No Mercy started as a pay-per-view when it was first introduced as a UK exclusive event back in 1999 in the month of May which was held in Manchester, England. Later in the year, another No Mercy event took place.
This time it was held in the United States and it assumed the status of an annual WWE pay-per-view event in October for the following nine years, where it also coincidentally served as a Smackdown-only PPV for a period of 4 years (2003-2006) post the initial brand split.
After a hiatus of 8 years, No Mercy has regained its place in the WWE’s PPV calendar as a Smackdown Live exclusive event which is to be held on October 9th in Sacramento. Since the PPV is just around the corner, I take a look back at some of the best matches from the past No Mercy shows
#5 Matt and Jeff Hardy(The New Brood) vs Edge and Christian – No Mercy 1999 – Ladder match
Talk about a breakout performance for four guys at once! This match well and truly placed Matt, Jeff, Edge and Christian on the map. Both teams have been battling it out in a series of matches which came to head at this event in a ladder match where they competed to acquire the managerial services of Terri Runnels along with some cash
What ensued for the next almost 20 mins was a match full of crazy, insane, dare-devilish stunts and spots. Reminding fans yet again why these two incredible tag teams had such a great chemistry in a high-risk environment.
The Hardys were victorious but the ultimate winners were the fans. To nobody’s surprise, all four individuals got a standing ovation not only from the ‘boys in the back’ and the PPV audience but it carried on the following night on RAW.
As shown by them in the next couple of years, this was just the beginning of what was in store for us.
4) The Rock (c) vs Chris Jericho – No Mercy 2001 – WCW World Championship
This match may not be in many people’s top 5 in terms of best No Mercy matches but this has a big significance in one man’s career. If you ask Chris Jericho which feud catapulted him into the status of a main eventer in the WWE, his response would be his 2001 rivalry with The Great One.
Both men had very good chemistry both in the ring and the on the mic and they produced one of the most underrated matches since the turn of the millenium.
It involved numerous counter moves and false finishes. At one point, Jericho was heavily engrossed in getting into the head of the People’s Champion by trying to unleash some of his moves; even hitting the Brahma Bull with the patented Rock Bottom.
The finish of the match came when Alliance co-leader and ECW owner Stephanie McMahon slid a chair into the ring which was used by Jericho to hit his Break-Down finisher and ultimately winning the WCW World title.
By the end of this match, Jericho was a made man and a bonafide main event superstar. This was evident a couple of months later when the Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla defeated both Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to win the Undisputed Championship.
#3 Brock Lesnar (c) vs The Undertaker – No Mercy 2002 – Hell in a Cell for the WWE Championship
Hell in a Cell 2015 wasn’t the first time that these two had battled inside the demonic structure.
Brock Lesnar probably had the greatest first year any superstar ever had in company’s history – winning King of the Ring, laying waste to stalwarts like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair and pinning The Rock at SummerSlam to capture the Undisputed Championship.
Now it was time for The Beast to go toe-to-toe with the Phenom. After an indecisive finish to their match a month earlier, they decided to end it once and for all.
This was one of the better Hell-in-a-Cell matches in terms of use of the environment and the actual cell structure. Brock Lesnar was absolutely dominating The Undertaker (targeting his kayfabe broken hand) and was looking more and more comfortable in that surrounding as the match was progressed.
This was such a bloodbath that Paul Heyman – who was outside looking in – was covered in blood by the time this match concluded. After hitting each other with their respective signature and finishing moves like F5, Chokeslam and Last Ride, Brock Lesnar defeated the American Badass after a resounding F5.
After a violent and consuming match, Lesnar mounted on the side of the cell and victoriously held the title over his head. Come to think of it, this might not have even been the best match on the card but is still one of the best matches in the structure’s history.
#2 Rey Mysterio and Edge vs Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle – No Mercy 2002 – WWE Tag team Championship
There was a certain level of expectation heading into this match as it involved four of the so-called Smackdown Six and not only did the four guys lived up to those expectations, they exceeded them and more.
The backstory to this match involved a tournament to crown the inaugural WWE Tag Team Champions. Edge and Rey Mysterio defeated D-Von and Ron Simmons to advance to the finals while the team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit defeated Los Guerreros setting up this culminating clash to crown the brand new champions.
The match featured an obvious contrast in styles as on one side you had the technical proficiency of Angle and Benoit and on the other, you had the high-flying, risk-taking duo of Mysterio and Edge. For the ensuing 22 minutes, all four men enthralled and amazed the audience in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
This is without the question my favourite tag team match of all time and consisted of probably the most near-falls and false finishes I’ve ever seen. The finish of the match came when the Olympic Hero locked Edge in the Ankle Lock and picked up the win for his team and thereby winning the first Smackdown-exclusive tag team championship
As alluded earlier, Lesnar vs Taker wasn’t even the best match on the card and the reason for that is quite clear. Not only was this the best match on the card, it was the Match of the Year for 2002. If I want to recommend anyone to see a tag team classic, this could very well be on the very top of that list.
#1 Chris Jericho (c) vs Shawn Michaels – No Mercy 2008 – Ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship
This feud between the Best in the World at what he does and the Heart Break Kid from 2008 is considered among the very best in the past in the past 10 years or so. The seeds of this rivalry were planted 6 months earlier when Y2J officiated a match between Michaels and Dave Batista at Backlash.
In the resulting six months, the seeds grew into a very violent and personal feud between the two which involved Jericho committing some memorable and dastardly acts like putting HBK through Jeritron 5000 and punching Michaels’ wife - Rebecca- in the face.
Jericho entered this match as the reigning World Champion having won the prize at Unforgiven in the Championship scramble. This wasn’t your typical ladder match with an emphasis on performing high spots.
Rather this was one of the better ladder matches in terms of appropriate story-telling. Both men looked like they wanted to cause as much pain as they could to the other with every subsequent spot.
We were also graced with the presence of Jericho’s protégé at the time, Lance Cade, who danced to the tune of a little Sweet Chin Music. The closing sequence involved the customary scrapping on the top of the ladder.
In the end, Jericho was able to unhook the belt after an opportune headbutt to his nemesis. It was a fitting climax for one of the best feuds both men were involved and definitely the Feud of the Year. A great end to a great story
Thanks for the read and share with us what you feel could end up being the best match at No Mercy 2016.
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