WWE Vengeance 2011: Top 10 Moments in the Pay-Per-View's History

WWE Vengeance is coming up in due time, so I decided to take a look back at the show's history a little bit. While it may not have the prestige as "Royal Rumble" or the spectacle of "WrestleMania," Vengeance has a very interesting past.

To put up a few qualifiers, I am starting with the 2001 version and ending with the 2007 version, which was tagged with a "Night of Champions" subtitle. With that being said, let's dive right into No. 10...

10. DX Returns in 2006

The only reason this is not higher is because it was a glorified squash match. Not only that, but it was the main event of a PPV.

Spirit Squad was a great, young stable designed to get on everybody's nerves (think of Right to Censor). Sadly, WWE had the great idea of pushing them towards the main event scene. A group of male cheerleaders to take on the legendary DX? Not so much...

It was a nice little match to close the show, but it was purely there for DX to beat up five guys. If it were against any other team facing the big return of DX, I would have ranked this a little bit higher. Sorry!

9. The Entire 2007 Main Event Scene

John Cena was in the middle of his year-long WWE title reign here, and WWE was scrambling to find him credible opponents each and every month. He had just disposed of Umaga, HBK and The Great Khali, so who did the company have face him next?

Mick Foley? Bobby Lashley? Randy Orton? King Booker?

Why not all five of them in a "Championship Challenge Match" on this night? It just seemed like a big mess from the beginning, and the rules were you could only be a past champion from Raw to compete, yet others were not allowed, Lashley was just stripped of the ECW title, and Foley just had no reason to be here.

It was a good match, but it was over in 10 minutes, and Raw carried on the next week as if this match never even took place. Just strange.

8. Batista and Triple H End Their Feud in 2005

You talk about putting a guy over? Look no further than Triple H in 2005. Not only losing clean in the main event of WrestleMania for the second straight year (and the following year to make it three years in a row), he lost again at Backlash, then finally dropping a clean fall once more at Vengeance 2005.

The man gaining this favor? Batista! When these two locked up inside the Cell on this fateful night, most expected a Triple H win, with a pretty good match.

Wrong! Batista won, and it was probably one of the greatest HIAC matches of all time. Great match, but the moment in question here is just the fact that the feud was over, and Triple H put over Batista like a million bucks.

7. Zack Gowen Wrestles in 2003

Wow! Talk about a mismatch here. Vince McMahon to take on a one legged wrestler? As one of the headlining matches on PPV? Well, that was the case in 2003.

Of course, it was an OK match. Nothing bad. Nothing special, but it was just a sight to see. Add on top of that, Vince was cut open halfway towards the end of the bout and just bled buckets. You could literally see it streaming out of his head like a faucet.

OK match, yet great moment!

6. Edge and Orton Show off in 2004

This was for the IC title, and you could see the very future of the company here. Think of HHH and Rock tearing it up at SummerSlam 1998 over the IC title. This was that exact scenario.

Two young guys going at it, with the main event scene just within their grasp. Not only was it one of their few real feuds against each other, they delivered a wonderful match, and it was the only highlight of Vengeance 2004.

5. Kurt Angle vs. HBK in 2005

This was the second act of the long feud in 2005, leading into 2006. While nothing was ever going to top their WrestleMania 21 bout, they gave a great effort here, and the Las Vegas crowd showed them the respect they deserved.

Another thing to notice here was the ending sequence of the match. I will not spoil it for you, but it was one of the first times it happened. Ask Shelton Benjamin a few weeks earlier! Nowadays, the finish is overused and bland, but in 2005, it was great.

4. Rock Wins His Final WWE Title in 2002

The Rock vs. The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle. Vengeance 2002. A battle for the ages. The WWE Undisputed title was on the line, with the winner facing Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002.

This triple threat was not only an amazing match, with tons of near falls, it also was a match where I could have seen anybody win. Brock Lesnar was waiting for the winner, so any clash made tons of sense.

Brock vs. Taker? Brock vs. Angle? Brock vs. Rock?

As history shows, The Rock prevailed and put over Brock huge the next month, but on this night, it was The Rock's final WWE title win, and he sure made it memorable. Kudos to all three men here!

3. Cena and Undertaker Fight in 2003

Unless I am wrong, this is the first (and only?) PPV match the two had against each other in a one-on-one setting.

For that reason alone, this deserves a high ranking. It featured a great build, a great match and even a more historical landmark. Cena vs. Undertaker just screams money to me!

Most are still clamoring for these two fight one-on-one on PPV again, especially at a WrestleMania. I am not sure if that will ever happen, but on this night in 2003, history was made.

2. 2007 Debacle

As I mentioned earlier, the 2007 version of Vengeance was NOT a night to remember. For a lot of reasons. Especially the situation with the ECW title match.

A lot of people have a hard time thinking back to this fateful night (and weekend), but whether people like it or not, it is a very memorable time frame for long-time WWE fans.

As the title says, I will not be naming the individual in question here, but most already know what/who I am talking about. It was just a very bad time to be a wrestling fan, and it may have marked the worst moment in sports entertainment history.

WWE likes to erase this night (and this person) from its history books, and that is fine by me. They are doing the right thing, as I will not speak of this much (if at all again). I give major, major props to them! 

Nevertheless, it had to be mentioned here...

1. Jericho Becomes the 1st-Ever Undisputed Champion in 2001

This had to be No. 1. No other moment brings out the name "Vengeance" than this one.

We all know the history. WWE had two world champions in Stone Cold and The Rock. Vince was part owner. Ric Flair was part owner. The solution?

Stone Cold vs. Kurt Angle facing the winner of The Rock vs. Jericho, all in one night! After Austin took care of Angle, Jericho shocked the world by not only defeating The Rock but also Stone Cold later on in the night.

Chris Jericho became the first ever Undisputed Champion, and it was the biggest moment of his career. Not only that, but it will forever define Vengeance as a show.

Do not forget folks! I will be making a major announcement on 11-1-11 that will change the way you read my work forever...