10 Surprisingly Violent PG Era WWE Matches
5. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (No Mercy 2008)
As aforementioned, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels had one hell of a rivalry throughout most of 2008. Starting shortly after the Backlash show, during which Jericho was 'Special Guest Referee' for HBK's match against Batista, the feud built slowly, bubbling over to become the best story of the entire year.
Due in no small part to the new 'PG' rules, Jericho and Michaels knew that they couldn't produce more bloody scraps like they had at The Great American Bash in June, they needed to work around the fact that blood was now forbidden. Mainly because of their skill and chemistry, that didn't prove to be a problem, and the violence was not compromised by a lack of bodily fluid.
At No Mercy in October, Y2J and the 'Show Stopper' were set to meet in a Ladder Match. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the match, due to Shawn's history in the bout and Jericho's own fondness for the stipulation. The end product was a brutal atmosphere, a real battle ground, and one of the most violent matches during the 'PG' era. Jericho was busted hard way by an errant shot from the ladder, only adding to the visual appeal.