What a big year for the WWE! Their business is booming and the creativity is at a huge level. Vince McMahon is completely gone, and Paul “HHH” Levesque as head of creative works so much. Just a few years ago I was getting ready to not watch wrestling as much, but now it is can’t miss.
Male Wrestler of the Year: Cody Rhodes. Runners-Up: Gunther, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jey Uso, LA Knight
Female Wrestler of the Year: Liv Morgan. Runners-Up: Rhea Ripley, Nia Jax, Bayley, Iyo Sky, Chelsea Green, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill.
Tag Team of the Year: Axiom & Nathan Frazer. Runners-Up: Motor City Machine Guns, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill, DIY, Street Profits.
Manager:Paul Heyman. Runners-Up: Paul Ellering, Adam Pierce, Nick Aldis
On the Mike: Drew McIntyre. Runners-Up: Kevin Owens, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman
Feud of the Year: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk. Runners-Up: Bloodline vs. Bloodline 2.0, Kevin Owens heel turn, New Day turns
The middle two episodes of the new Vince McMahon docuseries on Netflix are next up and, honestly, they were entertaining, but they felt totally like one of the documentaries that the WWE would produce about their own talent. There was not much more here than what was already covered many times about the Montreal Screwjob and the Attitude Era.
The interviews with present day Vince seemed as if they wanted to show him as reasonable, and I really think this is what the entire docuseries would have been like had real life not taken such a drastic turn on Vince McMahon in recent times.
There were several major incidents that were looked at during these two episodes, such as the Owen Hart death, taking the title off Bret Hart (as well as Wendi Richter a few years earlier), and the end of the steroid trial. None of them provided anything new or deep in an investigation. They were just presented as something that happened.\
They showed the creation of the NWO in WCW, the arrival of Stone Cold Steve Austin (without mentioning the Ringmaster), the heel persona of The Rock, and the ratings war between Raw and Nitro. None of this added anything to the already known narrative.
I sure hope the last two episodes kick it up some because as of now, there is not much meat on the bones of this doc.
The second episode of the Netflix docuseries about Vince McMahon, the former head of the WWE, started off fairly minor, discussing Wrestlemania II and then Wrestlemania III. The stories behind these two event were interesting, and I did like hearing about the Hogan-Andre match, but the episode started kicking more when the scandals started coming out.
There were a bunch of scandals mentioned. The ring boy scandal where three executives were sexually abusing teens who were there to set up the ring. This was gross situation. Then there was the steroid scandal, first with the doctor, and then eventually from the federal government against Vince himself. They also touched upon the Jimmy Snuka girlfriend possible murder.
The words of the wrestlers about all these events were fascinating. Tony Atlas making reference to Pat Patterson grabbing his penis was disturbing.
There was also a lot about Hulk Hogan in here, including how he went to WCW and how it hurt Vince. It included how Hogan had to testify against Vince for the government. Hogan is not the best character over the years and he definitely did not look great here. They showed him lying on Arsenio Hall Show too.
The documentary spoke to Phil Mushnick of the NY Post, who has been writing columns about Vince and the WWE for years. Mushnick had plenty of negative words to say about Vince, specifically that he was a dirtbag.
The doc ended abruptly with a major cliffhanger with Vince’s steroid trial.
Overall, this episode was okay, and it really shows what kind of person Vince McMahon is. His clips from the Donahue Show are some obvious evidence of that. And I do not even think we’ve hit the worst part of his life.
The infamous former head of the WWE, Vincent K. McMahon is featured in a new docuseries on Netflix called Mr. McMahon, with interviews from everyone involved, including McMahon himself.
Ironically, before the doc finished filming, Vince McMahon resigned from WWE because of a series of horrendous scandals that were to result in lawsuits. Reportedly, there were some of the most heinous things listed among the lawsuit. The docuseries pushed on.
The first episode of the series addressed McMahon’s rise through his childhood and to the world of sports entertainment. His father, whom Vince said he never met until he was 12, Vincent J McMahon, let his son join his business, at the time named the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and we learn how “Junior” came up through the organization to eventually purchase the company from his father. After doing that, McMahon crushed the idea that wrestling promotors remained inside their own territories, and he began promoting shows across the country, taking his WWF nationwide.
This episode showed us up to the first Wrestlemania, including the infamous John Stossal/David Schultz encounter and the Richard Belzer choke out by Hulk Hogan. While there were some of the scandals mentioned in the first episode, this was more about how McMahon took stars like Hogan and created something more than the industry of professional wrestling had ever seen.
Personally, the biggest shock for me was seeing present day Vince McMahon on screen and being interviewed. He had the obviously dyed eyebrows that were as black as you could imagine. He had dark hair too, but nowhere near as dark as his eyebrows. They made he look downright evil and I could not stop looking at those weird looking brows.
Just as strange was when Vince’s ex-wife Linda McMahon was on screen. She looked nothing like I remembered. It was so odd to hear Linda’s voice coming out of this person who did not resemble her at all.
Then Dave Meltzer weaseled his way into the documentary too. I am not a fan of Meltzer and I wish they could have found a different voice to speak on this topic.
The first episode was interesting, but did not feel like it had much more than other a typical doc you might see on the WWE network. We’ll see how the rest of the six-episode series goes.
I was excited to see this documentary that aired tonight on the WWE’s YouTube channel that told the story of Wrestlemania XL, pulling back the curtain to reveal how one of the greatest pivots of all time came to fruition.
The doc told us how the main event of Wrestlemania XL went from Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns to Roman Reigns vs. the Rock and then back to Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns. It is a fascinating story and an intriguing look at how the stories of WWE are developed and presented.
The initial story being Cody vs. Roman was penciled in after Wrestlemania 39, when Cody failed to ‘finish the story.’ However, when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became available, plans started to change. When it looked as if Cody Rhodes was going to be left out of the main event of the ‘Show of Shows,’ the fans of the WWE made their voice heard with the hashtag We Want Cody.
Hearing the outpouring of support Cody was receiving, despite the arrival of one of the biggest stars in the world, spoke to everyone making decisions and it led to a pivot that turned into one of the greatest stretches of storytelling in WWE history, the culmination of Cody Rhodes winning the WWE championship and finishing his story, a promise that he made to his late father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
We heard a lot from Paul “Triple H” Leveque, The Rock, and Cody during the doc. We got some from Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins too.
They ran through the two main events of Wrestlemania, which was tremendous. I would have liked to hear more from others involved, particularly those involved in that final match, such as John Cena, the Undertaker, and Seth. Particularly Seth because his role in that main event was vital to the story (Seth being Cody’s shield) and I would have liked to hear from Seth to speak about the fact that he was injured and could barely get into the ring. We saw a pic of Seth, but I wanted some comments.
Other than that, I enjoyed this doc a lot. It was cool listening to the way things developed and how the WWE put together this incredible event even after things were put into a state of flux.
After being somewhat underwhelmed by an entertaining Saturday night, Wrestlemania XL Sunday night absolutely rocked.
Cody Rhodes finished his story by defeating “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns in a dramatic main event that saw the Usos, Seth Rollins, Solo Sikoa, The Rock, John Cena and the Undertaker get involved. Emotions were everywhere as the “American Nightmare” finally won the title that his legendary father “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes could never win.
But that was not the only major title that changed hands tonight. Kicking off the show, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins for the World Championship. Drew went to taunt CM Punk, who was on commentary, and got jumped by Punk. This led to Damien Priest cashing in his long awaited Money in the Bank contract to become the new World Champion. Then Bayley defeated Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship.
LA Knight defeated AJ Styles in a competitive match. The Pride defeated the Final Testament in a Philadelphia Street Fight refereed by Bubba Dudley. Logan Paul pinned Kevin Owens in the triple threat after KO took an impressive RKO from Randy Orton, who reversed the pop-up powerbomb.
Great night in the WWE as a new era gets underway…
Cody Rhodes celebrated with “Mama Rhodes” and the rest of his friends.
Cody celebrates with his wife, Brandi Rhodes.
Undertaker returned to choke slam The Rock.Seth says to Cody, “Now it’s your time, baby”John Cena faces off with The Rock in the middle of the main event
This could be, arguably, one of the best Wrestlemanias of all time. They kept saying that this would be the greatest Wrestlemania of all time and it always felt like hyperbole. However, I think this is in the consideration.
Night one of Wrestlemania XL is in the books and it has done some serious set up for night two.
The Rock and Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes and Set Rollins in the main event of night one cheating like crazy and has ensured Bloodline rules for the WWE Championship match on Sunday night. The Rock threatened to fire the referee, Chad Patton, if he counted them out and he spent all night intimidating the ref, to the point where Rock would just hit Seth Rollins in the groin without even hiding it because he knew the ref couldn’t DQ him.
This just sets up Cody as an even bigger underdog so when he wins on Sunday, there will be a greater feeling. Seth Rollins has a bad knee (storyline wise) and will enter his title match on Sunday against Drew McIntyre far less than 100%.
The best match of the night was easily the Intercontinental Championship match which saw Gunther’s record setting reign of 666 days come to an end to Sami Zayn in an insane finishing sequence. The match was great and very hard hitting, providing one of the most satisfying results of the card.
Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch cleanly after a solid match.
Much of night one felt less than I hoped. The Jey vs. Jimmy match was a disappointment. They tried a storyline section that did not work as well as intended. Jey won. The six woman tag team match was fine. Jade Cargill is a beast.
The six pack ladder match was fun with some crazy spots, especially from DIY. A Town Down Under won the Smackdown tag titles while Awesome Truth won the RAW titles, effectively splitting the titles apart, which makes sense considering how many effective tag teams they have right now.
It was an outdoor stadium and the temps hovered around 50 degrees early in the night. I don’t know how the colder temps influenced some performers, but they seemed to do well considering.
NXT Tag Team Champions Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin def. Axiom & Nathan Frazer.
NXT North American Champion Oba Femi def. Dijak and Josh Briggs
Thea Hail, Fallon Henley & Kelani Jordan def. Jacy Jayne, Kiana James and Izzi Dame
Roxanne Perez def. Lyra Valkyria
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov def. Tony D’Angelo
Trick Williams def. Carmelo Hayes
The NXT Tag Team Championship match and the NXT North American Championship matches were massive bangers and kicked off the main show with two amazing matches.
Legitimately, the triple threat North American championship match was a match of the year contender as Oba Femi, Dijak and Josh Briggs put on a show including some of the biggest spots you will see from men the size of them.
I do love Ilja Dragunov. He was never going to lose his NXT Championship to The Don of NXT Tony D’Angelo. It was still a great match.
Roxanne Perez got a definitive victory over Lyra Valkyria for the NXT Women’s Championship. She is one of the best in the division.
Which, by the way, as a special announcement, NXT will be adding a new championship for the Women’s Division. The NXT Women’s North American Championship was announced. Well deserved. The main roster needs a secondary title too.
Trick Williams went over cleanly in his match with Carmelo Hayes. I expect Carmelo to head to the main roster for good.
Great kick off. We will have to see if there is any match on Wrestlemania that can be equal to the Oba Femi, Dijak, Josh Briggs match.
So I am preparing to make the predictions for the two nights of Wrestlemania.
Wrestlemania Saturday Night
Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
This is a tough one. I can see it going either way, but since I see a lot of other title changes, I think this is the most likely retention of the weekend.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley, still Women’s World Champion.
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Gunther’s record-breaking Intercontinental title run comes to an end at Wrestlemania 40.
Prediction: Sami Zayn, NEW Intercontinental Champion
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Jimmy has taken a lot of beatings on Raw and Smackdown recently. Although I think Jey has the higher future as a single performer, I am giving this to Jimmy.
Prediction: Jimmy Uso
Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
I definitely think this will split the two tag titles apart so there is one on Raw and one on Smackdown, so I am picking two winners here.
Prediction: RAW Tag Champion: Awesome Truth; Smackdown Tag Champion: New Catch Republic
This one is an easy one. Bianca is undefeated at Wrestlemania and we will not break that in a six-woman tag match.
Prediction: Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill
Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Last minute change removed Dragon Lee. Carlito will definitely get involved, perhaps with a heel change. Think that is post match though.
Prediction: Rey Mysterio & Andrade
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
I can see this going either way. There has been a lot of talk about Cody assembling the Avengers. I think that happens in Bloodline Rules. I think they have talked about Bloodline rules too much for it not to happen, and it sets up yet another hurdle for Cody Rhodes to overcome.
Prediction: Rock & Roman Reigns
Wrestlemania Sunday Night
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Another one that I can see going either way. I believe CM Punk, who will be on commentary, will play a role costing Drew McIntyre, who has been going to new limits on his motuh with Punk.
Prediction: Set Rollins, STILL World Heavyweight Champion.
WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
It is time for Bayley’s Wrestlemania moment, and she deserves it.
Prediction: Bayley, NEW World Women’s Champion.
United States Championship Triple Threat: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
I love this match. I love Kevin Owens so much. I wish I could give him the win. I will be absolutely be rooting for KO. I don’t think he will.
Prediction: Logan Paul, STILL United States Champion.
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
An excellent match coming here. I think the win does more for LA Knight, but this could go any direction.
Prediction: LA Knight
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
A Philadelphia street fight… and I think that the faces get this one.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Finish the story! I think it is time for Cody Rhodes to bring an end to the record reign of Roman Reigns. I believe it will be Bloodline rules and this could be all kinds of shenanigans going down. Expect Mama Rhodes to smack Rock across the face at some point.
Prediction: Winner and NEW WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
I am very excited about the Grandest Stage of them All.
Last night, the WWE inducted seven people into the 2024 Class of the WWE Hall of Fame in a broadcast on Peacock. This year’s class included Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda, Thunderbolt Patterson, Muhammad Ali and Lia Maivia.
The headliner of the class was inducted first. Paul Heyman, whose background in Philadelphia with his revolutionary ECW was well known, came out after a really great induction by Roman Reigns. Paul, one of the best talkers in the history of the business, proceeded to give one of the best HoF speeches of all time. I have seen most, if not all, of the speeches over the years and, while I saw several hyperbolic comments online about this being the greatest HoF speech of all time, I’m not ready to anoint it such, but it is definitely in the argument. Paul Heyman had the audience in the palm of his hand and it was exceptional. Paul took us all on a ride that was funny, emotional, nostalgic, and generally inspiring.
There was a great moment inside the U.S. Express speech when Mike Rotunda mentioned his son Windham Rotunda, aka Bray Wyatt, who passed away this past year. Rotunda got out his cell phone and asked for the crowd to follow along with him displaying the light on the phone. This was the symbol of the Fireflies that were the fans of Bray Wyatt.
There was a really weird moment during the Muhammad Ali induction. Yolanda Ali, Ali’s widow, accepted the honor. What was weird was when Yolanda (Nicknamed Lonnie) presented Dwayne Johnson with a title of People’s Champion. Rock came out and thanked her. It felt fairly awkward.
Most of the other speeches were fine, but did not stand out. Thunderbolt Patterson spoke about his faith in God. Bull Nakano was well spoken despite English being her second language.
One of my favorite weekends of the year has come around. It is Wrestlemania weekend, where there are a bunch of events over the next 48 hours +.
Wrestlemania XL takes place in Philadelphia this year and the two-night event is packed full of amazing rivalries and battles.
They revealed the Wrestlemania XL set, and it looks great.
The weekend kicks off right now with Friday Night Smackdown. Mere moments ago, Big Bronson Reed won the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. There did appear as if there may have been a couple of mistakes in the battle royal, yet I enjoyed the match. It looked like Otis was supposed to have caught Tazawa on the floor but Ivar overthrew him and Tazawa hit hard on the floor. I am also not sure that Omos was intended to be eliminated during the commercial break. I think Omos lost his balance and tumbled out too.
After Smackdown tonight is the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Tonight’s inductees include Paul Heyman, the U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda), Lia Maivia, Bull Nakano, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Muhammad Ali. It is an interesting group this year, headlined by Paul Heyman, whose ECW was a Philadelphia mainstay. Also notable is the induction of Mike Rotunda, father of Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt who died this past year. That should be very emotional. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I believe, will be inducting his grandmother Lia Maivia, the first woman promoter.
NXT’s Stand and Deliver kicks off the action on Saturday with the best of the NXT brand. Ilya Dragunov defends his NXT championship against the Don of NXT, Tony D’Angelo. Perhaps the biggest grudge match of this PLE is Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes.
Then Saturday night, Wrestlemania XL kicks off with Saturday night show, which is headlined by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock in what is being billed as the Greatest Tag Team Match of All-Time. If the faces win, then the Cody-Roman match on Sunday night is one-on-one, with no Bloodline, and Cody has a chance to win the match without any interference. If the Bloodline wins, then the Sunday night match is Bloodline rules, and anything goes. It is a remarkable build for this tag match with all of the stakes up for grabs.
Night One Matches at Wrestlemania 40
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Night Two Matches at Wrestlemania 40
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
United States Championship Triple Threat: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
I’m going to be doing several posts over the weekend. I am very excited. I may do a prediction post some time tomorrow before the big night’s action.
UPDATE: Dragon Lee got jumped on Smackdown and now Andrade is in the tag team match. Calling it right no, Carlito did the attack hoping to be in the tag match instead. Count on it.
It is Wrestlemania week and WWE programming is kicking into high gear.
The weekly A&E Biography documentaries featured the current Universal Champion, the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
Usually I do not watch these A&E docs, not because they are not interesting, but because of time. However, I had seen an interview with Paul Heyman on the Rich Eisen show and Eisen commented about the A&E doc, saying that Paul Heyman was the director and producer of the doc. I have always been a fan of the genius of Heyman and it intrigued me to see him direct this doc about a performer that he had such a connection to.
Hearing about the rise of Joe Anoa’i, aka Roman Reigns, through the years of struggle with fans who did not want him shoved down their throats, to bouts of leukemia to his eventual ability to be himself and go to the top of the profession was excellent.
Again, there are many of Roman Reigns’ contemporaries that speak about our tribal chief during the documentary. Everyone from Seth Rollins, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn spoke about Roman.
But even more impressive was when Heyman brought together some of the greatest of all time to speak about Reigns. These legends included John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, the Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Some of the best interviews came from Reigns’ family, clips involving his late brother, who wrestled as Rosey in the WWE, and other family members of the Bloodline.
This was a fascinating look at one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling today.
The WWE has always done exceptional documentaries. The new doc about the late great Windham Rotunda, better known to the world as Bray Wyatt, is about as exceptional as it comes.
Windham Rotunda shockingly passed away in 2023, something that no one expected or saw coming and it left a massive hole in the world of WWE. This documentary gives the story of Windham Rotunda from his early days to his final days inside the squared circle.
Narrated by the Undertaker, Becoming Immortal did not just focus on the positive moments of Windham’s life, but also the challenges that he faced as he worked his way through the world of sports entertainment. Though many said how difficult it was to work with him, everyone admitted what a creative genius Windham Rotunda was.
Comments from so many of Bray Wyatt’s contemporaries spoke throughout the doc, including Triple H, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Braun Stroman, Sami Zayn, Big E, LA Knight, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Alexa Bliss and Erick Rowan.
However, the most emotional moments are provided by Windham’s younger brother, Taylor Rotunda, known to the WWE audience as Bo Dallas, as well as other family members of Windham, including his father Mike Rotunda, uncle Barry Windham, his first wife Samantha and his second wife JoJo. The recollections of this group of people about the final days of Windham’s life were absolutely heart-breaking and brought tears to my eyes.
It was so clear how much Windham Rotunda was loved by everyone around him. Jason Baker, who was one of Windham’s closest friends, was one of the creative forces behind the masks and outfits for the character of Bray Wyatt. His insights into Windham Rotunda were very powerful as well.
Seeing some of the art Windham did during the time when he had been released from the WWE was amazing. It displayed such an amazing truth about how talented and creative Windham Rotunda was.
As a fan of Bray Wyatt, this was tough at times to watch, but I am very pleased that the documentary was shown. It is available on Peacock.
This was a tough year, because there were a bunch of great matches in 2023, but there was none that actually stood out as the obvious best match.
What makes a match of the year? There are several things. Obviously there is a great performance between competitors with some great in-ring storytelling, compelling near falls, and a great storyline surrounding it.
There can be a match that has all of those moments but the ending is not what I like, it can dampen the match. For example, almost every Roman Reigns match this year.
So, here are the top 15 WWE matches of 2023 according to EYG.
#15. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijek (NXT Battleground). These two had great chemistry and seemingly killed each other. It started Ilja’s push in NXT.
#14. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Last Man Standing (WWE Fastlane). Shinsuke’s heel turn was great, as was his Japanese promos leading up to this. It was a great match with Seth going over.
#13. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa (Night of Champions). Sami and KO overcoming the Bloodline team with Roman was great. One of the peaks for Sami/KO.
#12. Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus Steel Cage (Payback). Two legends of women’s wrestling putting on a classic cage match with a couple of insane bumps. Great work by both.
#11. The Usos vs. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa (Money in the Bank). Jey Uso pinned Roman Reigns to win the Bloodline Civil War match. Some great storytelling.
#10. Women’s War Games (Survivor Series). Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch face Damage CTRL in an exciting War Games match.
#9. Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes II (NXT No Mercy). Dragunov defeated Carmelo to win the NXT Championship and end his long reign.
#8. Men’s War Games (Survivor Series). Team Cody vs. Judgment Day. Notable for the return of Randy Orton and for Cody Rhodes to compete in the match his father invented.
#7. Gunther vs. Chad Gable (RAW). I really thought Chad gable had a chance to knock off Gunther. He lost, but that did not take away from this amazing confrontation.
#6. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (Wrestlemania 39). Roman shocked the world by defeating Cody Rhodes at the main event of night two of Wrestlemania (thanks to Solo, of course). Major twist in Cody’s story.
#5. Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (Wrestlemania 39). Some have this as MotY, but I put it at #5. Yes, it was great. Best triple threat of th eyear.
#4. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn (Elimination Chamber). Perhaps the most emotional match of the year as Sami battle Roman in Montreal. Sami battled as hard as he could, but succumb to the Bloodline’s cheating tactics.
#3. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (Wrestlemania 39). Best women’s match of the year, lead to the crowning of Rhea Ripley as champion. Flair and Ripley put on a banger of a match.
#2. Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny, Streetfight (Backlash). In Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny knocked off Damian Priest in one of the best celebrity performances of all time. Crowd reaction was insane.
#1. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. The Usos (Wrestlemania 39). Sami and Kevin ended the record setting tag team reign of the Usos in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday. The end of a long term storyline that had been running on WWE TV for months.
The WWE had a really strong year in 2023. It was not that long ago that I had really cut back on my WWE intake, skipping Smackdown most weeks and feeling more disappointment than enjoyment.
Then, things changed. Vince McMahon stepped down and HHH took over creative. Sure, Vince still had his dirty hands in the product, but it was better. Then, the purchase of WWE by Endeavor led to Vince’s total removal and the product became even better yet.
So some of these choices were difficult this year. I should say that I do not watch AEW or other wrestling promotions. I have nothing against any of them, but I just feel like a WWE guy.
Male Wrestler of the Year: Gunther. A tough choice, but Gunther has been WWE Intercontinental champion all year and defended it regularly against all kinds of types of challengers. Runners-Up: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, LA Knight
Female Wrestler of the Year: Rhea Ripley. She won the title at Wrestlemania 39 and has been the main star of the female division on RAW since. As a member of the Judgment Day, Rhea has been dominant. I would have liked more matches from her though. Runners-Up: Becky Lynch, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, Asuka, Charlotte Flair
Tag Team of the Year: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn. One of the best storylines climaxed at Wrestlemania 39 when Owens/Zayn won the Undisputed Tag Team titles from the Usos. While their title reign was not as epic as their chase, Owens and Zayn were the best tag team for quite a while in 2023. Runners-Up: The Usos, Judgment Day, Pretty Deadly, The Creeds, the Brawling Brutes.
Manager of the Year: Paul Heyman. Or should I say ‘Wise Man’ of the year? Paul Heyman is the cornerstone of the Bloodline and the storylines. Runners-Up: MVP, Robert Stone
On the Mike: Cody Rhodes. So, what do you want to talk about? Cody did an amazing job telling his story on the microphone. Specifically, his work with Paul Heyman was special. Runners-Up: Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens, LA Knight
Feud of the Year: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes. Three amazing matches from these two NXT stars over the NXT Championship. It lasted longer than some of the other feuds which is why it gets the nod. Runners-Up: Bloodline vs. Sami/KO, Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins, Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.
Underused Performer: Tazawa. Tazawa has just started to get a little TV time as a part of the Alpha Academy. He is really a stronger wrestler than he gets credit for. Runners-Up: Apollo Crews, Tegan Nox, Dexter Loomis, Xia Li.
Comeback of the Year: CM Punk. Geez, this was an easy one. His return at the Survivor Series was completely epic and shocking. Hell had to freeze over because this was never supposed to happen. Runners-Up: Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, The Rock, John Cena.
Celebrity of the Year: Logan Paul. Logan Paul became the US Champion and had a great match every time he stepped into the squared circle. He truly exceeded the idea of a celebrity in the WWE. Runners-Up: Bad Bunny, Pat McAfee, Snoop Dogg.
Heel of the Year: Dominik Mysterio. No one has more heat than Dominik Mysterio. When the crowd boos Dom, they mean it. And he can barely be heard. It never gets old. Runners-Up: Roman Reigns, the Judgment Day, Gunther, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso.
Face of the Year: Cody Rhodes. Cody is the perfect face and he has been treated like one since his return to the WWE. Runners-Up: Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Rey Mysterio, Becky Lynch, LA Knight.
Show of the Year: Smackdown. With the Bloodline drama, Smackdown was must see TV every week. While it has come down a bit since the peak around Wrestlemania, it is still the most compelling show on WWE. Runners-Up: RAW, NXT
Entrance Song:Seth Rollins. His song basically turned Seth face. The fans love to sing Seth’s song. Runners-Up: CM Punk,Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens.
Storyline of the Year: Bloodline/Bloodline Civil War. Still the standout of WWE TV. Honestly, it gave us Emmy worthy work on a weekly basis, touching us in our tum-tums. Runners-Up: Cody’s story, Nakamura’s heel turn, Cracks in the Judgment Day.
Best Broadcaster: Wade Barrett. He was so good that they promoted him from NXT to Smackdown. Wade is funny and enthusiastic. He is really excellent. Runners-Up: Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee.
Breakout Star: LA Knight. Yeah! He came from nowhere, via organic crowd support to a place where he is firmly entrenched in the main event scene. Runners-Up: The Creeds, Ilja Dragunov, Jey Uso.
Shock of the Year: CM Punk returns at Survivor Series. Nothing else comes close. There were rumors, but no one really believe it would happen. The internet was just getting ready to be angry over the no show, when “Cult of Personality” hit and the Chicago crowd, and everyone else lost their minds.
Faction of the Year: The Judgment Day. The Judgment Day runs RAW. That is pretty much true as the storylines have completely centered around them for most of the year. Runners-Up: Bloodline, Damage Control, Team Cody.
NXT Wrestler of the Year: Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov never had a bad match. He is so real. You can never go wrong with Dragunov. He may be the best seller in WWE. Runners-Up: Carmelo Hayes, the Creeds, Bron Breakker, Wes Lee, Dominik Mysterio.
Saddest moment: Bray Wyatt dies. Bray was out most of the year with an undisclosed injury. It was a horrendous loss when we heard that he had passed away. He is missed.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 