The 12 Most Festive Christmas Matches in WWE History

Every year, WWE celebrates the holiday season as only it can: with good, old-fashioned violence and tongue-in-cheek gimmick bouts.

Since 2001, the promotion has regularly featured holiday-themed matches and moments that spread cheer and joy to its fanbase. Typically, they have little impact on anything else going on and are entirely separate of ongoing storylines.

Instead, they exist primarily to entertain.

As you sit back and relax with family, enjoy a journey through WWE holiday history with these 12 festive matches, featuring all-time greats, one-hit wonders and jolly old St. Nick himself, Santa Claus!

12. Mistletoe On a Pole Match

Just in case the women's Christmas matches could not become any more ridiculous, meaningless or insulting, 2011 brought with it a Mistletoe On a Pole match that saw Brie Bella defeat Nikki Bella, Tamina, Alicia Fox, Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Aksana, Natalya and Rosa Mendes by retrieving mistletoe from a pole.

Her reward?

Not a championship opportunity of any kind. No, as Santa Mick explained after the bout, the win earned her the right to kiss the Superstar of her choice.

The awful stipulation and even worse in-ring "action," lands this one the dubious distinction of WWE's worst Christmas production.

11. Boiler Room Brawl: Mankind vs. Mean Street Posse

In December 1999, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were in the midst of a power trip, the leaders of the McMahon-Helmsley Regime that regularly made life a living hell for the most popular babyfaces in WWE.

Mankind was the unfortunate soul on the receiving end of the authority figures' wrath, forced into a Boiler Room Brawl against Santa Claus.

There was not just one jolly ol' opponent, though. Instead, Mankind found himself on the receiving end of a beatdown, courtesy of multiple red-suited rivals. 

The New Age Outlaws and Triple H assaulted the future Hall of Famer, the latter leaving him lying unconscious on the ground before walking out of the room and being declared the victor. More of a segment designed to further a story than a match, the contest lacked the Christmas cheer or feeling of the others on this list.

10. Xanta Claus vs. Scott Taylor

In 1995, Vince McMahon attempted every gimmick possible, including an evil Santa Claus character that lasted a hot minute before disappearing into obscurity.

Dubbed Xanta Claus, he made a moderately memorable debut at In Your House V, attacking Savio Vega and proving that McMahon would stop at nothing to present the most ridiculous and tone-deaf characters in the industry.

From there, he would wrestle a televised squash match against Scott Taylor, who would go on to greater notoriety as Scotty 2 Hotty.

In fact, Taylor would have a longer shelf life than Xanta Claus, who disappeared from TV as quickly as he arrived.

Rumor has it that, in his absence, he discovered his Balls...Mahoney.

9. Jingle Belles Match

Reality show fans had a very Merry Christmas in 2013, as the cast of Total Divas donned their sexiest Santa outfits for a Jingle Belles tag team match. Their opponents? The self-proclaimed Real Divas, consisting of Aksana, Kaitlyn, Summer Rae, Alicia Fox, Tamina Snuka and Vickie Guerrero.

The team of Eva Marie, The Bella Twins, Naomi, Cameron an Natalya picked up the victory in the annual multi-woman tag match, serving as the perfect advertisement for the subpar reality romp.

It continued the tradition of WWE Creative throwing as many of the female Superstars together as possible for a sprint of a match that hardly anyone would remember beyond the final bell. Still, it was a fun bout that saw Natalya receive some much-deserved spotlight, courtesy of her Sharpshooter to Aksana.

8. Tajiri Claus vs. Bubba Claus

The 2001 Christmas Eve episode of Raw featured the babyfaces and heels of WWE holding separate parties in the backstage area.

Tajiri donned the red suit for the babyfaces while Bubba Ray Dudley represented Santa Claus for the heel side of things.

On a night full of a gimmick bouts and over-the-top festivities, the two Santas squared off in singles competition.

Thanks to a well-timed interference from Tazz and a special red mist to the eyes, Tajiri Claus netted a big upset victory.

The babyfaces celebrated, fans erupted and a Merry Christmas was had by all.

7. Eggnog Match: Torrie Wilson vs. Stacy Keibler

Hindsight is 20-20, and while the idea of two women rolling around in pools of varying substances may be demeaning and humiliating, there was a time when WWE fans eagerly anticipated the next testosterone-driven gimmick bout featuring two of the most beautiful women in the company.

Christmas Eve 2001 brought with it the first, and only, Eggnog match in WWE history.

Torrie Wilson would square off with Stacy Keibler in the match, which consisted more of scratching, clawing and dunking than anything even remotely close to an exhibition in professional wrestling.

Wilson won, rolling her rival up in the most basic maneuver in the entire ordeal, and fans had the titillating moment of Christmas joy.

6. Christmas Present on a Pole Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango

Late in 2013, Dolph Ziggler and Fandango found themselves engaged in a throwaway feud.

Their matches were largely meaningless, excuses for them to do something productive. On the December 23 episode of Raw, they battled in a Christmas Present on a Pole match, with the winner becoming the No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship.

Creating drama based on the climb of the ropes, the Superstars had fans guessing as to which Superstar would emerge victorious.

The answer? Fandango, who climbed the ropes and retrieved the generically wrapped gift and secured himself a championship opportunity he would fall short in.

5. Good Santa vs. Bad Santa

The December 23, 2013 episode of Raw was about as phoned in as one can possibly imagine, a taped show featuring an advertised main event of Good Santa vs. Bad Santa.

Mark Henry represented the festive and jolly while Damien Sandow was the polar opposite, the antithesis of Christmas joy.

Together, the midcard stars presented a feelgood bout that featured hijinks and hilarity that ended with The World's Strongest St. Nick slamming Sandow Claus for the win and restoring all things happy and joyful.

4. Miracle on 34th Street Fight: Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

There was a notable lack of comedy in the December 22, 2014, showdown between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. A Miracle on 34th Street Fight in name only, the bout was part of the ongoing rivalry between The Lunatic Fringe and Reaper of Souls.

There was no good will among men. Nor was there anything even remotely close to festive. The latest chapter in a blood feud, the action was intense and brutal, even if the presence of Christmas-themed weaponry hurt the legitimacy of the contest.

Unlike other holiday-themed battles, this one did not have a happy ending, either.

Wyatt picked up the win after sending Ambrose face-first into a kendo stick wedged in the corner, proving that not every story has a positive outcome.

3. Foley Claus vs. JBL Kringle

The Tribute to the Troops show is traditionally one of WWE's marquee events. Held for the armed forces of the United States military, it is the company's way of giving back to the men and women who sacrifice themselves for the safety and security of the country.

In 2005, a loud-mouthed Texan Santa addressed the troops, drawing boos. He would be interrupted by a jollier, more traditional Santa who sounded suspiciously like Mick Foley.

The two waged war to determine the real patron saint of Christmas Day.

Fun, hilarity and low blows ensued before Foley dropped his evil imposter, the poorly disguised John Bradshaw Layfield, and earned himself notoriety as the one and only Santa Claus.

2. Miracle on 34th Street Fight: Randy Orton vs. David Otunga

'Tis the season to be jolly...unless you are Randy Orton.

In 2011, The Viper battled David Otunga in a Miracle on 34th Street contest that remains the most one-sided obliteration of a heel in WWE Christmastime history.

The cold and calculating competitor decked the halls with Otunga's head, bouncing it off of any and every holiday-themed prop around the ringside area. Then, in typical Orton fashion, he dropped the Harvard law graduate with the RKO for the win.

On that night, The Grinch had nothing on The Viper, who slithered his way to a one-sided ass-kicking of a guy so talented...he became a commentator.

1. Miracle on 34th Street Fight: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio

If you run over Jolly Ol' St. Nick, there will be hell to pay.

Or so the Christmas Eve 2012 episode of Raw taught us.

Alberto Del Rio had been transitioning to the role of babyface when he accidentally ran over Santa Claus in his latest sports car. The iconic holiday figure was stretchered out of the arena, with looks of horror and concern painting the faces of the fans in attendance.

Only one man could step in and defend the honor of the North Pole's greatest resident: John Cena.

Because...naturally.

Cena battled Del Rio in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight, and with the assistance of the resuscitated big guy, he defeated the second-generation wrestler in a suitably ridiculous main event.