Ranking the 10 Best World Heavyweight Title Matches on WWE Raw in Last 10 Years

For over two decades, just about anything and everything has happened on Monday Night Raw, capturing that "anything can happen" feel. World championship matches were a staple on the flagship show throughout the Attitude Era, but in the last 10 years, they've become a rarity.

While world title matches are traditionally reserved for pay-per-view, there have been various occasions over the years where the prestigious prize has been defended on Raw. As a result, it's treated as a major happening and brings a sense of unpredictability and excitement back to Monday nights.

The latest WWE title match occurred on the Aug. 10 edition, when Seth Rollins put the gold up for grabs in an encounter with Randy Orton only one week removed from his defense against Neville. However, it's been nearly four years since the strap last changed hands on Raw.

From Triple H to Zack Ryder, only an elite few can say they've challenged for the title on Raw in the past decade. Not every championship match has been a classic, but several have stood the test of time as some of the greatest bouts in the show's illustrious history.

In ranking the best world heavyweight title matches on Raw since 2005, criteria will include match quality, buildup, aftermath and more.

10. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Edge: June 15, 2009

At 2009's Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Jeff Hardy realized a dream when he finally overcame Edge in a Ladder match to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. However, it was mere moments later that CM Punk bombarded him, the Best in the World deciding to capitalize on the injured Hardy by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and putting an end to his short-lived reign.

Hardy and Edge had legitimate claims to being in line for championship rematches, but because their No. 1 Contender's match on the June 12 edition of SmackDown concluded without a decisive winner, they were both placed in the world title match on the subsequent Raw.

Of all the championship matches that took place on that special episode of Raw, the world heavyweight title match easily outshined them. Although mutli-man matches tend to be hit or miss more often than not, Edge, Hardy and Punk produced a very fun match that didn't seem to feature a single dull moment.

With established issues between each of the three competitors, it was every man for himself. It was too soon for Punk to drop the belt, but Hardy's strong effort solidified him a spot in the world title match at The Bash event.

This was only the beginning of a long, personal rivalry between Hardy and Punk that would last the entire summer on the SmackDown brand.

9. The Miz vs. John Morrison: January 4, 2011

When The Miz and John Morrison were randomly paired together in a tag team in late 2007, no one ever imagined they'd go on to garner the success they did, both as a tandem and as singles competitors. Following their split in April 2009, both of them wanted to prove to the other that they were the Shawn Michaels of the duo by achieving every accolade possible.

Although fans saw Morrison as the brighter star of the two, it was Miz who ultimately rose to the top quicker, capturing the Money in the Bank briefcase before cashing in to become WWE champion by November 2010. In doing so, he proved the naysayers wrong, but he had yet to silence his biggest critic: John Morrison.

At TLC, Morrison beat Sheamus to become the new No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship while Miz trumped Randy Orton in his Tables title defense. Instead of saving the epic encounter for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, however, WWE opted to hold the title match on the premiere episode of Raw in 2011.

As the first official WWE match of 2011, there was no better way to ring in the new year than with two up-and-coming competitors who were (seemingly) going to carry the company into the future. The added Falls Count Anywhere stipulation allowed them to take the fight all over the arena and make full use of the extreme environment surrounding them.

With Miz's protege Alex Riley taken out of the equation early on in the contest, it appeared Morrison was closing in on his first WWE title victory. After missing a Starship Pain through a table at ringside, Miz followed up with a scintillating Skull Crushing Finale on the floor to clinch the three-count.

Morrison may not have been main event material at that time, but it was a win worth boasting about for The Awesome One, especially considering their storied history. Interestingly enough, they'd meet once more in a Falls Count Anywhere match that November, which would wind up being Morrison's final WWE match.

8. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk: September 15, 2008

Many may recall the unforgettable feud between CM Punk and Chris Jericho over the WWE Championship on the Road to WrestleMania 28, but they actually clashed on several occasions prior to that point.

Long before he was calling himself the Best in the World, CM Punk was a young upstart on the Raw brand trying to prove himself to the masses as a credible world heavyweight champion. He reigned supreme as champion throughout the summer, but his run would come to an abrupt end at the Unforgiven event.

Due to Randy Orton and the rest of Legacy ambushing Punk before his scheduled title defense, the attack forced Punk to relinquish the title and forfeit his spot in the Scramble match. In a shocking turn of events, it was Chris Jericho who served as his replacement and won the world title.

Punk's "injury" kept him off Raw the next night, but then-Raw general manager Mike Adamle announced he would get his rematch the following week inside a Steel Cage with the winner advancing to No Mercy to defend against Batista.

Even then, Punk and Jericho were capable of contesting a quality match, but in the end, Punk's injuries cost him his chance to regain the gold. The bout was good enough to feel special as an attraction on Raw but not worthy of transpiring on pay-per-view at the time.

7. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio: November 28, 2011

CM Punk was on top of the world when he won the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011, but his reign was cut short at SummerSlam when Alberto Del Rio took the title from him via the Money in the Bank briefcase. This put Punk in chase mode for the remainder of the year, culminating in his grand title victory at Survivor Series.

Del Rio didn't take his loss of the championship lightly, however, choosing to immediately invoke his championship rematch clause. Instead of holding off until the TLC pay-per-view as expected, the rematch between the two was set to take place on the Nov. 28 edition of Raw.

After their outstanding outing at Survivor Series, it remained to be seen how they were going to top themselves. Despite that, they managed to deliver an equally excellent, if not better match on the flagship show, taking each other to the limit by pulling out everything in their respective arsenals.

It was only after Punk took advantage of an exposed turnbuckle that he was able to connect with the GTS and put Del Rio away for the victory. It protected Del Rio in defeat and put him back in contention for the gold at December's TLC event.

From there, Punk went on to have a historic 434-day reign as WWE champion, but his premiere title defense against Del Rio on this episode of Raw often goes under the radar.

6. CM Punk vs. Ryback: January 7, 2013

In the fall of 2012, CM Punk and Ryback were embroiled in a rivalry over the WWE Championship. At both the Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series pay-per-views, Ryback fell short of capturing the gold, but WWE granted him one last title opportunity at TLC in a match of the same name.

Only weeks before the event, a torn meniscus sidelined Punk from action, leading to the WWE title match being called off and later changed to a six-man TLC tag team match featuring Ryback and Team Hell No against The Shield.

Punk made frequent appearances on the flagship show during his time away from the ring, but the medical staff cleared him to compete in time for the premiere episode of Raw in 2013 where he'd finally face off against Ryback with the gold up for grabs.

Essentially, it was the same match we would have gotten at TLC if Punk hadn't gotten injured, but it was impressive Punk was able to have the showing he did considering the circumstances. Showing no worse for wear, he battled against the offense of The Big Guy and fought valiantly to maintain his possession of the prestigious prize.

With some help from The Shield, Punk was able to ascend the ladder and reclaim the strap, officially punching his ticket to the Royal Rumble where he'd face The Rock. Needless to say, it was Ryback's first truly great match in WWE, and even in defeat did he show signs of one day becoming a breakout singles star.

5. Rob Van Dam vs. John Cena: June 26, 2006

John Cena has had an array of amazing opponents over the course of his career, but few individuals got great matches out of him as consistently as Rob Van Dam did in 2006.

Their first fantastic contest came at the One Night Stand pay-per-view where RVD cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase. On that night, he was successful in capturing the gold following interference from Edge, but Cena's quest to regain the gold was far from over.

Before Cena could contend for the title again, RVD had to overcome an obstacle in the form of Edge at Vengeance, where he emerged victorious. The next night on Raw, he finally granted Cena his long-awaited rematch, and much like at One Night Stand, they contested a classic.

Although they were relegated to working a 10-minute match, they made the most of it by going the distance and once again producing a great match. RVD proved his worth as a main event-caliber talent by hanging with Cena while the former champ silenced the critics who claimed he couldn't wrestle.

The only factor preventing this match from not ranking higher was the non-finish that saw Edge get involved and cause the match to be thrown out. Of course, it led to a Triple Threat title match the very next week on Raw, but this bout was far superior from an in-ring standpoint.

4. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho: August 22, 2005

At SummerSlam 2005, Chris Jericho pushed John Cena to his absolute limit like no one had before and forced him to prove his mettle as a main event player. Cena's WWE Championship reign had been impressive up to that point, but his feud with Jericho was the ultimate test as to whether he'd be able to remain the face of Monday Night Raw.

Despite his best efforts, Jericho was unsuccessful in taking home the title on that night, but that wouldn't be his last chance at the championship. On the subsequent edition of Raw, then-Raw general manager Eric Bischoff granted him one final shot at the strap, and if he didn't get the job done, he would have to suffer the consequences.

Similar to at SummerSlam, Jericho and Cena contested an exciting match with several suspenseful near-falls down the stretch. It had been years since Jericho was last considered a threat to a major world title, but he came close on multiple occasions in this match to winning back the belt.

Again, however, Cena was too resilient to go down without a fight. Even the interference from Bischoff backfired, leading to Cena capitalizing and securing victory.

Following the match, Bischoff wasted no time in firing Jericho and having security escort him out of the arena. Jericho's departure was legitimate, and he was wise to put over Cena as a star on the rise on his way out.

3. Edge vs. Ric Flair: January 16, 2006

Edge had the best buildup of any Money in the Bank winner before he cashed in the contract to become WWE champion, but to some, it was a fluke victory. He essentially "stole" that title from John Cena, and until he officially beat him for it, he wouldn't be looked at as a legitimate threat in the eyes of the fans.

Not only that, but Edge had yet to have that career-defining match that would solidify him as a singles star. Little did we know that match would come on the Jan. 16, 2006 edition of Raw.

Prior to winning the WWE title at New Year's Revolution, Edge contended for the Intercontinental Championship earlier in the evening against Ric Flair and lost when he intentionally got himself disqualified. Even after moving on to his program with Cena, Flair was out for revenge, challenging him to a championship match eight days later on Raw.

It wouldn't be any ordinary rematch, however; they would go to war in a TLC match, a specialty of Edge's. At the age of 56, Flair was still able to hang in the ring with Edge and completely tear his body to shreds, though he was willing to endure any amount of punishment to walk away with the prestigious prize.

Bloodied and all, Flair ascended the ladder toward the title, but Edge's main squeeze Lita thwarted the Nature Boy's plans. Edge eventually triumphed over the Flair, proving to the world that he was indeed a main event-caliber competitor after all.

2. Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena: July 25, 2011

The state of Raw was chaotic throughout the summer of 2011. It felt like we had a different WWE champion every week, and that was what made Monday nights so exciting because you never knew who would show up with the title in tow.

The July 25 edition of Raw will be remembered as one of the best of the year for everything that occurred that night, including the final half-hour. Only an hour removed from his WWE Championship victory at the start of the show, WWE forced Rey Mysterio to defend it that very same night against the former champion, John Cena.

It was a match that could have easily headlined SummerSlam, but because WWE had other plans for the event, the company rushed it for the main event of this episode instead. Nevertheless, it had been eight years since we last saw them go one-on-one, so it felt fresh and fans were happy to have gotten the match at all.

Mysterio, having already wrestled earlier in the night, put up an incredible fight against Cena and dished out everything he could before falling victim to an Attitude Adjustment "out of nowhere" from the Cenation leader. With the three-count, Cena regained the gold and showed respect to the future WWE Hall of Famer after the match with a handshake and a hug.

Sadly, we would never get a rematch from the two, as WWE immediately transitioned into Cena vs. Punk (who made his shocking return following this match) going into SummerSlam, and Mysterio was put on the shelf with an injury a few short weeks later.

1. Seth Rollins vs. Neville: August 3, 2015

It may be premature to call this the greatest WWE Championship match on Raw in the last 10 years, but compared to the aforementioned matches, Seth Rollins vs. Neville was an in-ring encounter that will have fans talking for years to come.

Prior to the Aug. 3 edition of Raw, WWE hadn't held a WWE title match on Raw in over two-and-a-half years. The company teased doing at various points in the years since, but it didn't deliver until this night.

As for the buildup, there virtually wasn't any. With John Cena out of action with a broken nose, Rollins figured he would take after his open challenge gimmick by offering any wrestler on the roster under 6'0" and 200 pounds a shot at his title.

While Rollins expected El Torito to accept the invitation, it ended up being Neville, who took Rollins to an all-new level with his phenomenal performance. It was the match fans hoped they would get when they clashed for the first time months earlier, the amazing match they were capable of having all along.

As great as the match was, it was the finish that made it remarkable, with Neville hitting the Red Arrow and fans buying into him winning only to discover Rollins' foot was cleverly placed on the rope. After his second attempt at the Red Arrow backfired, Rollins took advantage by nailing his best Pedigree to date to pick up his most impressive win yet.

Neville wasn't elevated overnight, but in time he will be, and fans will look back on this match as the night he was officially cemented as a star.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

Follow @WrestleRant