The Top Ten 6.5.07: Hardcore Matches

Posted by Julian Williams on 06.05.2007

Come on, you know you like it hardcore. Or at least your girl does. HI-YO!!

* Be sure to go play free, addictive flash games at TigerFlashGames.com! It's a good way to kill time at work!

Greetings friends and welcome back to another SUPER MEGA MAN-SIZED edition of The Top Ten. I've got some reader feedback, ONS III in review, random thoughts, ridiculously gratuitous hot babe pics, and of course the top ten list. This week we're going to look back at the Top Ten Hardcore Matches. I already got some emails from people wondering want I constitute as a hardcore match. So, here's the criteria I based this list on:

-All non-gimmick matches where weapons are legal and can only end with a pinfall or submission (ex: street fight, falls count anywhere, no DQ, non-sanctioned, etc)
-Gimmick matches such as Hell In A Cell, Wargames, Cage, Ladder, Stretcher, Last Man Standing, and Tables weren't included since they have a specific gimmick to them rather than being a straight-up hardcore match.
-All non-gimmicky ECW matches were eligible since all old school ECW matches were fought under hardcore rules.

Hope that clears things up a little so you understand why certain matches were left off of the list. Ok, let's get into some feedback.

Reader Feedback

First up is Dave who lists his favorite SD moments:

Long time Julian, aynt replied but still reading ya columns. u good? anyway on to dah list:



10: Austin Vs Lesnar

No, I don't mean a match, although that would have been quite cool. Back on the Smackdown before Wrestlemania XX, in the final build-up for the Lesnar/Goldberg showdown, they had Austin show up on Smackdown for revenge of a sneak attack on Raw beforehand. Now if memory serves me correct, this must have been the first time Austin had shown up on Smackdown in a few years and that itself was a moment to remember. But this had Lesnar in the ring and the whole ramp and ring was surrounded by the roster. Austin's music hit and he drove out in his truck and parked on the ramp and got out. The image of the whole roster just splitting to allow a path for Austin to get through was just amazing and the staredown between Austin and Lesnar as Austin walked to the ring was just memorable. Austin ended up escaping a F5 but missing the Stunner before Brock ran away, bleeding a little. Beers followed and just a great moment.


9: Coronation of King BOOOKAH~!~!

8: Eddie Guerrerro's WWE Title win celebration

7: DX Express goes BOOM

6: Rock and Jericho on the mic with Stephanie - 2001

5: The Rock gets tombstoned on the limo roof by The Undertaker - 2002

4: Eddie Guerrerro Tribute Show

3: Lesnar/Show - HOLY SHIT

2: Austin/Booker in a supermarket

1: Julian I can't believe you forgot this moment. It is the single greatest moment ever seen on Smackdown and possibly in the WWF/E......two words for ya Julian:


DANCING BROCK~!~!~!~!~!

Ask Csonka for the link LOOOL

Take care

Good stuff here by Dave, especially the King BOOKAHHH coronation and Eddie's title celebration. I would have included Dancing Brock on the list, but I think Csonka has all the rights to that piece of footage and he would fuck my world worse than Harvey Walden from Celebrity Fit Club on Dustin Diamond if I tried to take it. Right Harvey?



Right.

Next up is Matt, who gives a behind the scenes look at one great Smackdown moment:

Kudos to your list and to making me realize that I have seen all of that.

My own personal memories of #5 is why I am writing in response. The show took place in my hometown of Bakersfield, California and it was the first full TV show that was done in that arena (the WWE had done two Heat tapings in the past back when Heat was a regular). Back then I didn't care about where I was sitting in the arena when I went to events but this was trully a fortunate placement of me and my friends. We sat in the front row of the upper section directly facing the stage. By coincidence, we were sitting directly above the luxury box where the action took place so it was fun to be able to look directly down to see what was going on.
Obviously, when the grocery store fight was aired during the broadcast was not when it took place during the taping of the show. The store they went to was actually in a different end of town from where the arena was and we had a better host for the event. After the main event for the night, Jericho comes back to the ring to fight with The Rock and then gets on the mic and introduces the clip to all of us. Jericho and the Rock both stay out during the show (Jericho actually relaxes against the ropes during it). What we saw was longer than what was actually broadcasted. It wasn't because there were any gaffes, they just cut down the time for TV. So it was an even better night (for me) for those of us there live because there was even more Austin beating Booker T with various food objects.

One other note I have is the the post 9/11 show. I think my favorite part of the show was the fact that while it was extremely nice to see all those who chose to wrestle that was all trumped by Christian putting himself over as a heel and staying within character.

I always like hearing little stories like this because a lot of times what you see on TV isn't all that goes on at a wrestling show. That's why nothing beats seeing a wrestling event live because you get to see little things like this and also you have that crowd atmosphere which makes it about 1,000 times more enjoyable to watch.

Next, we have Ryan who disagrees with my #1 pick for best Latino wrestler:

Man oh man, I'm going to get hammered for this but I have to disagree
with
putting Eddie at the number one spot on your list. Look, we all loved
Eddie
but he didn't have nearly the impact that El Santo or Mil Mascaras had.
Alright, here's the way I gauge popularity of luchadores. I go to my
local
Mexican restaurant and I ask the waiters. They know of Santo and
Mascaras
and get excited when I bring up the name Mistico...but according to
those
guys, the biggest name in Mexico is LA PARKA.

What I'm trying to say is that Eddie DOES belong on that list but not
as
number one. Great list otherwise, though. Great to see some love for
Blue
Demon.

Actually, Ryan isn't alone in thinking that Eddie shouldn't be #1 as I got a couple other emails disputing Eddie's reign at the top. Even though I know that El Santo and Mil Mascaras were more influential in terms of Latino wrestlers, no other Latino wrestler has entertained me more than Eddie Guerrero. He was the complete package. And I believe that in 20+ years, wrestlers will talk of Eddie the same way that people nowadays talk about Santo, Mascaras, and Demon. So I can definitely see Ryan's point and he's probably right, but I gotta stick with my pick because I feel that Eddie is the greatest when you factor in everything. I definitely think I messed up by not including La Parka because I forgot how huge he is in Mexico. He was definitely worthy of at least an honorable mention. My bad La Parka, I owe you a drink. Just leave the chair at home.


Brian is up next and he has a few more names that could be added to the Latino Wrestler list:

Thanks again for having the guts to put together such
a difficult list. While I cannot disagree with the
list as it was hard to put together, but your
honorable mention sucked. In fact, how could you
possibly overlook Chavo Guerrero Sr, Jose Lothario,
and El Hijo del Santo? There are so many Latino
wrestlers you could give honarable mention to. Don't
forget Negro Casas, Manny Fernandez, and El Canek.
Otherwise, not a bad list!

Brian mentioned some great names here and I gotta agree with him that guys like Canek, Negro Casas, and Chavo Sr deserved some love. I never really thought too much of Jose Lothario and El Hijo Del Santo, but I know that they both were very influential and have huge fanbases. Good stuff here by Brian, thumbs up for him.

Lester mentions another great Latino wrestler I'd forgotten all about:

Good list. I think you did a great job with it. I'd put Santo first but I understand putting Eddie at number one also. I'd just like to mention "The Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez was a great wrestler who deserves at least a mention. In solo action or tag action (with Hector Guerrero and Rick Rude) the man was great and could get some real heel heat. A big guy for a Latino wrestler but could move with the best of them.

And I'd also like to Mention Hector Guerrero. Who really hasn't gotten the credit he's deserved over the years. When I was little he was the coolest cruiserweight (or as they called it back then junior heavyweight champ) I'd ever saw. Who knew he was Lazertron?

Good stuff.

I got a bunch of emails mentioning Manny Fernandez, I was surprised as to just how popular he is with a lot of you guys. He was definitely underrated during his day and was definitely a great Latino superstar worthy of a mention. Hector Guerrero is another underrated one and I think he's often forgotten due to the legendary status of his father as well as his brothers Eddie and Chavo. Good catch Lester, these two men definitely deserve their due.

Finally, we have Samer writing in all the way from Lebanon to mention another great SD moment:


No complaints about your top 10 list of the best latino wrestlers except maybe for konnan who wasn't a good worker at all..
However in the top 10 Smackdown moments list you forgot my favourite Smackdown moment... ever. And that's the return of Cactus Jack. It was during Mick's awesome feud with HHH in late 1999/early 2000, that of course led to their great matches at the rumble and at No Way Out. It was just an unreal moment. Mick has been in his Mankind character where he delivered an awesome promo saying that Mankind isn't ready to face HHH, but someone else is, "HHH, you might know the man", he takes of his shirt to unveal the legenderay Cactus Jack shirt, and the reaction on HHH's face is just priceless...

Thanks for your time, Cheers.

That was definitely a great moment mentioned by Samer and I think the only reason it didn't end up on my list is because we had already seen Cactus in the WWE before that. If Foley had never brought out the Cactus Jack character in the WWE until that point, I would have probably pooped my pants when he did that. It was still a great moment, nonetheless, and it was awesome to see Mick return to his diabolical, evil, Cactus Jack form.

That's it for the feedback this week guys. Thanks to everyone who sent in their thoughts and be sure to keep sending it in. All right, let's keep this train rolling.

Julian's Unwanted and Unnecessary PPV in Review: The One Night Stand Edition

Rob Van Dam def. Randy Orton in a Stretcher Match
Well this was a nice little surprise since everyone thought that R-V-D was going to do the J-O-B on his way out of the company. The match started off slow, but picked up in the middle and the kicks that RVD gave Orton were brutal. I feared that they were going to let Randy decimate RVD and push him across the line easily to win the match so it was great to see RVD not only fight back, but pull off the win. This was a good opening match and even though the whole "concussion" deal slowed it down a bit, it was still rather entertaining.
Match Rating: ***

CM Punk, The Sandman & Tommy Dreamer def. The New Breed in a Tables Match
This was a very fun, albeit short match. They fit in a lot of action in under 8 minutes and there was never a dull moment in the match. I usually don't like tag team tables matches that end after only one opponent gets put through a table, but they did this one quite well with a few teases thrown in before the big superplex spot. Very enjoyable, fun match.
Match Rating: **3/4

The Hardys def. The World's Greatest Tag Team in a Ladder Match
This match was a little bit sloppy, but it was still entertaining as hell. The spots where Shelton got backdropped over the top rope onto a ladder and when Shelton did a sit down senton from a ladder inside of the ring to Matt Hardy on the outside were both unbelievably sick. If they had hit the spots that were blown, specifically the wheelbarrow to Jeff Hardy into the ladder and the springboard-to-the-ladder attempt by Shelton (even though the way he recovered his slip up was a great testimony to his athleticism), this match would have been an unforgettable classic. Regardless, this was still an awesome match that should be remembered for some time.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Mark Henry def. Kane in a Lumberjack Match
Well most people expected this to be ass and it was. I like Mark Henry, I dig Kane, but they should NOT be matched up against each other as neither is capable of bringing the other to a greater level. The Lumberjack stipulation was pretty pointless and was a waste of talent like Chris Benoit and Carlito. I wish they would have had another MVP/Benoit match instead of this because with the Extreme Rules stipulation, I think those gys could have done something cool. Ahh well, no sense crying over spilled milk. Unless it's breast milk, that's hard to come by.
Match Rating: ½*

Bobby Lashley def. Mr. McMahon in a street fight to become the NEW ECW Champion
All is right with the world again. The match itself was fairly decent, even though it was essentially just ANOTHER 3 on 1 handicap match. I wish that Vince would have started it alone and then when Lashley was close to victory, that's when Shane and Umaga would have come out. This was still pretty entertaining, though, and it's always cool to see Shane do the top rope elbow to the outside and the Van Terminator. Now hopefully this feud will end and Lashley can now feud with actual wrestlers. Ohh and by the way Lashley, stop diving over the top rope. You're going to kill yourself if you keep doing that.
Match Rating: **1/2

Candice Michelle def. Melina in a pudding match
It was hot girls in pudding. What else can you ask for?!?
Match Rating: ********……ok realistically, ½*

Edge def. Batista in a Steel Cage match
I've heard some people pooping all over this match, but I thought this match was damn good, much better than their Judgment Day match. They had some great action in the cage and some nice, close escape spots. I like the fact that Edge won cleanly and just outsmarted Big Dave by kicking him in the nads and running out before he could fully recover. It makes Edge credible, while not making Batista look weak because what man could recover so quickly from two shots to the balls. Good match that helps continue the feud with Edge & Batista.
Match Rating: ***

John Cena def. The Great Khali in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
This match was all about Cena overcoming the odds and he certainly did that. The match was pretty slow and plodding, but the crowd dug it and the FU to Khali to the concrete floor was enough to send the fans home happy. Now hopefully this will be the end of this feud because even though the matches have been better than most people thought, Cena should be matched up with somebody he can have GREAT matches with, not just mediocre ones.
Match Rating: **

Overall Show Thoughts
This show was a mixed bag as there was some very good stuff, some mediocre stuff, and some horrible stuff. Still, with three matches over *** and a pretty entertaining tables match, this PPV is recommended viewing. If anything, you'll enjoy it just for the ladder match alone.
Show Rating: 6.5/10

Random Thoughts Of A Disturbed Wrestling Fan

-I just realized the other day that I've been with 411 for over a year now. Time flies by so quickly, it feels like I just started writing this column yesterday. It's kind of late to do a one year anniversary column, but I'd like to thank all you guys that continue to read this column every week because I write every week for you guys. Your feedback is always great to read and I want all of you to know how much I truly appreciate the fact that you take the time out of your day to read my little column. I've been reading 411 since 2001 and it has always been my favorite wrestling website so the fact that I get to write for them is an awesome feeling. Thanks to everyone in the 411 family who has made me feel welcome and a huge Thank You to all your readers who keep this site going and give columnists like me the inspiration to write every week.

-I'm very glad they brought back the Draft Lottery this year as all three brands are pretty depleted due to injury and are in need of a major shakeup. I would leave all three champs on their respective shows since the WWE Title has become synonymous with Raw as has the World Championship with Smackdown and the ECW Title speaks for itself. I'd like to see Benoit back on Raw and Carlito back on Smackdown. Beyond that, I have no idea who should go where and I'm interested to see where the ‘E is going to go from here.

-I'll never understand guys who diss the divas and actually call some of them ugly. What? Maybe a couple years ago they would have had a point when some of the "divas" included Jazz, Ivory, Chyna and Linda Miles. But I cannot think of one diva in the WWE today that can even be thought of as anywhere near ugly. Did you see that Bikini Battle Royale on last week's Raw? Holy crap, I haven't seen that many gorgeous scantily-clad women in one place since going on spring break. Check the stats. Torrie? Hot. Ashley? Hot. Candice? Weird lips, but still Hot. Brooke? Hot. Maria? Cute AND Hot. Kelly Kelly? Stupid name, but still Hot. Michelle McCool? Hot. Jillian? Hot. Layla? SUPER Hot. Melina? VERY Hot. Mickie? MEGA Hot. Victoria? Hot. Kristal? Bad weaves, but still Hot. Queen Sharmell? Hot. Trinity? Hot. Cherry? Hot. Maryse? Hot. So where the hell is the diva hatred coming from? And I love the fact that the majority of the guys who complain about how some of them are ugly would give their left nut if they could get a girl half as sexy. Julian hearts the Divas.

-A lot of people have made fun of ABC for developing a show based on the cavemen from the Geico commercial, but the more I think about it, the more I'm sort of interested in watching it. When I first heard about it, I thought it was the worst idea ever, but the commercials are funny and if they don't take themselves too seriously and have campy fun with it, it could wind up turning into a cult classic like another old-school ABC show, Dinosaurs. So I guess I'll wait until I see the first episode to pass judgment on whether this was a good call by ABC or not. And if any of you know that song in the Geico commercial when the caveman is on the airport walkway and sees the "So easy, a caveman can do it" ad, let me know ASAP. I can't get it out of my damn head. "Everyplace I go, there's always something to remind me…."

-New York finally has a REAL rock radio station(even though they place the Beastie Boys who are a RAP group, no matter what anyone tries to tell you) again now that they've brought back K-Rock and I couldn't be happier. I don't know why they took it away in the first damn place, but at least it's back now. Now if they would just bring back all the old DJ's, especially the afternoon girl. I think her name was Julie something. I have no idea what she looked like, but her voice alone made me want to put it into her lady area.

-I can't believe that CBS cancelled "Jericho" because it was easily the most underrated show this past season. It had compelling characters, great storylines and an intriguing topic that focused on a small town dealing with the end of the world. Every week, I was left on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen the next week and it always delivered. I seriously hope CBS reconsiders because otherwise they are going to letting go of a show that could easily become a modern day classic.

The Top Ten Hardcore Matches

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.

Ridiculously Gratuitous Hot Babe Pics

To reiterate my point about the divas, let's take a look at some of these lovely ladies, shall we?

















Drive-By Pimpin'

Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:

-Andy Clark's "Shimmy"
-Ari's "Column Of Honor"
-Sean, Alex and David's "Triple Threat"
-Bayani's "Truth B Told"
-Weyer's "Shining The Spotlight"
-Byers' "Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People"
-Larry and Geoff's "4R's"
-Fact Or Fiction
-O'Dog's " Goodness"
-Sat and Uncle Trunx's "High Road/Low Road"
-Phill Feltham's "Quick Talkdown"
-Sarnecky's "Piledriver Report"
-Slimmer's News Report
-Hidden Highlights
-Carapola's "That Was Then" and "Friendly Competition"
-The Fink's Payload
-Gamble's "Just 'Spose"
-Cook's "Ask 411"
-Meehan's "Meethinks"
-Sforcina's "Evolution Schematic"
-Prag's "In Defense Of?."
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Sullivan's "Crystal Ball"
-Randle's "Wrestling News Experience"
-Joe Boo's "Ringside Or Cheap Seats"
-Linkous' "Why I Love Wrestling"
-Double M's Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn's Rawtopsy, Smackdown Breakdown, & ECW eXperience
-Your News, Larry's Views
-Zac Calhoun's "The Ripple Effect"
-Joe Estee's "Keys To The Game"
-Halden's "You're An Idiot And Here's Why"
-Buy......OR SELL!!

The Sign-Off

And that will just about do it. Hope you enjoyed this week's column, be sure to send in all your feedback and come back next week when the topic will be The Top Ten Ladder Matches. Things are about to get a little Xtreme. Yes, I'm aware of how bad that punchline was.