The top ten Champion vs Champion matches in WWE history 

Ricochet and Pete Dunne put on a match of the year contender on this week's NXT
Ricochet and Pete Dunne put on a match of the year contender on this week's NXT

This week on NXT, Ricochet and Pete Dunne met in a Champion vs Champion match, with both men putting their respective titles on the line.

Of course, the match stole the show, with the two delivering a legitimate 2018 match of the year contender.

A big reason for the match's success was the fact that both men's titles were on the line, and that fans genuinely didn't know which way the encounter was going to go.

The Champion vs Champion match-up, when done right, has created some of the most exciting matches in WWE history. So, in recognition of the excellent work put in by Dunne and Ricochet, let's see where they rank against the greatest Champion Vs Champion matches in WWE history.

#10 The Brothers of Destruction vs The Power Trip- Backlash 2001

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Talk about putting everything on the line. At Backlash 2001, Triple H and Stone Cold, better known as The Power Trip, took on Kane and The Undertaker in a match with the WWE, Intercontinental, and Tag-Team titles on the line.

It is arguably one of the biggest tag-team matches in the history of the WWE, and the four men delivered an absolutely thrilling encounter in what was the night's main event match.

Austin and Triple H would come out on top, but their run as The Power Trip would be cut short a few months later when Triple H picked up an injury.


#9 John Cena vs Seth Rollins- SummerSlam 2015

Rollins and Cena both put their belts on the line at SummerSlam 2015
Rollins and Cena both put their belts on the line at SummerSlam 2015

John Cena vs Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2015, also known as, the one with John Stewart and the steel chair.

Silly finishes aside, the match between John Cena and Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2015 was an impressive encounter and one that had featured an excellent build at the time.

Rollins was on a roll with the WWE title, but the idea of him toppling John Cena to take his US title seemed implausible, given that Cena was in the midst of his iconic 'US title open challenge' run.

That's exactly what happened though, with Rollins receiving a little bit help from American TV host, John Stewart, who apparently, didn't like John Cena for some reason or another.

#8 John Cena vs Randy Orton- TLC 2013

Cena and Orton unified the WWE and World Heavyweight titles
Cena and Orton unified the WWE and World Heavyweight titles

The unification of the WWE and the World Heavyweight Championship belts back in 2013 gave birth to the current WWE title belt, and the unification match between John Cena and Randy Orton at TLC 2013 was one of the two men's most exciting outings together.

The build to the feud had been perfect, and the showdown between the men, with the added TLC stipulation was an exciting and hard-hitting encounter.

The match featured an innovative spot, with Orton handcuffing Cena to the bottom rope, only for Cena to remove the whole bottom rope from the ring and scale the ladder. Orton then used the rope to throw Cena through a table and become the first ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

#7 Chris Jericho vs Stone Cold-Vengeance 2011

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While the Undisputed Championship may not have lasted very long, the image of Chris Jericho holding both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship above his head at the end of 2001 is an iconic one.

The build for the match had been perfect, with Austin defeating Angle, and Jericho defeating The Rock earlier in the night to set up a champion vs champion match to crown the first ever WWE Undisputed Champion.

The match, like most at the time, was overbooked, but it all just added to the chaos and the electric atmosphere in the arena that night.

Jericho's victory would become a part of his gimmick, with the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion bragging about defeating both The Rock and Austin in one night at any given opportunity.

#6 Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior- WrestleMania VI

The Ultimate Challenge was quite the spectacle
The Ultimate Challenge was quite the spectacle

One of the biggest main-events in WrestleMania history took place at WrestleMania VI when Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior competed in 'The Ultimate Challenge' for both the WWE and Intercontinental titles.

While the match itself is nothing special, the build and the atmosphere during the match is truly something spec, and this was seen as something of a passing of the torch moment within the company.

Of course, Warrior's run at the top of the card didn't go down as well as expected, but this match was an excellent example of how to sell a champion vs champion encounter.

#5 Ricochet vs Pete Dunne- NXT 2018

Pete Dunne and Ricochet blew audiences away on NXT
Pete Dunne and Ricochet blew audiences away on NXT

While this match only took place on this week's episode of NXT, it is safe to say that it should be considered one of the greatest champion vs champion matches in history.

Ricochet and Pete Dunne have both had exceptional years so far in 2018, and the two men put on a perfectly paced and innovative display in the ring together.

The red-hot crowd lapped up the action, and the decision to have both titles on the line only added to the growing tension throughout the encounter.

The finish, which saw The Undisputed Era run down to the ring and attack both men, could be seen as slightly questionable, but it is worth remembering that this was just a television match and that its primary purpose was to continue a storyline.

#4 John Cena vs Kevin Owens- Money in the Bank 2015

Kevin Owens had one of the most impressive debuts in WWE history
Kevin Owens had one of the most impressive debuts in WWE history

Watching this back, it's crazy to see how far Kevin Owens has fallen in the space of just three years.

Owens' debut on WWE television was one of the most explosive in recent memory, with the then NXT champion coming out to challenge John Cena during one of his US title open challenge segments.

The match itself had neither the US or the NXT title on the line, with Owens claiming that he didn't care about taking the US belt from Cena.

What followed was one of the best WWE debut matches of all time, with Owens picking up the surprise victory over John Cena. Unfortunately, Cena would then go on to get revenge against Owens on consecutive PPVs, but this was still an incredible debut from the former ROH star.

#3 Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles- Survivor Series 2017

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The decision to take the WWE title from Jinder Mahal and put it on AJ Styles just days before WWE Survivor Series 2017 was universally welcomed by the WWE fanbase.

It meant that, instead of a main-event match pitting Brock Lesnar against Jinder Mahal, the WWE Universe would be treated to a match that many considered a dream encounter between Styles and Lesnar.

The two men didn't fail to disappoint either, building their match around a 'David Vs Goliath' style narrative that went down a treat.

It's rare that we see Lesnar on this kind of form these days, but it was a nice reminder that he is capable of competing at the highest level with some of the best in the business.

#2 CM Punk vs John Cena- SummerSlam 2011

Punk and Cena both put their belts on the line at SummerSlam 2011
Punk and Cena both put their belts on the line at SummerSlam 2011

CM Punk and John Cena's feud in 2011 was one of the best WWE programs in recent memory, and despite some infamously terrible post-match shenanigans, the match between the two men at SummerSlam was yet another fine display from the two rivals.

Punk had beaten Cena for the WWE title at Money in the Bank the previous month and had left the company with the belt, forcing the WWE to announce a tournament to crown a new champion.

Cena won the tournament, only to then be greeted by a returning CM Punk and the original WWE title, setting up a champion vs champion match at SummerSlam.

Like all of Cena's best matches, the match featured a series of riveting near-falls and excellent in-ring action and the finish, which saw Punk slip out of an AA and hit the GTS was perfectly executed.

Post-match, CM Punk was attacked by Kevin Nash in what is still one of the most bizarre ends to a WWE title match in history.

#1 Razor Roman vs Shawn Michaels- WrestleMania X

Michaels and Ramon set the standard for ladder matches in the WWE
Michaels and Ramon set the standard for ladder matches in the WWE

Often cited as the greatest ladder match of all time, many fans forget that the iconic ladder match that took place between Shawn Michaels and Razor Roman at WrestleMania X was actually a champion vs champion encounter.

Both men had laid claim to the Intercontinental Championship in the build-up to the match, and both men considered themselves to be the champion.

The match itself is widely considered as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches in the company's history and is seen as having set a benchmark for all ladder matches that followed.

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