Violence has always been at the very core of professional wrestling, but every once in a while a match will push way beyond the expected level of carnage. Over the years WWE fans have witnessed some of the most punishing, blood-curdling encounters ever seen inside a squared circle. This list looks at ten of the most brutal WWE matches of all time.
10. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy - TLC Match - Summerslam, 2009
Waging a bitter war in the summer of 2009, CM Punk and Jeff Hardy’s battle for the World Heavyweight Championship would reach a devastating conclusion at that year’s SummerSlam. With the belt suspended high above the ring, the two rivals battered each other with chair shots and multiple ladder tumbles. The highlight of the match was saved for last however, as Hardy tried to end Punk for good with a huge Swanton Bomb...through the announcers table...from the top of a ladder.
9. Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL - Judgement Day, 2004
Considered one of the company’s great brawlers, JBL’s transition to WWE Champion began with a feud against the late, great Eddie Guerrero. Battling for the title, their hotly contested initial duel took a turn for the gruesome as a sudden JBL chair shot split Guerrero’s forehead wide open. With blood spraying across the ring and the surrounding area, Guerrero managed to cheat his way to retaining the belt, but this match will always be better remembered for its horrifying imagery.
8. Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon - Street Fight - King of the Ring, 2001
9. Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL - Judgement Day, 2004
Considered one of the company’s great brawlers, JBL’s transition to WWE Champion began with a feud against the late, great Eddie Guerrero. Battling for the title, their hotly contested initial duel took a turn for the gruesome as a sudden JBL chair shot split Guerrero’s forehead wide open. With blood spraying across the ring and the surrounding area, Guerrero managed to cheat his way to retaining the belt, but this match will always be better remembered for its horrifying imagery.
8. Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon - Street Fight - King of the Ring, 2001
Representing the WWF in their battle against Shane’s invading WCW, Kurt Angle’s mauling of the young McMahon ranks highly among the worst beatdowns in the promotion’s history. Wrestling his third match of the evening and using his arsenal of throws, the Olympic gold medalist repeatedly sent Shane careening through the glass set, before finally finishing his foe with a devastating Angle Slam from the top rope. Both suffered legitimate injuries...unsurprisingly.
7. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian - TLC Match - WrestleMania 2000
A complete spotfest from start to finish, six of the WWF’s newest superstars became instant household names thanks to their crazy risk-taking in the first ever TLC match. Then known as a triangle ladder match, the teams battled for tag team gold, sacrificing their wellbeing along the way. Once the dust had settled, nothing but smashed tables, broken ladders, bent chairs and mangled bodies could be seen.
6. John Cena vs. JBL - I Quit Match - Judgement Day, 2005
7. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian - TLC Match - WrestleMania 2000
A complete spotfest from start to finish, six of the WWF’s newest superstars became instant household names thanks to their crazy risk-taking in the first ever TLC match. Then known as a triangle ladder match, the teams battled for tag team gold, sacrificing their wellbeing along the way. Once the dust had settled, nothing but smashed tables, broken ladders, bent chairs and mangled bodies could be seen.
6. John Cena vs. JBL - I Quit Match - Judgement Day, 2005
Determined to win back his WWE Championship at any cost, JBL continued his Judgment Day tradition of delivering brutal matches, this time against the then-young John Cena. Another hard chair strike from the former champion busted Cena open, creating similar gory scenes from the year before. This time however JBL would be on the losing end, but not before being slammed across his limousine, rammed headfirst into a television set, and finally smashed through a glass panel. Ouch.
5. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - Street Fight - Royal Rumble, 2000
The first main event of the new millennium was definitely one to remember. Defending his newly acquired WWF Championship against perennial enemy Mick Foley, Triple H did everything he could possibly do to defeat his challenger, wrestling under his ‘Cactus Jack’ persona. After smashing each other across Madison Square Garden for nearly thirty minutes, ‘The Game’ would eventually secure the hard-earned victory after driving Foley face first into a pile of thumbtacks with a crushing Pedigree.
4. Edge vs. Mick Foley - Hardcore Match - WrestleMania 22
Blaming Foley for the end of his first WWE title reign, Edge engaged in a hellacious war with ‘The Hardcore Legend’ at WrestleMania back in 2006. Nailing Foley with just about every weapon he and ally Lita could find, ‘The Rated-R Superstar’ soon had the veteran busted wide open. Foley rallied however, opening a payback gash on Edge’s forehead, and even throwing his young rival back-first onto a pile of thumbtacks. The carnage would soon come to an end however as Edge, again taking advantage of opportunity, would spear a distracted Foley through a flaming table for the victory. Hands down the most violent match in WrestleMania history.
3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Hell in a Cell - Badd Blood, 1997
The first Hell in a Cell match in 1997 dialled up the violence to a level never previously witnessed by longtime fans. Confined and finally separated from his DX allies, Shawn Michaels had nowhere to hide as he faced a vengeful Undertaker. The two made exceptional use of their new surroundings, culminating in a bloody and battered Michaels falling from near the top of the cell, crashing into the announcers table below. An unforgettable match, and one of the first major signs of the WWF’s transformation into a more edgier product.
2. The Rock vs. Mankind - I Quit Match - Royal Rumble, 1999
Concussion issues weren't so much of an issue when The Rock and Mick Foley’s Mankind met in their now infamous “I Quit” match back in 1999. Fully aware of his rival’s inhuman resilience to punishment, The Rock tortured Mankind with anything he could get his hands on. Eventually subduing and handcuffing, ‘The Corporate Champion’ would smash his opponent with eleven unprotected chair shots to the head. A shocking moment, heightened further by the fact that Foley’s young children were sitting ringside for the whole match.
1. The Undertaker vs. Mankind - Hell in a Cell - King of the Ring, 1998
Could it have been anything else?
Vowing to finally rid himself of his longtime nemesis, Mankind, The Undertaker achieved his goal in the most jaw-dropping of fashion. A match featuring not one, but two near 20-foot falls from the top of the cell, Mick Foley suffered a legitimate concussion, several broken bones and serious internal bleeding over the course of the legendary encounter. The match would get worse still for Foley as his desperate attempt to throw ‘The Deadman’ onto a pile of thumbtacks backfired, resulting in two successive chokeslams onto the dreaded pins.
A hardcore masterpiece that has gone on to become one of the most heavily watched matches in the organisation’s history. When it comes to brutal wrestling matches in the WWE, nothing comes even remotely close to this.
Honourable Mentions: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker - Hell in a Cell - No Mercy, 2002. Six-man Hell in a Cell - Armageddon, 2000, Elimination Chamber match - SummerSlam, 2003. Triple H vs. Ric Flair - Last Man Standing match - Survivor Series, 2005
Agree? Disagree? What is your favourite brutal WWE match? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below!
5. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - Street Fight - Royal Rumble, 2000
The first main event of the new millennium was definitely one to remember. Defending his newly acquired WWF Championship against perennial enemy Mick Foley, Triple H did everything he could possibly do to defeat his challenger, wrestling under his ‘Cactus Jack’ persona. After smashing each other across Madison Square Garden for nearly thirty minutes, ‘The Game’ would eventually secure the hard-earned victory after driving Foley face first into a pile of thumbtacks with a crushing Pedigree.
4. Edge vs. Mick Foley - Hardcore Match - WrestleMania 22
Blaming Foley for the end of his first WWE title reign, Edge engaged in a hellacious war with ‘The Hardcore Legend’ at WrestleMania back in 2006. Nailing Foley with just about every weapon he and ally Lita could find, ‘The Rated-R Superstar’ soon had the veteran busted wide open. Foley rallied however, opening a payback gash on Edge’s forehead, and even throwing his young rival back-first onto a pile of thumbtacks. The carnage would soon come to an end however as Edge, again taking advantage of opportunity, would spear a distracted Foley through a flaming table for the victory. Hands down the most violent match in WrestleMania history.
3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Hell in a Cell - Badd Blood, 1997
The first Hell in a Cell match in 1997 dialled up the violence to a level never previously witnessed by longtime fans. Confined and finally separated from his DX allies, Shawn Michaels had nowhere to hide as he faced a vengeful Undertaker. The two made exceptional use of their new surroundings, culminating in a bloody and battered Michaels falling from near the top of the cell, crashing into the announcers table below. An unforgettable match, and one of the first major signs of the WWF’s transformation into a more edgier product.
2. The Rock vs. Mankind - I Quit Match - Royal Rumble, 1999
Concussion issues weren't so much of an issue when The Rock and Mick Foley’s Mankind met in their now infamous “I Quit” match back in 1999. Fully aware of his rival’s inhuman resilience to punishment, The Rock tortured Mankind with anything he could get his hands on. Eventually subduing and handcuffing, ‘The Corporate Champion’ would smash his opponent with eleven unprotected chair shots to the head. A shocking moment, heightened further by the fact that Foley’s young children were sitting ringside for the whole match.
1. The Undertaker vs. Mankind - Hell in a Cell - King of the Ring, 1998
Could it have been anything else?
Vowing to finally rid himself of his longtime nemesis, Mankind, The Undertaker achieved his goal in the most jaw-dropping of fashion. A match featuring not one, but two near 20-foot falls from the top of the cell, Mick Foley suffered a legitimate concussion, several broken bones and serious internal bleeding over the course of the legendary encounter. The match would get worse still for Foley as his desperate attempt to throw ‘The Deadman’ onto a pile of thumbtacks backfired, resulting in two successive chokeslams onto the dreaded pins.
A hardcore masterpiece that has gone on to become one of the most heavily watched matches in the organisation’s history. When it comes to brutal wrestling matches in the WWE, nothing comes even remotely close to this.
Honourable Mentions: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker - Hell in a Cell - No Mercy, 2002. Six-man Hell in a Cell - Armageddon, 2000, Elimination Chamber match - SummerSlam, 2003. Triple H vs. Ric Flair - Last Man Standing match - Survivor Series, 2005
Agree? Disagree? What is your favourite brutal WWE match? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below!
All images courtesy of WWE.com. All of the matches included can be watched on the WWE Network.
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