Top Matches of the Decade – Part 3
(Writer’s note- My
apologies to the all the Fight Network fans who have been wondering
what the hell happened to part three of this series. The delay was due
to an unforeseen and unavoidable medical issue. But hell, if Scott Hall
can show up a year late for a TNA pay per view and Randy Couture can
show up twelve years late for a fight with Mark Coleman, hopefully all
of you can forgive my being a week or two late. Moving on…)
30) Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka (ECW One Night Stand 2005)
Rarely has anyone’s career gone off
the rails quite like Mike Awesome’s. After establishing himself as
a sadistic, almost unstoppable force in FMW and ECW, an alleged pay-dispute
with ECW head Paul Heyman led to Awesome jumping ship to WCW while he
was still the reigning ECW World Heavyweight Champion. Having thoroughly
burned his bridges behind him, Awesome was helpless to watch as WCW
turned him into a joke, going from “The Career Killer” to “The
Fat-Chick Thriller,” then “That Seventies Guy,” before finally
becoming a decidedly American member of Lance Storm’s Team Canada.
When Vince McMahon bought WCW, Awesome signed with the WWF, but despite
a brief Hardcore Championship reign at the start of the Invasion angle,
Awesome quickly became a non-factor, spending most of his year and a
half tenure with the company as a glorified (and at times not-so-glorified)
jobber. Three years later, at 2005′s ECW: One Night Stand pay per
view, Mike Awesome was set to square off against his long time rival
Masato Tanaka in front of an openly hostile crowd. The show was called
Joey Styles, who was outspoken in his utter contempt for Awesome, calling
him a Judas, and literally wishing for Awesome to drop dead halfway
through the match.
Despite the cold response he was initially
met with, Awesome won over the crowd (and to an extent, even Styles)
through sheer brutality, as he and Tanaka proceeded to beat six shades
of hell out of one another in one of the most intense matches ever produced
under the ECW banner. Though far from a technical masterpiece, the match
carried with it the unmatched sound and fury of brutal chair shots and
shattering tables, made all the more unforgettable by the subsequent
reactions from one of the most rabid crowds ever assembled. By the end
the arena was ringing with well deserved chants of “This Match Rules”
as Mike Awesome put Tanaka away with an incredible Awesome Bomb over
the top rope through a table on the outside, following him out with
a crazy Slingshot Body Press for the pinfall. This was more than just
the best match of one of the most memorable pay-per-views of the decade-
it was Mike Awesome’s redemption, and a final flash of brilliance
from one of wrestling’s most under-rated big men of all time.
29) Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania23)
This one can be summed up in exactly
two words: Dream Match. At Wrestlemania 23 in 2005, two of the greatest
wrestlers in WWE history stepped into the ring for the first time, in
a match fans had been begging to see for years. The storyline was simple,
but compelling- after launching an unprovoked attack on Michaels at
the Royal Rumble, Kurt Angle revealed that he had hated Michaels since
1996- the year Angle won his Olympic gold medal, and Shawn Michaels
defeated Bret Hart in the first Iron Man Match at Wrestlemania XII.
Angle felt like Michaels’ victory overshadowed his own, and vowed
to prove he was the better man once and for all by taking down “Mister
Wrestlemania” at his own event. In the weeks leading up to the big
event, things got even more personal as Angle tried to repeat some of
Michaels’ greatest feats, attacking Michaels’ old friends Marty
Jannetty and Sherri Martel in the process.
The match showed off just how similarly
Michaels and Angle operated inside the ring. Early on, Angle tried to
take advantage of Michaels with aggressive mat wrestling and brawling
tactics, only to find the Heart-Break Kid willing to meet him hold for
hold and punch for punch. The action spilled to the outside, and Angle
finally got the upper hand with an Angle Slam into the ring post (Gee,
someone targeting Michaels’ back…imagine that). Michaels weathered
a beating and eventually came back with a Diving Cross Body from the
top rope to the outside, cracking Angle in the mouth with his knee and
leaving the Olympic champion spitting out mouthfuls of blood. Michaels
set Angle up on the announce table and followed up with a Springboard
Splash, but the table stayed firm, leading to an ugly crash and a near
double count out. The last few minutes of the match were as action packed
as any Wrestlemania match had ever been, with Angle reversing two Sweet
Chin Music attempts into first an Ankle Lock and then the Angle Slam.
A Moonsault from Angle got nothing but mat, but when Michaels went up
top himself, Angle met him with an amazing Running Super Angle Slam,
which somehow still only got a two count. Michaels finally hit Sweet
Chin Music, but Angle kicked out, and immediately locked on the Ankle
Lock again. Though Michaels kicked Angle off his feet again and again,
Angle hung on like a rabid pit bull, finally sinking in the leg grapevine.
As the seconds ticked away with Angle wrenching away at his ankle, Michaels
finally tapped out. Both men were met with a standing ovation afterwards,
a fitting end to an incredible match.
28) Lita vs. Trish Stratus (Unforgiven 2006)
One of the things the last decade will
be remembered for is the way in which women’s wrestling in North America
was legitimized for the first time in nearly half a century. Though
the mud wrestling matches and half-assed dance offs of the Attitude
era are still very much around, now and then actual women wrestlers are allowed to show that you don’t need a Y chromosome to kick some
ass in the ring. Though many women had a hand in the battle royal of
the sexes- and at least one man, Dave Finlay- the most important figure
in the movement to credibility was without a doubt Trish Stratus (and
what a lovely figure it was).
When Trish announced her imminent retirement,
a match was for the Women’s Championship in her hometown of Toronto.
Her opponent was to be Lita, a woman with whom Trish had what could
best be called a love-hate relationship; in the six years since the
two first crossed paths, Trish and Lita had spent about half their time
as partners and half as bitter enemies, with each taking a turn at playing
both heel and babyface. At Unforgiven though, there was no question
who the fans were rooting for, as the home town girl returned home to
a superstar reaction.
From the opening bell onward, the match
was a surprisingly hard-hitting brawl. Trish and Lita played off the
idea that they knew one another’s offence backwards and forwards,
allowing Trish to dodge the Moonsault, and Lita to counter the Stratusfaction
by tossing Trish to the outside. Though the two women were as evenly
match as any two opponents could ever be, Lita’s ruthlessness gave
her the edge as she worked to simply beat Trish up, plain and simple.
Trish fought back, but even the Chick Kick could only net a two count.
When Lita reversed the Stratusfaction once again, it looked like Trish’s
career would come to a close on a bittersweet note- but Trish had one
last trick up her sleeve. With the Toronto crowd going absolutely ballistic,
Trish trapped Lita in the most iconic Canadian move of them all, the
Sharpshooter, in the first and only time in Trish’s career that she
ever used the manoeuvre. Lita quickly tapped out, and Trish retired
as the Women’s Champion in her home town, the first and only woman
to hold the belt a record seven times. The greatest woman wrestler in
WWE’s storied history took her final bows in front of a roaring crowd,
receiving a well deserved standing ovation from not just the crowd,
but the ring announcers and commentary team as well. Jim Ross said it
best- “Congratulations Trish… there was never anyone any better.”
27) Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett-
No Disqualification Match (Genesis 2009)
When Jeff Jarrett returned to TNA after
a long hiatus and beat Kurt Angle at Bound for Glory in his first match
back, Angle became obsessed with getting his win back. Over the following
three months, Angle used every conceivable dirty tactic to lure Jarrett
into a rematch, right down to threatening Jarrett’s three young daughters.
Jarrett finally agreed to take Angle on at the first pay-per-view of
2009, Genesis, in one of the most personal grudge matched in TNA history.
In an intense display, Jarrett silenced his detractors by putting on
his best performance in years- even if he did seem determined to kill
himself, taking one nasty spill after another.
The match began as a back and forth
affair, with Jarrett countering Angle’s superior technical skills
with the pure reckless abandon of blind rage. Jarrett soon sent Angle
to the outside and tried to follow him out with a Vaulting Body Press,
but caught his foot on the top rope and ended up crashing down to the
floor face first. Ouch. Immediately afterward, Angle grabbed the timekeeper’s
bell and used it to level Jarrett, leaving the King of the Mountain
with a nasty gash on his forehead. The two men fought their way up to
the top of the entrance ramp, where Jarrett’s bad luck asserted itself
again. Angle went for the Angle Slam off the stage, but overshot the
table waiting down below, sending Jarrett crashing to the unprotected
floor. Literally crawling back to the ring, both men struggled to catch
their breath. On hands and knees, Jarrett and Angle exchanged a look
of pure hatred and began throwing haymakers at each other once again.
With both the Stroke and the Angle Slam resulting in two counts, Jarrett
grabbed his guitar, but Angle cut him off with a low blow. Snatching
up a steel chair, Angle drilled Jarrett with a brutal chair shot, but
unbelievably, Jarrett kicked out. Determined to give Angle a taste of
his own medicine, Jarrett hit Angle with a chair shot of his own, but
when he went for the cover, Angle somehow managed to snag a quick crucifix
hold, rolling Jarrett over for the one-two-three. January 11th,
2009 may not have been the luckiest night Jeff Jarrett ever had, but
it was the night he had one of the best matches of his career.
26) Do FIXER vs. Blood Generation (Supercard of Honor 2006)
There is absolutely nothing I can say
to do this match justice. Presented as a Dragon Gate special attraction
feature for Ring of Honor’s first “Supercard of Honor”, this match
featured a face off between two of Dragon Gate’s pre-eminent factions,
with Do FIXER (Genki Horiguchi, Ryo Saito and Dragon Kid) squaring off
against Blood Generation (CIMA, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino). Even
with no major storylines or angles behind this match, it will easily
be remembered for years to come as one of the best matches in ROH history-
and undoubtedly the best “exhibition match” of the decade. And again,
sheer words can’t convey just how amazing this match really was. I
could say that all six men displayed an incredible technical acumen
that puts most North American wrestlers to shame. I could mention that
if I were to try to list off all the innovative moves and incredible
high spots in this match, I’d be here until 2011. I could point out
that Dragon Kid may be the best high-flyer since Rey Mysterio in his
prime, and that when Masato Yoshino runs the ropes it looks like I’m
fast-forwarding my DVD, that Naruki Doi. It’s not enough though- this
match needs to be seen to be believed. What I can say though is that
by the time this match really kicks into high gear around the fifteen
minute mark, even ROH’s announcer Lenny Leonard (one of the best play-by-play
men in the business) gives up on calling the match and just watches
as six of the most entertaining wrestlers Dragon Gate has ever produced
tore the house down in front of a crowd that was literally begging for
more.
25) Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle-
Three Degrees of Pain Match (Final Resolution 2009)
Just a few short months ago, Ring of
Honor mainstay Nigel McGuiness signed with TNA, and made his debut (under
the somewhat goofy name Desmond Wolfe) by challenging one of the promotion’s
top dogs, Kurt Angle. Amidst a series of cheap shots and sneak attacks,
Wolfe defeated Angle in a Street Fight on Impact, before Angle evened
things up with a submission victory at Turning Point. The rubber match
was set for TNA’s last pay-per-view of the decade, Final Resolution,
in a Best Two out of Three Falls “Three Degrees of Pain” match.
Held inside a steel cage, the match was booked to have each fall held
under specific rules- first a pinfall only match, then a submission
match, and finally a match which could only be won by escaping the cage.
Undaunted by the typical TNA overbooking, Wolfe and Angle proceeded
to deliver an absolute mat classic, showcasing the real art and science
of professional wrestling. The match was well served by Taz and Mike
Tenay who diverted from the typical pro wrestling announcer chatter,
instead calling the match move for move, closely analyzing the logic
and psychology behind everything happening inside the ring. With the
rising popularity of Mixed Martial Arts, this match almost seemed to
be a preview of what pro wrestling may end up evolving into over the
coming decade.
Wolfe spent much of the early part
of the match working on Angle’s arm, in anticipation for the upcoming
submission rules fall. After trading holds and high impact manoeuvres
with the Olympic champion, Nigel finally put Angle away with a brutal
lariat and the Tower of London. Though clearly the worse for wear, Angle
struggled to come back in the second fall, targeting Wolfe’s left
leg for the Ankle Lock. Displaying his amazing grasp of counter wrestling,
Wolfe countered the hold again and again, first into a Figure Four Hammerlock,
then into a Leg-Trap Kimura, and finally into an Ankle Lock of his own.
Angle’s determination to use the move that one him so many matches
in the past finally paid off with his fourth attempt, as he finally
sunk in the Ankle Lock and grapevined Wolfe’s leg for the tap out.
The third fall began with both men
nursing their wounded limbs. With one working arm, Angle had trouble
climbing the cage, while Wolfe was hobbling around on one good leg.
With it now legal to use the cage as a weapon, Angle sent Wolfe face-first
into the mesh, slicing open the Englishman’s forehead. In one brilliant
spot, Angle tried to come off the top rope with a splash, but Wolfe
countered by raising his bad leg, catching Angle in his injured shoulder
and leaving both men writing in pain. Wolfe made a play for the cage
door, crawling on his hands and knees until his fingertips were just
grazing the floor before Angle dragged him back into the ring and slapped
on the Ankle Lock once again. Wolfe tapped out frantically, but with
the escape-only rules in effect, the referee was unable to stop the
match. Angle finally broke the hold to try to escape the cage, leaving
Wolfe convulsing in pain. Though Wolfe made one last desperate attempt
to crawl out the cage door, Angle managed to scale the cage wall and
touch down on the outside first to win one of the smartest, best thought
out matches of the decade.
24) Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi
Morishima (Manhattan Mayhem II)
When Bryan Daniels returned to Ring
of Honor in early 2007 after taking several months off to recover from
a shoulder injury, he quickly set his sights on regaining the ROH World
Championship. There was just one thing standing in his way- the belt
currently belonged to one of the biggest and meanest men on the ROH
roster, Takeshi Morishima. Despite giving up six inches and almost one
hundred and fifteen pounds to his opponent, the American Dragon was
determined to walk out of the Manhattan Center with the belt around
his waist. Danielson wrestled a smart match right from the get-go, trying
to cut his much larger opponent down to size with stiff leg kicks. Soon
however he was forced on the defensive and trapped in the corner, where
Morishima began to hammer down at him with brutal clubbing blows. Despite
all his technical acumen, Danielson had almost no answer for Morishima’s
brutal offence. Thrown to the outside, Danielson suffered one hard strike
after another until a missed kick finally allowed him to upend Morishima,
tossing him over the barricade into the crowd. Danielson followed up
with a running Springboard Splash from the top rope into the stands,
taking out most of the first few rows of chairs. Even still, Morishima
remained a virtually immovable object, shrugging off most of Danielson’s
offence and punishing him with one massive move after another, including
a hard lariat, a German Suplex and a brutal Uranage.
After rolling through a Lou Thesz Press
and briefly catching Morishima in a Single Leg Boston Crab, Danielson’s
continuous targeting of his opponent’s legs finally began to pay off,
as for the first time Morishima showed difficulty in getting back to
his feet. Danielson seemed poised to finally gain some momentum… until
Morishima stood up and nailed him square in the face with a massive
boot. Still, Morishima was slowing down, and after a series of hard
elbows and kicks, Danielson managed to briefly lock on the Cattle Mutilation,
broken up when Morishima managed to edge his way to the ropes. Fighting
off exhaustion, Danielson set Morishima up for a Backdrop Suplex off
the top rope, but Morishima pivoted in mid-air and landed with his full
weight on top of Danielson’s chest. Staggering back to his feet, Danielson
was rocked by a series of hard elbow strikes and a lariat that almost
turned him inside out. Though he somehow managed to kick out of the
ensuing cover by two, Danielson was completely spent, and Morishima
finished him off with the Backdrop Driver.
This match was a clear match of the
year candidate, not only for Ring of Honor, but throughout the world
of professional wrestling. What makes this match all the more amazing
though is that when Morishima kicked Danielson in the face just a few
minutes into the match, Danielson suffered a legitimate broken orbital
bone and a detached retina. It’s one thing to have an amazing match,
but wrestling an amazing match while in extreme pain and half-blind?
Let’s just say, there aren’t many guys out there like Brian Danielson.
23) Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels
vs. Triple H- Triple Threat Match (Wrestlemania XX)
When Smackdown’s Chris Benoit won
the 2004 Royal Rumble, he made the choice to challenge Raw’s Triple
H for the World Championship in the main event at Wrestlemania. This
didn’t sit too well with Shawn Michaels, who had been feuding with
Triple H for the better part of two years, and had most recently wrestled
him to a draw in a Last Man Standing match. When Michaels attacked Benoit
at his contract signing with Triple H, the decision was made to turn
the match into the first Triple Threat main event in Wrestlemania history.
Deep down, many WWE fans probably felt that Chris Benoit would never
get his run as World champion. The glimmer of hope that came from Benoit
winning the Rumble was all but dashed when Michaels was added to the
title match. Nevertheless, Benoit was the heavy crowd favourite, as
the New York crowd vocalized how all of Benoit’s fans were hoping
against all hope that the Rabid Wolverine would somehow come out on
top.
Early on in the match, Triple H seemed
to have the disadvantage, as Benoit and Michaels were tripping over
one another to get at him. Even still, the match was remarkably even,
in part because all three men were forced to fight defensively, spending
half their time and energy preventing their opponents from pinning one
another. Benoit managed to draw first blood, catapulting Michaels into
the ring post, leaving the Heart Break Kid with a nasty laceration across
his forehead. Benoit’s momentum was soon cut off however, as Triple
H and Michaels briefly put their differences aside to put Benoit through
an announce table with a Double Vertical Suplex. With the Wolverine
temporarily neutralized, the former D-Generation X team mates prepared
to settle their feud once and for all. His face awash with blood, Michaels
tried to even the score by sending Triple H face-first into the ring
steps, leaving him similarly bloodied. Still, Michaels’ stamina had
begun to falter, and Triple H managed to nail him with the Pedigree
clean in the center of the ring for a near fall that was narrowly broken
up by the newly recovered Benoit.
Benoit locked Triple H in the Sharpshooter,
and with The Game unable to claw his way to the ropes, it looked like
Benoit might have come out on top after all- right until Michaels came
out of nowhere and nearly decapitated Benoit with Sweet Chin Music.
Michaels crawled over for the cover, but Benoit just barely managed
to kick out. Retreating into the corner, Michaels stalked Benoit for
another Sweet Chin Music, but Benoit ducked the kick and dumped Michaels
over the top rope to the outside. Behind him, Triple H had recovered
and prepared to end things with the Pedigree, but Benoit somehow reversed
the move into the Crippler Crossface. Unable to reach the ropes, Triple
H desperately tried to roll out of the hold, but Benoit held on and
both men ended up in the very center of the ring. With no other options,
Triple H finally tapped out; Benoit had finally won the World Championship.
Overcome with emotion, Benoit was soon joined in the ring by his best
friend Eddie Guerrero (who had himself defied the odds by winning the
WWE Championship a month earlier). As confetti rained down on a roaring
crowd, Benoit and Guerrero shared a tearful embrace, their lifelong
ambitions having finally come to fruition.
22) Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle- Career
Threatening Steel Cage Match (Lockdown 2008)
If it seems as though I’ve been mentioning
Kurt Angle’s name a lot in this list, it should- Angle has had more
good-to-excellent matches than any other wrestler in the past decade,
and his TNA World Championship match against Samoa Joe at Lockdown was
no exception. Even more than Angle’s Three Degrees of Pain match with
Desmond Wolfe (see #25), this match was a fusion of traditional
pro wrestling and mixed martial arts, along with Joe’s preferred Japanese
Strong style. Playing into that theme, Angle ditched his traditional
singlet for MMA trunks and fist taping, and former UFC fighter Frank
Trigg provided guest commentary. Moreover, this may have been the first
cage match in fifty years in which neither opponent ever tried to climb
or escape the cage, and where the cage wasn’t even used as a weapon
until the final moments of the match.
Leading into the match, Angle laid
down the challenge- if Joe wanted a shot at his title, he would have
to put his career on the line. With that in mind, Joe laid it all on
the line for a chance at the gold. Both men brought their A games to
the match, as Angle used his superior conditioning and technical ability
to stymie Joe’s strength advantage. Angle managed to mix up his offence
a bit by using a Figure Four Leg Lock, while Joe tried out a plethora
of punishing submission moves, ranging from the Coquina Clutch to the
Cripple Crossface, and even and old-school Lion Tamer. Ultimately though,
for all the MMA focus the match had, it was down and dirty brawling
that won the day when Joe threw Angle into the cage wall (the first
time the cage came into play), followed up with a Savate kick and finished
him off with the Muscle Buster. Having saved his career, Joe celebrated
his first TNA World Championship reign… which TNA promptly dropped
the ball on. Sigh…
21) Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (Guilty as Charged 2001)
One of the hardest things about making
a list like this one is weighing the many intangible factors that make
a good match truly great. Obviously the in-ring work is a huge factor,
but there are other elements to consider as well; a hot crowd can make
a match seem a thousand times better than it actually is, while a dead
crowd can spoil a classic. A decent match that features a major title
change or turn will stay in fans’ minds much longer than a marginally
better match that just maintains the status quo. For that matter, sometimes
a match just hits the right emotional key, or has a unique ending or
uncommonly smart booking… the list goes on and on. That of course
brings us to Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn from Guilty as Charged- a
good match in its own right, but more importantly, the final match of
the final pay-per-view held by the original Extreme Championship Wrestling.
This was far from the first time Rob
Van Dam and Jerry Lynn squared off (their match at Living Dangerously
1999 was easily one of the greatest matches in ECW history) and it showed,
as their intimate familiarity with one another allowed both men to fluidly
countered nearly everything the other had to dish out. As always, Lynn
and Van Dam brought out the best in one another, combining violent brawling
with high-flying acrobatics in a way no one else can. This match wasn’t
about the individual spots though, as spectacular as many of them were-
especially the incredible Van Terminator that Van Dam used to win the
match. No, this was about the entire ECW experience…the fanatical
crowd, the balance between athletics and pure, unadulterated violence,
the philosophy that pro wrestling should be about two (or more) wrestlers
pushing themselves physically and mentally to put on the most exciting,
innovative and enthralling match possible, and to hell with anyone who
says otherwise. This match was ECW at its best- one final moment of
glory from a one of a kind promotion.
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