WWE Match of the Decade Tournament: WWE First Round

With the first decade of the millennium coming to a close, we at Full Press Coverage Wrestling wanted to see what the best WWE or NXT match of the decade was. True to wrestling form, we put them in a tournament to see which would come out on top. Our picks for the NXT first round and the rest of the bracket is here:

We asked five of our writers for their first round picks. This time, we have their picks for the WWE half of the first round. Our five panelists are:

• Evan Gomes – Managing Editor, FPC Wrestling
• Javier Melo – Contributor, FPC Wrestling
• Jhalon Heath – Contributor, FPC Wrestling
• Kaden Hanafi – Contributor, FPC Wrestling
• Ryan Adverderada – Managing Editor, Cardinals/49ers & Contributor, FPC Wrestling

First Round Match:

Undertaker vs Triple H, Hell in a Cell, Wrestlemania 28 (2012)
vs
John Cena vs A.J. Styles, Royal Rumble (2017)

• Evan: Cena-Styles
• Kaden: Cena-Styles
• Jhalon: Cena-Styles
• Javier: Cena-Styles
• Ryan: Undertaker-HHH

Kaden: I thought about going with Taker vs HHH, but I can’t leave out A.J. Styles from this list.

Jhalon: In terms of emotion, Taker vs Triple H was the surefire way to go, but Cena vs Styles had so much riding on it. It was one of the best pure wrestling matches of this decade and Big Match John avenged his 2 losses to A.J. with his 16th championship, tying the Nature Boy. 

Ryan: Undertaker/Triple H was a long time coming. Both men served as cornerstones of the company for so long and it goes without saying how much of a Taker fan that I am. I appreciate the meaning of Cena/Styles but this just meant more for the company. 

First Round Match:

Undertaker vs Shawn Micheals, Streak vs Career, Wrestlemania 26 (2010)
vs
Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz, Career vs Title, Backlash (2016)

• Evan: Undertaker-Michaels
• Kaden: Undertaker-Michaels
• Jhalon: Undertaker-Michaels
• Javier: Undertaker-Michaels
• Ryan: Undertaker-Michaels

Evan: 2016 SmackDown was an amazing time for the weekly product, and it is a testament to Miz & Ziggler that they had the best match of that era. The emotion was high, and the stakes felt real. However, the stakes don’t get any more real than The Streak versus Shawn Michaels’ legendary career. It is one of the best long stories WWE has ever told, so Undertaker-Michaels gets the nod.

Javier: I’m upset that their Wrestlemania 25 match doesn’t count because it is better, but Michaels and Taker take this one. The Miz and Ziggler storyline was the best part of that fall in WWE in during that first portion of the draft split. That Backlash show was a gem. That said, nothing beats Shawn Michaels all out, and that’s exactly what he did against Taker.

Ryan: Undertaker/Michaels never failed to stun. Both men were long past their primes but both gave us an incredible Wrestlemania moment. Again, it’s a matter of the history and buildup that makes this special. 

First Round Match:

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte, Last Woman Standing, Evolution (2018)
vs
Shield vs Wyatt Family, Elimination Chamber (2014)

• Evan: Shield-Wyatts
• Kaden: Lynch-Charlotte
• Jhalon: Lynch-Charlotte
• Javier: Shield-Wyatts
• Ryan: Lynch-Charlotte

Jhalon: Two of the best female in ring workers of this era, in a career defining match. An instant classic on the first ever all women WWE PPV 

Javier: As I mentioned earlier, I am a total mark for tag team wrestling. Nothing is better than a pure car wreck tag team match and that is exactly what the Shield and the Wyatts gave us that night. The Last Woman Standing match is one of the greatest women’s matches of all time, but that tag match is easily one of the best I’ve seen. It was close, but the two teams edged out the women.

Ryan: Lynch/Charlotte is historic. It’s that simple.

First Round Match:

John Cena vs CM Punk, Money in the Bank (2011)
vs
Asuka vs Charlotte vs Becky Lynch, TLC (2018)

• Evan: Cena-Punk
• Kaden: Cena-Punk
• Jhalon: Cena-Punk
• Javier: Cena-Punk
• Ryan: Cena-Punk

Evan: The entrance of CM Punk during his match in Chicago is one of the greatest entrances of all time. It is one of the best examples of a “big fight feel” in professional wrestling. Yes, the Summer of Punk was squandered. This match, however, was one of the best of all time.

Kaden:  I love the women’s TLC match, but it unfortunately had to go against arguably the best WWE match of all time. This was the last 5 star WWE match and was booked amazingly. Everything about this was just great.

Javier: I regret not making picks because I am severely disappointed by this assortment. That said, Cena and Punk at Money in the Bank is one of the best overall moments in wrestling history. Those two were magic that night. Asuka, Charlotte and Becky had a fun triple threat that really doesn’t deserve to be on this list. Punk and Cena go through and it better be unanimous.