Match of the Year 2000

[theBusiness]

PWI doesn't always choose the truly best match as match of the year. For example, in 2002 we got Hogan vs Rock, when maybe on paper it was the biggest match, it was definitely not the best match. Or in 2006 when Vince vs Shawn was chosen over many other better matches. Hell, I might get some heat for this but Flair vs. Shawn wasn't even the best match in 2008. Anyway...in 2000, the Triangle Ladder Match was chosen as the Match of the year. Now, before I disagree with this chosing, I will admit that it is definitely not a bad choice. It was actually a very good match and would be much more memorable if it wasn't topped the following year. But I feel there were better matches than this one. What do you guys think? Do you guys think the Triangle Ladder Match was the right choice? If not, What was the TRUE match of the year in 2000?

Here are some candidates, but feel free to name others.

Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble)
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (No Way Out)
Triple H vs. Chris Jericho (Fully Loaded)
The First TLC Match (SummerSlam)
Six-Man Hell in a Cell (Armageddon)

 

[The Brain]

First of all, the PWI match of the year is voted on by the readers. Not that that’s necessarily relevant to your thread but I just wanted to throw that out there. I do believe the mania ladder match was the right choice. I’m a little surprised to hear myself say that as I normally don’t care for crowded gimmick matches. I thought that one was well done and had a lot of good spots. It also helps that it was at mania. The bigger the stage the more memorable the match.

If I remember right Triple H vs. Chris Jericho from Fully Loaded was first runner up. That was also a solid match and I wouldn’t have been bothered if that had won. I think Triple H vs. Cactus Jack from the rumble would have been a deserving winner too. That was a great brawl. One other honorable mention I’d like to throw out there is another Triple H match. I really enjoyed his match with Chris Benoit at No Mercy. Unlike his other two candidates this one was more of a technical match and just as entertaining with a completely different style of match.

 

[theBusiness]

First of all, the PWI match of the year is voted on by the readers. Not that that’s necessarily relevant to your thread but I just wanted to throw that out there. I do believe the mania ladder match was the right choice. I’m a little surprised to hear myself say that as I normally don’t care for crowded gimmick matches. I thought that one was well done and had a lot of good spots. It also helps that it was at mania. The bigger the stage the more memorable the match.

If I remember right Triple H vs. Chris Jericho from Fully Loaded was first runner up. That was also a solid match and I wouldn’t have been bothered if that had won. I think Triple H vs. Cactus Jack from the rumble would have been a deserving winner too. That was a great brawl. One other honorable mention I’d like to throw out there is another Triple H match. I really enjoyed his match with Chris Benoit at No Mercy. Unlike his other two candidates this one was more of a technical match and just as entertaining with a completely different style of match.

Good point, I should have made it clear about the vote. And I haven't seen that No Mercy match but it just comes to show how on fire Triple was in 2000. That probably was the best year in his career. As I'm looking through a list of 4+ star range matches from 2000, his name is in about half of them. As for my choice, I have to go with either the Street Fight at Royal Rumble or the TLC match at SummerSlam. Hard choice.

 

[Harddyboy77]

I enjoyed the TLC at Summerslam the most. I'm a Hardy mark, always have been always will be, clearly showed them at the top of their game. Nothing like it had ever been done before, and it also demonstrates that at one point in time, some people valued the tag matches more than the world title matches.

 

[BASSER911414]

Well there was also The Rock vs Triple H at Backlash which I believe was one of the greatest face vs heel matches of all times. STorybook ending. Face beats all the odds including the entire help with the help of the temporary returning steve austin. That was one hell of a match and definitely my pick for best match of 2000.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Either Triple H vs Cactus Jack at Royal Rumble or Triple H vs Kurt Angle at Unforgiven. Those two matches stood out so much for me. Great storytelling and the unpredictability factor was off the charts.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

Lot of Triple H matches making the list in 2000....

I guess i will continue to sing his praises, for me match of the year should have been Triple H vs Cactus Jack Royal Rumble 2000, you really couldnt turn ur eyes away for the whole 30 minutes it lasted and left me wanting more, HHH took the win and solidified himself as the man to beat at the time and Cactus looked like a beast even though he lost!

 

[TM Punk]

I think this should turn into a "people should shut up about HHH only being in the spot he's in because of who he married" thread. Seriously. What about HHH vs The Rock vs Kurt Angle at summerslam? Another great match. Did HHH win wrestler of the year at least?

 

[theBusiness]

I think this should turn into a "people should shut up about HHH only being in the spot he's in because of who he married" thread. Seriously. What about HHH vs The Rock vs Kurt Angle at summerslam? Another great match. Did HHH win wrestler of the year at least?

Rock won wrestler of the year. Pretty logical choice seeing as it was the year he rose to superstardom as a face, but Triple H had a better year (at least in the ring). 2000 Triple H was the best Triple H of all time IMO. Never really noticed but I wonder how much that quad injury in 2001 affected him in the ring. Up until then, he was putting on classics left and right. He still had some great matches after his return, but not comparable to the amount of ones in 2000 and early 2001.

 

[RJJ]

Even though I believe Post-Knee Injury HHH is overrated as hell, I got to say, overall, he was the best superstar in the company around the years 2000 and 2001.


My choice would be HHH vs Y2J at Raw, WWE title match. Another HHH match...



[YOUTUBE]j0Su_XnbpDM[/YOUTUBE]

 

[keith hall]

my choice would have to be...HHH vs Cctus jack in a hell in a cell...it had some amazing spots and really gave us that chance to see mick actually be the agressor in the cell

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A underrated match which I have no problem calling the best of the year was the 4 way title match at Mania 2000. I know this match gets heat for being a 4 way and all the McMahon's, but once it got down to Rock and Trips they put on nearly 20 minutes of gold after the match had already been going on for about 15 minutes. The suprise ending of the heel winning really adds to this match.

Also their iron man match was specail. Completely different from the 1st one between Bret and Shawn. We saw multiple falls and the Undertaker ultimatley screwing The Rock when he really wanted to get back at Trips. Also Shawn being the ref had added some intruige as to if he would screw The Rock or not.

 

[Judah's Lion]

pretty stacked year. lots of good choices. i'm okay with the triple threat tag team ladder match at mania as it was at mania and the first time we saw it. the tag team ladder match had just happened for the first time, as had the tag team tables match. so this was pretty fresh. let's face it, this was the first TLC match. it just wasn't called that, but definitely tables and ladders and chairs were all used. so this is a good choice, as is the "first" TLC match at summerslam, and i even think the first tag team table match from the rumble.

in the end, i think i gotta go with triple h vs. cactus jack at royal rumble. that street fight was awesome. i remember thinking that triple h didn't have a chance and was super surprised when he won. that kind of suspension of belief is what makes wrestling so great. that really solidified trips in my opinion not only as a dominant champion, but quite honestly a heavyweight champion period. fantastic storytelling with the handcuffs too. totally brought back memories of the "i quit" match from a year earlier with rock and mankind. again, just good storytelling.

nice thread.

 

[jeritroll94]

Tough choice to make. I think both the triangle laddermatch and TLC 1 are certainly in the top 5. Triple H vs Chris Jericho at Fully Loaded was also great as well as the triple threat match between Triple H, The Rock and Kurt Angle. But my match of the year has to go to Triple H vs Cactus Jack at No Way Out inside Hell In A Cell. The storyline for it was great and this was the match that IMO confirmed Triple H's rise to the top and kept him there. This match had it all, chair shots, throwing through the cell, barbed wire, falls off the cell and through the cell and an ending which engaged the crowd.

 

[wooooo]

The tag team table match at Royal Rumble 2000 was also one of the best matches of the year in my opinion.

I think the TLC match at SummerSlam surpassed the ladder match at Mania but my choice would be the street fight at the Rumble between Cactus Jack and HHH.

I'd only just started watching wrestling when that ppv came around and I instantly became a permanent fan of Mick Foley, I've watched that match countless times since and pretty much know it move for move, just a match I'll never get bored of.

 

[The Eighties]

Triple H was the best worker in North America in 2000, his output of matches that year was as consistently good as any top guy in the business has had. He dominated the match list in my head when I read this thread title, but in the end I went with the Rumble Street Fight with Cactus Jack, a true all time classic battle.

 

[theBusiness]

Just another honorable mention...the 10 man tag team match on Raw in February. Triple H, XPac, and the Radicalz vs. Rock, Foley, & Too Cool. This wasn't a time in wrestling where there were many GREAT matches on free TV and this was definitely an exception. Highly recommend it, youtube it if you don't remember it. Another possible top 10 match is Jericho and Benoit's submission match. I believe it was either at Backlash or Judgment Day.

 

[The Brain]

Just another honorable mention...the 10 man tag team match on Raw in February. Triple H, XPac, and the Radicalz vs. Rock, Foley, & Too Cool. This wasn't a time in wrestling where there were many GREAT matches on free TV and this was definitely an exception. Highly recommend it, youtube it if you don't remember it. Another possible top 10 match is Jericho and Benoit's submission match. I believe it was either at Backlash or Judgment Day.

I think I know the Raw match you're talking about. If it's the one I'm thinking of I remember the crowd being white hot for that match. I don't remember much about the match itself but I remember being caught up in it because of the crowd. It's amazing what a difference the crowd can make in a match.

 

[HBsam31]

My pick is also the street fight from the Rumble with Cactus. HHH was dominate at the time, and Foley just gave him that last big push he needed. This match just barely beats TLC for me.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

From recollection, I can recall a good few matches in 2000. The Rock vs. Triple H is one of my favorite matches, but it wasn't actually all that great, it was the crowd that made it so good plus the hype surrounding the question, will or won't Steve Austin show. One of the best things they did on the night was get Vince McMahon the microphone before the match and point out the "Card subject to change" note on the audiences programs.

I think my favorite was either Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit at Judgement Day or Jericho vs. Triple H at Fully Loaded. It was the match with Triple H and the entire feud that blew Jericho up big time. He'd be getting huge ovations during his short face run, The Rock sized reactions. I'm a fool for Submission matches, I can recall the Benoit/Jericho match consisting of them trading holds on the outside for a bit, they'd some great counters and they really got the crowd out of their seats on the night. Kind of overshadowed the Ironman match in the main event.

I'm going to vote Jericho vs. Benoit in the Submission match, to be different. Well worth the look to anybody whose not seen it.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Well there was also The Rock vs Triple H at Backlash which I believe was one of the greatest face vs heel matches of all times. STorybook ending. Face beats all the odds including the entire help with the help of the temporary returning steve austin. That was one hell of a match and definitely my pick for best match of 2000.

Absolutely agreed on this one, this match is one of my alltime favourites! But man did 2000 have a lot of great matches! In terms of PPV's, 2000 was the best year! I really wouldn't object to any of those in the OP being MOTY, but Rock v Triple H Backlash 2000 gets my vote. Their Ironman was fantastic too

 

[The Idiot]

Just another honorable mention...the 10 man tag team match on Raw in February. Triple H, XPac, and the Radicalz vs. Rock, Foley, & Too Cool. This wasn't a time in wrestling where there were many GREAT matches on free TV and this was definitely an exception. Highly recommend it, youtube it if you don't remember it. Another possible top 10 match is Jericho and Benoit's submission match. I believe it was either at Backlash or Judgment Day.

Wow...I remember that 10 man tag match and its probably been 12 years since Ive thought of it. Its amazing to me how easily you can forget a great match if its not on a major PPV...or even a PPV period.

Up until that time it was probably the best match I have ever seen on Raw. The crowd was absolutely insane. Thanks for mentioning it, I want to check it out now.