Best WWE and NXT matches of each year of the decade - Part I
The end of 2019 also marks the conclusion of what has been quite a decade in wrestling.
Whilst many fans would argue that recent times have seen a downgrade in moments compared to the heights of the Monday Night Wars, the quality of wrestling matches themselves has never been higher.
The era of the smaller athlete has seen an increase in high paced technical match-ups, meaning that the last 10 years have featured some of the most enthralling in-ring action of all time.
Before we motor forward into the 2020's and have a few dream matches in our heads for the upcoming decade, it’s important to look back and pick out our highlights of the last 10 years.
So here is the first part of our best matches from each year of the decade from WWE and NXT.
#1 2010 - The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 26
When you talk about a movie series, a sequel will often never live up to the expectations of the original. Whilst The Godfather and Toy Story can be seen as the franchises that broke the bold in films, the conclusion to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker’s WrestleMania series is one of the closest WWE has come to this.
The pair stole the show when they met the year prior at WrestleMania 25 in a clash fans still consider as one of the greatest wrestling bouts of all time.
As we entered 2010, it was clear that HBK was keen to try and avenge the loss he suffered that night, writing the one wrong of his storied career. The Undertaker, who was World Heavyweight Champion at this point, was less keen and wanted to move on from HBK.
So Michaels did everything in his power to make the rematch a possibility. When he was unable to secure a victory at the Royal Rumble, he stooped to new lows by costing The Phenom his Championship the next month at Elimination Chamber.
Taker was now motivated but wanted extra stakes before accepting the match. If he was defending The Streak, Michaels would have to put his career on the line.
With that, the main event of WrestleMania 26 was set in stone. Whilst the match didn’t quite live up to the encounter in 2009, it is still an outstanding wrestling contest when analyzed on its own.
What it had that the first match didn’t was emotional investment at every turn. For the first time up until that point, you felt as though Michaels could end The Streak.
As the match drew to a close, the respect both men had for each other came into play. The Deadman looked reluctant to end Michaels' career, much in the same way HBK had doubts about retiring Ric Flair, two years prior.
But with one slap to the face of The Undertaker and the most devastating tombstone you’ll ever see, The Streak lived on and Mr WrestleMania's career was no more.
It was a fitting way to end one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time.