The Most Over-Booked WWE Match Every Year Of The 2000s

Ever since the Attitude Era, WWE has had the tendency to overbook their matches with interference and every kind of chaos to maximize drama, crowd reactions and to forward multiple storylines at once.

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Sometimes it can make for entertaining viewing, but it can also make a huge dent in a match’s quality. During the 2000s, WWE went through several changes, but overbooked matches were always a constant presence on television.

2000: Triple H Vs. The Rock (Backlash)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.75 Stars

With Stone Cold Steve Austin being off television throughout most of 2000, The Rock and Triple H picked up the reigns and managed to carry the company in what was a very successful year. They dominated the WWE title scene in the first half of the year, and their matches were always a spectacle.

Triple H retained the WWE title in controversial fashion at WrestleMania 2000, and in his title defense against The Rock at Backlash, the odds were once again stacked against the challenger, with Shane McMahon as special guest referee and the constant McMahon presence at ringside. With help from a returning Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock won his fourth WWE Championship in what was a chaotic and entertaining main event.

2001: Vince McMahon Vs. Shane McMahon (WrestleMania 17)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3 Stars

McMahon family
drama during the Attitude Era always promised some sort of shananigans, and the street fight between Vince and Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 17 perfectly epitomized that. Neither Vince nor Shane were technical masters in the ring, but their matches always made for a very entertaining experience.

Linda McMahon and Trish Stratus were heavily involved in the match, as they gave Vince his commeupance after weeks of degradation. The crowd went totally berserk as Linda stood up from her chair to low blow Vince, which then led to a hot finish with Shane hitting the Coast to Coast on his father for the win.

2002: Chris Jericho Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (No Way Out)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3 Stars

Chris Jericho’s Undisputed title win at Vengeance 2001 is a landmark moment in WWE history, but his reign wasn’t as memorable as his moment of coronation. Jericho often played second fiddle in his own storylines, and he wasn’t established as the top heel in the company.

In his title defense against Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Way Out 2002, the

New World Order
were a focal point of the match, as the group made their debut in WWE earlier in the night. With the referee incapacitated, the NWO interfered and set their sights on Austin, which led to Jericho retaining his title.

2003: Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker (No Mercy)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 2 Stars

At the previous No Mercy event, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker had one of the best Hell in a Cell matches ever, but their rematch at No Mercy 2003 left a lot to be desired. The Undertaker was nearing the end of his American Badass gimmick, which led to Vince McMahon’s involvement as the company were building towards a Buried Alive match between the pair at Survivor Series.

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The Full Blooded Italians also interfered, and at almost 25 minutes long, the match was extremely difficult for fans to be fully invested in. Lesnar ultimately retained his title, and he would remain champion up until No Way Out 2004, where he lost to Eddie Guerrero in one of the most memorable title switches of the decade.

2004: Triple H Vs. Randy Orton (Unforgiven)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 2.75 Stars

After becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history at SummerSlam 2004, Randy Orton was kicked out of Evolution by Triple H, which turned him babyface for the first time in two years. WWE didn’t waste any time in booking a match between the two, as Randy had his first title defense against his former mentor in the next PPV at Unforgiven.

With a lot of interference from the rest of Evolution, Triple H won his fourth World Heavyweight Championship, and Randy Orton’s babyface run proved to be an immense failure as he never got his revenge on the man that kicked him out of Evolution after his big moment of glory.

2005: Eddie Guerrero Vs. Rey Mysterio (SummerSlam)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.5 Stars

Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio can have great matches against each other in their sleep, and it was no exception at SummerSlam 2005, despite the weird circumstances surrounding it. With it being a ladder match for the custody of a child, it featured a lot of interference to maximize the drama of this uncanny story.

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Both Dominik Mysterio and Vickie Guerrero interfered in the match, the latter of whom missed her cue, which led to Eddie improvising and also losing his temper in the middle of the ring. This has gone down as a very infamous match, but it was still a great outing from two legendary wrestlers whose careers will forever be intertwined.

2006: The McMahons Vs. D-Generation X (SummerSlam)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.25 Stars

In 2006, D-Generation X reunited for the first time in four years to battle the McMahons, who were making life hell for both Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Their feud is most remembered for the silliness that ensued on a regular basis, rather than the matches themselves.

Expectedly, their SummerSlam 2006 tag team match had tomfoolery right from the start, as the McMahons had heels such as the Spirit Squad,

Mr. Kennedy
and many others to take out DX before the match started. Their plan failed and DX were able to vanquish the father-son duo, in a match that also saw interference from Umaga and Kane.

2007: Bobby Lashley Vs. Umaga (WrestleMania)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3 Stars

The battle of the billionaries between Donald Trump and Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania 23 was a commercial success, and the match between Bobby Lashley and Umaga was sports entertainment at its finest. Steve Austin was the special guest referee and interference quickly reared its ugly head with Armando Estrada, The McMahons and Donald Trump all at ringside.

The chaos in and around the ring made the match extremely entertaining to watch, and the payoff of the rivalry delivered with Bobby Lashley winning and Vince McMahon getting his head shaved.

2008: The Undertaker Vs. Edge (WrestleMania)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.25 Stars

At this stage of The Undertaker’s career, he was on a roll when it came to his WrestleMania matches, and most of his matches in general. His rivalry with Edge in 2008 was one of the most acclaimed of his career, and their matches were never a disappointment.

Their main event match at WrestleMania 24 tore the house down, and the overbooking actually increased the match’s quality. They would have a series of matches throughout the next couple of months, and all of them were able to deliver, although some were more memorable than others.

2009: CM Punk Vs. The Undertaker (Breaking Point)

Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 1.25 Stars

After wrapping up his legendary feud with Jeff Hardy in the summer of 2009, CM Punk entered into a feud with The Undertaker, who had been off TV for several months after his match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25. Their first match at Breaking Point was a submission match, which ended in an anticlimatic manner, as Teddy Long restarted the match after The Undertaker won with Hell’s Gate, which then led to a Montreal Screwjob finish after CM Punk locked in the Anaconda Vice.

Their rematch inside Hell in a Cell also left a sour taste in fans’ mouths, as Punk was unceremoniously defeated in less than 10 minutes. CM Punk no longer became a prominent figure in the world title scene, but he managed to reinvent himself with the Straight Edge Society.