So what is the (cue echo effect) Match Of The Decade?
I get the feeling that MY choice won't get many votes (Joe/Styles/Daniels Unbreakable). I'm guessing it's between Shawn/Taker and Rock/Austin (WM17 version)
Kevin Kelly: "Mr. Austin, would you like to comment on Wade Keller's Take that endorsing the XFL hurts your anti-authority character?"
Steve Austin: "Oh shit, he actually said that? I thought the boys in the back were ribbing me!"
Kelly: "No, he really said that. Did they tell you the part about you sitting in the stands, looking all skeptical?"
Austin: "AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah... oh man that was too much."
If we can just throw out a list, I've got a list I feel grrrreat about. If we have to write blurbs and explanations, well, you'll have to give me a bit. Just a Jewish Christmas Day thinking up the match of the decade. Lots of Benoit!
I might spend some of Wint'rbreak rewatching these as I haven't seen many in a long time. I was going to do a top 5, ended up with a top 25, tried to cut it down to 10, could only get to 15, then I missed the ones I cut and had to bring them back.
It's WWE-only, natch. List leans heavily towards the first three years of the decade, but that's not to say there hasn't been a lot of great wrestling over the last few years. It makes sense that since it's been mostly the same guys on top, their very best matches are going to be from their physical primes than the recent great matches, which have been older, more banged up stars like Michaels, Jericho, Undertaker, Mysterio, and Edge who now know more tricks and timing to will their bodies into another big performance.
20. Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar, No Way Out 2004 19. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H, Hell in a Cell, No Way Out 2000 18. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho, title vs. mask, The Bash 2009 17. Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton, falls count anywhere, Backlash 2004 16. Royal Rumble match - Royal Rumble 2004
15. Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin, SummerSlam 2001 14. Edge vs. Kurt Angle, hair vs. hair, Judgment Day 2002 13. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, street fight, SummerSlam 2002 12. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H, street fight, Royal Rumble 2000 11. Hardy Boys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge & Christian, TLC, SummerSlam 2000
10. Steve Austin vs. Triple H, 3 stages of hell, No Way Out 2001 9. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit, ladder match, Royal Rumble 2001 8. Chris Jericho vs. The Rock, No Mercy 2001 7. Steve Austin vs. The Rock, Wrestlemania 17 6. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Steve Austin & Triple H, Raw May 2001
5. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle, Royal Rumble 2003 4. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25 3. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle, Wrestlemania 21 2. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, Wrestlemania 20 1. Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit, No Mercy 2002
Conclusions drawn from data: Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit were all really good at wrestling.
I had it narrowed down to that top 5 but wasn't sure what order to put them into. It was hard to argue that a tag title match on a random PPV had more oomph than the drama in world title matches or the aura of big Wrestlemania matches. But all the action in that tag team match and the perfect execution of the movez and countermovez totally blew me away. After that, it's just choosing between your favorite big Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania match.
10. AJ vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels (Unbreakable) 9. Chris Jericho vs. Rock (No Mercy) 8. HHH vs. Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble) 7. Eddie vs. RVD ladder match (Raw) 6. Cena vs. RVD (One Night Stand) 5. Kurt vs. Shawn (WM21) 4. HBK vs. HHH (SummerSlam) 3. Money in the Bank (WM22) 2. HHH vs. Rock (Backlash) 1. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. E&C (WM16)
Mostly fanboy voting since I consider any match to have me and my friends on the edge of our seats as a good match. The sad part if Benoit wasn't a cowardly child killer and wife murder, he would have made most of the list with with WM XX has my number one followed by Royal Rumble 2004 which I attended as number 2.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroI might spend some of Wint'rbreak rewatching these as I haven't seen many in a long time. I was going to do a top 5, ended up with a top 25, tried to cut it down to 10, could only get to 15, then I missed the ones I cut and had to bring them back.
It's WWE-only, natch. List leans heavily towards the first three years of the decade, but that's not to say there hasn't been a lot of great wrestling over the last few years. It makes sense that since it's been mostly the same guys on top, their very best matches are going to be from their physical primes than the recent great matches, which have been older, more banged up stars like Michaels, Jericho, Undertaker, Mysterio, and Edge who now know more tricks and timing to will their bodies into another big performance.
20. Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar, No Way Out 2004 19. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H, Hell in a Cell, No Way Out 2000 18. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho, title vs. mask, The Bash 2009 17. Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton, falls count anywhere, Backlash 2004 16. Royal Rumble match - Royal Rumble 2004
15. Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin, SummerSlam 2001 14. Edge vs. Kurt Angle, hair vs. hair, Judgment Day 2002 13. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, street fight, SummerSlam 2002 12. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H, street fight, Royal Rumble 2000 11. Hardy Boys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge & Christian, TLC, SummerSlam 2000
10. Steve Austin vs. Triple H, 3 stages of hell, No Way Out 2001 9. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit, ladder match, Royal Rumble 2001 8. Chris Jericho vs. The Rock, No Mercy 2001 7. Steve Austin vs. The Rock, Wrestlemania 17 6. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Steve Austin & Triple H, Raw May 2001
5. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle, Royal Rumble 2003 4. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25 3. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle, Wrestlemania 21 2. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, Wrestlemania 20 1. Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit, No Mercy 2002
Conclusions drawn from data: Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit were all really good at wrestling.
I had it narrowed down to that top 5 but wasn't sure what order to put them into. It was hard to argue that a tag title match on a random PPV had more oomph than the drama in world title matches or the aura of big Wrestlemania matches. But all the action in that tag team match and the perfect execution of the movez and countermovez totally blew me away. After that, it's just choosing between your favorite big Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania match.
Wow, these are some good selections and way to go on thinking and referring to all these matches (very impressive). I am partial to the Royal Rumble which Batista won (does anyone know what year that was?)
This is a good question to ask of 'The Match of the Decade' but good feuds can produce good matches such as Jericho vs. HBK, the brief feud between the Hardy Bros., and some others as well.
If I had to pick a specific match, the triple threat match at WM 20 comes to mind with Chris Benoit v. HBK v. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title but I there are a bunch of good ones that can be reasonably argued for the best match in the past 10 years.
The best match I have ever seen took place in this decade. October 16, 2004 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, IL. Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk in a rematch for the ROH World Title. The first American match in seven years to receive a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. One of the hottest crowds I've ever seen, with 1,000 people bringing the intensity for 20,000. The two, in my opinion, best young talents to emerge this decade given a full hour to tell their story and doing so flawlessly. Nothing against Michaels/UT, or XXX vs. AMW in the steel cage, or Angle vs. Benoit, or KENTA vs. Marufuji, but this was the most engaged I've ever been in a match, and the most enjoyable I've ever found a match to be on rewatching.
If you go away from quality and go towards historical significance, Booker T vs. Marcus Alexander Bagwell on RAW in '01 has to be at or near the top, as that match changed the manner of the WWF/WCW merger.
Likely biased because I saw it happen, but 1 Oct 05, Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi. In light of my falling out of love with wrestling over the past year or two, that's probably the best match I'll ever see up close.
Lo-ki vs KENTA December 17th, 2005 and the trilogy of matches between CM Punk and Samoa Joe. I instantly became a huge fan of KENTA after his match with Lo-ki, and even though I had heard of Punk this was my first time watching him and Samoa Joe wrestle. I was a ROH fan for a year or so after that and I'm still a huge CM Punk fan.
Total Non Stop Wrestling has one MOTY nominee.
Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin 2009 X-Division title match. Seeing as the only reason I even continue to watch TNA is for the Motor City Machine Guns and a few Knockouts, I flipped out within minutes of their X-Division title match this year. It wasn't a big spot fest. It felt like the X-Division matches from 04-07. I didn't even watch the rest of the GENESIS PPV after it as it would of been like eating grits after having eaten peach cobbler.
World Wrestling Entertainment.
Several people here have mentioned several of my MOTY WWE matches. I will bring up the Edge vs. Mick Foley match at Wrestlemania 22 (The match with the flaming table) and the Hardy Boys vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz tag team ladder match from Wrestlemania 2000.
I know I'll probably get roasted for this... but don't you have to include Rock/Hogan WM18?
(Ducks Lightning Bolt)
I mean, it's probably the last 'Big Money' match that we've had in North America (both from a pop culture standpoint and a kayfabe standpoint), it was a meeting of the 2 best 'sports entertainers' ever in the WWE (I consider Austin and Flair more wrestlers) and the heat was just unreal. Ask any casual fan and they will probably remember that match more than any Benoit or Eddy match. Doesn't that have to count for SOMETHING?
Kevin Kelly: "Mr. Austin, would you like to comment on Wade Keller's Take that endorsing the XFL hurts your anti-authority character?"
Steve Austin: "Oh shit, he actually said that? I thought the boys in the back were ribbing me!"
Kelly: "No, he really said that. Did they tell you the part about you sitting in the stands, looking all skeptical?"
Austin: "AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah... oh man that was too much."
No lightning bolts, just a bunch of flying arrows (kidding of course).
Good point to make on Rock vs. Hogan at WM 18. It may stand as where arguably the 2 best entertainers in wrestling history matched up and the crowd reaction was definitely unforseen as the crowd booed the heck out of The Rock, even though he was the face in that iconic matchup.
Best wrestling match? Depends on what people define as the best wrestling match. I myself do not consider this the best wrestling match of the past 10 years, but you made some valid points of why this could stand out there. Perhaps Hogan vs. Rock could stand out as the most hyped up match and as mentioned, a meeting between arguably the 2 best entertainers in wrestling history. In terms of just sheer entertainment and impact, Hogan vs. Rock may stand at the top of the mountain in that perspective.
5. Benoit v. Angle, Royal Rumble 2003 4. HHH v. Michaels, Summerslam 2002 3. Michaels v. Benoit v. HHH, Wrestlemania XX 2. Rock v. Austin, Wrestlemania XVII 1. Michaels v. Undertaker, Wrestlemania XXV
I go for big matches on big stages. Sure, a tag match on a monthly PPV can be great, but it doesn't mean as much in the main order of things. #5 made Benoit credible as a main-eventer and made #3 possible. #4 was possibly the most emotional match I've ever seen and it still gives me chills to this day. I never thought HBK could return to his former glory and he eclipsed it. #3 was something I never thought possible and was a beautiful, awesome match that elevated Benoit to champion. #2 was not the first time Rock and Austin met, but it was their best match, and it main-evented the best Wrestlemania ever. #1 was the best match I've ever seen. I love HBK and the Undertaker. Their match was better than my already high expectations for it. It was the most epic thing I've ever seen.
Honorable mentions go to Austin v. HHH at No Way Out in 2001 and Brock v. Undertaker Hell in the Cell match. Brock v. Taker is a personal favorite. Not a masterpiece like the matches above, but so much fun.
Am I in Horseville? Because I'm hearing nothing but naysayers!
My five favorite matches of the decade all took place in 2001 (Rock/Austin WM X-7, HHH/Austin vs Benoit/Jericho, Austin vs Angle Summerslam, Angle/Shane KOTR, 10 man tag at Survivor Series)
There's been a LOT of really good stuff this decade.. how about WGTT vs Rey/Kidman at Vengeance 2003 and the steel cage match between XXX and AMW at some TNA show in 2004 or 2005?
Originally posted by Psycho PenguinMy five favorite matches of the decade all took place in 2001 (Rock/Austin WM X-7, HHH/Austin vs Benoit/Jericho, Austin vs Angle Summerslam, Angle/Shane KOTR, 10 man tag at Survivor Series)
Yah, I think 2001 is the clear cut winner for best year. About ten MOTYCs and one of the two best Survivor Series matches ever. 2002 had a lot of great matches because they had so many on TV, but 2001 had the highest end of the high end.
Originally posted by The Game And How You Play ItI am partial to the Royal Rumble which Batista won (does anyone know what year that was?)
2005! Another awesome Rumble in a decade full of awesome Rumbles. '04 (Benoit), '07 (UT vs. Michaels), '08 (Cena return), '05 (Batista/Cena, Jets/Sharks, Vince cripples self), '01 (Austin vs. Rock), '03 (filled up the middle with all the workers).
Originally posted by lotjxThe sad part if Benoit wasn't a cowardly child killer and wife murder, he would have made most of the list
So at least the punishment fits the crime.
I was being obtuse about Benoit upthread, but I guess I'll address it and hopefully not derail the thread. My opinion is basically that I completely understand anyone who no longer enjoys watching those matches, but I'm taking them more about how much I thought of them at the time.
"Match was great, but I gotta knock off two stars for the eventual murders" vs. "I can't let those inconvenient murders get in the way of the thoroughness of a list of my favorite matches"; either way it's weird, I guess. Still, I don't think appearing on my top 10 matches of the decade list as posted to the website the-w.com is all that big of an honor. An honor to be sure, though.
I also think he belongs on a list because the subplot is that you can't separate the link between Having Great Wrestling Matches and seriously negatively impacting your health. It's no coincidence that of the names who show up over and over again on the lists who worked such a hard style, you've got two deaths, one with severe brain damage, four guys who've gone to rehab for painkiller addiction, four broken necks, etc.
In simplest terms though, I think that two years later, a lot of people are just "over it" -- not because that's good, but because it didn't really end up changing anything in the long run except for some "find & replace" searches on a website.
Originally posted by Psycho PenguinMy five favorite matches of the decade all took place in 2001 (Rock/Austin WM X-7, HHH/Austin vs Benoit/Jericho, Austin vs Angle Summerslam, Angle/Shane KOTR, 10 man tag at Survivor Series)
Yah, I think 2001 is the clear cut winner for best year. About ten MOTYCs and one of the two best Survivor Series matches ever. 2002 had a lot of great matches because they had so many on TV, but 2001 had the highest end of the high end.
I think 2000 was awesome as well. It's been all downhill since the first two years of the decade, really.
- Cactus Jack vs. Triple H at the Royal Rumble
- A 10-man tag pitting Cactus Jack/The Rock/Too Cool against Triple H/X-Pac/Radicalz minus Eddie Guerrero that was pretty memorable, but I suspect better in my memory than in reality
- Cactus Jack vs. Triple H at No Way Out
- Dudleyz vs. Hardyz vs. Edge & Christian at Wrestlemania
- Jericho vs. Benoit and Rock vs. Triple H at Backlash
- Benoit vs. Jericho in a submission match and Triple H vs. Rock in an ironman match at Judgment Day
- TLC at Summerslam
... hmmm I guess it kind of hit a wall there. Oh yeah, that's when Austin came back and Rikishi did it for the people... he did it for the Rock (at Triple H's orders, and oh yeah forget about the Rock). I think Triple H vs. Benoit at No Mercy was pretty good.
My top ten, from a guy who basically stopped watching circa 2006 and is, therefore, completely unqualified to even have an opinion. (I mean, I haven't seen HBK/Undertaker or HBK/Cena on RAW, or anything since Randy Orton [allegedly] stopped sucking, or, really, pretty much anything else that happened this half of the decade. Wrap your brain around this - I haven't seen a single match with C.M. Punk, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Johnny Nitro since he's been Morrison, Kofi Kingston or whatever the hell a Sheamus is.):
10. HHH VS Shawn Michaels VS Chris Benoit (World Championship Match, Wrestlemania XX): Because despite being an undeniably amazing match, half the reason I loved it so much at the time was because of just how hard I was rooting for Chris Benoit and that's kind of hard to wrap your brain around in retrospect. Had to be on the list, so I'll stick it at the bottom and move on.
9. Kurt Angle VS Booker T (WCW Championship Match, Smackdown July 2001): Because even though it was a forgettable match that was short and mostly a schmozz, but I was there and the crowd was red-hot and it's probably the match I enjoyed the most this decade, so - again - really has to be on the list.
8. Edge, Mick Foley and Lita VS Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk and Beaulah McGillicutty (ECW One Night Stand 2006): Because I love Foley and Edge and violence against the elderly.
7. John Cena VS Umaga (WWE Championship Match, January 2007): Because I wasn't watching at all anymore, but I heard the match was good so I checked it out on Youtube and I loved it, even completely devoid of all context and being full of general apathy towards Mr. Cena.
6. HHH VS Shawn Michaels (Summerslam '02): Because it was expected to be a going-through-the-motions disaster and it was, in fact, incredible and led to the return of the most consistently entertaining in-ring performer of the decade.
5. Kurt Angle VS Shane McMahon (Street Fight, King of the Ring 2001) Because it was the best (and most unforgivingly violent) match any McMahon was ever involved in (and that's actually saying a lot if you stop and think about it.)
4. Brock Lesnar VS The Undertaker (Hell In A Cell, No Mercy 2002) Because jesus christ just watch it. Like I said, I do mark out for the ultraviolence and this was one of the most brutal matches I've ever fucking seen.
3. Shawn Michaels VS Kurt Angle (Wrestlemania 21) Because it had me screaming "Where's your messiah now, Shawn?!" at my TV screen like a crazy person.
2. The Rock VS Hollywood Hogan (Wrestlemania X-Eight) Because, at the end of the day, being entertained is the only thing that really matters. (If I had the patience to do a Top 20, Hogan/Angle and maybe Hogan/McMahon would have been on there, so thank god I'm lazy.)
1. Cactus Jack VS HHH (WWF Championship Street Fight, Royal Rumble 2000) Because it's the single best match I've ever seen. Because it's the best match of my favorite wrestler of all-time's career, after everyone thought he was content to finish out his run as a comedy wrestler. Because I went into the match thinking that HHH didn't belong anywhere near the main event and came out thinking he was the best in the business. Because I do still like the ultraviolence. And because there's a nice little bit of symbolism to awarding the best match of a decade that killed my interest in professional wrestling dead to a match from the very first month of that decade.
EDIT: While I even referred to "violence against the elderly" in my rationale, for some reason I stuck The Sandman in the One Night Stand 6 person tag match instead of Terry Funk.
Chris Jericho vs. Triple H (WWE Championship, Raw 4-17-00)
OK so probably not the best match of the decade but it's the one that got me the most involved. I remember jumping around my room like a lunatic when Jericho won. No match has made me go that nuts since!