7. Angle/Benoit vs. Edge/Mysterio – SmackDown – 11.7.02
In the fall of 2002 the RAW and Smackdown shows each had exclusive rosters, and Paul Heyman’s Smackdown was crushing RAW on a weekly basis, both creatively and in the ratings.
Much of SD’s success can be attributed to these four competitors, who made up two-thirds of the revered Smackdown Six (Los Guerreros were the other two). The World Tag Championship had been made a RAW-exclusive Title during the roster split, and Smackdown GM Stephanie McMahon decided to create a separate set of belts for her show. Hence a tournament was assembled which boiled down to Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio at No Mercy, in a 22-minute classic.
The rematch took place only a few weeks later on Smackdown, and it was a 2/3 Falls match. While not quite as good as the PPV bout, this featured incredible action and palpable suspense, as Edge & Mysterio played the underdogs to perfection on their way to a Title victory.
