2008 has had lots of great matches, more than I can remember there being in 2007 at this point. It is in truth the first year I have watched every show (and I do mean EVERY show - hell, I even suffered through some of the very crappy episodes of Heat), something I've been unable to do in the past due to my home country of Norway, where no WWE is aired on TV (Raw and SD ran on a station I didn't have a couple of years back though) and I've gotta say I'm pissed about all those wasted years. I do my best to obtain and watch old episodes though, even as far back as 1987.
Many are obvious and I've seen some of you other guys have the same picks. Let's get on with it eh?
5. Randy Orton def. John Cena and Triple H in a Triple Threat for the WWE Championship (WrestleMania XXIV)
Now, I've clearly voiced my opinion on Cena in a previous post so I won't whine about it all the time. I was extremely into this match despite not being that enticed by the build-up. Randy Orton, at this point, had made his mark as the best WWE Champion in recent memory, and I did NOT want to see him lose it, be it to Triple H or Cena. At some points, Cena became his old pre-Superman self, which was great to see. Other than that, there were just so many "bite-your-nails" close calls, and the finish is one of my favourite ones of all time - Hunter is about to pin Cena, and out of nowhere Randy Orton brings out his old friend the Punter (man, that's a pun.) and knocks him out. I marked. You know you did too. It's been a long time since I've seen this good a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania; WrestleMania XIX was the closest that comes to mind.
4. Shawn Michaels def. Chris Jericho (Judgment Day)
Coming off of the now officially legendary retirement match of Ric Flair, the feud with Batista commenced. Somehow, Jericho got involved with it as well. I thought this was a strange move by WWE, as he'd probably just be involved on the sidelines. I was wrong. Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho proved at WrestleMania XIX that they work so well together, you might call any match between the two a "dream match." While the sequels to this match were not as good, Judgment Day was just fun all the way. So many great spots, close finishes and mark-out moments ("Don't TAP YOU LITTLE SACK OF LARD!"*) it just shows that when Jericho is pitted against the right opponent, he can make a five star match. However, I really think Jericho deserved to win this one at the time. Seeing how the feud has really heated up, I regret that thought now.
3. Ric Flair def. Mr. Kennedy in a Retirement Match (No Way Out)
Okay, I've established that I'm a grotesque mark of Mr. Kennedy. I mean, almost whoever he feuds with, I'm gonna cheer him and support him. That became very hard when he was poised to end the career of the one, the only "Nature Boy" in his then-lackluster "retirement storyline". Mr. Kennedy cut some vicious promos about how he was gonna "waste" and "put down" Ric Flair. Ric Flair, being the man we all know and love, although admittedly his wrestling skills a bit tarnished by old age, told him to bring the fight. I knew from the start that Ric Flair's career could only end at WrestleMania, so initially I wasn't really that pumped to see it as I thought I would be. Boy, was I wrong. It was new blood battling old age, and at times it looked bleak for the "Nature Boy". In some small portions of the match, the Ric Flair of old appeared and refused to be "put down." You knew Kennedy was gonna have to tap out to the Figure Four, but I didn't care. It was just that damn good.
2. Edge def. Undertaker in a TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship (One Night Stand)
Around this period, I somehow came over my Edge-phobia and became a fan of his fantastic work. Just when I thought, "Man, they really need to end this stale Edge-Undertaker feud", magic happened. The TLC Match was one of the most enthralling and hypnotizing matches I've ever seen. Undertaker got in all of his signature spots, and Edge sold his heel character extremely well in it. I was, in fact, so completely 100% sure that Taker was gonna win, that the result left me in awe. Sometimes, WWE can still surprise you. An absolute five-star classic, off the chain, or whatever else you can call it.
1. Shawn Michaels def. Ric Flair in a Retirement Match (WrestleMania XXIV)
It wasn't a display of technical prowess, fantastic death-defying spots or a powerhouse fest, it was a match of grave consequence to the wrestling world. However, and I mean no disrespect to "The Man", this should have really happened in 2003/04. In his last tenure with WWE, little of the brilliance that was Ric Flair, the Dirtiest Player in the Game, one of the greatest of all time, surfaced. He did resurface at some points, such as in his match against Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship in 2003 (I forgot the PPV event) and various other matches, such as his 2006 match against Big Show for the ECW Championship. Some matches were booked so horribly that Ric Flair simply looked like a crazy old man whose only selling point was chopping people. This could confuse youths (including myself) and make me wonder "this guy is the best in the world? What has JR been smoking?" In the build-up to what would be his last ever match, the Nature Boy rose from his grave.
After a fantastic cage match against Edge, HBK and Flair finally competed on the Citrus Bowl. Shawn Michaels showed that he can still work better than 90% of the WWE roster, and the Dirtiest Player resurfaced. So many of Ric Flair AND HBK's traditional spots were there, you just got absorbed into the match. And the finish is of course now, legend - one of the most beautiful and compelling moves WWE have ever done - Shawn Michaels mouthing "I'm sorry. I love you." and Ric Flair getting up for one final Sweet Chin Music. I couldn't help it, emotions beset me the very moment the referee's hand came down for the three count in what I would call the longest count I've experienced in wrestling. Ric Flair's career was over. One of the best was gone. The only thing that could have made Ric Flair's retirement perfect was if it were the main event. They also put icing on the cake with the emotional farewell speech the next Raw. Thanks for the memories, Ric - I hope WWE leave them alone.
Well, this might of course change as the year progresses. Many great matches, yes. HK out.