10 Best Ever Wrestling Tournaments
5. WWE Gold Rush Tournament (2005)
In terms of pure talent, it’s hard to top the lineup for WWE’s 2005 Gold Rush Tournament. Seriously, just look at the participants: Christian, Edge, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, and Kane. Seven of the most talented all-round wrestlers to ever step foot in a WWE ring, and one of the best “big men” of all-time.
The Gold Rush came to life in May 2005. As with most WWE tournaments, it was a single elimination competition held over the course of several weeks, with the goal of crowning a new number one contender to Batista’s World Heavyweight Championship. The participants all but guaranteed an excellent tournament, and the Gold Rush tourney was excellent from the very first round.
Michaels and Benjamin had a fantastic match on Raw, and the sight of HBK superkicking Shelton out of the air has been featured in WWE highlight reels ever since. Edge and Jericho had another excellent match, as did Edge and Michaels in the semi-final, and it all boiled down to Kane vs. Edge for the number one contendership.
The Rated R Superstar had used his Money In The Bank briefcase to cheat his way past Y2J and HBK, but he looked lost against Kane, who’d worked hard all tournament. Lita eventually turned on Kane, her then-husband, by sliding Edge the case and gifting him the victory, and with MITB already in his possession, Edge banked another big title shot. A star-making night for the Canadian, who was unsuccessful against Batista, but claimed his first world title six months later.