10. Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker - Raw, July 2002
If there is any match in WWE that had no right being as good as it wound up being, the July 1, 2002 Ladder match for the WWE Championship between Jeff Hardy and Undertaker was it. The Phenom was not exactly lighting the world on fire with his in-ring performances to that point and was coming off of a terrible match with Triple H at the King of the Ring pay-per-view. Hardy was lacking motivation and may not have been in the best condition to perform. Yet those two Superstars worked extremely hard to craft a match that played to their strengths and kept the fans invested throughout. Every time it seemed as though the enigmatic Hardy was close to achieving singles Superstardom, the Undertaker would cut him off. The resilient, underdog babyface and ruthless, relentless heel told an easy-to-understand story that every fan could understand and the match benefited tremendously because of it. The dangerous high spots were kept to a minimum, thanks in large part to Undertaker, who is most definitely not the performer to execute the risky dives or take the dangerous bumps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_ANV_KiB9Q The finish was an incredibly hot one. Hardy had ascended the ladder and the crowd believed they were moments away from seeing a new champion. Undertaker again cut him off, grabbing him by the throat and dropping him off the top of the ladder with a chokeslam. The Phenom retrieved the title to the dismay of the audience and continued a title reign that began just over a month earlier. For Hardy, the match was his last gasp at a legitimate main event push before being released from his contract just under a year later. He would compete for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, all the while battling personal issues that would plague him throughout his career. Hardy would return to WWE in 2006 and finally win his first heavyweight title in December of 2008.
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.
