The Top 10 Indy Matches of the Year by Kirschner, the Top 10 WWE PPV Matches of the Year by Ivan Rushfield , the Top 10 TNA PPV Matches of the Year by The Pulse Glazer, and the Top 10 TV Matches of the Year by Vinny Truncellito. Join the best wrestling staff on the internet as we countdown the best of this year. Check ROH Weekly next week for the Top 100 ROH Matches of 2007.
A Modest Response: The Top 10 Non-ROH Indy Matches of the Year by John Kirschner
10. Up In Smoke vs. The Olsen Twins (Cibernetico and Robin)
No background story, no prior storytelling in the match at all. This was a match that caught the wrestling world off guard and has my vote for one of the top tag team matches in the year of 2007. Up In Smoke played the good ol’fashioned faces while the Olsen Twins were the classic heels. Their styles meshed together flawlessly and pulled off every single move with god-like perfection. As I stated before, this match was flawless for what it was.
9. Alex Shelley vs. Matt Sydal (BOLA 2007 Night 3)
This match was amazing. Definitely one of the most underrated matches in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. It opened up with a nice balance of control. Shelley had the upperhand first, showing off his chain submission holds and outsmarting Sydal in different situations. Sydal speed came into play as he started to finally chop down at Shelley’s energy. It only took one mistake for Shelley to come out back on top though, as he slammed Sydal violently to the canvas with a German Suplex. Shelley and Sydal told a great story in the ring from beginning to end. Shelley couldn’t find a way to completely get out on top because Sydal was too fast for him, and Sydal couldn’t quite find any moves that Shelley didn’t have a reversal to. Though it was a simple story, they did an amazing job telling it. The finish sequence was long and built a LOT of anticipation. I was on the edge of my seat near fall after near fall expecting each one to be the last. The match ended after Shelley hit Sydal with a powerbomb, killer superkick, frog splash and a 2K3. It caught me way off guard and that’s why it made the list.
8. Roderick Strong vs. Erik Stevens (Battle of the Belts)
Roderick Strong has been dominating the Florida Wrestling scene since he won the FIP Title. The only man who the fans thought could bring the “Roderick Strong Express” (Go Damien Demento) to a screeching halt was the fan favorite: Erik Stevens. The clash of these two big men was surprisingly good, and not only hard hitting. There was a lot of strategy and technical work in the match which surprised me. I never knew how good Stevens was until this match.
7. Rocky Romero vs. Roderick Strong (All Star Weekend Night One)
As the second match of the card nobody was really expecting for this match to go as well as it did. If it wasn’t for El Generico vs. PAC, this match would have stolen the show for sure. There was really no background information to this match. It was just a great hard hitting contest. There were some really unbelievable spots in this match that made my jaw drop to the ground. The interesting thing was that they built a story from nothing. What I mean is that when the match started, there was no specific reasoning behind booking these two against each other in the match. But as time grew and they exchanged stiff chop after stiff kick, you could feel the hate growing between the two.
6. Tim Donst vs. Eddie Kingston (Showdown in Crisisland)
Eddie Kingston opened up the chapter with a pre-match interview. Kingston tells us that he asked for Hallowicked, and the Chikara Office gave him “A kid, a new guy. Tim Donst”. Donst is going to have to pay for Chikara’s mistake. Kingston comes out to the ring pissed, and Donst comes out hyped up that he has the chance to make such an impact. King doesn’t even let Donst in the ring and beats Donst up on the floor. This match was all about Eddie Kingston taking the cheap way out of battles and dominating Tim Donst. But no matter how much of a beating Donst took he kept on crawling back for more. After taking a sickening lariat on the arena floor and a Spinning Backfist, Kingston finally got the win. By the end, the fans were on their feet for Donst. Donst proved to Chikara Office and to Chikara Fans that he is not just a rookie, but a rookie with a big heart. This reminded me of the Sandman/Tommy Dreamer match because the fans had such sympathy for poor Tim Donst. They were begging for Donst to stay down. This match elevated Kingston as one of the top heels in independent wrestling and Donst to an American Hero.
5. El Generico vs. PAC (All Star Weekend 5 Night One)
These two tore the house down at All Star Weekend 4. Just a year later the two set the roof on fire again, but this time the stakes were higher. Their last battle was for pride. This one was for the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Title. A bunch of cool looking high spots with a great story told throughout the match. Generico was lucky enough to make it out of this match with his belt. Let’s hope for another in the near future. Any fan of innovative high flying needs to see this.
4. Mike Quackenbush vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chuck Taylor (TPI 2007 Night Two)
(From Glazer’s IWA-MS TPI 2007 Review: Quack has the lightweight belt and Taylor has the heavyweight belt. Claudio and Quack have a longstanding competitive rivalry, dominated by Claudio. Taylor is trying to continue his record setting title run by owning this tournament.) I mean, come on. The background story and the talent essentially speak for itself here. Quackenbush suffered a concussion earlier in the tournament and somehow managed to dig inside and found the willpower to not only make it to the finals, but win the tournament. These three had a majority of the crowd on their feet from the opening bell to the closing bell.
3. El Generico vs. Bryan Danielson (Giant Size Annual #4)
This match got my blood pumping BIG time. The reason why I think this match was so great is because it pulled me in from the moment Danielson slapped El Generico in the face, demanding an answer to his challenge for the champion’s title. From that moment on every move they executed was perfect and “had to be the last”. Danielson kicked out of the BRAINBUSSSTAAAAH!~! and Generico managed to escape the Cattle Mutilation once. But Danielson slapped it back on and after realizing the pain was too agonizing and unbearable, Generico tapped out. It was when the crowd erupted and Danielson stood posing with the PWG World Title that I realized that this was a serious match of the year candidate.
2. Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston (Loser Leaves CZW)
From Glazer’s review of this match in A Modest ResponseThe brutality and hatred conveyed by both men is a sight to behold. That Hero could outbrawl Kingston barely was a surprise, but Kingston had that covered with his big move counters. Those allowed him to wear out and Knock Out Chris Hero in the best non-ROH match I’ve seen this year, and the third or fourth best I’ve seen overall.
1. Mike Quackenbush vs. Chris Hero (Aniversario?)
Some would rate this match lower or possibly put it in a lower spot in the Top 10 Indy Matches of 2007. But if you have been following Chikara, or even if you haven’t been following Chikara, for as long as I have, every moment of that match was amazing. After two years of Hero avoiding Quackenbush, these two finally met in the Chikara ring. Quackenbush showed his hate for Hero perfectly throughout the match, and you could sense every moment that was a satisfactory accomplishment for Quack. But Hero had his fair share of moments as well. Moves that would normally put a simpleton away, Hero found a way to reverse it into a move of his own. It all came down to who studied who most, and it was a stalemate up until Quackenbush unveiled his secret weapon: The Chikara Special.
A Modest Response: The Top 10 TNA PPV Matches of 2007 by Pulse Glazer
10. Slammiversary: King of the Mountain: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Harris vs. Christian Cage
King of the Mountain is wildly convoluted, but always delivers. This one had such good wrestlers in it that it couldn’t help but be good. Everyone here knows how to work and this had the bonus of showcasing that Harris could hang as a main eventer, taking a bulk of the cool moves in the match, and this being TNA, that’s very important. The storylines put forward like Cage and AJ as a unit and Joe and Angle’s rivalry continuing only added to the fun.
9. Bound For Glory: TNA World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Sting
Kurt can apparently still bring it in big matches. Sting is never spectacular but always solid. The slightly botched finish hurt, as did Angle’s reliance on his finishing sequence, but still, Angle’s flash with Sting’s basics made this a winner at TNA’s biggest show.
8. Genesis: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Team 3d
I’m not sure anyone else likes this as much as I do and I had to struggle not to put it several spots higher. It was a stiff beating with some great flashy moves keeping the crowd totally into MCMG. They’re such good sellers and fast workers that they make 3D look slow, but can bounce off them and make it look impressive. The shock ending sure didn’t hurt.
7. Final Resolution: 30 Minute Iron Man Match: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
I kind of hate this match. 30 minute Iron Man Matches don’t work when you don’t have guys named Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat, and as much as I love Joe and as good as Angle was, neither is in the same league as one of the best to ever lace them up, the Dragon. This was sort of short on story but high on drama. The 30 minutes were filled well by these two, as a shorter period match should be. The hot ending with Joe nearly forcing overtime only adds to the suspense, which is the one thing this match did well, and it did do that incredibly well. If it had the story to back it up…
6. No Surrender: X Title Match: Jay Lethal vs. Kurt Angle
Jay Lethal is one of the best underdog face’s in the business. He isn’t good at anything else, but being the severe underdog with Angle, he doesn’t need to be. Angle beat on Jay, Jay got hot hope spots and stole a win. Simple, great stuff. This is where the matches start to actually be really good.
5. Bound For Glory: Ultimate X: LAX vs. Triple X
This worked because everyone here has no regard for their own, or their opponents’ safety, right Shawn?. The spots carried it and were it not for ROH’s Ladder War would be talked about far more. There isn’t much selling or storytelling here, but the flash more than makes up for it in this high octane spotfest.
4. Bound For Glory: Samoa Joe vs. Christian Cage
Joe was the original TNA undefeated monster and when Cage joined TNA he followed and went undefeated for a long time, but by being sneaky and using guile. This feud should have followed Destination X and would be Feud of the Year if not for TNA’s ADD and unwillingness to let it develop properly. Joe was amazingly frustrated by this point by Cage’s knack for getting away just barely, but here he finally got his revenge, even though Christian threw everything he had at him. Two master storytellers with great passion and backstory. What more do you need?
3. Sacrifice: Texas Death Match: Chris Harris vs. James Storm
Harris and Storm were a great team as America’s Most Wanted. They lacked flash but simply got tag wrestling as only the great teams ever truly do. Their feud was much anticipated due to their incredible chemistry together, but TNA botched the beginning with a silly blindness angle. Luckily, when they were finally given weapons and the freedom to go, this match turned to a memorable brawl with two guys who seemed to legitimately be willing to do anything to prove the better man.
2. Genesis: Fight for the Right Ladder Match: Kaz vs. Christian Cage
This match could go anywhere from 6 to 2, but as Kaz’s coming out party, it needs to be highlighted. Christian with ladders has always been a win as he’s one of the few who truly gets how to work in the selling and storytelling without sacrificing the spots or spectacle of a ladder match. Kaz has turned into a wonderful face, with great timing and beautiful highspots. Adding the two together, you got something special. Kaz and Cage built an impressive drama that thankfully was not ignored and made Kaz one of the hottest commodities in wrestling.
1. Destination X: Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
When Joe was pulled from ROH it was assumed widely that he was going to get the TNA World Title from Christian Cage. This match was all about building on that hope, pushing the envelope as far as they could, then pulling the rug out from under the fans. That it was pulled off so well, without backlash is what makes Cage a truly great, hated heel and TNA MVP this year. This was the last performance of the ROH style, clearly passionate Samoa Joe. He had other great matches, but never appeared to care like this after this match. This could have really grown TNA, a feud with this amount of fan backing and story progression, so TNA shelved it for the next six months. It was still a great, great build and how to do the run ins and such properly to add to, not take away from, a great match.
A Modest Response: The Top Ten Televised Matches of the Year by Vinny Truncellito
10. RAW, August – Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin
Hardy versus Benjamin was hard-hitting and entertaining, with both displaying their classic spots plus a few innovations, like Hardy’s heads-up duck of Benjamin’s spinning heel kick. Outstanding match, and WWE has the TV time, roster and capability to have at least one match of this caliber every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday night, if only they wanted to (which they apparently don’t).
9. SmackDown!, August – Finlay vs. Matt Hardy
Finlay’s intense focus on and targeting of Hardy’s arm was flawless. Matt sold like a champ all match long, utilizing subtle movements and facial expressions to let us know his arm was in serious pain, and was significantly weakened. Nobody does ground-and-pound or body-part work any better than the Irish bastard. A very good television match; I wish there were more like it.
8. ECW, June – Elijah Burke vs. CM Punk
Punk infiltrated the New Breed in order to break it apart from the inside, which is exactly what he accomplished. Burke was none too thrilled that his creation was torn asunder, and a series of matches ensued between the Straight-Edged Superstar and the Silver-Tongued Pugilist. This particular contest was a rematch from the Judgment Day ppv, but this time it was “Extreme Rules†(no DQ). Punk laid into Burke with his signature Muay Tai kicks, but Burke took advantage of the stipulation to gain control of the match. When Punk took over again on offense, New Breeder Marcus Cor Von interjected himself on behalf of Burke, and hit the Pounce on Punk through an upright table in the corner. Burke’s pinfall victory then was academic. Very fun to watch.
7. RAW, January – Shawn Michaels vs. Edge
In a bloody, emotional, 14-minute street fight, Rated RKO got the best of the Heartbreak Kid when Orton interfered and saved Edge from a one-man con-chair-to allowing the Rated R Superstar to claim a shady victory over Michaels. In one somewhat innovative spot (at least by WWE standards) Edge suplexed a ladder off the top rope onto HBK’s prone body – ouch. This was a brutal, highly entertaining brawl, which kept up the intensity throughout. In the post match chaos (also involving Ric Flair, Kenny Dykstra, and Carlito) Michaels ruled the ring with superkicks and foreshadowed his near-victory in the Royal Rumble to come six nights later, keeping him strong for his showdown with the Undertaker at the end of the 30-man match.
6. SmackDown!, April – US Champion Chris Benoit vs. MVP
Non-title rematch from WrestleMania. MVP shows he can almost keep up with the Wrestling Machine on the mat. Benoit hits some of his signature vicious chops, and MVP correctly sells like they’re tearing through his chest. On the outside, MVP takes a shortcut to get out of trouble, and begins to focus on Benoit’s surgically repaired neck. The action keeps building, as do the tempers of both men, who each bleed from the mouth.
MVP shows his best in-ring work to date, focusing on the neck and countering/escaping Benoit’s attempted offense. Benoit scores with the triple-Germans, but MVP counters the flying head-butt attempt, maintaining the story of the match: MVP has studied and learned from his previous encounters with Benoit. In typical heel fashion, MVP uses the ropes to score the unscrupulous pinfall, but the damage was done, and MVP was elevated as a wrestler thanks to his program with Benoit. That point would be emphasized when Porter defeated Benoit in two straight falls about a month later to take the US Title which he still holds today. This was not only a very strong 20-minute television match, but it also went a long way in developing one of WWE’s young guns for the next generation.
Hey, using an established veteran star to “make†an up-and-comer? I know I’ve heard this was a good idea somewhere…
5. iMPACT!, November – TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle vs. Kaz
If TNA is serious about making Kaz a legitimate main-eventer, they made great strides toward that goal in this match. Ever since Kaz shed the bland “Serotonin†gimmick and defeated respected veteran Raven, his star has been on the rise. He upset former 2-time world champ Christian Cage in a ladder match at Genesis to earn his shot against Angle, and “arrived†on the big stage in dramatic fashion.
They started out with a feeling-out process before Kaz kicked things up a notch with his high-velocity offense. But the Olympic Gold Medalist weathered the storm and took over. They did the double knock-down ten count, which is a testament to Angle making Kaz seem on his level. Kaz countered the dreaded anklelock with a pinfall attempt, and later countered the Olympic Slam. This allowed Kaz to look like he belonged in the main event, having “done his homeworkâ€. Karen’s interference and Angle’s subsequent low blow continued the story that Kaz was better than Angle anticipated, and that the champ might have taken his challenger too lightly. At the 14-minute mark, the champ barely managed an amateur-style cover for the victory. But it came across as more ‘escape from’ than ‘defeat of’ Kaz. If properly built upon, this showing could be a cornerstone in the start of something big for Kaz. Unfortunately, a certain ADHD-suffering matchmaker would have to have a long-term plan, and we all know how unlikely that is.
4. iMPACT!, June – Chris Harris vs. James Storm
Following the break-up of America’s Most Wanted after nearly 5 years together, Harris and Storm were locked in a blood feud. This was one battle in their war, a vicious brawl that eventually ended in a no-contest. But while it lasted, these two perennial tag team wrestlers showed they have what it takes to embark on singles careers. They gave us a fun, high-impact donnybrook with emotion and intensity – a hard-hitting, action-packed television match.
3. ECW, April – The New Breed (Thorne/Burke/Cor Von/Striker) vs. the Originals (RVD/Dreamer/Sandman/Sabu)
The night after losing to the Orignals at WrestleMania 23, the upstart New Breed scored a measure of revenge by defeating the elder statesmen of ECW. After all eight men abused each other mercilessly, Burke drilled Sabu through a table with his “Elijah Express†for the victory. This was a fun brawl, with fast-paced action. Every participant got to show off his marquee stuff in a fair representation of the “old” ECW. It’s too bad the New Breed/Originals feud fizzled soon after, because I felt it still had legs.
2. ECW, September – ECW Champion John Morrison vs. CM Punk
In Punk’s final opportunity at the gold, Morrison pounded the #1 contender seemingly into submission, but Punk just kept on coming at the Shaman of Sexy. At the end of this gutsy battle, Punk finally made the Guru of Greatness “Go To Sleep†to win the ECW Championship so Morrison could go serve his suspension for failing a drug test.
1. RAW, April – WWE Champion John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
In a non-title rematch from WrestleMania, Cena and Michaels went back and forth for over 60 minutes, nailing their signature moves and utilizing crafty counters and reversals. Cena even broke out a Tennessee Jam from the top rope, of all things. But after putting Cena over at the Grandaddy of Them All, Michaels got his receipt via two doses of Sweet Chin Music in London, England.
A Modest Response: The Top 10 WWE PPV Matches of 2007
So, there I am, sitting at my computer, not bothering anyone, when I get an IM from one Pulse Glazer. As I’m the resident TNA guy (and judging by my output, that’s rather terrifying), but he asks me if I’ve seen any of the TNA Pay-Per-Views this year. Now, while I used to plop down the 30 dollars to watch these things, it got to the point where I couldn’t find friends to watch it with me, and I simply didn’t enjoy taking the 30 dollar bullet every month to watch something that I typically only watched because I was supposed to.
Then I’d mentioned that I’d seen every WWE PPV this year. See, I go to a bar with some friends every time there’s a Pay-Per-View, and we order food, make dumb jokes, and watch the show. It’s a lot of fun, but we’re all major fans, so we get into the matches and actually, y’know, pay attention.
And so I was tasked with creating a list of the top ten matches that the WWE was able to trick us into paying for this year. However, when I sat down to really put the list together, I found that, frankly, no WWE match this year truly stood out to me. It seems absurd; fifteen pay-per-views, and it’s nearly impossible to mention any true high notes in the company for this year. Were there good matches? Certainly. It just didn’t seem like a year where I could look back at a simple moment and say, “That was amazing. I’m so glad that I caught that match.”
So, let’s get on with the list. Note: If I didn’t include your favorite match, it means that, frankly, I can’t remember it. Had I known that I’d be doing this in January, I’d have made sure to keep specific notes for each show, but we work in the scenarios we find ourselves in. Alright, now seriously, on with the show.
10) Hardyz vs. Cade and Murdoch: WWE Tag Team Title Match – Vengeance
The match that guaranteed that Cade and Murdoch were to be takens seriously. They had recently turned on the Hardyz while still keeping the whole “fair play” gimmick going, and what they needed here was a match to show that, indeed, they could beat the Hardyz legitimately, and that they were more than some a typical redneck tag team. While this match might not have been the greatest thing ever seen, having the “Redneck Wrecking Crew” defend the titles against one of the greatest tag teams of the modern era, and defend them strongly, is probably the most significant point in a major year for these guys, and being that they remained undefeated until just a few weeks ago (losing to, of all teams, Bob Holly and Cody Rhodes), I think it’s safe to say that these guys are certainly taken more seriously, and rightly so, than they were only a year ago.
9) CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. The Miz: ECW World Title Match – Survivor Series
Okay, I feel like this one is going to get me more crap than anything else. To be totally honest, the reason for this one is probably just to give credit to the feud between Morrison and Punk, and while their best match ever was on free television when Punk won the title, this one was probably my most favorite of the ECW Title Matches on Pay-Per-View. As far as I’m concerned, while ECW has, by and large, proven to be somewhat of a colossal misstep, the main event scene in ECW has been more hard-hitting and, dare I say it, ECWesque than anything else that the rest of the company has put on this year. Frankly, ECW is the closest that WWE can come to Ring of Honor. Watch some of the kicks that these guys take, and the hits that they get up from, and tell me that any ECW match involving these three guys was dull. And, for clarification purposes, I mean matches involving ONLY these three; don’t mention the Punk vs. Big Daddy V match, as that big tub removes stars like Tide removes stains.
8) Jeff Hardy vs. HHH: Winner Becomes the Number One Contender – Armageddon
A fine match. That’s really what this was, a fine match; it wasn’t an amazing match, and it might not even be a great match, but it is a fine match. While HHH may be hated by much of the internet, you certainly can’t argue that he’s been in some incredible matches (my personal favorites being his triple threat match at Wrestlemania with Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels, as well as his feud that retired Mick Foley), and while Jeff Hardy has always been fun as a tag team competitor, his popularity has undoubtedly risen to new heights this year as a singles competitor. I am in absolute shock that Hardy has been getting the pops he’s been receiving, and how loud his chants are. Yes, he’s a bit sloppy, but in his feud/alliance with HHH, he’s certainly shown that he can hang with the higher-ups. Will he win the world title? No. At least, not this year…but remember, Jeff Hardy? This guy we’ve been watching forever? He just turned thirty about four months ago. If he stays healthy, he’s still got a few years to surprise us even more.
7) The Hardyz vs. The World’s Greatest Tag Team: Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles – One Night Stand
Let me start out by saying that this match was incredibly disappointing. I’m a huge fan of TWGTT, and, inexplicably, Charlie Haas. I have no reason to explain why I want this guy to succeed, or why I believe that he has some unlocked talent that we haven’t seen on television yet. Regardless, I had very high expectations for this match, and yes, I was really disappointed. That being said, the match was still a lot of fun, and contained a lot of the innovative ladder spots that we’ve come to expect from ladder matches involving guys like the Hardyz and Shelton. It’s a shame that Shelton has had to tone down his style so as not to, y’know, kill himself inadvertantly, but all of these guys delivered on a great ladder match, even if it wasn’t the mind-blowing spectacle that I’d hoped for. Oh, and Haas? Well, have you seen him on television recently? Don’t worry, Charlie; I’m still rooting for you.
6) Edge vs. Batista vs. Undertaker: World Heavyweight Title Match – Armageddon
What makes this match the number six one of the entire year? It’s really very simple: Edge, and some of the most creatively awesome cheating ever. EVER. Hiding away while Taker and Batista beat each other into muscle-filled jelly? Simple, and a delightfully cowardly strategy. Hitting the ring bell to make the two big oafs in the ring to think the match was over? Excellent. Using the otherwise useless Major Brothers as blonde distraction dummies to be annihilated by aforementioned big oafs? An act of brilliance. This match was all about establishing the character of Edge who, if he wanted to, COULD outwrestle you, but it certainly wouldn’t be his first choice. By taking what was originally just a way to cover up injuries, in the form of his “ultimate opportunist” title shot against an injured Undertaker, and taking it even further, this match establishes Edge as, undoubtedly, the best, and certainly most despicable, heel on Smackdown!, if not in the entire company.
5) Undertaker vs. Batista: World Heavyweight Title Match – Wrestlemania
Okay, so you know how I mentioned the two big hulking sacks of man meat in the last match, and how they made perfect foils for the brains-over-brawn connivings of Edge? Well, here’s where they put on an awesome brawl in their own right. While this match wasn’t the “Steamboat/Savage” that Batista had rumoredly been hoping for, but it was a tremendous battle between two big men who, despite the ravings of critics, can still put on a hell of a show under the right circumstances. We got some brutal moments like Batista’s powerslam off of one announcer’s table over the other, tons of near falls, and simply having the Undertaker win the world title at Wrestlemania is something special that’s going to stay with me for awhile.
4) Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Fit Finlay vs. C.M. Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge: Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Wrestlemania 23
That being said, despite the number of “moments” in the Batista/Taker brawl, this one was, frankly, just more fun. Think about it: you take tons of the best competitors from all of the different WWE brands, in addition to Randy Orton, you give them some hardware, and you tell them to go nuts. What happens? Why, you get a crazy schmoz with tons of awesome action, and, even better, the right guy, Kennedy, went over. Besides, how can you dislike any match where a midget gets a Lambeux Leap off a ladder? No one can. And if you can, you’re not an American. All joking aside, there’s action that’s just mindblowing, and to list them all here would take, frankly, longer than the space allocated to me for this article. If nothing else, check out the outstanding swanton onto Edge through a ladder in the ultimate “he knows what he did” moment.
3) John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Booker T vs. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley: WWE Title Match – Vengeance
So here we have a whole bunch of former world champions (and Randy Orton, who I don’t count due to some technicality that I haven’t figured out yet) beating each other to smithereens on a night of champions. While this match might not have had the number of moments of some of the ones that are beneath it, the match was so solid and so sound that I can’t really argue putting it any lower. Go back and watch the match, as this one is sort of forgotten in a lot of the more recent ones of this year. I promise, you’ll have fun, although it’ll be a different kind of fun than the MITB match. You have Cena’s ability to draw heat from all sides, Lashley’s overwhelming strength, plus Booker’s all around solid style, as well as throwing in Orton’s slimy mannerisms and Foley’s experience and storytelling. Really, very good stuff.
2) John Cena vs. Umaga: Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Title – Royal Rumble
Remember when Umaga was an unstoppable monster? How WWE, somehow, someway, took Jamal from Three Minute Warning and turned him into a legitimate threat to the world title, and to everyone that dare set foot in his way? This was the height of his danger before HHH turned him into a complete bitch. Here we have Cena, being booed by the big kids and cheered by the little kids, combatting a nearly insurmountable obstacle in the form of the savage Samoan Bulldozer. Cena had to use every last bit of his strength and stamina to outlast this beast, as no matter what he threw at him, he simply would not stay down. It was only after choking Umaga unconscious with a disconnected ring rope, twice, that he was finally able to keep him down for the full ten seconds. While it might not seem like a huge deal to some, this match showed me that Umaga really did have tremendous potential, and that the right booking could turn anyone into a viable threat to even the most jaded fan. I will always remember Cena standing tall, almost saddened, over the body of his fallen foe. Perhaps he was disappointed with himself that he had to resort to tactics more brutal than he had needed to use for years, and as he looked at the unconscious body of his villain, he wondered just what exactly he had lost in his, perhaps, Phyrric victory.
1) John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels: WWE Title Match – Wrestlemania 23
Why yes, I’m as shocked as you that John Cena is in the top three matches of the year. To be honest, I was sick of this guy awhile ago, and I called for so many different people to take the title from this stale lowest-common denominator-pandering wigger-wannabe. And yet, here I am, putting this list together, and I realize that he’s in the top three. But you know what? Say what you will about the man, but he generates reactions like no one else, and so his matches always have a metric ton of heat. So, you take this veritable heat machine, and you add in the superstar who can get a great match out of everyone, who is undoubtedly one of the best wrestlers that the company has known in the last twenty years. And what this great wrestler does is tell a story about him outwrestling our hero at every turn, and showing our hero that he can dodge and reverse anything that he can throw at him. It is one of my favorite openings to a match in the last ten years, along with the amateur wrestling of the first Angle/Benoit meeting and Foley and Taker starting on the top of the Hell in the Cell. Throw in some super-strong work from both guys in the middle, and an ending that shows that, despite the experience and skill of the veteran, the champion is simply too strong and too passionate to be put down, and he manages to defeat his legendary adversary. A great, great match, and, obviously, my favorite of the year.
Special Mention: The one thing that I really wanted to mention here is how great the stuff between MVP and Matt Hardy has been all year; unfortunately, there wasn’t really a great match between the two of them this year, although there was a lot of fun tag team stuff. While Matt Hardy has always been solid to very good (although never quite reaching “great” as far as I’m concerned), MVP’s improvement this year has been nothing short of miraculous. I’m really looking forward to Matt getting back so that these two can tear the house down.
And there you have it. Ten matches, some more arguable than others, that shaped 2007 for the WWE, if you were willing to pay for it. Here’s hoping for a resurgence of great wrestling in 2008, when we can hopefully find it less of a struggle to choose the top ten, or, hopefully, more of a struggle, as we have to pick amongst dozens and dozens of matches. If you disagree with this list, please let me know, as I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on this list. And so, I reiterate…here’s hoping.
