100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)

Sometimes, a truly epic finish makes the match and is the only thing fans remember. It's kinda unfortunate that this is the case when it comes to Triple H vs. Batista from Vengeance 2005, because they put in some shift for approx 25 minutes before that, and their Hell In A Cell bruiser is generally overlooked when people discuss the very best HIAC bouts today.

Time to shower it in some much-needed love.

Yes, the finish was superb. Triple H grabbed his trusty sledgehammer and tried to bash Dave in the head with it, but he couldn't quite manage that before being dropped with a sweet-looking Batista Bomb. The desperation on Hunter's face as he readied to strike was phenomenal, and Batista's timing with the move couldn't have been better either.

Earlier, the pair had used everything from a steel chain to a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire. They weren't keen to mess around, but something else is worth saying: Unlike later efforts once HIAC became a standalone pay-per-view, this violence fit the storyline framing the match. In other words, both guys hated one another after years of being stablemates in Evolution, so it was believable that they'd do everything to hurt the other man.

Triple H pulling out all the stops but still not being able to beat 'The Animal' when it mattered most was an all-timer of a story. No wonder fans in Las Vegas gave 'The Game' a standing ovation once it was all said and done. He'd more than earned that by putting Batista over so strongly.