10 Great WWE Raw Matches From The Original Brand Split

In the early days of the initial brand split, there was only a single world champion - the Undisputed WWE Champion, who could appear on either Raw or Smackdown. The Undertaker captured the title, and while on Raw, he found Jeff Hardy in his path. 'Taker beat Hardy in a non-title match, but the tag team star challenged him to another bout - a ladder match with the title on the line.

The match was about as one-sided as WWE Championship bouts get - Undertaker beat Hardy senseless with the ladder and with chairs, but every time it looked like he was just about ready to get the win, the underdog would fight back. He'd nail a high-risk move, like a corkscrew or a hurricanrana. Undertaker may have been an overwhelming force, but the ladder match was Hardy's domain.

In the end, though, there was no miracle. Both men fought to the top of the ladder and Undertaker chokeslammed Hardy off, then grabbed the WWE Championship belt. When 'Taker saw Hardy was still moving, he gave him a Last Ride powerbomb, but the tough-as-nails underdog recovered and yelled "I'm still standing!".

At that point, Undertaker came back in the ring, but he simply lifted Hardy's arm as a sign of respect.