WWE: 20 Best Matches of 2023 (Part 4)
We have entered the home stretch of our countdown of WWE’s 20 best matches of 2023 and what a journey it has been. From the main event of WrestleMania and TV retirement matches, to family drama and blood-soaked plunder-fests. This final part will cover the best of the best that WWE’s main roster had to offer in the past 12 months. Matches that will go down in history as some of the greatest moments in company history because that’s how big 2023 was for them.
Let’s not waste any more time and get right to it. I’m Sam Palmer, this is Vendetta Sports Media, and these are the absolute best WWE matches of 2023!
5. Gunther vs. Chad Gable [WWE Intercontinental Championship] – Raw (Sept. 4):
By now you’re probably reading this and thinking “That Gunther dude sounds quite good,” considering how many times he has popped up on the list. However, his crown jewel when it comes to his WWE Intercontinental Championship matches on TV has to be his trilogy match with Chad Gable. We’ve already covered their second match, a bout that ended in a rare loss of The Ring General (albeit by countout), so this was the rubber match to finally see who was best.
By this point, Gable had made it his mission to end the dominant reign of Gunther. He knew he had the technical ability to work around the champion’s hard-hitting arsenal, the only difference was that he needed to withstand enough to pin him or make him submit. A true rollercoaster of wrestling that not only cemented Chad Gable as a potential champion for the future, but solidified Gunther as one of the most feared men in WWE. Also, Gunther made Gable’s children cry, which was great.
4. Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest [San Juan Street Fight] – Backlash:
We have entered an era in wrestling where somehow the celebrities who stop by and “give it a try” are actually really good at wrestling. WWE fans were already familiar with what Bad Bunny was capable of thanks to his work at WrestleMania 37 in 2021, but even the fans on hand in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were prepared for what was going to unfold in this street fight with Damian Priest.
The atmosphere of this match might be the best of any wrestling event all year. Everyone was so happy to see everything, people like Carlito and Savio Vega got reactions that Stone Cold and The Rock would be jealous of. Bunny’s entrance has become iconic amongst fans online, and Damian Priest might have played second fiddle to the star power of his opponent, but he is a big reason why this turned out to be one of the unlikeliest contenders for match of the year. Can every PLE take place in Puerto Rico, please?
3. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair [WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship] – WrestleMania 39 (Night 1):
I feel as if there hasn’t been enough female representation on this list so far, which is more the fault of WWE for not doing a great job with the women’s division in 2023. However, this was a glorious exception and a reason why, even though fans might not like it all the time, WWE tends to put all their trust in Charlotte Flair on the biggest occasions. The only thing that she needed was a dance partner fit to wrestle at her level.
Rhea’s “Iron Woman” performance at the Royal Rumble meant that she would finally get the chance to rectify the loss she suffered at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, which took place in front of no fans. Ripley has always been great, but this was the night when she truly made herself known as one of the true stars of WWE. They had a tall order ahead of them trying to top some of the women’s matches from Mania’s gone by, but this is not only the best women’s match in WrestleMania history, it might be the best in WWE history.
2. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. The Usos [WWE Raw Tag Team Championship/WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship] – WrestleMania 39 (Night 1):
Remember in part one where we said that WWE could have hit a home run if Cody beat Roman, this is why. Had that happened, it would have been the most cathartic one-two punch in the history of the company as the three most over babyfaces would have left with gold and wins over The Bloodline. Some people might have seen a match with The Usos as a downgrade for Sami Zayn, who was challenging Roman for the top prize just over a month before this, but by the end of the night, no one was complaining.
Tag team wrestling has always been overlooked in WWE. For whatever reason, only the Edge & Christian/Dudleys/Hardys feud in the Attitude Era has stood the test of time as a great tag team feud in WWE. The Usos, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn bucked that trend with a genuine five-star classic in the main event of night one of WrestleMania. It was the first tag team main event in the show’s history, it was the culmination of Zayn’s drama-filled feud with The Usos (especially Jey), and it capped off one of the greatest nights in WWE history.
1. Gunther vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre [Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship] – WrestleMania 39 (Night 2):
Night one of WrestleMania might have been one of WWE’s most solid shows from top to bottom, but night two had this. Gunther and Sheamus had the best WWE match of 2022 at Clash at the Castle in Wales, and it looked as if they were going to run it back for the biggest show of the year. However, Drew McIntyre also wanted a piece of the action, and was more than happy to derail Sheamus’ quest of beating The Ring General if it meant he could hog the glory for himself.
Quite simply, this is the best WWE match in years. It is certainly in the conversation of “Best WrestleMania matches” and “Best WWE main roster matches.” They just leathered the snot out of each other until one of them couldn’t answer a simple three-count. It’s a match that showcased just how incredible wrestling can be at its simplest: Give out a goal, an obstacle to overcome and let them off the leash.
The goal was to be the best, the obstacle was the best wrestler in WWE and by letting them off the leash, Gunther, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus produced the best WWE match of 2023.
AND THAT IS THAT! What was your favorite WWE match of 2023? Let us know in the comments section below! Don’t forget to follow myself and Vendetta Sports Media on all your favorite social media platforms.
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