This is part two of my four part series that is a look at the best WWE matches on PPV over the course of five years. Here is a link to part one in case you have not read it.
Here's a reminder of the premise for the column: What I've done here is taken a look at the past five years of WWE matches strictly on PPV. I've compiled a list of the top 50 matches over that time, which means every PPV from Royal Rumble 2000 all the way up to Armageddon 2004. That's a total of 62 PPVs in all. While I'm not about to count every match on every card, if you say there's an average of seven matches per show then that totals over 430 matches. Out of all those matches, only the top 50 will be written about here. Remember, nothing from 2005 is on this list. It's only the last full five years. If I included matches from this year then you'd probably see Angle/Michaels, the Elimination Chamber and Michaels/Edge on here too, but they're not here. It's only 2000-2004, as it says in the title. The reason I didn't include TV matches is because they're less accessible for me. While I've seen a lot of great ones that could have easily made this list, I didn't always tape them, so it would have been hard to write about matches I didn't have available to re-watch if need be.
Here's the list of the matches written about in part one. I figured this would be a useful tool for those of you looking for the complete list.
50. SSlam 01 - RVD over Jeff Hardy (Hardcore Ladder) - ***3/4
49. SSlam 04 - Orton over Benoit (World Title) - ***3/4
48. SSlam 02 - Angle over Mysterio - ***3/4
47. Backlash 00 - Malenko over Scotty 2 Hotty (WWE Light Heavy Title) - ***3/4
46. No Mercy 02 - Lesnar over Undertaker (WWE Title - HIAC) - ***3/4
45. Survivor Series 03 - Team Austin (Shawn Michaels, Booker T., Rob Van Dam, Dudley Boys) vs. Team Bischoff (Chris Jericho, Christian, Mark Henry, Scott Steiner, Randy Orton) - ***3/4
44. Armageddon 02 - Benoit over Guerrero - ***3/4
43. Vengeance 04 - Benoit over HHH (World Title) - ****
42. Survivor Series 01 - Team WWE (Rock, Taker, Jericho, Big Show, Kane) over Team Alliance (Austin, Angle, Booker, RVD, Shane) - ****
41. WM 04 - Guerrero over Angle (WWE Title) - ****
40. KOTR 01 - Angle over Shane (Street Fight) - ****
39. Rumble 02 - Jericho over Rock (Undisputed World Title) - ****
38. Backlash 00 - Benoit over Jericho via DQ (IC Title) - ****
37. Backlash 02 - Angle over Edge - ****1/4
36. Backlash 00 - Rock over HHH (World Title) - ****1/4
Now we pick up where we left off with matches #35-21.
35. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Kane vs. Booker T. vs. Chris Jericho for the World Title @ Survivor Series - 11/17/02
The Story: This was the first ever Elimination Chamber match. The title on the line was HHH's World Title, which was handed to him by Eric Bischoff a couple of months prior. Since he won the belt, he defeated both Rob Van Dam and Kane on PPV. The Kane match was the result of the horrible Katie Vick angle that we'd all like to forget. Jericho was in the match because he was the second top heel while Michaels was in only his second match since he came back after a four year layoff. Booker was yet to really be a top guy although he would face HHH at WrestleMania a few months later, so this was a preview of things to come. Going in, the story was the structure itself. Fans wanted to know what the cage was like. There were two miles of chain, ten tons of steel and it was ten feet high. Four guys would be locked in chambers while two guys fought in the ring. Every five minutes somebody comes in. You get pinned or submit and you're out. History making match here.
The Match: Triple H and RVD started it. HHH bled after about two minutes in, which has to be a record even for him. Memorable early spot was RVD hitting the Rolling Thunder on HHH while he was laying on the steel outside the ring, RVD flipped over the top rope to land on him. The first five minutes was RVD beating on HHH basically. Jericho came in to help the heels beat up RVD. RVD did a Spiderman like spot, jumping at Jericho, but then hanging onto the side of the cage. Booker came in next. Another big moment came when RVD climbed one of the cages and came off on HHH trying to do a frog splash. Problem was there wasn't enough room, so he landed with his feet on the ground and his knee right in HHH's throat. HHH had a legit injury, I think his trachea, so he spent the next few minutes trying to cope with that while the others went at it. With RVD limping around, Booker pinned him with a missile dropkick. Kane came in next. In a sick spot, he whipped Jericho through the plexiglas in one of the chambers, busting it open and bloodying Jericho. Booker worked over Kane a bit leading to Jericho low blowing Booker, Kane chokeslamming him and then Jericho pinning him after the Lionsault. All three guys were out when Michaels came in. Kane quickly took advantage, chokeslamming them all. Kane went to Tombstone HHH, but Michaels superkicked him, HHH Pedigreed him and Jericho hit the Lionsault to pin Kane. Down to three guys. They go to double Michaels, but that didn't last long since they argued about who gets to pin him. Jericho put HHH in the Walls, so Michaels superkicked him and Jericho got pinned. Down to HHH and Michaels as we expected. The crowd in New York got really hot for this part. HHH hit a slingshot through one of the chambers in another sick spot. Michaels fought back, hit the big elbow off one of the chambers although it wasn't that pretty. Superkick blocked, Pedigree hits, but HHH slowly covers for only two. Another Pedigree, backdrop and superkick finish it for Michaels after 39 minutes.
The Analysis: As I said in the opening part, there was a lot of intrigue here for the actual Elimination Chamber itself. We got to see this video package highlighting what it was like, but it was seeing the thing that really had the interest of most fans. With a match going this long it's hard to keep everything going at the right flow, but I think they did a good job here. The start was fun with RVD and HHH, especially because RVD dominated it. It led to the crowd getting into the match right away, which is something you really want in a long match. I thought Jericho played a big role in the match because with HHH being hurt early on they needed somebody to step up, so that's what Jericho did. I thought the big spots in the match were done well. When Kane put Jericho through the chamber you could feel the pain just from watching it. The finishing sequence with Michaels and HHH was really strong. Remember, this was Michaels second match back from his injury, so he was hugely over with the crowd here. The title reign didn't last long, but this was still a cool moment to remember as one of WWE's prodigal sons returned home to reclaim the title he used to fight so hard for. Damn, all these match writings has me sounding like JR!
Rating: ****1/4
34. Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero for the Cruiserweight Title @ Great American Bash - 06/27/04
The Story: A match from the Great American Bash? Yep. One of the worst WWE PPV's ever, but there is this gem that took place at that show. A couple of weeks prior on Smackdown Mysterio won the Cruiserweight Title from Chavo's dad, who had a "classic" run with the belt that lasted all of two days. Keep in mind this was also a month after the moronic title run by Jacqueline. It was as if WWE admitted that the Jacqueline title reign was a stupid idea, so their way of apologizing was tossing out this Rey/Chavo might to hopefully restore some credibility to the belt.
The Match: As expected, it was a fast start with four pinfall attempts in the first two minutes and then an amazingly fast sequence of counter wrestling. What a start. The match slows down after Chavo knocks Rey off of the top and Mysterio comes back up clutching at his left knee. Chavo worked over the knee with the usual moves that you see and does a nice knee breaker by dropping Rey's knee on his own upper thigh, then he grabbed a sick looking single leg crab. Then when Rey fights back he's unable to run because he falls down, selling that leg. I love that. Guerrero does a bow and arrow submission (wrapping the leg around his head), and Rey eventually fights back with a hurricanrana, then Chavo rams his own shoulder into the ring post and Mysterio hits a senton on the floor. Awesome. If you're keeping track, that's a bad knee for Mysterio and a bad shoulder for Guerrero. They go up top and at the same time hit a dual facebuster, Chavo eventually covered, Mysterio kicked out and cradled him for two of his own. Mysterio fought back, going for a hurricanrana again, but got it reversed into a Gory Bomb by Chavo, which was an awesome counter. The best part was he couldn't hook the leg because his arm was hurting too much. Mysterio caught him with an enziguri and a 619 that we'll call the Limp-1-9 since he limped across, but then on the West Coast Pop attempt he got caught by Chavo. Single leg crab led to the crowd going nuts as Mysterio fought it to get to the ropes about thirty seconds later. Guerrero went to set him up for another Gory Bomb, but Mysterio countered that into a sunset flip powerbomb for the pinfall after 20 minutes.
The Analysis: I hadn't seen this match since the original airing and I have to say I liked it more the second time around. The selling they did here was perfect. That's the stuff you want to see in every match. I loved how Mysterio sold that leg the whole time. Not just when he was on the ground like some people do. He sold it while he was running by falling down. It's just smart wrestling. Need to see more of that. Then you had Chavo having his arm worked on by Mysterio early on, then after it got hurt again he sold it by not being able to hook the leg. That's just great. Stupid wrestlers, take note! You know what part I really loved, though? The ending sequence with Chavo putting Rey in the single leg crab and the crowd getting all excited for it. Now, tell me, when was the last time a WWE crowd went wild for a submission hold in a cruiserweight match? Never happens! It was tremendous wrestling by both guys and a match that if it were to take place at a WrestleMania would be talked about forever as a classic. However, since it was on a card that also had Torrie/Sable, Gunn/Suzuki, Holly/Mordecai and the horrendously bad Undertaker/Dudley thing it's not like it receives the most praise.
Rating: ****1/4
33. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Title @ No Mercy - 10/22/00
The Story: To set the stage here, Rock had been the world champion since he won the belt four months prior in an overbooked tag match at King of the Ring. Yes, you read that right, he won a singles title in a tag match when he pinned Vince McMahon. I' confused too. Anyway, Angle was coming up to his one year anniversary in the WWE by this point having won the major singles titles except for the big one. Rock was the face, Angle was the heel. If you're lucky, you'll remember a great "interview" in the weeks leading up to this where Angle interviewed Rock. He asked questions and Rock's answers came from a number of different interviews, which made for some good comedy. Stephanie McMahon was the manager of Kurt Angle at this time. Also of note for this match is that Rikishi had turned heel prior to it saying that he ran over Steve Austin in a car for the Rock. Who can forget the "I did it for the Rock" promo that was supposed to come off as sinister, but was more funny than anything because it came from a dancing fat man? Or wait, phat man. With Rikishi wanting to help Rock so much it kind of made the finish to this one obvious, but they still had to wrestle anyway under no disqualification rules.
The Match: They quickly took things out to the floor, fighting up the aisle early on and brawling through the technical area back there. Rock worked on the knee, then slapped on the Sharpshooter, but Stephanie distracted the referee. Following another distraction, Angle hit a nice belly to belly suplex and then they went out on the floor. Angle cracked him with the belt after another Steph distraction for two. Then he followed up with a German suplex and the moonsault that missed, which is not something new. Rock hit a belly to belly of his own, then Steph decided to come in the ring and she took a Rock Bottom for that one. Triple H comes out to beat up Angle a bit I guess for letting his wife get hurt and then Pedigrees Rock for payback for what he did to princess Stephanie. That got two for Angle in a fantastic nearfall. Watching it live, I thought that was it. Rock came back with a Rock Bottom as Rikishi made his way to ringside. He accidentally avalanched Rock and superkicked him by mistake. Sometimes I wish the Rikishi heel push was an accident too. Angle capitalizes by hitting the Angle Slam on both guys (because he can) and pinning Rock for the victory after 20 minutes.
The Analysis: This match sure didn't seem like it went twenty minutes in length. It was so fast paced and so full with spots that it felt shorter than the actual time. That's a testament to both guys because they kept the action going from the start. It never slowed. Angle at this point hadn't developed the viciousness that his character would later get. He was still basically a coward in every sense of the word, relying on heel comedy techniques to get over more than anything. Rock was over huge as usual, so Angle winning did come off as sort of an upset. Obviously, though, they protected Rock huge by having so much interference against him. Part of the reason this match doesn't have a higher rating is because of all the interference. Thing is, all of it worked good. None of it was excessive or over the top. When it works, I can forgive it. I also loved Angle's title celebration. Just classic.
Rating: ****1/4
32. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit @ No Mercy - 10/22/00
The Story: I don't remember a whole lot about this feud, or any story going in. I think it was just a case of two good wrestlers having a good match because neither one really had anything to do for the show this month. Not that I'm complaining. HHH was almost a tweener at this point because the crowd was sympathetic to him due to Stephanie managing Kurt Angle and almost leaving HHH to be with Angle. Benoit was the heel here while HHH was getting some pops from the crowd. Earlier in the night, HHH told his wife Stephanie that he didn't need her help and to stay in the back.
The Match: HHH worked over Benoit's knee early, outwrestling him for the first five minutes or so. Benoit dumped HHH over to the top to the floor in a back suplex position, then hit HHH with a slingshot into the post and a hard whip into the ring steps. Single arm takedown by Benoit and then a whip into the turnbuckle as he continued to work on HHH's shoulder/arm combination. Northern Lights by Benoit got a good nearfall and then HHH lured him out to floor for some brawling until Benoit rolls him back in after a counter. After some more moves on the arm, Benoit hits the headbutt onto the left arm/shoulder. Inside cradle by HHH got a good nearfall, then he countered a move with an inverted suplex, which is a move you rarely see. HHH took control with a high knee, neckbreaker and a superplex. Benoit counters the Pedigree, then hits two Rolling Germans and then a Dragon Suplex for two as HHH got his foot on the ropes. Then another Dragon Suplex that HHH kicks out of again. Crossface time, HHH fights it off and turns it into a Samoan Drop/Death Valley Driver variation after about two minutes. Stephanie comes out to ringside and slaps Benoit. Kick to the gut, Pedigree countered to another Crossface, but HHH fights it off for a Pedigree, Benoit counters again, so HHH hits a low blow during a Steph distraction and Pedigrees Benoit for the pin after 19 minutes.
The Analysis: Really strong match here as both guys showed off their strengths at various points. It was a different match then what they did in 2004 because this was a lot more mat based, which is not something to complain about. They did some strong counter wrestling from the get go. I think what hurt the match a bit is that neither guy was a face, so it was hard for the fans to get behind either of them. They did end up cheering for HHH early on and at some later points in the match, but not the way they would have in a face vs. heel type of match. Still, the actual wrestling was of high quality and they were able to bring across a strong match without much of a storyline. I guess the ending proved that HHH did need his wife as you could tell from Steph's "acting" post match when she walked up the aisle with a big grin on her face.
Rating: ****1/4
31. The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock for the Undisputed World Title @ Vengeance - 07/21/02
The Story: Undertaker was the heel champion at the time and doing a damn good job of it, I might add. He was turning face by this point, however. I'd say he was a tweener more than anything. Angle was his usual smarmy heel character who was always hovering around the world title. Rock had just returned to WWE after being off for a few months filming a movie (I think Scorpion King) and it was well known that he'd be off again in the fall. It was going to just be Undertaker vs. Rock here, but they added Angle in after he wrestled to a draw with champion Undertaker on Smackdown. It was a combination of Angle submitting Undertaker and Undertaker pinning Angle with the refs not being sure who won, so they decided to throw Angle into this match. Angle was basically thrown in here because they had nothing else for him at this time and they knew with him in there the match would be damn good. They were right.
The Match: The start of this match ruled with Angle standing there waving his arms while Rock-Undertaker had a staredown and then they turned to him only to knock him on his ass. Undertaker's out on the floor early leaving Angle in the ring to suplex the hell out of Rock. Rock hit a DDT, then they were on the floor where Undertaker punches them around. Then the fun begins as Rock hits Taker with a chokeslam, then slaps the Ankle Lock on Angle and then Angle comes back with a Rock Bottom on Rock, then Undertaker comes back with an Angle Slam on Angle. Every time a pin was attempted, the other guy broke it up. Rock gets People's Elbow on Taker, Angle breaks that up, Undertaker brawls on the floor and gets the advantage on Rock in ring. The ref gets bumped, so Angle took a chair, nailed Undertaker with it and then hit an Angle Slam on Rock, getting two on both guys. Rock gets Kurt into the Sharpshooter, Undertaker breaks that, Last Ride to Rock, then Angle with the Ankle Lock until Undertaker fights out. Last Ride is countered into the triangle choke that Angle used on Smackdown to set up this match, Undertaker's arm was going to go down for the third time until Rock saved him. Rock Bottom countered into an Ankle Lock, which is then countered into a rollup for a great nearfall. Angle eats a chokeslam, then Undertaker eats a Rock Bottom and kicks out at two. Angle with a rollup on Rock with the tights only gets two, then Angle hits an Angle Slam on Undertaker. Rock surprised Angle with a Rock Bottom for the pinfall after 19 minutes of fun. Undertaker lunged to break it up at the last minute, but was half a second too late.
The Analysis: I don't think there's ever been a triple threat match with more nearfalls than this one. Man, they just didn't stop. It seemed like every two minutes there was one and it wasn't just one, there were several. The live crowd was digging it too. All three guys were really good here, but Angle stood out like a sore thumb. He was unreal here. Everything he did was absolutely perfect. The moves he did, the bumps he took, he was the glue that held this match together. That's not to say Undertaker or Rock sucked, but Angle was the one that stood out here. Best way to describe this match is fun. It was non-stop action from the moment the bell rang right until the finish. Usually I hate triple threats because they are too formulaic with everybody getting pins broken up at two, but this one worked because they were kicking out of falls on their own, stealing finishers and not slowing down at any point.
Rating: ****1/4
30. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho @ Summerslam - 08/27/00
The Story: This was a 2/3 falls match. Benoit was a heel coming off of a World Title match loss against Rock a month earlier (a match higher up on this list) while Jericho was a babyface coming off a big loss against HHH a month (a match even higher on the list). These two previously wrestled on PPV in 2000 at WrestleMania in a triple threat, then in singles matches for the IC title at Backlash (#38) and Judgment Day (still coming). There was no great reason given for this match to happen here except they started attacking eachother on TV prior to this match and neither had anything to do, so why not, right? I'll never complain about getting Benoit vs. Jericho, that's for sure.
The Match: Quick brawl early on leads to a fight on the floor, then they go back in, fight over their submission moves and Jericho ends up with the advantage. Benoit then comes back by reversing a tombstone into a shoulder breaker. Jericho fights back, hits knee with the Lionsault and Benoit slaps on the Crossface as Jericho taps out to it clean in about three minutes. Quick fall. Then Benoit puts it on again because he's a mean bastard. He rams Jericho shoulder first into the post a few times, then hits a few of his German suplexes to slow it down even more. Jericho comes back by slapping on the Liontamer and Benoit taps eight minutes in to make it 1-1. They trade nearfalls until Benoit busts out the Dragon Suplex (like a German, but hands are locked around the neck, not the waist) for two. Fighting on the top sees Jericho bust out a hurricanrana off the top, which is rare for him in WWE, followed by some clotheslines for two. He nails the Lionsault, but can't cover right away, goes for a rollup, and Benoit counters that into a rollup of his own while also grabbing the ropes for the cheap victory and the final fall after 13 minutes.
The Analysis: I hate when matches are shorter than they should be. A 2/3 match getting only 13 minutes is ridiculous. You know what else took time on this PPV? A ridiculously bad Lawler vs. Tazz match and a "classic" between Terri and The Kat and some non-match crap featuring Undertaker taking Kane's mask off a bit, then it just ended there. Because of that, because of that "great" stuff this match wasn't given more time. What a travesty. This match was fantastic from the minute it began and as it went along the crowd was eating it up with a spoon. As usual with them, they were very stiff in the match. The reason I can't go higher on the rating is because it didn't get enough time and the finish, while understandable, was pretty weak. This match left me wanting more when I first saw it and in watching it a few times since then I still want more of it. What a shame that it was cut so short.
Rating: ****1/4
29. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit @ WrestleMania X-Seven - 04/01/01
The Story: "Lose the freakin' cowboy hats! You're not seven years old anymore. Please!" I love Angle. The story here was that Angle had just lost the World Title to the Rock at No Way Out a month earlier (check #21), so he was pissed off. Benoit, meanwhile, was a babyface at this point without much in the way of a feud. One of them cut a promo in the middle of the ring proclaiming to be the best technical wrestler in the company, then the other came out and that's how this whole thing started. Angle was the pissed off heel who wanted to prove he was still championship material while Benoit was the admirable fighting babyface that was fighting his way up the ladder. This wasn't their first singles match or even their first PPV match (they were in a triple threat at WrestleMania the year prior), but it was their first singles match on PPV and for that reason it was special. The result was this, one of my personally most anticipated WrestleMania matches ever.
The Match: The first few minutes saw some tremendous mat wrestling with each man going for holds and the other countering it. When they'd break, the crowd would applaud. They'd do it again, the crowd would cheer again. It was a beautiful sight. They go at it some more with Benoit winning two straight times, so Angle goes to the floor. When he comes back in, he punches Benoit in the back as it has now become a fight. He throws him into the steps and then hits him with a suplex in ring, then another one for two. Benoit fights back, but Angle gets him in two straight belly to belly suplexes. Benoit fights back with his usual array of chops, then a snap suplex and a superplex got him a two count. Angle countered the Germans into an Ankle Lock, then Benoit got one of his own. Benoit then slapped in the Crossface and Angle put Benoit into one of his own. Crowd was loving all of this. The ref got bumped, then Benoit put Angle into the Crossface, Angle tapped out and of course with no ref there it was not seen. Benoit went for the ref, Angle hit an Angle Slam for only two. Great nearfall. He went up for the moonsault, but that hit knees and Benoit went up for the headbutt for two. After another exchange, Angle went low and got a rollup along with the tights for the pinfall win after 14 minutes.
The Analysis: During the match, announcer Paul Heyman said it was the greatest example of counter wrestling that he had ever seen. At the time, I'd say he was pretty close to being right as far as being in a WWE ring. This was like the modern era's version of Steamboat/Savage at WM3 or Hart/Hart at WM10. It was straight up wrestling save for that little brawl out on the floor. I loved how they told a story from the opening minutes of freestyle wrestling to the point where Angle decked Benoit because he was frustrated. That's great booking and a perfect way to portray a heel. I also enjoyed the parts where Benoit put the anklelock on Angle and Angle put the Crossface on Benoit. The counters were believable and the crowd was eating it up with a giant spoon (just an expression, not literally). The reason this match wasn't higher is because of the ref bump, the match was only 14 minutes (it needed another five minutes or so) and other than that it was really strong. The good thing was they'd have more matches. In fact, they wrestled at both Backlash and Judgment Day but I didn't like either match enough to put it in this list. However, there are two more Angle-Benoit singles matches on this list that are still to come. Don't worry, I love them as much as you do. Believe me.
Rating: ****1/4
28. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack for the World Title in a Hell in a Cell Match @ No Way Out - 02/27/00
The Story: Triple H had won the belt in early January from the Big Show in a TV match. A month prior to this at the Royal Rumble, these two wrestled in a classic in New York (much higher up on the list) under street fight rules. For this one, they go with a Hell in a Cell gimmick with the stipulation that if Foley lost he would retire from wrestling. The result of the match wasn't in doubt especially for those of us on the net since worked leaked from Foley himself in late 1999 that he was going to retire soon. He wanted to retire a few months prior, but with Austin getting hurt they needed a babyface for HHH to fight before he went on to the Rock and Foley was the right choice. Although Foley did come back a month later at WrestleMania, this was his last match as a regular performer and it was eagerly anticipated because we all wanted to give him the goodbye he deserved.
The Match: Trips started out on the advantage early on, tossing Cactus to the floor and beating on him using both the steps and the cage itself. He cracked him with some chairs and then hit a DDT for two. Cactus came back with a low blow, then a DDT on the chair for two of his own. HHH got the advantage after a drop toehold into the chair, then they went out on the floor and Cactus hit HHH with a slingshot into the cage, bloodying the champion. Elbow with the chair onto HHH out on the floor and then he chucks the steps at HHH, but he ducks and it opens the cage up to a big applause from the crowd. Outside the cage, he piledrives HHH and finds a barb wire bat. He drills HHH in the face with it, then Trips climbs to the top with the crowd cheering like mad. Foley took a fall through the table although not as big as in the HIAC match from '98, which is a good thing. Foley DDTs him on the cage, then busts out a lighter, lights up the barb wire and cracks HHH in the head with the flaming bat. Foley goes for a piledriver, but HHH counters with a backdrop that sends Cactus through the cage and into the ring where he goes through the ring. It was gimmicked, yet still very impressive. HHH climbed down, saw Foley moving around a bit and decided to hit a Pedigree for the pinfall in Foley's "last match" after 24 minutes.
The Analysis: In Foley's book, he said he wished the Rumble match was his last one because he liked it more than this one. I liked it more too, but this match is still very good and very much holds up on its own. Plus, they drew a good buyrate and when you do that there's not much to complain about. There were so many things that made it special including the bumping of Foley and the desire to succeed that Triple H shows in EVERY match he is in. From everything ranging from the call of JR to the three count by the referee, it was the sort of match that every wrestling fan will never forget. When Foley walked out of the ring hearing his name being cheered and a tear streaming down his bloody face, it was heart wrenching. Well, about as heart wrenching as you can get in a business where people pretend to fight. Foley's first HIAC match back at KOTR '98 was memorable due to the fantastic bumps he took, but this one was greater in terms of workrate and memorable because it was the last match Mick Foley ever had. The blade jobs were excellent, the Cactus elbow was one of the best ever and the bump through the cage was very impressive. Yeah I know there were many things that made sure he was safe, but I'm willing to bet that most pro wrestlers would not even attempt to take a fall like that. Strong match that is largely forgotten because its predecessor was so strong. There are a lot of matches in this list like that, I've found.
Rating: ****1/4
27. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit @ Unforgiven - 09/22/02
The Story: This came a few months after Chris Benoit had jumped to the Smackdown roster back in the day when wrestlers left shows. He came back from neck surgery a few months earlier on Raw, then started up on Smackdown a few weeks before this. He quickly forged a rivalry with Kurt Angle and that led to their first PPV match here since the spring of 2001. Both guys were pretty much heels at this point although Benoit was in the process of turning face. The story going in wasn't that great, but we all knew it was the start of something. It sure was.
The Match: They started out mat wrestling early on with Benoit going for the Crossface immediately. Angle countered by clotheslining the back of Benoit's surgically repaired neck, which of course is well documented. They did the German Suplexes counter and counter and more countering. Benoit hit the German that Angle took into a Moonsault bump on his chest, Benoit went up top and Angle hit the top rope belly to belly for the great nearfall. They tease a Tombstone sequence that Benoit eventually wins with a shoulderbreaker. Crossface by Benoit countered into the Ankle Lock from Angle, then Benoit counters that with a Crossface and Angle again counters to the Ankle Lock until Benoit makes ropes to break it. Frustrated, Angle goes for the Crossface of his own, but Benoit grabs the ropes and Angle kicks the ropes away. They do a roll through sequence that ends with Benoit on top as he grabs the ropes for leverage and the big victory after about 13 minutes.
The Analysis: There have been a number of great Angle-Benoit matches (many of which are on this list), but this is the one that is the most pure in terms of being a wrestling match. They literally throw no punches. It's just straight on mat wrestling. There's no bailing to the outside or brawling on the floor. It's flat out in-ring wrestling featuring some of the best holds and counter holds you will ever see in any wrestling match. With that said, it's also a fault because maybe if there was that extra something it could have been even better. Really, though, the thing that prevented it from getting that extra 3/4* is that it was cut after 13 minutes. This is the same show that had the "Hot Lesbian Action" involving Stephanie and Bischoff. I guess they couldn't cut some of that "greatness" short and so this match was cut short before it could really be epic. Not the best Angle/Benoit match (keep on reading for that), but I liked it slightly more than the one at WrestleMania X7 (#29) because they had better chemistry in this one.
Rating: ****1/4
26. Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Title @ Vengeance - 07/27/03
The Story: This was Angle's first match on PPV since he had neck surgery following WrestleMania XIX four months prior. He came back to massive ovations from the crowd because they missed him and because of that awesome video package WWE played a lot with that song "Clocks" by Coldplay. When he came back, he proclaimed that the one person who supported him the most was Brock Lesnar, his onetime rival who was now his friend. The result of this friendship was a lot of buddy-buddy stuff backstage where they tried to play up the friendship. Big Show was Lesnar's main adversary when Angle was out, so it fit to have him in this match too as a clear-cut heel. Before the match began, it was announced that there'd be no DQ's, which was a smart move because it would allow for brawling on the outside.
The Match: Show gets a chokeslam on Lesnar early, but Angle breaks that up, then Show clotheslined him down shortly thereafter. Angle fights back, hits the Ankle Lock until Show pushes him off. Show hit a side neckbreaker on Lesnar for two. The buddies beat down Show with a trashcan lid. They go to double suplex Show, but he reverses it and suplexes both of them. Double chokeslam by Show is blocked by Lesnar & Angle. They double chokeslam him! Cool reversals there. Lesnar’s pinfall is broken by Angle. They fight, Angle gets a clothesline. Kick to the gut, F5 by Lesnar. Angle rolls away to the bottom rope. Show comes over, F5 by Lesnar on him gets one…two…no. Angle pulls ref Mike Chioda out. Lesnar beats up on Angle on the floor. Show works over Lesnar on the floor with some stomps. He lifts him to the top rope. He starts the climb slowly. Show throws Angle off the apron to the ground. That gives Lesnar time to deliver a running powerbomb on Show from out of the corner! Damn! It was different from Taker’s powerbomb since he was running and threw him out. Amazing move. Angle drills Lesnar in the back with a chair to break the count. Then he drills him hard in the head with it, sending him to the floor. He goes to cover Show for two. Show rolls outside. Chokeslam reversed into an Angle Slam through the announce table! Awesome spot there. In ring, Lesnar and Angle fight it out, F5 is blocked by the ropes. Lesnar just heaves him out over the top to the floor. Kurt recovers, then reverses a whip to throw Brock back first into the ring steps. Headfirst to the steps a couple of times. In the ring, German Suplex by Angle. Brock goes for a clothesline, Kurt reverses that to a German and Lesnar takes the bump on his stomach. Amazing athlete. Spinebuster by Lesnar gets two. After a Lesnar submission hold, Show comes in with legdrops on both guys for two. Double chokeslam. Lesnar is up at two and when he pins Angle, Brock breaks that up. Another chokeslam, low blow by Brock to counter. Angle grabs the ankle lock while Brock is standing. Show breaks it up. He gets Show with an Angle Slam. Angle Slam on Lesnar. He pins Brock for the win and the title after 19 minutes.
The Analysis: Watching this live, I was surprised they'd have Lesnar take the pin because I had assumed that they'd be doing Lesnar/Angle again in the future (they did), so it didn't seem right to have Lesnar take a pin here. As we learned in the future, it was probably the right idea because this is what facilitated Lesnar turning heel. I really liked this because it was a match that saw each guy take their turn in being the dominant figure in the match. It was Show early on, then it was Lesnar and by the end it was Angle when he hit the Angle Slam on both guys in impressive fashion. I also liked that it was a no DQ match because I feel with that stipulation guys are able to be more creative and more realistic in terms of a triple threat match. A lot of times in triple threat matches it seems like the guys are too crowded in the ring, but in this one it wasn't like that. I was also amazed at how quickly Angle recovered from his neck surgery and had such a good performance in this match. The man is a freak, in every good way imaginable.
Rating: ****1/4
25. The Dudley Boys vs. The Hardy Boys vs. Edge & Christian for the Tag Team Titles @ WrestleMania XVI - 04/02/00
The Story: This is the first ever three team ladder match that WWE had. The gimmick here was tables and ladders. The belts were hanging from the ceiling, as you know. Chairs would be introduced later in the series. The Dudleys came into this match as the tag team champions working as heels by this point although they were definitely leaning towards being babyfaces by this point. The Hardys were, as they always were as a team in WWE, the babyface team that got over with the crowd through their exciting offense. E&C were the heels although to this point they weren't cutting many promos. That would come after this match. Another cool note was that this was the first WM for all six guys, so they were all set to make history.
The Match: It's hard to catch everything, so I'll just hit on the bigger spots. Early on they brawled to set up ladder spots with Jeff Hardy missing a 450 splash on Bubba on a ladder. Ouch. Bubba hits a senton onto the ladder while Edge landed on Matt while riding a ladder. Fun spot saw Bubba put the ladder on his shoulder and spin around with it, smacking people in the head with the thing until E&C dropkicked the ladder into his own face. They take out D'Von, then Christian leaps onto Bubba and Matt out on the floor. There is some climbing, an Edge spear off the ladder and Matt coming off the ladder with some sort of slam. Christian went up, so Bubba set one up and took him down with a Bubba Cutter off the ladder in a nice visual. That fun ends for Bubba as he takes a leg drop from Matt and a splash from Jeff in another cool moment. Everybody climbs as three ladders get set up, the Dudleys dominant and clear them all out. Time for the tables, so the Dudleys set up a scaffolding with a table on top of the two ladders. Then Bubba powerbombs Matt through a table on the floor while D'Von misses a splash off the ladder to put his own body through a table in ring. Testify, I guess. Jeff's running along the railing is countered by a face shot with a ladder by Bubba, who then picks up that 16 foot (or something like that) ladder. After Christian knocks Bubba up, Jeff climbs that huge ladder and hits the Swanton Bomb on Bubba through the table in one of those visuals that you've seen on WWE TV even if you never saw this match. It rules. D'Von climbs now, but Matt gets him down with a Twist of Fate. With Christian already at the top of the scaffolding, Edge took Matt down and E&C climbed to grab the belts for the win after 23 minutes.
The Analysis: At the time this match was sick in all the good ways and it still is even now five years later. I don't care if there's been better ones (and there has), this one was the first triple threat team ladder match that featured some insane bumping. What I liked about it was that there was never a point where one team was really in the advantage except for that one time when it was the Dudleys. It came across as an even match with each guy getting their own chance to take control and showcase the athleticism that they had. The most memorable moment in the match was definitely Jeff's Swanton through Bubba off the big ladder. That was magical. The thing that hurts this match is that there was probably too much standing around and setting up spots, which hurts the credibility of the match. You'll notice the match time here is 23 minutes whereas the one they had a year later was 15 minutes, which made it a better match. I'll get to that when I get there. This match is still damn good on its own.
Rating: ****1/4
24. The Rock vs. Chris Benoit for the World Title @ Fully Loaded - 07/23/00
The Story: Rock is the world champion here, having won it the month prior in an overbooked tag match at King of the Ring. Benoit is the number one contender and he's got Shane McMahon as his manager. This was WWE's way to help Benoit get over more by having Shane cut his promos and pull out all the old heel tricks. Benoit attacked Rock many times over the weeks prior to this match to make it personal. He also turned up the evil man quotient by sticking ref Earl Hebner in the Crossface. Rock came back with a good brawl that ended with a memorable Rock Bottom on the hood of a limo. New commissioner Mick Foley reasoned that since Rock might get disqualified due to the hate involved in this rivalry, the title will change hands on a DQ. There was some really great intensity in the build to this match.
The Match: Rock started out on fire, chasing Shane around the ring and slingshotting Benoit into him. Benoit worked on the ribs a bit, but Rock fought back with a back suplex off the top. Shane slid Benoit the belt, distracted the ref and the belt shot got two early on. Sharpshooter for Benoit, but Rock got ropes. Now Benoit worked on the knee and when he tossed Rock into the ropes, Shane pulled them down sending Rock to the floor. Rock fights back against Benoit, sending him into the steps and crotching him on the ring post. Rock's figure four forces Benoit to get ropes. To the floor, Shane beats on Rock a bit before sending him back in. Back in, Rock hit a surprise DDT for two. Benoit goes to work on the lower back, Rock fights back by putting him in a powerbomb position and draping him neck first across the top rope. Benoit soon came back and got a headbutt for two. Rock got his second wind with a Spinebuster and People's Elbow, but Shane is up to stop any count from happening. After being down for like ten seconds, the ref finally comes over and counts two. Really good nearfall. Superplex for Benoit got two. Benoit went for a chair, Rock stole it. Shane sees that, so he chairs Hebner in the back. Out goes Shane, Crossface on Benoit, he doesn't tap. Hebner rings the bell, everybody thinks Benoit gave up. Hebner DQ's Rock for thinking he chaired him, so Benoit is awarded the belt. During all this, Shane chaired Rock to bust him open although Rock was never a good bleeder. Foley comes out, says the ref made the wrong call and the match restarted. On the restart, three Germans for Benoit and a Crossface, but Rock gets ropes. Quick Rock Bottom and that's it after 25 minutes.
The Analysis: The best way to describe this match is to say that it was very even. It wasn't something where heel dominates for five minutes, then the face comes back for five of his own. It was back and forth. It seemed like every time Benoit did something, Rock came right back. When Rock did something, it was either Benoit doing something or Shane interfering on Benoit's behalf. Because of that, the flow of the match was incredibly fast and the crowd was into it from the very beginning. All the submissions worked, all the nearfalls worked and even the finish worked. I liked the screwy finish because Foley was just hired as commissioner and they worked that into this match by having him make a tough decision here. It gave him credibility as the commish. Benoit came out of it looking strong too, which was great to see because this was his first main event in WWE. Rock, like usual, was his awesome self. The role of Shane McMahon cannot be forgotten either. He was perfect as the heel manager here. It makes you wonder why WWE doesn't do more matches like this where there's a heel manager who actually makes a difference in a match. This was an energetic, fast paced and exciting world title match that was pretty much the norm for WWE in 2000.
Rating: ****1/4
23. Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack in a Street Fight @ Backlash - 04/18/04
The Story: This match had been brewing for months. Foley had made some appearances on Raw at the end of 2003 and Orton was growing into his gimmick of the Legend Killer by that point. He got into Foley's face and memorably spit into his mug backstage. Foley didn't retort, he just walked away without a fight. Eventually, Orton's taunts led to Foley wanting to retaliate. They first met in a handicap match a month prior at WrestleMania as Orton, Ric Flair and Batista beat Rock and Foley in a handicap tag match that saw Orton score the pin on Foley. The feud wasn't over there, however, so they made up this match where Foley told us he'd have to wrestle this Street Fight as Cactus Jack. The winner wasn't in much doubt, but the question going in was could Orton really hang with the Hardcore Legend?
The Match: Early on, Foley goes after him with the barbed wire bat (named "Barbie" by Mick), but Orton escapes and hits a drop toe hold onto the steps. They fight up the ramp and Orton whips Foley by the back of his head into the ramp for two. Back in, low blow by Cactus, then a clothesline and he brings out Mr. Socko. He looks at Barbie, introduces it to Socko, tosses Socko down and decides to go with Barbie. Funny moment. Barbie shot to the face cuts Orton open. Barbwire elbow for Foley. Running knee in the corner. He drops a leg onto Barbie while it's on Orton's genitals. Ouch. Foley goes under the ring, getting a can of gasoline. Bischoff says no to that. He goes under the ring, pulling out a board with metal sticking out from it as “Holy Shit” chants start from the crowd. Foley punches Orton, but young Orton counters by throwing powder in his face. It’s Fuji Dust! Slam onto the wires gets him two. He whips him Jack back first into the bard wire board. Foley's left arm is cut open. Nasty cut. Orton pulls out a bag of thumbtacks and pours them out all over the ring. Orton charges in, goes for an RKO, but Jack counters, dropping Orton back first onto the tacks as he rolls around to let us see the tacks sticking in his back. Foley gets two. They go up the ramp, so Foley tosses Orton off the stage through some tables that just happened to be there. They act like it's over, but Orton continues on. Foley charges on the ramp and drops the HUGE elbow off the stage onto Orton down below. Awesome visual again. Foley covers him there, but it only gets two. Crowd seems shocked by that. Back in the ring, double arm DDT by Cactus only gets two. Crowd is shocked by that too. Orton escapes to the floor, looking for some kind of weapon. Foley stands up the barbed wire board once again. He comes after Orton, but Orton hits him in the head with Barbie, busting him open now. Couple more shots with Barbie. He puts the sock on his hand again, putting the mandible claw on Orton causing a “Socko” chant to start up. Orton fights out with a punch and low blow. He puts the claw on again. Orton counters with an RKO right in the middle of the ring. That gets two. Orton only has a few tacks in his back now. Back up, Orton gets an RKO on Barbie, right on the wire for the pin after 22 minutes.
The Analysis: The answer to the question above is yes. Orton could hang. He did a masterful job in this match, as did Foley. They really did great in terms of putting over the physicality of the match since both guys were taking the kind of bumps that make you say "ouch" more than once. Some of the bumps were flat out sick. We kind of knew Foley would do that since he's a nutcase (in a good way), but when Orton went through the tacks it was shocking because he's got no shirt on and it wasn't something we had ever seen from him before. It just showed how willing he was to put his body on the line and probably scored him some points with management and the boys in the back. As for Foley, what can you say? This was his first WWE singles match in over four years and it was as if he didn't lose anything. The timing was there, all the spots were there and of course his bumps were perfect. Just great stuff all around by both guys. One other note, I never thought I'd talk so kindly about a wrestling match that featured the names Barbie and Socko so much.
Rating: ****1/4
22. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title @ Summerslam - 08/24/03
The Story: Following the match at Vengeance when Angle won the title (#26), most people (myself included) believed that the WWE would do something rare and have Angle defend the title against Lesnar at Summerslam in a babyface vs. babyface match. It turns out that the WWE had different ideas. They created an Angle vs. McMahon match on SD with Lesnar as the referee. Lesnar turned heel, siding with Vince McMahon, and ending the friendship with Angle by beating him senseless inside of that steel cage. The Lesnar attacks continued on helpless victims in order to build him up as a heel monster who just didn’t care about those around him. I wasn’t really sure if I liked the move. I thought a face vs. face match could have been great to see. As time wore on, I warmed up to it because it was obvious that Lesnar was more comfortable working as a heel. That brought us to Summerslam with Angle defending the title against Lesnar.
The Match: Angle has the advantage early on, outwrestling Lesnar and forcing Brock to spaz out on the floor. After some brawling outside, they go back in as Kurt gets an overhead belly to belly for two. Brock reverses a whip into a gorilla press where he tosses Angle to the floor. Kick to the ribs by Brock. Brock throws him face first into the steel steps. He steps on Kurt’s throat. Brock gets a backbreaker for two, then a rear naked choke to slow things down. Brock picks him up over his head in a Fisherman Suplex position, holds him up over his head in a cradle position and drops back in a Samoan Drop position. Lesnar hurts his left shoulder after a corner charge, so Angle charges into him with a shoulderblock to the left arm twice and then a dropkick to the knee. German suplexes get two for Kurt. Brock gets a sick overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Kurt fights back, kick, and an Angle Slam is reversed into a spinebuster by Lesnar for a good nearfall. F5 by Brock is countered into a Tornado DDT by Angle for two. They screwed it up the first time, then did it right the second time. Angle Slam, and the slow cover for the two. Kurt puts the straps up, and then takes them down again because he rules! Ankle lock by Angle, Brock does a forward roll to get out of it as the ref gets bumped. Ankle Lock again, Brock makes ropes, but Angle won't break because there's no ref. Lesnar taps. Vince McMahon comes in to drill Angle in the back with a steel chair to the surprise of nobody. Brock is back up to his feet, kick to the gut, selling his leg by not even stepping on it, then he hits an F5 on one leg that gets a great nearfall. Vince tells Brock to do it again, but Kurt counters it into another ankle lock on the left leg. Brock gets ropes for a second, but Kurt rips him off. Brock breaks it three times in the ropes, but Kurt won’t let go and Lesnar taps out! Angle wins it after 21 minutes. Post match, he puts Vince through a seated chair with the Angle Slam.
The Analysis: This was a really fun match that I liked more on my repeat viewings. I wasn't a huge fan of the ref bump or the obvious McMahon interference, but it ended up working because it made Angle look really strong. Interference isn't so bad if it backfires on the heels every once in a while. I also have to question the ending sequence because Lesnar clearly made it to the ropes three times during the final moments, yet the Ankle Lock was never broken by Angle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you make it to the ropes for even half a second shouldn't the hold be broken? I think so. That's a fault I saw in the match. Also, watching this one live was pretty surprising because I thought Lesnar was going over here especially after that one legged F5, which was damn cool looking. When Angle kicked out of that it was shocking. Then, to see Lesnar tap out clean like that was pretty shocking because the idea of Lesnar tapping clean was a foreign one at this point. That's why I liked the match, though. It was unpredictable and gave us a strong finish we can remember for a while. This is also the match that led to the fun "YOU TAPPED OUT" chants that greet heels whenever they tap out in major matches. I love that chant.
Rating: ****1/4
21. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock for the WWE Title @ No Way Out - 02/25/01
The Story: The build for this one was pretty good, I have to say. Angle beat Rock for the title at No Mercy (#33 on the list) and held on to it all the way up until this match where anybody with a brain knew he was dropping the belt to Rock. Why did we know? Simply because Steve Austin had won the Royal Rumble and by this point it was pretty much known that it would be Austin vs. Rock at WrestleMania X7. Thus, they had to get the belt off of Angle and onto Rock. Still, with the outcome known beforehand the match was anticipated because their first go around was pretty good. The encore would be, in my opinion, just a bit better. Also of note before I get to the match was Rock's awesome promo before this match. It was the one where he would look in the camera and say "tick, tock, tick, tock" as if to tell Angle that the time was ticking on his title reign. I just thought it was very effective. What was cool about the build for this is that both guys dropped the comedy act pretty much and it was taken more seriously as a result. This was one of the starting points for Angle using the Ankle Lock too.
The Match: They brawled early on, mostly Rock in control until Angle slowed him down with the Ankle Lock until Rock made ropes. Rock came back, then locked in the Sharpshooter as Angle made it to the ropes. Samoan Drop followed and then a superplex got two for Rock. After Rock hit a DDT, Big Show came out to chokeslam both guys and then he walked away. He had a mini-feud going with Rock at this point although it was nothing that necessitated this interference. With a ref down, Angle made a cover for two and then Rock capitalized with a belt shot for two. With Rock selling a knee injury, Angle trips him up, put him in the Ankle Lock and drops an F bomb as he tells Rock to give up. Rock fought back, hit a Spinebuster and a People's Elbow for only two, which was pretty surprising. Angle hit a low blow, then removed the turnbuckle, shoved Rock into it and hit an Angle Slam for only two. Amazing nearfall there. When Rock fought back, Angle kicked him in the knee/ankle, which is a great counter. Rock countered an Angle attack by putting him into the exposed corner, then he hit a Rock Bottom for only two. More shock there. Then he hit another Rock Bottom for the victory and another title reign after 17 minutes.
The Analysis: You're probably wondering why this match is better than the other title match these two had. To me, it's better because the ending here was stronger. Both matches, as matches, are equally great, but the ending of this one was much better. Obviously that was the case because the babyface went over clean. Plus, the amount of nearfalls in this match was fantastic. There were at least three points in the match where I thought it was over and keep in mind this was after I knew, not think but KNEW, Rock was winning the belt here. That's how good this was. They fooled us even if we thought we knew what was going to happen. If that's not great wrestling then I don't know what is. These two had tremendous chemistry with one another and this match was the best example of that chemistry. It's a shame that the stupid Big Show interference happened because had it not then this match would be even higher on the list.
Rating: ****1/2
That's it for part two. Column is halfway done now. Here's the posting schedule for the remaining two parts.
Part Three: Wednesday. It will be matches #20-6.
Part Four: Friday. It will be matches #5-1. It'll also feature my concluding thoughts, then some stats to let you know what wrestlers, years, PPVs and other things did the best.
My email address is oratoryjohn@gmail.com so please direct any and all comments or questions to that address. I would appreciate it if you refrained from asking about a match you didn't read about in this part because there are 20 more that are to come in the coming days. For now, stick to just commenting or asking about the matches written in each part and at the end of the whole thing feel free to ask about any match. I'm ready for any question, believe me.
Smell ya later,
John C. - oratoryjohn@gmail.com
Part One.
Thanks to Mike Maloney for the great banner. Mike, I'm sorry, but there are no Billy Gunn matches in this list. Sorry for the spoiler!
