5 Best Wrestling Matches of 2001

2001 was another dominant year for WWE, and marked both one of its biggest triumphs and biggest failures, all at the same time.

On one hand, the Monday Night Wars were finally over. Vince McMahon purchased WCW, and folded soon as well. This left WWE with literally no major competition in the United States. He didn’t have to worry about any foreign countries competing with him either, as all Japan’s top three wrestling promotions were all struggling with their own issues.

On the other hand, with no competition to bring out the best in everyone, things took a weird turn in WWE. The first half of the year was still crazy awesome, as all five of the best matches of the year took place during the calendar’s half. But then things took a huge turn, as WWE’s creative heads made one of the biggest creative mistakes of all time: The Invasion storyline.

That storyline was booked in the worst way possible. Even though there were some great matches strewn in there, none of them felt like the dream matches that could’ve been if WWE managed the storyline better. The top wrestlers of the WWF/E did not face off against the top stars of WCW and ECW; it was midcarders and ‘lesser’ stars from these two other promotions that were expected to beat WWE’s biggest stars. It was executed so poorly that bona fide WWE stars had to ‘jump’ to the Alliance to make it believable that WWE could somehow lose these big ‘company vs. company’ matches.

That said, WWE was running on all cylinders during the first half of the year, as seen with the absolutely spectacular matches put on at the time. What’s most impressive is that most of the matches on this list were not singles matches and weren’t composed of the company’s top stars. Instead, most of them were made up of rising stars and tag team specialists, most of whom would later become top stars in WWE as the years progressed.

All five of these matches are legendary for their raucous crows, brutal action and memorable moments. In fact, at least one of them is widely lauded as the greatest moment in WrestleMania history, at least until that point.

So which (WWE) matches were the best of the year? Read on…

---

#5 Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit – Ladder Match – Royal Rumble 2001

As bitter rivals (at this point), Jericho and Benoit kept reversing each other’s biggest moves and scouting the other before a big move was hit. At one point Benoit attempted a suicide dive and Jericho blocked it by hitting Benoit in the head with a chair. It was a clever spot at the time, though seeing it now does affect the visual a bit in retrospect. Going into this match, Jericho and Benoit absolutely hated each other but also knew each other’s moves perfectly. That’s why they were able to block each other and come up with so many crazy moves in this phenomenal match.

Jericho also tried some crazy spots of his own, including a submission hold on the top of the ladder, and even tried to climb the ladder with Benoit pinned under the ladder’s legs. But Benoit still managed to work his way out of these tough situations, because he was a technical wrestling master if nothing else.

Benoit even showed his sheer craziness and determination by hitting a diving headbutt off the top of the ladder, which was an insane move, even for that period. In retrospect, it’s moves like this that actually damaged Benoit’s brain, so watching it is a bit more sickening than it would be if Benoit’s actions hadn’t occurred.

Nevertheless, this is an awesome match between two true workhorses that set the bar very high for WWE’s matches in the months to come.

#4 Triple H vs. Steve Austin – 3 Stages of Hell – No Way Out 2001

The first contest was the ‘wrestling match’, and we got to see some great things not normally seen from HHH or Austin. Both were known for brawling and weapons attacks, respectively, so it was a welcome sight to see them targeting each other’s various body parts and using ring psychology. This was one of the longest matches of the entire Attitude Era, going almost forty minutes. Yet it was a great opportunity for fans to see just what Austin & Triple H could do if time wasn’t a factor in a wrestling match.

Triple H’s arms got attacked so much by Austin during the first part of the match that it played into the second half perfectly. As Triple H prepared to Pedigree Austin through the announce table, he winced for a second because his arm was in pain.

That split-second move gave Austin enough time to reverse the Pedigree and back body drop Triple H into the announcer’s table. That is perfect ring psychology and a shining example of smart storytelling in a match.

But there was more than ring psychology here; this was, at its core, a brutal war between two men that hated each other, and it showed in their willingness to go the extra mile to hurt each other. From suplexes onto the steel entrance ramp, to countless chair shots from Austin onto HHH’s entire body, to the barbed wire 2x4 making its triumphant return, this match was a bloody mess. It showed just how much hatred there really was between these superstars, which made everything they did more captivating.

This match proved that you don’t need dangerous spots and crazy dives to tell a great story. All you need is an action that makes sense to the story and the crowd eats it up.

#3. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Triple H & Steve Austin – May 21st, 2001

This was a lightning-fast match, going under 14 minutes long. But damn did they ever back so much action into such a short period. Benoit & Jericho felt like perfect underdogs fighting against two dominant champions, and every pin attempt and submission felt like it could end the match. This was presented as the biggest match of both Benoit & Jericho’s lives, as the two legendary workhorses faced the two biggest stars in WWE at the time.

The timing and psychology were also perfect, and Jim Ross’s commentary was simply perfect as you could hear the raw emotion in his voice. Of course, the crowd was crazy loud for the entire match, going nuts for even the smallest of moves.

Even commentator Paul Heyman noted ‘the entire building is shaking’ which wasn’t hard to believe given how much the crowd was roaring as this match went on.

But most notably, this is the match in which Triple H tore his quad. As he broke up the Walls of Jericho, he started grabbing his leg and hobbling, barely able to put any weight on it.

Yet not only does he keep moving on that leg, but he continues the match as planned and gets put in the Walls of Jericho with a torn quadriceps muscle.

He continued the match even though his muscle was torn completely off the bone, even if doing so risked making the injury worse (which it did).

As a wrestling match, this is a bloody awesome spectacle of storytelling, emotion and psychology. There were so many unexpected twists and turns that it kept fans on the edge of their seats.

But it’s also remembered for Triple H’s quad tear, yet he continued the match as planned, and the pain of being in the Walls of Jericho must’ve been unimaginably excruciating. Say what you want about Triple H’s relationship with the McMahon family: he is incredibly tough and earned the respect of fans everywhere for enduring what was a career-threatening injury.

#2 Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudleyz vs. The Hardyz – 4-way TLC – May 22nd, 2001

Benoit & Jericho were thrust into a 4-way TLC match for the tag titles they had just won on the RAW prior. They were the obvious underdogs as they faced the three best tag teams in the company, all of whom had beef with each other and didn’t need another team getting added to the mix. One day before this one (SmackDown was taped back then), Benoit & Jericho put on an amazing match against the two biggest singles stars in WWE, Steve Austin & Triple H. On this night, they proved that they could steal the show anywhere and anytime.

So even though there were several crazy spots between the three teams that hated each other, there was obvious acrimony for Benoit & Jericho as well.

Aside from the usual craziness associated with TLC matches, this contest was all about Benoit proving that he had the soul of a champion. Benoit missed a diving headbutt onto Matt Hardy (who was on a table outside the ring), and ‘had to be stretchered out’.

As the match progressed, Benoit returned, visibly hurt and wracked in pain, determined to continue the match despite presumed serious internal injuries. Benoit sold some of the most vicious pain imaginable, including simultaneous chair-shots to his ‘injured’ ribs from Edge & Christian, yet still wouldn’t give up. He was showing pure babyface fire, and the crowd loved him for it.

Not only is this an awesome ‘demolition derby’ of a match that should be watched for its own merits, but it has a great underlying story of one wrestler overcoming insurmountable odds to win. It’s a wrestling classic that should be more of a focal point of Benoit’s legacy in the pro wrestling business.

#1 Edge & Christian vs. The Dudleyz vs. The Hardyz – TLC II – WrestleMania X-Seven

Nothing even comes close to this epic match...

There are so many words to describe this match: carnage, savage, terrifying, sickening, jaw-dropping, insane, the list goes on. These six men plus their respective friends put themselves through unimaginable punishment to win the tag team titles and entertain the fans. The spots were so extreme that they set the bar too high for anyone to ever reach. What else is there to say about this match that hasn’t already been said?

No TLC or Ladder match since 2001 has come close to replicating this one.

This was not a ‘wrestling match’; it was hardcore fanservice, and boy did it satisfy. It was a demolition derby with eight men (and one woman) putting their bodies through unbelievable punishment to show just how much the WWE Tag Team Titles meant to them.

Of course, this being TLC, it featured some absolutely savage spots that helped make all of these wrestlers’ careers legendary. These include:

· Bubba Powerbombing Jeff Hardy onto Edge through a table;

· Spike Dudley making a surprise appearance and hitting his finisher Christian through a table that was outside the ring;

· Lita getting 3-D’d by the Dudleyz (which made the crowd erupt, for some reason);

· Jeff Hardy hitting a Swanton Bomb off a 20-ft ladder onto Rhyno through tables

· Bubba Ray and Matt Hardy getting tossed off a ladder through tables outside of the ring; and

· The single-greatest spot in WWE history: Edge spearing Jeff Hardy while he was hanging from the titles. That visual alone has been repeated so many times over the years and served as a moment of proof that Edge was earmarked for future success.

This match will go down in history as the best wrestling match of 2001, and the best match of WrestleMania X-Seven. It was a brutal demonstration of recklessness and has become a piece of wrestling history.