“Wrestling is cool too,” said Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as he prepared for his debut WrestleMania the same in twelve long years. Make no mistake about it, this is very hot, consistent, and very exciting WWE has been around for decades, with a real argument that this is the best form and meaning the company has ever had. The list is stackedwhich has resulted in a surprising amount of internal action, and we are at the end of the year.
Halfway through the year and they already have Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and Money In The Bank on American and Canadian soil, as well international PLEs are game changers in France (Backlash), in the UK (Clash At The Castle), Saudi Arabia (King and Queen of the Ring), and Australia (Elimination Room), WWE is more global and accessible than ever this year again.
On Monday Night Raw and SmackDown, with even NXT had a revivalthey seemed unmissable. With three of the “big four” PLEs already under their belt, it’s time to look at the most memorable bangers WWE has in store for fans in 2024.
10
Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs The Wolfdogs – NXT Tag Team Title Matches
NXT, April 9
Be it to celebrate the newly crowned champions or to greet the an incredibly lovable pairing between a star rediscovering her mojo and one who seems to have no ceilingthis NXT Stand And Deliver match was really fun a satisfying clash of styles. Flying, flipping bodies, brute force, and high stakes all play their part in a tumultuous affair that felt too good to be on a “normal” episode of NXT. Even Axiom and Frazer had their special moment interrupted by the returning AOP and Karrion Kross felt the explosion.
With Axiom and Fraser have an exciting new chapter to share and being in the process of calling the 2025 main list, Baron Corbin feels reborn, as if he has a shot at surpassing anything he’s accomplished before after what could be the most famous feat he’s ever achieved. As for his partners, Bron Breaker now has a successful face career, a devastating heel era and a great run in the tag team division, the latter a fitting end to his time in NXT. The definition of “everyone wins”.
9
Gunther vs Sheamus
Monday Night Raw, May 6
Arguably the highlight of Gunther’s entire IC run, his fight with Sheamus in Wales at Clash Of The Castle was an all-time favorite for those whose favorite style of in-ring entertainment can be described as “guys hitting”. When The King Of The Ring draw announced that the Celtic Warrior and the Ring General will compete in the first round., it was cruel to these two. If this 3rd battle between the pairings does anything, it reinforces it Gunther and Sheamus will be an event not to be missed for a long time.
Gunther may have shot his way with incredible skill to be crowned King of the Rings, defeating Kofi Kingston, Main Event Jey Uso, and Randy Orton along the way, but Samus felt she was the toughest test of the group. Despite The Irishman’s protests, we’ll have popcorn waiting when these two decide to sweat it out with each other again.
8
It’s Sky vs Bayley
Wrestlemania XL, Night Two
No one gives out the Nobel Peace Prize for exposing that bullies are bad but, in WWE, they make the best kind of bullies. That’s especially true when compared to a champion as likable as Bayley. For months, glamor and intrigue hung in the air as CTRL’s Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai, and WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky ostracized their former leader in various guileless ways. It was painful though Bayley’s revelation that she speaks Japanese is one of the highlights of the year. Revealing that he knew their plans all along was the perfect setup for them WWE Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania.
If there were lingering feelings that the match was lost in the stacked WrestleMania season lineup (and a LOT of The Rock on their show, Smackdown), the match itself went a long way in making up for that. That’s a shame Bayley had to wait until 2024 for her first singles match at WrestleMania but the decibel pop that comes next to his victory and his reign since it sounds like an antidote.
7
Liv Morgan vs Rhea Ripley
SummerSlam, August 3rd
Both in and out of the game, that’s clear SummerSlam was just the beginning of this intense rivalry between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. This feud was as much about winning the love of Dirty Dominik Mysterio as it was about the WWE Women’s Championship. The chain of events leading up to this match included Liv Morgan’s 2024 Revenge Tour injuring Ripley to the point where she had to relinquish her title, before defeating Becky Lynch for the Championship and sending her into a mini-retirement. After months of gossiping about Ripley and flirting with her boyfriend, This is the hottest and highest quality women’s game of the year so far.
Entering her first match in just under four months with her boyfriend by her side, Ripley showed no signs of ring rust. If this year has proven anything, it’s that Liv Morgan belongs in any conversation about the best performers in WWE. The game had a nice, slow pace with a classic ending. The little reveal that Dom and Liv have been feuding ever since his innocent involvement in her beating Lynch for the title was great. Rhea’s loss, heartache was felt by all. It was magical.
6
Bron Breaker vs Ilja Dragunov
Monday Night Raw, June 10
There’s a lot of bad things to talk about two men and all to show to beat the other senseless. In what is only their second singles matchup, the one-man tag team smashing Bron Breaker, and the Russian Mad Dragon, Ilja Dragunov, had the kind of high-energy, high-energy matchup that would make a punchbag win.
With Dragunov was also involved in the Breaker permanently banishing Ricochet from WWEthis looks to be the start of an interesting and long-running rivalry. The continued, renewed interest in NXT will only continue to grow if it is fueled by the recent graduates of Monday Night Raw having cult classics like this one.
5
Rhea Ripley vs Becky Lynch
Wrestlemania XL, Night One
On the road to Wrestlemania, the narrative is key to the sense of the event on the night itself. Sometimes that requires complex, personal, long-lasting storytelling between an entire cast of superstars, and sometimes, it’s as simple as two very good alphas with an effect that could go either way. Next to long-time headliner Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley is the most popular and physically impressive star of the post-Four Horsewomen era.
As one of those very horse women, dog and determined Becky Lynch was the perfect litmus test of how far the Eradicator had come since defeating Charlotte Flair for the title at last year’s show. The night itself, a back and forth match that went over seventeen minutes with Becky working on Rhea’s arm again. no shenanigans are needed in the endwhich landed at the hands of a brutal Riptide off the turnbuckles followed by a second to seal the win. With Becky Lynch is now out of the picture for goodthis game seems even more special if you keep falling in the rear view mirror.
4
Sami Zayn vs Chad Gable
Monday Night Raw, June 15
The doe-eyed romanticism surrounding the Attitude Era has a hit-and-miss ratio but, one of the hallmarks of WWE’s most successful era is rightly heralded as. Major title changes used to happen when the event called for episodes of Monday Night Raw or Smackdown. This felt like one such moment.
Chad Gable’s long pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship he felt hopeless. Sadly, people felt the urge and turned back because they also longed for the success of a man forced to live like Shorty G. In the end, Sami Zayn deservedly succeeded, having recently won the belt at WrestleMania.. Chad’s quest for Intercontinental gold continues.
3
Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles – WWE Undisputed Championship Match
WWE Backlash, May 4
One of the truest statements about pro wrestling is that it takes more than just good chemistry and cool moves to make a great match. This time, the crowd gave a sense of the event that the Backash production in Lyon, France could not really create for the newly awarded WWE champion Cody Rhodes and the Phenomenal AJ Styles. A bit of a shame, as it is the two men who lead the Bullet Club face off for the first time.
Nothing could have prepared the players or the watching TV audience for the rapturous reception that would greet them. I the camera panned as Samantha Irvin announced AJ Style’s name to the French chorus. The game continued to be great, the crowd went crazy, and even the internet went home happy. Thank you.
2
Oba Femi vs Dijak vs Josh Briggs – NXT North American Championship Triple Threat Match
NXT Stand And Deliver, April 6
Fifteen minute entry on the button, if you want pure in-ring action and demolition derby excitementthis is as good as 2024 gets. It felt meaningful that there wasn’t even a video package about the NXT North American title shot before the triple threat. It took place at Stand And Deliver, NXT’s PLE on Wrestlemania weekend at least, the match was involved. no one shorter than 6’7 or 270 lbs yet still had cruiserweight athleticism and explosive speed in ten from the first bell to the last. You don’t need anything else.
I “NXT!” the songs during this time feel as powerful as they did in the product’s heyday. It’s a real shame that this will be Dijak’s last big hit with WWE after he recently ended his contract with the company. For Josh Briggs and, perhaps most of all, reigning champion Oba Femi, there are no limits.
1
Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes – WWE Undisputed Championship Bloodline Rules Match
Wrestlemania XL, Night Two
There may be some cool choices though the biggest game of the year so far and the best game of the year. This Essential Event has everything you could want in a game title WrestleMania 40. Telling a long-term story of fiction and realityyas Cody Rhodes tried to “end the story” by removing the Head TableRoman Reigns, and his reign of great valor. It also told the true story of his life leaving WWE to venture out on his own. His independent crusade, entrance song, AEW formation, and triumphant return are all real. People chanting “We want Cody” to get this game in the first place was more fact than fiction.
Generations worth of the Rhodes family’s heartbreak in pursuit of the top of the WWE mountain will end tonight. Cheers to a united and united WWE moving forward together as part of a bright future. Runners who feel like they are seeing the final chapter of The Avengers trilogy, with heroes returning to right the wrongs of the world. High places, The Shield, The Bloodline, the promise of more between The Rock and Cody Rhodes. WWE’s biggest match of the year should be its best match of the year and, so far, at least, it is.