Glenn Butler
5. WWE Champion JOHN CENA vs. JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD in an I Quit match (Judgment Day 2005)
You’ve got to give JBL credit, and not just for great commentary: he put in a lot of effort trying to make his long WWE Championship reign work, and he put a lot of effort into putting over John Cena thoroughly to kick off his legendary run at the tippy-top level of the wrestling industry. Rather than employ a series of submission holds to wear JBL down (submission wrestling was not yet Cena’s forte, though it would come in later years), Cena opted to beat JBL up and keep beating him up, to keep after him until he had no other option. And so it was. This match was also the genesis of John Cena’s dominance of the I Quit gimmick, as he’d use it to settle many a dispute in the future.
4. CHRIS JERICHO vs. WILLIAM REGAL under Duchess of Queensbury Rules (Backlash 2001)
Simply delightful. Everything about this match aside from the actual wrestling is so fun that it propels the match to a place on this list. From William Regal running off the Coach during an attempted interview to the various rules introduced at just the right time to flummox Jericho, from “The poor mum is still mourning the loss of Princess Di” to JR’s down-home contempt for the monarchy (there are too many nice moments on commentary to recount here, as Heyman and JR were always great together), from Regal’s gleeful waving taunt to his trademark wild suplexes, the match offers much to thrill and edify.
3.World Champion CHRIS BENOIT vs. TRIPLE H vs. SHAWN MICHAELS in a Triple Threat match (Backlash 2004)
“The Final Encounter” saw a rematch of the WrestleMania Triple Threat that elevated Benoit to a legendary level in the more dedicated corners of his fandom. While not as classic or iconic as their first match, the rematch reiterated much of the thrilling action from WrestleMania, and included a classic ending in which Benoit forced Shawn Michaels to tap out to the Sharpshooter while Triple H crawled into the ring fruitlessly. Benoit hoisting up the title belt right in H’s and Michaels’ faces, and shoving it in Michaels’ face right after the end of the match, were delightful bits of trollery by the “Rabid Wolverine;” another bit of trollery, the ruthless screw job tease—when Shawn Michaels puts Benoit in the Sharpshooter and, what do you know, Earl Hebner runs out to see if he should ring the bell—was not yet as tedious as the references and reiterations would get in the following years, and added to the crowd heat and overall atmosphere. (Admittedly, and it’s a big admission, to enjoy this match one has to set aside for the moment Benoit’s future booking as champion, his “4 Real” gimmick, and his eventual descent into domestic abuse and murder.)
2.World Champion THE UNDERTAKER vs. BATISTA in a Last Man Standing match (Backlash 2007)
At WrestleMania, these two beasts put on one of the best matches seen at that event and one of the best matches of either of their careers, demonstrating chemistry far beyond expectations. For the rematch, they may not have reached those lofty heights, but they certainly did not disappoint, offering a match that remained about as fast-paced as you can get with a gimmick centered on stopping to count slowly. In the buildup Undertaker said he wanted Batista’s soul, and he sure got it. Taker and Batista made use of the LMS gimmick to augment the formula from their first match, greatly extending the outside-the-ring segment and ultimately ending outside the ring, flying off of the stage. The one negative point that can be stuck on this match occurs just after the ending bell, when the two men who were knocked out and unable to answer the ten count wake up immediately after the count ends. Still, this match remains a hard-hitting, dramatic contest between two titans who throw everything they have at each other.
1. WWE Champion JOHN CENA vs. BATISTA in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship (Extreme Rules 2010)
Batista was red-hot as a narcissistic heel in his 2010 run, and John Cena was more than in his stride, so the stage was set for a highlight of the Last Man Standing genre here. The stars aligned and everything went fabulously in this match, complete with a ring barrier that didn’t so much collapse as explode outward when Cena was Irish whipped into it. Amazingly, while three-man booths are in general a bugbear of mine, and Jerry Lawler’s persistence on commentary has been a particular headache, Matt Striker makes the whole thing work with his glee at Batista’s every move.
Heels often get the more delightful character moments in situations like this, and Batista plays up his role to the hilt: when a fan yells “I hate you Batista,” the big man leers and responds “I hate you too!”; when Batista is readying the announce table for the FU spot Striker says “THIS is the Batista I like, the aggressiveness,” and Batista throws a monitor right at Striker; just a moment later he throws Jerry Lawler’s crown at him. Cena tosses in a nice character moment as well, flashing the You Can’t See Me sign as Batista struggles and fails to stand at the end. Ultimately, keeping John Cena down is going to be a Sisyphean task for anyone, and say what you will about the duct-tape finish, it was certainly uncommon.
Steve Rogers
5. BRET HART vs. STEVE AUSTIN (In Your House: Revenge of the Taker)
How do you follow up one of the greatest matches, and some would argue THE GREATEST MATCH, in WrestleMania history? By having an epic match main eventing the next PPV card to ignite what would be the hottest story in the promotion for the summer. Granted it was a win by DQ, but this would also be the only time Austin wound up going over Bret in a PPV match.
4. WWE Champion JOHN CENA vs. JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD in an I Quit match (Judgment Day 2005)
You have just given the keys to the kingdom to the one of the new faces of the company at WrestleMania, and you want to further the idea that he has that “no surrender” mentality and set him up in an automatic rematch against the former champion who had a Honky Tonk Man-esque long run but with a hardcore edge. So what do you do? Why have an I Quit match of course! Cena and JBL do not disappoint in their rematch on the SmackDown-only follow up to the WrestleMania match that started Cena’s first epic reign as champion.
3. CHRIS BENOIT vs. KURT ANGLE in an Ultimate Submission match (Backlash 2001)
The mid-card would get a lot bigger as the year would go on, but these two were bound for bigger things during the year, well before Benoit’s injury anyway. Capitalizing on their solid match at WrestleMania, these two submission experts upped the ante with a submission only 30-minute Iron Man match that is a great way to do the gimmick as part of the mid-card, and despite Angle’s past title run and program with Triple H, this match was a good precursor to both men’s eventual rise to being in the main event mix.
2. World Champion SHEAMUS vs. DANIEL BRYAN in a 2/3 Falls match (Extreme Rules 2012)
There may be better matches with this gimmick out there, but considering what these two were given for their WrestleMania match against each other in both 2011—pre-show Lumberjack match for Sheamus’ U.S. Title that quickly turned into an impromptu battle royal—and 2012—Sheamus defeats Bryan for World title in 18 seconds—it was nice to see these two finally show off what they could do against each other in a PPV setting.
1. WWF Champion STEVE AUSTIN vs. THE ROCK in a No Holds Barred match (Backlash 1999)
The first WrestleMania main event rematch on the following PPV was a classic confrontation in the rivalry that defines the Attitude Era. While strictly an Austin title defense after he won the belt the month before, the storyline of Austin taking on Rock for possession of his custom made championship belt gave the match something beyond the standard “rematch clause” story. Plus the match would see the seeds sown for the People’s Champ’s long and iconic face run.
