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quote:Originally posted by glorifiedkaraoke: Bret Hart vs. 123 Kid was pretty damn good.
Was just going to mention that!
How about Michaels - Jannetty and Flair - Perfect from around same time?
Didn't Michaels and Cena have a great one a few years ago?
First one I thought of was Cena vs Michaels from Raw after 'Mania a few years ago. Think it was in the UK and the match went nearly an hour.
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The matches already listed popped into my mind immediatley. I remember back in 04-05 (?) HBK-HHH had a match that was GREAT and I think it went something like 45 minutes.
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posted
The matches already listed popped into my mind immediatley. I remember back in 04-05 (?) HBK-HHH had a match that was GREAT and I think it went something like 45 minutes.
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posted
I don't know about best, but one of the "hottest" matches was that 10 man with Too Cool, Rikishi and whoever else from Texas maybe. That place was completely into that match.
I just looked it up and it appears to be the same one The Following Contest just mentioned.
Rock/Rikishi/Cactus Jack/Too Cool vs DX/Radicalz on RAW February 7, 2000.
quote:Originally posted by slingshotsuplex from MD via PA: Pretty sure it was Raw but Austin/HHH VS Benoit/Jericho.
This is the match where HHH tore his quad the first time and he and Austin actually PUT OVER their opponents.
This is the match I would choose. I was their in San Jose, CA so that added to it greatly. Believe it was May 21, 2001.
I know it wasn't a good thing to turn Steve Austin bad but I liked Austin and HHH together. Actually was hoping they would add two more members to compete as a Tag-Team allowing Austin and HHH to remain solo more often then not.
Of course Im guessing this woulda led to HHH the good guy taking out Austin the bad guy? Or vice versa until HHH was injured.
If it had been able to run it's course for a good 10 months or so they coulda squared off at WM-02. Or turned Austin sooner and some how transition the title to HHH so Austin can win the RR-02 and regain the title for a last time at WM.
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quote:Originally posted by slingshotsuplex from MD via PA: Pretty sure it was Raw but Austin/HHH VS Benoit/Jericho.
This is the match where HHH tore his quad the first time and he and Austin actually PUT OVER their opponents.
This is the match I would choose. I was their in San Jose, CA so that added to it greatly. Believe it was May 21, 2001.
I know it wasn't a good thing to turn Steve Austin bad but I liked Austin and HHH together. Actually was hoping they would add two more members to compete as a Tag-Team allowing Austin and HHH to remain solo more often then not.
Of course Im guessing this woulda led to HHH the good guy taking out Austin the bad guy? Or vice versa until HHH was injured.
If it had been able to run it's course for a good 10 months or so they coulda squared off at WM-02. Or turned Austin sooner and some how transition the title to HHH so Austin can win the RR-02 and regain the title for a last time at WM.
I can only imagine how hot and loud this crowd was live!!
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I wouldn't call it the all-time best in light of what came later, but I really think Jannetty vs. Doink II was the best match of Raw's first year, better than either of the two Jannetty/Michaels matches and far better than Flair/Perfect.
Ultimately I think the Benoit/Jericho-Austin/HHH match is my pick, at least through 2002-03.
The Michaels/Cena match that went 50+ minutes is also up there and I don't even like Michaels, especially post-comeback Michaels.
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quote:Originally posted by mckinneydg: I don't know about best, but one of the "hottest" matches was that 10 man with Too Cool, Rikishi and whoever else from Texas maybe. That place was completely into that match.
I just looked it up and it appears to be the same one The Following Contest just mentioned.
Rock/Rikishi/Cactus Jack/Too Cool vs DX/Radicalz on RAW February 7, 2000.
This is my pick as well. It just felt like a big time event.
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I'm still pretty partial to the HBK-Jericho match the night after their WM XIX meeting. Also still think it's better than their WM match....
"The Best"? Maybe not. But it should at least be included for discussion....
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It wasn't really the most fantastic match, but Razor-1-2-3 might be the most important match on Raw. It really sold that on Raw you could see anything.
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quote:Originally posted by Who Was Pack: Wasn't there an Austin & Michaels vs. Owen & Bulldog Tag Team title match on Raw that was really good?
Yes. That would be my favorite Raw match ever.
Other choices of mine....
Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (WM rematch) The ten man tag in Dallas Davey Boy Smith vs. Owen Hart (European Title finals) Hunter vs. Cactus at MSG that was the debut of Cactus Jack in the WWF
I also really enjoyed Jerry Lawler's title match against The Miz in late 2010. It wasn't the best "wrestling" match ever but it was really enjoyable to watch.
There are a ton of other ones that I can't remember at the moment.
Later, Nate
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My personal fav was when Mankind first won the WWF title against The Rock, taped last Monday of Dec. 1998 but shown the first week of Jan. 1999. The pop that exploded when Foley won was incredible. This was also the RAW that ran against the "Finger Poke of Doom" on Nitro and on which Schiavone did his "butts in the seats" comment.
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-------------------- "Tito Santana is like a cue ball -- the more you strike him, the more English you get out of him," Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
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quote:Originally posted by Mon-Ray-Al: And I don't even like either of those guys but the Taker - Hardy ladder match was pretty good.
It was. I remember the one expression on 'Taker's face when Hardy called him back to the ring and he captured the "Dammit, just what am I going to have to do to stop him?" and the resultant look of resolution that followed.
It was a small thing in an otherwise reasonably predictive match once you saw what was happening (and that realization happened early on). But it was a near-perfectly captured moment that summed up the whole thing with two warring emotions on The Dead Man's face.
I think most of us agree that a really good match tells us a story of some kind. That was an instance of one shot in an entire match that told the story -- what happened in the ring itself was window-dressing.
-------------------- The Traveller a fan since '68....
"Reputation is what others think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. The friction tends to arise when the two are not the same.... Guard your honor; let your reputation fall where it may."
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Shawn Michael and Shelton Benjamin had a really good match that ended with a awesome super kick out of nowhere as Benjamin flew off the ropes.
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quote:Originally posted by Sed76: Shawn Michael and Shelton Benjamin had a really good match that ended with a awesome super kick out of nowhere as Benjamin flew off the ropes.
That was indeed a great match but I am 99.9% sure it happened on Smackdown.
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I missed this when it aired but didn't Hart and Austin have an awesome no dq street fight where Austin ended up attacking Hart in the ambulance?
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All fantastic choices. There are a few here that I would strongly consider as being my "FAVORITE", for sure. Best is purely personal preference anyhow.
The 10-man tag from 2000 was supremely hot. Seeing the Radicalz added to the fray, hot off their debuts, really sparked the crowd. Exciting stuff. As far as telling stories goes? Plenty are mentioned here. Taker/Hardy with the ladder, the tag title changeover from Two-Man Power Trip to Benoit & Jericho, etc. all top my list.
Angle/Lesnar was on SmackDown in 2003, by the way. Great match there though. A SD! discussion would probably be dominated by the original SmackDown Six in 2002, I'd have to think.
Anyway, what I'll do is toss a few new matches onto the list, just for argument's sake. Again, there are matches already listed here that I think rank a little higher, but I'll just include these bouts to spark up a bit more discussion.
The Miz & Rey Mysterio Jr. had a HELL of a match last summer, over the "vacant" WWE Championship. This concluded the mini-tourney that ultimately saw Cena just challenge Rey, beat him, and go on to feud with CM Punk again. So yeah. It's overlooked, which is a shame. I really thought it'd be the springboard to catapult Miz back into the upper-tier of things again. He hasn't been pushed the same way since.
Also, Mark Henry (say what you will) did a great job of mixing it up with CM Punk earlier this year. I think it was part of the buildup to WrestleMania, with Jericho attacking Punk with the bottle of whiskey after the match & all that.
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Just thought of another - Chris Benoit (c) versus Shawn Michaels 2004, for the World Heavyweight Championship. The big gold belt. I think it took place between WM20 and Backlash that year. I believe it was in Phoenix.
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quote:Originally posted by slingshotsuplex from MD via PA:
quote:Originally posted by Sed76: Shawn Michael and Shelton Benjamin had a really good match that ended with a awesome super kick out of nowhere as Benjamin flew off the ropes.
That was indeed a great match but I am 99.9% sure it happened on Smackdown.
Nope, it was part of the WWE Gold Rush tournament back in May of 2005.
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A personal favourite was Shelton Benjamin and HHH, which I thought told a great story, had both guys doing some outstanding work in one of the very last matches that actually had my suspension of disbelief turn itself back on for a minute or two.
The ending sucked, and was totally predictable, but right up to that multi-man run-in, it was very very good.
-------------------- The Traveller a fan since '68....
"Reputation is what others think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. The friction tends to arise when the two are not the same.... Guard your honor; let your reputation fall where it may."
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