15. El Torito vs. Hornswoggle (Extreme Rules Pre-Show 2014)
Is the WeeLC famous or infamous or both? One thing is for certain: El Torito and Hornswoggle far exceeded the expectations for their match. Unlike Cena and Orton, who were given a golden opportunity for critical acclaim and squandered it, their smaller counterparts were thought to be "throwaway nonsense" and personified the old saying about turning chicken you-know-what into chicken salad. The fact that the feud that led to the match was comedy mid-card filler is irrelevant in the context of expectation. On the night of their match, they delivered well beyond what even the smartest of smart fans could have predicted. Beyond that, there is not much else to say about the match. Perhaps the biggest statement that they made was unspoken: that WWE desperately needs a new generation of top talents to take TLC and make it their own. Maybe Ambrose and Wyatt can do that. The telling note to take away from the first two entries of this list is that they both took place within the last 12 months.
Chad Matthews
Contributor
"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.
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