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Much of the promotion for the upcoming WWE Backlash pay-per-view has revolved around Edge vs. Randy Orton – an encounter that WWE is advertising as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever”.
Needless to say, this unique tagline has caused quite a stir amongst the WWE Universe, especially as Edge has not been involved in a non-stipulation one-on-one match in over nine years.
Can a match really be considered the “greatest ever” when it has not happened yet? Do we even need to see a rematch between Edge and Randy Orton? Is WWE putting too much pressure on Edge?
Edge vs. Randy Orton: The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever?
Edge has even questioned WWE’s promotion of the match, telling ESPN earlier this week that he did not believe the tagline when he first heard about it.
"I just laughed because I didn't think it was serious. Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise? Because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you're setting yourself up for failure. And I don't ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that. I can't control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in."
As far-fetched as this might seem, let’s assume for the purposes of this article that Edge vs. Randy Orton takes place on Sunday and it really does turn out to be “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever”. What, if that is the case, does it need to be greater than to live up to the high-pressure tagline?
In this article, let’s try to answer that very question by running through 20 wrestling matches (note: emphasis on wrestling!) from WWE history that Edge vs. Randy Orton has to be superior to.
#20 Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 30)
WrestleMania 30 is best remembered for Daniel Bryan’s main-event victory and the end of The Undertaker’s undefeated streak, but the opening match of the main PPV cannot be ignored. While the dramatic moments later in the night quite rightly stole the show, Bryan vs. Triple H was the best wrestling match of the event.
#19 Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (Evolution)
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair not only kept fans hooked from start to finish in their Last Woman Standing match at WWE’s first all-women’s PPV, but they were also able to showcase their wrestling abilities in a match type that is often tedious and predictable. This is among the best match of both Superstars’ careers.
#18 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania 10)
When it comes to wrestling matches, there have been fewer better throughout WWE history than Bret Hart. He ended WrestleMania 10 by winning the WWE Championship from Yokozuna, and he started the show by competing in a 20-minute classic against his brother, Owen Hart.
#17 Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 19)
Multiple Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle matches could have been included in this list. You might argue that their 60-minute Ironman match is a better example of a technical wrestling match than their WrestleMania 19 main event. Either way, Edge and Randy Orton, if you’re reading… you need to top this!
#16 John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam 2013)
SummerSlam 2013 saw Daniel Bryan defeat one of Edge's most legendary rivals, John Cena, for the WWE Championship in a story that revolved around Bryan’s extraordinary wrestling skills and his dislike of Cena’s sports-entertainment personality. The PPV’s main event, which featured Randy Orton’s post-match Money in the Bank cash-in, more than lived up to the hype.
#15 Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns (Fastlane 2015)
Surprise, surprise, another Daniel Bryan match! Roman Reigns’ WWE character is one of the most polarizing of all time, but even his biggest detractors will struggle to find fault with his in-ring performances. This Fastlane match helped Reigns prove exactly why WWE’s higher-ups had so much belief in him.
Side note: As you can see below, Edge is taking this "Greatest Match Ever" talk in good humor on social media...
#14 Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (WrestleMania 31)
When Bret Hart describes a wrestling match as an “instant classic”, it is difficult to leave it out of a list of matches that Edge and Randy Orton have to emulate. From Brock Lesnar’s selling, to Roman Reigns’ comeback, to Seth Rollins’ cash-in… this had it all.
#13 Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog (SummerSlam 1992)
Speaking of Bret Hart, his SummerSlam 1992 main event against The British Bulldog simply had to appear somewhere in this list. Wrestling, drama, Wembley Stadium, 80,000 fans – what more do people want? Sadly for Edge and Randy Orton, their match will have around 79,980 fewer fans that Hart vs. Bulldog.
#12 Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles (Survivor Series 2017)
Brock Lesnar’s Survivor Series matches against AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan in 2017 and 2018, respectively, are arguably the best matches of his career. Edge and Randy Orton will have to produce a technical masterclass if their match is to be greater than those Champion vs. Champion encounters.
#11 John Cena vs. CM Punk (RAW, February 2013)
CM Punk revealed earlier this year that his RAW match against John Cena is one of the in-ring performances that he is most proud of from his time in WWE. If anybody decides to watch this back, it is worth bearing in mind that Punk felt “deathly ill” on the day of the show, which makes the match even more impressive!
#10 Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)
If Edge and Randy Orton have the greatest wrestling match ever, they will need to outdo Sasha Banks and Bayley’s performance from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. The match is widely regarded as the best in the history of women’s wrestling.
#9 Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 21)
Let’s be honest, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels are worthy of having their own top-20 lists of wrestling matches that Edge vs. Randy Orton needs to be greater than. This 27-minute match from WrestleMania 21 is just one example of their tremendous in-ring talents.
#8 Triple H vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 28)
This list is mostly made up of regular one-on-one matches, but we had to make an exception for Triple H vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28. Like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair’s Last Woman Standing match, this Hell in a Cell match had plenty of wrestling to go along with the use of weapons and dramatic moments throughout the historic encounter.
#7 Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 17)
Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 15? Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 17? Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 19? Edge and Randy Orton can take their pick – Sunday’s match will need to be just as good as those three classics to be in the “greatest ever” category.
#6 Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 12)
A 60-minute Ironman match from 24 years ago is unlikely to be at the top of fans’ WWE Network watch list, but this might be the best example in this list of a lengthy wrestling match that was able to keep the crowd interested from start to finish.
#5 AJ Styles vs. John Cena (Royal Rumble 2017)
AJ Styles and John Cena produced one of the most impressive in-ring performances of 2016 when they fought for 23 minutes at SummerSlam. Five months later, they were able to better their original encounter by putting on a 24-minute classic at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
#4 Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13)
Steve Austin often speaks about the difficult position he found himself in when Vince McMahon booked him – a wrestler without a go-to submission move – in a submission match against Bret Hart. In hindsight, Austin needn’t have worried. This remains one of the greatest wrestling matches in WWE history.
#3 John Cena vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2011)
As we get closer to the end of this list, it is becoming more and more obvious that Edge and Randy Orton have next-to-no chance of competing in a match that can be deemed the “greatest ever”. John Cena vs. CM Punk would have been great without fans, but it was incredible with fans. How can Edge and Randy Orton top this?!
#2 Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania 3)
One of the few old-school matches in this list, Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage is regularly used as a gauge of how good a wrestling match is. You only need to type ‘Steamboat Savage’ into Twitter to find lots of tweets about this match on a daily basis… 33 years after it happened! Who knows, perhaps Edge vs. Randy Orton will be spoken about in the same way in 2053!
#1 The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25)
Like Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage, you can type ‘The Undertaker Shawn Michaels’ into Twitter and you will probably see a list of tweets from fans who believe that this match is the greatest of all time. You can watch this back in 2020 and it still makes for great viewing.
Now, with that countdown out the way, there is only one thing left to say…
All the best, Edge and Randy Orton!
