For Your Consideration…Defining a Decade

Columns, Features

Welcome to the last “For Your Consideration” of the 00’s. Since it seems to be in style, I have decided to look back at the decade that was despite my severe aversion to these types of things. See, I just don’t like those “End of Year” gimmicks because, quite frankly, they are never close to perfect. Everyone has opinions about what was the defining moment of the year or the match of the years. Everyone has their own opinion not just of who the wrestler of the year was, but what qualifications to look for when determining wrestler of the year.

Instead of doing a straight-up “Best Of” column, I have decided to go back and look at some of the most impactful moments that have changed the world of wrestling (Who am I kidding? Sports Entertainment). I’m sure there will be a significant number of you who will disagree with what’s on my list because that’s the very nature of the beast. All I can say is that while there are some on this list that are debatable, there are some that are undisputed (though I fully expect some interesting e-mails and comments and retweets at twitter.com/awheeler316). I have also decided to focus on the WWE, because expanding it beyond those parameters would probably make my head explode. With that in mind, I present my list (in no particular order)….

1. Triple H retires Mick Foley.

At the start of the decade, Triple H was not the completely unstoppable juggernaut that he is today. See, Hunter was the silent member of the Clique in the beginning because while Diesel, Razor, 1-2-3 Kid and Shawn Michaels all had gimmicks that sort of let who they were shine, Hunter was trapped in the ultimate Sports Entertainment character. Unlike who he really is, he was forced to play an aristocrat who had to speak with perfect diction and wear that really effeminate hair braid thing. Because he was just a character and everyone else seemed kinda real, it was tough to take him seriously.

When Hunter ultimately teamed up with Shawn, it was shocking. Seriously, who would have thought that the guy wrestling Henry O. Godwinn would wind up being second fiddle to the biggest guy in the company? On top of that, when Shawn was sidelined due to a back injury, Hunter stepped up and became a formidable midcard face. Unfortunately, a severe knee injury sidelined his face push and would allow him to do some serious thinking.

Triple H rebranded himself a more serious wrestler, complete with super cereal music and lighting. He suddenly stopped being the smart-ass midcard face and started acting as if he were the greatest wrestler of all time (and he ain’t no Barry Horowitz). The only problem with this was that for all the hemming and hawing from the announcers, the fans just weren’t truly buying it. Sure, we liked Hunter when he feuded with The Rock, but this was a bit much. Just a few years earlier, this guy complaining about “My time” was jobbing to Marc Mero. Even worse, by being shoved down our throats, our natural inclination was to not buy it and boo more out of outright anger instead of naturally occurring heel heat (sort of the difference between a “Family Guy” joke and a “South Park” joke).

Then along comes Mick Foley. Mick Foley is one of those guys that just always had credibility with the audience. He doesn’t look like a wrestler. He looks like a guy that would live down the street from you, get the paper in his torn bathrobe and probably give out full-sized candy bars at Halloween. Fans loved Mick Foley.

Even better, Mick Foley played to every demographic in the so-called WWE Universe. First, there are the hardcore tape trading fans who knew of Mick from back in his “I’m going to wrestle in a ring that explodes because Japanese people have some serious issues match” days. Then there were the ECW fans who embraced him as the revolutionary mad scientist that he was. WWE fans loved him ever since he transcended his potentially silly Mankind gimmick (a guy who talked to rats and squealed like a pig had WrestleCrap written all over it) and became not just a character that we could like but a wrestler we could count on to put on a great match. Men could relate to his doughy physique and his ability to overcome odds, women could relate to him because of his vulnerability both in matches and on the microphone and kids loved it when he reached into his pants and pulled out a sock.

Foley also had a knack for elevating anyone he worked with. We all know that Mick was part of the kindling that ignited the inferno that is the Rock, but he was also the man who brought the best out of Kane, Ken Shamrock and even The Undertaker (who before Mick was fighting cartoon villains and pituitary cases). Best of all, Mick Foley was the perfect whipping boy to continue the elevation of Mr. McMahon. Because of all of this built-up goodwill, we would pretty much trust Mick when it comes to anything having to do with in-ring work.

When Mick Foley entered into his feud with Triple H, no one really knew where it was going to go. Mick was having a great run, and the fact that he wanted to work with Hunter meant that he was going to damn sure get that guy over with the fans. He feuded with DX (the evil DX that had Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac, Tori and Stephanie) and engaged in several hardcore brawls with Hunter. Mick Foley got us to actually believe that Triple H was a tough bastard and not just a guy who was obsessed with calling himself insane monikers (HHH, Triple H, The Game, The Cerebral Assassin, The King of Kings and I’m sure countless more to come in the forthcoming decade).

Mick challenged Hunter to a title versus career match in a Hell in a Cell at No Way Out 2000. He broke out the old Cactus Jack character one last time and vowed to either beat Hunter or walk away for good. Everyone expected Mick to beat Triple H, go into Wrestlemania with the title and then maybe hang ‘em up for good. Instead, Triple H beat him and retired him. Notice I didn’t put smart-ass quotes around the word retire. Triple H actually retired Mick Foley. I can still remember hearing Jim Ross’s embattled plea for Mick to kick out before the three count, a moment of raw emotion that sold the entire angle.

Mick promised us that when he said he was going to retire, that he was going to retire, and Mick Foley would never risk his legacy.

Yes, Mick did get his shot at Wrestlemania 2000 despite retiring, but we were willing to give him a mulligan because (a) he deserved to main event the show (b) he did walk away after he lost and (c) because he was actually able to get Triple H over.

By establishing Hunter as a true main eventer, Mick Foley ensured that the business was better off when he left than when he came in. Until his recent TNA return and subsequent urination all over his legacy, Mick really was retired from wrestling. He came back as a commissioner and as a commentator and he worked the occasional feud (mainly to help get Edge and Randy Orton over), but he never returned to active competition. In the WWE. In TNA he’s joining the ever-expanding list of men who are destroying their good names in an effort to get another paycheck under the misnomer that they are going to help “establish” the company.

Regardless of how things may seem now, this was a landmark match that showed that people can potentially walk away from this business, that putting a guy over can establish him in the fans eyes and that while a guy winning a match is a feeling you enjoy, watching a guy lose can be both heartbreaking and even more memorable.

2. Shawn Michaels retires Ric Flair

I know what you’re thinking, “Is this going to just be a list of people who retired in the past decade?” No, you jackass, it isn’t, so calm down. If you weren’t thinking that, then I’m sorry for calling you a jackass. Honestly. That’s heartfelt. Speaking of heartfelt (now THAT is how you do a terrible transition)…

Ric Flair was one of the two true icons of wrestling before the days of Steve Austin and The Rock. Flair and Hulk Hogan were the two biggest names in the sport, and without them none of us would have probably ever watched pro wrestling to begin with. The problem with Flair and Hogan is that their addiction to the ring (not to mention their addiction to getting divorces without writing up pre-nups) has led them to stay in the squared circle for years (nay, decades) past their prime.

Thankfully, Ric Flair was not a complete embarrassment in the ring. Sure, he had a few gaffs (not to mention that illogical time when he jobbed to The Hurricane of all people), but this past decade saw Ric Flair follow Mick Foley’s lead and help establish the next generation of stars.

When Ric Flair aligned with Triple H to form Evolution, the wrestling world did change. Imagine where the WWE would have been without Evolution. First of all, I don’t think Flair would have stuck around much longer since he really didn’t have a better role in the company. Second, Hunter was able to lead a group that didn’t involve puerile dick jokes and crotch chops. Third, it instantly elevated Randy Orton and Batista to a level that would have taken years otherwise (not that Deacon Batista and RNN Updates weren’t solid paths to the top).

Ric seemed to bounce all over the place this decade, from being Hunter’s hype man to his worst enemy; from being crazy WWE shareholder to just another member of the roster. Lucky for us, Ric decided that he wanted to hang up the boots. Well, I’m not so sure HE wanted that to happen, but Mother Nature, Father Time and Uncle Vince decided that seeing Flair still doing what he did couldn’t continue forever.

The storyline itself surrounding Flair’s retirement, of course, was tied to Vince McMahon. Vince said that the next match Ric Flair lost would be his final match ever and that he had to retire. This was a brilliant move because suddenly every since Ric Flair match had added drama that was not really present before. Now, when we watched Flair/Umaga and Flair/MVP, we wondered if we were seeing him for the last time. You know, if we were complete marks.

Everyone knew that Flair would retire on his terms and that his final match would probably be at Wrestlemania XXIV (which I was thankfully attending as my first Mania ever). Everyone also knew that Flair would pick his final opponent. The toss-up was whether it was going to be Triple H or Shawn Michaels. While Flair had spent several years singing the praises of Hunter, he had always had a soft spot for Shawn. In the end, the decision was made by Ric to have HBK be his final in-ring opponent.

The build to Wrestlemania was fantastic. First, Shawn had reservations about taking the match. Then, he decided he would do it and end Ric’s career. Then, rather than promote this as his last match, Flair decided to sell this angle by saying that while he was going to give Shawn the chance to retire him, there were no guarantees. That little bit of intrigue would prove to be the key to the magic. Was there a chance that Flair was going to pull off an upset? No. Of course not.

The match itself was not a five-star classic, but it was pretty damn close considering the age and condition of the combatants. While the entire bout was entertaining, the closing moments were absolutely heartbreaking. Shawn tuned up the band on a dazed Flair, and then, after mouthing “I’m sorry. I love you,” he pulled the trigger and ended Ric’s career. It was an absolutely perfect moment.

On the next night’s RAW, Ric Flair got a hero’s sendoff. Shawn and Hunter wheeled out Steamboat and Arn, Greg Valentine and JJ Dillon. They pulled out Ric’s family, Chris Jericho, John Cena and ultimately the entire WWE roster. Everyone wanted to be on hand to send Ric off. It was one of the rarest sights in all of pro wrestling, a legitimate happy ending.

Another reason this deserves to be on the list is that the fallout from the retirement was almost as good as the retirement angle itself. A grief-stricken Shawn Michaels was berated by Batista, another man who idolized Ric Flair. We all expected this to be the ultimate Batista heel turn that we had been clamoring for, but in the end it would up establishing someone else entirely.

Chris Jericho’s return to the WWE was less that memorable. He had a great build-up, but after a lackluster feud with JBL, it was clear that his face push had no real legs. By becoming the instigator in the Batista/Michaels feud, Chris would embark on his most successful heel turn (and run) to date. Jericho stirred the pot between Dave and Shawn and then he stepped into his own memorable feud with Michaels, cementing himself as one of the most hated men in all of wrestling.

That was the magic of this retirement angle, that not only did it give Ric a sendoff that he deserved, it allowed anyone who was associated with it to shine even brighter.

3. The Last Nitro

This very well might be the biggest moment of the decade. The year 2001 saw the end of WCW, a company that traced its lineage back to the dawn of the NWA. For most of us, pro wrestling was defined by the Monday Night Wars. Watching RAW and Nitro go head-to-head allowed us to experience some the greatest moments and matches in wrestling history, from the formation of the nWo to Steve Austin stunning Vince McMahon. But, by 2000, the War was pretty much won.

WCW died a thousand deaths, and for those of us who were loyal to Vince’s product, we couldn’t be happier. WCW lost Hogan, Savage, Goldberg and Hart in a matter of months, and the constantly changing product ranged from bad to unwatchable. WCW’s star-potential talent had fled to the WWE (Jericho, The Giant, Malenko, Guerrero, Benoit) while its established stars were either injured or uninterested. No matter what the reasons, WCW was circling the drain.

When Vince McMahon bought WCW, the wrestling world changed forever. Competition was dead and there was one master and ruler of the world (with all due respect to Sid). What’s ironic is that WCW’s roster at its close was probably one of the best young rosters around. They had Booker T, Scott Steiner, Sting and Jeff Jarrett at the top of the card and they had guys like Rey Mysterio, Lance Storm, Billy Kidman (and his calamine lotion) and Chavo Guerrero just below them. Quite frankly, their roster could have helped them survive on another night and with lower expectations. Hell, they were pretty much TNA.

The Last Nitro was a surreal show. It was broadcast from Daytona Beach, and instead of being in an arena, it had the indignity of being broadcast in what looked like a run-down motel. The show was being called by Tony Schiavone with the same ineptness that he always seemed to bring to the table (my undying hatred of him will not subside in an effort to spread goodwill for the end of the decade) and featured Booker T win the WCW title over Scott Steiner. It also featured what will very likely be the last ever match between Ric Flair and Sting. The match itself was a sad affair, with an out-of-shape Flair wrestling in a t-shirt against a man that we were probably never going to see on television again.

Thankfully, both Sting and Flair got better moments in the sun, but at that moment, it just seemed like all the years of momentum that WCW possessed was going to come to a grinding halt with not a bang but a whimper.

This would also be a good time to mention the fallout from the Last Nitro. See, this is on the list not just because it was the final show of a dying company, but because of the powder keg that it exploded. Vince McMahon buying WCW was the most shocking moment of the past decade in the world of wrestling, and it was hopefully going to be the start of the single best angle in the history of the sport.

Obviously, it wasn’t.

The Invasion angle was a complete and utter failure for several reasons. First, obviously, was the lack of star power. Vince put on WWE versus WCW but used the WCW roster no one cared enough about to tune in for in the first place. We didn’t want to see Sean O’Haire, we wanted to see Kevin Nash. We didn’t want to see Kronik, we wanted to see Goldberg. We didn’t want to see Chavo, we wanted to see Mysterio. Ironically, all of the stars that would have made the Invasion angle a success ultimately wound up in the WWE, but by that point this storyline was buried and done with.

Second, there was the fact that Vince didn’t believe in the storyline. Everyone knew that in the end, WCW would not triumph over the WWE, so why bother? Vince lumped WCW and ECW together into some sort of bizarre wrestling hybrid, but in the end it became a feud between Kurt Angle and Steve Austin. Every wrestler was on one side or the other (or in some instances both), and the options for “dream matches” didn’t really exist outside of Rock/Booker, RVD/Hardy and Stacy/Trish.

Third, no one was going to buy a true WWE versus WCW story because Vince owned both companies. Yes, on television it was made to look like Shane owned WCW, but we all knew better. We had long dreamed of getting to see an epic battle play out like nWo versus WCW, but we never really got it. Even worse, we never got the two dream matches we always wanted; Hogan/Austin and Goldberg/Austin.

The Last Nitro was a show about despair and hope. The WCW guys had no clue what was in store for their future, and they were scared. The fans had no clue what was in store, and they were optimistic. In the end, a lot of the WCW guys got to keep their jobs and the fans got…uh…Test winning a battle royal.

4. Brock Lesnar v. Goldberg

If there could be a definitive theme to this past decade it would be one of missed opportunities. Ironically, the majority of missed opportunities from this past decade stem from one “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Steve was, at the start of this decade, white hot. While it was true that his shtick might have been getting a little old and repetitive, it still put asses in seats. Unfortunately for us, Steve’s out of the ring activities tended to get more press than his in-ring antics.

Between backstage tantrums, alleged spousal abuse and general erratic behavior, Steve Austin became a true liability to the WWE. Because of that, Vince became obsessed with building a newer and better Stone Cold. He tried to do it with Kurt Angle, but it never really caught on. He tried to do it with The Rock, but the People’s Champion moniker meant that he didn’t need any gimmick but his own. Ultimately, Vince McMahon decided that he would carve a new star out of granite and we the people would anoint him our new king of wrestling.

He was billed as the Next Big Thing, but his sudden impact in wrestling meant that he was our current Biggest Thing. Brock Lesnar had a look about him that screamed Superstar, and thanks to his manager Paul Heyman, he had all of the hype that an athlete of his caliber deserved.

Brock emerged from the rubble that was the InVasion angle as an untainted beacon of hope. Vince was certain that whether the fans loved him or hated him that he would make the WWE some serious cash. Lesnar began to blaze a trial through the company, including taking down Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Big Show and even The Rock. Unfortunately, in order for the fans to cave in and say that he was truly THE MAN, he needed to beat THE MAN. He needed to beat the bald-headed ass kicker whose no-nonsense look of black tights and a scowl became synonymous with pro wrestling.

Sadly, he got Bill Goldberg instead.

Steve Austin refused to lay down for Brock Lesnar, so he “took his ball and went home.” Truthfully, Steve wasn’t happy with the fact that his character had become a directionless goof, bouncing between programs without the momentum he once had. Stone Cold had become passé, and he saw Brock as the true threat that he was.

Lesnar’s tenure in the WWE would be marred by controversy. While the fans loved the unstoppable monster, they wouldn’t embrace him as a Vince McMahon smiling face. We knew then what UFC fans knew now, that it is fun to root for the asshole who will demolish you while smiling. Creative, on the other hand, wanted us to embrace Brock as a traditional face, something we wouldn’t do. Lesnar flipped from face to heel and back again, constantly confusing us and preventing the fans from embracing him with both hands.

While Brock tangled with Big Show, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle on the wrestling heavy Smackdown, RAW languished under the weight of Triple H and Evolution. Evolution had already demolished their key opponent in Booker T, and with little in the way of opposition, ran roughshod over Monday Nights. Vince, desperate to find a new face, opened up his wallet and signed Nitro’s favorite son, Goldberg.

It’s hard to believe it now, but back then the signing of Goldberg was really just sort of an afterthought. We had believed the hype surrounding the WCW InVasion and got burned. We believed the hype surrounding the nWo and got burned. We believed the hype surrounding Hulk Hogan and we got bored. People had seen what Vince McMahon had done to those that we demanded, so we sort of expected disappointment when it came to Bill Goldberg.

When Goldberg actually debuted, our trepidation was justified. He wasn’t made to look completely unstoppable, mainly due to the fact that (a) Vince doesn’t do that and (b) the roster just wasn’t there. We could only see him kick La Resistance’s asses so many times before we would just say uncle.

Goldberg had some “dream”-ish matches against Hunter and The Rock, but he just wasn’t the same guy that WCW fans had loved.

Rumblings from the ‘Net began to surface as the Road to Wrestlemania XX began that Brock and Goldberg were both feeling antsy. Mainly, the rumors were that Goldberg wasn’t going to re-up with Vince and that his days in the company were numbered. Sensing that his time was short, McMahon decided to book him against Brock Lesnar as sort of a “dream match” despite the fact that everyone knew the dream match that we wanted.

Ever since Brock Lesnar stepped into a WWE ring, fans wanted Austin/Lesnar. Ever since the Monday Night Wars, fans wanted Austin/Goldberg. Somehow, in Vince’s mind, this meant that fans wanted Lesnar/Goldberg.

With the stage set for what was supposed to be the biggest Wrestlemania ever, Vince believed that he had a can’t-miss match. Then it came out that Goldberg wasn’t going to return. Not a problem in Vince’s eyes, because that means Bill will job and Brock will look even more unstoppable than ever. Then the other shoe dropped and it was announced that Brock Lesnar wanted out as well.

The loss of Goldberg seemed like a body blow, especially when you consider his hype had yet to match his dividends. The loss of Brock Lesnar seemed like a fatal blow since he was the heir apparent for the WWE. Vince had been treading water ever since the loss of The Rock and Steve Austin, and when you combine that with the loss of Goldberg and Lesnar, things seemed truly bleak. His answer was supposed to be what played out in the main event of WMXX (I’ll get to that later), so he figured this match was going to just be sort of an exercise in futility. Vince figured he’d put on an exhibition match and then let the two behemoths ride off into the sunset.

This match makes the list as evidence of the true power of the IWC. Yes, the match was in the Garden and smart marks tend to populate the arena, but not on a scale like this. The news had permeated every aspect of the match, with both Bill and Brock agreeing to wrestle simply out of obligation to their contracts because it was clear that neither man’s heart was in it. Bill wanted the money and the chance to go home, while Brock was sick of pretending to lose and wanted recognition in a “real” sport.

With Steve Austin as the referee/ringmaster (no pun intended), Lesnar and Goldberg put on a display of passionless wrestling usually reserved for a WCW Power Hour match. Thankfully, the fans didn’t buy it for an instance. They booed, they jeered, they heckled, and they ultimately turned what should have been a decently watchable contest into a massive debacle.

This was one of the moments of the decade for several reasons. First, it was THE example of Vince’s inability to bring in major WCW stars and graft them onto his roster seamlessly the way he had been able to do with guys during the Monday Night Wars (Rey Mysterio being the exception, though he never had been a WCW Champion…oh, and there was Booker T but he was more or less reinvented as opposed to coasting on his WCW rep). Second, this was the end of the Brock Lesnar experiment, showing Vince that there was no reason to build new stars when he could trust guys like Triple H to not run at a moment’s notice. Third, this match was yet another wake-up call to the WWE that the ‘Net wasn’t just read by a small percentage of the audience and that the card-carrying IWC member made up the bulk of the ticket-buying public.

5. Kurt Angle versus Eddie Guerrero & Chris Benoit v. Shawn Michaels v. HHH

The other part of the Wrestlemania XX story was what has sort of been dubbed the “confetti incident.” To rehash everything involved here would be redundant, but it’s safe to say that THIS will probably be, alongside Vince opening Nitro, the definitive image of the decade.

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit were the true Internet darlings in the WWE, and two men who had never truly broken the glass ceiling. In a moment of oddly logical booking, Vince McMahon decided that the best way to close his twentieth edition of Wrestlemania by showing fans that there was a new era in the WWE. Since the Austin Attitude Era was pretty much over and done with and the era of Ruthless Aggression nothing more than a catchphrase, Vince thought that maybe focusing in on wrestlers who could wrestle would be the way to get the ratings back up. It was a novel formula, and maybe putting on quality wrestling during a wrestling show was the kind of unique idea that just might work.

Guerrero and Angle wrestled what, under normal circumstances, would have been match of the night. While modern history seems to have rewritten this as the night that Eddie won the title, most of us know better. Guerrero won the belt at the prior PPV by beating Brock Lesnar and his match against Kurt was his first major PPV title defense. The two of them did what they normally do in the ring, which is to blow everyone away. The match itself was very good, but never really reached the level that these two could.

Benoit/Michaels/Hunter, on the other hand, reached the top of the mountain in terms of in-ring quality. The three men managed to put on one of the best (if not the best) triple threat matches in wrestling history. Fans had been ecstatic for months over Benoit winning the Royal Rumble, but doubt crept into their minds when the original HHH/Benoit match became a triple threat. Thankfully, in the end Benoit won the World Heavyweight Title and all seemed right with the world.

Unfortunately (a word that seems to get used a lot when discussing this past decade), nothing would truly work out as planned. Eddie and Chris hugged in the center of the ring at the end of Wrestlemania XX under a cascade of confetti to symbolize the end of their struggles in the pro wrestling industry. For the first time ever, the men sitting at the top of the world were two shorter grapplers who toiled everywhere from Japan to ECW before becoming “the man”.

Eddie and Chris wouldn’t hold the titles for very long, but the ends of their reigns would bring about major changes in the WWE. Benoit dropped the title to Randy Orton, which would launch the young man to the top of the WWE, which is where he sits today. Guerrero dropped the title to, of all people, Bradshaw, who turned his APA character into a Million Dollar Man doppelganger overnight and was rewarded with a championship run. JBL’s reign as World Champion over the next few years was one of the most polarizing events of the decade, with many people voting with their remote controls as to whether Bradshaw deserved the strap. Both JBL and Randy Orton had initial title runs that were less than welcome, partially due to the fact that they both robbed us of what could have been tremendous runs by Benoit and Guerrero.

Many believed that the abrupt endings of the title reigns would mark Wrestlemania XX a failure, but of course, we all know that it would get much, much worse.

The sudden death of Eddie Guerrero and the heinous murder/suicide of Chris Benoit would forever mar what was one of the few beautiful moments in professional wrestling history. Eddie’s death will be touched on later, but for now I will mention the Chris Benoit murder.

To call Benoit’s murdering of his wife and son and subsequent suicide the biggest wrestling story of the year would be a grave injustice to the wrestling industry. It was a major news story in the past decade, but it should not be “honored” as the moment to define the past ten years. We will all remember where we were when we heard that Chris Benoit had killed his family, but to cling to that memory and make it the definitive image does not do anybody any favors. Our memories should come from what happens in the ring, not outside it. For that reason, I did not list the Benoit murder on here, but rather touched upon it under the banner of the Wrestlemania XX matches.

6. Batista v. Eddie Guerrero – No Mercy 2005

The death of Eddie Guerrero was a shock to the wrestling world that still resonates today. It’s almost unfathomable to think that a man at the top of his game was taken from us so suddenly, and his passing is undoubtedly one of the saddest stories of the decade.

Eddie doesn’t just deserve to be on this list because of his passing. Eddie deserves to be mentioned here because he truly was one of the superstars who broke the glass ceiling in the 00’s. Guerrero would wrestle some amazing matches as part of the Smackdown Six, not to mention great feuds with John Cena, Kurt Angle, Big Show and even JBL. While they all were great, his final feud with Batista constitutes something memorable.

In the fall of 2005, Smackdown had morphed into a different animal. Gone were the days of the Smackdown Six, where we could be guaranteed a blockbuster match every week. It was also around this time that RAW began to pick off all of the “major” stars for itself, leaving Smackdown with an odd hodgepodge of wrestlers. Smackdown at this point had The Undertaker establishing Randy Orton as a heel on his own merits, it had MNM rebuilding tag wrestling and it had Eddie Guerrero running wild as the top heel in the company.

JBL was finally unseated from his reign as champion by Batista, but there was still a problem…people just weren’t buying Dave. Batista and Cena went into Wrestlemania 21 with insane amounts of heat from the crowd, but due to a myriad of circumstances, John stayed white hot while Dave flamed out. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they swapped brands, or maybe it was because Cena had Triple H to feud with while Batista was stuck with the charismatic black hole Bradshaw. For whatever reason, people LOVED Cena and were lukewarm to Batista. Enter Eddie Guerrero.

Guerrero and Batista embarked on what looked like yet another cookie cutter heel/face feud. Eddie would use his underhanded tactics to attack Dave and Dave would triumph over evil despite the odds. Except, for some strange (and awesome) reason, Creative decided to try something different.

Playing to their strengths, Eddie and Batista started down a storyline path that was borderline revolutionary; Eddie would play the dastardly heel who would pretend to be Dave’s ally and Dave would outsmart him and play along. Normally in wrestling, the heel outsmarts the face, makes him look like a complete moron but ultimately gets his comeuppance. Here, Dave let us know that he was in on it from the start. This subtle wink to the fans let us in on the gag and showed us that maybe we could support Batista. Maybe, just maybe, Dave Batista wasn’t just a dumb jock who yelled a lot and shook the ropes. Maybe he was really like Bugs Bunny, a smartass who was always one step ahead and always looked like he was having fun.

Eddie played his role as Dave’s “amigo” to perfection. Every time we thought he would zig, he would zag. Eddie did some of his best promo work and backstage work here, engaging in antics both wacky and diabolical. Yet, no matter what he did, Batista always sort of foiled him. Then, something unique happened; the fans started to love seeing Eddie and Dave together. Yes, they knew that Guerrero was going to stab Batista in the back, but they didn’t care. The audience was taking the ride with the wrestlers and, for the first time in a while, enjoying Smackdown.

Guerrero was the kind of athlete that could come off a tasteless angle like the Rey Mysterio paternity nonsense and still get the fans to love him…even when they were supposed to hate him. Eddie and Batista were continuing their feud, which had an inevitable showdown at No Mercy. Everyone expected this to be the show where Guerrero ultimately turned on his “amigo”, but in true Eddie fashion, he wrestled a clean match. He swerved us all.

Unfortunately, this was the last PPV match of Eddie’s career. It would have been great to see this play out to its fullest. Perhaps Batista once again would have gotten over as an unstoppable force, and then who knows where the WWE would be today. This is not on the list because the match itself was a five star affair, but because it represents just how great Eddie was, and how his passing has robbed us of years of memorable matches and stories.

7. Matt Hardy v. Edge at Unforgiven 2005

One of the biggest stories of the past decade was the Matt Hard-Edge-Lita love triangle. For the first time in recent memory, an outside the ring storyline played out much better than anything the WWE could have scripted.

Rather than insult your intelligence and go beat-by-beat, I will give the Cliffs Notes version; Matt Hardy and Lita, along with Matt’s brother Jeff were Team X-Treme, one of the zeitgeist grabbing teams during the Attitude Era (hell, they were in “Rolling Stone”), Matt and Lita were dating in real life, Lita began diddling Edge in real life, Matt found out, Matt freaked out and Vince McMahon had a problem.

You can’t really have two guys in a locker-room when one guy was screwing the other guy’s girlfriend. That doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out. So, Vince was left with the only logical move…fire the guy who doesn’t draw as much despite the fact that his woman was cheating on him. Yep, Matt got the boot and Edge got the push.

The Internet went absolutely nuts when this story broke, because it felt so kayfabe that there was no way that it could be real…but it was real. Ironically enough, Lita was in a televised love triangle with Matt Hardy and Kane that couldn’t draw a dime, so it goes to show you that you sometimes need the right people for a storyline to work.

Matt Hardy went to the web, blasting Edge, Lita and the WWE. He started doing weird little mini-shows for his site, all the while becoming the poster child for all that was wrong with Vince. Meanwhile, Edge was suddenly generating more heel heat than ever before, as the guy who just couldn’t get over to that next level finally had that last little push to make him the truly evil villain in the fans eyes.

At One Night Stand, Paul Heyman went on a quasi-shoot promo where he buried members of the WWE locker-room to appease the ECW audience that thought that maybe ECW was coming back for good. Aside from the “edgy” jokes about JBL (that he was only champ because Hunter won’t work Tuesdays), Heyman’s rant was fairly standard. That is until he got to Edge. For the first time since Matt Hardy was booted from the company, someone said his name. Based on the crowd reaction, it was clear to Vince that if Matt and Edge were willing to do business that there was money to be made.

On a random episode of RAW, we would get one of the few borderline shoot moments of the decade. Matt Hardy, the man who was fired from the WWE because his girlfriend cheated on him, ran out of nowhere to attack Edge. It was brilliant television, especially because the announcers refused to talk about it. It felt real. Matt went after Edge with punches that looked legit, and Lita’s pleading for them to stop sounded genuine. Best of all, as Matt Hardy was being carted off by security, he yelled out that he would be at that weekend’s ROH show.

Was it real or was it scripted? Would Vince really allow Matt Hardy to show up on television and announce his next indie booking while walloping his main eventer? Apparently so, because Matt Hardy re-signed with the WWE. Matt and Edge first met at SummerSlam, but due to a match stoppage due to blood (it was a work), the fans didn’t get what they wanted. At Unforgiven, Matt and Edge worked a stiff cage match that ended with Matt Hardy finally triumphing over that damn Edge.

Edge would ultimately win the war by beating Matt in a “Loser Leaves RAW” match, but the angle was incredibly successful on all angles. First, it again showed the WWE that fans not only read the Internet but they like it when it gets integrated into the show. Work-shoots like this let us know that maybe someone in Titan Tower cares what we think…sometimes. Second, it helped establish Edge as the Rated R Superstar. He would come away from this angle with enough credible heat to warrant being the World Champion, not to mention a gimmick that stayed with him to this day. Lastly, it helped Ring of Honor, who was mentioned by name on a WWE broadcast very much like how ECW was name-dropped nearly a decade earlier on RAW.

8. Rob Van Dam v. John Cena at One Night Only 2006

At every WWE show, fans make signs. It doesn’t matter if it’s Wrestlemania or a local house show, you know someone is going to show up with a piece of poster board marked with some catchphrase or saying. Signs at wrestling events have become a staple. Hell, we all know who the sign guy is at the WWE shows, not to mention the ECW icon that was Sign Guy Dudley. But one sign would be remembered as the sign of the decade.

If Cena wins, we riot.

Vince McMahon this past decade took a hell of a lot of risks. He bought WCW. He signed Hulk Hogan, Bill Goldberg, Rey Mysterio and Bret Hart. He started a football league. He started a movie company. He shaved his head and gave away a million dollars. Out of all of those risks, one of the biggest risks was when he decided to bring back ECW.

Yes, the DVDs sold well when he released the ECW documentary. Yes, the first One Night Stand drew tremendous business as a great nostalgia show. But, whether it was greed or chutzpah, Vince McMahon decided to bring back ECW under his watch. Was it going to fail? Of course. Nothing could recreate that ECW feeling anymore, because most of those fans are now gone. It’s why the bands of that era can’t still sell out arenas or why flannel shirts don’t move the way they used to. The spirit of ECW was dead, but it deserved a proper burial, and ONS 2005 was that burial.

One Night Stand 2006 was billed as the rebirth of Extreme Championship Wrestling. A lot of the elements that made the original ECW what it was seemed to be there. The originals were back. As unbelievable as it was, Sabu was signed to a WWE contract. Sandman was signed to a WWE contract. Justin “Aldo Montoya” Credible, Balls Mahoney and Roadkill were signed to WWE contracts. On top of that, Vince gave ECW Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Big Show and Kurt Angle. Paul Heyman now had the money and the talent to properly book ECW.

His coming out party was going to be One Night Stand. The main event for the show was to feature a WWE Title Match between RVD and John Cena. Cena was without a doubt the most hated man to the ECW smart mark community, and Vince decided to put him right in the mouth of the beast. Fans bought the ECW PPV just to hear the reaction when Cena walked out, and quite frankly it was worth the price. Vince McMahon took a risk by exposing his champion to the harshest environment since putting Shawn Michaels back in Montreal. The fans hated Cena so much that their promise to riot seemed genuine.

Rob Van Dam had never been a world champion. He never won the belt in ECW, and despite some title matches, never won the title in the WWE. This was his first legitimate shot at becoming “The Man”, and he sure as hell took it. This match makes it on the list because there was an atmosphere at this show that hadn’t existed in wrestling in a long time-genuine excitement. The fans were buzzing the entire show, and when John Cena lost to Rob Van Dam, the place exploded. Maybe ECW was going to make it after all (cue Marlo Thomas throwing her hat in the air).

Of course the benefit of hindsight is that it is 20/20, but for one moment in time, it seemed that the dreams of fans from a small bingo hall in South Philly would come true. People might not remember many shows from this past decade, but everyone remembers watching RVD win the ECW title.

9. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin v. The Rock – Wrestlemania XIX

Steve Austin and The Rock are two of the most popular superstars ever. Ever. No one can dispute that these two were two of the true icons in wrestling history. They made so much money and put so many asses in seats that there should be statues erected of them somewhere in Stamford.

When I was making my list, I figured that one of the locks had to be Rock/Austin at Wrestlemania X-7. It was probably one of my favorite matches of all time and the true pinnacle of wrestling. The WWE and the sport would never be as popular as it was during that match, and you can pretty much chart the decline of the sport to the second the referee counted 3 in that match.

Surprisingly, as I crafted my list, I decided not to include it. It is probably one of the best matches of the decade, but at the end of the day, Wrestlemania XIX’s Rock/Austin match was much more impactful.

Why? Because it was the true final wrestling match for two of the biggest stars of all time. Rocky and Stone Cold didn’t get a Ric Flair send-off, because no one really knew that this was going to be it. The Rock was no longer our little secret, as Hollywood had hooked him in and they weren’t going to let go. Austin was also done, a victim of politicking his way out of the sport only to come back with a busted neck that would spell the end.

The match itself was good but not great, but it’s not on here for the quality of the bout. It’s on here because this was the official close of an era of wrestling that we may never see again. No one knew or really understood just how important this match was, because none of us knew how serious things were. Steve Austin detailed in his book that he was told not to work the match and that he was going to risk paralysis. The Rock knew that he couldn’t continue to be an active wrestler and make feature films that would make him an international star. Push came to shove, and Wrestlemania XIX saw the final clash of one of the biggest rivalries of all time.

10. The Rock versus Hulk Hogan – Wrestlemania X-8

This match will stand the test of time in terms of being an epic match. Much like Hogan’s other Wrestlemania matches, it was not a mat classic, but it had all of the emotion you expect and crave from a wrestling match.

The Rock was embroiled in a terrible storyline with the nWo, featuring such gems as the New World Order hitting Rocky’s ambulance with a semi-truck. Since Austin wasn’t playing ball with Vince, McMahon decided that rather than give us the Austin/Hogan dream match, he would give us the Rock/Hogan dream-ish match. It was an odd decision, but it was one that McMahon believed in.

The build to the match portrayed Rocky as the sympathetic babyface, while Hogan was the borderline homicidal heel. Unfortunately, no one told the fans in Toronto. As soon as Hulk came out to the ring, the fans suddenly forgot about everything Hogan had to done to The Rock. Hell, they forgot about everything he ever did as a member of the nWo. They forgot about his single-handedly destroying WCW with his greed and creative control. They forgot all of his sins and, for the first time since the early 90’s, the fans saw their old idol come back to life. Hulk Hogan, the man who brought most of us through our childhood, was in a WWE ring at Wrestlemania.

Despite Hulk and Rock’s best efforts, the fans wanted Hogan to be our hero, so they cheered his every move. Rock, being a professional, tempered his act, and about halfway through, he embraced his role as the heel and allowed Hogan to shine. We got a Hulk-up, we got a leg drop and we got to relive our youth for one last time.

In the end, Rocky beat Hogan, but it didn’t matter. Through the course of one match and due to the sheer willpower of the fans, we got what we wanted. Unfortunately, that meant that Vince believed we really wanted an extended Hogan run. We didn’t. We just wanted to see him in the red and yellow one more time doing his thing. Did we need another Hogan title run? Probably not. But based on that one match, we certainly weren’t ready to let go of him either.

11. Cena raps on SmackDown! Halloween 2002

Most of us hate the backstage vignettes on RAW and Smackdown. Sure, they make you chuckle, but what do they really do? Do we really need to see Hornswoggle and Santino launch pies at Divas on a weekly basis? No, not really.

Oddly enough, one of these stupid backstage skits would unleash an inferno on the world of pro wrestling. In October of 2002, Smackdown had a Halloween themed episode, in which all the wrestlers dressed in costumes. Stupid, right? Well, one such star dressed in a ridiculous outfit was heretofore vanilla wrestler John Cena. Cena was decked on in a Vanilla Ice costume, and upon first viewing, it seemed like the standard uninspired WWE moment.

Then, he opened his mouth. John Cena unleashed a rap on Jill the make-up lady that showed the world that, hey, maybe this kid has some charisma. Who knew that this one-off moment would create THE Superstar of the decade?

Vince McMahon always said that the best characters were those in which someone just acted as themselves with the volume way up. It worked for Austin, it worked for The Rock, it worked for Mick Foley and it worked for Shawn Michaels. Maybe John Cena wasn’t just a generic worker, but rather a guy who could cut scathing promos that would get over with the fans.

The initial rapping John Cena was an incredibly exciting character. He was vulgar, he was crude, and he was funny. Cena used to say that he was too unmarketable for merchandise, so he encouraged people to bring signs. Sure enough, more and more signs appeared on television, and the rest was history. This moment was his “Austin 3:16” or “Die, Rocky, Die” speech. This was the moment where the wick was lit that would lead to the explosion of the most polarizing wrestler of the decade.

12. Shawn Michaels v. The Undertaker – Wrestlemania 25

Yes, this was Match of the Year. Yes, it is in contention for one of the best matches ever at a Wrestlemania. And yes, it is a horribly clichéd choice to put on this list.

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker have no right putting on a match like this at their advancing years. Neither of these men have anything left to prove, and quite frankly they should be thinking about hanging up their boots as opposed to stealing the show. Unfortunately, no one told Michaels and Taker.

The match was put out there to show the fans that the WWE still knows how to put on a wrestling match. Michaels and Taker wrestled a near flawless classic, despite the fact that they are both Sports Entertainers. Shawn and Undertaker have been the faces of the WWE for well over a decade, so for them to still have it in them to pull off a great match is a testament to both men.

No, it isn’t my intention to blow them or make this thing any more than it is, but the accomplishments that they had in that ring were downright memorable. Unfortunately (a word that sure does come up a lot on this list), it didn’t get anyone else over. It didn’t help the company in the interim either. Shawn and Taker stole the show and then vanished from the ring. Since returning, Taker has wrestled his standard broken down matches while Shawn has been relegated to DX chicanery.

The match deserves to be on a “Best of the Decade” list because these two showed the world that great pro wrestling still exists…when they want it to.

13. CM Punk v. Jeff Hardy TLC – SummerSlam 2009

CM Punk and Jeff Hardy had one of the best feuds of the year, and, if given time, would have become one of the all time greatest feuds. Why? Because they brought out the best in one another.

Jeff Hardy had always been the poster child for missed opportunities. His initial push as a member of the Hardy Boys made him insanely popular with the fans, but his constantly reckless behavior cost him his singles push. When Jeff walked away from the WWE, most assumed he was gone for good.

After a run in TNA, Jeff Hardy returned to the WWE with a renewed outlook on life. Unfortunately, his renewed outlook on life had little effect on the ass kicking he would take at the hands of the Wellness Policy. When Jeff seemed poised to finally break through during his feud with Randy Orton, he was suspended and missed Wrestlemania 24.

Upon his return, Jeff was moved to Smackdown, where he ultimately became the World Champion. Perhaps now it was finally time to let Hardy carry the ball and become the face of the organization. Perhaps now he was finally clean and sober and willing to accept the mantle as The Man.

CM Punk, meanwhile, had been languishing as a face. He had risen to the top of ECW thanks to a wave of momentum from ROH, but since being moved to RAW, he sort of was stagnant. Punk won the Money in the Bank and cashed in his shot to beat Randy Orton for the title. Unfortunately (there’s that damn word again), Creative took the title off of him without even having him get pinned.

Punk was moved to Smackdown, where he engaged in a pedestrian feud with Umaga. At Wrestlemania 24, Punk won MITB again. Unfortunately, it did little to get the fans behind him at a level where he could be considered the top face on the brand.

After Jeff Hardy defeated Edge at Extreme Rules for the World Heavyweight Championship, Punk cashed in his briefcase and became the new champion. He had tried to use the briefcase on numerous previous occasions against Edge, but Umaga kept costing him his opportunities. Finally, after wrestling Umaga earlier in the night, Punk had his moment and he seized it.

And the fans booed.

Punk never bought into the heel turn, which was what made it so effective. He continued to act like a face despite the fact that the fans hated him, which made them hate him even more. He justified his actions to the audience, something that should have made him less heelish. That, thankfully, didn’t work either. Ultimately, Punk broke out his old ROH persona of Straight Edge is Better Than You and became a monster heel.

CM Punk would lose his World Title to Jeff Hardy, but their feud would continue to heat up Friday Nights, giving it the show’s best run in years. Hardy and Punk would face off at SummerSlam one final time in a TLC match, hoping to blow the feud off once and for all.

Jeff Hardy, ever the genius, decided that he was going to walk away from wrestling again because he needed some time off. This knowledge made SummerSlam all but a formality, as Punk beat Hardy for the title. That week on Smackdown, Punk beat Hardy in a “Loser Leaves the WWE” match, closing the book of Jeff’s wrestling career for the time being.

Then Jeff got busted for drugs and the house of cards fell. Despite the countless losses of wrestlers over the past few years and despite the three strikes policy, Jeff Hardy honestly believed his gimmick of “live for the moment.” All of Punk’s promos talking about how Hardy was a hypocrite would turn out to be true, adding resonance to this feud that makes it insanely re-watchable (something unusual for a wrestling angle).

This is on the list not just because it was an entertaining match and a great feud, but also as a symbol of the continued missed opportunity that is Jeff Hardy.

14. Bobby Lashley v. Umaga – Wrestlemania 23

This match represents a lot of what made this a unique decade of pro wrestling. First, there’s the involvement of Donald Trump. Yes, The Donald was part of several Wrestlemanias in the past, but here he was actually a part of a legitimate storyline. Unfortunately, the storyline revolved around hair follicles, but it was still a legit storyline. In the past few years, we’ve seen celebrities used to actually enhance Superstars as opposed to just appear to placate their egos (as long as you ignore the bulk of the Guest GMs who are just shameless whores). It was nice to see someone of such “stature” dirty his hands in the wrasslin’ game, especially when you consider at the time that Donald Trump was a legit celebrity thanks to his “Apprentice” temporarily saving NBC.

Second, there’s the massive push of Bobby Lashely. This entire decade was dedicated to Vince McMahon looking to replace Steve Austin the way cougars look to replace their late husbands. Vince was scorned by several potential stars, but none was more public than Brock Lesnar. For everyone’s bellyaching about Triple H being at the top of the card, can you really blame the WWE? Unlike everyone else, Hunter is pretty much a lock to never leave. He and The Undertaker are going to be part of Titan Towers until the day they die or they can’t wrestle (and even then they’ll still work ). What was the incentive for Vince to take a gamble anyway? Hunter, Shawn and Taker were WWE through and through, and they could populate the main event scene for quite a while.

This past decade, Vince tried to create legitimate new stars, but kept looking for love in all the wrong places. Lesnar’s massive push (which came at the expense of The Rock, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle) and dramatic departure hurt the WWE quite a bit. The push of the random WCW stars hurt the WWE too, because Vince believes that only those stars that he makes should be at the top. Bobby Lashley represented a chance for Vince to get a do-over; a chance to make a new Brock Lesnar who would never leave him.

And then he left.

Vince was willing to do anything to get Lashley over, even if it meant shaving his head. McMahon made his feud with Donald Trump revolve around Lashley in an effort to get Black Lesnar to a place in the fans’ minds where they would universally love him. It didn’t really work because the fans just couldn’t buy into a guy with a baby face and a terrible voice, not to mention an annoying smile Ultimately, Lashley turned his back on Vince the way that Brock did, and this match (and his odd new haircut) stands as yet another memorial to the aborted pushes of this decade. At least John Cena has proven to be the next great money tree.

15. Mickie James v. Trish Stratus – Wrestlemania 22

This was probably the most memorable Women’s Title match ever. Hell, it was one of the most memorable matches ever. Trish and Mickie built a feud with one another that could rival what the men did, with twists and turns that the audience was willing to follow. Mickie James was a real find for Vince, as her Alexis Laree character was dropped in favor of that of a borderline stalker of Trish Stratus. Mickie played the role with reckless abandon, embracing the whole psycho lesbian aspect with gusto. Even better, she could wrestle.

Trish Stratus will probably be remembered as the best female wrestler of the modern era. She had the looks, she had the ability and she had the charisma. Trish had that certain “it” that the WWE wishes it could bottle and use on the bulk of their wrestlers.

When Trish and Mickie met at Wrestlemania, it was a good match. It worked well because Mickie showed that she could wrestle while staying in character. Even better, it was a match that the fans were into without solely caring about T&A. The fans BELIEVED in the storyline and the characters, and it shone through in the match. This was the slight glimmer of hope for fans of women’s wrestling that maybe the WWE could recreate the magic of Trish/Lita and provide exciting bouts for years to come. Obviously it didn’t happen, but this match was such an incredible moment where lightning was captured in a bottle.

16. Rey Mysterio v. Randy Orton v. Kurt Angle – Wrestlemania 22

While the passing of Eddie Guerrero was tragic, the exploitation of his death was truly depressing. The WWE went into shock when Eddie died, mainly because he factored so prominently in their broadcasts. With Guerrero gone, there were several holes on the roster. First and foremost there was the loss of one of the greatest hands the company had. Second, there was the loss of a main event star. Third, there was the loss of a major Latino star. The WWE’s solution? Brand Rey Mysterio as the man to carry on Eddie’s legacy.

Rey’s push would become known as the Dead Eddie push because rather than elevate him organically so that the fans would support him, they just draped him in Eddie stuff and threw him out in the ring. Suddenly, Guerrero’s legitimate friend was forced to pimp his personal relationship to sell t-shirts and PPVs. Oddly enough, I don’t really have a major problem with it because there was money to be made and Vince is a smart businessman. The unfortunate part of it was that the Dead Eddie push would eventually seep into Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania is on this list a lot because that is sort of where the culmination of a lot of storylines end up. Those storylines in one way or another shape that year’s events, so it warrants a place on the list. This match is here because it was the apex of the Dead Eddie push, with Rey Mysterio becoming the World Heavyweight Champion because his friend had died.

Mysterio as a champion wasn’t all that credible when you consider how incredibly tiny he really is. There’s suspension of reality and then there’s “No fucking way”. When you cross that line, you’re in trouble.

The problem with this storyline was that it shoehorned Rey into what was a decent little story between Angle and Orton. Randy and Kurt would meet at One Night Stand, but neither man got their shot here to shine. The match itself was kept short, probably because the WWE wanted to minimize their risks in case the audience turned on it.

Rey’s title reign was marred by bad taste, which is saying something considering the year prior he battled Eddie in a paternity suit feud. Mysterio’s opponents would mock Eddie, especially JBL. In the end, his title reign came to an inauspicious end, but the milking of Eddie’s passing would continue to today in the form of Vickie Guerrero marrying Edge and Batista invoking Eddie’s name to justify his heel turn.

17. Edge cashes in Money in the Bank – New Year’s Revolution 2006

The concept of Money in the Bank was a really revolutionary idea. The Royal Rumble was tweaked to help get someone into the title picture, but the constant promise of a main even of Wrestlemania shot meant that only a handful of people could win the match. MITB, on the other hand, could go to a truly fresh face who could cash the shot in at any point in time. The WWE had created a tool that could anoint anyone as a future champ.

The WWE said that Money in the Bank could be used at any time, but no one really understood the ramifications that it could bring about. At New Year’s Revolution, John Cena emerged victorious in an Elimination Chamber match. The fans were pretty upset by it, just because it was the “same old shit”. Then, as the PPV seemed to be winding down, Edge came out with his suitcase and cashed in his title shot. Before anyone knew what was happening, Edge won his first WWE Title.

This makes the list for a few reasons. First, it was a huge “holy shit” moment for the WWE. It was the kind of swerve that people wouldn’t soon forget. Second, it established MITB as a true force in the company, and it would come into play to help CM Punk win the World Heavyweight Title on two separate occasions. Third, it would give Edge his first World Title as well as cement his legacy as “the ultimate opportunist.”

18. Hornswoggle is Vince’s Kid

Who was Vince McMahon’s illegitimate child?

It was the kind of campy soap opera storytelling that wrestling fans should hate, but they were excited. By making someone Vince’s kid, we would get a new McMahon. Even better, it would be a fulltime wrestler. This means that not only do we have an odd new twist in the McMahon saga, but we also have someone to feud with Triple H. Think of the possibilities!

Of course, in the end it was the fucking midget (who wasn’t even really his kid in storyline world). Everyone knows the true backstory, and for that reason alone, this makes the list.

Mister Kennedy was sort of billed as yet another in a long line of the next “guy” in the company. He had a good look, he was great on the microphone and he wasn’t too bad in the ring. Something about him had a star quality that made some folks love him and some folks despise him. Mr. McMahon decided that Mr. Kennedy would be the guy who would be his next star, so he wanted to throw his weight behind him.

Originally, the plan was for Mister Kennedy to be the one behind Vince’s exploding limo. The idea was that Vince had discovered that Ken was his illegitimate kid, and rather than shun him, he was going to fake his own death and then the company would go to Mr. Kennedy. Unfortunately, the real life death of Chris Benoit ended that angle.

Not being one to let a good idea sit, Vince brought back the idea of an illegitimate child and would announce who the kid was on air. In Green Bay, Wisconsin. Mr. Kennedy’s hometown.

All the pieces were in place, but then Ken got busted for a Wellness Policy. Ken had already hit a speed bump when he suffered an injury after winning MITB. He then hit a snag after the whole limo debacle. Then he got busted for the Wellness violation. Throw in a series of other injures and you pretty much had a recipe for disaster.

The illegitimate child storyline was yet another blown opportunity by the WWE to establish a new star, and it also stood as one of the dumbest angles ever run.

19. Shawn Michaels wins first Elimination Chamber – Survivor Series 2002

The WWE was convinced that Shawn Michaels was done after Wrestlemania 14. The loss of Michaels that soon after losing Bret Hart could have been fatal, but Stone Cold Steve Austin picked up the ball and he truly ran with it.

Then, in 2002, something kinda odd happened. Shawn Michaels, the man with the busted back and the long-term retirement plan, was back. Not just back, but back as a wrestler.

One of the biggest stories of this decade was the return of Shawn Michaels to the wrestling world. Somehow this guy who has no right still wrestling has pulled out incredible performances well past what some would consider his “prime”.

The biggest shocker was his competing in the first Elimination Chamber. The Chamber gimmick alone was pretty revolutionary by allowing the WWE to do a main event with six stars at the top of the card on a random PPV. They tried it already with Hell in a Cell, but it just didn’t click. This match, for whatever reason, clicked. Even better, they got Shawn to step into it and navigate the inaugural sailing.

Before the match, there were a lot of questions. Could the match work? Could Shawn still wrestle? Would he come back full time? Could he still steal the show? The answer to all of those questions was a resounding yes, as Michaels walked out of the match with the World Heavyweight Title.

Shawn Michaels was one of the most impactful wrestlers this decade, making it the third decade in which he changed the face of the sport (when he wasn’t shilling glowsticks or wrestling Chris Masters). Now, with the signing of Bret Hart, it looks like he will be entering his fourth decade as the game changer. Say what you want about him, Shawn Michaels provided one hell of a comeback story and is still putting on matches that most of the roster would give their right arms for.

20. TLC II – Wrestlemania X-7

Wrestlemania X-7 was, without a doubt, the apex of the wrestling renaissance. Everything this decade can be gauged based on this show. The PPV event itself was probably the single best PPV of the decade, featuring an almost top-to-bottom show of highlights.

The show had some high points and some low points like any Wrestlemania, but the good seemed to counteract the bad. Tazz and the APA beating RTC was kept under 4 minutes, Eddie had to wrestle Test but thankfully went over and Chyna squashed Ivory in less than 3 barely watchable minutes.

As for the good, we got an Angle/Benoit match to add to their pantheon of great matches, Taker and Hunter showing that they can work an exciting match even when nothing’s on the line, Jericho and Regal had an understated and fairly entertaining opener, the Gimmick Battle Royal was a nostalgia trip that lightened the atmosphere, Vince and Shane put on one hell of a brawl (people still remember Shane’s VanTerminator) that managed to tie up all the loose ends of their storyline, the hardcore match was batshit insane thanks to the addition of a golf cart, and Austin/Rock was one of the most iconic matches of that era.

But since I already included an Austin/Rock on this list, there is another match that warrants recognition. Wrestlemania X-7 will forever be remembered as the show where TLC II was unleashed on the world. Yes, TLC was not an innovative concept (ya know, for you rocket scientists out there that noticed that the match has a big II next to it), but while the first TLC stole SummerSlam (and is the favorite of a lot of folks), TLC II became indelible in fans’ minds.

The match itself instantly elevated everyone in it by cementing their place in the history books. The Dudleys, the Hardy Boys and Edge & Christian went out there to steal the show, and they certainly did it, thanks to Jeff Hardy’s ridiculous leap off the top of the ladder, Edge hitting the mid-air spear and the well executed Rhyno run-in. The match earned five stars pretty much across the board, and it would set the bar so high that to this day wrestlers go out there to try and top it.

The legacy of the TLC II Match is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it was an insane spotfest that provided the production team years of great images to throw into video montages. On the other hand, it continued to promote the dangerous high-risk wrestling that continues to destroy the bodies of the workers to the point where they can’t walk and struggle with painkiller addiction.

My theme for this list was the moments that defined a decade, and this match certainly did so. Four of the wrestlers in this match would go on to be world champions (two of them held true world titles and two of them held the ECW title…which totally counts…right?…right?!), while the Dudley Boys would go on to become stale, repetitive, and ultimately future endeavored (though they are still doing their shtick in TNA with diminishing returns). The TLC concept would continue to this day, with the last in the series belonging to DX and JeriShow, showing that the gimmick became important enough to be used for main eventers.

This is one of the instances where a match is on the list because it truly was one of the best matches of the past ten years, both in terms of in-ring performance and impact on the industry.

21. Billy & Chuck Get Married

I know.

I know.

Look, we can all try to pretend that professional wrestling is a sport, or at the very least a quasi-sport that requires true athletic ability, but at the end of the day it’s a hybrid of impressive physical performances combined with sometimes incredibly stupid storylines. Here, we had a heaping dose of the latter.

Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo were not exactly what you would call main eventers. Gunn was this leach of a worker who, despite countless pushes, couldn’t really get over on his own merits. He was one half of the Smoking Gunns, but they just never caught on the way Vince would have liked (despite the addition of Sunny). He was then Honky Tonk Man’s protégé, dubbed Rockabilly. Thankfully, that would be a short tenure, because NO ONE was buying it (I attended a live event where he wrestled and I was worried there was going to be a riot). Then, he struck gold as one half of the New Age Outlaws. Unfortunately, all the heat that they seemed to generate wouldn’t stay with them once they broke up.

Billy was handed the King of the Ring, he was given a high profile feud with The Rock, he was redubbed The One and aligned with Torrie Wilson, but nothing seemed to work. Ever. People just didn’t like the guy, and his in-ring work did little to change anyone’s opinion. Ultimately, the WWE decided that rather than continue to pretend that Billy was going to be a main event star, they decided to just play him for laughs.

Enter Chuck Palumbo. (Get it? Because they were supposed to be gay? Enter as in anal penetration? Look, if you’re not laughing at this, how the hell were you supposed to buy this brilliant angle?)

Chuck was one of the WCW refugees who got to keep his job for some unexplainable reason (it wasn’t like the Natural Born Thrillers were setting WCW ablaze…except for “Above Average” Mike Sanders because that guy had star power to spare!). Vince didn’t really have much for him, so his answer was to dye his hair bleached blonde, stick him with Billy Gunn and try to replicate the heat that Goldust used to get.

It seems odd now based on how he’s perceived, but there was a time when Goldust was the hottest commodity that Vince McMahon had in his locker-room. Goldust generated legitimately serious heat, mainly due to his “controversial” tactics. Vince figured that if it worked once, why wouldn’t it work again? Billy and Chuck were partnered with Rico (who was far too entertaining for the crap he was given), and they shifted from subtle gestures to outright man-love.

When it was announced that Billy & Chuck were getting married, the mainstream press again poked their noses into the steaming pile of shit that was pro wrestling. Vince has always hungered for acceptance from mainstream entertainment, but the rest of the world treated pro wrestling as something between morbid curiosity and cancer on society. When it suited their needs to exploit our stupidity, they leaped.

Billy and Chuck appeared on mainstream programming to promote the angle, which made Vince happy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t drawing the ratings that would justify such high placement. Billy & Chuck, who were tag champs, would get one high profile match by jobbing to Hulk Hogan and Edge (in one of those purely mark-out moments for nostalgia junkies who loved seeing the red and yellow and enjoyed watching a true Hogan mark live his dream).

Finally, it was time for Billy and Chuck to get married. The segment featured Stephanie McMahon as their witness (because she was the GM at that point) and a minister in the ring, and it seemed to go on forever. Seriously, the segment just wouldn’t end. Rico gave a speech, Billy gave a speech, Chuck gave a speech. There was a video montage. There was a run-in promo from The Godfather. Then, finally, we got our “twists”. First, Billy and Chuck revealed that this was a publicity stunt for some reason. Then, the minister peeled off his make-up to reveal himself to be Eric Bischoff (which admittedly was a cool moment marred by the fact that it’s associated with this segment). Finally, Bischoff called out Three Minute Warning (Rosey and the late Jamal) to lay out everyone in the ring, including Stephanie (who took a decent bump from the man who would be Umaga).

This makes the list for a few reasons. First, it was yet another testament to the fact that Vince just didn’t know what the audience wanted and decided to see stupid angles through to their end. Second, it was a lot of wasted resources to ultimately get over no one (Billy, Chuck and Rico disbanded and none of them did anything of any consequence before all ultimately leaving the company). Third, it was yet another example of mainstream America exploiting the sports’ dumbest moments for their own enjoyment.

The angle was too long, too dumb, and too ineffective. It represents all of the wasted and retarded angles that, unlike the Hornswoggle paternity mess, was going nowhere from the start.

22. Kane v. Kane – Vengeance 2006

Yes, you read that correctly, Kane versus Kane. No, this match is not on the list because it was a great contest (I haven’t completely lost my mind), but it’s on here for what it represents.

Kane starred in “See No Evil”, which was the first film from WWE Studios. Vince figured that since he has a massive audience of fans, hours of television programming and recognizable stars that this could translate into a film studio. His first film under this banner would be a horror movie featuring a guy who pretty much was a living horror villain. The idea wasn’t that bad, but unfortunately it just didn’t catch on, but it wasn’t due to a lack of trying.

Kane’s film came out on May 19, 2006. Rather than let the countless video packages and commercials do the job, Vince decided to integrate it into the actual wrestling program. Kane started to become haunted by a voice whispering the date, and the reveal wound up being that Kane would fight himself in his old mask form. Just don’t ask.

The match itself wasn’t good (despite the fact that fake Kane was played by Freakin’ Deacon/Festus/Luke Gallows) and the movie flopped, but the start of the WWE Studios was a major moment in wrestling this year. Vince pressed his luck outside of his comfort zone, and again it bit the hand that feeds it. After the failure of “The Condemned”, “12 Rounds” and the lackluster performance of “The Marine”, the WWE decided to stick with direct-to-video flicks for a while.

WWE Studios, Smackdown Records and the granddaddy of them all the XFL were colossal failures that showed that fans just want wrestling. When Vince sticks with the wrestling world, he’s a massive success. This decade saw WWE Home Video put out fantastic videos (The Ric Flair Collection, The Rise and Fall of ECW, The History of the ____ Title) that sold tons of copies and even brought back Extreme Championship Wrestling. WWE 24/7 kicked all kinds of ass, launching probably the single greatest medium for wrestling fans ever. The amount of gold that has poured from that channel is immeasurable, whether it’s the “Monday Night Wars” or the insanely awesome “Legends of Wrestling.” Even WWE.com is revolutionary with the amount of videos and multimedia they offer.

This match shows that when Vince goes out to court the mainstream, they reject him. We, on the other hand, are like battered spouses who will always take him back because deep down he loves us. Right?

23. Undertaker v. Edge – Hell in a Cell – Summerslam 2008

The match was great. The psychology was great. The build was great. The fall-out was great.

Somehow, the WWE told a great storyline and gave us a great payoff. Edge and The Undertaker had embarked on an entertaining feud that had an Old School feel. Somehow the two of them wrestled in the main event of Wrestlemania and people still wanted to see more. That was incredibly rare this decade, especially when you consider how quickly most WWE feuds flame out – even the thought of seeing another Orton/Hunter match makes my stomach turn – but somehow these two just captured lighting in a bottle.

Edge’s feud with The Undertaker was the combination of the hottest heel in wrestling participating in the hottest storyline of the year. Edge makes a strong case for wrestler of the decade, especially when you consider what he can do. Edge has a knack for turning terrible storylines into magic. He morphed his affair with Lita into a character defining moment. He wrestled everyone from Angle to Cena and managed to always put on great matches. He started the “You Suck” chants that stuck with Kurt for years. He, along with Christian, provided the most entertaining backstage moments possibly ever. He wrestled Mick Foley in one of the greatest hardcore matches the WWE ever put on. He even took the tasteless marriage to Vickie Guerrero storyline and made it infinitely more entertaining than it should have been.

In the build to Summerslam, Edge ramped up the crazed paranoia. He cut what would now become a truly resonate promo in which he drove Mick Foley through a table (and out of the company). Edge was doing his best work going into the match, and when he got in the ring, he and Undertaker topped their great Wrestlemania 24 bout. Yes, the ending was a little unnecessary (in which Undertaker threw him through the ring into the fiery pits of hell), but the match itself was one of the best of the year and continued to establish Edge as a true force in the 00s’.

24. Triple H v. Batista/John Cena v. JBL – Wrestlemania 21

One of the strings that ties the majority of these moments it Vince’s obsession with making new stars. While everyone today bitches about the lack of fresh talent getting a true push, the time around Wrestlemania 21 was almost exclusively about creating the Superstars of the future.

John Cena was a fresh face in the main event picture. He wasn’t a second generation star, nor was he a top indie wrestler. Cena was a legitimately fresh face for the television audience, and despite a rocky start, he was catching on with the audience. John’s win at Wrestlemania XX got a great reaction from the cynical MSG crowd, and management took notice. Thanks to careful planning and navigating, John Cena was finally catching on as the next true star.

Batista was like Cena’s doppelganger in many ways. He wasn’t a second generation star either. He certainly wasn’t an indie darling. In fact, Batista was just sort of lumped into the same pool of faceless behemoth talent like Luther Reigns, Nathan Jones and even Brock Lesnar. Unlike Cena, who was saddled with a bland non-gimmick, Batista was brought in as part of the horribly botched D-Von Dudley push. D-Von’s preacher gimmick was pure Vince, but the fans didn’t buy it, and they didn’t care about Deacon Batista. Dave ultimately shook the Sports Entertainment stink and became yet another generic monster until he shifted to RAW and linked up with Ric Flair. As a member of Evolution, Dave was sort of the weak link. Hunter was the star, Ric was the legend, Randy was the future and Batista was the heavy. However, thanks to a series of dominos, Batista found himself in position to become the next “guy”.

Wrestlemania 21 was looking to do what Wrestlemania XX really didn’t do, and that was to establish two new main eventers. Eddie was over with the fans, but he wasn’t a really young guy that the company could fully build around and Chris couldn’t talk so the fans couldn’t truly rally behind him. Because of Benoit’s failure to really catch on, the WWE panicked and gave the belt to Orton. This lead to the rapid destruction of Evolution and a horrible face push for Randy.

Out of panic, the WWE decided to go in a completely different direction. The company kept the title on JBL so that he could be a strong heel for Cena to slay, while the fans decided that Dave was going to be their pick to topple Triple H.

The matches themselves were actually good. Cena seemed to have a knack for getting watchable matches out of Bradshaw, and their Mania match became more about the passing of the torch and less about putting on a mat classic. Batista, on the other hand, had the pressure of the world on his shoulders. He was put in the main event and had to try and compete with Wrestlemania XX’s triple threat main event. Thankfully, Hunter was working hard to make him look good, and when Wrestlemania 21 ended, the WWE had two legit new main event stars.

Yes, the careers of John Cena and Batista would go in two different directions, but their great first moments are inextricably linked. Cena and Batista would go on to flip shows, and while Dave proved to be a capable (if injury-prone) champion, Cena showed that he was ready to be the flagship star for the company.

25. Chris Jericho: Undisputed Champion – Vengeance 2001

The purchase of WCW by Vince McMahon was the biggest story of the decade. Yes, it comes with a lot of baggage, but some good came out of it. Most notably, there was an opportunity to create the first Undisputed Champion ever. Without getting into title lineages and discussing George Hackenschmidt, I will call this the first time ever there was an Undisputed Champion. The ECW Title was no more and the AWA long gone, so all that was left was the WWE Title and the WCW Title. The WCW Title was the morphed NWA Title, even though the NWA and WCW split and the NWA tried to create a new belt through ECW (by the way, Shane Douglas delivering the line “the SPORT of professional wrestling” is one of the best things possibly ever). So, the long of it and the short of it is that all of professional wrestling was being boiled down into one title.

Kayfabe or not, it had a big time feel.

Everyone assumed that the WWE would use this as an opportunity to cement Steve Austin or The Rock as the first man to achieve such a feat. After all, who but those two were the faces of the WWE? Who else was responsible for taking down World Championship Wrestling to begin with?

At Vengeance, Steve Austin would face Kurt Angle for Vince’s strap and The Rock would defend his WCW Title against Chris Jericho. Austin beat Angle, so we all assumed we would get Rock/Austin to determine an Undisputed Champion. Then, to our surprise, Chris Jericho defeated The Rock to win his first World Title.

With the stage set, Chris Jericho defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin and became the first Undisputed Champion ever. This was not just a momentous occasion because it served as the final death of WCW or because it created only one champion in wrestling, but became it first established Chris Jericho as a main eventer.

Jericho becoming Undisputed Champion gave him his legacy in wrestling. While Chris wouldn’t get his truly deserved push until years later, his first run with the gold allowed us to see something we had clamored for for years. Sadly, his main event at Wrestlemania would be saddled by the fact that it revolved around Triple H’s dog (and Lucy), not to mention the fact that it had to follow Rock/Hogan.

Yeah, there isn’t much else to say about the Undisputed Championship, especially because it didn’t last all that long, but it was a historic moment that deserves being mentioned. So here it is. Completists can sleep better now.

26. ECW New Talent Initiative

Yeah, this one caught me by surprise too. The New ECW has been polarizing, with a lot of people bitching about how it has tarnished ECW’s legacy. I am not one of those people. While it is true that the New ECW had a lot of bad, it has sort of morphed into something never before seen on television. ECW has become a gateway for wrestlers to transition from developmental to the WWE without ruining the Big Two.

The ECW New Talent Initiative allowed the WWE to replace their go-to move of having a new guy show up on Smackdown and wrestle Kurt Angle. It has produced such an expansive amount of wrestlers over the past few years that it has become THE way to bring in a new Superstar.

CM Punk, The New Breed and Mike Knox were the first members of the NTI (though it wasn’t named yet). Yoshi Tatsu, Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, Abraham “Future Endeavor” Washington and WWE Champion Sheamus all came in under the banner, and most of them are poised to be future stars.

The ECW New Talent Initiative is today’s OVW or FCW. It allows the WWE to try people out in low-pressure situations while getting them on television. Some have been hits and some (Tyler Reks, Ricky Ortiz) have been misses, but it allows new talent to show up organically.

This is on the list because it is a game changer for the WWE. Fans tend to bristle at the over-pushing of new talent on RAW or Smackdown, and they ultimately turn on them. It happened to The Rock, it happened to Randy Orton and it happened to John Cena. Allowing the fans to get used to a star on television without interrupting Smackdown or Monday Night Live might actually allow the company to build bright new stars, and for that reason, it warrants a place here.

27. JeriShow

Yes, this seems way too premature to put them on a list of the Best of the Decade, but they are here to represent a few things. First, JeriShow is the latest in a long line of makeshift teams that broke through. The New Age Outlaws were thrown together for no real reason and they caught on. RVD and Kane were thrown together and they caught on. Miz and Morrison were thrown together for no good reason and they caught on too. JeriShow was truly thrown together, and they might have saved tag team wrestling from being completely irrelevant.

When the WWE decided to unify their tag titles, they did it with The Colons. It didn’t exactly set the world on fire, and we were forced to pretend that Carlito and Primo were the best tag team in wrestling. Thankfully, Edge and Chris Jericho had nothing else to do, so they went out there and took the tag belts. Unfortunately, Edge suffered another ill-timed injury, and that seemed like the end of the fun.

Then Jericho announced that he would get a new partner. Over the past few years, Chris Jericho has reinvented himself from wacky wrestler who was funny and hip to truly hated heel that could elevate any segment and any opponent. Jericho has been an MVP for the WWE, whether he’s challenging for the title or wrestling on Superstars. He managed to make us care about Mickey Rourke at Wrestlemania and made Ricky Steamboat look like one of the best wrestlers again. He could do no wrong…and then he announced Big Show as his partner.

Big Show, over the past decade, has never lived up to his potential. He has been everywhere on the card from main eventing Wrestlemania to feuding with a one-legged kid. Show has received hundreds of pushes (not to mention hundreds of face/heel turns), but he has never really been bankable as “the man”. When Chris Jericho announced Show as his partner, we figured we were in for more of the same.

Then something funny happened. Big Show and Chris Jericho melded into the most entertaining part of the WWE, and helped to save a nearly unwatchable string of shows on RAW.

While JeriShow appears to be nearing its close, they were a memorable team and a great time for two stars to shine brightly. Adding them on this list might be another quibble, but in years to come the success of this duo will be fondly remembered.

28. ECW Elimination Chamber – December to Dismember

It was considered one of the worst PPVs of the decade and it single-handedly killed a brand. The new ECW’s one and only PPV outing was a universal disaster. This show was so bad, Paul Heyman left the company.

ECW at this point was struggling to find its voice. Heyman wanted the show to go one way, Vince wanted it to go another, and SciFi wanted it to go a third direction. Nothing worked for them.

ECW was working from a deficit from the word go. Upon being informed that ECW was coming back under the watchful eye of Paul Heyman, people were hesitantly optimistic. Could Paul create magic again?

He was given an incredible roster to work with, especially when you consider what he had at the end of the original ECW’s run. Unfortunately, there were too many cooks in the kitchen, as Vince wanted Paul to kill off the old ECW Originals and SciFi wanted more zombies. Then, RVD got busted with narcotics and was no longer a viable champion in Vince’s eyes. Then Big Show won the title. Then Heyman turned heel. Then Hardcore Holly and Test showed up to be main event players.

Everyone believed that the one thing that would save ECW was CM Punk. He could work with guys like RVD and Angle and learn how to be the best. Then Kurt left and Rob became kryptonite.

For the main event of ECW’s only PPV, we would get an Elimination Chamber. The match featured the champion The Big Show, sitting duck Rob Van Dam, Hardcore Holly, Test, CM Punk and Bobby Lashley. Lashley was being shoved down the fans’ throats, and they couldn’t stand him. It was clear that everyone wanted to see CM Punk win the belt, save the company and lead a resurgence of ECW.

Then he was eliminated first.

In the end, Bobby Lashley won the ECW Title. For a belt that was built around guys who didn’t have “the look”, giving it to the prototypical “look” turned everyone against the promotion. Heyman’s departure certainly didn’t help matters.

The ECW Title would become locked in a showdown between Bobby Lashley and Vince McMahon, who was still obsessed with pushing wrestlers as if they were all Steve Austin. In the end, Vince was the ECW Champion and the brand’s credibility as continuing the original’s legacy was over. Like I said above, ECW has morphed into a spirited show with a great young roster (which is what ECW was pretty much about to begin win), but it is certainly not the South Philly branded phenom.

29. Brand Split

When Vince lost his true competition in WCW, he decided to create competition on his own.

Rumors of Vince splitting his roster had been swirling for quite some time, but when he actually pulled the trigger, fans were a little nervous. The original idea was that Steve Austin would be the face of RAW and The Rock would be the face of Smackdown. One problem; Austin and The Rock were both on their way out. The idea of building two shows around two top stars made sense, but without them, it was a major gamble.

The Brand Split was created to make new stars, but it wound up just allowing the folks at the top to stay there. There have been some breakout stars from the Brand Split (Randy Orton, Batista, John Cena), but it has pretty much stayed with the formula of Hunter headlining RAW and Undertaker headlining Smackdown.

Splitting the brands changed the way we watch wrestling, and for that reason alone it warrants a slot on the list.

30. Get the F Out

This decade saw a lot. It saw the end of ECW. It saw the end of WCW. It saw the creation and death of the XFL. It saw the return of Hulk Hogan, the nWo, Shawn Michaels, Goldberg and Bret Hart.

It also saw the end of the WWF.

When the World Wildlife Foundation decided to attack World Wrestling Federation’s intellectual property claim to the initials WWF, they did so on foreign soil. By getting a ruling internationally, they required Vince to fight them all over the globe. Rather than risk damaging his international business, McMahon was forced to change the name of his company to World Wrestling Entertainment. For those of you so inclined, I recommend reading some of the court documents surrounding this, because it is one of the most fascinating Copyright and Trademark cases of all time.

We are all used to saying WWE, and quite frankly seeing the old scratch logo unblurred looks jarring, which is a testament to the successful rebranding done by the WWE. The company overcame the hurdle of not being able to show old footage by digitally distorting the old matches so that we couldn’t see the offending letters.

Time has passed and bigger stories have come and gone, but I still miss the WWF.

This has been for your consideration.