10 Best WWE Smackdown Main Events

Last week's Smackdown, the last before this new brand split era, was a doozy. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose went at it for the WWE Championship, a rare treat for fans of the blue show. The action was good and the result, an Ambrose win, well-received.

Despite the perception that Smackdown is 'not as important' as Raw (a perception WWE are keen to change), it's amazing to see just how many great matches have taken place in its rings. From the tail end of the Attitude Era, to the post-brand split 'Smackdown Six' era in 2002/03 and beyond, Smackdown has always been home to skilled performers who have enough professional pride to know that just because it isn't live, doesn't mean they can phone it in.

Indeed, anyone watching on Thursday/Tuesday/Friday nights over the years is well aware of this fact. While the Smackdown midcard may awarded us great cruiserweight action or a surprisingly good United States Title match, it is really the main events which stick out and that people tend to remember the most.

In preparation for Smackdown's permanent move to live television on Tuesday nights, I've looked back over seventeen years' worth of results to look for the best Smackdown main events ever (or at least the ones that I can remember).

Here's to many more great contests closing out the 'B' show...

By the time Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero clashed in the main event of the June 23 2005 episode of Smackdown, the masked man had already beaten his rival several times, including at WrestleMania 21 and Judgement Day. Still, their rivalry was so personal (and producing so many good matches) that they clashed several more times over the next few months.

Their Smackdown showdown was hyped heavily throughout the show, lengthy video packages documenting their feud. There was a definite 'big fight feel' to this one, and both men produced the goods on the night, delivering a pay-per-view calibre performance.

For close to half an hour, Eddie and Rey did what they did best, starting off somewhat slowly with a feeling-out process, before kicking into high gear. Latino Heat was vicious here, choking Mysterio and adding extra venom to all strikes, submissions and slams (all while protecting a storyline rib injury).

The closing stretch was typically brilliant, with both men trading near falls and neither man wanting to lose. After around 25 minutes of action, Mysterio was able to put Eddie away with a 619/sprigboard legdrop combination, resigning Guerrero to yet another loss to the man he just couldn't seem to beat.

Eddie's wry post-match smile as the show went off the air left viewers at home with a tease for the next part of their story. Either that or he was just really rather pleased with the match they'd just had, as he should have been.