EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: 5 Classic Ruthless Aggression Tag Team Matches

By @TrueGodImmortal

Today, for Tag Team Tuesdays, I wanted to continue looking at classics and greatness. With that being said, the Ruthless Aggression is the greatest era in wrestling and after covering Attitude Era Tag Teams, it was only right I return with a look at 5 classic tag team matches from the Ruthless Aggression era. Let's take a look at five classic tag matches from the best era of wrestling.

*Edge And Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit
(No Mercy 2002)

-I can't say enough about this match honestly. For two makeshift tag teams, you would have never expected their chemistry to be so solid. However, that was 100% the case here. Edge and Mysterio worked very well together and took Angle and Benoit to the limit, but it wasn't enough. There are so many great sequences throughout this match, and the ending was poetic with the tapout to give Angle and Benoit the distinction of becoming the first ever Smackdown Tag Team Champions. This would kick off the short lived but honestly legendary tag team feud with Rey/Edge, Angle/Benoit, and Los Guerreros as they would trade tag team titles and have multiple classics over the course of one month. I'll get to another of those classics in just a minute. Still, this match is always worth 20 minutes of your time, as it might be one of the greatest tag team matches EVER.

*Kane (and The Hurricane) VS RVD and Jeff Hardy vs Bubba Ray and Spike Dudley vs Chris Jericho and Christian
(RAW, October 2002)

-To many, this is known as TLC 4. RAW in the Ruthless Aggression era was pretty subpar overall, but this match was one of the bright spots in this era. It was supposed to be Kane and The Hurricane teaming up on an episode of RAW Roulette against tag team specialists and TLC veterans Jeff Hardy, Christian, Bubba Ray Dudley, who were without their usual partners. With Edge, Matt Hardy, and D-Von Dudley all on Smackdown, the three veterans of the stipulation got to pick their partners, and they didn't disappoint. Jeff picked RVD, Christian picked Chris Jericho, and Bubba picked Spike Dudley (okay maybe his choice was a bit disappointing), and Kane was left without a partner as the match kicked off. The Hurricane was attacked backstage and Kane went at it alone. After a long battle with a number of great spots and moments, Kane climbed the ladder and took down the belts, retaining the tag titles in one hell of a battle and one hell of a contest. TLC 4 was insane and doesn't get enough credit in tag team wrestling.

*Edge And Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs Los Guerreros
(Survivor Series 2002)

-Now, we can get back to the legendary era of Smackdown. There are so many matches I could reference, including a classic 2 out of 3 falls match on Smackdown between two of these teams, but this one was special. It was a shock, because as an elimination match, I fully expected the Guerreros to get eliminated first, but to my surprise, they didn't. The team eliminated first was my pick to win, Angle and Benoit, but I think it all played out the right way, because it took those two out of the tag title picture and put them back into the hunt for singles competition. The Guerreros picked up the win and surprised everyone, but the match itself was a true classic.

*Team Angle vs Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri
(Judgment Day 2003)

-It's impossible to talk Smackdown in 2003 without talking this match. Chavo got injured and Eddie was without a partner so going into this match, he needed a new partner. Look no further than Tajiri. Tajiri and Eddie together seemed like a bit of a stretch but together they worked in perfect harmony. Add in Team Angle and a Ladder to the mix and this was a recipe for a classic match. Through 15 minutes of hard fought action, some exciting spots, and all around great wrestling, these four men gave the world a classic and we got new tag champs in Tajiri and Eddie.

*The Hardy Boyz vs MNM vs Dave Taylor and William Regal vs Brian Kendrick and Paul London
(Armageddon 2006)

-The ending of the Ruthless Aggression era came shortly after this match, and this is the best match to end this list off on. What was originally supposed to be a standard two on two tag team match got turned into a Fatal Four Way tag team ladder match and the match woud end up changing a lot. Joey Mercury suffered a vicious injury through this match, and while that remains a highlight, the match itself was a great contest to watch. With each team bringing their best, it was a toss up on who could win, but momentum proved to be on the side of Kendrick and London, as they walked away with the win and the tag titles. The contest was a great way to close out the era of tag team wrestling in the Ruthless Aggression era, as tag team wrestling wasn't the same for nearly 10 years. That's why the Ruthless Aggression era was so great. It put a focus on what needed to be focused on.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 3:56 AM  No comment

EOTR Retro: The 5 Best WWE PPVs Of 2002

By @TrueGodImmortal

The year 2002 is my all time favorite year in professional wrestling. It's got some of the absolute best wrestling ever in WWE history, and was the year that the WWF officially became WWE. While the year 2002 did have some down moments (HLA, Katie Vick), for the most part, it was really good. With that being said, today I wanted to continue our retro series with a look at the 5 best WWE PPVs of 2002. What lands at no. 1? Read on and find out.

5. Royal Rumble 2002

-When the WWF was still around, the shows they put on were mostly consistent. The Royal Rumble was one of them. I debated heavily between the Rumble and Wrestlemania 18, but the difference maker was the classic WWF Title match between Chris Jericho and The Rock. That match alone was deserving of a top 5 spot, and once you had in a surprisingly solid match between Vince McMahon and Ric Flair, along with the Rumble itself, this was a really good card and one of my favorites on the year.

4. Vengeance 2002

-I wish Vengeance was still around because they have some really solid matches at the event. The 2002 event was the best in the history of the PPV, as the entire card flowed very well. Starting off with an underrated tables match between The Dudleys (Bubba Ray and Spike) and Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit kicked it off, while the Jamie Noble vs Billy Kidman match was also solid. The best match of the night and the highlight? The main event. The Rock, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker all in one ring at the same time? It's sure to be a classic and it was. The Rock walked away with the WWE Title in a massive triple threat that still stands as one of the best triple threat matches in WWE history.

3. No Mercy 2002

-I always enjoyed the No Mercy PPVs as well, and I think this is clearly the best edition of the PPV. It's crazy how that works isn't it? A lot of the best editions of a PPV happened in 2002. That's how good of a year this was for the PPVs and for Smackdown (RAW was horrible). Still, this event had a stacked card that started with Chris Jericho and Christian against Booker T and Goldust, and ended with a superb Hell In A Cell match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker for the WWE Title. The match of the night however? The excellent tag team title tournament Finals match between Edge and Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. This was one of the greatest tag team matches I've ever seen. Period. No Mercy is easily a top 3 PPV of 2002.

2. Survivor Series 2002

-Hailing from Madison Square Garden, the 2002 Survivor Series is.. (wait for it)... the best Survivor Series ever. It is a near perfect card, and the only bad match on the entire event came from Brock Lesnar and Big Show, and that match was just short, so perhaps it would have been better if given more time. Still, from the opening tables elimination match to the Women's Title Hardcore match to the excellent Tag Team Titles match and of course, the Elimination Chamber main event, nothing about this PPV disappointed at ALL. It was so close to making the No. 1 spot. That's how good this show is.

1. Summerslam 2002

-The best of the best. The greatest Summerslam ever. The passing of the torch. The return of the Heartbreak Kid. This event is special. Point blank period. The opening match between Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio is a classic, I enjoyed Chris Jericho vs Ric Flair, as well as Edge vs Eddie Guerrero, and I think RVD vs Chris Benoit is an underrated match as well. Still, the two best matches on the night are the two main events. The return of Shawn Michaels was legendary, as he defeated Triple H in an instant classic, and The Rock passing the torch to Brock Lesnar was epic in many ways. The fact that this event has no boring period and is consistent throughout, along with the big time matches makes this event the best PPV of 2002. Simple.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 2:21 AM  No comment