The Top Ten Greatest Moments of 2008 (Part Two)

5. Floyd Mayweather breaks the Big Show’s nose: Show’s surprise return at No Way Out led to an even bigger surprise when boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather intervened in a Big Show beatdown on Rey Mysterio, breaking the giant’s nose in the process. The fans quickly rallied to the Big Show’s side though when given the choice of cheering cocky outsider Mayweather or rooting for a WWE Superstar. Despite their Wrestlemania match being a complete mismatch on paper, the buildup to the match and the match itself turned out to be surprisingly good.



4. Chris Jericho puts Shawn Michaels through the Jeri-Tron 6000: A good angle can always be recycled and Chris Jericho’s heel turn on Shawn Michaels couldn’t help but bring back memories of Shawn Michaels putting his partner Marty Jannetty through a window during his heel turn way back when. As exciting as the attack on Michaels was, things just kept getting better with Michaels’ wife getting clobbered by Jericho (“accidentally” according to Jericho), Michaels getting revenge in an unsanctioned match, and Jericho winning an exciting ladder match against Michaels. This feud reminded fans what a good feud is all about-escalating encounters that keep the fans on the edge of their seat looking for the face to get the ultimate revenge.



3. Ric Flair’s Farewell Address: Flair’s farewell address was the icing on the cake of a tremendous weekend celebration honoring the greatest performer in the industry’s history. After an unforgettable Hall of Fame ceremony and an emotional final match at Wrestlemania, the WWE assembled a Who’s Who from Flair’s past to honor his retirement from the business. This is how you treat a legend when he finally decides to hang up the boots .



2. Matt and Jeff Hardy win respective World Championships: Matt and Jeff Hardy have always been way over with the fans. Matt and Jeff Hardy have always sold more then their fair share of merchandise. And yet, until recently, they couldn’t get the time of day from WWE Creative. That changed in 2008 when WWE Creative got solidly behind both men and decided that maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put someone in the main event that has a huge fanbase. Hopefully the WWE will continue to let the fans guide them rather than writers who seem to have lost touch with what sells in professional wrestling.



1. CM Punk cashes in his Money in the Bank Title Match: This moment more than any other, had fans on the edge of their seats, screaming at their TV’s and hoping that CM Punk would continue the impressive list of MITB winners to successfully convert their win into a world championship win. After Batista came out and destroyed Edge during an episode of Monday Night RAW, time seemed to stand still when Punk’s music played and the “Straight Edged Superstar” came out with his MITB briefcase. This great moment epitomized the WWE’s new direction in 2008 as the company finally seemed to recognize talent that is over with the fans and focus on building new stars for the future.