Thoughts From The Top Rope 12.31.08: Top 10 Matches of 2009

The Top 10 Matches of 2009
Nope, that isn’t a title. As is the norm at this time of the year, everyone is either looking back at the previous twelve months, or looking forward to the next year. I’m doing things a little differently today, looking back at the past twelve months as if it were the end of 2009. Crazy, huh?

10. Last Man Standing Match – Undertaker vs. Umaga (One Night Stand 2009) – Taker vs. Umaga is in fact a match that many people have been wanting to see for a long time and we finally got to see the two of them hook up this past summer. After a clean loss in their first encounter at Judgment Day, Umaga’s continuous and relentless attacks on Taker lead to this Last Man Standing match, a bout both men have excelled in in the past. Both guys are great brawlers so we expected a top notch match, and both guys managed to deliver on this night, taking the action throughout the arena and ringside area and treating us to some great spots. One of the things I really liked about this match is how good Umaga looked in defeat, refusing to stay down on numerous occasions and even getting up from a Tombstone, only to fall to a second one, this time on the steel steps, moments later. A tremendous effort by both men, and easily Umaga’s best match since his Rumble 07 Last Man Standing match with John Cena.

9. Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker (Summerslam 2009) – I think it’s amazing that these have never had a pay-per-view match with one another despite them being in the company for so long. Due to them both being aligned the same way or just being on different shows, this is a clash that people had never had the chance to see. That changed when Jericho was drafted over to SmackDown after a slow first half of the year on Raw, as these two went head to head at Summerslam. Jericho was the most vicious we’ve ever seen him here, really turning it up a notch in order to beat the Phenom. The finishing sequence seemed to be leading to an Undertaker win as he refused to stay down numerous times before making the comeback, but Jericho countered a chokeslam attempt into the second Codebreaker of the match, leading to the victory. Both guys put in a great effort, but this was only a sign of what was to come from these two.

8. Fatal Four Way for the WWE Tag Team Championship – Carlito and Primo vs. Miz and Morrison vs. The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jesse and Festus (SmackDown, March 2009) – Carlito and Primo had been struggling to hold onto their belts for a long time but had seemingly held off all challengers, and this was the last opportunity any of these three teams would get at the Colons. I don’t think anyone expected this match to go as long as it did, but we were gifted to an excellent free TV match here, under tornado rules. With some incredible athletes in this match, there were bound to be some great high spots, but these guys went above and beyond. This was simply non-stop action for a good twenty minutes, with a pretty awesome Festus/Ezekiel confrontation as an added bonus. The champs dropped the straps here to Kendrick and Jackson, but this wickedly fast-paced match will be enough to make their reign memorable.

7. CM Punk vs. Shawn Michaels (Raw, April 2009) – One of the things I love about tournaments is that they can throw together some excellent first-time match-ups (think Michaels/Benjamin from 2005) and this is another great example. While it would have been nice to see these guys mix it up on pay-per-view, this was a pleasant surprise and the best free TV match of the year. The mat-based work in the first ten minutes or so was sound, but when they picked up the pace later on things got really good, as both men shifted up a gear and when move for move, counter for counter. I was impressed by just how well Shawn could keep up with the younger Punk, but I guess by now I shouldn’t be surprised. Much like Umaga earlier, Punk looked really good here despite the loss, kicking out of the Sweet Chin Music and only losing to a somewhat fluky roll-up, and this was a good way to kick start his heel turn as he began to become frustrated with himself and resorted to some heelish tactics here. This has always been something of a dream match, and while I think they could put on a classic given time on a pay-per-view, this was certainly enough to keep us satisfied in the mean time.

6. No Holds Barred – Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy (Backlash 2009) – I have to give WWE credit for how well they booked this feud, from Matt costing Jeff the title at Royal Rumble and putting him on the shelf, to Jeff returning at No Way Out to cost Matt the ECW title and then the WrestleMania encounter, which Matt won via heel tactics. The No Holds Barred stipulation was a good choice as it captures the essence of the feud and allowed the Hardys to bring out the ladders, as we knew they would at some point in this feud. I was worried that these two would go back to their usual offence instead of wrestling the way such a rivalry would be fought, but I was glad to see that for the most part this was a great brawl with some very brutal highspots thrown in. And I have to say, the conclusion of this match was somewhat shocking, as Edge aligned himself with Matt, and together they took out Jeff for several months. This was a fantastic brawl with a surprising ending, and you can’t ask for much more than that. Jeff would of course get his revenge months later, returning to beat Edge for the title, then taking out Matt in a Ladder match at No Mercy that was almost, but not quite, as good as this encounter.

5. Triple Threat for the World Heavyweight Championship – John Cena vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton (Summerslam 2009) – I loved the booking of this match, as it blew off the hottest feud of the year in Cena/Orton, the unconcluded Orton/Batista rivalry and featured a great return for Batista. All three men went all-out in this match, completely stealing the limelight from the other Hardy/Edge main event, and making an uninspired crowd sit up and take notice. I think the fact that winner was very unpredictable helped this match a lot, but it was fantastic to see Orton finally pick up his fourth world championship, exactly five years after winning his first no less. These three have always been capable of having great matches, but to an extent there’s always been a question mark as to whether the newer stars can carry a company by themselves and without the help of veterans like Taker, Michaels and Triple H, but they proved here that they can and did so in spectacular style.

4. Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle (Armageddon 2009) – While we all knew Angle had left TNA and had thus assumed he’d be making his way back to the WWE, it was still an unforgettable moment when Angle return in November, laying out WWE Champion Edge and celebrating in front of his hometown crowd. Angle was right in the title picture but first had to overcome Jeff Hardy in this number one contender’s match. Despite both men being faces, the crowd was solidly behind Angle here who reminded WWE fans just how good he was. Hardy played his part to perfection, taking a beating for the most part and making resilient comebacks only to be shut down once again. Hardy also did a great job of selling the leg, leading to the finish of Hardy tapping to the Ankle Lock. Angle vs. Edge at Royal Rumble 2010 is going to be a magnificent clash, much like this one was, but matches like this and the ones Jericho and Taker have been having are proof that SmackDown has far surpassed Raw in 2009.

3. Triple Threat for the WWE Championship – Triple H vs. Undertaker vs. Edge (Backlash 2009) – Three veterans, three extremely capable performers, and they had one hell of a match at Backlash. Triple H’s win over Edge at Mania was unpopular with a hell of a lot of people on the ‘net, but his thirteenth reign as champ wouldn’t last too long as Edge got the title back here. Much like the Cena/Orton/Batista match, the outcome here was up in the air for the most part and the numerous false finishes ensured that the fans didn’t know who would win. Umaga’s interference took Undertaker out of the equation, leaving Edge and The Game to work the last few minutes alone, and they did a great job of playing off of the spots they used at Mania while building to the finish. I loved the fact that Edge immediately utilized his new alliance with Matt Hardy by having Hardy interfere and screw Triple H, leading to a great series of Matt/Trips matches that did a great job of elevating Hardy. Everyone involved in this match busted their asses and it made for one of the best triple threats seen in a long time and third greatest match of the year.

2. Hell in a Cell – Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker (No Mercy 2009) – This was by far the feud of the year, Jericho turning his ultra-dickish character up a couple of extra notches in order to try and take out The Undertaker. Their two pay-per-view encounters prior to this suggested that they could do something special inside Hell in a Cell and they managed to do just that, without doing anything too flashy. Largely thanks to Jericho’s awesomeness, fans were seriously concerned that Taker would not only lose this match but be seriously injured at the hands of Jericho. The level of violence Jericho displayed just forced Taker to up his game and become more violent himself. This bout was a tremendous spectacle and showed just how good these two men are at telling a story in the ring. I loved that they teased going up to the top of the cell, only for both to crash and burn as they tried to climb, Jericho hitting a side Russian leg sweep taking both through the announce table, in one of the most innovative spots of the year. I give much credit to Taker for taking those chair shots unprotected as he did, but I think it was necessary in the context of the match. And while some may complain about Jericho’s loss, the standing ovation he got as he stood battered and bruised in the ring on SmackDown the week after proved that the loss did more for him than the win ever would.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (WrestleMania 25) – And so we come to the number one greatest match of the year, and indeed the one everyone wanted to see the most. Two years in the making, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker clashed in Houston, Texas at WrestleMania 25, Mr. WrestleMania vs. the man who’s 17-0 at WrestleMania. It’s a testament to the ability of both men that this match scoops the award despite the fact that we all knew that The Undertaker would preserve his streak here, but I don’t think too many would disagree with me when I say that this is the best match Taker has had at a WrestleMania. The atmosphere here was, as expected, electric, and Michaels and Taker managed to produce one of the most epic and dramatic Mania matches in history in order to satisfy the rabid crowd, who were pretty much split 50/50. The feeling out process soon gave way to something of a wild brawl around the ringside area, which featured that one awesome moment where Taker ducked Chin Music, which then connected with a photographer, and Taker gave Shawn a look as if to say “that was meant for me? Shit!” And from here, not once did they let up, the pace was frantic throughout and you sensed that it could end at any time. They went a good twenty-five minutes though, and kept fans on the edge of their seats all the way through. The fact that Taker and Shawn, both well into their 40s, can still have the Match of the Year at this point in their careers just goes to show that they are two of the very best ever.

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I guess all that’s left to say is Happy New Year! Here’s hoping everyone has a great night tonight (but please, don’t drink and drive) and indeed a great 2009. See you on the other side.