World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is on the rise. Paul “Triple H” Levesque has done masterful work translating what went well with his time running NXT to the main roster. Several faces and heels have organically become popular with the fans, see Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn, and LA Knight as just some of the examples. WWE has had its biggest competition in a long time from All Elite Wrestling and responded in kind. Out of the several high-quality matches this year, here are the top five WWE matches of 2023.
#5: The Usos vs. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa (Money in the Bank)
Remember the days before Jimmy Uso lost almost all of his character development over the course of the Bloodline story? It felt as if the days of The Bloodline were numbered. Jimmy and Jey Uso had seen the light. Roman Reigns only had Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman left for him. The Bloodline was split in half heading into Money In The Bank.
The match began… about 15 minutes in. The first third of the match felt like a glorified squashing of the Usos. After The Usos faced off with Reigns and Sikoa about a third of the way into the match, business picked up. It felt like standard fare, particularly when Reigns and Sikoa landed the Spear and Samoan Spike combo. What immediately followed was perhaps the most magical moment in the WWE this year. The Usos kicked out. The London crowd went from disdain to jubilation. Could this be the day Roman Reigns is pinned? A splash from Jey won the match for the Usos, the first time Roman Reigns had been pinned since the turn of the pandemic.
This match, more than anything, told a wonderful story. Jimmy and Jey, for all they’ve accomplished in tag team action, needed everything in their arsenal to win against the new final boss of WWE. The big issue with this match, along with other Roman Reigns matches this season, was its very slow start; otherwise, this was easily a top five match for WWE.
#4: Women’s WarGames: Damage CTRL (Bayley, Asuka, Kairi Sane, & Iyo Sky) vs. Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte, & Shotzi (Survivor Series: WarGames)
This spot alone is a top five moment in WWE this year, but the match itself was one of the, if not the, most fun matches I have ever watched. There was not a single bad performance in this match. One very refreshing aspect of this match was the limitation of the “can they coexist” narrative. The dissension among Damage CTRL did not need to be built within the match, they did just that in the weeks leading up to the event. Likewise, there was minimal foreshadowing of dissension among the ragtag group of heroes.
Without that manufactured conflict holding the match back, it was a must-see match of eight very talented women hitting each other with kendo sticks, putting each other through tables, and more. I am a sucker for extreme matches that toe the line of hard-hitting but no excessive blood. This match was just that. WarGames, conceptually, is chaotic, unpredictable, and unforgiving. This match captured the spirit of WarGames.
#3: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (WrestleMania 39)
April 2, 2023 was the night Cody Rhodes would finish his story. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens had just vanquished The Usos the night before. This was it, The Bloodline was on the way out. By the end of the weekend, WWE fans went from celebrating one of the better WrestleManias of late to uncontrollable anger directed at the creative team.
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns wrestled a clinic for about half an hour before outside interference derailed the match. Spear, cover, three-count, Roman retains. This match was perfect until the end. It felt as if the story of The Bloodline from the Royal Rumble onward was a war between Triple H and Vince McMahon. Every time a wrestler would naturally get himself over with the fanbase, Vince would do what he had done over the past fifteen years: punish wrestlers who did not get over without his express permission. Right around WrestleMania, when Roman defeated Cody despite the latter having all the momentum in the world, reports came out Vince was getting involved in creative decisions, albeit in a supervisor role.
All of that aside, this was yet another Roman Reigns match that ended with the wrong winner. Putting the logic aside and looking at the match in a vacuum, it was WrestleMania main event-worthy and easily one of the top five matches WWE had this year.
#2: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (Elimination Chamber)
Though Sami Zayn lost, it may have been the most WWE match I have ever seen. WWE has perfected the art of David vs. Goliath stories, see Hulk Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant, The 1-2-3 Kid beating Razor Ramon, and Steve Austin overcoming all obstacles Mr. McMahon threw in his way.
This match was also a product of circumstance. Sami Zayn’s popularity was at its peak when he turned on Roman Reigns. One month later, WWE hosted a Premium Live Event (PLE) in Montreal, the closest big city to Sami’s hometown. The perfect storm was upon the wrestling world. Sami Zayn gave Roman Reigns everything he could for 40 minutes. Both wrestlers complemented each other very well and played their roles to perfection. Were Sami Zayn to win, this would have been the match of the year. Even with that finish, it’s tough to contend with…
#1: Gunther vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre for the Intercontinental Championship
Wrestling is still real to these three. Gunther, Sheamus, and Drew McIntyre tore the house down with the hardest-hitting match WWE has put on in quite some time. The sound of Gunther’s backhand chops reverberated throughout SoFi Stadium, and it’s one thing for a 15,000-seat stadium to hear it, but for a 100,000-seater is another achievement.
Sheamus and Drew did more than their share, too. These three put on a clinic that words cannot do justice for. WWE just posted the whole match to their YouTube, watch it for yourself. This is the match I will show people to convince them to get into wrestling.
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