Michaels, Benjamin, Batista. Christ Masters! Other folk!

Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin & Mick Foley v HHH, Randy Orton, Batista & Ric Flair (RAW, 4/12/04)

These multi-man matches are just about my favourite match type. I know I say that about five different match types all the time but each proclamation is true in the moment. This was on the road to Backlash so there was lots going on and every feud felt hot -- Benoit/Helmsley/Michaels gearing up for the Wrestlemania rematch, Foley/Orton building towards their street fight, even Flair/Shelton had stakes given the backdrop of Benjamin being a thorn in Evolution's side. Flair was simultaneously the best and worst wrestler in the match, which I wouldn't reckon is something you see very often. He was a mad pensioner bastard of the highest order and it was amazing fun, but he was also blatantly calling spots and directing traffic in the most obvious ways. At one point you could see and hear him telling Benoit to "get Mick in" and there were about four instances of him clearly telling someone when and how to hit him. He chops Shelton Benjamin, Shelton chops him back, Flair shouts "PUNCH" so Shelton punches him. But really I can't not get a kick out of him Flair Flopping inside 15 seconds and biting and clawing Shelton's bandaged forehead and dropping knees right to the cut. Him and Benoit fucking chop each other to ribbons and if Flair's skin was anything other than shoe leather it would've been ravaged. Foley looks like a vagrant who's rolled in off the street in his flannel shirt, Levi's and bog standard Backlash t-shirt. Did he just raid the merchandise table for that t-shirt? He has terrible punches but he works with INTENSITY and a couple times would run in and jump Orton on the opposite apron, and the moments with him and Helmsley throwing down were a very cool flashback to another multi-man match on RAW that also happened to be awesome. I think he was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans then too the fuckin tramp. Benoit was a very good wrestler. Michaels was having a great time. Batista caught a Shelton kick and shouted "FUCK YOU" before swinging him around and getting hit with the Dragon Whip. Orton carried himself like someone who would definitely shit in a woman's purse. The parts where both aprons cleared and a melee started were tremendous and the crowd ate everything up and then the finishing stretch ruled. My favourite match type. 

Shawn Michaels v Chris Masters (Unforgiven, 9/18/05)

Apparently Masters was only 22 years old here. He does not look 22 but he IS absolutely yoked to the moon and back so perhaps there's some correlation there. Remember when he just all of a sudden got really good and was having a bunch of super fun matches on Superstars around 2010 or so? He wasn't as good in 2005 - maybe he needed that sabbatical to "slim down" a little first - but you could see the signs at least. I don't remember how this came about now but the commentators make several mentions of a torch being passed, so I'm guessing they needed to put Michaels in a programme after the Hogan feud where they could turn him babyface again and they figured Masters would get decent enough heat as the cocky upstart. Nobody had broken the Masterlock (which Ross refers to as a "jacked up full nelson" and if that's not accurate I don't know what is) at this point either, so before the match he hooks it on Michaels as the latter is doing his pre-match posing. When the bell rings he goes right back to it and Michaels escapes by dropping to the mat, but as JR notes it's probably not ideal that's he's had to play that escape card so early. You know, assuming Masters hadn't considered that particular move as a possibility in the first place. Then Masters grabs it again and Michaels' next escape card is mule kicking him in the balls. The bulk of this is built around Shawn Michaels back work and as has been established several thousand times over, that's a thing you'll either be completely fine with or actively hate, in part because of the looming shadow of the dreaded nip-up. If nothing else it started great, with Masters powerbombing Michaels back-first into the ring post. Masters doesn't have a huge bag of offence to pull from, but his workover is mostly compelling and Michaels will always have strong timing on comeback attempts. Michaels is frantic in trying to avoid the Masterlock at the end, can't actually break the thing on his own so has to force the ropes and ref' to do it for him, then as Masters gets frustrated he walks into the superkick. I liked this.