Best WWE matches of this decade (part one)

Hey, this decade which doesn't have a snappy name like The Nineties, or The Eighties or countless (seven) others, is ending. I will compile a list of the best WWE matches from this decade in our new series: Best WWE matches of this decade. Currently:

1. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guererro, 23rd June 2005
2. Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay 9th November 2007
3. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay, 22nd June 2007
4. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley, 18th April 2004
5. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels, 23rd April 2007

Rey vs. Eddie, 23rd June 2005 - Both men were at the point of their careers where they no longer relied on their moves - this thing is carried by everything in between, Rey's at the start of being the best babyface underdog in WWE history, and Eddie's every mannerism and reaction is hugely absorbing and believable. Opening establishes an Eddie trying beat Rey fairly. When this fails, he cheapshots in a break, and uses the outside to injure his opponent. Eddie's heel act is so understated for the most part, yet everything conveys his villany. The comebacks and cutoffs are textbook, and I love how this match has no hot finisher stretch and no high spots. In 2005, I expected them, hoped for them, was a different wrestling fan. I missed so much in the story telling. The finish is the perfect payoff. Eddie slips from his focus when he becomes convinced he's finally beaten his man - he avoids a 619 and finishes his suplexes. Rey, for his part, sells every inch of his predicament. This match is Eddie's - and this momentary lapse in focus and indulgence of his crowd taunting habits presents an opening, the only real opening, and Rey takes in and wins out of almost nowhere. I'm thinking top 5, probably higher.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay, 9th November 2007 - The first few minutes are pretty even - Rey lays into his punches, matching Finlay's intensity; after they spill to the outside, Finlay takes an above and beyond back bump off a Rey baseball slide and follows up with a hugequebrada. After that, Finlay looks awesome, in the original meaning of that word. This match is an absolute stomping, Finlay destroys Rey for most of this and looks unstoppable, more so than many of Rey's larger opponents. Some of the highlights include catching Rey mid-rana and powerbombing him into the corner and a nasty bump into the barricade. Aside from a couple of short comebacks (all ultimately cutoff, first with a lariat, and secondly knocking Rey off the ropes as he springboared), Rey's job here was to bump and sell, a task he obviously excels at. That said, I enjoyed some of his kicks, and the 619 seemed to connect with the point of the boot which was nice. The best thing about this match up is that Finlay can (and does) look great destroying Rey, but the size difference isn't as obvious a gimmick here compared to similar Rey underdog matches, especially with the way Finlay bumps and stooges for all of Rey's offence. I find there's added intensity find this credibility.

Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley, 18th April 2004 - This is a fish-out-of-water story, with Randy failing right from the beginning to compete in this environment, losing his barbed wire bat and running for cover. I don't know if the barbed wire board is gimmicked, but it looks pretty evil and distinctly denser with wire than most. The teased fire spot and Bischoff's intervention doesn't work for me - I get that it's about Mick wanting to go as far as possible, but it has no possible payoff, ruins the flow and weakens the impact of what follows by comparison. Orton's bump onto the tacks is great - the shock in his face at the landing is joyous, and that visual should by all rights be as iconic as Austin in the sharpshooter. Didn't coming away thinking I watched a particularly hate-filled encounter, and the match suffers from lacking a decent finish - an RKO onto a barbed wire bat (allegedly) lacks the impact of any of the big spots, or even Mick's suplex bumps onto the ramp. All told, I liked this plenty. Crowd chant "ECW" halfway through, but this is Mick's WWE tribute to his IWA Japan days, with the barbed wire board and the fire and the tacks. Would be topped in gimmickry in the Edge match, but this is a much better executed version and told a more compelling story.