MOTY - Two Years of TLC?

[IrishCanadian25]

The PWI Match of the Year Award has been handed out since 1972.

It wasn't until 1985 - the Main Event at Wrestlemania 1 - that the award was given to a tag team match.

It wasn't given to a tag team match again until 1991, when Luger & Sting vs The Steiner Brothers won over Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect.

Then in 2000 and 2001, the strangest thing happened.

Edge and Christian vs The Hardyz vs The Dudleyz became only the third and fourth tag team match to win the MOTY Crown. It was the first time the award had ever been given to a triple threat match. It was the first time the award was given to repeat winners - never before had any match repeated as champion. Indeed, as the PWI goes, 2000-2001 was truly "Two Years of TLC."

But did it deserve the accolade?

In 2000, HHH wrestled Chris Jericho in the runner up. Super Crazy and Tajiri took ECW a step higher with Lucha Libre. In 2001, Steve Austin vs Triple H was THE feud. Chris Jericho faced The Rock in several classics. And Jeff Hardy and Rod Van Dam tore it apart in the invasion angle.

Should the PWI Match of the Year Title have gone to a different match in either year? Or did those 104 weeks TRULY belong to 6 men - 3 tag teams - and countless charges on the Home Depot Credit Card?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Ladder Matches? Just a lot of falling down if you ask me. You can't deny how entertaining they are. But matches of the year? I can't see it to be honest. It's like voting Pearl Harbour winning an MTV award for best film because it's got some kick ass killin' and bombin'. I can think of plenty of high spot based matches from that time that are miles better, mostly from ECW.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Definitely have to go with the TLC matches here. Edge & Christian Vs The Dudley Boyz Vs The Hardyz are some of my best memories as a wrestling fan. the Hardyz were always my favourite, but these matches were so unpredictable. It was like who you wanted to win changed each time.

The Dudleys especially were always amazing in these matches. You could honestly sit there watching in disbelief at what they were doing. There was such a good mix, of hardcore and high flying and story telling that they were absolute classics.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Let me throw out some dissention:

2000

At Wrestlemania 2000, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Kurt Angle faced off in a two-fall match for BOTH mid-card championships at that time - the Intercontinental and European titles. Kurt Angle came in as the cocky heel, the self-professed "Euro-Continental Champion," and despite never losing a fall in the match, dropped BOTH belts. The concept for this match was genius, the participants were 100% committed to it, and the outcome was awesome.

At Judgement Day, Triple H and The Rock faced each other for the WWF Title in a one-hour Iron Man Match. Fearing the crowd would be bored by another 0-0 overtime thrilled like the Hart / Michaels match, this 60 minute marathon featured 11 falls, the last of which occuring after a perfectly timed run-in by The Undertaker, new gimmick and all, to give HHH the victory.

At Unforgiven, HHH and Kurt Angle, following months of feuding, squared off in a No DQ match featuring Mick Foley as the guest ref. This match occured only days after Kurt Angle kissed a prone Stephanie, and represented some of the best feud booking that year. The anger between the two men was VERY apparent, and the result was a strong, though shorter than expected, no DQ match, with HHH picking up the win.

2001

Mere weeks after 9/11, WWE handed fans possibly it's most significant match in ages. Steve Austin, now a heel, feuded with Kurt Angle, who was being repackaged as the new American Hero - someone the fans could rally behind for some emotional stability - in the wake of the terrorist attacks in NY. How a spot fest like TLC could be considered of greater importance than Angle's title win over Austin is beyond me. Angle meant so much to American wrestling fans at this time, and the pop he got after making Austin tap to the ankle lock was AWESOME. It was the biggest act of patriotic professional wrestling since Hogan beating Slaughter and Luger slamming Yokozuna.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

At Wrestlemania 2000, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Kurt Angle faced off in a two-fall match for BOTH mid-card championships at that time - the Intercontinental and European titles. Kurt Angle came in as the cocky heel, the self-professed "Euro-Continental Champion," and despite never losing a fall in the match, dropped BOTH belts. The concept for this match was genius, the participants were 100% committed to it, and the outcome was awesome.

Good match and all. But the result was stupid. Not who won the titles, but the way in which they won them. For some reason the IC title is being decided first, even though it's more important than the European title. Then the new IC champion is pinned by the new Euro champion. All in one match.

At Judgement Day, Triple H and The Rock faced each other for the WWF Title in a one-hour Iron Man Match. Fearing the crowd would be bored by another 0-0 overtime thrilled like the Hart / Michaels match, this 60 minute marathon featured 11 falls, the last of which occuring after a perfectly timed run-in by The Undertaker, new gimmick and all, to give HHH the victory.

I'd probably go with this actually. Hour long matches are tricky. HBK & Bret Hart bored everyone to tears with their Iron Man match (can anybody say they didn't). Yet HHH & The Rock, two lesser wrestlers in my eyes, had an action packed match, for the full hour. You can even get past the DQ finish because the Taker return was executed so well.

 

[Shocky]

This just proves to me that people are only attracted to bright lights and loud noises. Cool matches to look at, but zero to no substance to them. What a bunch of crap that these two spot fest matches won match of the year, not once, but twice. Bullshit I say.

I can name a dozen matches from each year that were far more enjoybable then these two crap, spot fest.

Hell, IC brought up Benoit vs. Angle vs. Jericho, a far better match at Wrestlemania. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H in either the Street Fight or the Cell match own this match. Hell, the Dudleys vs. the Hardys at the Rumble in the tables match was far more impressive then this match.

Also, the Iron Man match with the Rock and Triple H was by far a better match then this spot fest. The Triple H vs. Chris Jericho Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded was a far, far superior match, and possibly the best Last Man Standing match to date. I could go on and on, and not even get to the 6 Man Hell in the Cell.

Then i could move onto 2001. Austin vs. Triple H in the 3 Stages of Hell was the best match of the year, bar none, end of story. There isn't even a close second. That match was fucking superior and ended one of the better feuds of the early decade. And that's not even getting into Benoit vs. Angle at Mania, Benoit vs. Angle in the 30 Minute Ultimate Submission Match, Benoit vs. Angle in three Stages of Hell, Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy. Hell the TLC match wasn't even the best match of the WM X-7.

God I could go on, but no one will care. As i said, if you make enough noise and flash enough lights, people will keep looking and not notice.

 

[Slyfox696]

I see a lot of good matches being mentioned, in favor of the TLC matches, and to be honest, I'm not really sure if I feel they are better or not. They might be, and might not be.

But what is truly puzzling to me is how no one has mentioned Austin vs. Rock, Wrestlemania 17. Like Shocky said above, the TLC 2 match wasn't even the best match on the card. But, this match was. This match was EVERYTHING a match should be, even if the end was a little weak. I place the Austin vs. Rock 2 match in elite stratosphere, and would say it is the best match of 2001.

As for 2000, I didn't watch much WWF in 2000. I'd turn it on for Rock, but that was about it. I was more of a WCW guy.

 

[klunderbunker]

You certainly won't hear me say this often, but Sly is absolutely right. Wrestlemania's main event is designed to be the biggest match of the year and in 2001 it delivered. Austin and the Rock were so far ahead of everyone else at the time that Taker and HHH looked weak compared to them. Those two, Taker and the Game could main event any other pay per view of the year and they were the upper mid card match. Austin and Rock was the only choice for the main event and that match was awesome. I'm in the minority but i LOVED the twist ending. No one saw that coming. It lived up to the hype and then some. I remember marking out like no other during the TLC match that night and then not remembering it for 2 weeks. No way TLC was MOTY, not even the best of the ngiht.

As for 2000, have to agree on the triple threat from WM 2000. Classic wrestling all around and an original concept with the future of WWE in the ring.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Match of the Year - 2000:

T.L.C. - Edge & Christian v. The Hardys v. The Dudley Boys: The thing about this is, this trio of teams had two Triple Threat matches that involved ladders. Wrestlemania 2000, in which it was a regular ladder match.. that just happened to involve plenty of Tables and Chairs. Then again, at Summerslam, in which they felt 'smart' by adding a gimmick name to it.

While I loved the matches, and when I think of Ladder matches I think of Shawn Michaels for single's, and Edge/Christian for tag teams.. the fact is, I'd say it's overrated as far as other matches that took place in 2000.

First, you have to understand how did they pick one over the other? The 2000 ladder match was original. The Summerslam version was a repeat, with an original title. So how could you pick between which was better? That alone should've almost cancelled either match from being considered.

Now then, some of my alternative choices for Match of the Year, for 2000 would be as follows..

Alternatives:

1. Royal Rumble: W.W.F. Championship: Street Fight: Triple H. (c) v. Cactus Jack: This would be hard to decide upon too, merely because a month later they found themselves in a Hell in a Cell that would become historical for "ending" Mick Foley's career.

However (and it could take heat) I believe this is arguably one of Triple H.'s best matches, merely because up until this point he really hadn't shown that he could be the top guy. Sure he'd had matches with some of the top players, but he wasn't exactly "tough". This Street Fight showed the world that he could hang with one of the baddest, and take it to him.

Again, it's hard to say it could've been Match of the Year over the HIAC that proceeded it, but both are definately worth mentioning, and my top 10 choice would've been to add this as a favorite to go all the way.

2. Wrestlemania 2000: W.W.F. Championship: Fatal 4 Way: Triple H. (c) v. Big Show v. Mick Foley v. The Rock: Without a doubt, to me, this was the single best Multi-man match I've ever witnessed. Triple Threat and Fatal 4 Way matches always seem awkward and difficult to follow. Normally you have one guy not doing anything, or even in 4-ways, two guys not doing anything. This was an elimination match which is what made it better than any other, in my opinion.

On top of that, I truly believe this is one of Wrestlemania's better Main Event matches. It had almost every element you'd want for a Mania Main Event. Your top heel, your top face, a sympathetic fan favorite, and a monster. Add in the entire McMahon family in each corner, and you have drama.

Factor in the finish of this match, and you have a surprise ending. (well, for some it was) And in the end, you also make history by having the heel retain, which was very elite back then. Only Yokozuna had done it before Triple H., I believe. So without a doubt, this match often gets very overlooked and deserves more credit for what it's worth.

3. Wrestlemania 2000: 3-Way: Intercontinental & European Championships: Kurt Angle (c,x2) v. Chris Benoit v. Chris Jericho: One of the more forgotten matches ever, this match holds 3 names that'd arguably become the very best regarding technical wrestling. If Bret Hart were around, it could've been the greatest Fatal 4 Way, ever.

This was also a history making match, for having 2 3-way's in 1. It began for the Intercontinental title, and once a pinfall happened, that man won the I.C. title and the match instantly jumped into a European title match. This was also a match in which the Champion holding both titles, wasn't pinned or effected in EITHER title change.

If I'm listing one of the best 3-ways ever, I'm thinking instantly of this match and it's hard to forget, yet for most so easy because it didn't get any type of hype or build-up like it really deserved.

4. King of the Ring: Quarterfinal: Kurt Angle v. Chris Jericho: While I can't say a lot for Kurt Angle's overall King of the Ring victory, this was the lone match in the whole tournament that was above and beyond. I really think this could've and should've been the finals match, instead of the Quarterfinal's match. Jericho could've faced Benoit, Angle could've faced Rikishi, and they could've met in the finals.

At any rate, that didn't happen, but they still met. And this match had the most electric response from the crowd, that entire night. Again, I can't say a lot about it, because in the thick of things it is just 'another' single's match, but through the standards of the whole King of the Ring tourney, it was 'the' match in the entire thing.

5. Starrcade: Ladder Match: 'Two' Count v. Jung Dragons v. Evan Karagious & Jamie Knoble: So you wanna make a Tag Team ladder match, the MOTY? Why'd this one get forgotten then? With all due respect to Edge, Christian, the Hardys & Dudleys.. these (other) six individuals put on two back to back matches, involving ladders, of a life-time.

Helms & Moore were electric during this time, and the Dragons barely got any type of notice except when they did high-flying moves, meanwhile the final two odd men out.. Evan and Noble, were the equal to your average smaller wrestler, but they could both still fly.

While I get that the T.L.C. match was bigger built, with arguably better talent. The fact is, this match deserves, if not demands to be ON-PAR with the T.L.C. match, because it was everything equal to it, in my opinion, minus the importance of the Tag titles being on the line.

6. New Blood Rising: United States Championship: Lance Storm (c) v. Mike Awesome: While I've been a Lance Storm fan for quite some time, the fact is this is my favorite W.C.W. match by him. It was held in Canada, and the crowd reacted to Storm on-par to the same type of reaction they'd give Bret Hart. That's how great Storm is.

Mike Awesome wasn't really known for being anything overly great, but what he was was a big man that could do incredible things regarding agility. This match was quite possibly the single greatest match W.C.W. had, all year.

7. Hardcore Heaven: E.C.W. Championship: Justin Credible v. Lance Storm: Once again, I can't get by without mentioning another Lance Storm classic. This was his final (p.p.v.) match with the company, and it didn't disappoint. Originally it was build as a Triple Threat, with Tommy Dreamer in the mix.. but Credible threatened to throw down the Heavyweight title, if it wasn't a single match to determine who "THE" Impact Player was.

This was also the match that made me realize Justin Credible deserved to be a Champion, because he hung toe-to-toe with Storm, and they went back and forth amazingly. In a company that idolized R.V.D., this was one of the few matches that got by with saying it was equally as exciting as an R.V.D. match.

8. Hardcore Heaven: Rob Van Dam v. Jerry Lynn: Speaking of which.. this was a return match (of sorts) for both Superstars. R.V.D. was coming off an injury, and I believe Lynn was doing the same. Going into this match, it was believed Lynn could be alligned with the "Network" while R.V.D. was leading the E.C.W. faction as it's main source.

A great, almost 20 minute match I do believe, in which this was possibly their best match, ever. And any time these two stepped into the ring with the other, it was off the charts. In the end, Jerry Lynn picked up the only victory (to my knowledge) he's ever had, against R.V.D., thanks in part to Scotty Anton. But that was the only down moment of what is truly an E.C.W. Original classic, and definately a top 5 match of the year, for 2000.

Note-Worthy Mentions: Triple H. v. Kurt Angle, Triple H. v. Chris Benoit, Chris Benoit v. Chris Jericho, Rikishi v. Val Venis, Lance Storm v. Shane Douglas, Vampiro v. Mike Awesome, Jerry Lynn v. Justin Credible.

**Note** My opinions on 2001's Match of the Year, and some alternatives will come later.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Only Yokozuna had done it before Triple H., I believe.

Yokozuna lost the WWF Title at 2 consecutive Wrestlemania's. He lost 2 minutes and 8 seconds after winning it from Bret Hart to Hulk Hogan, and one year later lost it to Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 10.

Diesel had done it, defeating Shawn Michaels following HBK's dramatic Royal Rumble win following his infamous "one foot touch" and elimination of Davey Boy Smith.

I don't know if I'd place the WM2K Main Event in the MOTY discussion. I felt the McMahon drama took away from the match itself, and the excitement of the McMahon drama then was nowhere NEAR the drama of the WMX7 match between Vince and Shane, which was an utter booking classic.

The one good thing about the Main Event of WM2K was that fact that it established everyone's place. Big Show wasn't a Main Event contender, but he could be. Mick Foley was sentimental, but it was time to move on. Rock and HHH were THE top 2 guys, and that was that.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Yokozuna lost the WWF Title at 2 consecutive Wrestlemania's. He lost 2 minutes and 8 seconds after winning it from Bret Hart to Hulk Hogan, and one year later lost it to Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 10.

You're completely right. I have no clue why I had a brain-fart and thought Yokozuna retained at Mania. Unless I was going off Wrestlemania X, when he technically retained over defeating Lex Luger, only to go on and lose to Bret Hart.

Outside of that.. Wrestlemania 1-15, NO heel retained/won the title to my knowledge.

EDIT: I correct myself. I actually said Yokozuna had done it, because technically he will go down in the history books as winning the W.W.F. Championship at Wrestlemania (which will go down as a heel winning) and then again for retaining against Lex Luger at 10, which will mark him down twice for gaining/keeping the title. Even though ironically Yokozuna may also go down in history as being the only guy to also lose it the same night as well on 2 consecutive occasions.

Diesel had done it, defeating Shawn Michaels following HBK's dramatic Royal Rumble win following his infamous "one foot touch" and elimination of Davey Boy Smith.

If you're going off Wrestlemania XI (11) technically, Diesel was a fan-favorite, not a heel. So that doesn't count. Shawn Michaels had more steam rolling into that match I do believe, but Diesel was the "face".

I don't know if I'd place the WM2K Main Event in the MOTY discussion. I felt the McMahon drama took away from the match itself, and the excitement of the McMahon drama then was nowhere NEAR the drama of the WMX7 match between Vince and Shane, which was an utter booking classic.

Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon, especially for being such an undercard match.. had a huge amount of credibility behind it. I mean, technically it was the owner of the W.W.F. against the owner of W.C.W. So I agree.

However, if you're going off what's being taken away then I would agree. The 2000 Mania Main Event was centered perfectly on the McMahon Family drama. So of course it wasn't meant to focus on the match itself.. which for as many star players as it had, it should've.

However, as a match itself, it was (to me) still the best Fatal 4 Way (elimination or otherwise) that I've ever seen.

The one good thing about the Main Event of WM2K was that fact that it established everyone's place. Big Show wasn't a Main Event contender, but he could be. Mick Foley was sentimental, but it was time to move on. Rock and HHH were THE top 2 guys, and that was that.

I agree whole-heartedly with everything you said there.

Triple H. was coming into his own, and this was his first Main Event. The Rock was coming off his rookie Main Event a year prior to losing to Steve Austin. Mick Foley was gaining the sympathy vote because he'd never Main Event'd Mania, ever. And Big Show was used for exactly what he was meant to be.. Big and bad.

 

[Mitch3721]

A match in 2000 that gets underlooked a lot is the 2 out of 3 Falls match between Jericho and Benoit at Summerslam. This in my opinion, although not MOTY, was the match of the night at Summerslam 00'. The TLC was a good match, but it wasn't even MOTN in my opinion, let alone MOTY. MOTY would go to the Judgement Day Iron Man match between HHH and Rock. It had everything, and didnt disappoint.

Again the TLC in 01' was beaten by another match at the same PPV, that being Rock vs Austin. Culminated a great build up, with Debra getting involved, and had a great twist at the end, which effectively set up the direction of the wwe until the invasion arrived. Neither TLC was particularly bad, in fact both were great, just on both occasions they didnt even deserve MOTN in my opinion, let alone MOTY.

 

[AMERICANFIRE]

ok first let me say those two tlc matches redefined tag team mathes and that anything was possiable. those matches had things that i never had seen before and have not seen since from wrestling. they were match of theyear contenders. but i do agree that rock and austin was better this match was no dq and had everything making you believe that it could never end and go either way that night matches were not so predictable as todays are. rock vs hhh at judgement day was fantastic bt i would not say that tlcs were not moty because they were in every way possiable. we will never see tlc matches with tag teams like that again if there ever is one again.