Match of the Decade

[Little Jerry Lawler]

2009 is more than halfway over and there have been many threads dedicated to whoever is the superstar of the year or who had the match of the year. This thread will be dedicated to the match of the decade. There have been many great storylines, encounters, and matches. Rock vs. Hogan, Undertaker vs. HBK, and Benoit vs. Angle come to mind. When I look at what deserves to be called Match of the Decade, I take to account the storyline behind it, the participants of the match, and the match itself. After many days of deliberating, I have reached my decision. Ladies and gentleman, my match of the decade is........

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. HHH- No Way Out 2001

I believe this match is one of the most overlooked in WWE history. For years to come, you will hear about the classic encounter between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. You still hear about the epic clash between Hulk Hogan and The Rock but for some reason this match gets overlooked. The buildup to this match was excellent. Stone Cold gets hit by a car at Survivor Series 1999 and everybody would be wondering for the next year who done it. Rikishi revealed that he was the driver but HHH revealed it was him who planned the whole thing.

Over the next few months, Austin and HHH would cost each other victories for the WWF Title held by Kurt Angle at the time. This led to them signing a contract which would pit them against each other at No Way Out in a Three Stages of Hell Match. Here is the promo leading up to the match.

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You knew coming in that this wasn't going to be a wrestling match. It was going to be a fight and it didn't fail to disappoint. You didn't know whether HHH or Austin was going to win and the crowd was into it every minute. Austin would win the first fall and HHH would win the second which to the third and final fall inside a steel cage. Both men were bleeding but fought as hard as they could. HHH and Austin hit each other with a sledgehammer and a barbed wire baseball bat and HHH fell on Austin for the pin and the victory. People may complain about the ending but that was one of the best I have seen. If this match was at Wrestlemania, I truly believe it would have surpassed Undertaker/HBK and HBK/Flair as one of the best Wrestlemania matches in history.

So do you agree with me that HHH/Austin is the Match of the Decade? Or do you feel that another match deserves this honor and explain why?

 

[Dave]

Hmm!

My favourite match of the decade is the one that evokes the most emotion in my mind anyway.

Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - No Way Out 2000

This was one of the earliest matches I can remember seeing and is still one of the best matches that I have seen. It just squeezes into the decade and is one of the biggest spot-fests I have seen. It was a match that was really rich in history and brilliance. Coming off of the match at Royal Rumble 2000, I personally thought that this match could not be any better than that but it surpassed it and so much more. I will always remember two things from this match. The first thing I remember is Cactus Jack falling off of the cage and through the announce table. The second thing I can remember from this match is Cactus Jack going through the cage and onto the mat below. It was insane. I loved this match and it will always be one of my favourite matches of all time.

Videos:

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So yeah, that is probably my favourite match that I have seen in all the time that I have been watching pro-wrestling. The event itself really did a good job of leading up to the match and once it was upon us, it really did not disappoint.

 

[Phoenix]

I think if I had to give it to a standard one on one match (despite a No DQ ruling). I have to give it to quite possibly the greatest ever Wrestlemania Main Event of all time.

THE ROCK VS. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

Why? Simply put, this was the match that got the best hype possible, it was teased for 4 months prior to the event and the people wanted it. It was for the championship, it was personal. They teased the even beating each other up before they finally broke down and were stealing each others finishers, to make this quite possibly the most hyped match.

The Rock was at his peak and Austin had just returned 6 months prior and got off a great feud with Triple H. These were the hottest thing in wrestling and this was the match to signify the end of the attitude era, the feel of this match was an attitude era match and the night after, it felt so different.

Onto the match. This was set to be one on one, but a no DQ rule was added boy did they go for it. There was so much energy and electrictiy in this match that there was never a dull moment from start to finish. From Lou Thez Press' to brawling in the crowd to bells and title belts used, this had the whole thing without it being too much or too little. These two rightfully have been branded to bring the best out of each other and they did so here.

Even the interference from Vince McMahon felt right, we saw a shocking Austin heel turn which added the extra twist of the night and truly sent off the Attitude Era in style. With about 17 steel chair shots and a celebration of the unlikelihood of Austin and McMahon, truly ending the Attitude Era and quite frankly, it was ended in the best way possible.

Here is it show, including the promo:

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Enjoy!

EDIT: Ok, for some strange reason the ending of the match isn't available :S

 

[CM Punk Circa 2004]

I think if I had to give it to a standard one on one match (despite a No DQ ruling). I have to give it to quite possibly the greatest ever Wrestlemania Main Event of all time.

The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels WM25

Im 28, and a 23/24 year Wrestling Fan now. There are endless Matches I could put here but this is it for me. Taker and HBK ARE WWE, and when they go it wont be the same, just like Dragon leaving ROH "personal opinion" And this was over 10 years in the making. Happening at Wrestlemania certainly helped the cause but the Match was like watching what this Sport is about. Sorry I cant find the full match on "that site"

 

[666_The_Game_666]

there have been many classic matches this decade some of the ones ive enjoyed were

Rock and Austin WMX7: 2nd time Rock and Austin met at WM and this was a awsome match to close a classic WM. The night were Austin turned heel and won the title with the help of his nemesis Vince McMahon. But hell one of them matches that is just great all the way through

HHH and Cactus Jack NWO 2000: The final match of Micks carer HHH in his prime in all his HEEL glory and in HELL IN A CELL. The match type that defined Micks carer back in 1998. What a match this was Foley goes through the cage sets a 2X4 on fire and many more Classic Cactus Jack moments.

Austin and HHH NWO 2001: The end of the Austin HHH feud from the end of 2000. The first time 3 Stages Of Hell Was used Austin and The Game fought through 3 matches and the game walked out on top as he did a year later with Micheals at Armegedon in the same match.

Micheals And Jericho Great American Bask 2008:The match that made the Bash in 08 with Micheals and Jericho in the same ring hell its gonna be one hell of a ride and thats what they gave us one of the feuds of 2008 this match was just a thrillride of Micheals showing us why hes the showstopper and why Jericho is Jericho.

Micheals and Undertaker WM25 2009: The match that was the only joy out of this years Mania. The deadman and HBK put up one hell of a fight with Micheals being the first man ive seen kick out of the Tombstone and the look on the deadmans face was just amazing to see his reaction after seeing HBK want to continue this match. Deffenitly the best match of the decade

 

[shafe_41]

IF anybody is familiar with my posts on best match of the decade, best match of all time, best match in WM history, etc... You already know where I'm going with this.

Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels at WM21

What else can be said other than this match was an absolute clinic. A clinic I tell you. There was nothing on the line but pride in this contest. It didn't rely on a Cell, Tables, Ladders, or Chairs, or a cage of any sort. There was no twist. It relied on no "holy shit" spots. Nothing. It was a 1-on-1 match in the grandest sense of the word. It owned WM21. It owned the year. It owned the decade.

 

[SavageTaker]

All of you have made great picks and I do agree that any of those matches could easily be considered match of the decade. However, I have to choose one that has yet to be mentioned and I doubt that it&#8217;s going to get many mentions. I truly believe that this match is underrated and deserves a hell of a lot more praise than it has gotten. That match is none other than Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho from Wrestlemania 19.



That was an epic match, truly a classic. To anyone who hasn&#8217;t seen it, that&#8217;s why I posted the match because you just have to see that match. Overall, it was a great and very entertaining match It told a story throughout the match, the wrestling was spectacular, and the ending was awesome. I honestly can't find anything wrong with the match because it was everything a pro-wrestling match should be and more. Like I said, if you haven&#8217;t seen the match you should go out of your way to see it because it&#8217;s truly a classic match that everyone who is a wrestling fan should see. That match is really underrated...and I definetly would consider it one of the best matches if not the match of this decade.

 

[The Rob]

I would jump on the Shawn Michaels v.s Undertaker band wagon in this thread, but I have done that before. That is (probably) the best match of this decade so far. But I just want you to consider this for possible match of the decade...

Shawn Michaels v.s Ric Flair, WrestleMania XXIV.

As we all know, this was Ric's retirement match. This would be his final match and boy did he put on one hell of a final performance. Shawn was absolutely brilliant as well. Both men not only put on one hell of a 1 on 1 professional wrestling match. Some of the spots that both Shawn and Ric did were amazing, Shawn's botched moonsault onto the edge of the RAW announce table was just nasty to watch. Ric looked absolutely great in this match and looked very much capable of beating Shawn.

But the thing that this match did was tell a story, and the ending is simply heartbreaking. You knew it was coming, Shawn's final words to Ric "I'm sorry, I love you" broke the hearts of millions and the career of Ric Flair was over seconds later. I just find this match to be both magical and heartbreaking. The whole setting of WrestleMania XXIV, infront of so many people, all of which loved and respected both men, helped make this match a pure joy to watch.

 

[The Brain]

Here are my top ten in chronlogical order (except I saved the best for last):

Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock, WrestleMania X8 (for the hype & crowd more than the actual match)

Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, SummerSlam 2002 (I came very close to picking this as my match of the decade)

Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit, No Mercy 2002 (perhaps the best tag match ever)

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit, Royal Rumble 2003

Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania XIX

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit, WrestleMania XX

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle, WrestleMania 21

Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair, WrestleMania 24

Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, WrestleMania 25

And my choice for match of the decade:

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, WrestleMania XIX

That was an epic match, truly a classic. To anyone who hasn’t seen it, that’s why I posted the match because you just have to see that match. Overall, it was a great and very entertaining match It told a story throughout the match, the wrestling was spectacular, and the ending was awesome. I honestly can't find anything wrong with the match because it was everything a pro-wrestling match should be and more. Like I said, if you haven’t seen the match you should go out of your way to see it because it’s truly a classic match that everyone who is a wrestling fan should see. That match is really underrated...and I definetly would consider it one of the best matches if not the match of this decade.

You said it all. The build for this was really well done too. Also it was HBK's return to WrestleMania.

 

[blood and thunder]

Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair - Wrestlemania 24

Oh boy, this is such a classic match. This match here epitomizes everything we love about this great sport - an old guy and a really old guy grappling with each other for longer than anyone wanted them to. It was a travesty this didn't headline the show - screw the World Title, Wrestlemania is about guys who should have retired a decade ago dragging their career out to its unnatural conclusion. Who cares if the match wasn't that good? HBK said "I love you"!. Pure storytelling magic right there guys. Anyone who hasn't seen this match - go find it now. You're missing out - big time.

 

[AdamBenjamin]

I feel like everyone is overlooking how crazy the world went when Chris Jericho won the title on Raw in 2000, which ended in Earl Hebner reversing the decision, than being fired by the "McMahon-Helmsley Regime." I know, there wasn't a build to it, but it opened the show that night, and was one of the most exciting matches on Raw, ever, if you ask me. Y2J was below even underdog status at that point, so when the crowd thought they saw a new champion, the rest of that show was absolutely electric.

Another one with Jericho that I guess is overlooked since it's a TV match...

May 24, 2001 in Anaheim, California @ Smackdown- TLC III with The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian, and Benoit and Jericho... It was a long time ago, but if I remember correctly, that opened that show as well and was a fucking blockbuster. I haven't seen it in years though.

I'll just name a handful more worth mentioning IMO-

Jeff Hardy v Undertaker for Undisputed Championship in July 2002(?) on Raw.

HBK v Y2J WM19

TIT FINALS

"New Brood" (Hardys as heels) vs Edge And Christian.. Come on, this is THE match that made the ladder match you see today.


WM X7 Rock/Austin
WMX8 Rock/Hogan

Definitely in my top five favorite matches ever, is Rock vs Lesnar at Summer Slam 2002. INCREDIBLE EVERYTHING. It was perfect.

HBK and Flair last year... and of course.


Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker.. I believe this match far surpasses match of the decade. It was everything a wrestling main event should be. The hype, the emotion, the uncertainty. Even for the smartest of marks, this match had you wondering, the entire time right up until that last tombstone. It was pure gold, and I don't think anything will ever touch if for as long as I'm alive.

 

[THE SWAG]

sure there are many rock/austin, hogan/rock, hbk/anybody, hbk/bret iron man match, but i am going to throw a curve ball here, how bout the benoit/booker t best of 7 matches, those were great, they did something new in every match

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I feel like everyone is overlooking how crazy the world went when Chris Jericho won the title on Raw in 2000, which ended in Earl Hebner reversing the decision, than being fired by the "McMahon-Helmsley Regime." I know, there wasn't a build to it, but it opened the show that night, and was one of the most exciting matches on Raw, ever, if you ask me. Y2J was below even underdog status at that point, so when the crowd thought they saw a new champion, the rest of that show was absolutely electric.

Another one with Jericho that I guess is overlooked since it's a TV match...

May 24, 2001 in Anaheim, California @ Smackdown- TLC III with The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian, and Benoit and Jericho... It was a long time ago, but if I remember correctly, that opened that show as well and was a fucking blockbuster. I haven't seen it in years though.

I'll just name a handful more worth mentioning IMO-

Jeff Hardy v Undertaker for Undisputed Championship in July 2002(?) on Raw.

HBK v Y2J WM19

TIT FINALS

"New Brood" (Hardys as heels) vs Edge And Christian.. Come on, this is THE match that made the ladder match you see today.


WM X7 Rock/Austin
WMX8 Rock/Hogan

Definitely in my top five favorite matches ever, is Rock vs Lesnar at Summer Slam 2002. INCREDIBLE EVERYTHING. It was perfect.

HBK and Flair last year... and of course.


Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker.. I believe this match far surpasses match of the decade. It was everything a wrestling main event should be. The hype, the emotion, the uncertainty. Even for the smartest of marks, this match had you wondering, the entire time right up until that last tombstone. It was pure gold, and I don't think anything will ever touch if for as long as I'm alive.

I have to respectfully disagree about Undertaker/HBK match being match of the decade. While it had hype and emotion, the thing that brought the match down was the fact that we knew Undertaker was going to win. Orton, Batista, and Edge were closer to beating Undertaker in their respective matches and still lost, so I wasn't going to believe HBK was going to win.

It was hard to predict who was going to win between HHH and Austin. It wouldn't mean much since Austin was already going to Wrestlemania to face the champion. That third fall was one of the best I've ever seen and the finish was just brilliant because you didn't know whether HHH would fall on Austin or the other way around.

 

[Lancer]

Wrestlemania XX
World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit

Duh.

I mean, a lot of people may have overlooked it because of what happened with Benoit in 2007, and because of how HHH was a tyrannical maniac through 2003-2004, and he and HBK were everywhere, fighting all the time...

But I think this match deserves mention because it had the action, the storytelling, and put Benoit over as a major superstar due to the win. Plus, the buildup was awesome...Benoit defected from SmackDown to Raw after outlasting everyone in record time at the Royal Rumble; he challenges the champ; and HBK wants a piece of his old enemy HHH, citing unfinished business. All that, along with how they played up Benoit's career, and how he scratched and clawed for 18 years to become a World Champion, was unprecedented.

Plus, there were a couple of bonuses here...HHH sported white boots (badass); and Eddie Guerrero joining his longtime friend in the ring for his championship celebration, the two embracing each other in tears.

Epic.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

After watching some more matches, there are a few I like to put in the running for Match of the Decade and they're Joe/Styles from Turning Point 2005 and Styles/Joe/Daniels from Unbreakable.

There was so much emotion from Styles during his Turning Point match with Joe after what Joe did to Daniels at Genesis. Joe delivered some of the most lethal kicks I've ever seen to Styles and A.J. fought him back blow for blow. The Coquina Clutch applied by Joe as a reversal to a Styles roll-up was just awesome and capped the end to a really great match.

I thought the Unbreakable Triple Threat match wouldn't top the Turning Point match but it was either on par with it or surpassed it. The moves and selling were awesome especially when Styles and Joe were having a kicking contest on poor old Daniels. Styles countering the Angels Wings into a pin was great and I thought Joe was walking out of this with the win but it didn't hurt his streak at the time.

 

[MaciniRocks]

Solely based on the fact that many of the matches I hold in high regard as favorites of everyone else.... I thought I'd take a few that follow a slightly different approach....

Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit - IC Title Ladder Match- Royal Rumble 2001
Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit - Angle's Medals on the line (and in Benoit's pants) - Judgment Day 2001
Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - WWF Title - King of The Ring 2001

And those 3 aside... my pick goes to........

Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho - Triple Threat for the European and IC Titles - Wrestlemania 2000

Three of the greatest workers in the history of the business putting on one hell of a match with one interesting setup. The EuroContential was almost garunteed to be gone after this match and yes, yes it was. My personal pick for greatest match of all time.