It ha been a top notch year in the WWE. I have enjoyed every show that they have put on and there have been years where I could not say that.
Because of that, there are a bunch of Match of the Year contenders. I would guess that there are plenty of matches that could make this list from NXT or RAW and Smackdown that do not stand out as much as those on the PLEs.
I have made a list of the Top 20 WWE Matches of the Year.
#20. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes, Smackdown. Match number one of their best of seven series. Honestly, most of these matches between these two could have made this list.
#19. Axiom/Nathan Frazer vs. Andre Chase/Ridge Holland, NXT No Mercy. Axiom/Frazer are our tag team of the year, and this is one reason why. Ridge Holland turned on Chase U after their loss.
#18. Gunther vs. Sheamus, RAW. A King of the Ring tournament match and you never get a bad match between these two studs. They put on a BANGER… AFTER BANGER… AFTER BANGER!
#17. Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul, King & Queen of the Ring. Cody may not have had the greatest feuds of the year, but he put on some great matches. Logan Paul is a special star too.
#16. Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus vs. Kaiser, Survivor Series. Breakker defended his Intercontinental Championship in this hard hitting triple threat.
#15. Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles, Backlash. The French crowd may have helped this match, but these are two masters going at it. It was an amazing match-up, much better than their I Quit Match.
#14. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky, Wrestlemania 40. The first of several matches from this year’s Wrestlemania saw Bayley get a big victory over her former Damage Control mate. Bayley deserved this big Wrestlemania moment.
#13. Gunther vs. Randy Orton, King and Queen of the Ring. This was a brilliant match between two of the best, that was tainted by a messed up finish. However, that finish was used later in storyline so it helps this out.
#12. Men’s War Games, Bloodline vs. Bloodline, Survivor Series. A great story involved with Solo Sikoa’s rival group and Roman’s shaky alliance with CM Punk. Brutal match that led to three big injuries, but also an unbelievable moment with Bronson Reed off the top of the cage, and some perfect timing for Punk and Roman to avoid the splash.
#11. Axion/Nathan Frazer vs. MSK, NXT Great American Bash. Two of the fastest and most creative teams battled right in the midst of the NXT/TNA talent sharing. Amazing work, and a Wes Lee heel turn as well.
#10. Ilja Dragunov vs. Ricochet, RAW. This was another first round match-up in the King of the Ring tournament on RAW and these two put on as show. I wish Ilja hadn’t gotten injured because he is one of the best wrestlers in the WWE.
#9. Braun Stroman vs. Bronson Reed, Last Monster Standing, RAW. What a main event. Stroman and Reed had been killing each other for weeks and this was the way to put this feud to rest. It also saw the return from injury of Seth Rollins. Big man slapping man meat!
#8. Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable, Clash at the Castle. It was for Sami’s IC title and Sami and Gable put on a classic matchup. Otis had enough of Gable’s behavior and headed for the hills, leading to Sami to defeat Master Gable.
#7. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak, NXT. A defense of the NXT Championship, Dragunov was brutal as ever and Dijak lost after some secret interference from Joe Gacy.
#6. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther, Wrestlemania 40. Sami Zayn ended the 666 day IC reign of Gunther at Wrestlemania. What a great match this was with Sami pulling out a top rope brainbuster into the turnbuckle that just looked sick.
#5. Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Money in the Bank. It is Tiffy-time as Tiffany Stratton won the ladder match for the contract. Chelsea Green took one of the big bumps from ladder through a table on the floor. Oh, and Iyo Sky nearly killed Zoey Stark… or else she should have. The women’s match really stole this show.
#4. Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Set Rollins, Wrestlemania 40. The first night tag team match that led to the night two match being contested under Bloodline rules. The Rock pinned Cody Rhodes. Seth was fighting through so much pain. This was such cinema. A great end of night one.
#3. Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak, NXT Stand and Deliver. An absolutely brutal match with three massive men. Oba Femi is a monster. Dijak deserved a lot better from the WWE. Oba Femi pulled off some insane power moves and this was epic. The NXT match of the Year for sure.
#2. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre, Bad Blood. Inside the Hell in a Cell, Punk and McIntyre wrapped up their feud of the year with one of the best Cell matches ever. Bloody. Brutal. Hard hitting. And an amazing story. Most years, this would be the Match of the Year going away, but in 2024, it had to compete with the greatest feel good cinematic match ever.
#1. Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns, Wrestlemania 40. Cody Rhodes finished his story as he finally defeated Roman Reigns after an almost four years title reign for Reigns. The match was contested under Bloodline rules and so we saw interference from Solo, Jimmy and Jey Uso, John Cena, “The Final Boss” The Rock, Seth Rollins and The Undertaker. Finally, Roman Reigns succumb to three crossroads and Cody celebrated with all of the babyfaces in a scene right out of Wrestlemania 10. One of the best displays of wrestling and entertainment ever. Perhaps the greatest Wrestlemania main event ever.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 