Your Favorite Non-PPV Match?

BK Styles

BK Styles

Certified Nerd
Okay, not sure if this has done (lets face it, it probably has) but just wanted to see peoples opinions on this.

Very simply; What is your favorite match that wasn't on PPV? So your favorite match from Raw, Smackdown, Impact, anything. Do a list if there's more than one.

My favorite match...

Triple H & Stone Cold vs Y2J and Chris Benoit - Tag Titles, RAW, 2001

This match was so exciting to watch; I genuinely didn't know who would win. And at the time I had no idea that HHH was so badly hurt, and in retrospect, max respect for him carrying on the way he did.

Honourable mentions...

Trish Stratus (c) vs Lita - Womens Title, Raw, 2004

The first and so far the only time the womens division has main evented Raw, and one hell of a match.

Brock Lesnar (c) vs Kurt Angle - WWE Title Iron Man, Smackdown, 2003

How they let this be a free-to-air match I do not know. One of my favorite Iron Man matches. Brilliant.
 
The MCMG vs Beer Money on IMPACT during their best of 5 series. I thought the last 2 matches were incredible and ppv worthy. They had plenty of Oh Shit! moments during them. Them two teams are amazing and always fun to watch.

Raw.
Another good match was Miz vs Jomo at the begining of this year. Match was amazing and its the match that made me become a fan of the Miz. Them two tore the house down. The match was worth the watch and I thought Jomo was taking the title with him.

I also watched the Daniel Bryan vs William Regel match and I thought that was amazing. I don't remeber what show it was on though. The match it self was awesome with the histroy of those two just made it even better. I remember them tradding Eroupean uppercuts and going get 'em lol. They were going hold for hold counter for counter it was epicness. The crowd wasn't into as it wasn't a spot fest but the match was amazing.
 
RKOtheWORLD21 said:
The MCMG vs Beer Money on IMPACT during their best of 5 series. I thought the last 2 matches were incredible and ppv worthy. They had plenty of Oh Shit! moments during them. Them two teams are amazing and always fun to watch.

Raw.
Another good match was Miz vs Jomo at the begining of this year. Match was amazing and its the match that made me become a fan of the Miz. Them two tore the house down. The match was worth the watch and I thought Jomo was taking the title with him.

I also watched the Daniel Bryan vs William Regel match and I thought that was amazing. I don't remeber what show it was on though. The match it self was awesome with the histroy of those two just made it even better. I remember them tradding Eroupean uppercuts and going get 'em lol. They were going hold for hold counter for counter it was epicness. The crowd wasn't into as it wasn't a spot fest but the match was amazing.
Click to expand...

Shit, forgot about MCMG and Beer Money. i watched the last few matches and I have to say, that got me watching TNA again properly.

I wasn't so hot on JoMo vs Miz purely because I'm sick of Morrison. I have a horrible feeling he's another Shelton Benjamin; he should be a star but he keeps stalling. But this match wasn't too bad, just not a personal fave.

Bryan vs regal was classic teacher vs student, and was a nice mix of brawling and technical wrestling.

All in all, good choices!
 
It's hard to say, but I'll try.

HBK vs Shleton Benjamin on Raw 2005. Need to explain anything, these two great wrestlers put on a hell of a performance.

Y2J vs HHH on Raw 2000, for the wwe title. One of the greatest matches in raw history, hands down. The crowd was hot, and these two gave everything they had, but it's kinda disappointing when they reversed the decision later.

Taker vs Jeff Hardy, Ladder match, Raw 2002, for the Undisputed title. IMO, this is the best match jeff hardy has ever been, as a single superstar. He did great to point that taker was forced to break character and shake his hand.

Angle vs Benoit, Cage match, Raw 2001. Great match between the two as always, the crazy dives these two took off the top of the cage made it even greater.


These are the only matches I can think of right now.
 
Hogan vs Goldberg
Best non-PPV main event ever.

Bobby Heenan's commentary was so great at the end of this match. You can say as much as you want about how this should have been a PPV, etc. but this main event was a double edged sword. Things like this were the reasons WCW was on top of the world, but also a big contributor (out of a bazillion) as to why they were losing money too. Giving away great matches like this is brilliant, if you only do it once in a while, and can afford to do so. In WCW's case had they done better with their merchandising, payroll, and expenditures they might have been able to get away with giving this match away for free.

Any way you look at it, the fans got lucky being able to watch this match for free.
 
Definitely Chris Jericho vs. RVD, Steel Cage for IC Title, RAW 10/27/03. I remember sitting in the crowd, cheering my head off for Y2J, only to watch RVD take the win. Disappointing, but great because it was the 1st RAW Live show I had ever seen!
 
Two choices came to mind when i saw this thread

1. Shelton Benjamin vs HBK Goldrush tournament Raw 2005
Without a shadow of a doubt the best match of Benjamin's career. The two of them tore it up in a match filled with entertaining spots and highflying moves. The ending with the flying clothesline counter'd into the super kick was a mark out moment for me when i first watched the match.

2. Chris Benoit vs Triple H Iron man match 2004
Could you imagine a Raw in this era where you get a 60 minute iron man match for the title?. Two great wrestlers given an hour on Raw to tear the house down and they didn't dissapoint. Chris Benoit was red hot at this time against the mega heel Triple H and i never understood why he didn't get more world title reigns during his time in the company.
 
HBK vs Cena in london. I don't think there has ever been a better tv match than this one hour epic.
 
my favourite will have to be John Cena vs Shawn michaels in 2007! this match was truly epic. It was even voted as the PWI match of the year 2007. The second i saw this thread title i knew it was the first and only match that popped into my head. Not only was this match Epic it proved that Cena CAN wrestle, it also proved that contrary to popular belief at that time that Cena could lose a match. (at that time he was champ for nearly a year and only lost the title due to injury)
 
I have a few matches that may not be mentioned.

Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler Raw SuperShow. I know it was recent but it was an amazing showing. Orton looked great and Ziggler showed he had what it took to wrestle in the main event. Great psychology, moves and finishes.

Gen Me vs MCMG on Impact. That match was a tag team clinic. It was fast paced and really showed what TNA had to offer the world.

Beer Money vs MCMG The Series. Every match was 4 star.

Jeff Hardy vs Rey Mysterio on Smackdown . This match to me was hardy's best match at the end of his wwe career. Him and Rey had amazing chemistry and the crowd was way into it. Jim Ross called the action and it could have easily been a ppv match.

JoMo vs Shameus Falls Count Anywhere. I think this match was the start of the Jomo Push. It was the First Time he really demonstrated parkour and took it to a new level.

Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown . This was a great match from two wrestlers that can't put on a bad match. You got high energy , submissions and usual offense. It was a truly great match.

Tara vs Mickie James Steel Cage Match. This was the first female main event in TNA and that match was Awesome. Then ending spot was sick. It truly showed what two women could do when the company has faith in them.
 
This is impossible, four matches come to mind right off the bat.

1: shawn michaels vs marty jannetty raw 93?

2: the rock vs HHH with shawn michaels as SGR 1st episode of smackdown

3: shawn michaels vs shelton benjamin raw 05?

4: shawn michaels vs john cena raw 07

I know, there is a pattern here, but I can't help it. Out of the four... honestly... I would have to pick the rock vs HHH. I know, its not the best match out of the four, but to me it was the most exciting, and at the time I did not see the end coming at all. It was just awesome. Also, HHH was my favorite wrestler at the time, and I looked forward to seeing how he was going to weasel his way into getting a win over everyones heroes.
 
Jericho vs. DBD on the very first episode of NXT. Biased motive for me, as I basically told everybody I knew who watched wrestling growing up to watch, as most hadn't seen Bryan Danielson's work, and what they got was one of the better matches of last year. Danielson and Jericho wrestled an unscripted match which are rare in WWE. Just went at it puroesu style, still remember Danielson doing the Suicide Dive and hitting the announce table, and Jericho driving in the knee to Danielson's back, the Liontamer hadn't been seen in years.

Mankind vs. The Rock Monday Night RAW for the WWE Championship. The night Mankind won the WWE Championship from The Rock. Will never forget this moment as long as I live. Foley is the opposite of what anybody thought the WWE Champion would be, but from Stone Cold knocking out The Rock with the chair and D-Generation X at ringside to help fend off McMahon and co, it was brilliant. Jim Ross did great on commentary that night when Foley was circling the ring.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Bret Hart Monday Night RAW for the WWE Championship. A great match. The fact that WWE had Waltman come so close to winning the belt in the match on numerous occasions is what makes it so great, Bret restarting the match too just multiplied the persona he was playing at the time. Is a great wrestling match.

Ric Flair vs. Triple H Monday Night Raw for the World Heavyweight Championship. Perfect ending to Evolution for one, and second, just the way they treated Ric that night was astounding. It was like time had been reversed, in his hometown Ric Flair got a chance to win back the belt he broke into the industry. It was one night where for parts of the match you thought he could do it, and the match itself is actually pretty good, but the emotion in it is what sets it apart.

Randy Orton vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship. Both of their matches on Smackdown. The one that happened only last week and the one that happened to ignite the rivalry of the summer, both matches show great wrestling, entertaining, fast-paced wrestling. They have great chemistry together and they just click. The first match was brilliant, Cage match was brilliant. It's my favorite feud in recent years within the WWE.
 
This one is an easy pick for me. The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy Ladder Match for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. In my opinion, no other non-PPV match (and very few PPV matches for that matter) even compare with this one. This feud built up over time, The Undertaker was in the unique position of being fully "human" thus allowing some hope for Hardy to succeed, and both men brought everything to the match. Their performance during the match was not only PPV quality, but Wrestlemania main event quality. Even the announcing was top notch and really enhanced the experience.

The ending, however, gave the match that extra special "something" that put it over the top. While Hardy did not succeed in winning the match, he would not give up until he'd at least earned The Undertaker's respect...and he got it. This story was beautifully played out from start to finish and allowed the more human Undertaker to transition into a face persona which, while unpopular with some, I personally rather enjoyed while it lasted.
 
The very first match that instantly came to mind when I read the title was Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle. An Ironman match between 2 of the greatest amateur wrestlers in the world on free TV!? I don't remember the last time I felt that lucky to be a WWE fan. As for other matches that caught my eye there are:

Hardys vs Dudleys vs. Edge & Christian vs. Y2J & Benoit - TLC Tag Titles SD 2001 (I think?) This is actually my favorite TLC match of all-time and it contains my second favorite Jeff Hardy spot ever. TLC I & II at SS 2000 and WM17 were fun and exciting but that excitement multiplied when 2 more people were added to the mix.

Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena - Non-title RAW 2007 I was unpleasantly surprised when Cena beat Michaels to retain the title at WM23 but this match was 10x more epic than their WM match and won PWI match of the year for 2007. An hour long match that saw many near falls and this was the first match I ever gave Cena credit for performing, I finally accepted him as a decent in-ring talent after that match.

Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison - World Heavyweight Championship SD 2009 - In 2009 SD re-established itself as the wrestling show with feuds like Punk vs. Rey, Jericho vs. Rey, Jeff vs. Edge, and Rey vs. JoMo. On SD, all of these talented guys faced each other in singles competition at some point but I'll never forget Hardy vs. Morrison. A great 20+ minute match full of nice points, good action, great psychology and a wacky finish.

Everyone wants to call SD the "B brand" but I think it's given us a lot of classic matches over the years.
 
My favorite non-PPV match was probably the one between Cena and Michaels on Raw in 2007 shortly after Wrestlemania. This match was awesome because the Wrestlemania 23 match was great on its own but they stole the show once again and completely outdid themselves in the match on Raw. It lasted over an hour and showed us what they were capable of. Cena haters need to take a look at that match to see for themselves that he is capable of so much more than they think.
 
Edge vs. Chris Jericho: SD when Jack Swagger cashed in. It was a #1 contenders match. It was probably one of the best matches I've ever seen in my life. So suspenseful, & perfectly executed. On that day, I truly thought those two would become the new top 2 veterans of the WWE. Alas, I was wrong. Let's hope Jericho comes back for one more run.
 
RJJ said:
Taker vs Jeff Hardy, Ladder match, Raw 2002, for the Undisputed title. IMO, this is the best match jeff hardy has ever been, as a single superstar. He did great to point that taker was forced to break character and shake his hand.
Click to expand...

Also completely agree with Klown_Karnage. Posted this before i read his comment. He may have worded it perfectly.

I had a few different ones in mind but when i read this i had to agree. Who would have thought Taker and Hardy would work so well together. I remember being on the edge of my seat that night watching at home, honestly thinking hardy was gonna walk away with the belt. This was my "how is the free-to-air and not ppv" moment. Taker and Hardy went back and forth and the crowd was absolutely hot during the match. And I also agree best singles match in Hardy's career. The hand shake at the end was brilliant as you could completely tell it was unscripted and i think it showed that Hardy could be a great wrestler and main eventer. Great story-telling with good solid but not too over the top spots.

Anyone who has not scene this match should youtube it. I would post here but and very new to this and do not know how to.
 
ThisOldMess said:
Also completely agree with Klown_Karnage. Posted this before i read his comment. He may have worded it perfectly.

I had a few different ones in mind but when i read this i had to agree. Who would have thought Taker and Hardy would work so well together. I remember being on the edge of my seat that night watching at home, honestly thinking hardy was gonna walk away with the belt. This was my "how is the free-to-air and not ppv" moment. Taker and Hardy went back and forth and the crowd was absolutely hot during the match. And I also agree best singles match in Hardy's career. The hand shake at the end was brilliant as you could completely tell it was unscripted and i think it showed that Hardy could be a great wrestler and main eventer. Great story-telling with good solid but not too over the top spots.

Anyone who has not scene this match should youtube it. I would post here but and very new to this and do not know how to.
Click to expand...


I loved that match... it's is one of my favorite all time moments on raw because I didn't expect it at all... it's one of those rare things u see on tv that just motivates u to do something (granted I did nothing after, i was still motivated to nonetheless haha). I think the handshake may have been scripted though as it seemed to be part of the match. I kind of wished they had done more after that but I don't know where else they could have gone with it... either way, that is one of my favorite non pay per view matches... along with bret hart vs 1-2-3 kid, it was probably the first time u really got to see pac work in the ring as he was mostly just a fluke winner still at that point if i do remember correctly.
 
The first match that came to my mind was Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit for the WWF Title on Smackdown in Edmonton. This match nearly had it all. A super hot crowd, some intense outside brawling, Vince getting repeatedly bashed with a chair by Benoit, tons of submissions from not only Benoit, but Austin as well, and like 10 germans in a row. I recall thinking that Benoit was going to win the title this night. He did not, but him and Stone Cold put on one of the best TV matches I can think of.
 
1.Cena vs HBK: This match was almost 1 hour long and was quite brilliant.

2.Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle: They had an Iron Man match on SmackDown. Amazing back and forth match.

Edge vs Eddie Guerrero: They had one of the most amazing No-DQ matches on SmackDown. It was both brutal and technically good.
 
I'm stuck on 2 classic ladder matches here ... RVD .vs. Christian & RVD .vs. Eddie Guerrero... Both matches gave me chills and both matches made me think "how in the F**K do you get up from that ???" Flip Over-Powerbomb off a ladder, 5 Star Frogsplash from the top of the ladder, reverse DDT's from the ladder among other sick spots ..
 
hmmm i can think of quite a few first of im gonna say the 2 out of 3 falls match to end the best of 5 series between Beer Money and MCMG as that match was 1 of the best matches i ever saw in TNA ever! plently of holy shit moments,amazing ending and everything a great match needs!

from raw:
this year id go with john morrison vs the miz for the wwe title this really should have happened at royal rumble it was frickin awesome and id love to see this fued renewed again soon as they always work very well together!

also from raw id go with Shawn Michaels vs John Cena their 1 hour match on raw (and no it wasnt an iron man match) was just amazing as much as i hate supercena for anybody who hasnt watched it i highley suggest watching it on youtube it was the best match these 2 ever had!

i would pick 1 from smackdown but honestly i dont really watch smackdown tht often
 
My favorite match of all-time was Sting vs Ric Flair on the first Clash of Champions. That match made Sting a superstar in wrestling. Another match that I enjoyed was Rob Van Dam vs. Christian on Monday Night Raw in a ladder match for the IC Champion.
 
Cena vs HBK at London in 2007 ,easily the great match ,voted best match of the year by many wrestling sites and observers and how many matches voted as PWI macth of the year was on Raw not on ppv ,
The best part is that is was simple wrestling one fall match not a gimmick match and in now a days matches even on ppv are not 56 minutes forget about the Raw , It was a pure classic
 
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