10. Rob Van Dam Vs. Jeff Hardy - WWE Hardcore Title (Invasion 2001)
The WWF might have bungled the Invasion storyline but there were still a couple of success stories to come out of it. One of them was Rob Van Dam, who defied convention by becoming one of the most popular acts in the company. Expectations were high for Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy's Hardcore Championship match at the Invasion PPV. Van Dam and Jeff Hardy were two of the most exciting wrestlers in the world at that point and the only other time they had squared off was in a squash match on Raw in 1997. Luckily for them, they managed to not only match but, arguably, surpass those expectations. Hardcore matches had, to that point, usually been mindless affairs that were basically just excuses for wrestlers to hit each other with a load of weapons. But that changed in 2001, first with the underrated Raven versus Rhyno clash from Backlash and then with this match. RVD and Hardy only used a chair, a ladder and the Hardcore Championship belt during the match, proving that tables, trashcan lids and kendo sticks weren't always necessary. Highlights included a sick sunset flip powerbomb to RVD to the outside, a dangerous ladder tumble from Jeff and a Van Daminator from RVD which sent Jeff Hardy tumbling through a gap in the stage and to the concrete below. Van Dam won with a Five Star Frogsplash.
