Top 25 WWE Matches Of 2010

[Jack-Hammer]

Yesterday, WWE.com listed what they feel are the 25 best matches that the WWE has put on in 2010 and they're as follows:

25. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio - Smackdown - (Del Rio's first loss)
24. Evan Bourne and John Cena vs. Edge and Sheamus - RAW
23. The Miz vs. Jerry Lawler - RAW
22. Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger - Money in the Bank PPV
21. Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix - Extreme Rules
20. Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber PPV
19. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - Royal Rumble PPV
18. John Morrison vs. Sheamus - Falls Count Anywhere Match - RAW
17. Chris Jericho vs. Goldust - WWE Superstars
16. Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - Royal Rumble PPV
15. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison - Hell in the Cell PPV
14. Edge vs Christian - RAW
13. Shawn Michaels vs Rey Mysterio - Smackdown
12. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton - Hell in the Cell PPV
11. Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble PPV
10. Daniel Bryan vs Chris Jericho - WWE NXT
09. John Cena vs Wade Barrett - Hell in the Cell PPV
08. Smackdown Money in the Bank Match - Money in the Bank PPV
07. Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho - Fatal 4-Way PPV
06. WWE vs Nexus - SummerSlam
05. Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber PPV
04. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk - Extreme Rules PPV
03. John Cena vs. Batista - Extreme Rules PPV

Tied for first place -
Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker - Wrestlemania 26 PPV
Dolph Ziggler vs Daniel Bryan - Bragging Rights PPV

Overall, I think that there are some very good choices on the list and, expectedly, some that probably don't quite make the grade in my opinion. The WWE is asking the fans to vote on WWE.com as to which was the top match of the year with either Taker vs. HBK II or Ziggler vs. Bryan I. To me, it seems like a pretty decent list overall with some matches being huge main events, some being highly competitive, some telling great stories, etc. It's nice to see guys that don't get mentioned a lot, like Christian for instance, get recognized for some of his hard work as he's just an overall great wrestler in my view. Another thing that I've noticed is that guys like Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Sheamus & Evan Bourne all did pretty well on the list as well. Given that this is Bryan's first year in the WWE, I was a little surprised to see matches featuring him listed 4 times, if you count WWE vs. Nexus at SummerSlam, so I think that's a good sign that the WWE is impressed with Bryan. I was really surprised to see that Ziggler vs. Bryan I would be tied for first with Taker vs. HBK II. Don't get me wrong, it was a fantastic match, I just didn't figure it'd be quite so high on the list.

So debate away people. What do you think about the list? Are there any matches that shouldn't be here? Any matches that aren't here but should be?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Meh, its hardly been a vintage year and that list shows it. Undertaker vs. HBK II is probably the WWE match of the year, but that says it all really. It's a good match but even so that was blown away by a few TNA matches.

Ziggler vs. Bryan for joint first is just silly. Very good match, hardly great. The Nexus vs. Team WWE match was terrible, the rest I'd forgot had even happened.

 

[Arkham Noir]

I said it in the Spam section and I'll say it again here; it is a great age in wrestling when a match by the two mid-card champions is considered a match of the year.

I have a few thoughts looking at this

--The first is that (and I think most will end up agreeing) is that Orton/Sheamus Hell in a cell probably shouldn't be here, but I can't think of any other matches to replace it so I'm not going to complain.

-- I was quite surprised to see Evan Bourne on this list, and the fact that he got two mentions is pretty good considering his poisiton in the company. I'm not taking anything away from him, but he really isn't that much of a star on RAW. Nice to see him get mentions ,though.

-- Don't see why both elimination chamber matches are here. Wasn't a big fan of either of them.

--Nice to see alot of the over-looked stars on here. Mainly, Goldust, Christian, and the already mentioned Evan Bourne. I hope this trend continues into 2011 of reconizing those who put on consistently good matches.

-- Daniel Bryan has three matches here (four with the summerslam tag match). Just good shit.

Overall I'm happy with this list. We've seen many biased lists come from WWE in the past, but I'm glad to see this list give those who deliver their due. Good matches don't seem to be a top priority to people anymore with storylines seemingly being the preferance. Matches still make wrestling what it is.

 

[The People's Peep]

Its a pretty good list. There are a few matches that seem a bit out of place, like Jericho and Goldust on Superstars and Jericho and Bryan being better than the Rumble match. Also, I think the wrong Cena/Batista match is on the list, as I thought that the one at WM was better.

I was very surprised to see that Bryan and Ziggler was tied for the top match. When I was looking at the list, I fully expected HBK/Taker to be number one, and I was hoping that Bryan and Ziggler would be top 5, maybe even top 3. To me, its says a lot of what they think of Bryan and Ziggler by giving them the top match of the year with the iconic HBK and Taker II. This should be just another boost in Bryan's and Ziggler's crediblity. Even if HBK/Taker wins the vote, its still a big thing for Bryan and Ziggler.

 

[Stephen11]

I'm surprised to see #9 John Cena vs Wade Barrett (HIAC) on here. That match was horrible and it ended with an interference from Husky Harris & Joe Hennig. How does that make it a match of the year? Orton's & Sheamus's HIAC match wasn't that great either, it was a grave disappointment for being a HIAC match. The only match from their that deserves to be on there is the Miz/Morrison/Bryan match which is already at 15.

I was shocked to see Evan Bourne so low on the list (#7). But honestly, I think he deserves it. I don't remember the match exactly but one of the Bourne/Jericho matches really shocked me and was easily the best match of the night so it definitely deserves to be on the top 25.

No offensive to Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler but that doesn't deserve to be the #1 match of year and it wouldn't get it anyway, everyone will vote for Taker/HBK. There definitely could have been a DB match for match of the year but I don't think it's this one. Is it kind of funny though, WWE is making that match of the year to push their midcard champions and new talent.

 

[TJ Matics]

Like some above posters said it's great to see so many mid-carders on the list, as well as deserving matches I thought would get over looked because of bigger names.VERY nice to see a diva good diva match between McCool and Beth.P on the list!

 

[WJDwjdWJDwjd]

I was surprised not to see The Miz vs John Morrison vs Zack Ryder vs R-Truth for the U.S. Title on Raw sometime before the Fatal 4 Way PPV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6qPVIv01fk

Plenty of great spots and I thought this would have been at least considered a top 25 match of the year. It's better than a lot of matches on this list.

 

[merce07]

Not a bad list. Id say Sheamus and Morrison would be up there now. Nice that they are giving props to Mid Card matches. Shows they are at least paying attention.

 

[JGlass]

I said it in the Spam section and I'll say it again here; it is a great age in wrestling when a match by the two mid-card champions is considered a match of the year.

This could be interpreted one of two ways. On one hand, you could be totally right, on the other, you could be out of your fucking mind.

If by two midcarders having a match of the year you mean this is great news because even the midcard is capable of putting on a really compelling and competitive match, then that makes a lot of sense.

However, one could also say, "These two guys put on the best match of the year while we were stuck with a bunch of snooze fests out of top talent like Kane and Edge, why are those two guys getting pushed to the moon while the entertaining guys are stuck in the midcard?" Now I don't have anything against Kane or Edge, I like them both, but their feud has been coma inducing.

It's either a case of overloaded talent (which is good for the fans) or the WWE pushing the wrong superstars, which is bad for everybody except those superstars.

I'm surprised to see #9 John Cena vs Wade Barrett (HIAC) on here. That match was horrible and it ended with an interference from Husky Harris & Joe Hennig. How does that make it a match of the year?

You clearly weren't invested in that match as 90% of the WWE Universe, myself and many other posters in the LD included. The live audience was shocked to see Cena lose, as were most of the posters on here. Hell, some of the most intelligent guys here were scratching their heads trying to figure out what happened. Some were thrilled, some were appalled, all were amazed. The match itself was only slightly above par, but the ending and the aftermath of the match made this an amazing event.

Orton's & Sheamus's HIAC match wasn't that great either, it was a grave disappointment for being a HIAC match.

I wouldn't say that, I got exactly what I wanted out of that HIAC–a brutal match where each competitor tried to destroy each other. It wasn't Undertaker-Mankind, but it was a decent performance.

No offensive to Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler but that doesn't deserve to be the #1 match of year and it wouldn't get it anyway, everyone will vote for Taker/HBK. There definitely could have been a DB match for match of the year but I don't think it's this one. Is it kind of funny though, WWE is making that match of the year to push their midcard champions and new talent.

Yes, the WWE ranked this match higher than others to push DB and DZ, certainly, but let's not take anything away from this match. I suggest you go back and watch this one again, because it is easily one of the best displays of wrestling talent I have ever seen. If you are a young wrestler who is trying to break into the industry, you should watch this match to see how to do things right. Everything went right in this match, from the simple trivial stuff to the complex spots, it was all perfect.

 

[Tequila Dave]

It's a decent list.

I'm gussing they haven't included any matches from TLC, as I can think of at least 4 matches from that PPV that deserve to be on the list (particularly Sheamus vs. Morrison.)

Other matches I think could/should have made the list include:
Chris Jericho vs. Edge at Wrestlemania
Randy Orton vs. John Cena in a Tables Match
Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston at Night of Champions

Also, Undertaker vs. Shawn should win hands down. It was one of the most emotional finishes to a match ever.

 

[LSN80]

25. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio - Smackdown - (Del Rio's first loss)

This belongs on the list, as Rey showed as much emotion in a match that he can that Ive seen from him since his feud with Eddie G. Im not sure if this match was better or Del Rio's first WWE match(also against Mysterio)was, but I have no problem with this being on the list.

24. Evan Bourne and John Cena vs. Edge and Sheamus - RAW

A solid main event with Evan Bourne subbing for the injured Randy Orton. Cena hit the super FU with Bourne immediately hitting the SSP to hand Sheamus only his 3rd pinfall loss within WWE.

23. The Miz vs. Jerry Lawler - RAW

This match was good in terms of storytelling and Lawler could teach alot of the younger stars how to tell an excellent story within the ring despite being limited physically.

22. Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger - Money in the Bank PPV

This was a really good match and perhaps Jack Swagger's best single's match to date. Mysterio's selling of the ankle injury was spot-on, which made for darn good storytelling by both men within the ring.

21. Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix - Extreme Rules

This match was just all kinds of awful. Layla and Michelle whacking Beth Phoenix with brooms? I believe that this was the extreme makeover match. It doesnt belong near this list but I guess they felt they had to give the women's division some love.

20. Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber PPV

I thought this was the better of the two Elimination Chamber matches to be honest so Im surprised to see it so low on the list.

19. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - Royal Rumble PPV

A good match, but their Extreme Rules match on the final ECW was better.

18. John Morrison vs. Sheamus - Falls Count Anywhere Match - RAW

This match was the start of the John Morrison push. His dive off the top onto Sheamus was fantastic, and this wasnt a typical brawl that most falls count anywhere matches are. It was very good, but any of their last 3 encounters have been better.

17. Chris Jericho vs. Goldust - WWE Superstars

This was good, but not top 25 worthy.

16. Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - Royal Rumble PPV

This was a really good match, and easily the best match of the PPV, including the Rumble match itself.

15. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison - Hell in the Cell PPV

This was really good, but it was far too short and Morrison was almost an afterthought other then his dive off the set onto Bryan and Miz.

14. Edge vs Christian - RAW

This was a nice surprise in terms that they gave us this match for free and gave them as much time as they did. And they absolutely delivered an excellent television match.

13. Shawn Michaels vs Rey Mysterio - Smackdown

Im glad this match wasn't overlooked, as it was excellent. Good to see HBK on Smackdown one last time.

12. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton - Hell in the Cell PPV

I wasn't impressed with this match whatsoever and dont think it belongs on this list whatsoever.

11. Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble PPV

Punk was gold on the mic and HBK's performance was stellar, but the rest of the Rumble was underwhelming other then the surprise Edge return. Even the final elimination of Cena by Edge at the end was weak.

10. Daniel Bryan vs Chris Jericho - WWE NXT

The defining match of any season thusfar on NXT and mostly memorable for the insane bump that Bryan took off the announce table. A really good match deserving of the spot.

09. John Cena vs Wade Barrett - Hell in the Cell PPV

Barrett's best WWE match to date but this match is higher then I would have listed it by any means.

08. Smackdown Money in the Bank Match - Money in the Bank PPV

I felt the Raw MITB match of the same PPV was slightly better, and it didnt even make the list. This match belonged, but not this high.

07. Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho - Fatal 4-Way PPV

As good as advertised. Bourne's best WWE match so far to this date.

06. WWE vs Nexus - SummerSlam

This match belongs where it is not so much for match quality but for significance and for the storytelling involved in the match.

05. Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber PPV

This match was one of the top ten matches of the year in WWE, but as I said earlier, I felt the Raw Chamber was the better of the two matches.

04. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk - Extreme Rules PPV

This was the best of the three matches between the three after their disapointingly short WM match.

03. John Cena vs. Batista - Extreme Rules PPV

If any Cena/Batista match was going to be on this list and be so high, it should have been their match from Wrestlemania. The finish was inventive but quite lame. Duct tape? Really?

Tied for first place -

Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker - Wrestlemania 26 PPV

Hands down the match of the year in WWE. I guess they're trying to create a buzz by having them tie with Ziggler and Bryan, but this was the MOTY.

Dolph Ziggler vs Daniel Bryan - Bragging Rights PPV

Excellent match, and maybe one of the top five matches within WWE this year, but certainly not worthy of being mentioned within the same breath as Undertaker/HBK II, although its nice to see the midcarders get some love.


There are a few matches that I feel got snubbed from the list that certainly belonged.

1.Chris Jericho vs Edge: Wrestlemania 26- This match wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but it was certainly one of the top 25 WWE matches of the year. Its an insult to both that it was excluded.

2. John Cena vs Batista:Wrestlemania 26- This was the best of their series of 3 matches. I felt it deserved the spot their Extreme Rules match got.

3. Raw Money In the Bank Match:- Both MITB matches from that PPV belonged on this list, but I felt this was the superior of the two. The storytelling with Orton and Bourne creating "near finishes" by almost grabbing the briefcase created a better storytelling aspect then the Smackdown match did, which I felt was more of a spot-fest.

4. The Miz vs Daniel Bryan: NOC- This was better then the Morrison/Miz/Bryan match at HIAC. It was probably Miz' best match to date.

5. Randy Orton vs John Cena- Tables Match: Raw- A long match that was certainly a good gimmick match, and the ending sequence with Orton reversing the FU into the RKO for the win was a greaqt finish.


The list itself wasnt bad, with only a few noticeable exceptions. The Phoenix/McCool match didnt belong anywhere near this list, nor did the Jericho/Goldust match from a throwaway show like Superstars. Sheamus vs Orton inside Hell in A Cell certainly wasnt a good match either. Finally, its hard to understand the logic behind the tie between Bryan/Ziggler and Taker/HBK II for Match of The Year as Taker/HBK was 4 times longer and blew the Bryan/Ziggler match away in terms of pacing. storytelling, and psychology. It was easily the match of the year.

 

[OmegaWWE]

I might get bashed for this one, but I completely agree with dot com on their #1 picks. Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had one hell of a match at WrestleMania, and delivered (what many thought) only they could. Then, along comes Daniel Bryan, who challenges Dolph Ziggler at Bragging Rights, and they pull off a match that was equally as good. In fact, I'd go as far to say that the Ziggler/Bryan match could have main evented Mania, even without a Championship on the line, because of their natural athletic ability, and in-ring prowess.

These are the guys to watch for in 2011.

 

[gd]

Decent list, even though they did leave off the best WWE match of the year (Cena/Batista at Wrestlemania). As far as the matches that are on the list and they one's I've seen, most of them are deserving with the exception of Orton/Sheamus and Rey/Undertaker. Both pretty weak matches overall. The women's match was typical trash as well.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Very good list actually. It is great that they have given the mid-carders the top spot here. Just goes to show that WWE sees potential and a future in both those individuals.

However, as aforementioned, Taker vs HBK is in a league of its own. Sure some overlord smark can mention some ill-forgotten match and criticize this one but the sheer fact is, this match told one of the best stories thorough its build up, through the match itself and had one of the most emotional endings ever.
For God's sake! this was the ME of Wrestle-friggin'-Mania and there wasn't even a strap involved!

 

[Arkham Noir]

This could be interpreted one of two ways. On one hand, you could be totally right, on the other, you could be out of your fucking mind.

If by two midcarders having a match of the year you mean this is great news because even the midcard is capable of putting on a really compelling and competitive match, then that makes a lot of sense.

I was refering to the fact that they are being recognized. Alot of mid-carders can put on good matches, but they don't always get the acknowlegdement they deserve. I was happy to see that there was more to being considered a good match than just being a big name. Everybody knows that HBK/Taker' II is a match that will be talked about for years to come, but to see Bryan and Ziggler respected by WWE like this is a great feeling.

The main event shouldn't be the only focus is what I'm saying. There probably was more significant matches than Bryan/Ziggler, but this is a huge win for the mid-carders . You don't have to be main-eventing to be doing great things.