Pro Wrestling Love vol. 51: The Best of WWE 2005-2009 (John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 51:

The Best of World Wrestling Entertainment 2005-2009

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at http://gweproject.freeforums.net/) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This fifty-first volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the beginning of the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in WWE between 2005-2009. The year 2005 saw John Cena & Batista win the World Championships at Wrestlemania heralding the beginning of a new era. Even though stylistically there would be a lot of aesthetic holdovers from the Attitude Era, in terms of new main eventers Cena, Batista along with Randy Orton and Edge were the vanguard of a new truly 21st century generation. However, they were supported by Attitude Era stars Shawn Michaels, HHH, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle (until 2006) and Chris Jericho. The reason I chose 2009 as an ending year is because 2010 WWE lost a lot of this previously mentioned support structure. The year 2010 saw Shawn Michaels go into retirement, HHH & Undertaker went into semi-retirement, Jericho left and it was Edge's last full year. The year 2010 saw a complete overhaul in the WWE main event scene.  You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Honorable Mentions

WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus vs Mickie James - WrestleMania XXII
Beth Phoenix vs Melina - WWE One Night Stand 2008 I Quit Match
WWE Women's Champion Beth Phoenix vs Candice Michelle - WWE No Mercy 2008

A trio of great divas matches from this era proving that great women's wrestling in the USA existed before 2014. I highly recommended Beth Phoenix vs Melina I Quit Match which I included in my Top 100 Greatest WWE Matches of All Time as a personal fun pick to spruce up the bottom part of my list. It is a truly excellent match and it is Beth Phoenix playing human pretzel-maker with the ultra-supple Melina.

Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXIV
Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho - Judgment Day 2008
Shawn Michaels vs Batista - One Night Stand 2008 Stretcher Match
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels - No Mercy 2008

It is truly amazing at his age that Ric Flair has such a great retirement match. This not just nostalgia talking that is a legitimately great match. It also spawned Shawn Michaels' third career year. Most people live for one career year, but Shawn has had three: 1986, 1997 and 2008. Of course was incredible is that each year is in three different decades and also three different roles. In 1986 he was pretty boy babyface in the Rockers vs Rose & Somers, in 1997 he was a King Prick heel in D-X and in 2008 he was the elder statesman having the last great blood feud in WWE history with Chris Jericho and an underrated feud with Batista that spun off of the Ric Flair match. Every Shawn Michaels perfromance from WrestleMania XXIV to No Mercy 2008 (including the Summerslam angle) needs to be watched to full appreciate the greatness of this run.

John Morrison vs Evan Bourne - WWECW 4/14/09
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs John Morrison - Smackdown 6/26/09
WWE Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs John Morrison - Smackdown 9/4/09

The biggest revelation of going back and re-watching all this WWE wrestling from 2005-2009 is that John Morrison is a fucking great wrestler. If he could cut a halfway decent promo, he would be a megastar. I thought he would be abother Kofi-lite wrestler, but the dude kicks ass and has great escalation and psychology. There are probably a ton of John Morrison hidden gems waiting to be uncovered.

World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs Triple H - WWE Vengeance 2005 Hell In A Cell
WWE Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair vs Triple H - WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005 Steel Cage
Triple H vs Umaga - Cyber Sunday 2007 Street Fight
World Tag Team Champions Rated RKO vs D-Generation X - New Year's Revolution 2007

Depending who you are, you either are totally surprised that Triple H did not have a match that made my top 12 or that just makes total sense. The Game was not without great performances as the four match above can attest to, but he did not have anything was truly classic. The best match of the bunch was the Batista Hell In A Cell match, BUT if you want a hidden gem that no one talks about check out the Umaga brawl from Cyber Sunday 2007 it is randomly great.

ECW Champion Jack Swagger vs Christian - WWECW 2/24/09

Ahhhh yes, the match that got so much hype that we all thought Jack Swagger was the next big thing in pro wrestling. Well 11 years later, maybe he can make something of this Moxley program in AEW (lets see how that sentence ages). This match ages really well. One of the greatest cat & mouse matches you will ever see. Swagger looks like a killer and Christian looks like the wrestling genius that so many claim he is.

Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio - WWE Judgement Day 2005
Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio - Great American Bash 2005
The feud where the uber-popular, wickedly charismatic Eddie Guerrero was desperately determined to get him to hate him. He actually made it work. It is testament to himself and to Rey for making it happen. The "Who's Your Papi" shirt during the Dominic portion of the angle was great. Seeing Dominic all grown up this past year was so weird. Brock threw that boy around that was awesome. They had an all-time classic during this feud, but these are worth a watch.

Chris Benoit vs William Regal - Velocity 7/16/05
Simply awesome.

Hulk Hogan vs Shawn Michaels - Summerslam 2005
I always heard that Shawn treated this match as a joke, but I dont think he did at all. This was wicked fun. I loved the build to this match so much when I was a teenager in 2005. Shawn started channeling 1997 Shawn and it was awesome! This was Shawn Michaels doing a 1989 Hulk Hogan as the big bumping stooge heel. This is the match Mr. Perfect should have had with The Hulkster. The key difference was that Michaels got the offense and cheated his ass off to add to the drama. He was not just a pinball for Hogan but he through relentless cheating actually looked poised to defeat Hogan

World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs Undertaker - Wrestlemania XXIII
Hoss sprint! These two decide to do the Kentucky Derby of Mania matches and just have an awesome bomb-throwing sprint! It is famous deservedly so!

World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle vs Undertaker - WWE No Way Out 2006
Chris Benoit vs Finlay - Smackdown 5/5/06
Chris Benoit vs Finlay - WWE Judgement Day 2006
WWE Champion John Cena vs Edge - WWE Unforgiven TLC Match

The year 2006 was NOT represented at all on this list so I grouped all these matches together as they were the best from otherwise lean year. Originally Cena vs Edge made my Top 100 WWE Matches, but going back and watching some matches from 2007 and reviewing my reviews, I have to say it just misses the cut, but I do think that is an all-time great feel good victory for Cena against his best archrival until Punk.

The Top 12ish Best Match of WWE 2005-2009

#12. (TIE) WWE Champion Randy Orton vs Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series 2007

Greatest Randy Orton match ever? I think most would say the Catcus match from Backlash 2004, but I think this one is definitively better. Is there anything else? While I do think Orton was great in this match, it was of course really the Shawn Michaels show. Some context: as an offshoot of the D-X vs Rated RKO feud in the beginning of 2007, Orton punted HBK to give his summer school vacation. Michaels came back in October and challenged Orton for the championship at Cyber Sunday, but Orton punched him in the balls to get intentionally DQ'd. So in the rematch, if Orton gets DQ'd he loses the title, BUT Michaels cant use the Superkick. This forces Michaels to wrestle a different type of match.

There is a lot to love in the first ten minutes of this match. Michaels uses a ton of vice grips (cravat, front chancery) on the head and neck of Orton to control him and attempt to get an early pinfall. The hallmark of this was how tenacious HBK was applying these holds. Really controlling Orton and driving the knees into his head. Orton did a great job selling it all. It also shows that Michaels is going to try to win by taking it to the ground and outwrestling Orton. Orton's counter was punching him right in the face on a break in the corner. Great heel wrestling from Orton here. Then trying to goad Michaels into Superkicking him; Michaels fakes him out and chops him. Orton was really good at selling these fake out spots as Michaels knowing that as much as I love ground wrestling and tight psychology the live crowd needs something to pop them and so he hits a baseball slide and an Asai Moonsault, but the spots are really organic well set up because Orton bites so hard on the pump fakes. So many wrestlers knowing that they are going be faked out just go through the motions, but here Orton makes you believe that he believes he will be hit by the pump fake. Good stuff. Loved Orton rolling through a crossbody for two and then immediately decking him with a European uppercut. I loved the urgency there. Michaels shine ends with a Sharpshooter. Ten years since Montreal at this point. (I cant believe it has been TWENTY years as of this writing!). Crazy to think Michaels would be wrestling Bob Orton's kid for the championship ten years after the Screwjob. The Sharpshooter gets a good reaction of course. From there, Orton thumbs HBK in the eye and snaps his neck across the ropes. Great heel transition. Really good organic set up to the Hangsmans DDT. Orton has a solid punch and an amazing European Uppercut. I am starting to like him ten years after the fact. This is where the match does down a notch. First the customary Orton resthold and then the very basic Michaels comeback. The Michaels comeback requires both wrestles to go through the motions rather than feel it. Loved Orton's dropkick to stymie the comeback. Shawn's gets melodramatic after his elbow drop tuning up the band but it is a fake out to get a small package. Meh, overthinking it there. Just go for the pin. Too elaborate of a ruse. Then again I hate the whole I need to wait for my opponent to stand before I hit my big move. After this, the match gets awesome again. Michaels goes for submissions (Crossface, Anglelock) and Orton tries to punt his head off. Good stuff. The finish is awesome. Orton goes for the RKO, but Michaels pushes him off, hesitates on Superkick and that slight hesitation leads to BANG RKO~!

First half was awesome, tenacious Shawn Michaels ground wrestling and Orton playing the heel really well. Great timed spots and sound psychology. Falls a little off the rails with some overly cinematic Michaels stuff, but comes roaring back with Michaels pugnaciously going for a submission victory but falling prey to the RKO when his instincts takeover to hit Sweet Chin Music. Magnificent. ****1/2

#12. (TIE) WWE Champion John Cena vs Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania XXIII

Once Shawn Michaels was committed to wrestling as the heel in this match, this was excellent and a top flight performance by both wrestlers. Michaels is clearly at a size and power disadvantage, but he is accustomed to that and he chooses to battle this by taking out one of Cena’s wheels. Now, Cena is never out of any match because he has a puncher’s chance. Similarly, Michaels can always fall back on Sweet Chin Music. It is Cena’s ability to avoid Sweet Chin Music that pays dividends, but when he gets hit with it the question becomes can he bounce back? The weakest part of the match is the beginning, which I thought Michaels took way too much of it. 

Michaels wants a handshake with his co-Tag Team Champion. Cena hesitates so he slaps him. Cena takes some wild swings, but Shawn ducks. Shawn punches and a big chop sends Cena reeling. Michaels is in Cena’s head and using speed. HBK is the veteran and even though Cena has been champion for 20 of the past 24 months, there is a lot of pressure to vanquish a former champion like Michaels. Michaels outwrestling Cena with headlocks and again ducks punches and punches of his own and chop. Cena is clearly frustrated. HBK looks to build some speed and finally Cena nails a big clothesline. They establish Cena’s power game is Cena’s key to victory. Big Boos for that clothesline. Michaels hiptosses Cena from ring to the floor and then Asai Moonsault. This is way too rough of a start for Cena.

HBK goes full heel here and the match kicks into a next level goes into heat segment with chops in corner and then big sledge to the straight leg., Goes to work on the leg with great selling from Cena all the usual stuff from HBK (chopblocks, ropes wrenching, kicks). Really fucking well done. Great selling by Cena and there is some really cool corner work. They spend a couple minutes just in one corner with Cena trying to battle out and Michaels trying to suffocate him. I loved the chess moves here. Cena starts landing bombs and always has a punchers chance. Big one sends Michaels tumbling back, but he bulrushes Cena back into the corner to trap him there. Cena fights back for survival. Michaels tries to drive the shoulder again, but Cena collapses to the side and Michaels head strikes the post and is bleeding. Awesome transition! Michaels is wobbly. Cena recovers and smokes him with a big clothesline. Here comes that big power Cena offense getting on top and ground n pound. Big boos. Shouldertackles. Knee is messed up. Five Knuckle shuffle. Michaels avoids FU. Michaels is now desperate and thinks the match is slipping through his fingers so he pulls the trigger on Sweet Chin Music, but nails the ref. Cena looks FU, nope, DDT. This levels playing field between the bloody HBK and exhausted Cena. 

Michaels hits a PILEDRIVER ON THE STEPS! Total Mark Out by me! No ref, here comes one running down the ramp and only a two count. Michaels does his comeback sequence now. Michaels sneering and looking mean as hell. He wants to polish Cena off with Sweet Chin Music. Massive Cena clothesline turns the tide! Big time slugfest and Cena nails the FU, but only two. He wants to up the ante with the super FU, but Michaels knocks him off top rope. Crossbody, roll through FU NO! I totally bit on that as the finish. Michaels lands on his feet and tries Sweet chin music, but Cena ducks. Now Michaels is off balance making him vulnerable for the STFU. There is an awesome struggle that leads into a HBK cradle, but a missed Enziguri finally leads into the STFU. That should have been the finish. The STFU struggle was really well-done. Yes, that is criticism #2 they long just a bit too long. Ref and Cena argue and BANG! Sweet Chin music, Michaels down and he crawls over for only a 2 count. They take an 8 count to get back up each leaning on the other for a long time. This is clearly Shawn’s flair for the dramatic shining through. Cena tries the FU, no, but applies a good-looking STFU for the win.

Excellent chess match that stayed true to both men’s character. I have no clue what was up with the beginning as it was way too much Shawn and the match did not seem to climax at the right spot. There was a lot more heat for the first STFU. The long double count late in a match is a cool idea to milk a spot, but the whole leaning against each other and then rather pedestrian final finish sequence did compare as well as the previous STFU stretch. The knee psychology was awesome and the stretch run was totally engrossing. Too many issues to be match of the year, but still an excellent match. ****1/2

#11. John Cena vs Batista - Summerslam 2008

Terrific match, exactly what I needed to see to remind me how great a big match player, John Cena is. Total Dome, Clash of the Titans style match that if it happened in the Tokyo Dome or at WrestleMania would be more fondly remembered. Honestly, I am surprised this is not more well-known. I think ever since 2005 or so there has been a problem with the WWE's myth-making machine in dubbing matches as classics. In the 90s, the WWF drilled in the fans heads which matches were the classics, but I think that has sort of subsided over the years. It is a real shame that awesome matches like these are forgotten rather than celebrated.

The beauty of this match is the parallel lives these men have led, both winning their first championships at WrestleMania XXI ushering in the modern era. Cena was the standard bearer for RAW and Batista was the face of Smackdown. They did a great job keeping them apart for three years. That was the great thing of the brand split is allowed them to create their own dream matches. Just needed to wait 3-5 years and voila fans would be pumped to see a match of this magnitude. Just watching them make their entrances felt electric. It feels like the pinnacle of this era of the WWE. I thought the match they worked was pitch perfect.

Face vs face matches work best when there is a lot of symmetry and eveness. This match had it in spades. The way they each had one slam a piece. They each had one suplex a piece. They had the same number of pin attempts. On top of that, these are two faces known for their power. You add in that Clash of Titans feel. The power game being on display. I love how this match is worked around finisher attempts. Going for a finisher is dramatic. You know the match could end. It creates a moment of chaos. If he hits it, he could win. But the possibilities are even more exciting if he doesn't. Going for a finish will freak your opponent out as he scrambles to evade it. This opens him up to be clobbered once he has wriggled free. So even though you don't hit it, you can take command of the match we see this with Batista going for the BatistaBomb early, Cena evades, but eats a clothesline. Going for a finish is also a gamble. You are committed to the move, but you don't know your opponent will react. Batista's evasion of the FU leads to him chopblocking the knee and leading to a kneecrusher and a figure-4. Going for that finish early left John Cena open. Great psychology.

On top of that, amazing selling here from Cena that reminded me of his ability to be a great sympathetic babyface. I thought out of the kneecrusher and in the figure-4 he did stupendous. The FU, where he FUs him over the top rope after the figure-4, fighting through the pain and fighting through Batista having the ropes is a beauty. You know Cena is toast and he needs this move if he wants to have a chance at all. It is a great BIG highspot for these two behemoths.

Now they trade comeback routines. In a match structured like this, I love it. It feels big and important. John Cena gets the STFU as a good symmetrical counterpart to Batista's figure-4. Then as he is going for the FU, Batista drops down into a rear naked choke. At first, I loved this counter. It was both sudden and unexpected (never seen Batista use that). Unfortunately, it was quite possibly the worst, loosest "choke" I have ever seen. They tried to zoom in at first you could see that a huge gap between Batista's arm and Cena's neck. They quickly zoom out and try their best to find a shot of this shitty chinlock. The way Cena sells it after it is released is amazing. The choking and he is disoriented. BANG! SPEAR! You are so focused on Cena and then you are totally caught unaware by the spear as is Cena. Loved the suddenness there.

Then use one of the ultimate Clash of the Titans moves...the backward reverse of the powerslam (think of how Sting/Rude reverse the tombstone) and Cena hits an FU out of that! WOW! Cena goes up top they slug it out. Cena goes for that legdrop and eats a Powerbomb. Thought this was the finish given how this is where they say he was injured. Kickout. Wow I bit so hard on that and I popped just like the crowd. Cena eats another BatistaBomb for three.

I dig it. I think the first kick out makes Cena look legitimately strong but they immediately go to the finish which feel definitive. It was an even match all the way. Cena went high risk and he go caught that simple. It was a simple power match that Cena took next level with his selling and each having that superstar presence. One of the best matches of this era and one of the best BIG, Clash of the Titans, Dome type matches of all time. 

#10. Batista vs Shawn Michaels - Backlash 2008

I want someone to watch this match and then look me in the eye and tell me that Shawn Michaels is not a GOAT contender. Goddamn he was fucking awesome in this match. Maybe I am mistaken, but I have never heard anyone talk up this match. I figure it gets overlooked for the phenomenal series between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho that this very feud spawns. Before, I get into the match, I want to point out how great of a job they did here with the storytelling. I am an avid fan of soap operas and I think this one of the few times in the last 15 years that WWE really nailed soap opera storytelling. The Ric Flair retirement is a big deal and is going to affect wrestlers in different ways. It was great to spin a feud off of that event. You have Batista who is pissed, almost in mourning, that his mentor is no longer around and it is all Shawn's fault. Shawn says it would have been a disservice to the Nature Boy to let him win. He won the match fair and square and it was time for Nature Boy to ride off into the sunset. Then you have Chris Jericho with his career renaissance as a shit-stirrer, claiming that Shawn is a gloryhound and revels in the fact that he is the man who retired The Greatest of All Time. Then Jericho goes one step further to claim that Batista isn't grieving Ric Flair's retirement, he is angry that he did not get the honor to do it himself. This is great shit! It continued to be amazing throughout the rest of the year. Kudos to all those involved!

There are many facets that make this a great match but I think the one that is the most essential is the grittiness and the amount of struggle in this match. Struggle is something that WWE has lacked throughout its history. WWE matches tend to be every neat. I am in control and then you are in control. Wrestlers don't force their opponents to earn their offense more often than not. I have learned to love other aspects of WWE, but at the end of the day this will be why All Japan or JCP/WCW will always rank ahead of the WWF/E overall. I thought this match had that sense of struggle. That real burning desire to best your opponent in an athletic contest.

On top of that, this is nominally face vs face, which I always think is a very unique and implicitly interesting matchup. It can go in so many directions. You don't know who is going to play the heel in the match and how it will evolve. In addition, I think Shawn Michaels does incredible job playing to Batista's strengths. You mix this all together you arrive at what is match of the year contender for WWE in 2008.

Shawn does a great job early on establishing the power game of Batista. He is trying to attack Batista head on and makes no headway. Batista is shaking him off and just charging. Shawn chop blocks and then switches gear immediately to attack the left arm of Batista. A lot of reviewers would make a point to let you know Shawn and Batista fucked up the initial attempt at the short arm scissors. People make mistakes. We are human. It is how you react to the mistakes that matter. Shawn drives his knee repeatedly into the tricep of Batista. He forces his will on Batista to apply that short arm scissors. In fact it is better that it happened this way because he had to EARN the short arm scissors. If you have ever watched a Shawn Michaels match against Davey Boy Smith, you know why he uses this spot. This spot ultimately to establish the power game of his opponent. Interesting wrinkle here, Batista deadlifts Shawn, but they tumble over the top rope and there is even more wrenching action on the arm. As Batista is selling really well, Shawn shoves him bad arm into the post. After that, it is Dick Murdoch-like clinic on torturing a man's arm. It is tenacious and gritty. Batista is trying to use his power game to regain control, but due to a bad wing, he cant capitalize and Shawn with pitbull determination continues to attack the arm. I loved his hanging armbar over the ropes. This what I am talking about with struggle. Batista is fighting back, but Shawn is fighting through it all. Batista finally string together some power moves like the Samoan Drop and the Oklahoma Slam, but when he lifts up Shawn for the BatistaBomb, his arm fails him and Shawn comes down with the Crippler Crossface. Excellent! I marked out. It was right there when I realized I was watching a classic unfold. Batista makes the ropes and Jericho forcefully yanks Shawn off of Batista. Staredown. They do a great job making Shawn earn his comeback sequence (even though it is not a comeback in this case). Kip-up-SPEAR! Great spot. Shawn knocks Batista off the top and hits the Elbow Drop. Tune up the band and SPINEBUSTER! Loving these hope spots for Batista. One arm Ultimate Warrior rope shake and One Arm thumbs down. Batista is totally committed to selling the arm. Batistabomb, Shawn wriggles free, but twists his knee or perhaps he loses his smile momentarily. :P

Jericho backs Batista off. Michaels gets up and BANG! Sweet Chin Music. Great finish that plays into Jericho's new honest man character that would unveil in the coming weeks. Batista's power game vs Shawn's attack on the arm was a glorious story. Batista sold so well and Shawn was very selfless in establishing Batista's power game that everything melded perfectly. The home stretch was awesome with the big Batista moves stopping Shawn short. Shawn realized even with all his strategizing that Batista's power was too much so he had to dig deep in his bag of tricks and pull out a shady move to get the win. Highly recommended to watch. 

#9. WWE Champion John Cena vs Shawn Michaels - RAW 4/23/07

Shawn Michaels wrestles his ode to the NWA World Championship match without being the World Champion. At first, this kinda miffed me. Why is Cena acting like an upstart challenger. Telling Michaels, he is the close to beating him with the STFU on three occasions or the FU. Then I remember Cena is still being established. Winning the Championship in 2005 is one thing, staying there is another. Cena needs to prove everyone especially the veterans, he is no fluke. I think thats what this match is about. Michaels is not wrestling as Flair or Race. This is not a big bumping performance. This is a subtle heel Jack Brisco or Lou Thesz performance that even his archrival and king of the subtle heel, Bret Hart would be proud of. 

Michaels begins as an aggressive challenger working wristlocks and fireman carrys to try to gain an advantage and each time it is summarily countered almost into STFU, three times to be exact and each time Cena lets HBK know he is this close to beating him. Shawn, frustrated, slaps Cena and Cena responds with a big right hamhock. Thats the end of Act 1. Establishes Cena is not a big, dumb oaf. That he will not be intimidated by the moment or by wrestling. He can counter and is sure of himself. Shawn's opening strategy of taking the fight to Cena almost backfired three times and he needs to switch gears. 

Act II really establishes the Cena power game. This is a much better version of the Butch Reed vs Ric Flair side headlock matches. Cena and Reed have a lot in common in terms of build, presence and offensive ability. One thing that I often am disappointed about in First Wave John Cena (2005-2010) is that he wrestles a Lawler or Savage babyface style meaning he rushes into taking heat and then just makes a triumphant comeback. The shine is so critical in getting the audience invested and fired up. Going right to the heat segment is like going right into the breakdown of a song. This match we really get to see Cena shine and establish that power game. You get the sense of Cena's strength advantage and that HBK is in for a long night. Cena works the headlock, clothesline and shouldertackles well and more importantly Michaels sells it well especially when outside of the hold. I like HBK using roughhouse counters like a reverse elbow sound well by Cena and Michaels sells the damage of the headlock well even at this point. This is not a strong enough transition and Cena hits a big, meaty clothesline. Michaels out of desperation tries for Sweet Chin Music but he is no position to surprise the dominant Champion who evades and hoists Michaels up and almost hits an FU if it was not for the ropes. Thats the end of Act II which is Cena's shine through the power game climaxing with Cena almost hitting the FU. 

Act III as one would expect is when we transition to a heat segment. One issue I have with First Wave Cena (2005-2010) is that he tends to oversell at the beginning of the heat segment. He does not have levels or a gradual way of selling. You would have thought Cena had endured 10 minutes of brutal torture after just a couple Michaels chops. This is unfortunate. A strong transition is what is needed. It turns out that they were not going into heat, but rather Cena was overacting. It is called a register, brutha. Cena uses that power game to catch Michaels and turn into a powerslam, then a Fisherman Suplex and then a Throwback. All gaining minor nearfalls to build the drama. Shawn Michaels hits a swinging neckbreaker which is a lame transition and they lose me going into some Boo/Yay, FIghting Spirit stuff for no reason. Flying Burrito. I guess they are just going for it. Double Count for drama which is good, kip up. Top rope elbow of course, it is too early for Sweet Chin Music so he settles for a backslide, which is odd. Cena misses a shoulder tackle. Now thats a strong transition. Cena takes a hard bump on the mat and skids to the floor.  Michaels shoves Cena into the steel steps to cement his advantage and create a weakness in his arms. I like that Michaels did some of his normal comeback stuff early to make the fans believe this could end at any time and then organically create the hook for the heat segment proper with the shove into the steps. There were some efficiency issues (boo/yay) and Cena overselling issues, but some strong moments. Michaels hitting the big elbow signals to fans this could be over any minute. The Cena missed shouldertackle is a great transition and the steel steps sets up the effective heat segment. 

Act IV does not go as long as I would liked. Shawn did a great job torturing the arm. We werent quite at Dick Murdoch but that is in part due to the fact that it was cut short in my opinion. Shawn varied his attack and Cena did a great job selling. Before you know it we went into the typical Cena comeback sequence. I did like Cena yelling at his arm to fucking shape up before the Fist Drop. He even hit the FU and only two. 

Act V is Cena working the back with big power offense. Running the back into the post, bearhug. As is typical in big Cena matches when the FU fails he hits the Top Rope Leg Drop to the back of the head for two. Michaels gets a sunset flip powerbomb as the playing field is levelled and we enter the last phase of the match. 

Act VI is right after the double count by the ref...Cena goes for the STFU which Lawler lets us know is how Shawn lost at Mania. Good commentary King I had forgotten that. Michaels evades and shoves Cena off the apron onto the announce table. HBK wants to go to for that iconic spot from the Mania match where he piledrives Cena on the steel steps but Cena backdrops him on his bad back. Back in the ring, Cena finally locks in the STFU. Rope break. Good STFU, looked like a choke rather than two forearms across the face. Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music but Cena has it scouted. Cena wants FU but Michaels creates separation for Sweet Chin Music! He does not cover immediately. Cena needs the ropes to avoid the 3 count. I liked the symmetry between the STFU and Sweet Chin music there. JR telegraphs the finish when he reminds us that this is non-title. I didnt know. As soon as I think I wonder if Michaels wins, he lands on his feet on a FU and BANG! Sweet Chin Music and collapses on top of Cena. 

This is a good representation that wins and losses to a certain extent dont matter. Shawn gets his win back from Mania. Cena never had the rubber match to go up 2-1 but Cena still is a way bigger star than Shawn ever was. Cena is a big star because he won when it mattered most and had a very high winning percentage. My point is that it is not that wins and losses matter or don't matter, it is context and the story being told that matters. The result of the match has long since been forgotten but what is left is a match everyone remembers as a classic. Now it is not like Dolph Ziggler going out proclaiming he is going to steal the show. This is a match where each man is trying to win and the by-product is entertainment as opposed to Ziggler whose goal is to entertain the fans. 

It is weird to call a 55 minute match rushed but it kind of was. I think theres a lot of things they could have flesh out. I think they did a really great job at the beginning. Michaels proved himself to be great at working on top in the 21st Century and I think he could have done more with the arm. I did like the story of Cena pummeling Michaels but Shawn always had a puncher's chance because of Sweet Chin Music. I watched this 2-3 times before and I knew I liked it but didnt think I loved it so I left it off my top 100 WWF/E matches of all time. This match totally belongs up there and I know exactly which match it will replace (Backlund/Valentine October 1981 that finish is dreadful). Awesome NWA Championship style match.

#8. WWE I-C Champion Chris Jericho vs Rey Mysterio - The Bash 2009 Title vs Mask

Even in 2009, Jim Ross occasionally had a good phrase, here he says "Has the nine lives of Rey Mysterio run out?". I think that is a perfect summation of the identity of Rey Mysterio, who as the smaller man in every match has to use high risk offense to stay competitive. When you are wrestling on the edge of a razor you have to be resilient because the high risk offense will be used against or you will crash and burn. I think there is no better wrestler in history at peppering in hope spots than Rey Mysterio. What separates Rey Rey from the spot monkeys is that he allows himself to fail. Some of these high risk moves are going to turned into tilt-a-whirl backbreakers, Codebreakers (what a spot) or the Walls of Jericho. He needs to be resilient enough to withstand that in a kayfabe sense. But in a working sense, he is secure enough in his ability and connection with the crowd that he does not always have to hit his offense and that his moves not always being successful makes for a more compelling match. I will say Rey Rey's selling and bumping is his bread and butter, but I don't think he gets enough credit for his offense and move selection. Jericho was on fire early on, I thought he lost a bit steam towards the end as he was more focused on hitting big spots, but early he was a great dick heel. I loved how he adapted to wrestling Mysterio by playing a big heavyweight. You really felt the weight of Jericho, which you don't usually see. They skipped the shine when Jericho hurled Mysterio into the barricade in a nasty spot. Mysterio always took a nasty fall from the apron on a baseball slide. The way Mysterio sets up his hope spots by creating that separation and then banging a couple off were great and another thing that separates him from the spot monkeys that shoehorn their spots into a match. That is the best split-legged moonsault I have ever seen and I hate the split-legged moonsault. The story of the end of the match was Rey going to live or die by the sword. He would hit a spectacular move only to be caught in a precarious predicament the next moment. It was a great roller coaster ride. It was here I thought Jericho's stellar character work disappeared and Mysterio was generating all the energy. The finish as a great play off their match from the previous month where Jericho swipes Mysterio's mask, but this time Mysterio is wearing another mask and is unphased. He is able to hit 619 and drop the dime.

Fantastic match! Jericho hit out of the park early and when he sort of came down (Jericho was very clean throughout the match, that was in reference to his character work), Mysterio picked up the slack. This is a perfect example of Mysterio's impeccable psychology and breath-taking moves. The finish was roller coaster of drama with Rey Rey looking like he was doomed on several occasions only to prove he can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

Rewatched this match because I forgot everything about it. The Codebreaker spot got me again (lol!). I love when I forget a spot and get to mark out all over again. I agree with myself that is the best split-legged moonsault I have ever seen and I still hate the split-legged moonsault.

Things I noticed this time around was that the Rey senton splash to the outside was awesome and a great transition to the mini-Rey comeback. I don't think this was as Rey driven as I said in my previous review. I think Jericho continued to use his weight late into the match. Great catch and powerslam late into the match. I loved the counter to the spinning Argentine Backbreaker which was a great payoff to the previous match. All the Boston Crab counters were money and the crowd was super into them. I loved the powerbomb from the top by Jericho and following up with the feet on the ropes. Really terrific finish stretch. Still a classic. 

I am really excited to watch this a third time because I totally forget the Codebreaker spot again! :P

#7. WWE Champion Randy Orton vs John Cena - Breaking Point 2009 I Quit Match

At first, I was like what is the big deal this is just the usual John Cena vs Randy Orton match. Then Orton started stomping Cena's head on the steel steps. I was like that is pretty violent. Then Orton busted out the handcuffs and cuffed him to the ropes. Well that's definitely escalating thing. Then he hung him up on the post and the match got good, real good. This is the WWE at its cinematographic best. Orton pouring water on Cena so he doesn't pass out. A defiant Cena spitting the water back in Orton's face when he asks him if he quits. Orton whacking Cena as hard as he can with Singapore Canes to the exposed ribs leaving some of the nastiest cuts and bruises on Cena's body. Cena punting him in the balls. This was just great, over the top action movie ass kicking. The verbal selling of Cena was off the charts great in this match. His facial expressions too really captured the agony and helplessness of the situation. Orton did a great job writhing in pain after the ballshot. Orton gets a chair shot to the head and then another one. The way Cena flexes his entire body from the body almost like he is being electrocuted has to go down as one of the single greatest moments of selling in wrestling history. Orton misses with a chair shot and Cena knocks him down. He has the key. Cena cuffs Orton to himself meaning Orton has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! CENA UNLEASHES THE FURY! We are talking some Jerry Lawler shit right now. WHERE HAS THIS CENA BEEN! These big hammock rights and all the energy this is what Cena should be. Orton does get an RKo as his last gasp. Then he tries to drag Cena to the key. Great drama here with the crowd finally coming alive. Cena ends up overpowering him and wrapping the chain around him such that in the STFU Orton is basically choking himself out. Orton says I Quit!

Beginning of the match being very pedestrian & run of the mill means this is not *****. I thought the finish was good, but could have been great if the metal of the cuff was around Orton's mouth but that's a nitpick. Now let me gush. Cena's selling was truly special. You could argue that he was not selling those Cane shots because they were a fucking shoot. Holy shit! I think the crowd was not reacting because this was not a conventional wrestling match with spots. It was closer to an action movie torture scene. Where Orton had Cena totally helpless and was just torturing him to get him to say I Quit, to break his spirit and rob Cena of his pride. Cena NEVER GIVES UP! They came up with a good way to get Cena the keys and then Cena just DESTROYED Orton! Really unique presentation until pretty much any wrestling match I have ever seen. Kudos!