When WWE flipped the switch for its weekly television programs from TV-14 to TV-PG, it effectively changed the entire outlook of the company. Gone were the days Steve Austin’s swearing and Sable strip teases, and the grungier aspects that stuck around through the Ruthless Aggression Era were effectively wiped clean. The family-friendly direction turned off quite a many wrestling fans, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. John Cena may have been at the pinnacle of his “Super Cena” phase but we still got to see the rise of CM Punk, Jeff Hardy’s long-awaited world championship wins, the arrivals of Daniel Bryan, The Wyatt Family and The Shield and glimpses of what the future would hold with the early days of NXT.
Since the coronavirus quarantine still has everybody stuck inside, here are 10 great matches from the PG Era you can watch on the WWE Network right now. For the sake of argument, we’ll narrow down the dates from June 22, 2008 to January 27, 2014, the night CM Punk walked out of the company.
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Are there any we missed? Let us know down in the comments below!
Jeff Hardy vs. Edge vs. Triple H — Armageddon 2008
When Jeff Hardy took The Undertaker to his limit in that famous Raw ladder match, fans were given a glimmer of hope that “The Charismatic Enigma” might one day break out as a world champion. It took a lot longer than expected, but that day finally came in late 2008 when Hardy managed to beat both Edge and Triple H at the same time to become WWE Champion. The match itself is great, but be sure to stick around for Hardy’s celebration afterwards.
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels I and II
Do we really need to explain why? One is regarded as one of the greatest WWE matches of all time, the other is an emotional sequel that builds off of years of backstory and has emotion dripping out of every move Michaels throws. They’re classics, so if you somehow haven’t watched them by now fix that.
Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho — The Bash 2009
Chris Jericho’s outstanding heel run in the late 2000s falls on the borderline between the Ruthless Aggression and PG Eras. So since we can’t put all of his matches with HBK, we’ll go with the next best thing — his incredible rivalry with Rey Mysterio and the Intercontinental Championship in 2009.
CM Punk vs. John Cena (Money in the Bank 2011)
Much like the Michaels/Undertaker WrestleMania matches, this one has been talked about and dissected for years. But even nine years later it still holds up as a classic, and you’ll still get chills seeing Punk leave the arena with the WWE Championship in his hands.
And since you’re here, also check out the match they had on the Feb. 25, 2013 episode of Monday Night Raw. It’s probably the best Raw match of the last decade.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H — WrestleMania XXVIII (Hell in a Cell)
Triple H’s WrestleMania matches with Undertaker never quite get on the same pedestal as the two Michales matches, which is kind of a shame. Their WrestleMania XXVII encounter is the lone bright spot on an otherwise dismal card, and their final bout a year later represents as the culmination of the four-year storyline Undertaker had with Michaels. “The Heartbreak Kid” plays a huge role as referee and no matter how many times you see it, you’ll still lose your mind when he superkicks Taker right into a Pedigree.
John Cena vs. The Rock — WrestleMania 28
Even though WWE betrayed the “Once in a Lifetime” tagline a year later, Cena and Rock’s first encounter actually lived up to the year-long hype. Rock looked great even as he battled through that torn hamstring, while Cena had already mastered his “Big Match John” level of performance by this point in his career.
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar — Extreme Rules 2012 (Extreme Rules Match)
Nobody knew what to expect when Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012. Paul Heyman wasn’t around to be his mouthpiece yet, John Cena looked legitimately afraid of him and “The Beast” looked poised to turn the entire Raw roster on its head (Anybody else remember “Monday Night Raw: Featuring Brock Lesnar?”). And instead of just hitting F-5s and suplexes over and over, Lesnar turned his first match back with Cena into an absolute brawl. Everything about this match, minus the weak finish (which still looks like the wrong choice to this day), is a ton of fun.
CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar — SummerSlam 2013
As fun as Lesnar’s return against Cena was, WWE couldn’t quite figure out how to use him in his first year back. He spent a good chunk of time being “suspended” for attacking Triple H and had the habit of snapping people’s arms with Kimura locks, but he didn’t quite feel like the unstoppable force he should’ve been. In order to turn that around Paul Heyman needed to give him a program he could sink his teeth into, and they found that in spades with CM Punk.
Every Shield Six-Man Tag Match You Can Find
Yes, all of them. They’re all great, no matter which trio WWE paired them up against. Honorable mention goes to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust from Battleground 2013.
Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro NXT (Aug 21, 2013)
Nowadays NXT’s matches are the standard everything else in the company is compared to. But back in 2013 the show was still trying to find its feet as a developmental territory. Thankfully Sami Zayn and Cesaro proved in just one match that the independent wrestling style could work perfectly under WWE’s presentation if given enough freedom, and it set the stage for dozens of classic matches in the years that followed.
