Match of the Month: December

[The Brain]

Well I haven't been on a lot lately due to my laptop crashing, but hopefully it will be fixed by this weekend and I can get back to posting more regularly. It's a new month so it's time for another one of my match of the month threads. As I say every month, I'm a WWE guy. I'm sure there are plenty of great matches to choose from throughout different promotions, but I can't include them on mine simply because I haven't seen them. With a lot of Starrcade events taking place in December I'm sure WCW will be well represented on some lists. So what are your favorite matches to take place in the month of December?

In my opinion the WWE's December pay per views have been pretty weak over the years. Most I've only seen once so my memory isn't so good on them. Because of this my list will be shorter than usual.

Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H, 2003:

Every once in a while we get a classic match on free tv. This is one of those occassions. I believe this was on the final raw of 2003. This was a ppv quality match and one of the few non gimmick matches I can remember between the two. I'd say this is their best match behind the SummerSlam 2002 match.

Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, 2005:

This was the Hell in a Cell blow off to their feud that lasted throughout most of 2005. It was pretty much a bloody fight, but that's what you expect out of Hell in a Cell. I watched this match this morning and thought it was pretty good. The Orton of 2005 actually reminded me a lot of Ted Dibiase now. Hopefully that's a good sign that Dibiase has a bright future.

The Hardy Boys vs. MNM vs. Brian Kendrick & Paul London vs. William Regal & David Taylor, 2006:

If I remember right this match wasn't even advertised for the ppv. I remember this mostly for the sick spot that crushed Joey Mercury's face. Overall I thought the match was pretty good.

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy, 2007:

This wasn't their best match, but it's deserving of an honorable mention.

My #1 choice for match of the month in December:

Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, 1995:

This was another Bret Hart classic. It's not as famous as the SummerSlam 92 match, but this is great too. I remember Bret bleeding a lot here in a time when blood wasn't used. This is a good example for those who are complaining we don't see blood at every ppv anymore. Had blood been used all the time back then it wouldn't have meant anything. Because you rarely saw blood this match stood out. The only problem I have is with the finish. It seemed to come out of nowhere without much of a climax. I haven't seen this match in years so maybe I'm remembering wrong, but either way it was a great match.

I know my list is short so let me know what I forgot from WWE or what else belongs on there from other promotions.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'm going with the three stages of hell match for the WHC between HBK, and Triple H from Armageddon 2002. It was an amazing match, and another chapter in a great feud between these two. HHH and Shawn put on three pretty good matches. The cage was my favorite because that's where we saw Falir interfere. Plus HBK took one sick fall through all those tables at the end.

 

[HBK = Greatest Ever]

I would say the HBK vs. HHH at Armageddon 2002 is the best December match. They wrestled 3 great matches in one with the best ending to a ladder match I've ever seen. The match is over 40 minutes long

 

[rayisawesomeness]

Armageddon 2008 - WWE Championship - Triple H vs. Edge vs. Jeff Hardy

In a year full of suspensions and other personal problems, Jeff Hardy finally won the WWE Championship on the very last PPV of the year. Going into it, nobody thought that Hardy was going over here and when he finally did, it felt like 2004 all over again with Guerrero & Benoit winning the titles. It was a phenomenal way to end 2008.

"From daredevil to champion, from enigma to icon." - Jim Ross

 

[The REAL Iron Chef]

Finally The Brain is back! Wrestlezone may once again proceed normally.

Anyways, Brain, you totally nailed my pick for match of the month with the Hardy Boyz vs. Londrick vs. MNM vs. Old British Guys from Armageddon 2006. You had the insane spots, the creativity, even a bit of human-ness out of William Regal with him being scared of heights. Obviously, everyone's going to remember this match as the match that totally jacked up Joey Mercury's face, but this match had so many high spots, I'm not ashamed to say I've watched this match a few times just so I could fully soak in each one.

 

[Blade]

I'm gonna go with the 6 Man Hell in a Cell at Armageddon 2000. This was pretty much every kids dream, 5 huge stars (and Rikishi) stuck in a deadly structure kicking seven shades of shit out of each other was pure entertainment. Pretty much everyone bladed and gave it everything they had, which you don't see much in multi-man matches as there's always a few guys slacking off usually. But every guy pulled their weight to put on a classic.

It had some great spots too. All the stuff they did with the cars was great. And, of course, Rikishi taking the bump off the cell into the back of the truck was awesome. The ending was great too, with every man eliminating each other only to have Angle barely get the pin.

 

[theviolentmessiah]

I'm going to have to say that the Armageddon ladder match with Hardys/HooliganZ/MNM/Regal and Taylor is one of the all time greatest matches WWE has ever put on. Despite Mercury's injuries the match was filled with excitement and drama and a number of other great spots. The surprise of it not being advertised only added to the stunning addition of the Hardys and MNM and any one of these teams could have one. When was the last time the WWE had four times vying for tag gold and me actually believing any team could win. And even more amazingly the WWE giving the push to the young athletic talent of London and Kendrick made the match even better. I think this match was one of WWE's greatest ever, let alone in December.