10 Best WWE Matches Of 2021

2021 started off with WWE still in the midst of the pandemic era, trapped in the Thunderdome like they were Jim Carey in The Truman Show. By the time the year was over, the world had finished its comeback and pinned the Coronavirus for the three count, so things looked a lot more normal.

Well, as ‘normal’ as WWE has ever looked, anyway. Regardless of what was going on outside of the wrestling bubble, the company were still able to put on great matches, both in front of real fans and horrifying computer screens.

These are the 10 best WWE matches of 2021.

10. Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman - WrestleMania Backlash

After a somewhat surprising retention of the WWE Championship over Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 37, Bobby Lashley found himself once again up against the Scotsman, with a new challenger entering the fray.

Braun Strowman, who had beaten Shane McMahon at ‘Mania, was inserted into the mix, laying the foundations for a seriously meaty match.

The three behemoths battered each other over the course of this relatively short affair at WrestleMania Backlash, going nonstop with their displays of power and ruthless force. This chaotic brawl spilt out all over the arena, including up to the LED board at the top of the ramp, which McIntyre sent Lashley through in a great spot.

The All Mighty eventually retained, albeit at the cost of some of his brain cells, bringing this whirlwind of muscle and carnage to an end.

Bobby and Drew would continue to feud over the belt, but what happened to Braun? He didn’t appear on TV again and ended up getting released a few months later.

9. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus - Fastlane

After years of being stuck in stupid storylines and feeling like just another body on the roster, 2021 finally saw Sheamus fulfil his potential as a hard-hitting, no-nonsense bruiser, a transformation that was kickstarted by his rivalry with Drew McIntyre.

The two real-life best buds butted heads over Drew’s WWE Title, which Sheamus turned heel in the hopes of getting. Unfortunately, McIntyre lost the belt before they could have their title match, but that didn’t stop them from throwing down anyway.

At Fastlane 2021, Drew and Sheamus went head-to-head in a No Holds Barred Match, with months of frustration fuelling the action. No stone was left unturned, no inch of space was left unexplored, and nothing not nailed down was left unused as a weapon, as this pair of burly Europeans knocked seven shades of stuffing out of each other.

McIntyre may have won the match to build to his Mania encounter with Lashley, but this was still a huge achievement for his Irish opponent.

8. SmackDown Elimination Chamber - Elimination Chamber

SmackDown’s Elimination Chamber match at the pay-per-view of the same name was for a shot at Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship at… some point. He was a little vague with the timeframe.

There was plenty of talent in the pods, as King Corbin, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, Cesaro, and Daniel Bryan all vied for the chance to dethrone the Tribal Chief. When a match starts with Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli and there’s still more people to come, you know you’re in for a treat.

Though Raw’s match on this night was a lot of fun, the blue version of the Chamber just pipped it in terms of action. There was plenty of storyline substance as well, as Jey, who was in The Bloodline at this point, entered last, looking to protect his cousin’s interests.

Whilst the Uso brother made the final two, it was Bryan who won the day, going the distance to punch his ticket to a future title shot.

How far into the future? About 30 seconds! Reigns said the match would be happening right now and immediately beat Bryan to retain.

7. Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro - WrestleMania Backlash

It’s hard to believe, but in all the years that Cesaro was in WWE, he had just one singles match for a world championship. And it happened the year before he left.

The Swiss Superman not only got a chance at Roman Reigns and the Universal Title, but he got it in the main event of WrestleMania Backlash.

With these two highly talented grapplers in the ring, a great match was more likely than not. Neither man disappointed, as the 28 minutes they were given flew by in a flurry of technical moves, power spots, and Roman yelling in Cesaro's face (which was the style at the time).

Though he was unable win the big one, the King of Swing showed that he was more than capable of holding his own in a big match, something diehard fans had known for years.

Sadly, this did little to enhance his status, as on the next show, he lost in the second match and he was gone by early 2022.

6. Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Money in the Bank

WrestleMania 37 might have been the first WWE show with fans since the start of the pandemic, but Money in the Bank was the first pay-per-view to have a full crowd in over a year.

So, how was it? Fine. It was fine.

Luckily, there were a few great matches on the night, especially this one, in which eight men battled it out in the hopes of becoming Mr. Money in the Bank.

Ricochet, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, John Morrison - these guys were made to be in a big ladder match, and they and everyone else involved did not let fans down.

Maybe it was because the previous year’s match had been that weird one that took place in Titan Towers, but this Money in the Bank match felt like one of the freshest in years. Owens and Matt Riddle ran wild, Shinsuke Nakamura got to impress, Ricochet did what he did best and defied gravity.

Not even a run-in by Jinder Mahal to attack Drew McIntyre could dampen spirits.

To top it all off, the winner of the match was Big E, someone who had been long overdue a world championship push. A feel-good ending to a very entertaining bout.

5. Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins - WrestleMania 37 Night 1

In the lead-up to WrestleMania 37, Seth Rollins became everyone on the Internet and started pointing out how Cesaro had failed to live up to his potential in WWE.

Drawing on the Swiss star’s genuine lack of a sustained push over his career, the Monday Night Messiah railed on poor Cesaro, until the strongman finally snapped, setting up this match for the first night of the Showcase of the Immortals.

If you’d have told an indie wrestling fan in 2010 that they’d be getting Claudio Castagnoli and Tyler Black at WrestleMania, they’d have wet themselves. It might have come 11 years behind schedule, but the match still wowed, as the chemistry between the two men was undeniable.

Cesaro absolutely wowed here, showing everyone exactly why he deserved more prominence in the company. He even pulled off a UFO, aka a no-handed aeroplane spin! How is that even possible?

After years of being ignored, the cult hero finally got a big win on a big stage, when he pinned a very dizzy Rollins to a huge ovation.

4. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan - April 30 episode of SmackDown

2021 was the year that Daniel Bryan left WWE to go to AEW, so you’d have thought they’d have put his final match on a big platform. Nope. It happened on a random episode of SmackDown.

After many, many failed attempts to take the Universal title off Roman Reigns, The American Dragon agreed to one final title match with some big stakes. If he won, the belt was his, but if he lost, he would be banished from SmackDown.

With all this going on, plus the long history between the two competitors, this was a must-watch bout, and the action it produced was worthy of such a moniker.

In one of the best SmackDown finales of all time - though it may as well have been on pay-per-view, considering it went the best part of 30 minutes - Bryan came within inches of besting Reigns many times, before finally succumbing to the guillotine choke.

A brilliantly worked match with plenty of drama throughout and a history-making finish, Reigns vs. Bryan was everything it needed to be and more, and easily the best match of the year to take place in front of zero fans.

3. Edge vs. Seth Rollins - Crown Jewel

In order to win his second Royal Rumble match, Edge eliminated Seth Rollins in what he thought was the final spot of the night. In reality, there was a whole thing with Randy Orton, but that’s for another time.

It makes sense then that these two would come back together later in the year, having a trilogy of matches that began at SummerSlam and culminated in grand fashion at Crown Jewel, inside Hell in a Cell.

Despite taking place at Crown Jewel, a show not known for great matches, Rollins vs. Edge was absolutely electric.

For the first time in a long time, the stipulation felt genuinely earned, like it was a last resort for two men who genuinely could not stand each other, and they used the demonic cube to its full potential.

From chairs and tables to ladders and steps to a steel chain, the ring looked like a bomb site with various bits of shrapnel strewn all over, as these gladiators gave everything they had to get the win.

The Rated-R Superstar got the job done after using Seth’s own Stomp against him to round out one of the best Cell matches in recent memory.

2. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair - WrestleMania 37 Night 1

For the first time in WrestleMania history, two African-American performers squared off in the main event, as Sasha Banks defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair.

Belair had put on a star-making performance in the Royal Rumble, winning from the number three spot, but the build to her match with Banks had been lacklustre to say the least and featured a lot of Reggie for some reason.

Thankfully, wrestling fans have short memories, so when they saw both ladies getting emotional at the start of this massive match, all was forgiven. And that’s when things got good.

Banks and Belair both rose to the occasion, but especially the challenger, who showed everyone why she deserved to be the new face of women’s wrestling.

From carrying Sasha up the steps in a press slam position to slicing The Boss’s stomach open with a vicious hair whip, Bianca looked every bit the main eventer here, and her opponent did a great job in making her look good whilst also keeping the match interesting.

The EST won the battle and the championship in one of, if not the, best women’s match in WrestleMania history.

1. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Edge - WrestleMania 37 Night 2

Bianca versus Sasha may well have been the best match of the entire year, had this masterpiece not come along just one night later.

Just when it looked like Roman Reigns was going to face Royal Rumble winner Edge at Mania 37, Daniel Bryan decided to remind everyone how good he was.

The match was made a triple threat with Reigns as the heel, Bryan as the face, and Edge somewhere on the border. This dynamic created a lot of intrigue heading into WrestleMania, and, mercifully, fans were rewarded for their investment.

Rather than being one of those dull three-ways WWE are sometimes guilty of, this was all-action, all-drama, all of the time. It was realistic that any of the men involved could have won, which kept things interesting, especially as they all came close on numerous occasions.

What this fight will be remembered for is the amazing image of Roman stacking both of his opponents to pin them at the same time, asserting his dominance after a truly spectacular display from all involved.