Well, needless to say, tonight’s NXT Takeover’s Respect edition will be a history making night as not only is the first time two females have competed in an iron man match in WWE, this will be the first time a women’s match has main evented a WWE show (not RAW) – so no Lita/Trish Stratus). We haven’t seen an ironman match since John Cena and Randy Orton, so this should be something relatively fresh. To be very honest, this may be the best Ironman match in WWE history, without exaggeration. However, the competition is very stiff and standards have been set pretty high. Normally Ironman matches are hotly contested matches that usually go down to the wire and is decided within the final minute. Let us go through the five of the best.
5. RAW 7/26/04 – Chris Benoit (C) vs. Triple H – World Heavyweight Championship
Chris Benoit was on top of the wrestling world in 2004 when he won the coveted World Heavyweight Championship off of Triple H via submission at WrestleMania 20 and then successfully defended that same belt at Backlash via submission once again against Shawn Michaels in two of the greatest triple threat matches in WWE history. When Shawn fell out of the fray and the rivalry came down to Triple H and Chris Benoit, stakes were very high. I could have done without Eugene being involved, but as long as the matches are great, who’s complaining? The match started off with Chris Benoit using his technical prowess to work over Triple H’s leg, but then Triple H turn the tables on him as he used his overwhelming strength to gain an advantage. He also used underhanded tactics, like utilizing count outs to gain falls, which is a very smart thing to do. Chris Benoit then had some nice counters to get Triple H to tap out twice consecutively, and then the run-ins came in with Evolution and Eugene. Eugene’s presence sort of dumbed it down for me as his cheap way of getting heat via stealing the finishers of legends gone by wasn’t my cup of tea. However, the match before that was very good.
4. RAW 10/3/05 – Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels had quite the rivalry in 2005. Starting when Shawn Michaels eliminated Kurt Angle in the Royal Rumble. Kurt then proceeded to get salty and attack Shawn after the match. That led to a debate of who was the best athlete in their generation, and a case could be made that these two are the best since Shawn hit his physical peak. They had one of the few five star matches in WWE history at WrestleMania 21 where Kurt made Shawn tap and then had a hell of a rematch, though not quite as good (then again, trying to top a 5 star match isn’t reasonable) at Vengeance when Shawn got his revenge. So therefore, they needed a rubber match to settle things. I always thought the three wrestlers that brought out the absolute best in Kurt Angle were The Undertaker, Chris Benoit and HBK. In this match, Angle used his Olympic prowess to good measure as he overhwhelmed Shawn with his abundance of wrestling holds. I don’t think I’ve seen any other wrestler get Shawn on the brink on a consistent basis like Kurt, and this match showed it. Angle started off the match greatly, and Shawn needed to roll Kurt up out of desperation just to even the score. They then hit their respective finishers and it was all tied at two a piece. Time ran out after the clock expired before Shawn got a three count, so it ended in a draw. It was a fitting end to this as I really couldn’t see one man ending on top. They were both neck and neck it wouldn’t be right in my sight.
3. Smackdown 9/18/2003 – Kurt Angle (C) vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Championship
Another wrestler that brought out the best in Kurt Angle was Brock Lesnar. These were two bonafide athletes in a war each time they fought back in 2003. Brock Lesnar took the title off of Angle at WrestleMania 19, and Kurt got his revenge at Vengeance while successfully defending against him at Summerslam. So of course, no other fitting end would have sufficed than them going at each other for an entire hour. Here’s a little lesson for everyone. If Brock is a heel, you best turn the other way. Brock’s pulverizing of Angle in the portions of the match reminded me of his match against John Cena at Extreme Rules. Kurt Angle was pushed into a desperate state here as he simply couldn’t match Lesnar’s power. However, Kurt’s reversal strength also played into his hand here. He was able to counter some of Brock’s moves into submission holds, and while he wasn’t as strong, he had enough to keep Brock at bay. What I love about Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar is that each time they fight, it feels like an actual fight. It doesn’t feel as though they are following a script. They just pound the living daylights out of each other. It was pretty much dominated by Lesnar until Kurt made a late comeback. With time running out, Kurt had the Ankle Lock locked in as tight as you can have it, and Lesnar looked finish. He was probably experiencing unbearable pain, but he was able to hold on and get back the title. It was a great match between two great athletes.
2. Judgement Day 2000: The Rock (C) vs. Triple H – WWF Championship
Triple H vs. The Rock was the Goku vs. Vegeta of WWF. Each man was trying to outdo the other in probably the most back and forth feud that went back as far as 1998. Each man just laid it all on the line in this one in one of the most entertaining matches I have ever seen. The most notable spot for me was the double Rock Bottom through the announcer’s table. The Undertaker’s return with JR’s legendary commentary was just the icing on the cake for me. I admittedly thought that the moveset of Triple H and The Rock wouldn’t be enough to last 60 minutes, but somehow, they pulled off one of the more incredible matches in WWF history that produced great spots, tremendous action and elite story telling. Some people complained about the DQ finish that gave Triple H the title, but his reign didn’t last long as The Rock would win it back from him at King of the Ring and The Rock was protected in this regard with the DQ finish. What a great match. Just one more tops it.
1. WrestleMania 12: Bret Hart (C) vs. Shawn Michaels
What, you were expecting something else. Now, a lot of people believe this match is overrated, but I just don’t see it that way. I just see it as two men giving it all they had for the top prize in the business. Bret and Shawn wanted to prove to each other who was the better man. This is similar to the rivalry Triple H and The Rock had, only these two had more technical ability and athleticism. this was the only iron man match that I can recall that had didn’t have one fall before the expiring time limit (someone can correct me on that), but I honestly don’t believe any other match set the standard for what an Iron Man match should be. The Rock and Triple H was very close with this to being number 1, but I just couldn’t do it. So don’t barricade my house.
Bayley and Sasha will step in the ring and arguably have the best iron man match in its history. Let’s see what they got. Until next time.
