25 Best WWE Raw Matches Ever
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin & Triple H Vs Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit (May 21st, 2001)
A match remembered most for Triple H's horrendous quadricep tear shortly before the conclusion, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit's Tag Team Title victory over 'The Game' and Steve Austin's 'Power Trip' combo carried the excitement of a guard-changing that ultimately never came to pass.
Molten for the destruction of the evil Austin/Hunter pair, the audience were particularly ready for the talented Canadians to ascend to the main event in the process. The heels had just ended programmes with The Undertaker and Kane that were creatively tepid as they were commercially toxic. The stark drop-off in buyrates resulted in Vince McMahon taking topline gambles on the former WCW stars, and his decision looked and sounded shrewd following this legendary sensory overload.
Descending to chaos having maintained a white hot crowd throughout, Helmsley's screams whilst trapped in Walls Of Jericho were greeted unsympathetically from an oblivious crowd. His incredible courage briefly made him an enormous babyface upon return, but this match would mark a far greater turning point in his career. Try as he might with everything from bulging muscles to burials and beatdowns, he'd never ever be 'The Game' again. Built like a monster but not to last (and as evidenced here and virtually every time he stepped in the ring at this point), he was peerless.