WWE releases top 15 SmackDown matches of all time list

To promote the upcoming 1000^th episode of Smackdown, which takes place on October 16 in Washington D.C., WWE.com has released a list of its top 15 SmackDown matches of all time.

Unsurprisingly, a large portion of the matches on the list took place during the first few years of the show’s upbringing. The first ever main event of Smackdown, Triple H vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship – which had Shawn Michaels & Shane McMahon as special guest referees – appeared on the list at number 12.

Nearly half of the list’s matches came between 2002 and 2004, and rightfully so. The ‘Smackdown Six’ thrived in the square circle and helped produce some of the most memorable moments in Smackdown’s history.

The ‘SmackDown Six’ consists of Edge, Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle.

In particular, Eddie helped create five of the top 15 matches, with his 2002 No Disqualification match against Edge topping the list overall.

Oddly enough, WWE barely mentioned any notable matches that appeared from 2005 to 2016. There was no mention of matches featuring Batista and his World Title reign, the Undertaker’s return to the ‘Deadman’ gimmick, or Rey Mysterio’s rivalries with Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, or CM Punk.

The one match the list does feature during that time period came in June of 2013, when Team Hell No and Randy Orton faced the Shield in the main event.

This match ranked third in the list, presumably for the shock value that an unstoppable faction like the Shield were defeated on free television rather than a pay-per-view.

The return of the brand split in 2016 happened to create some key dream and pay-per-view quality matches that appeared in the list, from the iconic clash between John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura, to the very recent No Disqualification match between New Day and the Bludgeon Brothers for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

The full list is as follows:

15- Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H – WWE Intercontinental Championship: April 12, 2001

14- Team Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri – WWE Tag Team Championship: May 29, 2003

13- Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch – SmackDown Women’s Championship Steel Cage: Jan. 17, 2017

12- Triple H vs. The Rock – WWE Championship w/ Shawn Michaels & Shane McMahon as Special Guest Referees: Aug. 26, 1999

11- Kurt Angle vs. Booker T – WCW Championship: July 26, 2001

10- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match: June 27, 2017

9- Eddie Guerrero vs. John Cena – United States Championship Parking Lot Brawl: Sept. 11, 2003

8- Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy – Cruiserweight Championship: June 5, 2003

7- John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Aug. 1, 2017

6- JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero – WWE Championship Steel Cage: July 15, 2004

5- Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Los Guerreros – WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 contender: Oct. 24, 2003

4- The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers – SmackDown Tag Team Championship No Disqualification: Aug. 21, 2018

3- The Shield vs. Randy Orton & Team Hell No: June 14, 2013

2- Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle – WWE Championship Iron-man: Sept. 18, 2003

1- Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero – No Disqualification: Sept. 26, 2002

What’s your favorite SmackDown match of all time? Let us know in the comments, on Twitter or on Discord today!

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