My favorite WWE matches I have seen at WWE Live Events Part Two

[Editor's Note: This is an update of an article I posted in 2011. Click HERE to read part one. I have seen about a dozen more matches at WWE live events since I posted part one.]

For this list, I have included every WWE match I have ever seen except for dark matches and house show matches. Basically, any match that was not televised or shown on YouTube is not on my list.

Ranking these matches were difficult. I didn't rank them based on how good they were...I ranked them based on how much I enjoyed them. All of the WWE live events I have gone to were in Chicago, IL at the Allstate Arena.

1. John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk (WWE Championship Match) [Money in the Bank 2011]

Analysis: This was the best match of 2011 in my opinion. If the Austin vs. Hart WrestleMania 13 match didn’t happen in Chicago, this would probably be the greatest WWE match in Chicago. This match has a great crowd atmosphere. A five star classic. Seeing CM Punk win the WWE Championship for the first time in his hometown is something I will remember forever.

2. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Heath Slater vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Kane vs. Sin Cara vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett (Smackdown Money In The Bank Ladder Match) [Money in the Bank 2011]

Analysis: I loved this match. It was 24 minutes long and it was exciting during the entire match. There were very few boring parts and there were many awesome spots. Everyone in the match did great. The crowd cheered Sheamus so much that I think that crowd reaction helped him turn face. Amazing Money in the Bank ladder match. Daniel Bryan won this match and the pro-Bryan crowd loved that.

3. Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: I really enjoyed this match. The crowd was HOT. The crowd was into the entire match and made the match feel epic. After two disappointing WrestleMania matches, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus finally got a full PPV match and they stole the show. Extreme Rules 2012 had three awesome matches and in my opinion, this was the best one. Sheamus had the best performance of his career and Daniel Bryan was amazing. If they had this match at WrestleMania 28, it would have been the second best match of the night. I would have loved to see Daniel Bryan win this match, but the outcome didn’t bother me too much. I thought Sheamus did a terrific job selling his injuries. If this match got a little bit more time, this could have been a five star classic. One of the few things I didn’t like about this match is that the third fall was only six minutes. I would have loved to see the third fall get ten minutes or more.

4. Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Chris Jericho (Intercontinental Championship Match) [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: This match was a classic. It was the first match of the classic Jericho-Mysterio feud in 2009. This might have been the worst match out of the three matches they had…that’s how great the rivalry was. I loved this match. It is my favorite match of Judgment Day 2009.

5. The Miz (c) w/ Alex Riley vs. Daniel Bryan (U.S. Championship Match) [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: This was a very solid feud in 2010 and Daniel Bryan and The Miz had a great match at Night of Champions 2010. There were a few really good spots and I loved seeing Bryan making Miz submit to the LeBell Lock. This was Daniel Bryan’s first ever WWE championship win in the WWE. It will probably be one of Daniel Bryan’s greatest matches when he retires and I am proud to say that I saw it live.

6. Sheamus (c) vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Wade Barrett (Six-Pack Elimination Challenge for the WWE Championship) [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: This was a really good match despite the fact Chris Jericho was eliminated in the first minute of the match! This wasn’t a classic match but I was a big Orton fan at the time so seeing Orton win automatically guaranteed that this match would be one of my favorite in-person matches. Orton became a 7th time WWE Champion and this was the first time I saw the WWE Championship change hands. I am proud to say that I witnessed WWE history. This match featured four future Hall of Famers (Edge, Jericho, Orton, and Cena) and two very talented young Superstars (Sheamus and Wade Barrett).

7. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (Extreme Rules Match) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: This was the first match I ever saw that had BLOOD. I can’t believe this match lived up to the hype. I was expecting to be disappointed, but this match was exactly what I was hoping for. It was a good fight. I was very surprised Lesnar dominated this match so much. It was the most violent match in the WWE since the WWE became TV-PG. I don’t really care that Cena won or how he won. I agree with the way Cena won because Lesnar got cocky and Cena took advantage of the opportunity. Cena took the beating from Lesnar very well and Chicago gave Cena a standing ovation after the match and Chicago rarely cheers for Cena. Amazing match and one of the greatest WWE matches of the PG Era.

8. CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: I love CM Punk, but this was only my third favorite Extreme Rules 2012 match. It was a very good match, but I think Punk and Jericho wrestled too much during a street fight. I don’t mind a good wrestling match between Punk and Jericho but their wrestling match was at WrestleMania. This was a street fight. There should have been more fighting and less wrestling. I wanted more spots with weapons and less spots with submission moves. The feud was very personal and Jericho said bad things about Punk’s family. Punk should have beaten Jericho so bad that would be bleeding and have to go to the hospital. But it was a very good match. I just liked the other two main event matches more. Another thing that hurt my interest in this match is that I saw Punk vs. Cena at Money in the Bank the year before this. I don’t think there will be a better CM Punk match in Chicago than that Punk-Cena match.

9. Edge (c.) vs. Jeff Hardy (World Heavyweight Championship Match) [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: I was more interested in the Orton vs. Batista match at Judgment Day than this match but Edge vs. Hardy was a much better match. The best spots were when Edge jumped off the table and speared Hardy and Edge’s sick DDT off the top rope. This was Edge’s final Pay-Per-View win in Chicago and the last time he beat Jeff Hardy on PPV.

10. Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz vs. Evan Bourne vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Alex Riley vs. Kofi Kingston (Raw Money In The Bank Ladder Match) [Money in the Bank 2011]

Analysis: This was not as good as the other MITB match at this Pay-Per-View but it was a very good match with some really good spots. The best spot was Evan Bourne doing the shooting star press off the ladder. I was impressed with the stuff R-Truth was doing in this match. It was a very exciting match.

11. Kane (c.) vs. Undertaker (No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship) [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: This match was a little bit boring and not as epic as I thought it would be but Undertaker is a legend so I do like this match a lot. It was also a good match because Kane defeated Undertaker which was very rare but Kane went on to beat Undertaker a couple more times after this match. This was one of the best feuds of 2010 and I was very excited about this match. It wasn’t a great match but Undertaker is definitely a future Hall of Famer and Kane is probably a future Hall of Famer too.

12. CM Punk vs. Umaga [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: This is one of my favorite matches for a few reasons. First of all, this was the first official WWE match I saw in-person. Judgment Day was the first live event I have ever gone to and this was the first official match of the night. This was a really solid match. CM Punk and Umaga did a great job making this match look real even though I knew the match was predetermined. Punk did a great job acting like Umaga’s offense was really hurting Punk and maybe it did hurt but if not, that was some great selling by Punk. As for Umaga, I loved how he didn’t sell a lot of Punk’s attacks. That sounds like a bad thing but Umaga was a really big guy so it was cool to see Punk have to do so much just to get Umaga off his feet. Punk would kick and punch Umaga a dozen times and Umaga would not go down. Punk would have to try to outsmart Umaga and do dangerous spots off the top rope in order to knock Umaga down. The end of this match was great. Umaga hit Punk with a sequence of moves that looked really painful that led to Umaga getting the win. I wanted Punk to win this match but it was cool to see someone like Umaga dominate someone during a match and actually win. I was expecting Punk to make a comeback and pick up a surprising win because Punk was a face and Umaga was the heel but that didn’t happen. It felt like a real match and having Punk win would have made the match look unrealistic. Punk’s performance is amazing in this match and I’m glad this was the first official WWE live event match I saw. This was Umaga’s second to last PPV match in the WWE and unfortunately, he died shortly after he left the WWE.

13. Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian (World Heavyweight Championship Match—If Orton is disqualified, Christian wins the title) [Money in the Bank 2011]

Analysis: Randy Orton and Christian had many good matches during their feud and this was a good one too. It was not one of their best matches but it was enjoyable and it was the only time Christian beat Orton. It was cool to see Christian will the championship via disqualification and I think it may have been the first time the World Heavyweight Championship changed hands after a disqualification. I also enjoyed seeing Orton hit Christian with two RKO on the Spanish announce table.

14. John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: I liked this match. I wasn’t a great match but it had some really great spots. It was a solid match and a match that was very fun to watch.

15. Randy Orton (c.) vs. Batista (WWE Championship Match) [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: This wasn’t that good of a match but it was the first WWE Championship match I have ever seen and I enjoyed this feud. This was the first time Orton vs. Batista Pay-Per-View match since Orton injured Batista with a punt several months earlier. Like I said, it wasn’t a great match but I paid very close attention to this match while it happened. Also, Ric Flair's surprise appearance after the match made it very memorable.

16. Randy Orton vs. Kane (Falls Count Anywhere Match) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: This was a nice falls count anywhere match. When Orton and Kane fought in the crowd, they were fighting close to where I was sitting so that was cool. Good match that could end up on Orton’s next WWE DVD assuming the WWE makes another Orton DVD.

17. Edge & Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio & Brodus Clay [RAW 3-28-11]

Analysis: It was cool seeing Edge and Christian team up for the final time ever. This was also Edge’s final match in Chicago. It was a very fun match and I loved seeing Edge spearing Brodus Clay for the win.

18. Chris Jericho vs. MVP [RAW 9-7-09]

Analysis: This was a good RAW match. I loved seeing Jericho but it was not as good as the match he had against Rey Mysterio at Judgment Day. It wasn’t a great match but I’m a big Jericho fan so this match is a little bit higher than it should be. Kofi/Dolph was a slightly better match but I was more interested in this match because of Jericho.

19. DX vs. Chris Masters & Randy Orton [RAW 9-7-09]

Analysis: This wasn’t a great tag team match but I liked this match a lot because it was the first and only time I saw Shawn Michaels and Triple H in a match. I’m really glad I’m able to say I got to witness a Shawn Michaels match in-person. Also I was a big Randy Orton fan at the time, I loved the feud Triple H and Orton had before WrestleMania 25 so it was fun seeing those two in the ring at the same time.

20. Dolph Ziggler (c.) vs. Kofi Kingston (Intercontinental Championship) [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: Ziggler and Kofi did a great job in this match. Kofi had a very good near fall in this match and there were some nice spots. It wasn’t a classic match but it was enjoyable.

21. Booker T vs. Cody Rhodes [RAW 12-26-11]

Analysis: I really enjoyed seeing Booker T in a match. It got a lot of time and it felt like a PPV match. Booker T is no longer a full-time wrestler, but he looked great during this match. The match was a little bit slow, but seeing Booker T win was awesome. I remember when Booker T was in WCW so it is cool to be able to say that I saw Booker T wrestle.

22. Christian (c.) vs. Jack Swagger (ECW Championship Match) [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: This was a really good match and both superstars did a good job. Christian is a great wrestler and Swagger is very good too.

23. CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler [RAW 12-26-11]

Analysis: CM Punk lost this match, but he and Ziggler had a great match on RAW. It was better than a lot of PPV matches I have seen.

24. Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show (c) (Tables Match for the Intercontinental Championship) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: Short match, but I didn’t want to see a long Big Show match. I was happy to see Cody Rhodes. I loved the finish which was Big Show losing after putting his foot through the table. I enjoyed the “Let’s Go Cody” chants and the massive heel heat for Big Show.

25. The Hart Dynasty (c.) vs. Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre vs. The Usos vs. Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. Evan Bourne & Mark Henry (Tag Team Turmoil match for the Unified Tag Team Championships) [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: This was a fun match. I loved seeing Evan Bourne do the shooting star press. Santino got the crowd excited. Tyson Kidd had a really good moonsault spot in this match. It wasn’t a great match but it was exciting with all of the different tag teams. I was shocked to see The Hart Dynasty get eliminated first.

26. Jack Swagger & The Miz vs. Primo & Kofi Kingston [Superstars 9-10-09]

Analysis: This was a great tag team match. Primo and Kofi were awesome and The Miz did great too. I forget what Swagger did in this match but this match was a very enjoyable non-PPV match.

27. Dolph Ziggler & Sheamus w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Daniel Bryan & John Morrison [RAW 3-28-11]

Analysis: This wasn’t a very memorable match, but it had a lot of good WWE Superstars in the match. It was a decent match, but it was just was not a really special match.

28. John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes [RAW 9-7-09]

Analysis: The story of this match was that Cody Rhodes was going to make Cena tap out. Rhodes actually did some good submission holds and looked good against Cena. It was a decent RAW match.

29. Justin Gabriel w/ The Corre vs. Santino Marella w/ Kozlov, Big Show & Kane [RAW 3-28-11]

Analysis: This match was very short. I think it was only like three or four minutes long but it was very good despite how short it was. Great performance by Santino and it was awesome seeing Kozlov, Big Show, and Kane attacking The Corre.

30. Big Show vs. CM Punk [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: Good match but it was too short. CM Punk did a decent job despite having Big Show as his opponent. I was mad that Big Show won. If this match was 10+ minutes instead of 5 minutes, I might have had it higher on my list.

31. Curt Hawkins versus Trent Baretta [Superstars 3-31-11]

Analysis: Trent Baretta had some really cool spots in this match. It wasn’t a great match but I did enjoy watching it.

32. Chavo Guererro vs. Evan Bourne [RAW 9-7-09]

Analysis: This was an okay match. Both of these guys are very talented so it was a fun match. I might have liked it a little more if Bourne did the shooting star press.

33. John Cena vs. Big Show [Judgment Day 2009]

Analysis: This was a boring match. I should have it lower on my list but I did enjoy it little bit. I enjoyed the “Cena Sucks” chants during this match and it was funny seeing Cena try to apply the STF to the Big Show and fail three times. I have to admit that seeing Cena hit the Big Show with the Attitude Adjustment was impressive. Also, the storyline going into this match was interesting. It’s a somewhat memorable match but for a main event PPV match, it should have been more enjoyable and it wasn’t.

34. Santino Marella vs. Big Show (Body Slam Match) [RAW 9-7-09]

Analysis: This was a really short match but it was very funny and entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Santino try to body slam the Big Show. I doubt I will ever see a Santino match that I will consider one of my top 10 favorite matches but I have never seen a bad performance from Santino yet.

35. Big Show vs. Mark Henry [Money in the Bank 2011]

Analysis: I was looking forward to this match but I was very disappointed. The cool parts were Big Show kicking out of the World’s Strongest Slam and Mark Henry injuring Big Show’s foot after the match.

36. John Cena vs. The Miz [RAW 12-26-11]

Analysis: Short match, but it was a John Cena match in Chicago so it got a good reaction from the crowd.

37. Sheamus vs. Yoshi Tatsu [Superstars 9-10-09]

Analysis: This was a decent match but it was nothing special. Sheamus did a good job beating up Yoshi. This was the first time I saw Sheamus in-person and it was before Sheamus became the WWE Champion.

38. Women's Champion Michelle McCool vs. Divas Champion Melina (Title Unification Lumberjack Match) [Night of Champions 2010]

Analysis: This was a solid divas match. It was short but there were a couple decent spots. The lumberjacks were awful though but in a funny way. They are supposed to throw the divas back in the ring and they didn’t do that. The best part was when Layla helped Michelle win despite the fact that they were fighting with each other leading up to the match. Not a bad divas match and it was so good that I have it higher than some of the men’s matches.

39. CM Punk vs. Jack Swagger [RAW 12-26-11]

Analysis: This was the first of two matches Punk had on RAW that night. Punk won this match, but I don’t remember much about this match.

40. Ryback vs. Aaron Relic and Jay Hatton [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: The first Ryback match I ever saw. I think this also was the first ever Ryback handicap match.

41. Santino (c) vs. The Miz (U.S. Championship Match) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: This was a PPV pre-show match, but it felt like a PPV dark match. I was happy Santino won and I enjoy yelling “Cobra!” when Santino does his finisher.

42. Jack Swagger w/ Michael Cole vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler [RAW 3-28-11]

Analysis: This match was very quick and had a disqualification finish. The only things preventing this match from being at the bottom of my list are the facts I enjoyed seeing The King in a match and I liked seeing King trying to attack Michael Cole after the match.

43. Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: This was not one of the best Ziggler matches. The most memorable moments were the “Let’s Go Ziggler” chants and the booing that Brodus got.

44. Mark Henry vs. Big Show (Body Slam Match) [RAW 9-7-09]

Analysis: This was a quick match and wasn’t that good but I did enjoy seeing Mark Henry body slam the Big Show so it is not my least favorite match I’ve ever seen.

45. Big Show vs. David Otunga [RAW 12-26-11]

Analysis: Big Show was forced to wrestle Otunga with one arm behind his back. It was interesting but it was a short match.

46. Zack Ryder and Eve vs. Tyson Kidd and Natalya Neidhart [RAW 12-26-11]

Analysis: Zack Ryder and Eve’s pre-match promo that wasn’t aired was more interesting than this match. I think this was the first Zack Ryder match I ever saw live.

47. Wade Barrett (c) vs. Kofi Kingston (Intercontinental Championship Match) [Smackdown 4-1-11]

Analysis: This was after a very good episode of RAW and the fans were exhausted. The crowd was completely dead for this match but this match wasn’t that bad. The problem is that I don’t remember much about this match and I wasn’t very excited about it either so it’s near the bottom of my list of favorite matches.

48. Eve Torres, Natalya, and Gail Kim versus The Bellas and Melina [Superstars 3-31-11]

Analysis: This wasn’t a terrible match but it wasn’t that great either. I don’t remember much about this match but I think it was a decent Divas match.

49. Layla vs. Nikki Bella (c) (Divas Championship Match) [Extreme Rules 2012]

Analysis: The only thing I remember about this match is that I was disappointed that Kharma was not the surprise opponent.

50. Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston vs. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins [Superstars 12-29-11]

Analysis: I don’t remember much about this match because it was a Superstars match. I think it was the best Superstars match I saw that night.

51. Cody Rhodes vs. Chris Masters [Smackdown 4-1-11]

Analysis: This was on the same night of a live episode of RAW. I remember very little about this match.

52. Alex Riley vs. JTG [Superstars 12-29-11]

Analysis: The only thing I remember about this match is that I was surprised Alex Riley and JTG were still in the WWE.

53. Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Brie Bella (Divas Championship Match) Money in the Bank 2011

Analysis: This was a boring match to watch and it happened right after the Smackdown Money in the Bank match which was a very exciting match. I couldn’t get excited about this match and fortunately it was a short match.

54. Titus O'Neil, Byron Saxton, and Conor O'Brian vs. Darren Young, Jacob Novak, and Lucky Cannon NXT 3-29-11

Analysis: This was the most boring match I have ever seen. It felt like such a long match. I’m not exactly sure how long the match was. It was probably between six and nine minutes long but it felt longer than that. I remember the fans doing a “This is boring” chant. I don’t know how I didn’t fall asleep during this match. The only thing I remember about this match was how awful and boring it was. It had one of the deadest crowd reactions I can remember.