15 Best Matches To Ever Take Place At Royal Rumble
8. The Hardys Vs. The Dudleys (Royal Rumble '00)
This is not quite a forgotten classic, but it is getting there. The TLC Era featured so many matches with death-defying stunts that it is becoming easy to forget about the first WWE Tables match that was sandwiched in-between the first tag team Ladder match and the first Triangle Ladder match. Do not make that mistake. This match was too incredible an example of the hardcore visual arts for you to do that. The original Tables match has never been topped. Think about that for a moment. WWE gimmick matches are all about redefining the standard. It does not happen frequently, but in every instance of a stipulation, the standard does eventually get redefined. Or at least there is an argument to be made that it does. The Ladder, Hell in a Cell, Cage, Last Man Standing, Royal Rumble. It never fails....almost. The first Tables match was by far the best and there is not really even a candidate in the running to be mentioned as the redefinition. It is not even close. Why is that? Simple: the competitors involved were the perfect mix of talents to be placed in the gimmick's environment. The Dudleys already had it down to a science from their time in ECW. The Hardys were glorified babyface stuntmen and that is meant as a compliment given the memories that they provided in that era and the extent that they damaged their bodies in doing so, in part for our entertainment. A common criticism of modern Tables matches is that creating drama through near table breaks is quite difficult. Funny, the original made it look incredibly easy. And it was easy for the era's premiere stunt brawlers. All due respect to Edge and Christian, but they could not have done with either team what the Dudleys and Hardys did, here, together.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
