For the entirety of 2024, I have reviewed every Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, NXT, and all of the various Premium Live Events and that once again brings me to giving My Top 50 Matches of the Year! There has been a heck of a lot of Wrestling this year, hence why I’ve got so many matches to talk about! As always with this list, it includes every match that I’ve given a B+ Grade or above, so it’s the fairest system possible! So, without further ado, let’s get into one of my Favourite Articles of the Year!
Rhea Ripley VS Becky Lynch: WrestleMania XL Night 1 (06/04)
We start this list with the match that kicked off WrestleMania where Rhea Ripley put her Women’s World Championship on the line against Becky Lynch! This was a really good in-ring contest, but the biggest thing that stood out to me is it genuinely felt “Big Time”! Both Rhea and Becky are stars, they got cool special entrances, and the crowd was well into it! We also got near-falls after both women kicked out of each other’s finishers, and in the end, it took another 2 Riptides from Ripley to defeat The Man and retain her Women’s World Title! A great way to start this list!
Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker VS Axiom and Nathan Frazer: NXT Stand and Deliver (06/04)
The first match that properly kicked off WrestleMania weekend saw Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against Axiom and Nathan Frazer! This was a great way to start the show because it was so fast-paced, I mean Bron Breakker and Nathan Frazer are ridiculously fast! The teams were also used to each other by now so that only helped things further, and The Wolf Dogs at the time were just brilliant! Ultimately, a devastating Spear from Breakker to Frazer was enough for the Champs to retain their Titles, and I’ll tell you this for free, this isn’t the last time you'll see these lot on here!
Sami Zayn VS Chad Gable VS Bronson Reed: King and Queen of the Ring (25/05)
In what I thought was the match of the night at WWE King and Queen of the Ring, Sami Zayn put his Intercontinental Championship on the line in a Triple Threat against both Chad Gable and Bronson Reed! The story going into this match was great because whilst Chad Gable couldn’t stand Sami Zayn, Bronson Reed was just there to win the Title! The in-ring action itself was really good too, with Gable’s double Suplex being particularly impressive! In the end, though, Otis played key as he refused to drop Zayn and accidentally took out Master Gable instead, allowing Sami to retain his Title following a Helluva Kick to “Big” Bronson!
Dante Chen VS Lexis King: NXT (11/06)
On the 11th of June edition of NXT, we got treated to an incredibly fun Singapore Cane Match between Dante Chen and Lexis King! I remember being excited for this contest, and it was genuinely a lot better than I expected it to be, I remember laughing because it was so much fun! And what’s better than all of it was the ending as despite all of the Singapore Cane’s that were used, Lexis won by delivering a low blow to Chen with The King’s Cane before he won with the Coronation! Yeah, this deserves to be here!
Kevin Owens and Randy Orton VS The Bloodline: Backlash (04/05)
In the early parts of The New Bloodline, Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga teamed up to take on the pairing of Kevin Owens and Randy Orton in Lyon, France! This was a really crazy contest that started well before the match, resulting in Nick Aldis having to declare it as a Street Fight! As we all know, Kevin Owens is bonkers so he brought so much to this, but this was also the first time I’d seen Tama Tonga in action, and he proved that he fitted right in with these style of matches! We also got a crazy spot after KO dropped Tama onto a pair of steel chairs, but this is when the debuting Tanga Loa (now Tonga Loa) arrived and took KO out, allowing The New Bloodline to get the win after Solo delivered a Samoan Spike!
Oba Femi VS Wes Lee: NXT Heatwave (07/07)
The first match at NXT Heatwave 2024 saw Oba Femi put his NXT North American Championship on the line against Wes Lee! This was kind of billed as the dominant North American Champion against the greatest North American Champion, and it definitely delivered! This was another really strong showing from Oba Femi in a year that The Ruler was fully breaking out whilst Wes Lee is such a terrific Babyface that the “David VS Goliath” story really worked too! Ultimately, despite Wes coming close with the Kardiak Kick, it was Femi who manged to retain his NXT NA Title with his devastating Powerbomb!
A-Town Down Under VS DIY: Friday Night SmackDown (05/07)
On the SmackDown before Money in the Bank, the Main Event saw the WWE Tag Team Championships on the line when A-Town Down Under defended against DIY! There was so much history between all four of these men that you could easily get invested in it, and the crowd were also really good throughout! We also had lots of dissension between Austin Theory and Grayson Waller which only added to it, and Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa hitting a Shatter Machine was a really nice throwback! In the end, it was DIY who picked up the win after forcing both Waller and Theory to tap, and yeah, this was such a nice moment because Ciampa and Gargano had definitely earned it!
Bron Breakker VS Ludwig Kaiser VS Sheamus: Survivor Series: WarGames (30/11)
One of the more recent matches to take place that appears on this list happened at Survivor Series: WarGames where Bron Breakker defended his Intercontinental Championship in a Triple Threat Match against both Ludwig Kaiser and Sheamus! The action here was strong, all 3 men deserved to be on this stage, and I liked how any of these guys could’ve won and it wouldn’t have been a bad thing! Ultimately, though, despite Sheamus nearly winning with a Brogue Kick, it was Breakker who picked up the win via a pair of Spears to retain his IC Title!
Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS No Quarter Catch Crew: NXT Deadline (07/12)
The most recent match to take place on this list came at NXT Deadline where Axiom and Nathan Frazer put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against the No Quarter Catch Crew! There was some added context heading into this match that Nathan Frazer had already competed earlier in the night in the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge, so he was pretty banged up meaning Axiom had to do most of the heavy lifting! This was also a breakout night for both Myles Borne and Tavion Heights which is always great to see, and ultimately, it was FRAXIOM who somehow retained despite Frazer looking half-dead!
Roman Reigns VS AJ Styles VS Randy Orton VS LA Knight: Royal Rumble (27/01)
All the way back at the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line in a Fatal 4-Way against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and LA Knight! This was a really well-done match, and I remember liking how “Big Time” it felt with the crowd reactions during the entrances! This was also probably LA Knight’s best showing to date which always helps, and AJ Styles and Randy Orton are such terrific veterans! In the end, though, it was Roman Reigns who won to retain his Undisputed WWE Title after a great Spear to The Phenomenal One (AJ)!
Je’Von Evans VS Wes Lee: NXT (06/11)
When NXT went Extreme inside the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, the match that stood out the most to me was Wes Lee VS Je’Von Evans! This was my type of match, fast-paced, high-flying offense that is just such a joy to watch. Wes Lee is just terrific, I will definitely praise him more later on, and Je’Von Evans has come from nowhere to being one of the best things in all of NXT! Ultimately, Rob Van Dam’s arrival made the major difference as his distraction on Wes allowed Je’Von to hit an insane Cutter followed by a Frog Splash to give The Young O.G. the win over The Kardiak Kid!
Women’s Royal Rumble (27/01)
Another match from the Royal Rumble, and in my opinion the Women’s Royal Rumble was far better than the Men’s one! Firstly, the TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace arriving was a massive surprise, and also a great one whilst Chelsea Green and Piper Niven were absolutely terrific in this! Jade Cargill also made her much-anticipated debut, and Tiffany Stratton eliminating Bianca Belair proved how big of a deal she was going to be after her strong period in NXT! Eventually, after Stratton and Cargill were eliminated, the battle at the end came down to Liv Morgan and Bayley, with The Role Model dumping Liv to the outside to earn a well-deserved Rumble win (from Number 3 no less)!
Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Chase University: NXT (13/08)
Axiom and Nathan Frazer are back once again, this time when they put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against Chase University on the 13th of August edition of NXT! These two teams faced each other about a month before at Heatwave (we’ll get to that later), but Chase U changed it up a bit here by having Ridge Holland team with Andre Chase instead of the usual Duke Hudson! The match itself was great, really fast-paced as per usual, and the one near-fall that Frazer somehow managed to kick out of was so good! However, what surprised me even more than that was after Ridge dropped Axiom with the Redeemer, Chase U actually got the win and became the brand-new NXT Tag Team Champions! That’s just so cool!
LA Knight VS Andrade VS Carmelo Hayes: Crown Jewel (02/11)
At Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, the United States Championship was on the line in a Triple Threat as LA Knight took on both Andrade and Carmelo Hayes! This was probably the best match on the show in-ring-wise (another match from this show will be mentioned later though), and it was a terrific performance in particular from Carmelo Hayes who continues to prove that he is truly HIM! Andrade is also a great wrestler and deserves an awful lot of praise, but in the end, it was The Megastar who got the win as Knight retained his US Title with a BFT to Melo!
Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker: NXT (23/01)
The earliest match to appear in this list took place on the 23rd of January episode of NXT where Axiom and Nathan Frazer collided with Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker in the Semi-Finals of the NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic! This was at the very early days of the Corbin-Breakker partnership, and this was the moment where you realised that these two had something together! It also very much helped that they were taking on a Tag Team that we knew had the potential to be special in their own right (and my gosh did they live up to that), and it really was anyone’s game when it comes to winning it! However, in the end, an End of Days from Baron to Axiom followed by a devastating Bron Breakker Spear to Nathan Frazer was enough for The Wolf Dogs to advance to the Finals! Oh, and you know how I said that you should expect to see these lot again, well I didn’t just mean for one match!
Cody Rhodes VS AJ Styles: Backlash (04/05)
In what was already shaping up to be a pretty strong show, Backlash’s Main Event between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles for the Undisputed WWE Championship only solidified that! I remember liking this match because although it went long, it didn’t feel like it did, and that’s always a big positive! It was also the best AJ Styles performance we’d seen in years, and the terrific French crowd made it feel special! In the end, a Cross Rhodes was enough for Cody to get his important first Championship defense over the line, and yeah, it was actually probably The American Nightmare’s best match in his Title run to date!
Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS MSK: NXT The Great American Bash Week 2 (06/08)
The Main Event of NXT The Great American Bash Week 2 saw Axiom and Nathan Frazer put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against MSK! This was so cool for multiple reasons, firstly, it’s Axiom and Frazer, secondly, the NXT Tag Team Titles being in the Main Event is such a good thing, and thirdly, MSK were back together which was really special if you followed the careers of Wes Lee and Zachary Wentz! Also, the in-ring action was great which always helps, and the ending stunned me as it was FRAXIOM who picked up the win to retain their Championships following a Golden Ratio! There was also a big moment after the match where Wes Lee turned Heel on his Family, but I think we’ll potentially talk about that more in my upcoming Awards Article (so stay tuned for that)!
Intercontinental Championship Number 1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match: Raw (11/03)
On the run-up to WrestleMania 40, a Gauntlet Match took place on the 11th of March edition of Monday Night Raw to determine the Number 1 Contender for Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship! The match started off with Ricochet and JD McDonagh which was always going to be good, and after Ricochet got the pin, Bronson Reed arrived and destroyed The One and Only to advance with a TSUNAMI! Sami Zayn was then out next as he picked off both Reed and Shinsuke Nakamura before the last battle came down between Sami and Chad Gable! These guys are so good at what they do also that it’ll worked really well, and it was eventually Zayn who won with a roll-up to book his ticket to WrestleMania XL! I remember being disappointed about Master Gable not winning here, but the match itself was still great, it got a lot of time, and it’s always good to watch something with actual stakes!
Oba Femi VS Tony D’Angelo: NXT (08/10)
In the second of two special NXT episodes on the CW Network, Oba Femi put his NXT North American Championship on the line against Tony D’Angelo! These two had wrestled before, but the reason this was much better was there was far much more jeopardy at play! Firstly, the way Tony D’Angelo had been booked made you think he was going to win it, and the fact Oba Femi had literally just broken the record as the longest-reigning North American Champion of all time only added to that! I also really liked the ending because Tony D was able to pick up the win to become NXT NA Champ via roll-up, and that just further protected Femi which is how it should always be!
Sami Zayn VS Chad Gable: Clash at the Castle (15/06)
At the second-ever Clash at the Castle, the best match of the show saw Sami Zayn take on Chad Gable with the Intercontinental Championship on the line! We’ve already spoken about these two men clashing a couple of times now, but this was really the one where the ending was most unclear! We got a lot of strong technical wrestling throughout, but the story aspect of Gable trying to get the Alpha Academy to cheat and Maxxine Dupri getting floored with a Helluva Kick as a result was great stuff! We also got one of the best near-falls of the year when Sami somehow kicked out of a Chaos Theory, and we got another brilliant moment where Master Gable accidentally wiped-out Maxxine himself! In the end, though, it was Sami who managed to come away from the match as the victor, but yeah, this was a lot of fun!
Chase University VS Axiom and Nathan Frazer: NXT No Mercy (01/09)
After Chase University won the NXT Tag Team Championships (in a match we’ve already talked about), the rematch against Axiom and Nathan Frazer took place at NXT No Mercy! As we all know, this was great, it was a lot of fun, it was action-packed, and it contained some really good near-falls, especially the one following a Chase U backstabber (which is kind of ironic)! Amazingly, it was FRAXIOM who manged to pick up the win to regain their NXT Tag Team Titles before Ridge Holland turned on Andre Chase and the rest of the University after the match was over (told you it was ironic)!
Andrade VS Carmelo Hayes 4: SmackDown (30/08)
The Rivalry between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes was one of the main fixtures on Friday Night SmackDown throughout the summer, and their 4th contest in Berlin, Germany was in my opinion their best! Both of these guys are great, I’ve already said that, and the action in this was really good. However, what made it the best match out of their 7 was the fact that the German crowd were so into it because they’d followed them both in NXT, and it felt like an NXT-style clash! Also, there was some story at play as a loose turnbuckle opened the door for Melo to drop Andrade with Nothin’ but Net to score the win and tie the series up at 2-2!
Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker VS Axiom and Nathan Frazer: NXT (09/04)
For the third and final time in this list, we need to talk about Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker taking on Axiom and Nathan Frazer! This was a rematch from their clash at Stand and Deliver from a few days before, and I think this one was slightly better! This ultimately proved to be the last match of The Wolf Dogs run, which only makes this better looking back at it, and I’ve literally ran out of superlatives for Axiom and Frazer! In the end, after Breakker went to check on his partner, he got nailed by a Golden Ratio from Axiom before Nathan Frazer delivered a stunning Pheonix Splash to Corbin to pick up the win and crown FRAXIOM as the brand-new NXT Tag Team Champions!
Michin VS Jaida Parker: NXT (02/07)
The 2nd of July episode of NXT kicked off with Michin and Jaida Parker colliding in a Street Fight! I remember this match being crazy, I mean a literal hammer was used which I think speaks for itself! There was also a suicide dive that Michin hit which was absolutely insane, as was the Hypnotic from Jaida which sent Mia crashing through the Podium/Platform Area! And then, Miss Parker hit another Hypnotic to pick up what was the biggest win of her career!
Roman Reigns and The Usos VS The Bloodline: Crown Jewel (02/11)
After a lot of issues needed to be resolved, Roman Reigns and The Usos reunited to take on The (new) Bloodline in a big clash to kick off Crown Jewel! The story before the match started was great, with Jey Uso getting his own entrance rather than just coming out to Roman’s theme, and the pace was also a lot quicker than what Reigns’ matches usually tend to be! The ending of the match was also a big surprise as Jacob Fatu cleaned house on The Original Bloodline before Solo Sikoa ended up pinning The Head of the Table after a pair of Samoan Spikes! Things then got worse for Roman after the match as he was accidentally rocked in the face by a Sami Zayn Helluva Kick!
Ilja Dragunov VS Tony D’Angelo: NXT Stand and Deliver (06/04)
The Main Title match at this year’s NXT Stand and Deliver saw Ilja Dragunov put his NXT Championship on the line against Tony D’Angelo! The story of this match was that Ilja Dragunov was in pain, but he kept getting up, and the only way for Tony D to win was to cheat! However, The Don wouldn’t do that despite the rest of The Family urging him on to do so, and this ultimately cost him as a H-Bomb through the announce table, a Torpedo Moscow to the back of the head, and a Super H-Bomb were enough for Dragunov to retain! This feud wasn’t booked well at all, but the match really delivered (which again is quite fitting)!
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (06/07)
Money in the Bank is my personal favourite Premium Live Event of the year (along with NXT Stand and Deliver), and the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match did not disappoint! Everyone in here was great, LA Knight was so over, as was Jey Uso, whilst the in-ring work from Chad Gable, Andrade, and Carmelo Hayes was absolutely top-tier! The Suplex from Master Gable to LA Knight through a ladder on the outside was probably the stand out moment, but Drew McIntyre lawn darting a ladder into Jey Uso’s face was arguably just as good! That moment actually came at the end and allowed Drew McIntyre to win the Men’s MITB Briefcase, and I’ll promise you now, that’s not the last time I’ll mention MITB (or that Briefcase) in here!
Axiom, Nathan Frazer, and Je’Von Evans VS The Rascalz: NXT (23/07)
With The Rascalz returning to NXT to stand alongside Wes Lee, Je’Von Evans aligned himself with Axiom and Nathan Frazer in what was a terrific 6-Man Tag Team Main Event! I knew this could be great, but it was honestly better than that, Je’Von Evans only made watching Axiom and Frazer even more exciting, and it was great to see Zachary Wentz back in action! I mean, his Spike Cutter was the best thing in the match, which is saying something because some of the triple teams were excellent, and in the end, it was The Rascalz who scored the win after Wes Lee and Wentz delivered the old MSK finisher!
The O.G. Bloodline and CM Punk VS The Bloodline and Bronson Reed: Survivor Series: WarGames (30/11)
In what was one of the biggest matches of the entire year, The O.G. Bloodline and CM Punk teamed up to take on The Bloodline and Bronson Reed inside WarGames! This was a crazy match, so much happened, Jacob Fatu was the star of the show whilst the interactions between Roman Reigns and CM Punk were absolutely awesome! A lot of injuries also occurred in this match, with Bronson Reed breaking his ankle after failing to connect with a TSUNAMI from the top of the cage whilst Jimmy Uso broke his toe after delivering an Uso Splash through a table! The ending of the match then saw Punk save Reigns as those two plus Sami Zayn and The Usos delivered their finishers onto Solo Sikoa to get the win! They all definitely deserved a Holiday after this one!
Carmelo Hayes VS Trick Williams: NXT Stand and Deliver (06/04)
The Main Event of NXT Stand and Deliver 2024 was one of NXT’s biggest as Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams went to War! The entrances here were terrific, Carmelo Hayes coming out as Killmonger (the bad guy from Black Panther) was so good, the crowd went absolutely ballistic for Trick Williams, and this was honestly the biggest match I’ve ever seen when it comes to NXT! We also got ref bumps so you know it’s a big fight, and after Williams became the first person to ever kick out of Nothin’ but Net, Trick Willy delivered the Trick Shot onto Melo to pick up a monumental victory! Whilst the in-ring action wasn’t quite as great as what I’d hoped for, everything around it made up for it, it just felt big time, Trick-Melo was crucial to NXT’s growth as a brand, and I thought this was a terrific end to that (let’s not mention that terrible idea for a second match)!
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships 6-Pack Ladder Match: WrestleMania XL Night 1 (06/04)
The second match on WrestleMania XL was a hectic one as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships were on the line in a 6-Pack Ladder Match! Now, this was a very unique contest in that the two Tag Team Title Belts (Red for Raw, Blue for SmackDown) were hanging on separate hooks meaning we were going to see two victors crowned! A-Town Down Under won the SmackDown Tag Team Titles which was awesome, especially as it came out of literally nowhere! We got one of the most ridiculous spots I’ve ever seen where Johnny Gargano spiked Pete Dunne through a table on the outside whilst JD McDonagh (who wasn’t even in the match) took a nasty bump himself! In the end, it was R-Truth who unhooked the Raw Tag Team Championships to gift The Awesome Truth the Titles, and yeah, this was just an awful lot of fun!
Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander: NXT (29/10)
I promise you that we are nearly done with talking about Axiom and Nathan Frazer, but their match against Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander was just so much fun! As always, it was fast paced, but this one might’ve been on the even more extreme scale as Je’Von Evans continued his Breakout Year! The two Cutter’s that Je’Von hit were absolutely amazing, and Evans and Alexander probably would’ve won the Titles had it not been for the appearance of one Wes Lee! This left Cedric to fight on his own, but he himself came close to winning it following a Lumbar Check before FRAXIOM finally retained their NXT Tag Team Championships with a Brainbuster/Golden Ratio combo!
Damian Priest VS Seth “Freakin” Rollins: Money in the Bank (06/07)
Another match to take place at this year’s Money in the Bank saw Damian Priest put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Seth “Freakin” Rollins! The action was strong here, no doubt about it, but the real greatness came in the storytelling! See, Drew McIntyre’s music hit as The Scottish Psychopath arrived to cash in his Money in the Bank Briefcase (told you we wouldn’t be finished with it) meaning the match was now a Triple Threat! However, CM Punk quickly showed up and took out Drew with the World Heavyweight Championship before Damian Priest dropped McIntyre with a South of Heaven to get the win and retain his World Title! This was a surprise result which is always great, Money in the Bank was finally used to further a storyline, Priest deservedly remained Champion, and Punk screwed over not just Drew, but also Seth as well which only added to the drama!
Wes Lee VS Zachary Wentz: NXT No Mercy (01/09)
After the implosion of MSK/The Rascalz, Wes Lee and Zachary Wentz collided in a heated collision at NXT No Mercy! The action was super quick as expected, but I just remember this being such a cool thing to watch given what had happened to Zachary Wentz in the past, and also, he’d just won the TNA X-Division Championship which only made things cooler! We then got a brilliant bit where Wes Lee held up the X-Division Title, but this cockiness cost Lee as Wentz hit an insane Canadian Destroyer before Zach hit a just as insane UFO Cutter to Wes to get the win over his former Brother! This was a surprising result at the time, but I think it was the right one!
Ilja Dragunov VS Ricochet: Raw (06/05)
In the First Round of the King of the Ring Tournament, we were treated to a Raw classic between Ilja Dragunov and Ricochet! The high-flying offense was obviously insane, and the physicality on display between some of the strikes was arguably even crazier! However, what really stood out to me in this match was Ricochet was showing the world why he is one of the best whilst Dragunov was showing the world who didn’t see him on NXT why he is the best in-ring worker in all of Professional Wrestling! There were also some great near-falls which always adds to any match, but in the end, it was Ilja Dragunov who picked up the win following a massive H-Bomb!
Ethan Page VS Wes Lee VS Je’Von Evans: NXT (15/10)
On the 15th of October episode of NXT, Ethan Page, Wes Lee, and Je’Von Evans collided in a Triple Threat match for the right to be named as the Number 1 Contender to Trick Williams’ NXT Championship! This was such a fun time, I’ve waxed lyrical about Wes and Je’Von already, but this was Lee at his absolute best as he continued to kick out despite looking like he was beaten at least 3 times! Ethan Page was also terrific here, just watching the match in order to take advantage, and ultimately, that’s exactly what All Ego did as he stole the victory via roll-up! Such good stuff!
Damian Priest VS Gunther: Summerslam (03/08)
The best match on Summerslam this year saw Damian Priest and Gunther collide with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line! This was so physical, like insanely physical, particularly the strikes, and it was great to see Priest’s fighting spirit! In fact, Damian was set to win the match with a South of Heaven, only for Finn Balor to turn on his partner by putting Gunther’s foot on the rope! I then absolutely loved Priest realising this by watching the replay cameras on the big screen before Priest continued to fight back even though it looked like he was out! However, another Powerbomb followed by a sleeper hold was enough for Gunther to get the win and turn the reign of El Campeon to the reign of The Ring General!
Oba Femi VS Josh Briggs VS Dijak: NXT Stand and Deliver (06/04)
On what was a terrific card, the best match of this year’s NXT Stand and Deliver took place with the NXT North American Championship on the line as Oba Femi, Josh Briggs, and Dijak went to war! Firstly, Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog was shown in the crowd which is still my absolute favourite moment of the year, but the match itself was just as awesome! I mean, Canadian Destroyers were used which is simply stupendous, and this was a proper breakout performance from Josh Briggs whilst Dijak continued to prove why he was one of NXT’s best! It then looked at multiple stages that Dijak was going to get the win with multiple Feast Your Eyes, but Briggs cost him the first time before the second time was broken up by Oba Femi who delivered a devastating Powerbomb to Dijak onto Briggs to get the win and retain his North American Title! Oba is the man!
Gunther VS Sami Zayn: WrestleMania XL Night 1 (06/04)
After a terrific entrance which included support from his Family, Chad Gable, and Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn tried to end Gunther’s record-breaking reign as the Intercontinental Champion! The story was simple; Gunther is a machine, but Sami is the ultimate underdog who just wouldn’t give up! I mean, Zayn kicked out of 3 Powerbombs which is absolutely insane, and he hit a few more afterwards plus a big Splash! The Ring General then started to trash-talk Zayn’s Wife before Sami fired back with a Helluva Kick, an insane Brainbuster, and another two Helluva Kick’s to finally pick up the win and be crowned as the new Intercontinental Champion! This was such terrific storytelling, this was the perfect way to end Gunther’s IC Title reign whilst also giving Sami Zayn another crowning moment, and yeah, this felt massive!
Wes Lee VS Zachary Wentz: NXT (01/10)
Just a month after their clash at No Mercy, Wes Lee and Zachary Wentz collided in a Street Fight on the debut episode of NXT on the CW Network! This was absolutely bonkers, both men were clearly determined to put on a show, and some of the nasty landings that Wes took on his back were horrible, especially considering he had spine surgery less than a year prior! Wentz also took a horrible bump where he bounced off of the table instead of through it before Zach was far too reluctant to use a steel chair which allowed Lee to hit a low blow followed by a Meteora (with chains around his knees) onto a Steel Chair to finally get the win! Just vicious!
Iyo Sky VS Bayley: WrestleMania XL Night 2 (07/04)
Another terrific match that took place on WrestleMania Weekend saw old partners collide as Bayley looked to dethrone Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship! The entrances were pretty cool, but the match itself was superb! I mean, this was a dream match of mine for a long time which is pretty awesome in itself, but the action fully delivered as both Iyo and Bayley proved why they’re the best Women’s Wrestlers in the world! There were also certain moments that made you think Sky could retain, but in the end, an Elbow Drop followed by the Rose Plant was enough for Bayley to get the win and be crowned WWE Women’s Champion! Just terrific, well done to both!
Ilja Dragunov VS Trick Williams: NXT Vengeance Day (04/02)
After losing in the Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final earlier in the night, Trick Williams was determined to end the night as a Champion as he took on Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Title! Ilja was busted open just 2 minutes into the match which only made him come across as more psychotic than usual, and an “accidental” chop block from Carmelo Hayes to Trick Williams was the moment where things really started to pick up! Trick then managed to kick out of two H-Bomb’s which was just insane before Dragunov pulled out an AJ Styles-level late kick out which was even more awesome! Trick would’ve then had the match won if it wasn’t for the referee being out cold before both men ran at each other, only for Dragunov to connect with the Torpedo Moscow first to get the win! This was just such a terrific final 6 minutes, the drama was off the charts, and the post-match angle where Carmelo Hayes finally turned Heel on Trick Williams was just perfection!
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (06/07)
Whilst the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match was fun, the Women’s one was absolute insanity! I mean, it was a bit of a car crash, but that’s a compliment here and all six women deserve an awful lot of praise for the nasty ladder bumps that they took! I mean, Naomi and Lyra Valkyria had good showings, Iyo Sky and Zoey Stark wiped each other out with a ridiculous Falcon Arrow onto another ladder whilst Chelsea Green was about to win, only to be sent crashing off of a ladder and through two tables on the outside! This ultimately allowed Tiffany Stratton to grab the Briefcase and become the new Miss Money in the Bank, and yeah, I can’t put over how insane this was!
The Bloodline VS Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Cody Rhodes: WrestleMania XL Night 1 (06/04)
The Main Event of Night 1 of WrestleMania XL was probably the most hyped match heading into the entire weekend as Roman Reigns and The Rock teamed up to take on Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Cody Rhodes! The video package, the entrances, big time! This match went on for like 45 minutes, and it quickly turned into “No Rules” after The Rock used his power to threaten the referees with their jobs! Roman accidentally speared “Dwayne” at one point, and Cody also sent Rocky crashing through the announce table with a Rock Bottom of his own! Rhodes then looked to have Reigns beaten after delivering a Cross Rhodes, but The Rock viciously smashed The American Nightmare in the back with a weight belt before Reigns tagged his cousin in, allowing The Rock to hit a Rock Bottom followed by the People’s Elbow to pin Cody Rhodes! This felt like a fever dream in some ways, Seth “Freakin” Rollins was awesome throughout despite looking in severe pain, Roman Reigns’ hair was just mental (which I absolutely loved), and Night 1 going off the air with The Rock and Roman standing tall on the ramp was such an iconic visual!
Ilja Dragunov VS Trick Williams: NXT Spring Breakin’ Week 1 (23/04)
Whilst their match at Vengeance Day was great, Ilja Dragunov VS Trick Williams for the NXT Championship at Week 1 of NXT Spring Breakin’ was just fire! This was what we like to call a “spot fest”, where the match just contained big move after big move in quick succession! Trick hitting a Rock Bottom to send both men crashing through the announce table was insane, and Williams also hit Ilja’s big moves which still wasn’t enough for him to get the win! Dragunov then delivered a H-Bomb followed by a Super H-Bomb followed by a Super, Super H-Bomb which STILL didn’t finish the match of (I remember losing my mind at this), and the ending was terrific as both men charged at each other, but unlike at Vengeance Day, it was Trick Willy who connected first to pick up the win and be crowned as the new NXT Champion! This was the perfect ending to Ilja Dragunov’s time in NXT, and Trick Williams fully earnt this spot and it was just so great to see! Also, the arena was literally shaking, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pop like that before!
CM Punk VS Drew McIntyre: Bad Blood (05/10)
Rightly so, CM Punk VS Drew McIntyre from Bad Blood deserves a spot in my Top 5 Matches of the Year! It should’ve Main Evented the show, but I think this only fired up Punk and McIntyre who beat the absolute crap out of each other, like the amount of blood made me think we were watching a Horror Movie or something! The bit where Punk used a broken table leg as a weapon was super unique, and the bump that Drew took where he landed back-first onto the edge of the Steel Steps was horrific (my Dad literally gasped)! All of this then led to CM Punk wrapping a chain around his knee and hitting a second GTS to get the win before medics literally had to come out and give Punk a breathing mask because he was so done! This was sadistic, there isn’t another way to describe it, but it was the perfect way to end what was for me the Feud of the Year!
Axiom and Nathan Frazer VS Chase University: NXT Heatwave (07/07)
Whilst we’ve already spoken about the matches that happened down the line, the real best match between Axiom and Nathan Frazer and Chase University took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at NXT Heatwave! Firstly, the crowd was terrific! Secondly, the wrestling was terrific! Thirdly, the near-falls were terrific! I mean, Axiom and Frazer were just pulling out dives for fun whilst Andre Chase breaking up a pinfall and then hitting a Canadian Destroyer is one of the darndest things I’ve ever seen! Also, I thought Chase U had won it after Axiom accidentally Superkicked his partner, but in the end, a Golden Ratio was enough for FRAXIOM to retain! This was top-tier stuff!
Seth “Freakin” Rollins VS Drew McIntyre: WrestleMania XL Night 2 (07/04)
Night 2 of WrestleMania XL kicked off in the best way possible with Seth “Freakin” Rollins putting his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Drew McIntyre! Firstly, Seth Rollins’ entrance was just bonkers, I loved it so much! The match then started with Drew hitting an immediate Claymore for a really close near-fall, and what I enjoyed so much about this contest was how I brought into the finish more than once (which is an incredibly rare thing for me)! I mean, this was another spot fest with Rollins hitting multiple Stomps whilst McIntyre needed to hit 5 Claymore’s to finally put The Visionary down! This was such a nice moment for Drew, who won his first World Title in an empty arena, and you could tell how emotional Seth was after carrying that Title so well! However, we weren’t done there as Drew McIntyre gloated in front of CM Punk, only for Punk to wipe him out with his newly-won World Heavyweight Championship before unbelievably, Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank Briefcase and pinned McIntyre with a South of Heaven to become a World Champion and get his WrestleMania moment in the process! This is the single-best MITB cash-in that I have ever seen, I was so delighted for Damian Priest, and it was also a massive shock which is the best thing that can happen in Professional Wrestling!
Trick Williams VS Ethan Page VS Shawn Spears VS Je’Von Evans: NXT Heatwave (07/07)
Whilst I thought the Tag Team Title match on this show was good, the Fatal 4-Way between Trick Williams, Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, and Je’Von Evans for the NXT Championship managed to top it! This was easily Number 2 on my list, it was where Je’Von Evans proved that he is certifiably insane with a dive over the ring post that sent both him and Trick Williams crashing through the barricade! I mean, Je’Von also hit an insane Cutter just a few seconds after hitting a Spanish Fly whilst the bump that Evans took after being swatted mid-air by a steel chair from Shawn Spears looked horrific! You also had terrific near-falls where it looked like both Je’Von and Ethan Page had scored the win, and the character work from Trick after he sent Evans crashing through the announce table was Marvel worthy! But then, after Williams nailed Page with a Trick Shot, Shawn Spears pulled Trick out of the ring as All Ego fell on top of Je’Von Evans meaning Ethan Page was crowned as the new NXT Champion! The perfect way to end what was a special match on a pretty special weekend!
Roman Reigns VS Cody Rhodes: WrestleMania XL Night 2 (07/04)
Of course, it literally couldn’t be anything else! Cody Rhodes’ entrance was great, as expected, but Roman Reigns’ entrance is perhaps the single greatest thing I have ever seen! And the match was just sensational, we had Jey Uso arrive to Spear his Twin brother Jimmy off the stage, we had Solo Sikoa bark orders at Roman Reigns like he was The Tribal Chief (which is actually quite good foreshadowing of future events) before John Cena arrived and got his revenge on Solo by sending him through the announce table with an AA! Cena also delivered one to Reigns, only for The Rock’s music to hit as The Final Boss arrived to drop his old rival with a Rock Bottom! We then got arguably the biggest pop of the night as The Shield’s music hit, but a battered Seth “Freakin” Rollins was quickly taken out by a Superman Punch from Roman Reigns! But it wasn’t done there as The Undertaker’s music hit as The Deadman appeared to drop The Rock with a Chokeslam! After this, everyone disappeared apart from Roman, Cody, and Seth! And for me, this next part was the best of all as The Head of the Table couldn’t keep his hatred in check as he smashed Seth Rollins in the back with a steel chair, but this just allowed Rhodes to hit not 1, not 2, but 3 Cross Rhodes to get the win and end the 1,316 Day Title Reign of Roman Reigns! This was literally “CINEMA”, this is the first and (currently) only match I’ve ever given an A+ Grade to since I started this Website, I cannot state enough how perfect this was, like it literally felt like the end of a Saga, which I think is the perfect description of Roman Reigns’ run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion! This match is on YouTube, and whether you like Wrestling or not, I fully recommend you watching the last 20 minutes of this contest because it’s a perfect indicator of how special Pro-Wrestling can be!
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