20 Best WWE Matches Since 2000
9. Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle Vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio (No Mercy 2002)
Another WWE tag team classic, this match saw four of WWE's most exciting wrestlers collide for the right to call themselves Tag Team Champions. The Brand Split had just kicked-in, and SmackDown general manager Stephanie McMahon had organised a tournament to introduce her new belts. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit defeated John Cena and Billy Kidman to earn their spot at No Mercy 2002, while Edge and Rey Mysterio overcome Brock Lesnar and Tajiri.
The match was every bit as explosive as you'd expect, given the participants. Angle and Benoit played odd couple to Edge & Rey's superior cohesion, and Rey did a sterling job as the match's Ricky Morton. He played the face-in-peril role to perfection, but he made Angle pay for treating him like a joke mid-match. After being tossed around and bullied by Angle, Mysterio brazenly slapped the taste out of his mouth, before eventually securing a long-awaited hot tag.
For all the faces' fire, however, they couldn't overcome Angle and Benoit's individual superiority. Kurt kicked out of a small package, reversed Edge's Ankle Lock into one of his own, and forced the 2001 King of the Ring to tap out. The Wrestling Observer named it their Match of the Year, and justifiably so.