Best WWE and NXT matches of each year of the decade - Part I

The end of 2019 also marks the conclusion of what has been quite a decade in wrestling.

Whilst many fans would argue that recent times have seen a downgrade in moments compared to the heights of the Monday Night Wars, the quality of wrestling matches themselves has never been higher.

The era of the smaller athlete has seen an increase in high paced technical match-ups, meaning that the last 10 years have featured some of the most enthralling in-ring action of all time.

Before we motor forward into the 2020's and have a few dream matches in our heads for the upcoming decade, it’s important to look back and pick out our highlights of the last 10 years.

So here is the first part of our best matches from each year of the decade from WWE and NXT.

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#1 2010 - The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 26

Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 26

When you talk about a movie series, a sequel will often never live up to the expectations of the original. Whilst The Godfather and Toy Story can be seen as the franchises that broke the bold in films, the conclusion to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker’s WrestleMania series is one of the closest WWE has come to this.

The pair stole the show when they met the year prior at WrestleMania 25 in a clash fans still consider as one of the greatest wrestling bouts of all time.

As we entered 2010, it was clear that HBK was keen to try and avenge the loss he suffered that night, writing the one wrong of his storied career. The Undertaker, who was World Heavyweight Champion at this point, was less keen and wanted to move on from HBK.

So Michaels did everything in his power to make the rematch a possibility. When he was unable to secure a victory at the Royal Rumble, he stooped to new lows by costing The Phenom his Championship the next month at Elimination Chamber.

Taker was now motivated but wanted extra stakes before accepting the match. If he was defending The Streak, Michaels would have to put his career on the line.

With that, the main event of WrestleMania 26 was set in stone. Whilst the match didn’t quite live up to the encounter in 2009, it is still an outstanding wrestling contest when analyzed on its own.

What it had that the first match didn’t was emotional investment at every turn. For the first time up until that point, you felt as though Michaels could end The Streak.

As the match drew to a close, the respect both men had for each other came into play. The Deadman looked reluctant to end Michaels' career, much in the same way HBK had doubts about retiring Ric Flair, two years prior.

But with one slap to the face of The Undertaker and the most devastating tombstone you’ll ever see, The Streak lived on and Mr WrestleMania's career was no more.

It was a fitting way to end one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time.

#2 2011 - John Cena vs CM Punk - Money In The Bank

CM Punk after winning the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank 2011

As mentioned in the previous slide, many fans consider The Undertaker vs Michaels at WrestleMania 25 as the greatest WWE match ever.

For those who disagree, many of them will look to this clash as not just the choice, but also the match and rivalry that gave the company a jolt in the arm.

Going into the summer of 2011, CM Punk’s booking was rather stagnant. The acclaimed Straight Edge Society had been poorly booked by WWE from 2009 and 2010 and their attempts to reinvent him as the leader of The Nexus fell rather flat as well.

Such creative decisions lead to rumours emerging that Punk was on his way out of the company - something which became part of his story-arc as spring turned into summer.

After becoming the No.1 contender to John Cena’s WWE Championship, Punk announced that he was leaving WWE the night after Money In The Bank with the belt in tow.

This proved the catalyst to the most must-see WWE feud in a long time. One week later, Punk would cut the now-infamous Pipebomb promo that would skyrocket him to mainstream popularity.

The lines between real life and story were blurred as fans couldn’t tell whether the Voice of the Voiceless was staying or going. All these factors helped add to the occasion when the pair finally squared off at the PPV in Punk’s home town of Chicago.

It was arguably the most partisan anti-Cena crowd since One Night Stand 2006, but they couldn’t argue that The Champ contributed greatly to what was a five-star classic.

Punk’s win was arguably a moment in itself as he left the arena, and potentially the company, as he promised with belt in hand. If WWE had been patient with when they brought Punk back, it could have been something special. Instead, they pulled the trigger on his comeback just over a week later.

#3 2012 - The Undertaker vs Triple H - WrestleMania 28

Undertaker vs Triple H - WrestleMania 28

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan at Over The Limit 2012 was a match of technical wizardry that would have had the purists out there licking their lips. But when you look at pure emotional investment, it’s hard to look past Triple H vs The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28.

Billed as End of The Era, it was the conclusion to a four year arc around The Deadman’s streak. It started off all the way back in 2009 with the earlier mentioned Mania 25 match with Michaels.

After HBK failed on two occasions to defeat The Undertaker, his best friend The Game, tried his hand at it at WrestleMania 27 in 2011. So close was Triple H in ending The Streak that Taker was unable to leave the ring under his own power.

This inability left an emotional scar on The Phenom. So, unlike in 2010 when he was the one being challenged, he would make the first move this time around to try and entice The Game into one more showdown. Much like Taker before him, Triple H accepted on his own terms, that being Hell in a Cell. Throw in Shawn Michaels as the special referee and you have the perfect long-term storyline.

Despite a slow start to the match, it would hit its stride around the time when Triple H would begin calling for Shawn to end the match on account of Taker being too hurt. Just when it looked as though HBK would give in to this and end the contest, The Deadman would take him out in a development which would have greater implications later in the match.

With Triple H on Taker’s shoulder for a tombstone, he would squeeze out and push The Deadman into some Sweetchin Music by Michaels, before a pedigree lead to the nearest of near falls. The sight of Michaels sat in the corner in disbelief echoed exactly what the fans in attendance and watching at home were feeling at this point.

The emotional rollercoaster would eventually see Taker extend The Streak to 20-0, before the three rivals left arm-in-arm together, signifying to many that The Attitude Era would be a thing of the past.

#4 2013 - Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield - Battleground

The Rhodes brothers secured a big win

As is mentioned in Cody Rhodes current theme song, wrestling has more than one Royal Family.

As The Authority began their reign of terror over WWE in 2013, one of their primary targets was the Rhodes family.

Having both been forced to leave the company after suffering defeats to Randy Orton, brothers Cody and Goldust would come together for the first time with a common goal.

Not only were they looking to get their jobs back, but they were also striving to restore honour to their family name.

With their father, the legendary ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes by their side, the Rhodes Brothers strode into Battleground 2013 with one almighty roadblock in their way in the form of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns of The Shield.

As is evident by my selections up until this point, I am drawn in by a match that is filled with emotional attachment. This match had this in spades as the crowd were all in on the Rhodes getting their revenge on The Authority’s hired henchmen.

Combine this with some top-notch in-ring action, then you have a sure-fire sleeper classic. What this match achieved for each competitor is what arguably elevated it to match of the year for me on top of all these other elements.

It showed that, like a fine wine, Goldust just gets better with age. It was also the first time, despite all his talent, that Cody showed shades of the top-level babyface ability he is currently showing to great acclaim in AEW.

Add in an old school biotic elbow by The Dream on Dean Ambrose, then you have a match which ticked all the boxes.

#5 2014 - The Shield vs The Wyatt Family - Elimination Chamber

The Shield vs The Wyatt Family - Elimination Chamber

The word ‘Dream match’ is often an over-used phrase in WWE. However, when it came to stables in the year 2014, it was a fitting way to describe the eventual clash between The Shield and The Wyatt Family.

Having debuted on the main roster the previous summer, Bray Wyatt and his followers, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, were beginning to hit their stride. After Wyatt scored an impressive victory of Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble, the cult group’s next target was one John Cena.

Their targeting of Cena led to them costing The Shield a six-man tag match on an episode of RAW, which meant they missed out on a place in the Elimination Chamber WWE Championship match.

Not ones to take injustice lying down, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose would demand a chance at revenge at The Wyatt Family, putting in motion a highly-charged and much anticipated contest at Elimination Chamber.

You can tell the investment of a crowd towards a match when the ‘This is Awesome’ chants start even before they lay a hand on each other, which is what we saw here as the six men stood face-to-face with one another.

Whilst it may not compare in many’s eyes to the WrestleMania 30 Triple Threat main event, but to me, everything clicked between these two teams in terms of chemistry. Such was my enjoyment of this match that it is one I regularly seek out to watch on days where I’m a bit low.

The result of it perfectly set up was to come in the months that followed. It seeded the idea of dissention in The Shield with Ambrose’s unhinged offence hindering the trio. Reigns would portray the valiant hero in peril as he came close to overcoming 3-on-1 odds, but ultimately The Wyatt Family would win to set them on the path to WrestleMania and John Cena.