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Keep in mind guys, just like the top five matches series I did a few months ago, and like most of my other columns, this is WWE-focussed, and spans mostly from 2001 until the present day. In no particular order, here are the top ten feuds in recent WWE history.

Edge VS. John Cena VS. Triple H at Backlash in 2006.
Or more specifically, leading up to Backlash. Seldom before have I been so entertained by the anticipation building for a triple threat match. You’ve got three of the most gifted mic-workers, coupled with slapstick comedy and toilet humour, which makes for absolute gold. Edge was accompanied by Lita at that time, and there were no shortage of slut and Matt Hardy jokes there. Triple H even went as far as to suggest that Lita had herpes on her lip, after suffering facial injuries at WrestleMania 22. Cena is always entertaining on the mic, however he took a backseat to the two heels and their verbal sparring, with Edge being a particular standout as the whiney third wheel to Cena and HHH. If you don’t recollect their war of words, I strongly suggest YouTubing some of it, some of which can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mJ0w_nUEXU, .

Their series of handicap matches weren’t half bad either.

Mick Foley VS. Ric Flair.
These two legends’ contentious relationship spilled from the pages of their respective autobiographies, To Be the Man, and Have a Nice Day, Foley is Good, and The Hardcore Diaries, into the ring in 2006 at SummerSlam. Like the behind-the-scenes feuds between Triple H and Goldberg, or Edge VS. Matt Hardy with Lita stuck in the middle, it was interesting to see them get physical, however probably weren’t the best bouts they could’ve been, as we all know to create the best matches, all competitors need to be on the same page, and clearly Flair and Foley weren’t. This feud was probably best left as a private matter, but at least the fans got a taste of it publicly.
Mick Foley VS. Edge at WrestleMania 22.

This was one of the highlights of WrestleMania 22, and also a storyline that stuck out in my mind as one of the best of a good batch. I think late 2005 to mid-to-late-2006 was a boom period for WWE, with Edge cementing himself as the Rated-R Superstar and a contender for the WWE Championship, the return of D-Generation X, the launch of WWE magazine and the adoption of ECW as a stand-alone brand. But back to Edge; 2006 was a stand-out year for him, working with the likes of John Cena, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam and Foley, who helped Edge hone his “hardcore” skills already present from years of TLC matches.

Stone Cold Steve Austin VS. Mr. McMahon.
This is the feud that defined the Attitude era, and Stone Cold epitomised the “screw you” attitude of the ‘90s, and was often the poster boy for sticking it to your boss. After the Survivor Series Screwjob incident, Vince McMahon remodelled himself to become “Mr. McMahon”, the villainous uber-boss who is probably the greatest heel of all time to Austin’s greatest baby face. Unfortunately, I was not a card-carrying member of the WWE Universe at that time, and missed what most fans think is the greatest feud of all time. After all, who can forget the cemented Corvette incident, the McMahon family and most of the audience being doused in beer, or “Bedpan McMahon”?
The Alliance VS. WWF in 2001.

I started tuning into WWE around this time, and being a naïve fan of twelve years old, I still believed everything was legitimate, including the storylines. I agonised over Steve Austin’s defection to The Alliance, was irritated by guys like DDP and Rob Van Dam’s upstart antics, and championed Kurt Angle as the face of WWF. While it was probably not the best era in WWE storyline-wise, the purchase of WCW by WWE allowed a whole batch of underused stars from the company to find new fame. That included Van Dam, Torrie Wilson, Booker T, and Billy Kidman, amongst others, and paved the way for WCW and ECW stars not included in the Invasion storyline to make WWE debuts, like Goldberg, Rey Mysterio and The Sandman. Some of the Alliance’s stars are still with the WWE today, including Tommy Dreamer, Gregory Helms. And who could forget the famous Austin catch-cry spawned during this time; “What?!”

Edge, Matt Hardy and Lita love triangle in 2005.
This was an extremely exciting and controversial feud, that had the wrestling community in uproar. Matt Hardy and Lita were often viewed as the favourite couple behind-the-scenes, and no one could believe the cheating allegations against Lita, much less that she was involved with one of Hardy’s best friends, Edge. The fact that Hardy was fired after the incident added insult to injury, and prompted Internet rantings from Hardy towards Edge, shoot run-ins on Raw, and an eventual re-hiring of Hardy and subsequent love-triangle storyline. I doubt that anyone involved was really comfortable with that predicament, with Lita leaving the company not long after. However, it did help cement Edge as a villainous star and pave the way for Jeff Hardy’s comeback. I think Lita was mostly viewed as a role model for young female fans, however the cheating revelations really hurt her credibility. Hardy was painted as the whiny, vindictive and disgruntled ex, which somewhat hindered his character development also. But Edge was truly the victor here, as he went from strength to strength during that time, and used Lita (probably not intentionally, but definitely character-wise) to springboard himself into heel superstardom.

Bret Hart VS. Shawn Michaels/Mr. McMahon/WWF in 1997.
Whether fans view this as the definitive feud of the Attitude era, or the aforementioned McMahon VS. Austin saga, there’s no debating that the Montreal Screwjob was a turning point in WWE history.
Randy Orton VS. Mick Foley at Backlash in 2004.

Like Edge and Triple H, Mick Foley has played an integral part in bolstering Randy Orton’s career and catapulting him into the singles star stratosphere. Their feud may not be the most memorable to everyone, but it really helped kick off Orton’s reign as the Legend Killer, which led to the “demise” of Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and Foley himself. It was one of the more productive Evolution storylines, and incorporated Orton’s unprecedented seven month Intercontinental Championship run. And who could forget their Hardcore match at Backlash 2004? To borrow a phrase from Orton’s current faction, it was a “priceless” bout.

WCW VS. WWF in the Monday Night Wars.
While I was unfortunate enough to miss the famed Monday Night Wars, but any self-respecting new fan has YouTubed the footage or bought the DVDs. The battles that ultimately led to WWF/E winning the war include D-Generation X invading WCW Nitro, Medusa disposing of the Women’s Championship in the garbage after her move to WCW, Bret Hart’s defection from WWF, and Vince McMahon’s purchase of the brand in 2001. The Wars were quite a contentious time in pro wrestling history, but did make both products better for it, creating a stronger show, both wrestling and storyline-wise.
Randy Orton VS. Evolution in 2004.

When Randy Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history, by winning the title from Chris Benoit at SummerSlam in 2004, it was kind of an anti-climactic event. I did name that match my favourite of all time in a past column, however the events that surrounded it didn’t put Orton and his talents to good use. The decision-makers could have accompanied Orton’s record-making win with a longer reign, instead of sympathising with Triple H’s backstage power and giving him the title a month later. However, the night after SummerSlam was one of the most memorable events in recent history, and renewed my love for professional wrestling. Not only that, but Orton’s termination as a member of Evolution could be seen as the catalyst for where each member is today. Ric Flair was at the beginning of the end of his career when he took on the role of mentoring a young Orton and a green Batista; Triple H was also stepping into the mentoring role as head of the faction, which is what I envision him doing more in the future (whether it’s with his own children, or rookies like Evan Bourne, whose move to Raw in this year’s draft was due to Triple H); Orton is, for my money, the best in-ring performer today, and has the WWE Championship to prove it; and Batista, whilst currently benched with yet another injury, is similarly one of the biggest stars in the company today.

Triple H VS. Shawn Michaels in 2002– 2004.
While this feud seemed never ending, much like the current Randy Orton VS. John Cena VS. Triple H saga, it did serve two important purposes. One, to establish Triple H as the biggest heel of the 21st century, at least in my opinion, and to eventually plant the seed for a DX reunion in 2006. I think this feud worked because the two men are actually best friends in real life, therefore allowing them to take it to the absolute extreme. And their reunion was an utterly enjoyable time for fans, as you could really tell they enjoyed their televised antics, such as dousing the Spirit Squad and the McMahon’s in shit, blowing up Vince McMahon’s limousine with fireworks, and my personal favourite, dressing up as the McMahon’s and letting loose to Vince’s ’80s foray into the record industry!

And special mentions go to the Chris Jericho VS. Shawn Michaels feud in 2003 (not only was it entertaining to see two very similar wrestlers go at it, with Jericho wanting to take down his childhood idol and steal the torch from him, but it also produced a stellar match at WrestleMania 19, which featured at #3 in my favourite matches) and Stone Cold Steve Austin VS. The Rock, which carried on throughout the Attitude era and culminated at WrestleMania 19, which would turn out to be both men’s last match. I think it was special that they shared that with each other, as they were both huge factors in shaping each others’ careers and remain great friends today.
I’m sure there are more, better deserving feuds over the past ten years or so, however these are the ones that stand out in my mind and impacted on my WWE experience. If anyone has any feuds they’d like to add to the list, please don’t hesitate. Next week, I will be profiling the top ten feuds that NEVER happened.