In the modern PG-era of the WWE it can often feel as though wrestling has lost its edge. We still see great matches between fantastically skilled opponents the companys talent pool is arguably at its strongest point ever but that old sense of danger has been greatly diminished. As a fan first brought up on wrestling in the early 2000s, the sudden lack of blood, vulgarity, and downright carnage seems a little disconcerting. In truth, this is probably a good thing. Nobody wants to see anyone hurt or killed on TV, much less their favourite WWE superstars. These new regulations have allowed wrestlers to prolong their careers and attract a whole new fanbase of youngsters. However, theres no denying the excitement of a truly violent or shocking moment in a WWE ring. Since it never hurts to look back, here are ten of the most utterly brutal matches of a bygone era.
10. Steve Austin & Triple H vs Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit Raw, May 2001
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBKW8gyAxFc We begin with one of only two matches on this list shown on free TV. As the WWE understandably saved its most brutal moments for big Pay Per View events, moments of true mayhem were slightly harder to come by on Raw or Smackdown. Not in the case of this match however. Triple H and Stone Cold were on an absolute tear in the spring of 2000 after the latters shocking heel turn at WrestleMania. They formed a tag team known as the Two Man Power Trip and soon held the companys top four titles (the Intercontinental, Tag Team, and WWF championships). Their short reign of terror ended in grisly fashion the night after Judgement Day as they faced off against another pair of rivals-turned-teammates, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. The match seemed a standard encounter if a little hard-hitting until Triple H tore his quad tripping over the canvas. He allegedly tore the muscle entirely off the bone, suffering an injury that would keep him out for over eight months. In an unbelievable show of toughness, the Game would see the match out to its conclusion, even allowing Y2J to put him in the Walls of Jericho atop the announce table for an excruciating amount of time. When asked later about why he continued the match, he answered The show goes on. I just picked up the pieces of what was left of my leg and worried about it when it was over. Admirable. And utterly crazy.
