With the exception of WCW since they didn't do shit the one year they had this decade, I'm going to give my 'Match of the Decade' for each wrestling company I've followed, instead of giving it to just one match.
WWE: Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle - The Royal Rumble 2003
By far the greatest WWE Title match of all time. I had stopped watching wrestling a little while after WCW and ECW went out of business, but I got back into it at around Wrestlemania 19. So, I figured Id just pick up the Royal Rumble DVD, since Ive become a huge fan of Lesnar and wanted to get my hands on everything hes done that I unfortunately missed. And man
never in a million years did I expect the Benoit/Angle match on the DVD to be as spectacular as it was. I knew beforehand that Angle won the match, but I was still second guessing myself during the contest because these two did such a great job at selling that I thought Angle was going to tap or be pinned on multiple occasion. I was basically marking the fuck out for a match I had already seen highlights of and already new the outcome of. Unbelievable. And I can still sit down and enjoy this match today as much as any other match that has ever taken place.
TNA: A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe - Sacrifice 2005
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe from Sacrifice 2005 is the greatest match to ever take place in TNA, in my opinion; however, it goes under the radar because a month later, the three-way between Joe, Styles, and Daniels would take place at Unbreakable, and people went so ape shit over the Unbreakable match that they all forget how great the match at Sacrifice was. But to me... Styles vs. Joe > The Unbreakable match, all night and day. I saw both live on pay-per-view, the triple threat just didn't have the excitement and suspense of the Sacrifice match. All it had was a bunch of spots, which was of course fun, but it wasn't a masterpiece like the match at Sacrifice was, which had even better spots if you ask me, and it told just a great, great story full of drama and suspense.
ROH: Homicide vs. Bryan Danielson - Final Battle 2006
Ive become a huge fan of these guys when I first found ROH in 2004, and even though I absolutely love Danielson and enjoyed the hell out of his run as ROH Champion, there was nothing I wanted to see more than to see Homicide defeat the motherfucker and finally win an ROH Title. And man
. not only did he defeat Danielson at Final Battle 2006, but he did so in a match that was beyond incredible. Just like the Angle/Benoit match, I knew the outcome and I even seen highlights of the match beforehand, but I still found myself thinking that maybe I read the results wrong or something because there were numerous times throughout the match where I thought Danielson was about to retain the title. Thats how great the false finishes were. Seriously, if youre looking to get into ROH and you want to know some of their classic shows or matches
I suggest you start with Final Battle 2006, because you will end up viewing on the greatest, most exciting matches that has ever taken place in in not only the company's history, but in the history of pro wrestling.
ECW: Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Psicosis: ECW TV 8/19/00
I dont care how many WCW matches youve seen, how many ROH matches youve seen, how many puroresu matches youve seen, or how many Lucha Libre matches youve seen
this is without a doubt the greatest Cruiserweight match to EVER take place. Thats how highly I view this match. It is AWESOME. It has everything one could ever want in a professional wrestling contest: Highspots that are logical and add to the story, tremendous mat wrestling, stiff shots, and great crowd participation. Trust me, the crowd in attendance loved this match as much as I did. If you havent had the pleasure of seeing this, please do yourself a favor and find this match as soon as possible; I guarantee youll love it.