Ranking WWE's 10 Greatest Forgotten Fall Classics

The Fall months in WWE have long been considered the doldrums of the pro wrestling calendar; a season in which the company bides time before heating up the product in time for the march to WrestleMania.

While that may be the perception, the period between September and November has produced its fair share of forgotten classics.

Relive those hidden gems from WWE's "lull" season and find out why they deserve your attention.

But first...

Why Isn't The First Hell in a Cell Included?

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker made history with the incredible debut of Hell in a Cell at In Your House: Bad Blood in October of 1997.

The match was extraordinary, a bloody, violent affair the likes of which that match was made for. It also featured the shocking, unforgettable debut of Kane, kicking off a sibling rivalry story that would captivate fans and go on to become one of the greatest arcs in WWE history.

It is appropriately ranked among the best matches in company history, as well as one of the most influential and important.

For that reason, it cannot justifiably be considered one a hidden gem and thus, misses out on inclusion on this list.

It is, however, hands-down the best match to ever take place in the Fall months in WWE.

Honorable Mention: The Rock vs. Kurt Angle (No Mercy 2000)

Lost in the chaotic game of championship hot potato that ensued in 2000 was the excellent match-up between The Rock and Kurt Angle that headlined that year's No Mercy pay-per-view.

The Great One and the Olympic gold medalist had demonstrated their in-ring chemistry in previous matches, but had not yet had the opportunity to deliver in a marquee spot.

A back and forth contest that proved to even the biggest doubters that Angle was ready to thrive at the top of the card, it culminated in typical Attitude Era fashion, with chicanery in the form of McMahon interference.

First, Stephanie ate a Rock Bottom, which brought Triple H out. The Cerebral Assassin dropped his longtime rival with a Pedigree and carried his wife to safety.

Then, late in the bout, Rikishi arrived on the scene with a sledgehammer, hellbent on assisting his cousin to a championship win. Instead, he blasted him by accident and the Olympian delivered an Angle Slam to win the match and the first of four WWE titles.

10. Matt Hardy vs. Edge (Unforgiven 2005)

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The intensely personal rivalry between Matt Hardy and Edge, which began with the latter's shocking affair with Lita off-screen, bled over onto WWE television in 2005. Following an unsatisfying conclusion to their first match-up at SummerSlam that August, they kicked off the Fall with a battle inside a steel cage at Unforgiven that not only stole that particular show, but set the bar remarkably high for the rest of the year.

A physical battle that built and built before culminating in a jaw-dropping leg drop from Hardy from the top of the cage, it gave the audience exactly what it wanted from the latest in their heated rivalry.

More importantly, it provided Hardy with a moment of both revenge and redemption, arguably one of the best in his career as a singles competitor.

There is plenty to be said of the follow-up and, ultimately, how Hardy was done dirty in the aftermath of the victory. For one night in Oklahoma City, though, he looked like a breakout main event star ready to move on from the heartache caused by the dissolution of his relationship onto bigger things.

9. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (In Your House: Ground Zero)

While the iconic first Hell in a Cell match may not be eligible for this list due to its proper ranking as one of the best in WWE history, the first encounter between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels from the previous month's In Your House: Ground Zero more than deserves recognition among forgotten Fall classics.

The Heartbreak Kid wanted nothing to do with The Deadman after costing him the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, then undergoing a heel turn and joining forces with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna to beat him down in subsequent weeks.

A true cowardly villain, he attempted to evade the Phenom at points throughout the match before it devolved into a wild and chaotic brawl that concluded in unsatisfying fashion when Tim White called for the bell and declared the match a no-contest.

While that may not have been an ideal outcome, the brawl that spilled out of the ring and into the arena set the stage for the much-needed steel confines of the aforementioned Hell in a Cell Match.

Michaels and Undertaker took the WWE fans on a ride and necessitated an even greater, historically relevant match that just so happened to cast an enormous shadow of their first wild, chaotic, hella fun showdown.

8. Edge and Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit (SmackDown, November 7, 2002)

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Edge and Rey Mysterio fell just shy of becoming the first WWE Tag Team Champions, losing to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in a tournament final at No Mercy 2002.

Looking to get their win back and to relieve their rivals of the gold, Edge and Mysterio battled Angle and Benoit in a Best 2-Out-of-3 Falls Match on the November 7 episode of SmackDown.

A match that, arguably, eclipsed their instant classic from pay-per-view just weeks earlier, it captivated the audience and concluded with the babyfaces capturing the gold.

Forgotten today largely due to the understandable erasure of Benoit from WWE history, it was a brilliant match featuring four Superstars in peak form. It was also another entry in the SmackDown Six story, which also featured Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, and dominated the blue brand in the criminally short run of Paul Heyman as the lead creative force behind the scenes.

7. John Cena vs. Edge (Unforgiven 2006)

John Cena and Edge had several classic encounters over the course of their legendary rivalry, with none more overrated than the main event of the Unforgiven 2006 pay-per-view.

That may strike a nerve with some, but that does not make it any less true.

With that said, it is still an excellent match that more than deserves placement on this list.

A match that featured a greatest hits assortment of spots, coupled with a few original ideas sprinkled in for good measure, and an all-timer finish that saw Cena deliver an Attitude Adjustment from the top of a ladder, it was head and shoulders above the second half of the year.

The Last Man Standing Match between the two in April of 2009 was a better match, but the historical implications of the match and what it meant to Cena and Edge's respective runs as main event talent earns it the reputation that it has.

6. The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (No Mercy 2002)

Since they first clashed inside Hell in a Cell at No Mercy 2002, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar have wrestled countless times, including the infamous WrestleMania 30 match that saw The Beast end The Deadman's iconic unbeaten streak at the Showcase of the Immortals.

That match in the Fall of Lesnar's rookie year, though, proved absolutely essential to the Next Big Thing's credibility and perception.

Labeled and promoted as the star of the future, Lesnar needed a match in which he was physically tested, bloodied even, and allowed to fight from underneath. He needed it to not come easy and Undertaker, the American Badass, made sure that it did not.

Lesnar was battered and beaten throughout the match but mustered the fury that had become a trademark of his in-ring performance and finished an even more battered, bloodied, and beaten Undertaker with an F-5 to win the the match, retain his title, and pass the biggest test of his young career.

Some may argue that the match is properly rated among other Fall classics, but considering its quality and historical significance, it still is not mentioned enough in the pantheon of either man's best.

5. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles (No Mercy 2016)

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The Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship inexplicably kicked off No Mercy 2016, the first SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view event following the brand split, as AJ Styles defended his title against Dean Ambrose and John Cena.

A high-energy, red-hot start to the show, it saw the three top dogs on the blue brand deliver a match full of creative and unique counters and spots that concluded with the vile champion resorting to underhanded tactics to emerge victoriously.

In the match's closing seconds, The Phenomenal One entered the ring with a weapon, blasted Cena with it, and pinned him. It was a finish that combated the never-before-seen originality of the sequences, reversals, and false finishes with one blatant and unabashed swing of a chair.

And therein lies the beauty of it.

After the audience had been taken on this dramatic and unpredictable ride, the most creative of all moments was the cheap one utilized by the Face That Runs The Place that earned him the tainted victory.

4. The Rock vs. Chris Jericho (No Mercy 2001)

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Could Chris Jericho win the big one?

It was the question hanging over his WCW Championship match-up against The Rock at No Mercy in 2001.

For over 23 minutes, Y2J proved he could hang with The Great One, kicking out of the iconic Superstar's best stuff and leaving him reeling with his own signature offense. No matter what he could do, though, he could not keep the competitor down for the count.

That is, until The Alliance's Stephanie McMahon appeared with a steel chair, only to be turned away. With the official distracted by the ECW owner's presence at ringside, Jericho dropped Rock with a Breakdown and won the title that eluded him to that point in his career.

It was a watershed moment and one that ushered in Jericho's first main event run, just as the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline neared its end.

3. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian (No Mercy 1999)

Who knows what the landscape of professional wrestling would look like if The Hardy Boyz, Edge, and Christian never clashed in the Tag Team Ladder Match that concluded the Terri Invitational Tournament.

That match provided an alternative to the hardcore brawls of the Attitude Era and opened the door for young, athletic, creative Superstars to showcase their talents on a grand stage.

The fans in Cleveland were ready to embrace the new, exciting, fresh faces, greeting their physical sacrifice with thunderous reactions and a standing ovation for both teams after Jeff Hardy retrieved the $100,000 hanging from the ceiling.

A revolutionary match-up that was quickly overshadowed by the Triple Threat Ladder Match months later at WrestleMania 2000 and the first and second TLC matches, its importance to the landscape of professional wrestling and the introduction of new styles is probably not taken into enough consideration.

A legitimate classic, regardless of what season it took place in.

2. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (No Mercy 2008)

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The best rivalry of 2008 was Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, bar none.

Channeling a sicker, more deranged and despicable side of himself than fans had ever seen before, Jericho brutally assaulted his childhood hero to instigate a heel turn. From there, he put him on the shelf, then accidentally punched his wife.

He even captured the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven in September, wrapping up a night in which he had been physically pummeled by HBK with a toothless grin and 20 pounds of gold.

With months of build, Michaels and Jericho took to the squared circle for the concluding match in their rivalry. With the World Heavyweight Championship hung overhead, they competed in a match they had both previously had success in: a Ladder Match.

Opting for physicality and brutality over awe-inspiring spots popularized by the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, and the Dudley Boyz, they delivered an instant classic that had fans cringing for all of the right reasons.

By night's end, Jericho overcame a vengeful Michaels, retained his title, and put a near flawless cap on the epic program.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (In Your House: Mind Games)

Shawn Michaels' defense of the WWE Championship against Mankind at the In Your House: Mind Games pay-per-view is, arguably, the best match in company history that not nearly enough people talk about.

Not only was it essential to establishing Mankind as a main event attraction, but it was key to Michaels winning further favor with the die-hard members of the WWE fan base that had not previously believed in him as world champion.

The sadistic, masked villain pulled out of Michaels an edginess and toughness that had been lacking from the Heartbreak Kid's presentation. The company's lead babyface relentlessly attacked Mankind, threw caution to the wind, and was as aggressive as ever while doing so.

The match was mutually beneficial, left the bloodthirsty fans in Philadelphia hanging on every big spot, and featured a logical conclusion that saw The Undertaker pop out of a casket meant for HBK and lay into Mankind, advancing their legendary rivalry in a way that made sense.

Though it did not have a definitive finish, it did not need one and that, perhaps, is the greatest compliment that can be paid to it and its participants.

Three decades after it closed out the September 1996 show, it is still one of the best main events the company has ever produced, albeit one that is not mentioned nearly enough compared to others from the competitors' lengthy resumes.