7. Team Triple H (Triple H, Edge, Batista & Snitsky) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho & Maven) - Survivor Series 2004
Evolution was the last truly great stable in pro wrestling (though a case can be made for the Shield). It garnered a lot of criticisms during its heyday, accomplishing its primary goal of drawing the ire of wrestling fans. The era that heavily featured Evolution on Monday Night Raw was a lot more successful than people realize, though. Triple H and Ric Flair with Randy Orton and Batista being groomed along the way well performed their purpose of both ruling the wrestling world as the preeminent bad guys and teaching new stars how to succeed at the main-event level. The Four Horsemen produced Lex Luger and Sting. Degeneration X produced Triple H. Evolution produced Batista and Orton. The theme song stated, The Evolution is a mystery. Batista and Orton personified that statement throughout 2004. Orton was perfectly booked as a heel and then horrendously booked as a babyface. It was his terrible face turn that led to this match, which was quite good, bordering on great. Batista, meanwhile, was just the muscle and he struggled to find his place. In August, Orton was the next great heel in the business. In September, he was one of modern lores cautionary tales. In November, Batista was a jacked up afterthought. In December, he was on the precipice of superstardom. During the 2004 Survivor Series main-event, the camera captured a fan holding a sign that read, HA! Batista Cant Get Over! Oh, the irony in that sign
"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.
