10 Great WWE Raw Matches From The Original Brand Split

By 2007, a lot had changed on Raw. John Cena was the top man on the brand (and in the industry), having defeated Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania XXII. The following year, Shawn Michaels made a run at Cena, and in WrestleMania XXIII's main event, the reigning WWE Champion forced HBK to tap out to the STF.

Even though both men were fan favorites, there was no love lost between them and Michaels wanted to prove himself against Cena. That led to a non-title match a few weeks later, one which would go down in history as arguably the best match to ever air on Raw.

The bout - a one-fall contest - started halfway through the show and just kept going. Michaels and Cena fought hard, going through five commercial breaks, but neither man could put his opponent away. The London crowd soon began to sense that they were witnessing something special, especially when Michaels kicked out of the FU and Cena kicked out of Sweet Chin Music.

After more than 55 minutes of action, Cena attempted another FU, but Michaels flipped out, landed on his feet, and hit another Sweet Chin Music. He used his remaining energy to cover Cena, finally managing to score the three count.