25. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzKT0v16gWM Chris Benoit was a guy that fans rooted for to achieve ultimate success and grab the brass ring and it was awesome to see one of the diehard fanbases heroes be given the chance to shine by winning the Rumble from the #1 spot. However, the recipe to make the WM XX main-event a triple threat left a lot to be desired. Maybe it had something to do with triple threats always being kind of ho-hum up until this one redefined what they should look like, but expectations were not as astronomically high for this match, going in, as one might expect given the talent involved. Benoit, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels had to work hard to create a big match feel, for even though it was the main-event at Mania XX, there had been a lot of other matches on the card that seemed to meet or exceed it in hype. The hot crowd helped and cheers to them given that it was the longest wrestling program in modern WWE history at 5 hours but it took one HBK moonsault off the top rope to the outside to make it feel momentous in a hurry. What followed was the greatest triple threat and best Mania main-event, in terms of pure skill, to date. They changed the game and ushered in an era of top quality triple threat matches. HBK took another big step toward his Mr. WrestleMania moniker, Triple H finally had that awesome WrestleMania match that he needed to complete his resume, and Benoit won the big one and celebrated with Eddie in one of the greatest moments in Mania history, at the time. When Benoit flipped HBK out of the ring and then locked Triple H in the Crossface, the internet collectively held its breath as everyone amusingly wondered if Trips would give up the opportunity to end the 20th Mania as champion. The match has greatest ever credentials in some ways. Unfortunately, the picture painted for us about Benoit, now, is so negative that it is hard to escape it. Like it or not, the Benoit moment just is not quite as epic anymore; and since that is not as epic, neither is this match quite as awesome.
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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