Best No Mercy Matches Ranked

By
Will Hales
-
Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Introduction

Well, No Mercy certainly has an illustrious history. And yes appropriately for the PPV name, there’s plenty of matches which feature No Mercy from either competitor. So, with NXT No Mercy soon on the horizon, what better time is there to look back on the very best No Mercy has to offer in preparation for its latest offering? Check out more of our wrestling content here and without further ado here are the ten best WWE No Mercy Matches.

Top Ten Best No Mercy Matches

10. John Cena vs Kurt Angle (WWE No Mercy 2003)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Oh, how hindsight can be horrible. Given how WWE used Cena as the superman atop the card for a generation, the fact that Angle taps him out on PPV despite the many, many promos where Cena claims he can’t give up is problematic. However, that aside this is as good a match as you could expect from the names involved. There’s plenty of back and forth finisher spamming but sees Cena still look strong in defeat after running Angle as close as possible without winning. Oh, also I’m sure both of these men will feature later on the list….

9. Roman Reigns vs John Cena (WWE No Mercy 2017)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Speaking of Cena, his match with Roman Reigns at No Mercy 2017 was fine. So why is it included on this list of the best No Mercy Matches? Well, because of where it takes place in both men’s careers. It sees Cena slowing down atop the mountain as Reigns is rapidly ascending. What follows is the immovable object and the unstoppable force battering each other in an endurance test which sees Reigns take a huge step towards the top of the mountain. Regardless of fan backlash towards Reigns, this is still a very solid match.

8. Triple H vs Jeff Hardy – WWE Championship (WWE No Mercy 2008)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Now this might be a controversial opinion but Jeff Hardy in his prime was rather good at wrestling. Shocking take really…. Anyway, while he doesn’t quite ascend to his eventual throne here both men do a phenomenal job at convincing you Hardy will. And that’s mostly due to how much Jeff withstands before dishing out a Twist of Fate and Swanton for the closest of near falls. However, it’s all in vain as Triple H shows it isn’t about the Game but how you play it as he crushes Hardy’s dreams for a few months anyway. This match does a great job at showcasing Jeff Hardy’s resilience and Triple H’s dominance.

7. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs The Bar – Raw Tag Team Title Match (WWE No Mercy 2017)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Again another hot take here, The Bar were criminally underrated for how good they were. I know I’m really hitting it out of the ball park here… Anyway, the unfortunate reason you remember this match is because of Ambrose accidentally giving the then Cesaro some impromptu dentistry on the ringpost. Besides Cesaro being more toothless than Everton’s attack, he and the others still put on a classic including a brutal powerbomb, avalanche white noise combo for a sickening near fall. And I’m sure there’s another very famous tag match on this list….

6. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker – Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship (WWE No Mercy 2002)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

If you’re eating or not a fan of blood, skip this entry because bloody h**l this is a hemophobe’s worst nightmare. Lesnar and Undertaker seem to have a habit of beating several layers of s**t out of each other in Hell in a Cell matches and this is no different. Just look at the gasp inducing steel stairs shot from Lesnar or Undertaker making Paul Heyman bleed despite him being outside the Cell. Oh, also the finish is nice as Lesnar fights out of a Tombstone to deliver a thunderous F5 to retain his WWE title. A proper old school war of a Hell in a Cell match which sees plenty of blood spilled.

5. Triple H vs Randy Orton – Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship (WWE No Mercy 2007)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Speaking of violent matches at No Mercy for the WWE Championship, Triple H and Randy Orton certainly delivered in their Last Man Standing Match. Despite both men having wrestled multiple times on the same night, they still delivered a war. High spots include a brutal RKO off the announce table, Randy learning that snakes can fly when he soars through another announce table and plenty of steel stair shots. And who could forget the brutal RKO off a steel chair? Amidst the chaos of No Mercy 2007, it did have a nice cyclical narrative of Orton losing but eventually regaining his WWE Title.

4. AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose vs John Cena – Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Championship (WWE No Mercy 2016)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Could this match have been higher if it was the main event? Probably but that’s the world of presidential debates for you. Anyway, minor gripe aside what a triple threat match. Basically, this match starts at 100 and never slows down from there. Just take the double submission attempt on Styles or the standard Avalanche AA or Styles busting out springboard 450s like Brock Lesnar dishes out German Suplexes. Also, the finish is great as it protects Styles as the cowardly heel as he takes out Cena after an Avalanche AA for the win and retains his title. This is the definition of a mile a minute in the best way.

3. Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz – Career vs Title Match for the WWE Intercontinental Title (WWE No Mercy 2016)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

What are the odds of No Mercy 2016 having two stunning matches on it? Not sure.. However, as good as this match is, the lack of follow up keeps it from challenging the top two. But still, my god did Ziggler have you believe that this was his last match. Props to WWE for pulling out every trick in the book with outside interference, low blows and belt shots all of which Ziggler withstands. And that’s before the cathartic finish where Ziggler superkicks Mi and collapses onto him to win the Intercontinental Title and continue his career. Sometimes WWE can tell a phenomenal story and this match is testament to it.

2. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs Edge and Rey Mysterio – WWE Tag Title Match (WWE No Mercy 2002)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

Now yes, I understand this match is hard to look back on because of Benoit. However, looking past that and just appreciating this match as the classic it is you’ll understand why it’s so good. And it’s obviously because it’s two thirds of Heyman’s vaunted Smackdown Six putting on a 20 minute tag match clinic. Both teams mesh brilliantly with Angle and Benoit’s hardcore technical wrestling and suplexes going against Edge and Mysterio’s big man, little man offense to create art. While Paul Heyman can often be heywire with booking, he could do no wrong in 2002 with his Smackdown Six.

1. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels – World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match (WWE No Mercy 2008)

Best No Mercy Matches
Image Credit: WWE

And the best No Mercy Match is… Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels. Now is it as sound from an in ring perspective as other matches on this list. Probably not. However, the reason I and so many hold it in high regard is the storytelling on display. That ending sequence of both men bleeding atop a ladder desperately tugging at the title is beautiful. And the heartbreak when it just slips from Michaels’s reach is horrible yet brilliant. An utter classic ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship that featured some incredible spots and storytelling. Also, the fact this is less of a ladder match, rather a match with a ladder in really elevates it as both men just hit their regular moves but with ladder assistance. This is deservedly the best No Mercy Match of all time as it really grabbed the brass ring.

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So those are our favourite No Mercy Matches but what about yours? Let us know in the comments below!

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