20 Most Epic Wrestling Matches That Weren't Supposed To Be Epic
8. The Hardys vs. The Dudleys (Royal Rumble 2000)
It will be realistic contenders for the top spot from here on, as evidenced by a match that embodies the ideal of an epic match not intended to be epic in the first-ever WWE Tables match. What a thrilling performance from this group of daredevils! The Dudleys brought their previous knowledge of such a gimmick with them from ECW and found the perfect dance partners in the young stuntmen from North Carolina. All four were willing to put their bodies through hell to achieve the desired goal of total destruction and an attempted larceny of the PPV from Triple H and Mick Foley (who, on the same night, tore each other apart in their famous Street Fight). Innovative was the theme of the era for the likes of the Hardys, Dudleys, and Edge and Christian. The Dudleys and Hardys continued what the Hardys and E&C had started at No Mercy 99 (in the tag team Ladder match) with a stunt brawl for the ages featuring a unique game of chess that involved going through - and trying to avoid going through - tables as creatively as possible within a shade over 10-minutes. They were all up to the task. Of course, Jeff Hardy saved the most memorable spot for last with his Swanton Bomb off the New York Knicks player entrance down to the floor, but Devon playing dodge table earlier in the match was just as memorable to aficionados with an appreciation for psychology within the gimmicks carnage-laden environment.
"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.
