In 2002, WWE was in a bit of a rough spot. The end of WCW and ECW meant they were really the only company standing (TNA and ROH hadn’t started up yet) and the brand extension was just beginning. Vince McMahon did a big promo where he wanted stars who could push “ruthless aggression.” That line has since become the label for the period from 2002 to 2009 which is better seen today as one of the WWE's highpoints. Sure, there was a lot of bad stuff (HHH dominating a lot, Katie Vick, the ECW revival) but there were a lot of great things too. There were mega-stars like Cena, Orton, Lesnar, and Batista rising up, the cruiserweights shining and women showing their stuff more.
The era was packed with a lot of feuds, many of which were forgettable. However, others were truly amazing. A few were reviving older feuds like Rock vs Steve Austin or even the much-pushed Vince vs Hogan “conflict.” Several feuds stand out from the herd as not only great in their own right but highlighting what made this period so terrific for fans. Here are the 10 rivalries that truly defined the Ruthless Aggression era and why it remains so important in WWE’s history.
10 Randy Orton vs Mick Foley
It’s not as long-lasting as other feuds on this list but very important in elevating one of WWE’s biggest future stars. In 2003, Randy Orton was rising up as Intercontinental champion and setting up his character of the “Legend Killer.” He began taunting Mick Foley who surprisingly appeared to ignore the guy at first but soon went after him.
Foley eliminated Orton at the Royal Rumble and then teamed with the Rock to face Evolution at Mania XX. The culmination was their brutal, bloody Backlash match which instantly made Orton a main event star. It boosted Orton's presence big time and made this an important feud for the future.
9 Los Guerreros vs Team Angle
This feud had several facets but they all worked. In 2003, Eddie Gerrero was pushing himself on his comeback by teaming up with nephew Chavo as tag team champions. They were soon tangling with Kurt Angle and his “Team” of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. The two main teams would trade the tag titles a few times and have great matches.
Eventually, WWE champion Eddie would face Angle at WrestleMania XX in a terrific battle. They had a hotter feud later in the year and the two ringmasters were amazing battling it out with each other. This feud helped push up Chavo and Shelton while giving Eddie and Angle a way to shine.
8 Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels
Chris Jericho had been in a bit of a slump in late 2002, a big comedown from World champion. He boasted that he was the “new” Shawn Michaels with the original having problems with that. They put on a brilliant battle at Wrestlemania XIX with Shawn getting the win. Jericho seemed okay with it only to lay Michaels out and ignite a heated rivalry.
While that faded, the two reignited it in 2008 when Jericho smashed HBK’s head into his “Jeritron 5000.” That would be the last great feud of the RA Era with them tearing down the house in numerous matches with Jericho going over Michaels in a ladder match for the World title. Leave it to these two to steal every show with their feud.
7 Undertaker vs Batista
When the Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble, he chose to challenge Batista for the World title at WrestleMania 23. Fans weren’t expecting much given the shape both men were in but to their amazement, the pair put on arguably the best match of the show.
Their rematches would also be astounding from a brutal Last Man Standing match to Hell in a Cell. Undertaker brought out the best in Batista, making him up his game and leading to some terrific fights. Undertaker gave as good as he got in a wild series of attacks. It marks one of the best feuds either man has been in.
6 Matt Hardy vs Edge
If ever a feud shined thanks to its real-world implications, it was this. Matt Hardy and Lita had been a couple for some time. While out due to injury, Matt discovered that Lita was cheating on him with best friend Adam “Edge” Copeland. Matt was fired after yelling about it and the wrestling websites went wild reporting on the drama.
Matt would make a surprise return to attack Edge but the real war was the trio exchanging insults online. The in-ring matches seemed rough as if the two men couldn’t put their personal heat aside enough to be professional. Still, it’s hard to talk about great feuds of the era and not include this.
5 Trish Stratus vs Lita
When the decade began, Trish Stratus was little more than eye candy while Lita was only doing a few matches. After some training, Trish transformed into one of the best female workers ever seen while Lita was forced to take time off for a neck injury. They were soon clashing in some wild battles including the first women’s match to main event RAW.
The two just clicked wonderfully in the ring so even when they had other programs, they kept coming back to face each other. Fittingly, Trish closed out her main in-ring career defeating Lita for the Women’s title as their feud sparked this era in women’s wrestling.
4 HHH vs HBK
When the 2000s began, Shawn Michaels was retired with a serious back injury that looked to put him on the shelf for good. In 2002, he and HHH briefly united in a new NWO but then Hunter set Shawn up for an attack. At SummerSlam, Shawn stunned everyone by coming back better than ever for a fantastic brawl.
He and Hunter would have several rematches, including trading the World title. Also, the feud would expand to include Chris Benoit to set up their amazing WrestleMania XX and Blacklash main events. While the pair would reunite later in the decade as DX, their rivalry helped reestablish Shawn as an icon once more.
3 HHH vs Batista
After the Randy Orton-HHH feud fizzled, some were worried Batista would suffer the same fate. Thankfully, this went much better as, after winning the Royal Rumble, Batista turned on HHH to challenge him for the World title. Hunter put Batista over at WrestleMania 21 with a great match with Batista winning the belt.
Their rematches were also good including HHH losing to Batista in Hell in a Cell. It helped make Batista more of a star and that he was one of the few guys to come out the better in a feud with HHH showed how much faith Hunter had in him.
2 Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar
For a time, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar were kept apart in separate programs but fans wanted to see these two high-caliber athletes clash. It finally happened at WrestleMania XIX, a match notable for how Angle had a terrible neck and Brock nearly breaking his own with a shooting star press.
Angle returned faster than expected for more amazing battles, including their epic Iron Man match on SmackDown. The feud ended too quickly but for its time, it was a sensational battle that highlighted two of WWE’s best ringmasters.
1 John Cena vs Edge
While they’d had a few encounters here and there, John Cena and Edge didn’t have major conflicts until New Year’s Revolution 2006. After barely surviving the Elimination Chamber, Cena was confronted by Edge using the first-ever Money in the Bank cash-in to beat Cena for the WWE title. Cena won the belt back at the Royal Rumble but the feud continued.
In all, from 2006 through 2009, Cena and Edge met in 35 PPV events, from singles to tag matches to the Royal Rumble not to mention countless RAW clashes. Several of these matches were epic encounters as each man made this an incredible war to fire up the era.