You have to love the irony. WWE shows the Best of Raw: 2003 special on December 22, and then, one week later, on December 29, the true best Raw match of the year takes place. I'm talking, of course, about the main event between Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
Now, anytime these two hook up, you know you're in for something special. I'm not saying this because they're my two all-time favorites. I'm saying it because it's the truth. You will have a hard time finding two guys who have more chemistry and work together better than Hunter and Shawn. Every single one-on-one match they've ever had has been awesome, and that goes back to their very first one-on-one together in May of 1996 when Hunter was the mid-card Greenwich Snob. And this match, on the last Raw of 2003, was by far the best one they've had to date, easily.
Of course there will always be people who bitch and moan, who had to send feedback afterwards complaining about who won, who lost, Hunter's physical appearance (the first of whom to comment on that was that scraggly, New York sewer-rat looking Wade Keller), interference by Bischoff, Austin, etc. You know what? All this just proves that some people are impossible to please. Being a fan of both, I could've cared less who won. It was the match itself that I was looking forward to.
Shawn and Hunter didn't disappoint. When the match kicked off at 10:30 PM Eastern Time, I knew we were in for a real treat. It's rare these days for a Raw main event to last much more than ten minutes, much less over half an hour. But anybody who has been watching these two for a long time, and can look at them from the perspective of a fan and not an unbiased smart mark, knows the kind of match that Hunter and Shawn are capable of putting on, especially when given an appropriate amount of time. And this time they certainly were.
The match started out with numerous exchanges of technical holds, armdrags, headlocks, etc; it was a trip back to the good ol' days when all matches started out like this. And, just like back then, the San Antonio crowd was into it the whole time. I didn't hear one "BORING" chant during this entire match. Hunter and Shawn put on a wrestling clinic early on, and it was great to see instead of the usual brawl that everybody expected.
Then the match picked up, both men selling like rag dolls for each other. Shawn was bumping like there was no tomorrow, and Hunter, for all the recent criticism about him being "out of shape" and what-not, was moving very well and keeping the pace perfectly. Ric Flair, on the outside, added to the drama and pscyhology of the match with his interference in several parts, such as the Figure Four which Shawn locked on Hunter, and his priceless facial expressions as the match seemed to go in Shawn's favor. Ric was going completely nuts at many points, cursing and screaming at fans, his hair completely out of control. His role in the match added to it and did not, in the slightest, detract from it.
There were some great, unpredictable spots as well. Shawn locking the Figure Four on to Hunter out of nowhere was one. Another that came to mind was when Hunter stuck one of his legs over the center rope to prompt the ref to break up an armlock Shawn had him in; while Hebner was busy yelling at Shawn, Shawn nonchalantly kicked the middle rope right into The Game's groin. Brilliance. It was a Clique moment; one of those unpredictable, classic spots that you usually see in matches involving members of the Clique.
As the match progressed it became more and more difficult to tell who the winner would be. Even though everybody on the 'net had been reading rumors of a Hunter/Kane re-feud for the World Title at Royal Rumble, it started to become really easy to see Shawn coming out on top as Hunter seemed to be unable to keep him down. When Shawn reversed Hunter's attempt at a Pedigree and started coming back, hitting his patented elbow drop, and the crowd was going crazy, you could just feel that maybe Shawn really would take the title back in San Antonio for a second time. That's another trademark of matches between Hunter and Shawn- no matter what logic and the internet tries to tell you, when the match heats up, you really can't tell who's going to come out on top.
When the match finally ended after a few ref bumps and Bischoff eventually coming out to finish the job in place of Hebner, it appeared that Shawn had won. His music hit, the crowd was in full celebration-mode, he had the World Title in hand. Then, Bischoff declared Hunter still the champion, airing the replay of the pinfall and showing that, indeed, Shawn's shoulders were down on the canvas as well. Now, the two are supposed to have a rematch at Royal Rumble, replacing (thank God) the rumored Hunter/Kane feud.
Hunter and Shawn have their work cut out for them if they are planning on topping this match. I have no doubt though that they can do it; every match they've ever had is better than the one before it. Their one-on-one at Royal Rumble will no doubt be a treat.This match was a privilege to watch; one of those matches where you feel proud to be a wrestling fan, the kind of match that leaves you pumped for the rest of the night if you have any appreciation at all for the business. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels, December 29, 2003: my pick for best match of 2003, hands down.