6 most violent WWE matches of the 2000s

The 2000s were a time of great change in WWE.

At the start of the 21st Century, the company was gripped in its Attitude Era, with stars like The Rock 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and The Undertaker ruling the roost.

These stars eventually gave way to the Ruthless Aggression, with stars like Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle, before Randy Orton, Batista and John Cena took centre stage, and today we have smaller stars like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Finn Balor.

One thing that hasn't changed though, is that some matches can get downright brutal, and there have been plenty of bouts over the past 19 years that have made fans wince in horror.

Here are the six most violent WWE matches of the 2000s, and which Superstar's paid the price for the fans' entertainment.

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#6 The Dudley Boyz Vs. Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman (ECW One Night Stand 2005)

The reunion show was for many, their first glimpse at ECW Wrestling.

After the success of the Rise and Fall of ECW documentary, plans were put into motion for a special one-off reunion show for the extreme brand which had gone under in 2005.

In an exciting and emotional night, the show was topped by Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman (both former ECW World Champions), teaming together to face the Dudley Boyz.

There were run-ins made by numerous wrestlers not supposed to be involved in the encounter, ladders, cane shots and other shenanigans, and the ending included a table being set on fire.

The finish, which saw Dreamer sent through a flaming table, shocked everyone who saw it, as for many members of the WWE Universe, this was their first glimpse at what ECW had done during it's peak.

#5 Randy Orton Vs. Cactus Jack (Backlash 2004)

Orton proved himself when he toppled the Hardcore Legend is a bloody war at Backlash 2004.

An RKO out-of-nowhere cost Mick Foley his dream of winning inside Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania 20, but the former WWF Champion refused to stay down.

After confronting Randy Orton afterwards, the pair were set for a Hardcore match at next month's Backlash, both for the Legend Killer's Intercontinental Title, and with Evolution banned from ringside.

It was The Viper's maiden voyage into the world of Hardcore, and he held his own against the legendary Extreme Superstar, despite landing back-first into a pool of thumbtacks, and with the young Superstar only wearing his standard boots and trunks, there was no protection for his body.

Orton may have won the match, and further established himself as the Legend Killer, but paid a dear price to retain his Intercontinental gold.

#4 Kurt Angle Vs. Shane McMahon (King of the Ring 2001)

x Angle and Shane gave an epic performance in 2001.

Fans in 2019 may scoff at the idea of Shane McMahon believing he's the Best in the World, but the 49-year-old has certainly given plenty to the industry throughout the years.

In 2001, McMahon found himself in the ring against Kurt Angle, after interrupting Angle's Olympic Gold Medal ceremony re-enactment.

Meeting at the King of the Ring (Angle's third match of the night), both men gave it their all, with Shane being thrown through the glass stage, not once, but twice.

As both men bled for the match, the pair gained the admiration of the crowd, though it was Angle who emerged the victor, using a sheet of wood as a platform to deliver an elevated Angle Slam.

Though it was the Olympian who got the win, it was McMahon who received the praise of the fans

#3 Eddie Guerrero Vs. John 'Bradshaw' Layfield (Judgement Day 2004)

The match is too graphic to show in color on this website.

One chair-shot. That was all it took to take this standard main-event of a SmackDown pay per view, into one of the most bloody matches of all time.

Already an emotional match, JBL, who had only recently transitioned from his Bradshaw character, was craving Eddie Guerrero's WWE title, and with the referee down, executed a chair shot to the skull to seal the deal.

Something went wrong along the way though, as Eddie bled buckets afterwards but was somehow still able to carry on the bout.

A DQ victory for JBL made that the title did not change hands, though Bradshaw would eventually capture the gold shortly after, but we'll get to that later...

However you feel about the company's current PG rating, this match shows why unprotected chair-shots should remain banned.

#2 Steve Blackman Vs. Shane McMahon (SummerSlam 2000)

Shane paid the price dearly when he took on Steve Blackman for the Hardcore Championship.

He may be the son of the boss, but Shane McMahon has certainly paid his dues as part of the WWE.

At SummerSlam 2000, McMahon engaged in one of his most iconic matches, taking on Steve Blackman, who had had the Hardcore title robbed from him by Shane and his stooges.

A match arguably famous for one moment (but what a moment it was!), Shane would often try and escape Blackman, and climbed to the top of the titantron to run.

Armed with a kendo stick, Blackman would continue his assault on Shane, until the Prodigal Son fell, crashing down backwards to the stage below.

Broken from the bout, McMahon would go into exile for months, before returning in March 2001 to war with his father Vince McMahon.

#1 John Cena Vs. John 'Bradshaw' Layfield (Judgement Day 2005)

The match would go down as one of the most violent bouts ever.

Just one year after his bloodied war against Eddie Guerrero in 2004, at Judgement Day 2005, JBL went up against a fresh-faced John Cena.

After winning the WWE Title from Eddie in 2004, JBL would have a lengthy reign until losing to Cena at WrestleMania 21, and was hungry to get the gold back.

Meeting in an I-Quit match, Cena was opened up by a brutal chair shot to the head, and the Leader of the Cenation spilled buckets of blood in the ring, on JBL and wherever the two battled.

By the end of the bout, both men were exhausted, but it was JBL who gave up, after being threatened with an exhaust pipe.

Undeterred, Cena used the pipe anyway, showing just how ruthless he could be, as the show garnered a TV-MA rating due to it's violence.