10 Best WWE Matches of the Year 2005

The year 2005 saw some big changes in WWE. Long gone were the days of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin as the company's two top stars, and WWE was looking to fill that void with it's two newest main event players, John Cena and Batista.

Sadly, we had the untimely death of one of the greatest performers of all time, Eddie Guerrero. As overwhelmingly sad as that was, there were still positives.

WWE RAW and SmackDown were generally entertaining shows every week and the majority of WWE pay-per-view events were generally well received.

The year 2005 did bring us many fantastic wrestling matches. In fact, WWE even gave us some of the best matches we have ever seen. And that brings me to what I feel are the top 10 best WWE matches of 2005.

#10 Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan - SummerSlam

This is now a pretty infamous match. It was a dream match that, while still a good watch, was still ruined by both men as it could have been so much more.

The story goes that WWE wanted to do at least two, maybe three matches between them. The second match was already planned for a few months later, a Steel Cage match. The plan was for Hulk Hogan to go over at SummerSlam (which he did) and Shawn Michaels to win the cage.

And the day of the event, Hogan claimed to have upcoming minor surgeries that would keep him out of the ring for at least a year and thus scrap the matches.

Shawn Michaels in turn, now angry over not getting his win in a rematch, decided to hilariously oversell everything Hogan did to him in the match.

While it was very funny to see, it still could have been so much better of both had just stuck to the original plan. However, it is still a good and fun match to see.

It wasn't until early 2018 that Shawn Michaels finally commented on his overselling in the match, claiming that he feels he didn't actually oversell anything and that WWE asked him to be the heel Shawn Michaels of the '90s and ''that is how the heel 90's Shawn Michaels sold''. He also said no matter how anyone feels about Hogan today, it was an absolute honour to be in the ring with him.

#9 Triple H vs. Batista - Vengeance

This Hell in A Cell match at Vengeance was the third pay-per-view World Championship match for Triple H and Champion Batista.

Batista had lifted the Championship from Triple H at WrestleMania 21 and retained at Backlash, so surely this was The Game's time to regain the Championship?

Especially since he was 4-1 in Hell in A Cell matches, with having only lost the six-man Hell in A Cell match at Armageddon 2000, right?

They both fight outside the ring at the beginning, using the Cell as a weapon. Triple H gets hold of a chain and choked Batista in the ring with it. Batista eventually fought him off and began to use the chain as a weapon himself. Batista then sent him into the Cell again, this time busting him open.

Triple H brought out a steel chair that was wrapped in barbed wire and hit Batista in the back with it. Batista then fought back and hit Triple H with it, and this was already one of the more violent Cell matches in recent memory.

Both men used the barbed wire chair for a few more minutes until Triple H reached for the old faithful sledgehammer, and hit Batista in the face with it for a two count.

Both men also used the steel steps for a while on each other before Triple H hit a low blow and a Pedigree for a two count.

Judging by the ecstatic reaction to the kick out, everyone seemed to think that would be the end. As Triple H attempted to use the sledgehammer once more, Batista countered into a Batista Bomb for the three count.

#8 John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield - Judgement Day

For the second year in a row at Judgement Day, John Bradshaw Layfield has another bloody but career-best showing match. Surprisingly, this was actually the first I Quit match since The Rock and Mankind one at the 1999 Royal Rumble.

Some back and forth action started this one off. They took each other to the outside and made use of the steel steps and barricade before JBL hit a swinging neckbreaker on Cena.

A lot of things in this match that you would never see today, such as when JBL got the belt off the timekeeper and he choked Cena around the ring post with the belt. Cena fought back and gave JBL a back body drop from the English table through the Spanish table.

When both men got up, JBL whacked Cena in the head with a chair, busting him wide open. JBL beat up Cena for a while, making him even more bloody and asking several times for him to say I Quit.

He chocked Cena again, this time with a cable, but Cena got out of it by hitting JBL in the head with a microphone and JBL went crashing through a table that happened to be there. Cena pulled off a huge steel exhaust pipe that was on the truck.

As he was about to hit him with it, JBL yelled I Quit several times.

#7 Matt Hardy vs. Edge - Unforgiven

This was one of the most personal feuds in WWE history, as it was based on real life. The first match of the Matt Hardy vs. Edge feud at SummerSlam was a big disappointment, but they made up for it with a killer Street Fight on RAW a few weeks later.

That battle had no winner, however, which brought us to this Steel Cage match at Unforgiven.

Matt gave a quick attack to start it off and it became a slugfest until Edge knocked him down and went for a quick escape attempt.

The crowd are really behind Matt and want to see him destroy Edge. Some use of the cage as a weapon and more attempted escapes for Edge. The Rated-R Superstar then hit Matt with a buckle bomb, followed by an impressive top rope powerbomb.

After more attempted escapes from Edge, Matt hit some signature moves to loud ovations before tying Edge in the ring ropes and belting away on him to even louder cheers. Edge is busted open after several shots into the cage.

Lita climbed into the cage and tried to attack Matt. He then hit Lita with a Twist of Faith to a huge ovation but was then hit with a Spear from Edge for a two count.

As Edge attempted to climb out again, Matt caught him and hit his head off the cage, knocking him down. As Matt is about to climb out, he turns back and hit a massive leg drop off the top, and pinned Edge for the win.

#6 Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin - RAW, May 2

It was the WWE World Heavyweight Championship number one contender 'Gold Rush' tournament. It was an eight-man tournament where superstars were randomly selected an opponent by Eric Bischoff.

Then WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin was treated to his surprise opposition, Shawn Michaels.

These two had never faced off before and with Shelton having performed in a handful of great matches over the previous year, everyone knew this was gonna be a showstopping affair.

So much to love about this match. A very fast pace, several counters for each other, Shawn does a kip up, Benjamin does one back. Michaels tries a superkick, Shelton blocks it.

Benjamin tries one, HBK blocks it but gets kicked anyway. They managed to have a great back half without overdoing the false near falls or having people kick out of finishers.

The Sweet Chin Music and Exploder both get blocked, protecting them until the end where Shawn hits, arguably the best Sweet Chin Music in history when Shelton leaps off the ring apron from one end of the ring, to be met with the kick at the other end and the three count for Shawn.

#5 Rey Myserio vs. Eddie Guerrero - SummerSlam

Rey Mysterio has actually revealed that this match is his favorite match that he ever had in WWE (and maybe ever).

Rey and Eddie Guerrero had been feuding for just about five months, with the big hook being that Rey and Eddie's number in one-on-one matches.

This was to be their biggest match, however, as Eddie revealed weeks earlier that he was actually Rey's sons Dominick's real father, and the winner of this Ladder match would receive his custody papers.

The drama and emotion in this match were off the charts. You really bought into that, no matter how uncomfortable this angle got at times, that it was still an emotionally driven encounter.

After a few minutes of Eddie assaulting Rey, it didn't take long for some ladders to be involved. They were used a lot like a weapon, mostly Eddie on Rey.

We had some high flying use of them, including a slightly botched sunset flip powerbomb that left its mark none the less. Dominick got involved at one point, aiding his father. Rey performed a 619 on the ladder to Eddie, followed by a couple more high powerbombs.

They had to improvise at one point after Vickie Guerrero missed her cue (Eddie flipped out in the ring over it) but she eventually ran out and pushed Eddie off the ladder, allowing Rey to win.

#4 Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - ECW One Night Stand

This match is arguably the best 10-minute long match ever. Masato Tanaka and the late Mike Awesome had a great series of matches in the original ECW in the late '90s, into early 2000, where they traded the ECW World Championship on several occasions.

Like most talent performing on this night, they were not under contract to WWE. But that is what makes it crazier when you realize that it was one of the best matches of the entire year, even though it was an event presented by WWE where neither man worked for the company.

Some back and forth action to start off before Mike quickly send Tanaka out to the floor and performs a suicide dive. Awesome set up a table and performed a running powerbomb on Tanaka through it, great spot.

Awesome hit his top rope Awesome Splash for a two count. Powerbomb attempt, but Tanaka fought out, but Awesome ends up hitting a really stiff powerbomb on him right after.

This is followed by dual chair shots as Awesome misses, Tanaka misses, and then Awesome hit him with three hard shots but Tanaka is still standing and screaming before being knocked down with a fourth.

Tanaka hit Awesome with a Tornado DDT on a few chairs and then some aerial offense. Awesome set up a table for a superplex, but Tanaka countered it into a Tornado DDT through a table.

Awesome hit an Awesome Bomb off the top rope with his back to the middle part of the ring as Tanaka kicks out at two. Awesome set up a table on the floor and went for another Awesome Bomb over the top.

Tanaka countered, but Awesome caught him, threw him over the top through the table on the floor with a powerbomb and then dives through onto him for the pinfall on the floor.

That was crazy good for the time they had, never has so much happened in a match of just 10 minutes.

#3 Money in The Bank Ladder Match - WrestleMania 21

It was the inaugural Money in The Bank Ladder match. As mentioned on TV, this match was invented by one of its participants, Chris Jericho, although he originally had something else in mind for the winner instead of a World Championship match, which was to be a contract for anything the superstar wanted in WWE.

They loved the multi-person ladder match idea but opted for the World title option instead.

This first one in history would feature Jericho, Edge, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Kane and Chris Benoit.

Everyone teams up at the beginning to try to take out Kane, as he is the biggest in the match. As they all fight on the floor, Christian hit a springboard plancha on them.

This is followed by Shelton hitting one of his own, only with running up and over the ladder. Kane gave his own version next, which got a major pop.

Some attempts to grab the case and use of the ladders from pretty much everyone, including some double team from WrestleMania ladder match vets Edge and Christian. Shelton hit a rough T-Bone Suplex on Edge from the top.

The coolest spot in the match came when Jericho is attempting to grab the case but Shelton runs up a ladder leaning against the one Jericho is one and takes him off it with a clothesline. Kane Chokeslammed Shelton out of the ring and tossed Christian off the top of te ladder onto Tyson Tomko on the outside.

Kane looked like he was going to take it down but was met by Benoit, who gave him several headbutts to knock him down.

As it looked like Benoit was about to win, Edge came running in out of nowhere hitting Benoit's 'injured' arm with a chair and climbed up to take down the case and become the first ever winner.

The Money in The Bank Ladder match(es) is usually a highlight on the WWE calendar every year, but this one might still be the best one yet.

#2 Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - Vengeance

Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle had an absolutely stunning encounter at WrestleMania 21 earlier in 2005. When Kurt was drafted over to RAW three months later, they reopened their feud and set up this rematch for the Vengeance pay-per-view.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle II was outstanding. It wasn't as great as their clash at WrestleMania 21 but it almost was, almost.

The action here was smooth, a great mix of styles, lots of drama and intensity and many different moments where it looked like it was going to end, but didn't. Michaels picked up the win when Angle jumped from the top rope, landing on some Sweet-Chin Music.

Shawn and Kurt would go onto have a 30-minute Iron Man on the RAW homecoming show as a rubber match, but it ended in a draw.

As exciting as it was and one final match between them in January 2006, they couldn't hold a candle to WrestleMania 21 or this epic showdown.

#1 Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 21

A dream match that skyrocketed expectations

While WWE often doesn't capitalize on promoting dream matches, when they do, they can be incredible matches.

The Rock vs John Cena, The Rock vs Goldberg, Shawn Michaels vs Hulk Hogan, The Rock vs Hogan, they were all great in their own way, but none as perfect as Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle from WrestleMania 21.

This was truly amazing, as the gifted wrestlers lived up to the hype and then some. This was true wrestling, and the drama was incredible, with more than a dozen near falls, several Angle Slams, suplexes everywhere, a Sweet Chin Music that nearly took Angle's teeth out and what may be the longest Ankle Lock ever to secure the big win for the deserving Olympian. Match of the night, match of the year, and arguably match of the decade.

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.

Edited by Alan John