Early Match of the Year (2011) Poll

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

The Miz vs. John Morrison : The WWE title was on the line in the first Raw match of 2011.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Edge: Dolph's best match yet, as he challenged World Heavyweight Champion Edge for the strap at the Royal Rumble.

Undertaker vs. Triple H: The WrestleMania classic that needs no introduction.

Randy Orton vs. Christian: Whether at Over the Limit, Capitol Punishment, or Money in the Bank these two stars clashed in great matches each time, making it almost impossible to determine which was the best.

John Cena vs. CM Punk: Live from Punk's home town of Chicago, the Straight Edge Superstar took home the WWE title, shocking the world in the process.

Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena: In what would be Mysterio's second title match of the night, the new WWE Champion lost the belt an hour later to the now 11 time champion John Cena, seconds before CM Punk made his return.

Your thoughts? Are there any other matches you believe deserve to be on this list?

*****

While I loved the three Randy Orton and Christian matches for the World Title, I didn't really think any of them were "match of the year" quality. But I knew somebody was going to complain about them not being up there, so at least you have the choice. Mysterio and Cena will be more controversial, but I really thought Mysterio poured a lot of emotion into that match, and it meant so much considering it was his second lengthy title match of the night. Even though he knew he was being played as a transitional champ, he still went out there and tore the house down, and that's why I included it on the list. Dolph Ziggler and Edge was such a classic match, showing Ziggler's rising potential and featuring what was probably Edge's last best match (if that makes any sense). Miz and Morrison was the continuation of a classic rivalry, and PPV quality bout on free Raw television. It was fast-paced, exciting, and actually had you believing that Morrison could walk away with his first WWE Championship.

Now we get down to the final two, in my opinion. Triple H and Undertaker is one of the best matches I have ever seen, and there's very little to say about it that hasn't already been said. With that in mind, my vote goes to CM Punk and John Cena. Not only was that the hottest crowd I have ever seen at a live wrestling event, but it meant so much for the future of the WWE. While the Mania match was a classic, the Money in the Bank title match was filled with uncertainty, realism, and the doubt in every Chicagoans mind that their hometown hero could walk out of the Allstate (and the WWE) with the strap. I know I'm biased, as I am from the Chicago suburbs and I'm a huge Punk fan. It's hard not to focus on that match, seeing as how it happened only weeks ago, but I think by the end of 2011 it will still stand as match of the year.

Wow, the poll certainly makes this look like a very one-sided debate! Sorry for all the matches that I missed making the thread. Even though it looks like the outcome would remain the same, a few matches that could have been added were:

-CM Punk vs. Randy Orton (WrestleMania)
-CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (Raw)
-Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio
-Edge vs. Kane

 

[Theo Mays]

Great slew of match choices right there. My pick would be Punk/Cena. The hype around the match and the buildup was spectacular and it lived up to that and then some. The crowd was crazy hot and made the match that much better. Both Punk and Cena brought their A game. Hell Cena even stepped out of his element and incorporated some ground base wrestling into his arsenal. The match had everything you ever look for in a match. False finishes, drama, build, suspense, etc. It was one of the best matches, not just this year but of all time. Punk gets all the love and support and the credit, but John Cena deserves just as much. Both guys were truly spectacular.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Ever since Money in the Bank I can't help shake the feeling that while Undertaker vs Triple H will win the award, Cena vs Punk will be the match that everyone agrees should have won.

All the matches in the poll are excellent, but Cena-Punk was pretty much on an entirely different plane in my opinion.

 

[aliasv2]

I am suprised Punk/Orton wasnt there for Wrestlemania, that match was very good quality in my eyes. But I will say Cena/Punk at MiTB...that match blew me away with the quality and it actually shown Cena can wrestle if pushed lol

 

[WalkingContradiction]

Cena/Punk at MiTB clearly. It was the match with the most memorable build-up and it was held in a city of Chicago that loved punk and hated cena. The match was great, but the crowd reactions made it epic. When Vince and Johnny Ace tried to interfere, I was jumping up my seat and when Punk nailed that GTS and got the win, I almost threw my remote into my TV. It was the only match other than the Smackdown MiTB match (me being a huge danielson mark) to get me so excited for the past year.

I'm serious, even Taker/HHH didn't give me such a lasting impression. Taker/HHH was great, but the atmosphere was nowhere near Punk/Cena. (All these are just my thoughts and opinions, feel free to disagree with them!)

 

[daddyJ_t]

well i havent seen alot of these matches so i will go with one i actually have seen. rey and cena. i knew cena would win, but it jus had that feel like cena was getting frusterated and i thought for a sec, omg is this the moment cena will go heel? i dont really care for either one, but this was a damn good match and i think it is moty quality and couldve straight been a ppv headliner

 

[hollowpoint]

My vote would be for the CM Punk/Cena match. It was one of those matches for the ages where the match super ceded the build up which was awesome. Both competitors carried their end of the match and put on a great show. The ending was awesome and suprising at the same time. Cena got pinned clean in the ring for the first time in a long time. HHH/Taker was my #1 before this match. EPIC!!

 

[Uncle Sam]

Just a few matches that deserve to be in the discussion but aren't:

• The Randy Orton/CM Punk series.
  
  Both have gone on to produce better work this year - with Christian and Cena respectively - but these guys were putting on pretty decent matches before this. Their match at WrestleMania was the second best on the card, they were charged with having the annual longish match in London and their Last Man Standing match was of a pretty high calibre. Don't listen to naysayers that say the feud buried Punk. Firstly, he's the fucking WWE Champion now. Secondly, he never looked anything less than Orton's equal in the actual matches. People place way too much importance on W's and L's and completely ignore the stories being told in the matches.
  
  
• Rey Mysterio/Cody Rhodes I & II
  
  Rey and Cody had the best match on the WrestleMania card, hands down, followed by Orton/Punk. Fuck that Triple H/'Taker noise. If The Undertaker's just going to have the same match a every WrestleMania from now on, I don't know why he bothers. They had arguably the best match at Extreme Rules, too - the best Falls Count Anywhere match I've seen in some time. Some of the spots were truly ingenious, like doing a boston crab through the rail. It's a shame Cody apparently ran away from two of the spots. Those oddly muscular men in the front row of the audience who, I'm sure, have never worked for FCW went to waste.
  
  
• Christian/Alberto Del Rio, Extreme Rules
  
  Christian had had several good matches with Del Rio before this, of course. In terms of making me pound the sofa in anguish when I thought the result wasn't going my way, nothing has equalled this so far. Well, actually, Cena/Punk may have. When Christian finally pulled down that belt, I was, let's say, a little choked up.

For the record, Orton and Christian have had four matches for the world championship, not three. SmackDown, Over The Limit, Capitol Punishment, Money in the Bank. Four. I haven't seen the one at Capitol Punishment yet but the others were spectacular. I'd argue that the Over The Limit match was definitely Match of the Year material, if it weren't so blindingly obvious that Cena/Punk is the clear leader in this particular field.

Unless they pull off something really special at SummerSlam, I don't see anything this year beating the Money in the Bank main event. Well, there's always that Mysterio/Cena/Punk three-way that I proposed.

 

[The Deadly Viper]

In my opinion there really isn't much competition, as the mitb main event of Cena vs Punk was an amazing match. So much hype around it, the atmosphere was amazing, and the match in general was just spectacular!

 

[Sleep Time]

You have forgotten many great matches on your list and I would like to first of all say that John Cena vs. CM Punk is my personal favourite of the year, and also it would win on the wrestling newsletter awards because its the only five star match since 1997 hell in a cell micheals undertaker bout. This is the wrestling newsletters opinion, I have many more five stars in my head, well to end off, Cena vs. Punk was the best in the year and if we're talking other companies, Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards would be a close second, along with Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio/Orton or Undertaker/HHH, or even CM Punk/Mysterio.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

I think it has to be the Cena Vs Punk match. The build up was great, the match itself was brilliant and the ending was unexpected. I knew Alberto would cash in but I didn't think Punk would kick him in the head and run out through the crowd. The crowd was another factor in this match, I knew they would be very anti-Cena and would give Punk a huge pop but I didn't expect them to be that loud or lively.

 

[thegreekhero]

Cena vs. Punk. It was a great match. I saw Punk, and CENA, use some moves that they usually don't on a weekly basis, (like Cena's gutwrench suplex.) The hype for this match was electric. The story behind it is the best thing going in the WWE at the moment. The match had a lot of near falls that had you on the edge of your seat for all of it. The special appearance of Vince, although I had a feeling it would happen, was great in a way that he was trying to create a Chicago Screwjob. And last but not least, the result. I honestly did NOT think that CM Punk would win, let alone walk out with the title. My theory was that Punk would win, but Del Rio would SUCCESSFULLY cash it in. This is absolutely Match of the Year.

 

[rvdiswhatsforme]

I think you are missing 2 matches. Smackdown Money in the bank was great and CM Punk vs Randy Orton from Mania was a classic.

My choice is Cena Punk from Money in the Bank. It was the best wwe title match in 10 years. The build up the hype whatever you want to call it was amazing. That crowd was crazy hot for the action. I think the actual match was great too definitely deserving of the 5 star rating it got.

 

[Foshinzo]

I'm not surprised at all to see Punk/Cena running away with this one. Not only is it the best match of this year, but it's a contender for best match of the last five years. I honestly think its only contender is HBK/Taker at Wrestlemania 25, and in no way am I saying those are the only two good matches in that time span. It was a match that reminded us why we love wrestling, or at least it did for me, and you can't put a price on a match like that.

The only thing I'm surprised about, here, is to see Christian v Orton in 2nd place. Really? I don't want to be a dick, because that's not where I'm coming from at all, here, but which match stood out for you the most? I loved Christian and I really wanted him to get this push, but this feud lost its interest like, after the second match, or at least it did for me. I'm not judging, I'm just confused and surprised.

The other match that caught my attention was Morrison v Miz on Raw. HHH v Taker was a classic, but I expected it; I didn't expect Morrison v Miz to be as good as it was. Those two are great at what they do, and they honestly had me believing that John Morrison could be a serious contender for a legit championship. I hate to pick something because of the, "wow factor," but it was a great match that I didn't expect to see, and I'm really grateful that I did.

I doubt you could go wrong with any of these matches, because I think 2011 has been a pretty good year for wrestling, but I'm not surprised to see Punk v Cena in the top spot.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

I hope HHH Taker doesn't take the prize because that match was more of a repeat of shawn and taker for the most part (the latter half of the match is where it finally separated itself). Punk Cena was probably one of the most unique matches of all time, let alone the past year. It was at a point where even those who have gotten down pretty much how wrestling usually ends (minus the few random surprises here and then) were downright confused on who will win and how. I really had no clue whether punk signed a new deal or if WWE was just gonna milk his leaving for as much as possible and let either Cena win or a MITB cash in win. So the intrigue was there (with HHH Taker, it was more like unless HHH is a total tool who uses his clout to beat Taker, it'll be taker no matter what), and the in ring action was there. So many cool spots and close endings, it was a match that had me at the edge of my seat the whole time, again, something wrestling has not done in a long time.

 

[NotoriousMEAT]

Well I guess you're looking for WWE match of the year. I agree that these are all fantastic choices, and really shows have stellar of a year WWE is having. My choice hands down is CM Punk vs John Cena from Money in the Bank. It had all the emotion, action, and suspense.

Now if we were to talk about match of the year in wrestling.. All though I loved everything about the Punk/Cena confrontation in Chicago, my vote with would Davey Richards vs Eddie Edwards at ROH's Best in the World iPPV.

 

[JasonSensation]

I'm actually surprised that Kane vs. Randy Orton in that street fight that they just had on Smackdown didn't make this list. I wouldn't cast my ballot for that match given its competition, per se, but I would include it in the list of possible choices.

 

[Owlzfan84]

The best match of the year, was prob Christian vs Randy Orton. If your just talking wrestling wise and the match its self. Cena/Punk was a good match, but it was the atmosphere that made it special. There were some sloppy moments in it and some botches. Nothing that bad, but the match itself prob wasnt the match of the year or deserve 5 stars. Very good though, and a classic ending, but overall for me, the Christian vs Randy Orton matches were better.

 

[DanAlmighty]

All good matches. I would agree with those who mentioned the smackdown mitb as being a contender that was missed. Id also have mentioned the smackdown elimination chamber match..edge and rey were excellent in that match and drew mcintyre looked better in that match than at any point in his career. Miz v Morrison would be a close 2nd to Punk v Cena for me. Punk/Cena had me more intrigued than this 30 yr old 20 year long wrestling fan can ever remember being. For me...one of the best matches of the past 10 years with Hbk vs Taker at WM25 and Angle v HBK at WM21. Awesome!!

 

[WTK]

Not going to pick any of them until were down to the last 2 or 3 PPVs of the year, Survivor Series, Vengeance and TLC. We could quite possibly get CM Punk vs Chris Jericho sometime down the line, you never know, could you imagine the build that match could have?.. Both are spectacular on the mic, and both are calling or called themselves The Best in the World.
Even tho thats mainly a dream feud that will probably never happen... but if i had to choose a Match of The Year, im going with either John Cena vs CM Punk or Christian/Orton at Over The Limit.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Definitely a great selection of matches to choose from. The first match Randy Orton & Christian had, which was on SD! following Extreme Rules, was, in my view, the best match we've seen on television this year. All of their matches have been extremely high quality. Dolph Ziggler vs. Edge was a real jewel that's kind of been forgotten about but it was definitely up there. The Miz vs. John Morrison was the first WWE match of 2011 and it was a helluva way to kick the year off. Cena vs. Mysterio this past Monday on Raw had a great contrast of styles and both guys really worked hard.

But for me, the two that stand out most are The Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania XXVII and John Cena vs. CM Punk at Money in the Bank. It's hard for me to choose.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H - This match had a huge atmosphere about it. The Undertaker has become this almost mythic figure and people do love seeing him at WrestleMania time. The Streak has become almost synonymous with the biggest ppv of the year. It felt like a huge money match and the crowd was into it from bell to bell. When it comes to storytelling, I think it's pretty much impossible to top this match. It really felt an epic clash of two legends that are a dying breed really. All through the match I kept thinking to myself that I wasn't gonna get to see Taker in this setting many more times. Knowing about how worn out his body is from the wear and tear and watching him get carted out was a little emotional for me I think. For the first time I can really recall, Taker actually really looked like an vulnerable old man whose time was rapidly running out. It all just intertwined with the action to just create a very memorable match.

John Cena vs. CM Punk - This match generated more buzz than anything else I can recall in a long time. Taker vs. Triple H was a clash of legends while Cena vs. Punk almost came across like a battle over the future of the WWE. Punk is the angry rebel with a cause embraced as an anti-hero while John Cena is the All American good guy in a world where All American good guys are virtually extinct. The match itself was fantastic with both of them working their asses off and hitting each other with everything including the kitchen sink. The Chicago crowd that night was just so invested in everything that went on during the show but this match in particular. It's just the kind of crowd you always dream of doing your thing in front of. The outcome just put the match over the top. If both these guys died tomorrow, this would be the match that they'd both be remembered for.

I dunno which one I could pick to be honest, but you can't go wrong either way.

 

[Nate DaMac]

For me it comes down to Triple H/Taker at Mania, or Punk/Cena at MITB. Both matches were great, both exceeded any expectations I had for them. But Cena/Punk was not only my favorite match of the year, it's one of my favorites ever.

If I had to choose one factor that puts Cena/Punk over the top, it would be not knowing the outcome. Sure, Triple H did a damn good job of making em think he had a shot which is more than I can say for anyone else facing Taker at Mania, but I had absolutely no fucking idea who would the Punk/Cena match.

I'm making this seem closer than it is for the sake of discussion, but it's really a landslide for me. Punk/Cena @ MITB wins.

 

[innerdarkness89]

Tough one here. If we are including build ups to the match then Cena vs Punk is the clear winner. From just an in ring standpoint I think I would have to give it to either Christian vs Orton at Over the Limit, or Miz vs Morrison on Raw (which I was really surprised by the quality of, and really proved to me that Miz can put on a fantastic match with the right opponent).

Honorable mention to Triple H vs Undertaker. Loved it from the standpoint that they told a fantastic story in the ring. Loved the Triple H entrance to Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls. But as entertained as I was, the last 5-10 minutes was essentially a glorified beat down with an out of nowhere win.

 

[edgethefuture]

My thoughts on this are pretty good to me these are the only good matches of 2011 except for miz vs cena at wm was good but i voted for Cena Vs Punk at MITB that may be to lots of people Greater than Taker HBK WM 25-26 i think those 2 matches were fn awesome but This Punk thing is bigger than like anything ever Punk curses on Raw talks about defending in other promotions crashes the comic con Vince called him by his real name on raw "Can i call u Phil" he's bigger than hogan it's awesome how he's a face heel it's kinda odd though cuz he did nothing but insult people to get people to like him woah im getting to deep with punk tho great poll thanks for reading

 

[KitInaka]

Some epic matches up there...I gotta go with Cena vs CMPunk as Current Match of the year. No other match has had the story, wrestling, background, hype, and stakes that this match had. No other match this year meant more to both me and I'm pretty sure everyone else.

Although, I'd also say that most of the match in the post above mine deserve an honorable mention.