The Top Ten 6.5.07: Hardcore Matches

[djihad]

Време е за новата класация Top Ten с вашия водещ Julian.която е предоставена от мен,а този става въпрос за Hardcore мачове.

Honorable Mention: Mick Foley & Edge vs. Terry Funk & Tommy Dreamer (One Night Stand '06)

This match was either going to be tremendous or a train wreck and I believe that most people expected it to be a train wreck considering that Funk could barely move anymore, Mick wasn't much better, and Tommy hadn't been active for months. Shame on us for ever doubting those hardcore icons as these four men went out and put on a simply brutal match. The inclusion of Lita and Beulah in the match were really a non factor, until the end when Edge got his DASTARDLY pin on Beulah. They all just beat the crap out of each other and the image of Mick Foley on fire while being propelled backwards into a board of barb wire is one that will stick with me for a long time. Just an awesomely brutal affair that I hope was indeed Terry Funk's last match because it would be a great way for him to end his career.

Honorable Mention: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Summerslam '02)

This was Shawn Michaels big return to in-ring action after a 4 year hiatus and the big question going in was whether The Showstopper could perform at the high level he did before he got injured. Within the first couple minutes of the match, that question was easily answered and these guys put on a performance that will not be forgotten for a long time. The stipulation in this match was that it was non-sanctioned (even though a WWE ref was there to count the three count) so essentially everything was legal. Both men used that stipulation to great effect by using an arsenal of chairs, ladders, tables, and other foreign objects. HHH played the asshole heel here by targeting Shawn Michaels back, which was definitely HBK's Achilles Heel. Shawn Michaels was able to make a comeback and eventually win the match, musch to the delight of the fans. This match remains a favorite of mine, not only because it was Shawn Michaels comeback match, but because it was a return to form by HHH who had lost a step due to his quad surgery. HHH brought his 2000 form to this match and it made this match become an instant classic.

Honorable Mention: Sabu vs. 2 Cold Scorpio (Cyberslam '96)

If you like spotfests, you'll love this match. These two men just went back and forth for 30 minutes straight hitting big move after big move. Some of the many highlights in the match include a reverse 630 legdrop by Scorpio, an over the top rope senton by Sabu onto Scorpio(who was in the crowd), and Sabu crashing through a table set up in the crowd after Scorpio moved out of the way. Sabu did so many insane, hardcore moves in this match, it was almost impossible to keep up. This is one match you can watch numerous times and never be bored because the action is absolutely nonstop.

Honorable Mention: Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka (November 2 Remember '99)

If you thought their match at One Night Stand was incredible, you ain't seen nothing until you check out this classic. Awesome was the champ at the time and was facing off against Tanaka who always pushed the Awesome one to his limits. This match saw a sitout powerbomb from the ring apron to the floor THROUGH A TABLE by Awesome, a top rope superplex through a table by Tanaka, and a top rope Awesomebomb which finally finished off Tanaka after a grueling match. This match was hard-hitting ECW action at its best and should be mandatory viewing for anyone trying to catch up on some ECW history.

Honorable Mention: Rey Mysterio vs. Psicosis (Hardcore TV, 10/17/95)

This match was EXTREME lucha libre at its finest. Rey and Psicosis went out there and had a terrific match that had the crowd hanging on the edge of their seat. The match saw Rey dive into the crowd not once, but twice, Psicosis dive into the crowd as well, Rey deliver a running hurricarana from the ring apron onto the concrete floor, Rey hit a one and a half springboard sitting senton onto the floor, and Psicosis deliver a top rope legdrop through a table on the floor. There wasn't a dull moment in the match as every move that Rey or Psicosis performed were either high risk or high impact.

Honorable Mention: CM Punk & Ace Steel vs. Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer (ROH Death Before Dishonor II Part 2)

Granted, I've only seen maybe 25 or so ROH shows so I'm no ROH expert like Ari or a lot of our readers, but out of all the ROH matches I've seen, this was the most brutal. These two teams absolutely despised each other and it was evident with the amount of punishment that both teams dished out to each other. The match saw all four men take repeated stiff chairshots, BJ Whitmer have a chair smashed into his face by a ladder driven by CM Punk, Punk received a barbed-wire bat assisted Russian leg sweep, Punk go stomach first into a board of barbed wire, Maff DRIVE Punk THROUGH the barbed wire board, Steel throw Maff through the remainder of the barbed wire board, all four men have a chairshot duel which resulted in Steel BREAKING a chair over Whitmer's head, the crowd throw all their chairs into the ring (ala with Funk and Foley in ECW), Maff and Punk exchanging suplexes on top of all the chairs in the ring, Punk diving from the top rope onto Maff (who was laid out on a ladder), and finally Steel delivering a piledriver from the top rope through a table and the chairs below to Whitmer. It's no wonder that the crowd was chanting, "Thank You" after the match was over because that was a one of a kind match.

10) Monster's Ball II (Bound For Glory '05)

Everyone remembers this match for Jeff Hardy's unbelievable swanton off the top of the Impact Zone, but it had so much more than that. It was just a brutal affair that saw all four men go through tables, bleed and just perform/receive some crazy ass spots. Sabu and Abyss performed their roles perfectly with Sabu smacking people with chairs left and right and putting them through tables in ways that only Sabu can. Abyss received a brunt of the punishment in the match as he seemed to be everyone's target. Jeff of course stole the match with his insane spot, but you forget that he also took a piledriver from the top rope from Rhyno which was also unbelievably sick. A wild affair that grabbed your attention for the entire duration it was on.

9) Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (Hardcore Heaven '99)

Whenever RVD and Jerry Lynn stepped in a ring together, it seemed like the results were always a classic match. This match was no exception and I dare say it was the best of their numerous matches against each other. Many prefer their match at Living Dangerously '99, but I believe this match was just slightly better and the more hardcore one. This match included Lynn falling face first onto the concrete after getting kicked off the top rope, a Van Daminator in the crowd, a sunset flip powerbomb from Lynn to RVD from the ring apron through a table at ringside, and two of the prettiest 5 star frog splashes you'll ever see. It was just an awesome, exciting match that gained Jerry Lynn the respect of the fans and the respect of RVD.

8) Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan (Great American Bash '96)

What makes this match so memorable is not only that it was an insane brawl that went all over the arena, but also because it felt so real due to the real-life issues between both men. At the time, Kevin Sullivan was a booker in WCW and thought it would be a great idea to put himself in a feud with Chris Benoit in order to elevate his own status. He made the basis of their feud an alleged affair that Benoit would have with Sullivan's real-life wife, Nancy Sullivan aka Woman. Life imitated art in this case because Benoit was in fact having a real-life affair with Mrs. Sullivan. Needless to say, these two men did not like each other due to the real-life situation involving Woman. That hatred was apparent in this match as the two men just stiffed the hell out of each other in a brutal battle that went everywhere, even the men's bathroom! Some memorable spots in this match include Benoit getting kicked down some concrete steps, Sullivan slamming (and I mean SLAMMING) a bathroom stall door into Benoit's unprotected head, and Benoit giving Sullivan a superplex off of a table propped up in the corner of the ring for the three count. The post-match antics were memorable as well as it had been teased for weeks that Arn Anderson would leave The Four Horsemen to join up with Sullivan's Dungeon Of Doom stable and Anderson hit the ring after the match, but attacked Sullivan instead of Benoit and the two men proceeded to stomp The Taskmaster HORSEMEN STYLE! This match also features one of my favorite calls ever from Dusty Rhodes as Sullivan and Benoit are fighting in the men's bathroom and a woman joins the men to cheer the two on: "There is a lady! There is a lady in the men's bathroom! Whoa Baby!!" Classic.

7) Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle (King Of The Ring '01)

Absolute and utter brutality. That's when I think about when I think about this match. These two went out there and beat the absolute shit out of each other for our entertainment. This was also important as I feel this was the match that turned Kurt Angle from a comedy act into a legit badass. Before this match, Kurt would get serious once and a while, but for the most part he would make jokes about his opponent and talk about his Three I's and his gold medals. With this match, he became Kurt Angle: Kickass machine. Suplexing Shane through glass TWICE and then delivering an Angle Slam from the top rope were just the highlights of the overall brutality in this match. This is a match that will be talked about for years because anybody who's ever seen it will never forget it.

6) Mick Foley vs. Edge (Wrestlemania 22)

This match is another personal favorite of mine because it gave Mick Foley a chance to finally shine on the Wrestlemania stage. This match completely stole WM22 by being the most brutal match ever seen at ‘Mania. These two men brutalized each other with steel chairs, thumbtacks, barbed wire, and finally a flaming table. That flaming table spot with Edge going FACE FIRST into fire is still one of the craziest things I've ever seen and I doubt I'll see anything that surpasses it anytime soon. Foley finally got his Wrestlemania classic and I think we all know that after all the bumps and bruises he's experienced during his career for our enjoyment, he deserved to shine on the grandest stage of all.

5) Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero (Smackdown, 9/22/02)

This match was the culmination of the Edge/Eddie feud that included a fantastic match at Summerslam 2002. This match was No DQ and saw these two men beat the absolute crap out of each other. Some of the highlights of this match included Eddie delivering a hilo while Edge was sandwiched in between two ladders, Eddie delivering a sunset flip

powerbomb from the top of a ladder, Eddie getting backdropped upside down into a ladder, and Edge hitting Eddie with an implant DDT from the top of a ladder which was enough to end the match. This was an absolutely insane match and one of the best matches I've seen on free TV EVER!

4) Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne vs. The Nasty Boys (Spring Stampede '94)

If anybody tries to tell you that a great match can't be done in under 10 minutes, refer them to this match and then watch as they shut the hell up. This match was just absolute action for the entire duration as all four men fought all over the arena, including by a souvenir stand (which they destroyed). This was just brutal shit that was completely ahead of its time and wasn't seen in any mainstream promotion at the time. These guys hit each other with some STIFF chairshots and basically just beat the shit out each other for our perverse enjoyment. The match ended when Saggs pushed Cactus off of the OLD SCHOOL entrance ramp head first to the concrete below and then cracked him in the head with a shovel for the three count. This was just an awesome brawl packed into less than 10 minutes, but the pace is so frenetic that you never even notice how short it is.

3) Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton (Backlash '04)

This is a personal favorite of mine as I loved this feud and I felt that this was the perfect culmination for it. This match made Randy Orton a star and proved that Mick Foley is willing to put people over for the good of the business. After months of taunting and abusing Mick and even squeaking by with a win in a tag match at WM20, Randy now had to face off against Mick one-on-one. But this wasn't just any kind of match and Randy wasn't facing the lovable, friendly Foley. It was a hardcore match and Randy was now facing Cactus Jack! The match was a brutal affair that Randy was surprisingly able to hold his own in. Cactus started off the match by trying to maim Orton with a baseball bat covered in barbed wire, which Orton frantically used a garbage can to block. After a cameraman got knocked over, Orton used the distraction to drop toe hold Cactus and take temporary control of the match. Cactus was able to regain control match soon enough and busted Orton wide open with a shot to the head with the barbwire covered baseball bat. Cactus went so far as to try to try to light his barbwire bat on fire until Eric Bischoff came out and threatened to shut down the whole PPV if Cactus did that. Cactus then decided to up the violence by bringing out a board covered in barbwire, but Orton threw the Evil Baby Powder Of Cheatery to gain the advantage and slam Cactus onto the barbwire board. Ouchies! Orton then set the barbwire board up in the corner and whipped Cactus face first into it. Double Ouchies! Orton then tried to prove his hardcoreness by pulling out some thumbtacks and went to RKO Cactus onto the tacks, but Cactus countered by throwing Orton back first onto the tacks! That was the first time I ever saw somebody go into a pile of tacks with no shirt on and the sight of seeing hundreds of tacks stuck all around the body of Randy Orton was completely unbelievable. Say what you will about Orton, but that was a MAN-SIZED bump. With some extra nuts on the side. The men then brawled up the ramp and Cactus proceeded to hurl Orton off of the stage and threw some table below and followed up with a Cactus elbow from the top of the ramp. That sequence is even more impressive considering that Orton still had a ton of tacks stuck inside of him so you know it must of hurt like a bitch to land on them when he got thrown off the stage. Orton showed a whole ton of guts by kicking out of that elbow and after a couple more minutes of brawling, the match ended when Randy hit an RKO on Cactus on the barbwire bat. This was a bloody, intriguing epic that is just as fun to watch today as it was during its original showing.

2) Pat Patterson vs. Sgt. Slaughter (MSG, 5/4/81)

This was an alley fight during the famous feud between Slaughter and Patterson during early 1981. I may be cheating a little bit with this pick since the rules were that there was no ref and the match would be over when one man could no longer stand up. I still consider this more a hardcore match than a last man standing match since there was no ref to count to ten and it was honestly just a glorified street fight. These two men beat the absolute shit out of each other, I mean if you didn't know better you would think it was a legit fight. Slaughter bled a mind-boggling amount as his entire face and tank top were drenched in blood. The ring and Patterson were covered with the Sarge's blood as well. Patterson eventually won the match when Slaughter's manager, The Grand Wizard, threw in the towel for him. This was just an unbelievably bloody contest and if you're a fan of bloody matches and have never seen this one, I suggest you try to find a copy ASAP.

1) Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (Royal Rumble 2000)

This is easily one of my favorite matches ever and I know many others who have a similar love for this match and it's not hard to see why. This match had EVERYTHING. A great storyline, a hot crowd, insane action and two of the best in-ring performers of this generation. Cactus came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, but HHH was able to hold his own and the result was one of the best hardcore brawls that I've ever seen. If the images of Cactus getting jacked in the head with a steel chair, HHH getting smacked in the face with a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire, HHH receiving a piledriver on a table that did not break, or Cactus getting Pedigreed in thumbtacks aren't enough to get your blood pumping, I don't know how you can call yourself a wrestling fan. This was a fantastic match that cannot be forgotten by anybody who sees it.

[UltraMadd]

Интересна класация, но аз лично бих я оформил по малко по-различен начин. Honorable mention-ите мисля, че са повече, отколкото трябва. Не съм гледал всичките мачове и затова не искам да казвам кои трябва да отпаднат от класацията, но за мен мачове като Monster's Ball 2 и Mick Foley vs. Edge заслужават по-високи позиции. Освен това съм изключително учуден от факта, че Chris Benoit е в челната десятка на класация, която е за hardcore мачове. Този сблъсък между него и Kevin Sullivan би трябвало да е доста по-различен от повечето мачове на Benoit и предполагам, че ще ми е интересно да го видя.

[STING_ER]

Тоя мач на Беноа и Сълинан наистина е една от класиките на WCW. Гледал съм го много пъти и със всеки следващ път все повече ме впечатлява. Опеделено трябва да се види от всеки, и си заслужава мястото в класацията.

ПС. Пък ако има някой от Русе и има желание да го види - имам го на видеокасета, както него, така и повечето ППВ на WCW през 95 и 95г. И без това тея касети само прах събират вече.

[Big Evil]

забелязахте ли, че има споменат само един мач на Масато и Оусъм? И той е вън от топ 10 даже... просто това е адски неправилно, защото, например, лично у мен тия мачове на Танака и Оусъм, които обхванаха няколко континента и около 4-5 промоции, са оставили незаличима черта у мен като фен... в смисъл - надали някакъв си там "варгалец" на Mr. Resthold и Фоли може да се мери с бъмповете на Танака/Оусъм класиките!

[Frantic]

Хубава класация,според мен всичко е правилно подредено с едно изключение-Фоли и Едж на Манията определно трябваше да е на 4 или 5 място,тъй като той ''съживи'' ECW,а пък си беше страхотен,най-доброят на Манията!