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Best three matches of the decade?


tiger_rick

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CM Punk v John Cena at MITB 2011

Put me down on this one as well, watching live this match was great, the build up was great, the fans were piping hot and the end was great.

John Cena vs AJ Styles - Summerslam

I have never been a Cena fan and only seen part of Styles but Styles taking the title, wearing Cena's headband and beating Cena to me put Styles on the map in the WWE, yeah we all knew he had talent and was class but feel this was the moment he made it in WWE.

Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker - WrestleMania

For the drama, ending the streak, the shock and that nobody saw this coming, this makes the list for me I think. Yeah you could add quite a number of matches over the years but this was a big moment at the time and arguably still is. 

 

Honourable mentions 

Wyatts vs Shield (holy shit moment during the standoff)
Brock Lesnar vs Rollins vs Roman Reigns (WrestleMania cash in)

Brock Lesnar vs Cena vs Rollins (Rumble)
Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar (Survivor Series, but guess this was more of a moment then a great match given how long it lasted).

 

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I think my 3 would be 

1)DIY vs the Revival the two out of three falls match. Just loved this match, the emotion when they finally won the match, reminded me why I was still a fan.

2) Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33. Just non stop action for like 5 mins but it completed a good story from which started at survivor series.

3) Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker wrestlemania 26, just cause it Shawn and its a great match also

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On 27/10/2017 at 9:12 AM, Liam O'Rourke said:

Approaching this like the old desert island duels - if I had to take three I'd go with...

John Cena Vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2011) - Awesome match, unique atmosphere, great finish, and takes me back to a moment in time when things felt like a breakthrough was coming. It wasn't, but you don't know that watching this...

The Shield Vs. The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber 2014) - I'd have to have a Shield match in there, and this is arguably the best of the lot.

Kota Ibushi Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WrestleKingdom 9) - New Japan has had so many awesome matches since 2010 it's hard to narrow it down, but this match is so excellent. Peak Nakamura, peak Ibushi, great match on a huge stage, what more could you want?

Liam has hit the nail on the head for me with these 3. As much as everyone raves about Omega/Okada its a bit of a chore to watch due to the length. 

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1) Omega/Okada series. I'm going to cheat a bit and lump all three matches into one, because otherwise they'd occupy my whole list and make it a bit boring. The most immense display of professional wrestling I've ever seen, in the most incredible, story driven trilogy of matches there's ever been.

2) Zayn vs Neville from Takeover: REvolution. An outstanding match that I'll never be able to comprehend why they didn't get the full 5 stars. The highest point of NXT by a huge, huge distance, and the best match from either wrestlers' career.

3) Tanahashi vs Okada from Wrestle Kingdom 10. Fantastic culmination of a wonderful series of matches. The way their feud spanned throughout the years, with the best example of the metaphorical torch being passed that I've witnessed. Probably the perfect match to close the chapter of such a widely storied rivalry. 

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All of mine are to do with emotional investment as much as they are the actual action. Was there a story and did I care who won? The older I get, having someone to cheer for is far more important than the MOVEZ.

Probably have to go with... wow, this is tough...

Okada v Omega from Wrestle Kingdom, Naito v Omega G1 final, and CCK vs British Strong Style from Progress show in Birmingham in July. Surprised they are all this year but they are matches I remember most being pulled into and having the strongest emotional reactions to the results.

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Seth Rollins  Vs  Brock Lesnar  Vs  John Cena: Royal Rumble:

This was a beauty, not a big Lesnar fan, but thought this was expertly pulled off by all 3 men and great outside interference spots 

Triple H  Vs  Undertaker: WrestleMania 28

The storytelling and emotion was off the charts and really hit the heart of the old school fan

CM Punk  Vs  John Cena

For the drama and the fourth wall seemingly crumbling - crowd were electric also.

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8 hours ago, Briefcase said:

Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker - WrestleMania

For the drama, ending the streak, the shock and that nobody saw this coming, this makes the list for me I think. Yeah you could add quite a number of matches over the years but this was a big moment at the time and arguably still is. 

Can't argue with it being in top 3 moments, is it anything beyond the finish though? The bell to bell stuff is a chore, Taker admitted to being concussed early on and the whole thing drags.

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2 hours ago, air_raid said:

All of mine are to do with emotional investment as much as they are the actual action. Was there a story and did I care who won? The older I get, having someone to cheer for is far more important than the MOVEZ.

Probably have to go with... wow, this is tough...

Okada v Omega from Wrestle Kingdom, Naito v Omega G1 final, and CCK vs British Strong Style from Progress show in Birmingham in July. Surprised they are all this year but they are matches I remember most being pulled into and having the strongest emotional reactions to the results.

I was getting right into that Naito Vs Omega match the other night. I legit marked out at the end. Can't wait for Wrestle Kingdom you lucky sons of guns getting to go.

I don't think I'd be able to stick to just 3, between some of the matches I've seen and guys I've been introduced to in the last few years both through NJPW and attending local shows.

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12 hours ago, El Mistique said:

Liam has hit the nail on the head for me with these 3. As much as everyone raves about Omega/Okada its a bit of a chore to watch due to the length. 

I often find long matches a chore but Omega vs Okada I find very easy to watch and the time goes so quickly due to being action packed.

Anyway, in no order.

1. Naito vs Tanahashi WK 11-I love this match and actually enjoy it far more than Okada vs Omega. This felt like Naito's big moment at Wrestlekingdom and him proving himself against Tanahashi after not being able to main event WK8 against the biggest name in the company. He beat him with style and put him on his quest to main event WK12. Naito is the best wrestler in the world in my eyes, and Tanahashi is still up there and always makes matches fun to watch.

2. LIJ vs Scurll/ Sabre Jr Global Wars 2016 Night 2- Not always a fan of Sabre jr but him and Scurll are so fluid as a tag team. Sanada and Naito work together all the time, so what else came out of it other than an amazing tag match.

3. Williams vs Styles Final Resolution 2010-Great match, always sticks in my mind. The two click so well, also the Chaos Theory on the floor is awesome.

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21 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

What are yours? 

The Shield vs. Wyatts barnstormer from Elimination Chamber 2014 and Zayn vs. Nakamura on Naka's debut for the reasons most have mentioned.

And the first Goldberg/Lesnar match. The only match this decade I've watched repeatedly. After Goldberg's return, cutting the promo of the decade, this could have gone downhill but instead, they shocked the world. Genius stuff.

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11 hours ago, Onyx2 said:

Can't argue with it being in top 3 moments, is it anything beyond the finish though? The bell to bell stuff is a chore, Taker admitted to being concussed early on and the whole thing drags.

In a funny way, I remember this match more than most of The Undertakers other Mania matches, especially the Triple H one mentioned in the thread. Not knocking those choices just cannot remember it at all.  I guess my choices are more on moments than match quality. I did want to be Goldberg vs Brock as the third choice but thought that might be disputed given the length of it but glad Tiger Rick has it down in his top three. 

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While it would be difficult to call it one of the best matches, I'd say the first Goldberg/Lesnar match of Goldberg's comeback run was one of my favourites in years.

Lesnar gets criticised for wrestling the same match all the time, but there's nobody else that's been booked in so many "hang on, did they really just do that?" matches as Brock since he came back. From the Summerslam match with Cena, to the stoppage finish against Randy Orton, and that match with Goldberg, he's been part of some really outside-the-box stuff. I was grinning from ear to ear when Goldberg squashed him.

Part of it is probably that they see Brock Lesnar as basically bulletproof - he can afford that kind of finish and he'll bounce back - but I think the UFC connection has something to do with it too; UFC has taught people that a finish can come out of nowhere, that a "big" match doesn't have to go twenty minutes, and the unexpected can happen, and WWE has rarely managed to replicate that feeling. But when it comes to Lesnar, they've pulled it off from time to time, and I think it's because he has that UFC pedigree, and that air of legitimacy, that people buy into it with him in a way they wouldn't if we got the same finish from a Kevin Owens or a Finn Balor.

 

Compare any of the matches I mentioned to either of the Undertaker/Triple H Wrestlemania matches, and it's like night and day - you could go into either of those and, more or less, predict everything that you're going to see, you know exactly what kind of match you're getting, whereas with something like Lesnar/Goldberg, fuck knows! For the record, I actually really disliked the Undertaker/Triple H matches, especially the last one - just seemed like forced WWE melodrama, and the worst excesses of WWE style-over-substance, glossed over with a sense of Triple H still trying to prove his worth as a top star. It feels like, ever since Shawn Michaels retired, Triple H has been trying to find a "moment" that can equal Michaels' "I'm sorry, I love you" to Ric Flair - for years, every big Triple H match has featured some melodramatic, choreographed gesture that you can tell he thinks is going to resonate and make highlight packages for years, but always feels forced.

The only Triple H match I'd feel confident putting amongst the best of the decade would probably be his match with Daniel Bryan, and that's because it felt like it was Triple H channelling the Triple H of 2000, running scared of Cactus Jack, and channelling his inner Harley Race and Ric Flair, knowing that his job in this match was to bump like crazy and make the other guy look like a million bucks, not kick out of half a dozen finishers, pose for the cameras and huff and puff dramatically at a sledgehammer.

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Cena vs Punk MITB 2011

The explanations have been done to death, but it was and is brilliant  still

AJ/Kurt vs Kazarian/Daniels Slammiversary 2012

Tag match and a half, really invested in it. All four of them at the top of their game, causing havoc and just a sublime watch from start to finish.

Mil Muertes vs Fenix Casket Match Season 1 LU 2015

Utterly frantic death defying action from start to finish. Superb in every way

 

 

 

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I know it might make me look a bit of a tunnel visioned twat for not having any variety, but if I'm being honest my favourite three matches of the decade are:

-  Undertaker v Shawn Michaels, Wrestlemania XXVI

-  Undertaker v HHH, Wrestlemania XXVII

-  Undertaker v HHH, Wrestlemania XXVIII

 

All three for the same reasons: unparalleled drama and storytelling, always gripping, and not short on action too.  Taker's work from WM23 to WM29 was incredible. 

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