1. Chris Benoit VS Chris Jericho - Ladder Match For WWF Intercontinental Title (2001)
While the other entries on this list are all very good matches in their own right, this is the only entry that can claim it is one of the best matches of all-time, without any sort of criteria or special categories to fit into. You have two of the best in-ring performers wrestling has ever seen, both with a chip on their shoulder, still fighting the "they're too small to truly be a success" stigma. Benoit had it even worse because he, unlike Jericho, didn't have a tremendous natural charisma and entertaining promos to help him. He simply had to go out into the ring and impress people that way. This was a very physical Ladder Match, with just about as much intensity as you could ever imagine. Both men wanted to win the match, and it showed in everything they did. Benoit diving to the outside, only to take a violent unprotected chair shot to the face while still in mid-air? A modified Walls Of Jericho locked in on top of the ladder? Memorable spot after memorable spot, with things being taken to the next level time and time again, with the match lasting nearly 20 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-sQ0CxGhqY Benoit had only been with the WWF for a year, so there were many fans still getting to know him and his work. This was basically a coming out party, of sorts, for him. Even in a losing effort, he was able to show WWF fans that he could step up in a "big game" situation, and his ascension in 2001 and on was a quick one.
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