Greatest Match Round 1: Lynch/Banks vs. Angle/Benoit and Mysterio/Edge

[Everlong]

SquaredCircle's Greatest Match of All Time!

(4) Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks, NXT Unstoppable 2015



VS

(5) Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio, No Mercy 2002



VOTE NOW for which you liked better. Voting will last six days. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by which match had more people commenting in its favor.

[Everlong]

AND WE'RE BACK!

So sorry all about the delay with this tournament. The last week of June my entire life was in boxes, and the cable company spent another week twiddling its thumbs before finally deciding to set shit up at my place today. But now we're good to go!

Let's get the discussion flowing again!

[Messiah]

I mean, I love, love, love Banks/Lynch, don't get me wrong. However, Benoit/Angle vs Mysterio/Edge is the greatest tag team match I have ever watched and a match I think should go far in this tournament. That match was truly flawless and an excellent display of why SmackDown was far and away the best show during that time period.

[VaderBomb]

The tag team match takes it. Lynch/Banks was undeniably great, but it's up against an all time classic. One of the top 20 tag team matches from any promotion, and that's saying something.

Lynch/Banks was easily one of the best WWE Divas matches ever, if not the best. With that being said, it's not quite as good as many women's matches from Japan that I've seen. I'd still probably rank Lynch/Banks really high, at least in the top 30-40 greatest women's matches.

[Everlong]

I just watched Banks/Lynch for the first time after hearing all the hype about it a while back. Great match for sure, I'm not sure it entirely lived up to the ridiculous amount of hype I heard about it on here but it still very much held its own and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

That being said, I agree with several other people who call this particular tag match one of the greatest tag matches of all time. The pacing, the structure, the way both teams interacted with each other, the atmosphere... Messiah is right, this is the prime example of what made Smackdown far and above the best brand in the WWE at the time. I miss those days a lot--that period on Smackdown between late 2002 and mid 2004 produced arguably the most consistently great wrestling the product has ever seen.

So yeah, I'm going with the tag match here.

[KaiserGlider]

Tag match for me as well.

[VaderBomb]

Who voted for the Divas match?

[Hanley!]

Who voted for the Divas match?

I did, whatchu gun do about it?

Though I only just voted for it now, so two other people are still unaccounted for. But there are even more unaccounted for on the other side. It's to be expected really, not everyone always wants to speak up.

Technically, I think the tag match was better. There were a few moves and transitions that would have been beyond even two great workers like Lynch and Banks. They're both very good, but neither of them could yet be compared to Angle or Benoit.

The reason I voted for Lynch/Banks though is that I liked the story better, and there was just a lot more emotion in the match. That's something I always respond to in wrestling and something we don't get nearly often enough. Both women really made you believe that they really wanted the title, and not just in the easy "kick out of lots of finishers" way that everybody does these days. They sold it through body language and facial expression. I loved the finish and the moment with Lynch at the end where she was genuinely crestfallen at having failed. It made it seem like the match and the title were both worth something. There's not nearly enough of that in wrestling.

That being said, I can't fault the tag team match too much for lack of emotion. This match came at the culmination of a tournament. There was never going to be much of a story too it as a result. This was more of a showcase match, intended to entertain the fans and show everyone what these great performers could do. It more than succeeded in that regard. But it just lacked that extra quality for me.

Also, in hindsight I think I preferred the three way tag team title match with Los Guerreros involved. The addition of Eddie Guerrero rarely hurts a wrestling match.

[Circled Square]

Tag match.

[Kirbi]

Story story story story... improves a match! Banks/Lynch ftw.

[Viazon]

Banks/Lynch was a great match, no doubt. And it showcases what women's wrestling can be.

However, I just watched the tag match again after not seeing it for so long. Almost forgot how much of a great match it was. Four world class talents going out and putting on a hell of a match. Was a joy to watch again.