Top 10 Greatest Raw Matches In History

With so much crap going on with Raw at the moment you'd forget that the flagship show of the WWE has held some classic matches. Whether it being grudge matches, exhibition matches, title matches or ladder matches, you name it, Raw has played host to them.

As, after seeing WWE.com's list of the 50 greatest Raw matches ever, I thought I'd do one of my own. So, with that in mind, here is my list of the Top 10 Greatest Raw Matches In History.

#10: The Rock vs. Mankind – 4 January, 1999

While this isn't the best “wrestling” match you'll ever see, there was so much more to it that warrants a top 10 spot on this list.

It had an extremely hot crowd in attendance, an underdog in Mankind who no one thought would win, a whole lot of drama, and it's significance helped Raw overtake WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

It was everything many people liked about the Attitude Era. Brawling action, interferences everywhere, and a shocking win that got everyone up off their seats.

#9: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan – 27 February, 2012

It was the match everyone was waiting to see, CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, one-on-one, inside a WWE ring. Not only did this match have a rich history going into it, but it was also a match that showed that these two “indie schmucks” had made it to the top.

This was a fantastic match filled with great technical wrestling and brilliant ring psychology from both men. Although the ending wasn't the best, it doesn't take anything away from what was an historic match on Monday Night Raw.

#8: Edge vs. Randy Orton – 30 April, 2007

On this very night, Raw kicked off with something you wouldn't usually expect - a wrestling match. And what a match it was.

Edge and Randy Orton put on a highly entertaining match that surprised many people (including myself) in terms of how quality it was. Not many Raw's have started off with a match, let alone such a good one, so it came as a delightful surprise to see the show start off with such a thrilling contest.

#7: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam – 27 May, 2002

For a period between 2001 and 2004, WWE loved putting on Ladder matches on Raw. And while many delivered, this is one that deserves to be put on the list.

Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam put on a great bout for the Intercontinental championship. The match was filled with some excellent spots, nice storytelling and a great ending to cap it all off. Despite some minor (and I mean minor) mistakes and an interference from an idiot of a fan (“He's a Canadian, what do you expect, JR?!”), this was a really good match from start to finish.

#6: Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy – 1 July, 2002

Undertaker raising Jeff Hardy's hand post match while shaking his head at the guts of the young high-flyer really sums up this match.

It was the powerhouse, the WWE Champion, The Undertaker vs. the risk taker, Jeff Hardy who still had a lot to prove.

Both men gelled really well together in what was a truly great match. Jeff Hardy played his role of the underdog extremely well as he tried desperately to reach the title hanging from the ring, yet it was the veteran who came out on top in a hard fought effort.

It was the perfect match-up of size vs. speed, powerhouse vs. high flyer and the veteran vs. the up and comer.

#5: Triple H vs. Chris Jericho – 17 April, 2000

Want to see how over Chris Jericho was in 2000? Want to see how flawless Triple H was in 2000? Want to see well both men worked together? Well, look no further than this match that took place several weeks after WrestleMania 16.

In what was a fairly standard WWF title match in many ways between a main eventer and a mid-carder, turned into something so much more as the underdog got the victory (sort of) in a great match.

Yes, the ending overall angered a lot of people, but you just can;t take away from what was a highly entertaining match.

#4: Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – 3 October, 2005

Months after hosting a thrilling match at WrestleMania 21, the Olympic Gold Medalist and the Showstopper took to the squared circle once again in what was a fantastic bout from two of the best wrestlers ever.

This was a great back and forth match that had everything you could ask for from two excellent wrestlers. The 30 minutes absolutely flew by and the ending made both men look very strong. In cases like this, the draw was the right decision.

#3: Triple vs. Shawn Michaels – 29 December, 2003

With both men having such great matches in 2002 and 2003, this match from Raw at the end of 2003 gets lost in the shuffle of outstanding matches between these two.

No matter how many times that had faces each other up until this point, this was still a superb match that not only showed HBK's qualities throughout, but also showed that Triple H could hang with the Heartbreak Kid in every aspect of wrestling.

A truly great match that you could watch over and over again.

#2: TLC IV

The first ever Raw Roulette wasn't anything special overall, but what it did play host to however, was the excellent TLC IV match.

As far as the high standards of TLC's go, this holds it's own with the rest of them. It had great spots, high octane action and a hot crowd that was eating up every moment of it.

#1: Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena

Yes, the irony is very vivid indeed. The man that has been shoved down our throats for years and the man that has been named the guy that “can't wrestle” is in the greatest Raw match of all time.

Funnily enough, I turned off my replay of Raw after finding out that this classic went on for an hour because back then the thought of watching Cena work such a long match just didn't appeal to me. However, after a few months I sat down and watched it and well, it truly was an outstanding match.

Some say that HBK carried this match, but I think they're just people that can't admit that Cena was in such a great match. John more than held his own against The Showstopper and both men put on a classic match that will truly be hard to top.