10 Wrestling Matches Much Better Than Their Reputations
9. Hornswoggle Vs. El Torito (Extreme Rules 2014)
Curmudgeonous Jim Cornette types will dismiss this bout with one look at the marquee. Two little people - one of whom was supposed to be a rockstar leprechaun, and the other a valet who thinks he's an actual bull - going to battle on a B-level pay-per-view Kickoff Show, in a gimmicked version of WWE's most chaotic signature stipulation. It's the kind of thing that should give traditionalists nightmares, yet WeeLC remains an absolute triumph, and perhaps the peak of the Banter Match formula.
It helps that El Torito was (and still is) an outrageously talented performer. A supreme athlete, he was capable of so much more than his role as Los Matadores mascot/manager allowed, but at least got to show it at Extreme Rules 2014.
WWE committed fully, bringing in a cast of diminutive commentators, a referee, and a ring announcer, and pure, unadulterated fun followed. It was understandably full of smoke and mirrors (including an absurd Jinder Mahal/Colons table bump), but the "this is awesome" chants spoke for themselves, and while the "little person" jokes did wear thin by the end, this unique spotfest deserves all the praise.