#9
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Bad Blood ’04
The former Degeneration X founders had several matches between 2002 and 2004, culminating here in the most brutal entry in their career-long rivalry. And while the match was certainly great, I think most readers will be surprised at how “low” it ended up on our list.
It’s hard for me not to be mildly disappointed in this match. Shawn and Hunter are my two favorites – ever. Especially after not one, but two absolute classics involving Chris Benoit and the World Heavyweight Championship set the bar so high, I was really expecting a 5-star affair the likes of the first Hell in a Cell between HBK and The Undertaker.
What they produced was quite good, but not quite as good as the street fight from SummerSlam 2002. Not quite as good as WrestleMania XX. To take nothing away from two greatest-of-all-time stars, it was still a solid final chapter closing the book on an historic rivalry. Top nine material, after all.
What could have made it better? If they had cut a full 10 minutes of the match, it would have forced them to pick up the pace between major spots. The crowd also wasn’t fully behind Shawn Michaels. Despite being a major heel, Triple H was edgy and “cool”. Evolution was hugely popular, and the fans were starting to turn away from respecting good guys simply because the story told them to (see: John Cena one year later).
