MVP’s 5 Best WWE Matches

Montel Vontavious Porter has become one of the main roster’s token ring veterans over the past few months. Now aligning himself with Bobby Lashley as he enters a feud with Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, MVP has forced his way back into the conversation and letting his inner swagger shine through less than six months after his return at the Royal Rumble.

MVP has shown that he can still hang in the ring too, competing in the occasional match on Monday nights. Even though I’m sure the majority of wrestling fans wouldn’t be quick to call MVP a ring general, they also wouldn’t deny that he’s been involved in some really fun feuds throughout his WWE career. Spanning from a lengthy United States title run to an entertaining odd couple tag team with Matt Hardy, MVP became a genuine highlight of WWE television throughout the late 2000s.

In this piece, we’re going to run down the 5 best MVP WWE matches, highlighting the times MVP excelled as a capable mid-card star and gave even the main eventers a run for their money. Without doubt, these matches were straight up ballin’, so make sure you show some love for MVP down in the comments below.

 

1. MVP vs Kane – Armageddon 2006

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4zyk4o

MVP’s first major feud in WWE was against ‘The Big Red Monster’ Kane. At a time where Montel Vontavious Porter was truly standing out on the blue brand, mostly because of his unique taste in wrestling gear, he needed a huge rub from an established star like Kane to help get him off the ground. MVP picked up two big wins throughout their feud, first in a no DQ match and then later a steel cage, but it was the final of their three encounters that many would agree with as their best.

For the first time in a decade, the ring was engulfed in flames as MVP battled Kane in an Inferno match. This of course being Kane’s speciality, there was little reason to believe that WWE’s resident power ranger would hold a candle to the towering monster and they were right to think that. Kane did walk away with the win and thus the feud, but MVP looked like a star for taking such a prominent star to the limit like he did and for even agreeing to be involved in WWE’s first Inferno match of the era.

This feud was a lot of fun and made me a fan of MVP.

 

2. MVP vs Kofi Kingston – RAW (1/6/09)

After being drafted to RAW, MVP brought the United States Championship with him to Monday nights for the first time. By this point, MVP was hitting his stride as a budding main eventer having proven that he could hang throughout his year long reign on SmackDown. It was about time the US title was passed on to a fresh face and that came in the form of the still Jamaican young lion, Kofi Kingston.

The two engaged in a fantastic championship match, something that wasn’t seen that often during the height of the PG era. Kofi took MVP to the limit and, for the first time, showed promise as a future headline attraction. MVP did a lot for Kofi’s career, giving him this big career win and setting him on the right course to eventually become WWE Champion at WrestleMania many years down the line.

MVP and Kofi Kingston had a chemistry that needs to be seen. In case there’s still a part of you that doesn’t believe MVP can string together a good of a match as any, this is your go to.

 

3. MVP vs Matt Hardy – The Great American Bash 2007

Take your pick from the plethora of matches that MVP and Matt Hardy had throughout their year long feud and you’d be onto a winner. I personally have chosen their first encounter at the Great American Bash to highlight just how great these two were in the ring together. This of course developed into something much bigger than just being a simple US title feud, this eventually led to the two becoming a popular Tag team and the duo to dethrone Deuce and Domino.

As tensions continued to mount between the two rivals however, their tag title feud would come to an end and MVP would put his former partner on the shelf throughout WrestleMania season. Hardy would return at ‘Mania itself to a massive pop to cost MVP the Money in the Bank Ladder match and set up another United States championship match at Backlash, where Hardy would finally walk away victorious. As far as US title feuds go, this was probably one of the best of it’s current incarnation.

Even their basketball contest could have made it onto the list, they were that fun to watch together.

 

4. MVP vs Rey Mysterio – Armageddon 2007

A year following his Inferno match with Kane, MVP entered Armageddon as United States champion to collide with another veteran in Rey Mysterio. Now a much more well-rounded competitor, MVP put on a great opening match against the diminutive luchadore and gained another big win to his name. MVP always seemed to have a better chemistry with those who could pick up the pace of a match, with MVP being a lot more grounded, fans would occasionally lose interest in his matches unless he had someone like Mysterio as his dancing partner.

This match was a great example of how MVP could switch up his game to match those with a different style. MVP would develop a great bond with Mysterio over the years and would personally choose him as his first opponent upon return to WWE in 2020. The two excelled in their RAW match this year and reminded everyone that MVP was a perfectly capable superstar.

Don’t believe me? Check out the link above.

 

5. MVP vs Chris Benoit – WrestleMania 23

A WrestleMania debut worthy of the VIP section, MVP collided with then United States Champion Chris Benoit in his first appearance on the big show. This match ideally would have been given an extra ten minutes to help build momentum, watching it back you can’t help but feel like the crowd just weren’t that into it. Regardless of reception, these two put on a barn-burner that favoured the mat-based style that both Benoit and MVP were best known for.

The two would go on to have an excellent feud that spanned over three pay-per-views, culminating with MVP’s first championship win over ‘The Rabid Wolverine’ in a two-out-of-three falls match at Judgment Day. If you haven’t already picked up on the theme, the US title went a long way in creating and maintaining MVP’s star power throughout his career, none of the aforementioned matches (bar vs. Kane) would have been included if it weren’t for his rivalry with Benoit.

This match was a great addition to the WrestleMania card in 2007 and was a nice throwback to Benoit’s matches with the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. MVP was a ready made star after this match, if anything his WrestleMania entrance alone was enough to make this a huge moment in his career.