the ground, as if to apologize, while Flair laid there crying, knowing his career was over. Powerful stuff. The match itself was even better than I expected and I was seriously concerned about Shawn Michaels ribs after that hellacious table bump. The people complaining that this match didn’t have enough blood and that ‘Naitch didn’t cheat enough are completely missing the point of this match. Flair didn’t need to bleed because this wasn’t a blood feud and I actually liked to see Flair not bleed for once, especially in his final match. He was able to walk away with his head held high knowing that he just gave one of the best in the business today all that he could handle and more. And Flair didn’t need to cheat endlessly because he was toe to toe with HBK for the majority of the match. Whenever he was in some danger, he’d pull out a dirty move, but I liked the fact that Flair stayed competitive in the match due to his wrestling ability and not him poking eyes and giving low blows every two seconds. That’s something that was constant in recent Flair matches, but the Nature Boy of old would only pull out a dirty move when he was in trouble, he wouldn’t rely his whole offense on cheap moves. Overall, this match was an all-time classic and a match that I will never forget for as long as I live.

32) Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio (SD, 11/7/02)
This was a 2/3 falls match for the WWE tag team titles that was a rematch of their No Mercy encounter, which was perhaps the best pure tag team match of the 21st century. These men had a lot to live up to following that classic performance and they delivered with this instantly memorable exhibition. The action in this match was way too fast to try to recap, but the first fall came after an alley-oop hurricarana by Edge & Rey onto Benoit which was followed up by a double-team powerbomb which put Benoit down for three and gave Edge & Rey a one fall advantage. A few minutes later, Edge got clocked with a title belt after attempting a spear and got caught in the Anklelock and had no choice but to tap which evened the match at one fall a piece. The next few minutes featured both teams desperately not trying to lose the deciding fall until Rey was able to roll up Angle for the three count, but Angle had his feet in the ropes which created a controversy. After a few minutes of deliberation, it was decided that the match must continue and that there would a fourth fall which would determine the winner. The match ended when Edge countered an Anklelock by rolling through and Rey hit Angle with a 619 from the floor which enabled Edge to hit him with a spear for the three count. This was a fantastic match that I could watch over and over again and never be bored of it.

31) Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar (No Way Out ’04)
This is what Eddie Guerrero had been training for since he was a little kid. This is what Eddie Guerrero fought off all his addictions for. A shot at the WWE title. Eddie was a tremendous underdog in this match as Brock Lesnar was an unstoppable beast. Brock constantly taunted Eddie and told him that he was nothing. Even the announcers stated that Eddie didn’t have a shot in hell of winning the title. Shame on them for doubting Latino Heat. Eddie was getting his ass thoroughly kicked in the beginning of the match and it seemed as though everytime he started making a comeback, Brock put an end to that. When it seemed as if though it was going to be a cakewalk for Lesnar, Eddie started to fight his way back. Eddie then caught a break after Lesnar smashed his knee on the top turnbuckle which enabled Eddie to work ferociously on Lesnar’s knee. It seemed as if Eddie might pull it off when Brock used his overwhelming power to counter Eddie. The match was at a standstill until Goldberg came in and speared the crap out of Lesnar which seemed to win the match for Eddie, but Lesnar kicked out. It seemed as if noting could stop Lesnar, but Eddie countered an F5 with a DDT and went up to the top to deliver a frog splash for the win and the crowd absolutely exploded. It was one of the best feel-good moments ever and you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion seeing Eddie hold up the WWE title after all the ordeals he overcame in his life.

30) John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (Raw, 4/23/07)
This was the followup to their epic Wrestlemania encounter and this match surpassed the classic effort of that matchup. This is the first match in a long time that I can remember going an hour without being previously announced. It was a pleasant surprise to see a nice, long, classic wrestling match on free TV. Some people complained about the slow pace in the early going, but I feel that added to the intrigue of this matchup. It told a terrific story as both men kept on kicking out, refusing to give up until finally, after 55 grueling minutes, Michaels was able to connect with Sweet Chin Music and put down Cena for the three count. This is one of the best free TV matches I’ve seen in a while, not since the days of the heralded Smackdown Six have I seen such a great, long match for free. Now if the ‘E could just give us matches like this on a regular basis, I would have nothing to complain about. Nah, I’m sure I’d find something.

29) Rob Van Dam vs. Eddie Guerrero (Raw, 5/27/02)
This was the infamous ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship and it would become one of the most memorable ladder matches in wrestling history. Eddie entered the match as champ after defeating RVD at Backlash for the title. This match saw both men take an insane amount of high risks and bruising moves including a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of the ladder. The match also saw an idiot fan run into the ring which got him an ass whipping directly from Latino Heat. This match is still fondly talked about by many fans to this day and it’s no surprise because these two men went out and busted their ass for our entertainment and gave us a match to remember them by for a very long time.

28) AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams (Final Resolution ’05)
The Ultimate X match is a TNA original and this was the best one out of all the ones they have held. The X match in itself is hit or miss and this match showed that when you have the right combatants performing the right type of moves, it can be the most exciting match in wrestling. The images of AJ performing the Styles Clash from the cables or being turned inside out from the Sabin dropkick and crashing to the mat will stay in my head forever. This is the type of match where you just grab your head in disbelief because you can’t believe what you’re seeing.

27) Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (No Way Out 2000)
This was the follow up to the classic Street Fight at the 2000 Royal Rumble and these two put on a match that matched their previous classic in sheer brutality. The match included ring steps being smacking Cactus’ skull, HHH getting planted with a double arm DDT on a steel chair, a chair assisted elbow drop off the second turnbuckle to a prone HHH, Cactus getting hit in the head with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire and falling off the cage through an announce table, HHH getting hit in the head with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire ON FIRE, and Cactus getting backdropped through the ceiling of the cell and crashing on the mat below. That’s just a few of the major spots as there was a lot more sick shit in the match that I didn’t even include here. This is definitely one of the best HIAC matches and was a fitting way for Mick Foley’s career to come to an end (well at least for a month).

26) Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero (Wrestlemania 20)
This was finally Eddie’s chance to shine on the grandest stage of them all and boy did he ever as he put on quite a show with Kurt Angle. Eddie had won the WWE title at No Way Out which pissed Angle off to no end and he proceeded to make Eddie’s life a living hell until they met each other at Wrestlemania. These two had a great back and forth match that saw Eddie narrowly escape various attempts at the Anklelock by Eddie. It seemed that Angle had Eddie’s number and was poised to take the title off of him until Eddie went into his lying, cheating and stealing playbook. Eddie loosened up his boot and when Angle attempted the anklelock again, the boot flew off which baffled Angle and allowed Eddie to score a quick rollup(with his feet on the ropes, of course). Awesome match, awesome finish.

25) Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Steve Austin & Triple H (Raw, 5/21/01)
I remember this match as vividly as the day I watched it and I remember being absolutely blown away by it. This match featured the Two-Man Power Trip taking on the up-and-coming Canadian duo of Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit and the match these four men put on was an absolute classic. This match is mainly remembered for being the match where HHH tore his quad, but before the injury occurred, this was one of the best tag team matches I’ve ever seen. The action was hot all throughout and as the match progressed, the crowd got more into it with the realization that the Chris’ might be able to pull it off. The ending of the match was one of the hottest endings I’ve ever seen where Y2J locked on the Walls Of Jericho to Triple H (with a torn quad) on the announce table while Austin hit Benoit with a Stunner. Jericho barely made the saved and hit the Lionsault which brought in HHH with a sledgehammer, but instead of hitting Jericho, he hit Austin which allowed Jericho to pin him for the three count. To say the crowd went nuts would be an understatement and this is a match that I will not forget anytime soon.

24) Bryan Danielsson vs. Nigel McGuiness (ROH Driven ’07)
When you get two of the best wrestlers in the world and have them fight for the #1 Contendership, you know that you’re going to see something great, but I think these two surpassed everyone’s lofty expectations by putting on this classic match. The match started with both men feeling each other out with some mat wrestling, but it wasn’t too long before they were destroying each other with some STIFF shots. When they weren’t bitch slapping each other with some brutal shots, they were torturing each other with submission moves including McGuinness pulling Danielsson’s arms all the way behind his back and then lying on top of them. This match also includes perhaps my favorite spot of the year when Danielson tried to throw McGuinness back into the ring, but Nigel bounced off the bottom rope and clotheslined the shit out of Danielson who landed on some poor sap’s lap in the front row. Glorious. GLORIOUS, I SAY! That wasn’t the end of the awesome, though, as Nigel crossbodied Danielson from the top rope and into the crowd and Danielson suplexed Nigel back first onto the guardrail. The match ended in fantastic fashion as Danielson and Nigel headbutted each other numerous times in the center of the ring until blood was pouring down Danielson’s face. From there Danielson hit Nigel with a Tiger Suplex and went for Cattle Mutilation, which Nigel countered, but Danielson countered that back into Cattle Mutilation which finally made McGuinness submit. Stiff, brutal action that has to be seen to be believed. Awesome stuff here.

23) Triple H vs. Chris Jericho (Fully Loaded 2000)
This match was inevitable due to the hatred that these two men had towards each other. Leading up to this match, Jericho had gotten screwed out of the title in a match he beat Triple H in and Jericho retaliated by causing Triple H to lose his #1 contender’s match, having Rikishi give The Game a stinkface and causing Trips to lose to the friggin’ Brooklyn Brawler of all people. As a result, HHH started to abuse Jericho, including a shot to Y2J’s ribs with The Game’s trusty sledgehammer. The resolution was this excellent Last Man Standing match which, for my money, is the best Last Man Standing match I’ve ever seen. This match included some intense action including some wicked chairshots, a bulldog to a steel chair, and Jericho locking in the Walls of Jericho to Stephanie. The match ended when HHH back suplexed Jericho through an announce table and was able to get up at the count of 9 before collapsing to the floor to pick up the win. This was the type of match where both competitors looked like a million bucks coming out of it.

22) Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge (SD, 9/22/02)
This match was the culmination of the Edge/Eddie feud that included a fantastic match at Summerslam 2002. This match was No DQ and saw these two men beat the absolute crap out of each other. Some of the highlights of this match included Eddie delivering a hilo while Edge was sandwiched in between two ladders, Eddie deliver a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of a ladder, Eddie getting backdropped upside down into a ladder, and Edge hitting Eddie with an implant DDT from the top of a ladder. This was an absolutely insane match and one of the best matches I’ve seen on free TV EVER!

21) Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Raw, 12/29/03)
This was the main event on the last Raw of 2003 and boy oh boy, did these two give us a great way to remember the year 2003. These guys went out and gave a performance that was worthy of main eventing any PPV, including Wrestlemania. This was a match for HHH’s World Heavyweight Championship and HBK came out with guns ablazing to take that Championship off The Game. The match was so back and forth and included so many near falls that the crowd was on the edge of their seat for every moment. The match ended when HBK delivered Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere to pick up the win, but since his shoulders were also on the mat when he made the pin, Eric Bischoff reversed the decision and declared the match a draw. Despite the screwy ending, this was still an awesome match that was a great gift to WWE fans at the end of 2003.

20) AMW vs. XXX (Turning Point ’04)
What more can be said about this match that hasn’t already been said? It’s one of the best cage matches ever and was the perfect way to culminate the greatest feud in TNA’s history. I’m sure you boys and girls already know the story, but if you’ve just awoken from your 3 year coma here’s the synopsis. XXX and AMW hated each other with a passion and the only way they could end their feud was to have this match where the losing team would have to disband forever. Not a week, not a month, FOREVER!! The match was a brutal affair that saw three of the four men bleed and saw Primetime bust out the MOTHERFUCKING RANA FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE. That’s how that spot will be referred to from now on. If you somehow have never seen this match, do yourself a favor and buy the DVD or look for it online. You’ll thank me that you did.

19) Triple H vs. The Rock (Judgment Day 2000)
The Rock and Triple H faced off in this epic Ironman match to determine the WWE Championship. They had a lot to live up to since this was the first Ironman match in the WWE since Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels had put on a classic 4 years earlier at Wrestlemania 12. I actually prefer this Ironman match to the Bret/Shawn one due to there being a bunch of unique finishes and The Game using HEELISH TACTICS to gain an advantage on The Rock. What made this match so great is that it was completely different from the first one in that there were numerous falls instead of one and HHH earned his moniker as The Cerebral Assassin by busting out a bunch of ingenious moves. After he delivered a Pedigree and got a three count on The Rock, he pinned him again to pick up another fall since The Rock was still out of it. He also cracked The Rock in the head with a steel chair which caused him a fall due to a DQ, but gained him three falls since Rocky was still out of it due to the vicious chairshot. The Rock was able to fight his way back into the match and tie things up as the last few minutes ticked away. In the closing seconds, The Undertaker made his return after months off under his biker gimmick and I must say that was one of coolest moments I’ve ever seen as the crowd went insane for The Deadman’s return. ‘Taker got involved in the match by taking out DX and dropping Triple H on his head with a Tombstone which gave special ref Shawn Michaels no choice but to DQ The Rock and award the match to HHH. This match had thrilling action and some inventive moves which really sets it apart from any other Iron Man match that I’ve seen.

18) Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack (Backlash ’04)
This is a personal favorite of mine as I loved this feud and I felt that this was the perfect culmination for it. This match made Randy Orton a star and proved that Mick Foley is willing to put people over for the good of the business. After months of taunting and abusing Mick and even squeaking by with a win in a tag match at WM20, Randy now had to face off against Mick one-on-one. But this wasn’t just any kind of match and Randy wasn’t facing the lovable, friendly Foley. It was a hardcore match and Randy was now facing Cactus Jack! The match was a brutal affair that Randy was surprisingly able to hold his own in. Cactus started off the match by trying to maim Orton with a baseball bat covered in barbed wire, which Orton frantically used a garbage can to block. After a cameraman got knocked over, Orton used the distraction to drop toe hold Cactus and take temporary control of the match. Cactus was able to regain control match soon enough and busted Orton wide open with a shot to the head with the barbwire covered baseball bat. Cactus went so far as to try to try to light his barbwire bat on fire until Eric Bischoff came out and threatened to shut down the whole PPV if Cactus did that. Cactus then decided to up the violence by bringing out a board covered in barbwire, but Orton threw the Evil Baby Powder Of Cheatery to gain the advantage and slam Cactus onto the barbwire board. Ouchies! Orton then set the barbwire board up in the corner and whipped Cactus face first into it. Double Ouchies! Orton then tried to prove his hardcoreness by pulling out some thumbtacks and went to RKO Cactus onto the tacks, but Cactus countered by throwing Orton back first onto the tacks! That was the first time I ever saw somebody go into a pile of tacks with no shirt on and the sight of seeing hundreds of tacks stuck all around the body of Randy Orton was completely unbelievable. Say what you will about Orton, but that was a MAN-SIZED bump. With some extra nuts on the side. The men then brawled up the ramp and Cactus proceeded to hurl Orton off of the stage and threw some table below and followed up with a Cactus elbow from the top of the ramp. That sequence is even more impressive considering that Orton still had a ton of tacks stuck inside of him so you know it must of hurt like a bitch to land on them when he got thrown off the stage. Orton showed a whole ton of guts by kicking out of that elbow and after a couple more minutes of brawling, the match ended when Randy hit an RKO on Cactus on the barbwire bat. This was a bloody, intriguing epic that is just as fun to watch today as it was during its original showing.

17) Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (Backlash ’04)
This match was a rematch to (in my opinion) the greatest Wrestlemania main event of all time, but this time Chris Benoit walked in as the Champion and the match was being held in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. These three men had some big shoes to fill as their WM match was an all-time classic and even though they weren’t able to surpass that effort in this match, this match was still one of the greatest triple threat matches I’ve ever seen. There was a lot of heat on Shawn Michaels from the very beginning because those Canucks were booing the hell out of him since he was opposing one of their sons and we all know what happened in Montreal. To try and recap this match would take forever since it was nearly 30 minutes of pure action, but some of the high points of it included Shawn Michaels hooking in the Sharpshooter on Benoit when Earl “You Screwed Bret” Hebner ran down to ask Benoit if he wanted to give up since the original ref was knocked out. It was a moment that drew unbelievable heat from the fans in attendance because they feared that Vince would screw with them again and have Hebner ring the bell in favor for Michaels. Earl teased calling for the bell a couple times, but Benoit was able to fight out of the Sharpshooter and the match continued. The rest of the match was classic as Benoit fought off the best offense of both challengers and was able to slap on the Sharpshooter on HBK and Michaels tapped out, much to the delight of the Canadian fans. It was a measure of retribution for what happened in Montreal as the Canadian fans got to see one of their greatest homegrown talents take out Michaels. Classic stuff that should be viewed by anybody who’s a fan of the WM20 Triple Threat Match (and really, who isn’t?).

16) Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles (Turning Point ’05)
I feel like this is a forgotten match in the annals of TNA (all six years of its existence) and that’s a real crime because I feel this is the best one-on-one match TNA has ever produced. The back story of this match was hat Joe had broken the unwritten code of the X-Division by crossing the line and injuring Christopher Daniels on purpose. That pissed off AJ who was out for revenge and he bought the offense to Joe in a manner he had never seen before. This included some absolutely brutal shots and a dropkick to the face that was so forceful that it sent Joe staggering in the opposite direction that he was running. AJ also showed some phenomenal (pardon the pun) strength by powerbombing Joe and hitting the Styles Clash on Joe as well. Joe was able to ward off AJ’s offense by delivering some of the stiffest chops and kicks I’ve ever seen in a match. Seriously, I was legit worried for AJ because he was getting unmercifully beaten with stiff shots. The match ended when Joe was able to lock in the Kokina Clutch until AJ eventually passed out. This is an absolutely unbelievable match that I enjoy watching everytime I see it.

15) The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian (Wrestlemania 16)
The levels of insanity seen at Wrestlemania was upped tremendously when three of the greatest tag teams of all-time squared off in this unforgettable match. This match featured some of the riskiest high spots ever seen in a WWE ring and left the crowd in the audience and those watching at home in absolute awe of it. Seeing Jeff Hardy swanton Bubba Ray through a table or seeing Matt Hardy get pushed off a table propped on two ladders through a table on the mat are moments that will live forever in Wrestlemania lore. The Dudleys, The Hardyz and Edge & Christian put their bodies on the line in this match and set a new standard for how ladder matches should be done. Shawn Michaels may have popularized the ladder match, but these six men helped to reinvent it.

14) Blood Feneration vs. Do Fixxer (ROH Supercard Of Honor)
This was a match that I heard so much hype about that I just had to see it for myself. Most of the time when I don’t see a match and hear a lot of hype about it, I’m usually disappointed by the time I see it. This definitely wasn’t the case with this match as it surpassed how good I thought it would be. This match was just a wicked combination of technical wrestling, stiff shots, and high risk spots. That super duper hurricarana spot is still one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen. The final 5 minutes of this match is perhaps the most breathtaking thing I’ve ever witnessed in wrestling as it was just 5 minutes of high spots and near falls that seemed like it would never end (but in a good way). This match is absolutely top quality and if you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and find it because it is honestly more than worthy of the viewing.

13) The Rock vs. Steve Austin (Wrestlemania 17)
This was the main event of (in my opinion) the greatest PPV of all-time and these two capped off a great event with an unforgettable main event. Austin was desperate to win back the WWE Title and The Rock wanted more than anything to keep his belt on the biggest stage of all. The match was made No DQ right before it began and all hell broke loose as the two warriors beat the hell out of each other all throughout the AstroDome. The match was going along perfectly when all of a sudden Mr. McMahon sauntered down to ringside. Everybody wondered what the hell Vince was doing at ringside given his history with both men. We soon got our answer when Vince began aiding Austin in trying to defeat The Rock. The Rock fought back valiantly, but the odds were too much as Austin repeatedly beat on Rocky with a steel chair to finally pick up the win and the WWE Title. A unholy alliance had been made and the image of Stone Cold sharing a beer with Vince after the match is one of the most surreal moments ever seen in the WWE.

12) The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian (Summerslam 2000)
This was the first ever TLC match and does anything else really need to be said about it. These three teams had an unbelievable ladder match at Wrestlemania 16 and decided to up the ante by putting on this spectacle that eclipsed their previous effort. The amount of sick spots and bumps in this match is almost impossible to count. The Bubbabomb from the top of the ladder on Christian. A ladder seesawed in Matt’s face. Edge being crushed under a ladder after Christian was catapulted into it. Bubba going off a 20-foot ladder through a stack of tables. Matt falling BACKWARDS from the ring and onto a table on the outside. This match was spotastically jammariffic. I had to create new words just to describe how great it was, an absolute classic.

11) Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi (ROH Joe vs. Kobashi)
There are usually two groups of fans when it comes to this match: the ones who feel it is overrated and the ones who think it’s one of the greatest matches in the past 10 years. I have to agree with the latter because this is one of the most brutal matches I’ve ever seen. Anyone who says it is “all chops and nothing else” must have never watched any Flair/Steamboat matches. Those chops always led up to something and I honestly have no problem watching two behemoths chop the shit out of each other for 30 minutes. I haven’t seen this much violence in a match pretty much ever. It was just brutal, no holds barred type of shit. These two weren’t holding anything back. The image of Kobashi chopping Joe about 100 times in a row is a visual I will never get out of my head. Kobashi eventually won the match with the LARIATOOOOOOOOO and all was right with the world once this match concluded and the ROH fans went nuts.

10) Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Summerslam ’02)
This was Shawn Michaels big return to in-ring action after a 4 year hiatus and the big question going in was whether The Showstopper could perform at the high level he did before he got injured. Within the first couple minutes of the match, that question was easily answered and these guys put on a performance that will not be forgotten for a long time. HHH played the asshole heel here by targeting Shawn Michaels back, which was definitely HBK’s Achilles Heel. Shawn Michaels was able to make a comeback and eventually win the match, musch to the delight of the fans. This match remains a favorite of mine, not only because it was Shawn Michaels comeback match, but because it was a return to form by HHH who had lost a step due to his quad surgery. HHH brought his 2000 form to this match and it made this match become an instant classic.

9) Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio (No Mercy ’02)
This was easily the best match of 2002 and that’s saying a lot considering all the great matches that occurred in 2002. These four men went out to fight over the newly formed Smackdown Tag Team Titles and gave the fans one of the best tag team matches ever seen in the wrestling profession. Given the talent in the match, we shouldn’t have been surprised but I don’t think anyone expected this match to be as good as it turned out. Kurt was in rare form here and kept up well with the super fast pace of the matchup. We already knew Kurt was the man as a single wrestler, but here he proved that he could give us classic in the tag team ranks as well.

8) Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit (Royal Rumble ’01)
This, in my opinion, is the greatest one-on-one ladder match in the history of professional wrestling. Yes, better than HBK/Razor at Wrestlemania X and Summerslam ’95. This match featured some of the best action I’ve ever seen in a ladder match as everytime you thought that one man finally had the match won, they would get knocked down. Some of the awesome action in this match included Jericho applying The Walls Of Jericho on the TOP of the ladder, Jericho seesawing the ladder in Benoit’s face, and Benoit taking an absolutely SICKALICIOUS bump by taking a chairshot to the face while in midair after diving through the ropes. Jericho picked up the win, but in a match this good, it really didn’t matter who the winner was. A great effort by both men that stands as one of the greatest ladder matches ever.

7) Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (Wrestlemania 21)
This match was every wrestling fan’s wet dream come true as two of the greatest in-ring performers ever squared off on the biggest wrestling show of the year. The promos and skits leading up to this match were fantastic, but nothing could eclipse the effort put forth by both men in the Staples Center. The fans had high expectations for this match and it seemed impossible to match them, but not only did they match the expectations, but I feel they exceeded them. The match started slow with both men mat wrestling each other, which HBK was able to dominate. Angle got frustrated and started to wail on HBK, ala his match with Benoit at WM17. They started going full throttle after that with HBK setting up Angle on an announce table and then slingshotting himself from the ring ropes on top of Angle. Both men were barely able to make the 10 count back into the ring, but once they did, shit got awesome. They both started throwing their best shots at each other including an Angle Slam from the top rope and a SWANK reversal of an Ankle Lock into a rollup by HBK. The ending came when Angle was able to cinch in the Anklelock on HBK in the middle of the ring and it took two whole minutes before Michaels finally tapped out. This was an amazing display that is as fun to watch today as it was during its original showing.

6) The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian (Wrestlemania 17)
The Dudleyz, The Hardyz and Edge & Christian had set the bar so high in their two previous ladder matches that it seemed impossible that they could meet the standard of those two classic matches. Not only did they match the expectations, but they exceeded them by leaps and bounds. This match featured so much crazy shit, that it is hard to keep count. Just off the top of my head I remember Rhyno goring Matt Hardy through a table, Spike Dudley delivering an Acid Drop (I refuse to call it the Dudley Dog dammit) to Christian from the ring apron through a table on the floor, Lita cracking Spike Dudley’s head with a steel chair and then taking her top off (Admit it, you’d bang Lita), Jeff Hardy giving a swanton to both Spike and Rhyno from the top of a ladder through two tables, Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley being pushed off the top of a ladder in the ring through a stack of tables on the floor, and Edge giving a spear to Jeff Hardy 20 feet in the air. That’s just some of the insane spots that were seen in this match. This match brought the term high risk to a whole new level and it’s a match that is never boring to watch.

5) Triple H vs. Steve Austin (No Way Out ’01)
This was the culmination of the HHH/Austin feud and was actually the last time these two men would ever face each other, which made it even more momentous. HHH had been the mastermind behind Stone Cold being run over by a car and Stone Cold had gotten his revenge at the Survivor Series by crushing a car with HHH in it (which honestly should have killed just about anybody). This was a 2/3 falls match with the first being a regular match, the second being a Street Fight, and the third being a cage match. Austin won the first fall with a Stunner and in the second fall, the two men beat the holy hell out of each other. The second fall included Austin getting planted in the head with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire, Austin wailing on HHH’s legs with various chairshots, and HHH backdropping Austin through an announce table. HHH was able to win the second fall after a sledgehammer shot and a Pedigree. The third fall featured both men totally beaten down trying their best to pull out the victory. Both men kicked out of each other’s finisher and the end came after they both hit each other with a foreign object (HHH with a sledgehammer and Austin with a barbed wire wrapped 2×4) and Trips had the good fortune of landing on top of Austin for the victory. This was an epic match that was a fitting end to one of the best rivalries ever in the WWE.

4) Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels (Unbreakable ’05)
It is easy to make an argument that this is the greatest 3-way match EVER with only Benoit/Michaels/HHH from Wrestlemania XX even being in its league. Everyone knew this match would be good, but I doubt anyone thought it was going to be THIS good. This match was total nonstop action(pun fully intended) and there were absolutely no dead spots. Just think of some of the unbelievable action we saw in this match. AJ’s springboard shooting star press. Daniels’ monkeyflip on AJ which Styles turned into a hurricarana on Joe. The Spiral Tap from AJ onto Daniels and Joe. Joe’s dive onto Daniels and AJ. That’s just off the top of my head and I haven’t watched the match in months. This was a perfect example of how a 3-way match should go and is the first match I think of when I think of TNA.

3) Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (Royal Rumble ’03)
If you love technical wrestling, this may well be one of your favorite matches ever and I know many people who consider this the greatest pure wrestling match of all time. These two men went out and gave the Boston fans as well as the fans at home a match for the ages that people still talk about constantly to this day. Trying to even recap this match would be impossible because there’s so many awesome moves and counters that take place during in, that I would have to literally recap the entire match to do it justice. I must say that I do love that spot where they kept switching germans and Benoit germans Kurt completely over onto his face. Absolutely awesome. Anyhow, this match is an absolute classic that is required viewing for any wrestling fan.

2) Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (Wrestlemania 20)
The greatest triple threat match of all-time. The best Wrestlemania main event ever. Perhaps the greatest match of all-time, period. These are just some of the accolades that many fans have given to this match and once you watch it, it isn’t hard to see why. These three men busted their ass for over 30 minutes to give us one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever seen. This match had everything from great technical wrestling to high risk maneuvers to tons of blood to a fantastic finish. Seeing Benoit make HHH tap out clean on the biggest show of the year to win his first World Heavyweight Championship is one of those moments that, while now tainted, will still live with me forever. This match took you on an emotional rollercoaster, but once the match was over and we saw Benoit celebrate in the ring with Eddie Guerrero, we all knew that it was well worth the ride.

1) Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (Royal Rumble 2000)
This is easily one of my favorite matches ever and I know many others who have a similar love for this match and it’s not hard to see why. This match had EVERYTHING. A great storyline, a hot crowd, insane action and two of the best in-ring performers of this generation. Cactus came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, but HHH was able to hold his own and the result was one of the best hardcore brawls that I’ve ever seen. If the images of Cactus getting jacked in the head with a steel chair, HHH getting smacked in the face with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire, HHH receiving a piledriver on a table that did not break, or Cactus getting Pedigreed in thumbtacks aren’t enough to get your blood pumping, I don’t know how you can call yourself a wrestling fan. This was a fantastic match that cannot be forgotten by anybody who sees it.

The Sign-Off

I’m done boys and ladies. Be sure to leave your feedback and come back next time when the topic will be The Top Ten Pay-Per-Views. Until then, go wash your ass!