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With the 2017 WWE No Mercy pay per view right around the corner, it’s time to take a look back and break down the top matches in the history of the show.
The 2017 WWE No Mercy is upon us. So far, six matches have been announced for the WWE Raw brand’s September show and it looks, on paper at least, like a potentially solid show. But if you look back in to the history of No Mercy, solid cards seem to be the norm. From 1999 until 2003, No Mercy produced some of the most consistent cards over the course of those years. The 2007 and 2008 shows were more of the same. And after an eight-year hiatus of No Mercy, the pay per view returned last year and churned out a card that produced two of the best matches of the entire year.
The following list contains that consistency. With the ten matches selected, they are spread out over seven shows. There are world title matches, tag title matches, and some good old-fashioned grudge matches. And with that being said, the 2017 No Mercy will clearly have it’s work cut out for it if the show wants to live up to it’s historical standards.
When the smoke clears after Sunday, we can sit back and determine if this year’s No Mercy measures up to the past versions. Here’s what it’s up against. Ahead are the 10 best matches in No Mercy history.
10. Edge vs Christian – 2001
Everyone knows the accomplishments of Edge and Christian as a team. They are seven-time WWE Tag Team Champions and sure-fire Hall of Famers (Edge already was a member of the 2012 class), so the duo is clearly one of the best tag teams to ever grace the WWE. Their innovative style and never-ending charisma made them two of the most popular superstars the wrestling world has ever seen. The team had a beautiful blend of humor mixed with heavy doses of violence unlike any other duo ever assembled.
But it wasn’t always roses for the team. From 1998 until 2001, they achieved huge success, capturing the WWE tag titles at will. But in June of 2001, Edge won The King of the Ring tournament and Christian appeared jealous. This boiled over when Edge captured the Intercontinental title at SummerSlam that year. Shortly after, Christian betrayed his best friend and eventually took the belt from him at the following pay per view, Unforgiven. So by the time No Mercy rolled around a month later, it was revenge time, and with two men who had some of the best ladder match resumes in the history of the company, this was a can’t miss match.
The result? 22 minutes of hard-hitting, car crash-like mayhem that saw Edge reemerge with his Intercontinental Title. And the story was told perfectly with Edge exacting revenge in the form of a con-chair-to on top of the two ladders, reminiscent of what Christian had done to him just two months earlier. The match had it all. It was violent, it was perfectly paced, and it told a great story of two former friends, turned enemies, prepared to do anything to win. That balance is very rare to come by in a gimmick match. But when two men like this go to war, that is almost expected.
9. Kurt Angle vs John Cena – 2003
When John Cena looks back on his career, chances are that he’s going to look back at this 2003 No Mercy match with Kurt Angle and realize that this was one of his most important matches. About sixteen months earlier, Cena debuted on WWE television, accepting a challenge from Angle and not only did he hang with “The American Hero”, he very nearly defeated him before eventually succumbing to a tricky pinning combination. Cena’s performance turned heads as all that potential seemed to come rushing out in this match.
So when they met up again at No Mercy, Cena’s personality had changed a bit. Carrying on with his “Dr. of Thuganomics” gimmick, he was now a heel and had some battle testing on his resume. Over the previous six months, Cena had taken on the likes of Chris Benoit, The Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar. However, his performances were a mixed bag at best. It was this 18 minute-plus, high-octane, back and forth battle with Angle that proved Cena could hang with the very best in the business. Sure, Angle carried him in spots, but the Newbury, Massachusetts native proved any of his doubters wrong when it came to his in-ring ability.
The match told a great story of the young, hungry, energetic kid taking on the gritty, vicious veteran who had already been to the top of the WWE mountain numerous times. Angle played the role perfectly, targeting Cena’s ankle and eventually getting the kid to tap out. But Cena, just like their battle before, almost took Angle out on several occasions. With the crowd firmly into every moment, this match turned out to be a gem. And with Cena now proving that he was primed for the big time, it was one of the most important matches in his career that has been arguably the best of all time.
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8. Randy Orton vs Triple H – 2007
The 2007 No Mercy pay per view was, for lack of a better term, wacky. The show opened with an impromptu WWE title match between Orton and Triple H in which “The Game” won via a roll-up. Having already been scheduled to face Umaga that night, Hunter then had to take on the 300 pound Samoan, this time with the belt on the line. He was successful again, this time using his patented pedigree for the victory. Hunter was then forced into triple duty that evening as Orton invoked his rematch clause in a Last Man Standing Match. As would be expected, Orton won the match and his title back. But their main event tilt was an absolute classic and the best match between the two in a rivalry that spanned over three and a half years.
Orton and Triple H took it to each other that night in Chicago like they never had before. And for the guy on his third match of the evening, Hunter went 22 violent minutes with “The Viper” – a pretty impressive feat for a 38 year-old. And the ending to this war was just stunning. With the grueling night wearing on “The Game’s” face in the form of the crimson mask, Orton nailed his patented RKO out of nowhere onto the table they were standing on.
Six months later, Triple H, still seeking revenge for No Mercy, won the belt back in the elimination chamber at Backlash. Great match, but not on par with what the duo did at No Mercy. When two men of this high stature batter each other senseless for the top prize in the company, the prestige of that belt can only get more important. For what was the beginning of the end of one of the best feuds in WWE history, it’s legacy was very well represented.
7. Triple H vs Jeff Hardy – 2008
At number seven, Triple H is back at it again, this time with a different foe. On paper, Hunter and Jeff Hardy wouldn’t seem like two guys with great chemistry. But something amazing always seemed to happen when these two got together and that was no different at the 2008 No Mercy. Heck, going back all the way until 2001, one of the most exciting moments of the year was when a then 23 year-old Jeff Hardy shocked the world when he defeated “The Game” for the Intercontinental Title on an episode of SmackDown. And sure, Hunter got the belt back six days later on Raw, but it proved that the WWE was high on the younger Hardy brother.
Fast forward to seven years later where the duo was pitted in a world title program and the first of Jeff’s chances happening at No Mercy. Triple H, the much larger, lumbering opponent against an under-sized, high-flying, risk-taker, didn’t exactly scream brilliance. But apparently nobody told Hunter and Jeff that, as the two put on a clinic that night over the course of 18 minutes as they took each others best shots and just kept coming. Hardy brought Hunter to the brink on several occasions, including in the ending sequence when a lazy pinning attempt cost “The Enigmatic One” the match.
This was unquestionably, up until this point in his career, Hardy’s defining moment as a singles wrestler. He proved that he could hang with one of the greatest champions in the sports history which showed that he was world title material, a dream that he had been chasing in the WWE for over a decade. He would use this match as a springboard to his first world title just 2 months later as he defeated Hunter and Edge at Armageddon. When a match can accomplish so much and at the same time dazzle the fans, you know something brilliant went on. And that’s exactly what happened that night in Portland, Oregon.
6. Chris Jericho vs The Rock – 2001
In the fall of 2001, the WWE was in a really good place. Shortly after buying WCW, thus winning The Monday Night Wars, the company had not only their best roster to date, but were putting out some of their best material. With the WCW Championship now being contested in the WWE, the battle for that belt had endless challengers. So when The Rock won it from Booker T two months earlier at SummerSlam, he was seen as a marked man. That’s when Jericho came knocking and after a huge buildup, the match was set for the 2001 No Mercy pay per view.
So here’s where this match is a little different than the rest of the matches on this list. Was this a brilliant wrestling match? No. It was however, really, really good. Anytime you have two pros like this battling each other while at the top of their game, expect fireworks. But what sets this match apart is what it represented. In one corner you had The Rock. A multiple time WWE champion and bona fide superstar baby face of the company.
On the other side you had Jericho. An absolute heat magnet that was signed by the WWE after WCW never believed in his main event ability. It was apparent on his entrance to the WWE that the kid was destined to be one of the greats. So his match with “The Great One” at No Mercy wasn’t just any match. It was a can’t-miss event, and the fans in attendance at the Sarvis Center in St. Louis reacted accordingly.
The end was a marred a bit by Stephanie McMcahon’s interference, but the win for Jericho meant so much more than just his first world title. It was an introduction to the main event scene; one he’d be near or around for the next 15 years. Not every great match in WWE history is remembered for blood and savagery. Some of the greats are remembered for what they meant to the company and this match was that and then some. A great match between two legends in front of a raucous crowd and a huge match feeling. Sometimes that’s all you need.
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5. Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz – 2016
Coming in at number five is a battle between two of the more underrated workers in the entire company. Say what you want about The Miz, but he’s been one of, if not, the best and most consistent heel on the roster for the past eight years. And we all the know story of Ziggler, right? One of the most physically gifted superstars to ever grace the squared circle, “The Show-Off” has spent most of his WWE career fighting an uphill battle against the powers that be, who he feels have held him down. Both of those stories were on full display during this “Title vs Career” match at last year’s No Mercy.
In the months leading up to this match, The Miz had defeated Ziggler on numerous occasions with the help of his wife and manager, Maryse. At his wits end and seemingly out of options, Ziggler put his career on the line for one more shot at Miz’s Intercontinental Title. Unable to give up the opportunity to put that on his resume, the champion accepted. With this added stipulation, the feud suddenly went from somewhat annoying to exceedingly serious and the weeks leading up to it were intense.
So when the night arrived at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, the 14,000 fans in attendance were salivating for this match, were firmly in Dolph’s corner, and it showed. Ziggler exuded so much passion and desire to win that it brought the story line to life as he kicked out of three different pins that looked like the end for him. And of course The Miz was brilliant, baiting the crowd and continuously humiliating the challenger. The ending with The Spirit Squad and Maryse getting involved only for that be The Miz’s downfall was just brilliant. This match at the 2016 No Mercy proves that smart booking and passion for the sport can almost always prevail.
4. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker – 2002
Nearly 12 years before Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania unbeaten streak, the duo took part in a violent feud during the early Fall of 2002. Lesnar, just 25 years old at the time and fresh off his first world title win at SummerSlam, found himself locked in Hell in a Cell with Taker for the first time. The month before at Armageddon, the duo battled to a no-contest and this match at the 2002 No Mercy would ultimately be the “blow-off” match to this program. If Taker and Lesnar were trying to put an exclamation point on this rivalry, they did so in this savage, bloody feud that confirmed Lesnar’s mega-star status.
In the history of Hell in a Cell matches, this war easily sneaks into the top three, with one of Taker’s others against Shawn Michaels in 1997 and the other being the Batista/Triple H bout in 2005. This match had everything an HIAC should have. There was blood, weapons, and heavy levels of suspense. Both men absorbed all sorts of punishment, and by the time Lesnar put Taker away with an F-5, the 10,000 fans in attendance in Little Rock had their fill.
Not only did this match captivate its audience with an exceedingly heavy dose of havoc, it capped off one of the most impressive initial seven months in the company for Lesnar. Coming in relatively green, “The Beast Incarnate” not only took out The Undertaker and The Rock, but also the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, and Chris Benoit among others. To get put over by that type of talent was a testament to what most felt the future held for Lesnar. It’s no wonder even 15 years later, he’s still just as dominant as we was back then.
3. The Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian – 1999
At Wrestlemania 2000 and the following SummerSlam, The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian competed against each other in two of the most iconic hardcore matches of all time. The first match, a Triple Threat ladder match at ‘Mania led to the first ever TLC match at SummerSlam. Both matches were hailed by fans and critics as some of the most brilliantly innovative matches of all time and made four of the six competitors superstars. But about six months before WrestleMania, Edge & Christian, along with The Hardy Boyz, set the wheels in motion for both of those matches with this classic from the 1999 No Mercy.
Battling in a ladder match for a briefcase holding $100,000 and a contract for the managerial services of Terri Runnels, these four future world champions went at it tooth and nail in the first match of its type. After an enthralling 16 and a half minutes, all four men had given everything they had and sacrificed their bodies, as well as their well-being, for the sake of the business. The Hardyz prevailed, but really, everyone was a winner that night.
Because the two future matches were on larger stages, this match tends to get forgotten, which is a shame. It’s just about as good as the more popular two, but those two wouldn’t have existed without this one. Call it a “spotfest”, call it a “train wreck”, but this battle did more for the tag team division in that era than any other match could of. And the fans in Cleveland ate up every moment. Who could blame them?
#2: Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels – 2008
To say Shawn Michaels has had a storied career is an understatement – as is saying that he’s been in a couple of pretty personal feuds. Programs with Marty Jannetty, Diesel, Triple H, and Bret Hart, to name a few, have shown the intense side of “The Heartbreak Kid”. But arguably, his most personal, bitter rivalry was with Chris Jericho in 2008. Beginning in April of that year, the duo started a feud that would last about six months and saw the two trade victories by battering the other unconscious, Jericho punching Michaels’ wife, and HBK come staggeringly close to capturing the WWE Championship. The rivalry was captivating, with Michaels playing the best baby face of his life and Jericho doing the same as a heel.
The end of this rivalry culminated at the 2008 No Mercy show in what would go down as one of the greatest ladder matches in WWE history. Deservedly the Wrestling Observer Newsletter consensus match of the year, Y2J and HBK brought six months worth of anger and rage into the main event on this night. Michaels spent a good portion of the match just punishing his foe and forgetting about the belt hovering above the ring. And the ending sequence of the two tugging for the strap while perched on ladders is one of No Mercy’s most iconic moments ever.
The feud between Michaels and Jericho was a throwback to old school pro wrestling story lines. Today, the line between good and evil is consistently blurred. But back in 2008 Jericho made sure there was no gray area as he was the most conniving, evil version of himself that he’d ever been. And Michaels, still wrestling in his mid-40’s proved he still had plenty left to give the industry. Absolutely brilliant stuff.
1. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs Edge and Rey Mysterio – 2002
Simply put, this is the best tag team match in WWE history. That’s right, two teams who didn’t have a wealth of experience tagging together, going at it in the finals of a tournament for one of the two brands tag titles – and not on one of the major four pay per views – managed to pull off the best tag match of all time. But that’s exactly what happened when Edge, Mysterio, Angle, and Benoit got together at the 2002 No Mercy. These were four men who either had been – or would eventually be – world champions went to war in one of the fastest, smoothest, perfectly constructed tag bouts ever.
And if this was the best tag match ever, they might have also had the best crowd of all time. Almost every fan at The Alltel Arena in Arkansas that night stood for the entirety of the match, almost like they could sense greatness very early on. 22 minutes felt like three, and eventually Benoit and Angle walked out with the belts. When a match is that good, we all win. It really had it all. Speed, precision, strategy, story telling, drama. The perfect professional wrestling match cocktail.
Next: Ranking The Greatest Hell In A Cell Matches In History
Now, an argument can be made that the DIY vs The Revival match at NXT TakeOver: Toronto last year has overtaken this match as the best of all time, and that’s a legitimate claim. But let’s see how that much holds up over the test of time. 15 years since this match happened and re-watching will still take your breath away. After all, it’s four men with Hall of Fame-worthy resumes working together to create magic. If it were only always just that easy.