20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Matches Ever

15. Matt Hardy Vs Rey Mysterio (June 5, 2003)

Years before WWE patronisingly over-sold themselves for putting women's matches on in prominent Raw positions, they were doing the exact same for the Cruiserweight Division on SmackDown. As with the Sasha Banks', Charlottes and Bayleys, Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio made the "opportunity" count.

The 2003 headliner was the perfect payoff to a feud that had simmered since Hardy snuck off with a WrestleMania XIX that was effectively the polar opposite. Their 5:37 'Show Of Shows' opener bordered on insulting, but was atoned for by this bonafide classic in front of Rey's San Diego hometown crowd.

Matt moved away from the division after this - it was a lot lighter without him.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett