3. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H - WrestleMania XX
For years, Chris Benoit plied his craft in arenas around the world. Along the way, he earned the reputation of one of wrestling's greatest technicians, a man of tremendous skill and dedication. He was just a bit too short to be taken seriously by promoters as a legitimate main event talent, regardless of how great he was between the ropes. That is, until he arrived in Vince McMahon's WWE. From the moment he debuted, he was treated like one of the elite wrestlers on the planet. Not always a tippy top main event talent, but a guy that could hang with the best the industry had to offer. By the 2004 arrived, he had done so much to cement his legacy and build his reputation that McMahon had little choice but to finally pull the trigger and allow the Canadian Crippler the opportunity to run with the top prize in the industry. In the main event of WrestleMania XX, Benoit defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H in a Triple Threat match, forcing the latter to tap out to the Crossface. The win was greeted with a thunderous ovation, pyrotechnics and confetti. But above all, it was the in-ring embrace between Benoit and best friend Eddie Guerrero, whose journeys to the top of the industry had mirrored each other, that left even the cynical of smart marks tearing up with joy.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.