6. vs. Edge (WrestleMania XXIV)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9NCwa3S-VE It is easy to forget that the match for the World Heavyweight Championship that main-evented WrestleMania XXIV began building in May of the previous year. Taker was Edge's greatest rival. There was a quiet respect during The Deadman's feud with The Rated-R Superstar that permeated the airwaves. Edge was one of the rare opponents on "The Streak's" list of victims to come up through the ranks while watching Taker establish his WrestleMania reputation. He had actually been a bit player during the post-match shenanigans of The Deadman's WrestleMania XV triumph over The Corporation's henchman, The Big Bossman, riding Hell's Cell back up to the rafters as the eerily intense "Ministry of Darkness" theme blared through the Philadelphia loudspeakers. Perhaps more than any of his peers, Edge had a reverence for the history of the business, of which Taker was already so intricately involved by the time The Ultimate Opportunist had risen to his elite level. Every storyline chair shot, sneak attack, and screw-job seemed to carry with it an underlying desire, on Edge's part, to show Taker that he belonged on the other side of a WrestleMania main-event with him. Edge vs. Taker is the most underrated WrestleMania match of all-time. It was acclaimed, but to be such an excellent addition to the "Streak within 'The Streak,'" it sure does not get the public adoration that the others do. Inexplicably, it has gotten lost in the historical shuffle. It was an extremely well-balanced tale with storyline continuity adding to the plethora of near falls. If Taker's WrestleMania 23 match laid the foundation for the unprecedented run of Match of the Year candidates, then the night that he improved to 16-0 against Edge built the first story of what has become a mansion of critical achievement. Undeniably, Edge earned Taker's respect, as well as the respect of the higher-ups who position the players on the card; otherwise, Edge vs. Taker would not have been the main-event.
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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