WWF I Recommend

Maybe someday we'll be able to download full matches or PPVs from the history of the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment. That way we can make our own WWF(E) libraries and DVDs. Here are the matches I would suggest getting (by year). You can watch many of these matches now via the WWF's various DVD releases or their online "24/7" subscription service (for $3.95/mo):

[Please note that there is a difference between "WWF Title" and "World Title" & "Tag Team Title" and "WWF Tag Team Title" matches. The WWF and Tag Team Titles have much longer histories and are considered more prestigious than their counterparts (created when the WWF split itself into two brands: RAW and Smackdown!).]

Also, in an effort to preserve the integrity of the match and avoid spoilers, there are no "Champion" tags in the match titles and I have alphabetised the ring names. However, there may be references to the champion and challenger in the match description, so beware of spoilers there. I have tried to avoid that where possible.

1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008

1985
-Wrestlemania; The card of the first ever "greatest extravaganza" may not exactly be worthy of that moniker, but this is the first of what would become the greatest annual tradition in pro wrestling and it should be seen in its entirety. Plus, there are still some great (or at least interesting) match-ups including the future Doink the Clown wrestling Ricky Steamboat under his real name, Matt (Os)Borne; The Junkyard Dog VS Greg "The Hammer" Valentine for the IC title, the only major title match of the event; André the Giant and Big John Studd in a $15000 "Bodyslam Challenge" match; and of course the heavily hyped Hogan/Mr T VS Piper/Orndorff tag team match that definitely lived up to its billing

1986
-WrestleMania Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage VS George "The Animal" Steele; strangely entertaining match, watch it if only for some continuity for the following year's IC bout
-WrestleMania Boxing Match: Rowdy Roddy Piper VS Mr T; a rematch of sorts from the first Mania's main event--Piper is always entertaining to watch when he's in the spotlight regardless what the gimmick is
-WrestleMania WWF/NFL Battle Royale; It's fun to see a match that pits wrestlers versus non-wrestling athletes--not as "fake" as it looks huh guys.. especially entertaining if you're an NFL fan with knowledge of the 80s pantheon of football stars
-WrestleMania WWF Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan VS King Kong Bundy; Bundy gives his opponents all they can handle, including Hogan
-Maple Leaf Wrestling Intercontinental Title Match: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat VS Macho Man Randy Savage; outstanding first-ever meeting, and you knew something was special about their chemistry when the blood started flowing
-Wrestling Challenge Tag Team Match: Terry Gibbs & Jack Foley VS The Killer Bees; Yep, "Jack" Foley is who you think it is, in his televsion debut for the WWF--it'd be nearly a decade later of legendary experiences in Japan, Mexico, and WCW before Mama Foley's baby boy would be back.
-WWF Superstars Intercontinental Title Match: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat VS Macho Man Randy Savage; a career-threatening move puts one of these superstars out of commission for nearly a year

1987
-Saturday Night's Main Event 20-Man Battle Royal; this February 17th installment of SNM includes one of the best examples of outstanding match storytelling, as well as how to use a match to create new rivalries while promoting a hot PPV main event
-WrestleMania Hair Match: Rowdy Roddy Piper VS Adrian Adonis; billed as Piper's "retirement" match, this match may be more known for the moniker it would give to one known as Brutus Beefcake
-WrestleMania Tag Team Match: The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis VS The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana; it is always a treat to watch the Hart Foundation take on the Bulldogs
-WrestleMania Intercontinental Title Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage VS Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat; one of the hottest rivalries of the 80s nearly steals the show
-WrestleMania WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan VS André the Giant; it'll always be known for being the match pitting the "irresistable force" versus "the immovable object"--and for solidifying that phenomenon known as "Hulkamania"
-SNME Intercontinental Title Match: Honky Tonk Man VS "Macho Man" Randy Savage; this October match came about after one of these men declared himself "the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time"
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Macho Man, Jake the Snake, Steamboat, The Barber, and Hacksaw VS Honky Tonk Man, Hercules, Danny Davis, Outlaw, and Harley Race; Steamboat and Macho teamed-up nearly a year after their bitter rivalry was resolved, and just few months after HTM stole the title from Steamboat
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Hulk Hogan, Orndorff, Muraco, Patera, and Bigelow VS Andre the Giant, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, The Natural, and Rick Rude; make no mistake, this match is all about Hogan and Andre post-WM III (tho Bigelow was impressive)
-SNME: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS "Macho Man" Randy Savage; Savage looks for some vengeance two days after Survivor Series, and nearly two months after The Hart Foundation--allied with Honky Tonk Man--endangered Elizabeth and guitar-ed The Macho King

1988
-Royal Rumble Match; The first ever Royal Rumble pay-per-view and match. Since the tradition of granting a title shot was not yet established, the potential winner was wide open (and won by one of the WWF's most under-appreciated superstars).
-Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match: Powers of Pain, Rockers, Bulldogs, Hart Foundation, and Stallions VS Demolition, Brain Busters, Bolsheviks, Rougeaus, and Conquestidors; One team loses while another one gains a legendary manager. Also, this is very early Shawn Michaels match (and he's in it a lot)
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, Hercules, Koko, and Hillbilly VS Million Dollar Man, Bossman, Akeem, Haku, and Rooster; The Mega-Powers soap opera continues and its fun to watch them go further down that road to WM IV during this match

1989
-Saturday Night's Main Event WWF Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan VS Big Boss Man; A hidden classic and a rare WWF Title oppurtunity for the Boss Man, who certainly made the best of it.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hitman, Garvin, and Hercules VS Macho King Randy Savage, Earthquake, Bravo, and Valentine; Duggan and Savage had a pretty good feud throughout most of the year with Savage defeating Duggan for the "King of the WWF" crown. The Hitman was also very good in this match.

1990
-Royal Rumble Match; The best of the non-title Rumble matches--all of the big stars of the era were involved in this one, past-present-future.
-Survivor Series; The whole thing is actually worth watching because at the end there was a "survivors match" where all the survivors of the previous elimination matches wrestled in a final elimination match (got all that?). PLUS Sgt Slaughter is revving up for his big heel run, AND its the debut of The Undertaker. The final "survivors match" was 3-on-6...
-WWF Wrestling Challenge Intercontinental Title Match: Mr Perfect VS Rowdy Roddy Piper; It is always a treat to see Piper in meaningful WWF matches, and against such great WWF legends.

1991
-Royal Rumble WWF Title Match: Sgt Slaughter VS Ultimate Warrior; The first ever WWF Title match at this PPV was a doosy. The results set up all three participants very nicely for their bouts at WrestleMania VII (yes, I said "three").
-DiBiase & Virgil VS Dusty & Dustin Rhodes; This match is interesting for two reasons: this being Dustin's first major WWF appearance (who would become Goldust nearly years later) and Virgil turning on his long-time "master" (setting up an eventual match at WrestleMania).
-Intercontinental Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Ric Flair; I think this November 13th match was the first time these two met, and it really showed just how good The Hitman would be post-Hart Foundation. (Taped for the Invasion '92 video.)
-Survivor Series WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan VS The Undertaker; Really good match between these two characters and Taker really showed off parts of this repertoire that would become his classic form. Ric Flair gets involved to ensure a controversial ending.
-This Tuesday in Texas WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan VS The Undertaker; More controversy from this feud leads to President Jack Tunney stripping the "winner" of this match, setting up the scenario for perhaps one of the best Rumble matches in the history of the PPV.
-Prime Time Wrestling Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Ric Flair; One of Michaels' first significant singles matches, and against a wrestling legend.
-WWF Superstars Tag Team Match: Perez & Wisseman VS The Rockers; The only thing significant about this short match is the interaction--or rather non-interaction--between Michaels and Janetty.

1992
-Prime Time Wrestling Tag Team Match: The Nasty Boys VS The Rockers; Both of these teams were nearing the end of their runs, but both put on a great contrast of styles. Just six days later, Michaels would give Janetty the infamous Superkick through the glass window on Beefcake's Wrestling Challenge "Barber Shop" segment, officially ending their six-and-a-half year partnership.
-Prime Time Wrestling Intercontinental Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase; Great pre-Royal Rumble match-up between two superstars who rarely paired off in singles competition.
-Royal Rumble Intercontinental Title Match: Roddy Piper VS The Mountie; This match isn't so much a classic (it was barely five minutes) as it was significant and entertaining. The Mountie had beaten Bret Hart (who wrestled with the flu) for the title not two days before. Piper was hitting his stride as a full-on face and would win his only major singles title in his WWF career, setting up one of the top matches for the IC belt ever at a WrestleMania.
-Royal Rumble Match; This match is the only time the winner of the match would become the WWF Champion, and it is arguably the best Rumble Match in the history of the gimmick, both for the stipulation, because the way it set up several storylines for WrestleMania, and because the overwhelming response of having the WWF Title involved in the match--both by the wrestlers and the fans--meant the Rumble would directly impact WrestleMania (and the "wrestling season"), giving rise to the WWF's most popular tradition.
-Prime Time Wrestling: Kato VS Tatanka; February 3rd debut of Tatanka
-SNME Intercontinental Title Match: Rowdy Roddy Piper VS The Mountie; Who would shock the WWF in this rivalry triangle to determine Bret's opponent at WrestleMania VIII?
-SNME Tag Team Match: Flair (WWF Champion) & The Undertaker VS Hogan & Sid; Great storyline match two months from WrestleMania.
-Prime Time Wrestling: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS The British Bulldog; Solid match (less than three weeks from WrestleMania) between these two superstars early on in their rivalry
-Tag Team Match: Flair (WWF Champion) & Justice VS Hogan & Piper (IC Champion); It's so rare to see Hogan and Piper as faces fighting on the same team. Plus the top WWF champions are opposing each other, and Flair/Piper was a long-standing feud pre-WWF. (Taped exclusively for the Immortal Hulk Hogan and 1992 Battle of the Superstars videos.)
-Intercontinental Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Rowdy Roddy Piper; A cool match between two legends who rarely faced each other in their WWF days--plus involvement by both Sherri and The Hitman. (Taped for the WWF's 1992 Year in Review.)
-WrestleMania VIII; The best full card since 'Mania IV--Jake The Snake VS Taker...HBK's first PPV singles match...Tag Team Title: Money Inc VS Natural Disasters...IC Title: Hitman VS Piper...Hogan VS Sid (with a surprise ending)...WWF Title: Flair VS Savage
-Prime Time Wrestling Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc. VS The Bushwackers; The Bushwackers didn't get many Tag Team Title shots and they made the most of this one a week after WrestleMania.
-WWF Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS "Macho Man" Randy Savage; Solid match between a WWF (then) current legend and a WWF (then) future legend from Munich, Germany. (Found exclusively on WWF World Tour video.)
-Prime Time Wrestling: April 27; HBK VS Virgil (Yes, Virgil did have a handful of great ones in the WWF, usually depending on his opponent) and Savage VS IRS (in a solid Champion VS Champion match).
-Intercontinental Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS "HBK" Shawn Michaels; Another block in the foundation of this heated rivalry. (This match was taped exclusively for the Invasion of the Bodyslammers video release.)
-WWF Superstars Match: Brian Costello VS Tatanka; This is the match where "The Model" Rick Martel steals Tatanka's eagle feathers, setting up a feud that wouldn't be settled until Survivor Series.
-Prime Time Wrestling: May 4; Tito Santana/IRS in a 20-minute classic plus Bret & The Bushwakers VS The Mountie & The Nasty Boys.
-40-Man Battle Royal; These matches usually aren't this large, and if there was a King of the Ring in '92, then the winner certainly woulf have been in the Finals of that tournament. (Found exclusively on Bashed in the USA video.)
-WWF Superstars: Dave Roulette VS Big Boss Man; This is the match that set-up the much-hyped Boss Man/Nailz feud at SummerSlam.
-WWF Title Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage VS Ric Flair; A great rematch of WrestleMania VIII. (Taped for the UK Fan Favourites PAL video release.)
-6-Man Tag Team Match: High Energy & Tatanka VS Money Inc & Martel; a neat matching featuring Tatanka and Martel (who were building a feud), and also Owen Hart (who was soon to be repackaged as a singles competitor). (Found on the video Bashed in the USA.)
-Prime Time Wrestling Match: British Bulldog VS I.R.S. (Tag Team Champion); Bulldog was hitting a real stride in '92, and this match is a great showcase of the reasons why he was tapped to headline SummerSlam with Bret Hart for the IC Title.
-Prime Time Wrestling WWF Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS "Macho Man" Randy Savage; A great rematch that got the ladies involved (this was Miss Elizabeth's final WWF appearance).
-Prime Time Wrestling Six-Man Tag Team Match: British Bulldog & LOD VS Mountie & Nasty Boys; Power-packed, smash-mouth tag match from Munich on June 22nd.
-Prime Time Wrestling Intercontinental Title Match: Rick "The Model" Martel VS Bret "Hitman" Hart; A real entertaining match from Sheffield, England.
-6-Man Tag Team Match: Legion of Doom & Paul Ellering VS The Beverlys & The Genius; Neat tune-up match for both teams for SummerSlam (LOD were finishing up their WWF run at this point).
-Prime Time Wrestling Tag Team Title Match: Hacksaw Jim Duggan & Sgt Slaughter VS Money Inc.; Duggan and Slaughter made a great tag team and were downright dangerous with "homefield advantage" with this Independence Day holiday title opportunity.
-Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc. VS The Natural Disasters; This match changed the Tag Team Title scene in less than ten minutes. (Taped exclusively for the Grudges, Gripes & Grunts video.)
-Tag Team Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels & Ric Flair VS "Macho Man" Randy Savage (WWF Champion) & Bret "Hitman" Hart (IC Champion); Such a cool match-up of veteran and future wrestling legends. (Available only on the Grudges, Gripes & Grunts video.)
-Prime Time Wrestling: July 20; An IC Title match of Hitman VS Martel and a great tag match between The Beverlys and The Natural Disasters make this an exciting show.
-Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS "HBK" Shawn Michaels; The day after, Bret and Shawn kickstart their legendary rivalry in the WWF's first-ever Ladder Match. (This match was taped exclusively for the Smack 'em, Whack 'em video release.)
-Prime Time Wrestling Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Texas Tornado; Just a solidly cool match on July 27th between HBK and one of the legends of Texas's famous WWWF promotion (the "Texas Tornado" was Kerry Von Erich).
-WWF Superstars Match: Paul Van Dow VS Razor Ramon; Razor's TV debut.
-SummerSlam Spectacular Tag Team Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (WWF Champion) & The Ultimate Warrior VS The Nasty Boys; Warrior was named the #1 contender--plus it is always fun to see two major opponents forced into being tag partners just before their big match. This one would eventually include The Nature Boy (with Mr Perfect) on his quest for another title rematch.
-SummerSlam Tag Team Match: Legion of Doom VS Money Inc.; Great grudge match stemming from their untelevised Title match way back in February. This was the last LOD match in the WWF for several years.
-SummerSlam WWF Title Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage VS The Ultimate Warrior; There was a greater story here than just the Title being on the line.
-SummerSlam Intercontinental Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS The British Bulldog; One of the greatest SummerSlam and IC Title matches ever (from Wembley Stadium in London).
-Prime Time Wrestling WWF Title Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage VS Ric Flair; This September 14th match would finally settle this feud over the WWF Title.
-WWF Superstars Match: Tatanka VS The Mountie; Well-done match building on Tatanka's hype.
-WWF Title Match: Ric Flair VS The Undertaker; Funny to see these two hook up under different circumstances than both were in almost a year prior. (Taped for the WWF Grudge Matches '93 video.)
-Prime Time Wrestling WWF Title Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage VS Ric Flair; This September 14th match would finally settle this feud over the WWF Title.
-Prime Time Wrestling: September 28th; Just a good solid show with Money Inc., Bret Hart, and an interview with HBK and Sherri re: SummerSlam and The Bulldog.
-WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Ric Flair; Great technical match in front of a full-house Canadian crowd at a non-televised event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on October 12th. (But this match was available exclusively back then on the Smack 'em, Whack 'em video--and others.).
-Prime Time Wrestling: Joey Maggs VS Yokozuna; Yokozuna's debut (October 26th).
-Prime Time Wrestling: Crush VS Papa Shango; A good match featuring Crush after nearly a year off.
-WWF Superstars: October 31st; featuring Yoko's second TV match, Doink's debut, a vignette promoting Bam Bam Bigelow's return, and Janetty's surprise return and confrontation with HBK, preventing his scheduled match.
-Wrestling Challenge Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc VS The Natural Disasters; Excellent Title match with major Surivor Series implications.
-Prime Time Wrestling: Kamala VS Tatanka; A good match building up the Casket Match.
-Wrestling Challenge Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Big Boss Man; Boss Man's return to the active roster ten days out from Survivor Series. Things get dicey for Boss Man with Nailz at ringside.
-SNME Intercontinental Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS The British Bulldog; Surprise match, surprise ending.
-Ric Flair VS Tatanka; Here is a very cool rare gem (just for the Grudges, Gripes & Grunts video).
-Survivor Series; This was a pretty entertaining installment of this annual "WWF Fall Classic". Aside from the hot main event of a WWF Title Match featuring Bret and HBK, the PPV also peaked on the Boss Man/Nailz storyline, the logjammed Tag Team Title division, Tatanka's first major singles match VS The Model, Savage/Perfect VS Razor/Flair, and Taker's hilarious Casket Match with Kamala.
-Prime Time Wrestling: Bam Bam Bigelow VS Tito Santana; Part of Bigelow's WWF return hype.
-Big Boss Man VS Razor Ramon; A good match ten days before Christmas. Razor was on his way up the ladder while Boss Man was winding down Part 1 of his career. (Exclusive to Bashed in the USA.)
-Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc VS The Nasty Boys; Money Inc was really hitting a stride as a solid heel team like The Nasty Boys enjoyed a couple years prior. (Taped exclusively for Wrestlefest '93.)

1993
-Wrestling Challenge Tag Team Match: Jones & Tyler VS The Steiners; Rick & Scott's WWF debut.
-Royal Rumble Intercontinental Title Match: HBK Shawn Michaels VS Marty Jannetty; The conclusion to one of the most dramatic tag team break-ups ever
-RAW Career Match: Ric Flair VS Mr Perfect; The day after the Royal Rumble these two former allies through 1992, and wrestling legends, square off to send one packing from the WWF.
-RAW: The Million Dollar Man VS Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake; Brutus's first match the day after Valentine's Day sets up a nice WrestleMania feud and the return of Hulkamania for one last dance
-RAW 6-Man Tag Team Match: Tatanka & The Nasty Boys VS HBK & The Heavenly Bodies; A much better match than expected building up the Tatanka/HBK rivalry before WrestleMania.
-RAW WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Fatu; The man who would later become Rikishi--but at this time is one third of The Headshrinkers--gives The Hitman all he can handle before his date with Yokozuna.
-WrestleMania IX Intercontinental Title Match: HBK Shawn Michaels VS Tatanka; Tatanka was still undefeated and just coming off a RAW where he pinned HBK, and this was the Showstopper's first 'Mania singles match.
-WrestleMania IX Tag Team Title Match: Mega-Maniacs VS Money Inc.; Great emotional build-up leading into this match, and solidly entertaining despite that Hogan was seriouslly injured the day before.
-WrestleMania IX WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Yokozuna; Definitely one of the most unpredictable and memorable WM main events ever.
-RAW Intercontinental Title Lumber Jack Match: Hacksaw Jim Duggan VS "HBK" Shawn Michaels; After being screwed out of his first-ever WWF title shot the week before (May 3rd), Hacksaw gets HBK in a rematch, and under more favorable rules. Hacksaw wasn't exactly known for his tecnical skills, but this is one of his better performances in that direction.
-RAW: May 17; Between the controversy of Razor VS "The Kid", the explosive debut of The Smokin' Gunns, and the return of Marty Janetty to face his former tag team partner in a title match, this is rightly considered one of the best installments of RAW in the show's history.
-RAW King of the Ring Qualifier: Doink VS Mr Perfect; Not a lot of fans realise that Doink could be a dangerous wrestling opponent.
-King of the Ring; An excellent debut for this annual PPV, both the tournamnt and the WWF Title Match between Hogan and Yokozuna.
-RAW: Doink VS Marty Janetty; It's the night after KOTR and Doink just continues to impress--and both competitors are quite irritated with the other by match's end.
-RAW 2-Out-of-3 Falls Match: Doink VS Marty Janetty; this match ends this mini-feud, but what happens when Macho Man exposes the Mystery of the Double-Doinks...?
-RAW Intercontinental Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Marty Janetty; A barn-burner rematch between two bitter, former tag team partners.
-RAW: Bam Bam Bigelow VS Bret "Hitman" Hart; Jerry Lawler makes things interesting on July 26th when he showed up to verbally abuse Bret's parents (with mic) during the match
-RAW: Doink VS Macho Man Randy Savage; this August 2nd match was the culmination of many weeks of antagonism between both parties going back to WrestleMania.
-All-American Wrestling Intercontinental Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS "The Rocket" Owen Hart; A rare Title match for the younger Hart back in these days still. Owen was in break-out form.
-SummerSlam Spectacular Tag Team Title Cage Match: Money INC VS Steiner Brothers; with SummerSlam just eight days away this might have been the first ever tag team Cage Match--it was a doozy either way.
-SummerSlam "King of the WWF" Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Jerry "The King" Lawler; Bret actually wrestles two matches--Lawler pretended to be injured so he had Doink wrestle in his place before he was exposed and forced to compete.
-SummerSlam WWF Title Match: Lex Luger VS Yokozuna; this match was surprisingly well done and nicely hyped for nearly two months.
-RAW "Quebec Province" Tag Team Title Match: The Quebecers VS The Steiners; Newly on the tag team scene for the Autumn, The Quebecers had to be one of the most obnoxious and innovative smash mouth teams the WWF had yet seen.
-RAW Intercontinental Title Battle Royal; These are always fun, especially when the opportunity to win a major title is on the line--in this case, the final two competitors would face each other the following week on RAW for the title, vacated when HBK was stripped of the belt for disciplinary reasons. There are some future stars in this battle royal including Diesel (in his first competitive appearance), "The Rocket" Owen Hart, and Viscera (as Mabel).
-RAW Intercontinental Title Match: "The Model" Rick Martel VS Razor Ramon; Martel is rarely seen as much competition, but this October 11th match for the IC belt is certainly one of his best performances
-WWF Superstars: Ludvig Borga VS Tatanka; Unbeaten streaks are on the line in this Halloween match. Not a technical match by any means, but sets up a very important for storyline in '94.
-Survivor Series Showdown WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Yokozuna; A nice subtle build-up match both for the event and the coming stormy waters betweeb the Hart brothers.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Razor, Janetty, Macho Man, and 1-2-3 Kid VS Diesel, I.R.S., Martel, and Adam Bomb; This match was crowded with some great period IC Title history--Razor had beaten Martel for the vacant IC title (and then again three weeks later), he and I.R.S. were involved in a healthy feud over the year (and that would continue), and Razor's next significant challenger for his Title would be Diesel (appearing here in his first WWF PPV). Also, it was Diesel that cut Janetty's title reign short when he interfered on HBK's behalf (being Shawn's bodyguard). And finally, a major new tag team would be borne from this match who would go on to win the Tag Team Titles in an upset the following year on RAW.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Hart Family VS Shawn Michaels & His Knights; The reasons to watch this match are 1) to see Michaels return from his suspension to take on the Hart family (which includes Bret and Owen) and 2) because this match plants the seed of the exceptional Bret/Owen feud that would dominate the following year. (NOTE: The match was supposed to feed the Hart/Lawler feud, hence the "His Knights" billing, but Lawler was pulled do to a legal issue at the time.)
-RAW: November 29; The first-ever encounter between Diesel and Razor Ramon that ends as a four-man ruckus, The Hitman being awarded Superstar of the Year, and Owen Hart's first RAW and post-SSeries match make this one of '93's best RAW broadcasts.
-RAW: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS 1-2-3 Kid; A result of a confrontation from the following week, the Kid gives HBK a solid challenge. And then Shawn decides to send a message to Razor by using the current IC champ's patented finisher...

1994
-Royal Rumble; This entire event was pretty quality when one understands that Tatanka and Bigelow had a pretty solid feud going in '93; the Tag Team Title match that followed involving the Hart Brothers set the stage for their year-long feud thanks to an awesome emotional performance by Owen; Razor and I.R.S. had a good match, with HBK adding his presence to the mix; the Casket Match between Yolo and Taker had a pretty surprising ending, and included interference by a superstar that would have a pretty major feud with Taker down the road; and the Rumble match included the debut of a few future superstars and the Rumble's first controversial ending that resulted in the only scheduled double-main event for the WWF Title at WrestleMania X.
-Survivor Series; invest in this edition of WWF's annual fall classic despite that there are two dud matches on the card. The opening elimination match is a barn burner and features the infamous segment of HBK chucking his half of the Tag Team Titles into a dumpster. The Casket Match is a rematch between Taker and Yokozuna and is great entertainment. And finally there is the forty-minute Submission Match for the WWF Title between The Hitman and Bob Backlund that is a stellar ending to the bitter Bret/Owen feud; and for old school fans who know how Backlund had his nearly six-year WWF Title run emotionally come to an end to the Iron Sheik back in 1983, this match is poetic.

1995
Royal Rumble Intercontinental Match: "Double J" Jeff Jarrett VS Razor Ramon; This is probably one of the best matches that Jarrett ever had in the WWF. Look for Jarrett's sidekick "The Roadie" who would become a major tag team star of the late 90s.
-Royal Rumble WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Diesel; Part II in this excellent rivalry between these two superstars, with both competitor's having their histories play integral roles in the match's final outcome.
-Survivor Series No DQs WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Diesel; After nearly a year of chasing the WWF Championship, Bret uses his wit (and not the Sharpshooter) to bring down Big D. A fantastic and more "hardcore" match than the WWF was known to put on. Many fans believe that the subtle beginning of Hart's mental change into the character he would become full time by the end of '96 was shown in this match as he was uncharacteristicly ruthless.
-IYH "Season's Beatings" WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS The British Bulldog; One of the best matches of the year, this was a bloody and physical confrontation equally as good as their IC Title match at SummerSlam '92. Again, no Sharpshooter finish made this match unpredictable.

1996
-Royal Rumble; This edition of the PPV is one of the more solid ones in its entirety. The Rumble match is one of the most entertaining, and includes the debut of Austin (in his short-lived persona, The Ringmaster) and the uncontrollable, Vader; The Smokin' Gunns (and Billy Gunn in particular) were one of the WWF's best tag teams of the mid-90s and their match nicely shows off why as they face their old rivals. The match also plants the seed that would be the demise of the popular tag team; Goldust gets his first major title match against Razor Ramon, which also debuts the femme fatale, Marlena; Bret faces off against The Undertaker for the first time in an excellent match that directly sets-up WrestleMania XII and paves the way for more classic meetings between these two.
-IYH "Rage in a Cage": "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Owen Hart; Not only was Shawn's Mania Title Shot on the line, but the story here was that last time these two met (on RAW the previous October), Michaels collapsed in the ring as the result of an Enziguri delivered by Owen earlier in that match.
-IYH "Rage in a Cage" WWF Title Cage Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Diesel; Never miss a PPV match bewteen these where a title is at stake. That it's a Cage Match and a Dead Man is looming about, made the result of this one only that much more unique.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Rocky Maivia, Mero, Jake the Snake, and Stalker VS Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush, Lawler, and Goldust; This is The Rock's debut match and he is pretty well featured in the match. There is some good history in this match as The Rock was very soon to be the #1 Contender for Triple H's IC Title (mostly due to his performance in this match). A feud between Triple H and Goldust was also on the immediate horizon; and Triple H had defeated Marc Mero for the IC Championship not even a month before.
-Survivor Series Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Stone Cold Steve Austin; Austin was still pretty fresh from his King of the Ring tournament win, but he wanted to cement his arrival as a major superstar. The Hitman was on hiatus from the WWF after his Iron Man Match loss to HBK. With Austin taunting Bret with increasing ferocity week-to-week, Bret finally decided that Survivor Series was the time, Madison Square Garden was the place, and Austin was the villain to take out all his frustrations after a very tough 24 months. Sometimes respect is a better catalyst than a WWF Title, and these two proved that in this awesome match.
-Survivor Series WWF Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Sycho Sid; This is one of those matches where you have to pinch yourself to remind you that it isn't real. HBK's trainer, Jose Lothario, was at ringside for this one...until Sid got involved in the match and eventually used him to take Shawn psychologically out of his game--in itself a very rare occurance.
-IYH "It's Time" WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Sycho Sid; Bret is one of those wrestlers that can really elevate whoever his opponent is. Bret and Sid had some good matches, including this one, which had a refreshing ending.

1997
-Royal Rumble Intercontinental Title Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley VS Goldust; These two future stars engaged in an nice feud that officially started with this match.
-Royal Rumble Match; Not the best Rumble match in terms of the talent pool, but still very signficant to indivdual personas in its later stages and probably the most controversial of all of them (it stands as the only Rumble match where the final decision was eventually negated and the final minutes forced to be replayed the following month). If anything, this match poured fuel on the fire of the Hart/Austin rivalry, and is considered by most fans to be the beginning of The Hitman's poetic downward spiral.
-Royal Rumble WWF Title Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Sycho Sid; The return championship match after their dramatic confrontation at Survior Series. Added to the mix in that Shawn is competing with a bad case of the flu in his hometown of San Antonio.
-RAW Intercontinental Title Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley VS Rocky Maivia; The first-ever (rarely seen) one-on-one match-up between these two future megastars. The result of this match would create one of the best heels of the late 90s.
-IYH "Final Four" Intercontinental Title Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley VS Rocky Maivia; The beginning of the bitter rivalry begins between these two.
-IYH "FInal Four" WWF Title Four Corners Match: Hitman VS Stone Cold VS The Undertaker VS Vader; This match essentially rebooted the closing minutes of the Rumble Match, only this time the winner would be WWF Champion (after HBK infamously vacated the title after finding out he was to be booked in a return match at WrestleMania with arch-rival, Bret Hart).
-RAW WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Sycho Sid; This match is not here for quality but for its significant role in shaping the 'Mania picture after HBK's sudden departure.
-RAW WWF Title Cage Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Sycho Sid; After this championship rematch, Bret lets loose on a very real emotional, profanity-laden rant.
-RAW Street Fight Bret "Hitman" Hart VS Stone Cold; One of the most emotionally charged matches you will ever see in the history of RAW. This match took place about a month after their match at WM 13. It started in the ring and ended up in an ambulance.
-RAW Triple H VS Cactus Jack; This was Cactus Jack's debut in the WWF. The match was a "quick classic" that would act as a precursor to their hot rivalry in early 2000. Hunter's face when that music hits is great stuff.
-IYH "Badd Blood" Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker VS "HBK" Shawn Michaels; The first-ever "Hell in a Cell" match was designed to do three things: 1) settle the Taker/HBK feud that started at SummerSlam, 2) determine a #1 Contender for a WWF Title match at Survivor Series, and 3) do it all as painfully and bloodily as possible. This match delivered two-and-a-half of the three, and raises "cain"...literally.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: New Age Outlaws and Godwinns VS Headbangers and Blackjacks; The New Age Outlaws had been together for barely two weeks, but this match shows quickly just why these two guys would come to dominate tag team wrestling for the next two years; within a few weeks NAO would defeat LOD and be the Tag Team Champions. An action-packed match by four solid tag teams.
-Survivor Series Match: Mankind VS Kane; Kane's debut match; it was also unique in that the whole match was performed in a darkened arena with the ring illuminated by an eerie red light.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Legion of Doom, Ahmed Johnson and Shamrock VS The Nation of Domination; A brutally physical match displaying lots of power. This match is interesting from the standpoint that The Rock was hitting his stride as a full blown villain (plus he was in the midst of orchestrating a coup on Farooq for control of NOD) and Ken Shamrock used this match to become a major obstacle for "The People's Champion" through the 1998 King of the Ring.
-Survivor Series WWF Title Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart VS "HBK" Shawn Michaels; A match that needs little explanation beyond "Montreal Screwjob". A necessary piece of wrestling history regardless of the reasons, bs, and excuses surrounding its execution.
-IYH "D-Generation X" Boot Camp Match: Sgt Slaughter VS Hunter Hearst Helmsley; DX as an official group was just in its infancy here, and what a great harbinger match of what was to come from this group over the ten months or so.
-IYH "D-Generation X" Intercontinental Title Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin VS The Rock; The first ever meeting between these two future stars with a coveted title on the line. The match is short, but it does set up one of the more memorable moments on RAW where the champion throws the IC belt into the river instead of defending it in a politically-booked match.
-IYH "D-Generation X" WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels VS Ken Shamrock; A solid match between two stars with two very different styles, and a satisfying ending as well if you are a Bret Hart fan.

1998
-Royal Rumble Intercontinental Title Match: The Rock VS Ken Shamrock; This match kicked off one of the best feuds of the year, and is Rock's first major title defense.
-Royal Rumble Match; This was Stone Cold's match all the way and it is incredible fun to watch once he enters the match; Mick Foley becomes the first (and only) superstar to compete in the match as three seperate characters; Bret's brother, Owen (dubbing himself "The Black Hart"), is really hitting a nice stride and enters into a great feud with HBK's DX brother as a result of this match.
-Royal Rumble WWF Title Casket Match: HBK Shawn Michaels VS The Undertaker; Probably the best Casket Match you'll ever see. Watch for the point where Shawn is flipped over the rope, hitting the small of his back into the casket: it is that innocent looking incident that puts HBK on the shelf for over four years.
-IYH "No Way Out of Texas" 8-Man Tag Team Match: Stone Cold/Owen Hart/Cactus Jack & Terry Funk VS Triple H/New Age Outlaws/Savio Vega; An action-packed match featuring the hottest feuds going into WrestleMania. (Michaels was injured and couldn't compete.)
-Survivor Series; One of the best installments of this major PPV, this event needs to be viewed in its entirety. The event featured a 14-man tournament to determine a new WWF Champion after Vince stripped Austin of the Title. Shane McMahon stepped in to back Austin against his father, Vince chose Mankind, and both McMahons helped to provide one of the greatest surprise endings to a wrestling PPV ever.
-IYH "Rock Bottom": Steve Blackman VS Owen Hart; Blackman could have been such a great character if given half a chance and the right opponents (mic work doesn't always have to carry the day). Here The Lethal Weapon finally gets a good opponent, resulting in the beginning of a really good feud.
-IYH "Rock Bottom" WWF Title Match: The Rock VS Mankind; This match started one of the best feuds/rivalries in the 90's.
-IYH "Rock Bottom" Buried Alive Match: The Undertaker VS Stone Cold Steve Austin; By decree of Mr McMahon, The Rattlesnake is forced to beat The Phenom in one of his specialties in order to get into the Rumble. Given the way Vince was having success screwing Austin over leading to this point, this match is hardly predictable.

1999
-RAW WWF Title Match: The Rock VS Mankind; One of the craziest Title matches you'll ever see with a quality ending.
-Royal Rumble Intercontinental Title Match: Ken Shamrock VS Badd Ass Billy Gunn; These two (with Val Venis) engaged in a pretty decent rivalry as Gunn tries to prove that he has what it takes to be a stong singles competitor.
-Royal Rumble WWF Title "I Quit" Match: The Rock VS Mankind; This match got won a well-deserved unanimous Match of the Year, and the bitter feud was second only to Austin/McMahon in '99.
-Royal Rumble Match; As an huge Austin fan, the result of this match made me livid, and that's why it's on here. Excellent storyline writing.
-Halftime Heat WWF Title Fall-Count-Anywhere Match: The Rock VS Mankind; This very entertaining "empty arena" match took place during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII, just one week after their acclaimed Rumble match.
-IYH "St Valentine's Day Massacre"; Get this PPV whole if you can. See the title match that gave Bob Holly his "Hardcore" nickname... the IC Title Triple Threat Match was incredibly fun--most entertaining performance by a special guest ref (BA Billy Gunn) ever... the WWF Title Last Man Standing Match between Rock and Mankind was a great end to this hot rivalry... and Stone Cold finally gets his hands on Vinne Mac in a Steel Cage--Vince's official wrestling debut against his hated nemesis is a can't miss.
-Smackdown! WWF Title Match: Triple H VS The Rock; This was Smackdown!'s first broadcast and Triple H's first title defense. This Title match also featured HBK as the special-guest referee with a potential axe to grind with the leader of DX; The Rock also had legitamte heat for Michaels after HBK told the lockerroom (back in '96) that Rock would never make it as a star. You'll see one of the most devastating deliveries of Sweet Chin Music ever.
-Survivor Series Intercontinental Title Match: Chris Jericho VS Chyna; There were some crazy moments in this match, including a Pedigree off the top rope.
-Survivor Series WWF Title Triple Threat Match: Triple H VS The Rock VS The Big Show; Throughout '99 the WWF was putting together some great matches with unpredictable finishes. This was another one, prologue-ed by a mystery man/woman running Stone Cold over with a car and eliminating him from the match (to be replaced by Big Show).
-Armageddon; This entire PPV is worth tracking down, but if you can't get your hands on it then definitely check out the cRaZy 30-minute Triple H/Vince "No Holds Barred" match which ushers in the McMahon-Helmsley Era (and which debuts a familiar friend of Triple H's to this day), the final chapter in the Rock N' Sock Connection...errr...connection, the Tag Team battle royal, the Kane/X-Pac Cage Match that kicks their feud into gear, and the history-making IC Title match between Chyna (c) and Chris Jericho that would kick their rivalry up a notch.

2000
-Royal Rumble; Only 4 of the 7 matches are quality, but the mediocre/bad matches total less than ten minutes so see this PPV whole. This event has The Hardys VS The Dudleys, and is the next level in the foundation of the major year-long feud involving these two teams and Edge & Christian; Jericho, Chyna, and Hardcore Holly (who was gaining fast popularity due to his role on Tough Enough) would finally determine a single Intercontinental Champion; Triple H and Mick (as Cactus Jack) in a Match of the Year finalist officially kicking off their major rivalry; the Rumble match is arguably the most fun of any of the Rumble matches thus far (with a tiny bit of controversy thrown in at the end).
-RAW 10-Man Tag Team Match: Triple H, X-Pac, Malenko, Saturn, and Benoit VS The Rock, Cactus, Rikishi, and Too Cool; I don't remember ever being so excited during a match, especially when Saturn and Malenko were involved. Too Cool & Rikishi were at the top of their popularity at this point and I remember their involvement in the match especially.
-No Way Out; My friend and I attended this event in Hartford live, so there is special meaning there. But on top of that, the PPV was special. Kurt VS Y2J for the IC belt; Edge & Christian VS the Hardys for Tag Team Title rights at WM; Big Show VS The Rock for #1 Contender at 'Mania (with Shane O' getting involved); and of course, the Triple H/Cactus Jack WWF Title "Hell in a Cell" rematch with Mick's career on the line...
-Survivor Series WWF Title Match: Kurt Angle VS The Undertaker; A very entertaining match before Kurt became the crazy, bald, technical-wrestling wrecking machine. This match employed the "Intelligence" of his Three I's and was pure genius.
-Survivor Series NO DQs Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin VS Triple H; Stone Cold opened up a can on Triple H after it was finally revealed that he was the mastermind behind the hit-and-run on Austin at the Survivor Series the year before.
-Armageddon WWF Title Hell in a Cell Match: Kurt Angle VS Stone Cold VS Triple H VS The Undertaker VS Rikishi VS The Rock; This is one of the craziest matches I have ever seen and was easily one of the best of 2000. This match was a primer for one of the best years ever (creatively) for the WWF with 2001 approaching.

2001
-Royal Rumble; You want to see this PPV whole. Jericho/Benoit: These two always had great matches and not only was their Ladder Match for the IC title the best of their rivalry, it was also a Match of the Year finalist. Angle/Triple H for the WWF Title... Dudleys/Edge & Christian for the Tag Titles... Kane giving a breakout performance in an entertaining Rumble match...
-No Way Out; Another edition of this PPV that must be gotten in its entirety despite a couple matches that are duds (the Stevie Richards/Lawler match is actually rather good)--the Stone Cold/Triple H 2-out-of-3 Falls Match is outstanding, and Rock/Angle for the WWF Title was certainly memorable--especially given that Rock was expected to take care of Angle rather handlely. This was a breakout performace for the former Olympic Champion.
-RAW WWF Title Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin VS Chris Benoit; This match came at a time when Austin must have been feeling vey good physically as he pulled out technical moves he had not used since his early WWF days.
-Smackdown! WWF Title Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin VS Chris Benoit; Part II of the RAW match and just as good.
-RAW Cage Match: Kurt Angle VS Chris Benoit; "Match of the Year" finalist that features Kurt's now-famous moonsault from the top of the cage.
-King of the Ring Street Fight Match: Kurt Angle VS Shane McMahon; A match of the year finalist. And it is. It's probably on my list of Top Ten favourite matches. If many wrestlers brought half the motivation and dedication that Shane consistantly brings to a match, the WWF would be outstanding year in and year out. Angle is NOT one of those wrestlers that I am talking about and he and Shane probably upstaged the KOTR tournament ala Savage/Steamboat at WM III.
-Survivor Series; The WWF fall classic in 2001 was the PPV that would officially end the "Invasion" angle that had been running through much of the year. Not every match is a winner, but many of the matches unified (or in some cases retired) the many championship titles that had been circulating around and so the whole event should be obtained in its entirety. Even the WWF Divas benefited from the awesome creative direction of the company as the Women's Title Match is one of the best in the history of the Title. Everything came to a crescendo in the main event where the WWF itself was at stake. With The Rock on one side and Stone Cold on the other, it was very interesting to see how it was all going to play out. And then one of the team members pulls a major turnabout, providing an exciting and surprising finish on the event.
-Vengeance World Title Unification Match: Stone Cold/Kurt Angle/The Rock/Chris Jericho; This historic match is actually three matches. One to determine the WWF Champion, one to determine the WCW Champion, and one to unite the titles into the first-ever Undisputed Champion. All three matches were top-notch quality with a refreshing ending.

2002
-Royal Rumble Intercontinental Title Match: Edge VS William Regal; Regal finally gets a real feud with a real opponent and proves to be a real dangerous challenger.
-Royal Rumble Undisputed Title Match: Chris Jericho VS The Rock; An outstanding match--Jericho went into this feeling he had something to prove.
-Royal Rumble Match; The WWF finally provides the first star-studded Rumble since '92 complete with the return of Triple H from his career-threatening quad injury and the only 'perfect' WWF legend...
-RAW Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Eddie Guerrero VS Rob Van Dam; This was an exciting see-saw match that included Eddie taking out an overzealous fan in the middle of the match.
-Smackdown! Cage Match: Kurt Angle VS Edge; Brutal and bloody (with a great ending), this match was just further proof that Edge was main event material.
-RAW Undisputed Title Ladder Match: The Undertaker VS Jeff Hardy; No one expected much from this match, not even The Undertaker, which is probably why fans thought it was one of the best in the history of RAW. But anyone who knows Jeff Hardy shouldn't be surprised, and it definitely is worthy of Match of the Year honors.
-Survivor Series Elimination Tables Match: Jeff Hardy, Bubba Ray Dudley, and Spike Dudley VS 3-Minute Warning and Rico; Conisdered to be one of the best opening matches in the history of WWF PPVs, certainly the best for the Survivor Series since the '94 edition.
-Survivor Series Hardcore Women's Title Match: Trish Stratus VS Victoria; Another great Women's Title Match from the WWF divas! Victoria has a great "psycho bitch" character and a bleepin' awesome finishing move. Trish and Victoria had spent the last several months building to this match and it really showed in its quality.
-Survivor Series WWF Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: Edge & Mysterio VS Los Guerreros VS Angle & Benoit; An awesome tag team match at a time when the tag team division was starting to wind down due to lack of dedicated talent (hence all the singles tag teams). The match featured the Guerreros and the champions in several high spots.
-Survivor Series World Title Elimination Chamber Match: Triple H VS Shawn Michaels VS Booker T VS RVD VS Kane VS Jericho; The first-ever Elimination Chamber Match PLUS Shawn's first crack at major gold since he lost the title to Austin at WM XIV nearly five years before PLUS Shawn and Triple H in the same ring? All elements that made for a combustible and very memorable match.
-Armageddon Four-Way Elimination Tag Team Title Match: Jericho & Christian VS The Dudleys VS Booker T & Goldust VS Regal & Storm; This was the last time Booker T and Goldust would wrestle on a PPV. What a great run these two had.
-Armageddon WWF Title Match: Kurt Angle VS Big Show; Despite all the (unsurprising) interference given how Show won the title from Brock at the Survivor Series, this was a solid match, definitely the best one of Show's career as a Champion.
-Armageddon 2 out-of-3 Falls World Title Match: Shawn Michaels VS Triple H; Billed as a "Three Stages of Hell" bout comprising a Street Fight, Cage Match, and Ladder Match--and between two guys who absolutely wanted to tear each other's flesh off--this is easily one of the best matches/storylines of 2002.

2003
-Smackdown Match: Kurt Angle VS Chris Benoit; Another classic despite the fact that it was a non-Title match-up.
-Royal Rumble WWE Championship Match: Kurt Angle VS Chris Benoit; These two wrestlers always put on spectacular matches, and this one was probably was their very best, and certainly one of the best of in history of the PPV...perhaps even in the history of the WWE Title.
-Smackdown! Undisputed Title Iron Man Match: Kurt Angle VS Brock Lesnar; Considered by many to be the best match in the history of Smackdown!. Can't argue that it's one of the Top Three.
-Survivor Series Women's Title Match: Lita VS Molly Holly; I have always been a huge Molly fan and it was nice to see her solidify her reign with a solid match against one of the legends in the women's division.
-Survivor Series Ambulance Match: Kane VS Shane McMahon; Even a mediocre Shane-O match is worth watching.
-Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Austin - RVD , Dudleys, HBK, and Booker T VS Team Bischoff - Jericho, Christian, Orton, Steiner, and Mark Henry; The stipulation of this match was that Austin's position as co-GM of RAW (with Bischoff) was on the line. Austin and Bischoff hated each other going all the way back to their WCW days and they both got involved in this match. But the real star was HBK's stellar performance, especially when the odds fell steeply against him.
-Armageddon Intercontinental Title Match: RVD VS Randy Orton; Orton and RVD had been picking at each other for awhile before this match. There are a lot of things interesting about pairing these two together. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. The result is the official beginning of a lengthy IC Title run for the winner, and a rather golden night for Evolution. (Mick Foley's camoes as the Special Guest Referee for this match.)
-Armageddon Tag Team Turmoil Tag Team Title Match: Dudley Boyz VS Flair & Batista; The other teams in this match are La Résistance, Venis & Storm, Steiner & Test, Rosey & The Hurricane, and Jindrak & Cade. Not a great match, but here because 2003 didn't have much else except the evolution of Evolution.
-Armageddon Triple Threat World Title Match: Goldberg VS Triple H VS Kane; This wasn't that bad of a match, plus it's fun to finally see Kane get some serious main event coverage. And then there's the novelty of watching Golderg in the WWF facing two major powerhouses like himself.

2004
-Royal Rumble Last Man Standing WWE Title Match: Shawn Michaels VS Triple H; These two best friends officially kicked off a major feud with this match that would last through the entire first half of the year.
-Royal Rumble Match; Unarguably the best Rumble match since 1992 both in terms of story and participants. This was a year when the WWE finally started giving title shots and pushes to wrestlers who really deserved them instead of relying on the same old draws.
-Great American Bash Cruiserweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio VS Chavo; This is one of my wife's favourite matches and she sure knows how to pick them. Too bad such quality Cruiserweight matches are so rare in the WWF.
-Great American Bash WWF Title Bull Rope Match: Eddie Guerrero VS JBL; These two guys tore the ring apart in this match, and it helped that they had one of the best rivalries in the first half of this decade. A well-deserved standing ovation was delivered by the crowd that night after this match.
-Survivor Series Cruiserweight Title Fatal Four-Way Match: Spike Dudley VS Mysterio VS Chavo VS Kidman; Here's a great match to open a major PPV and brought some of the cruiserweight goodness that was part of WCW for so long. Lots of fast-paced, high-flying action. Get it, and enjoy it.
-Survivor Series Intercontinental Title Match: Shelton Benjamin VS Christian; Two of the WWF's most under-rated superstars in its history in the ring, in an IC Title match, proving why they are under-appreciated.
-Armageddon WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: Spike Dudley VS Funaki; Smackdown's #1 Announcer in a Title match against the dominant "Dudley boss"! And a pretty good match too (ignore the crowd).
-Armageddon Fatal Four-Way WWE Title Match: JBL VS The Undertaker VS Eddie Guerrero VS Booker T; By this time everyone is betting that JBL is going to lose his Championship any day, and this is just the kind of match to do it.

2005
-New Year's Revolution Tag Team Title Match: William Regal & Eugene VS Christian & Tomko; I really enjoy the team of Regal and Eugene, and they have good challengers here.
-New Year's Revolution Elimination Chamber World Title Match: Batista VS Benoit VS Edge VS Jericho VS Orton VS Triple H; An excellent match for the vacant World Title, and with HBK as special guest ref.
-Royal Rumble; A solid edition of this PPV all the way through: Edge and HBK were locked in a good feud... JBL was still finding ways to extend his title reign... Triple H and Orton was determined to hold Orton down... and a solid Rumble match capped the night.
-RAW "Gold Rush" Tournament Match: "HBK" Shawn Michaels VS Shelton Benjamin; Shelton had been on a roll defeating (or nearly defeating) the WWF's top superstars. I think many expected Shelton to do well in this match, but what they got was a Match of the Year candidate (and a clip of their match in RAW's opening credits). The part to watch for in this match is Shelton's amazing athletic leap straight into a Sweet Chin Music--the most devastating execution of a trademark finisher you'll probably ever see (in a sport that is labeled as "fake").
RAW Stretcher Match: Edge VS Kane; This feud ended with this match.
-Taboo Tuesday Intercontinental Title Cage Match: Ric Flair VS Triple H; Evolution is dissolved, leaving two bitter friends, each blaming the other for the team's demise. Plus Triple H had yet been truly tested against his wrestling hero. These two didn't take long to engage their bitter, bloody feud, and it was about to get bloody-er.
-Survivor Series Women's Title Match: Trish Stratus VS Melina; As the quality of WWF matches are slowly going down, the Women's Title matches are improving with each booking. This is another solid entry with two women who went into this match despising each other.
-Survivor Series Last Man Standing Match: Ric Flair VS Triple H; The second confrontation between these two wrestling legends. It was tough to live up to their Cage Match just three weeks prior, but they managed to do just that. Just when you are sure Flair should hang them up he goes and pulls out two straight classic matches.
-Smackdown! WWF Tag Team Title Match: MNM VS Batista & Rey Mysterio; A high-flying match that features mostly Mysterio versus the champions, and he pulls out moves in this match that are nothing short of A-MA-ZING.
-Armageddon Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker VS Randy Orton; This excellent half hour match concluded the best feud of 2005 (for Smackdown! at least).

2006
-New Year's Revolution Women's Title Match: Trish Stratus VS Mickie James; These two divas told a very good story leading into this match, and Trish is an awesome worker when you give her an opponent who (like Trish) prefers to wrestle rather than worry about her looks.
-New Year's Revolution WWE Title Elimination Chamber Match: Angle VS Cena VS Carlito VS HBK VS Kane VS Masters; The story of this match occurred after the match was over
-Smackdown! World Title Battle Royal; Battle Royals are always fun, and especially when there is a major championship on the line.
-Royal Rumble WWE Title Match: Edge VS John Cena; A rematch as a result of Egde's "oppurtunism". The match is but a chapter in the story of this very good feud.
-RAW #1 Contender Triple Threat Match: Big Show VS RVD VS Triple H
-Survivor Series Women's Title Match: Lita VS Mickie James; Mickie and Lita are two excellent competitors in the women's division, and both have done a lot to raise the bar. This particular match showcased both of their talents, especially given that it was Lita's "farewell" match.
-Armageddon Inferno Match: Kane VS MVP; This match felt a bit short, but it was still quite entertaining, and put a nice "check mark" on this feud.
-Armageddon WWE Tag Team Title Ladder Match: The Hardys VS Kendrick & London VS MNM VS Regal & Taylor; Originally meant to be a regular Title match between the champs and Regal/Taylor, Teddy Long kicked this one up a notch resulting in a "Match of the Year" of the year contender.
-Armageddon Last Ride Match: The Undertaker VS Mr Kennedy; First Orton and now Kennedy ends an awesome feud with Taker in a brutal match. 

2007
-New Year's Revolution Intercontinental Title Cage Match: Jeff Hardy VS Johnny Nitro; It's pretty rare that two tag teams can have a solid feud whilst two members are also have a solid singles feud. Jeff and Nitro really helped elevate this storied title to where it belongs.
-New Year's Revolution Tag Team Title Match: DX VS Rated RKO; Triple H is one of the most arrogant WWF superstars ever, but the man pulls off balls-y performances like this one and you gotta respect his dedication to the wrestling industry.
-New Year's Revolution WWE Title Match: John Cena VS Umaga; The Samoan Bulldozer was undefeated since his April 3 2006 debut going into this match. John Cena had lost just about all of his popularity from the "wrestling marks", which only seemed to make him more motivated.
-Royal Rumble: The Hardy Boyz VS MNM; It is sad that this match wasn't for a title or for a push. Joey Mercury was released soon after the PPV, making this the final match in this excellent rivalry.
-Royal Rumble Match; Worth it for the "mini-match" put on by the final two.
-RAW: Shawn Michaels VS John Cena; You know a feud is good when a non-title match gets "Match of the Year" nominations.

2008
-Royal Rumble; I suggest the whole PPV because it's really Part 1 of 2 for the Road to WrestleMania this year. It's not the best of the editions of the Rumble, but it's got just enough to whet the appetite for more, the wrestling is pretty quality, and entrant #30 in the Rumble Match was completely unexpected.
-No Way Out; And here's Part 2 of 2--unarguably the best installment of this PPV since 2001, and probably better. There are TWO Elimnation Chamber matches to determine #1 Contenders, because for the first time ever, the Rumble winner cashed in his 'Mania Title Match one month early.