Last week, we took a look at some of the greatest matches of the Attitude Era, and although that was a lot of fun, this week, we turn to the more arduous task of choosing a mere ten out of the longer and richer period in wrestling that is often overlooked.
The Attitude Era provided wrestling fans with countless hours of memories, but the Ruthless Aggression Era was chock full of individuals, many that brought their A-Game to what was then, the grandest stage of them all.
Yes, the roster was chock full and the memories those wrestlers left behind…so many retired, some passed but all never forgotten…and it is because of these matches here that we will never forget any one of them.
So without wasting any more of our precious time (there’s too much wrestling to watch, and for me too many articles to write), let’s get to the epic memories from an era full of aggression, yes, but with memories both bitter and sweet, like a lost love, or a trip we can never take again; perhaps even that double bacon cheeseburger we can’t ever taste again.
The aforementioned eras are most definitely gone, but who’s to say we can’t look back fondly—as we are doing today, tonight, whenever you should be happening to read this—any time we want?
No one, that’s who.
So without further ado… “What is the one quality that you possess that makes you think that you can walk out here and come into the ring, and face the very best in the business?”
John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (SmackDown, June 27, 2002)
Vince McMahon was searching for that next star to tie the whole company onto. With Austin on his way out and Dwayne doing well in Hollywood, he needed some fresh meat, so to speak, and announcing an overall new direction for the company seemed the best way to go about doing that.
John Cena seemed to answer that call. It would take him a few years to convince the McMahons that he would be that face, but he certainly started things off on the right foot, facing the greatest technical wrestler in the company at that point in Kurt Angle.
He even did pretty well, almost coming close to pinning the former Olympic Gold Medalist.
Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 19)
The Next Big Thing, Brock Lesnar, was on a rocket ship headed for the stratosphere for sure. Nobody in WWE knew that just a year after this performance, that rocket would come plummeting down to earth in a lackluster puff of smoke, as Brock exited the company; he was unable to handle the hectic schedule thrust upon him by WWE.
He was impressive in the ring, no doubt about that, and his most recent run is one for the history books, no doubt, but at the time he was the man McMahon was putting all his bets on. Brock wanted to deliver at WrestleMania 19, putting his body and his life on the line.
Kurt Angle had his own issues, as he was headed to have neck surgery and would follow that with an uncertain future in the business and some much-needed time off.
The match itself was paced perfectly, from frame to frame of it, the two collegiate wrestlers putting on a clinic as to what a wrestling match could be. And the climactic finish, with Lesnar’s Shooting Star Press off the top rope that led to him almost breaking his own neck in the process, has had people talking all these long years, and that’s why it merits a spot on this list.
John Cena vs. Edge (TLC Match) Unforgiven 2006
John Cena has never been known for being hardcore, but he came very close in this match here. He and Edge had been involved in a feud for the ages. In fact one of Cena’s greatest rivalries in my book, the two having epic chemistry. After months of feuding, the two finally came face to face yet again in Edge’s hometown of Toronto, Canada.
They put each other through a lot, even Lita who always had Edge’s back.
Well, his back ended up going through a stack of tables (not just one) by the end of this match when John Cena gave him a little of the old Attitude Adjustment off of a ladder.
“Tables, ladders and chairs… Oh My!”
Trish Stratus vs. Lita (Unforgiven 2006)
That very same night, Trish Stratus, who with the help of the emerging Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly, Gail Kim and Mickie James, had started to lead women’s wrestling out of the dark ages of lingerie matches and mud fights and into a time when women’s wrestling would be showcased as an athletic endeavor.
Unfortunately women’s wrestling took a nosedive with the likes of Kelly Kelly and the Bella Twins at the forefront once again, but it’s been right on track over the last four or five years and we have the likes of Bayley, Beth Phoenix, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch to definitely thank for that…among others of course.
Today’s roster is full of epic female talents that are changing the business, one DDT at a time.
But this match marks a historical moment in history, as Trish Stratus was allowed to retire the Diva’s Championship, as it was her retirement match.
She’d be back to face Charlotte Flair and make other appearances, but at the time, it was something quite special indeed.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004
If you followed Eddie Guerrero’s career in WCW, you know that he got the short end of the stick over there. But when he came to WWE, he was able to step out of the shell that WCW management stuck him in. He had some personal problems that resurfaced unfortunately in WWE, but after kicking them, he set to proving that he deserved the company’s top honor.
It was at this event that Guerrero not only faced the next big thing himself, but he beat him and for the WWE title to boot.
Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 19
These two men are synonymous with the Attitude Era. In fact Austin was almost entirely responsible for it. But this match specifically, as I mentioned in the previous piece, was a culmination of moments, matches and feuds throughout the years…years building the tension and the rivalry between them. And like Austin’s career, the end of the feud would likewise be the end of their long winding road together.
The match was perhaps their best….so many near pinfalls, each of them using each other’s moves. It was a moment in wrestling I’ll never forget. I’ve watched it back many times since, and I recently thought when the WWE network was ruining this match recently: Man, at the time I was robbed. If I would have known it was Austin’s last match, maybe I would have appreciated it even more at the time for exactly what it was.
Austin’s heart had sped up after a workout at the hotel gym and he was rushed to the hospital the night before mania; he was “fixing to die,” as he’s put it recounting that weekend to journalists and documentarians over the years.
He needed to hang it up and the resulting match tells a million stories all in one, and the feud presented to the fans, was the least of all the layers…all that rich depth to be found in that match and moment in wrestling history.
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 19
We’ll stick to the historic theme here with this piece and say that perhaps this is one of the reason they call Shawn Michaels Mr. WrestleMania.
This match pitted Michaels almost with a version of his younger self in Jericho, and the man that inspired Jericho is the man he would ultimately face in the ring that night, and the results were astounding to say the least.
At this time Jericho was still in his prime and in epic shape, ready to deliver as only the Lionheart could, and Michaels had returned with a new lease on life and so much to prove. And as the years went on from that moment, boy did he prove it, time and time again, and exceptionally so against the Undertaker a few years later. But more on that match at a later date.
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit at WrestleMania 20
Yes…Shawn Michaels again, and this time you’ve gotta add two other gentlemen that were in the Attitude Era as well. This match signifies WWE’s reluctance to let certain individuals out of their shells at times, and that was the case for Benoit here. WWE was reluctant to have him in that match without Michaels in there as well. Benoit most definitely could have held his own, I’m positive of that, but the end result was a bloody masterpiece that you need to watch if you haven’t seen it.
The network won’t have it, or at least I don’t think, for obvious reasons, but this match was certainly one of Benoit’s masterpieces that he painted on the pro wrestling canvas, as so many of his matches were.
Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004
And it was against Benoit that Randy Orton would become the youngest-ever World Heavyweight Champion. The match was also a great bout, but the significance behind it is what places it on this list, as Randy wasn’t ready to have the strap placed on his waist, but it shows where he was eventually bound to go.
It took him quite a few years to slay his personal demons, but slay them he would and get the title back he would, but it all started on that summer night against a man he respected…a man who once taught him how to drink whey protein without a shaker (you scoop the protein into your mouth…drink some water, slosh it around and swallow).
The man who could do 500 squats a day was definitely intense, and on that night, he taught Randy Orton a million other things in the ring and in front of that crowd. And perhaps the calculated, expert in the ring we see nowadays has a portion of gratitude to send Chris Benoit. I have no doubt that Randy would agree with me there.
Batista vs. Eddie Guerrero at No Mercy 2005
And how could you compile a list without adding the Animal himself?
The Ruthless Aggression Era is synonymous with the OVW class of John Cena, Randy Orton, Dave Bautista, Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin. They studied together, they ate together…heck, and they probably went to the local saloon together.
They became a class all their own and we have them to thank for the direction this era eventually took. Four of these aforementioned men were at some point during the era considered to be the main man, and that speaks volumes for their legacy… “now and forever,” as is the WWE slogan.
In this match, perhaps equal to the relationship Randy shared with Benoit…in Guerrero, Batista had a friend, a teacher and a brother he looked up to.
Next The Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling: Who Truly Is The Greatest Of All Time?
Their feud and the match were exceptional, no matter how the wrestling ended up looking. Batista has been criticized for not being the best wrestler, but sometimes in this field, the wrestling is actually the least of what’s important. That isn’t always the case, but in this situation it most certainly was.
