2023 was a banner year for WWE. The company saw a rise in interest and the quality of the product crew favorably in tremendous fashion at times. There were plenty of high spots and memorable moments. And as usual, there were also plenty of terrific matches.
And so, The Comeback is here to provide you with our Top 25 matches of the year. We’ll be doing this in blocks throughout the week.
The way we came up with this was simple. Rob and I, Chris, took a list of nominations we both came up with. We then blindly created our own Top 25s. Amazingly, we wound up with the same matches on our lists besides just a few. I averaged out the rankings and we have our list to unveil.
We’re getting closer to the Top 10! Here’s matches 15-11:
15. Men’s War Games Match (Survivor Series, November 2023)
While the Men’s WarGames match will likely be most remembered for the post-match sequence in which CM Punk made his return to WWE after nearly a decade, the match itself was tremendous. Featuring the return of Randy Orton after an 18-month injury, Cody Rhodes‘ first appearance in the match his father Dusty created, and the Judgment Day finally getting its comeuppance, the main event of the year’s final Premium Live Event checked all the boxes.
14. Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio (WrestleMania 39 Night 1, April 2023)
Dominik Mysterio turned on his father Rey at Clash at the Castle 2022. Several months later, father wrestled son in an incredible match at WrestleMania. Dom had an incredible, over-the-top entrance that made him look like a million bucks. Rey was dialed in as one of the greatest luchadores ever put on another brilliant showing. Rey got his revenge on his son in a match that left some wanting even more. It’s unclear if we’ll see them clash again, but it would be superb if it happened, most likely.
13. Men’s Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble, January 2023)
After a disastrous 2022 Rumble, the 2023 Rumble produced not one, but two all-time great Rumble matches. While we discussed the Women’s Rumble earlier this week, now it’s time to talk about the Men’s. Gunther turned in an amazing performance from the No. 1 spot. There was a great feel to the match throughout and everyone awaited Cody Rhodes’ return at the end. Rhodes battled with Gunther until the very end when he won the match to head to WrestleMania. This was absolutely one of the best Rumble matches, end to end, in the show’s illustrious history.
12. Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria (NXT Halloween Havoc, October 2023)
Becky Lynch’s run through NXT made fall pretty enjoyable for her fans. She captured the NXT Women’s Championship, the one singles title that’s eluded her throughout her incredible career. Lynch won the title from Tiffany Stratton and after an incredible Street Fight at No Mercy, Lynch defended against Lyra Valkyria. A fellow Irishwoman, Valkyria and Lynch knew each other well from years past. But they’d never competed against each other. They wrestled in a fantastic TV main event of Night 1 of Halloween Havoc. Valkyria upset the WrestleMania main eventer and pulled off one of the biggest wins of the entire year. This was sensational.
11. Chad Gable vs. Gunther (Raw, September 2023)
The highest-ranked TV match on our list, Chad Gable and Intercontinental Champion Gunther tore the house down in the main event of the Labor Day edition of Monday Night RAW. Gable, a former Olympic wrestler, more than held his own against the big man despite the losing effort. Gunther’s title reign spanned the entire year, and he had plenty of highlights, but this was one of the best. It also showed that Gable, a tag team wrestler for most of his WWE career, could shine as a singles star.
Tomorrow: The Top Ten!
