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.
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