Top 5 WWE matches of 2004
I'm doing this one for the hell of it. There's a few wrestling fans here, so I figured it could lead to some discussion. Well, the fake kind of discussion anyway. My interest in wrestling has waned a bit this year, which is a combination of things, mostly just getting older, I think. As a result, I didn't watch as many PPVs this year (the last one I saw was Summerslam), and stopped watching Smackdown! around the time JBL became Champion (not out of protest, just didn't have the interest or time). I also caught fewer episodes of RAW as the NFL season got under way. So, there's a fair amount of matches that I haven't seen. But, I think I've seen enough to put together a solid five. Enough to start the "discussion".
5. Chris Jericho versus Christian, Wrestlemania XX, March 14th- It was a tough call between this and Triple H versus Shelton Benjamin from RAW on March 29, but I had to give a nod to two of my favourite wrestlers who had the best feud of the year. Most memorable about this match is the Trish Stratus heel turn that came from it, which was probably the best storyline moment of Wrestlemania. Their RAW cage match was probably better, but I missed it.
4. Trish Stratus versus Lita for the WWE Women's Championship, RAW, December 6th- This one is freshest in my mind (as it is the most recent), and one of the best women's matches of all-time. The expectations for this match were really low, as Lita has not looked good in the ring since returning from neck surgery. But she and Trish were given the main event slot and tore the roof off the joint. The most memorable part of the match is Lita's suicidal tope that nearly re-broke her neck, but after that, the ladies managed to tell a great story and put together a great match. This was nice to see, as there was a time, a good while ago, when I had the hugest crush on Lita. It was the silliest thing I've ever experienced.
3. The Royal Rumble Match, Royal Rumble, January 25th- I always love the Rumble. It doesn't matter what else is going on in the WWE, the Rumble will always be entertaining. This one was probably the most satisfying and fun Rumbles ever for me because of Chris Benoit's amazing victory, entering at number one and lasting longer in the ring than anyone before him.
2. Randy Orton versus Mick Foley in a Hardcore Rules Match for the Intercontinental Championship, Backlash, April 18th- The Rumble probably would've ranked higher than this normally, but I attended Backlash live, so this has the edge. This is the match that pushed Orton to the moon, and it was insane to watch live. The crowd broke out the "holy shit" chant too early, as crowds love to chant, but they would earn it later. When Orton took the fall on the thumbtacks, I nearly lost my mind. Sadly, the dive off the ramp was on the opposite side of us.
1. Triple H versus Chris Benoit versus Shawn Michaels in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, Wrestlemania XX, March 14th- I went with this instead of the rematch that I saw live for the sheer, unmatched joy of seeing Benoit finally win The Title for the first time. That was probably my most satisfying moment ever as a wrestling fan. Plus, this one had the cooler spots, from HHH stopped HBK from tapping to the Sharpshooter, to HHH and HBK double-suplexing Benoit through Michael Cole and Tazz's announcer's table, to Benoit rolling HHH into the centre of the ring while maintaining the Crossface. I still get chills seeing Helmsley tap out in the middle of the ring and the look on Benoit's face while he takes it all in.
Honourable mentions: Triple H versus Shelton Benjamin, RAW, March 29; Chris Benoit versus Triple H in a 60 minute Iron Man Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, RAW, July 26th; Randy Orton versus Edge for the Intercontinental Championship, Vengeance, July 11th; Smackdown! Royal Rumble, Smackdown!, January 29th.