As uncomfortable as it may be, it’s hard to deny which match served as the pinnacle of the World Heavyweight Championship.

Heading into 2004, the title was held by Triple H, with his former D-Generation X partner Shawn Michaels in pursuit. Meanwhile, Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble and declared he would be switching brands specifically to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight title.

The dispute set up a classic triangular dynamic, with a villain, a hero, and an anti-hero; Triple H, Benoit, and Michaels respectively. At the time, hard as it may be to believe, Benoit garnered huge reactions and fans wanted to see his crowning moment. However, people had also been clamoring for Michaels to get his definitive win over Triple H, but it was “The Game” who held the title and had no intention of letting it go.

The match stands as one of the greatest exhibitions of different styles meshing, with Triple H working as the anchor between Michaels’ fast-paced, high-flying offense and Benoit’s technical prowess. In many ways, this match set the blueprint for Daniel Bryan’s WWE WrestleMania 30 moment, sandwiching a hard-working underdog between two established championship winners and asphyxiating the hope throughout the affair.

In the end, Benoit submitted Triple H to win the title, sharing an emotional post-match celebration with WWE Champion and best friend Eddie Guerrero. It was one of the greatest moments in WWE history at the time, marred by the heartbreak and rightful condemnation that came in the years after.

And yet, despite Benoit’s actions in 2007, it is this writer’s view that nothing has been able to recapture what this bout had going for it. The emotion. The excitement. The stakes. Everything was there. And it paid off in a bout that made the World Heavyweight title feel like the greatest prize in wrestling.