10 Best WWE Matches Of 2024

2024 was a big year for WWE, who could seemingly do no wrong as they habitually broke records when it came to attendance, viewership and revenue.  

What did they provide for the fans who paid with their time, attention and cash? As far their in-ring year was concerned, 2024 was a rather strong one for WWE, with several classic matches taking place on both TV and at PLEs. 

These are the 10 Best WWE Matches of 2024.

10. Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles - Clash At The Castle

With hometown hero Drew McIntyre challenging Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship in the show’s main event, it was up to Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles to kick off proceedings in Glasgow, which they did in some style in their I Quit Match for Cody’s Undisputed WWE Title. 

A rematch from Backlash France, the bar had been set high by The American Nightmare and The Phenomenal One, but the two pros had a match that was every bit as compelling and yet very different from their first encounter. Things were intense from the off as they brawled through the crowd and backstage, before coming back to the ring, which is where things started getting really nasty. 

AJ was a vicious little Pitbull in trying to get Cody to say the two magic words, leathering his handcuffed opponent with kendo stick and chair shots, and earning a slap from Cody’s mother for his troubles. 

Rhodes got himself back into the match, putting Styles through a table in a perfectly timed spot and eventually made him quit by cuffing him to the ropes and threatening him with the steel stairs. Cody then hit Styles with the stairs anyway after the bell. 

9. Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga - Backlash

Like Clash at the Castle, Backlash France was a five-match premium live event that would have been good anyway, but was elevated by the rabid, international crowd. 

WWE started things off hot, turning the scheduled regular tag match opener into a street fight after a wild brawl. What followed was just a whole load of fun, as the four men were clearly having the time of their lives doing their thing in front of such a receptive audience, who never allowed the energy levels to drop. 

There was plenty of plunder here, with tables being broken and Owens, in a truly insane spot, putting Tama through a stack of chairs with a variation of a top-rope brainbuster. 

That was the cue for a debuting Tonga Loa to make the save in the latest twist in the Bloodline saga, which allowed Solo to Samoan Spike his way to victory. 

The finish quietened the crowd a little, but this was a hell of a deal and a tremendous way to kick off the show. 

8. Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable - April 15 episode of Raw

2024 was a great year for certified bangers on free TV, with the majority of them taking place on Raw.

Sami Zayn and Chad Gable had quite the Spring feud over Zayn’s Intercontinental Title, with Sami defending against the man who had helped get him ready for his WrestleMania showdown with Gunther. 

This would have been a great match regardless but, once again, the crowd – in this case, Zayn’s hometown crowd in Montreal – just brought things up that little bit higher. 

The tone was set with the champ’s epic entrance through the fans, but Chad was very much ready, willing and able once the bell rang, wrestling Sami down to the mat and shrugging off attempted rallies to focus on the ankle. 

The story of the match from there saw the challenger get more aggressive and flustered due to the frustration of not being able to put Zayn away, with the closing stretch stuffed with beautiful transitions and counters. 

In the end, Sami was able to fight through the pain and hit a Helluva Kick to retain, causing Gable to snap and turn heel.

7. Ilja Dragunov vs. Ricochet - May 6 episode of Raw

The 2024 King of the Ring tournament produced some very good matches, with two of the best matches of the year taking place not just in the first round, but on the same episode of Raw. 

The match between Ilja Dragunov and Ricochet was an interesting one not just stylistically, but because of where both men were in their respective WWE careers at the time. The former had just started his main roster run, while the latter would, unbeknownst to fans, be on his way out of the company in a matter of weeks. 

Ricochet was at his best here against Dragunov, the two having a very competitive contest stuffed with counters and big moves. Highlights included Ricochet missing a moonsault on the outside and landing on his feet, only to have Dragunov plant him with a release German Suplex on the floor, and Ricochet nailing three dives in a row. 

After around 14 back-and-forth minutes, Ilja hit a second H Bomb to advance in the tournament, while enhancing his own in-ring reputation at the same time. 

6. Gunther vs. Sheamus - May 6 episode of Raw

Following on from Ilja Dragunov vs. Ricochet was another meaty clash between Gunther and Sheamus and, once again, the two men put together a banger in the main event of the May 6 episode of Raw.

The Celtic Warrior and The Ring General always bring the physicality, and this bruising battle was no exception. Chops, forearms, uppercuts, kicks and clubs – there was really noting fancy about most of what was on display, but the two workhorses did everything with such conviction that you couldn’t help but be mesmerised by it all. 

It was simple, effective, meat-and-potatoes wrestling with two guys throwing bombs at each other, until Gunther decided to focus his attack on his opponent’s right knee (after an interfering Ludwig Kaiser had been sent to the locker room).

Sheamus fought valiantly and registered some close near falls with his own heavy-duty offence, but Gunther trapped him in a single-leg Boston crab and that was all she wrote. 

5. IYO SKY vs. Bayley - WrestleMania 40 Night 2

There were two great Women’s Title matches at WrestleMania 40, with Raw’s Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch setting the table for the weekend with the night one opener. Good as that match was, it wasn’t quite at the level that SmackDown’s IYO SKY and Bayley hit on night two. 

The Royal Rumble winner was back to being a babyface after being kicked out of Damage CTRL and, while there were some who questioned the turn after such a strong heel run, Bayley showed everyone why she’s one of the best babyfaces in the business.

Both women pulled out all the stops with a well-worked match that paid off the storyline while keeping fans guessing for the duration. There were some truly exceptional sequences and counters, such as SKY’s brilliant Rose Plant counter towards the closing stretch. 

If there’s one criticism, it’s not on the work itself, but that WWE could (and perhaps should) have given them an extra minute or two to play with. 

As it is, the match was 14 thrilling minutes where the performers created much drama with their wrestling and more than delivered in a high-pressure, semi-main event spot.

4. Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles - Backlash

A month after winning the WWE Title, Cody Rhodes faced his first test as champion when he went up against an invigorated AJ Styles in the main event of Backlash France. 

The Phenomenal One had returned to WWE looking better (and bigger) than ever, approaching his shot at the American Nightmare like he had a point to prove.

The fans in Lyon were raucous, as they had been all show, and were so animated during the in-ring introductions that they shook the hard cam. 

Cody and AJ didn’t disappoint them, piecing together a gripping, slow-burn match that built expertly and began to simmer as they upped the intensity and Styles targeted the champ’s shoulder. 

They traded near falls and did some nice counter wrestling, before AJ hit Rhodes with a gnarly suplex on the ring apron. Cody, not one to be outdone, followed that up by powerbombing Styles through the French announce table. 

The challenger dug deep, busting out a springboard 450 and a Burning Hammer, but Rhodes continued to kick out, made his own spirited comeback and notched his first title defence thanks to Cross Rhodes after almost half an hour of top-class action.

3. Gunther vs. Sami Zayn - WrestleMania 40 Night 1

Gunther’s record-setting Intercontinental Title reign was one for the ages. 

Across 666 days, the awesome Austrian defended his title against all comers, putting on countless great – and very diverse – matches in the process. 

Such a strong reign deserved a strong ending, and that’s exactly what it got when The Underdog from the Underground stepped up on night one of Wrestlemania 40. 

WWE had given the match a Rocky-like build, presenting Sami as someone who may have been a long shot, but definitely had a shot at winning the gold. 

Gunther was at his big bully best here, shrugging off Zayn’s flurries and putting him down with those mean chops of his. Sami, ever the resilient babyface, wouldn’t stay down and kept finding ways to stay in the fight, busting out some impressive suplexes and a big tornado DDT.

In a nail-biting near fall, Gunther countered a Helluva Kick with a massive lariat, which he then followed up with a double powerbomb. 

When Zayn kicked out, fans started to believe an upset was in the offing and, after withstanding more punishment, Sami hit a turnbuckle brainbuster and a Helluva Kick for the feel-good win.

2. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes - WrestleMania 40 Night 1

In the main event of night one of WrestleMania 40, The Rock and Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, meaning that night two’s main event, with the Tribal Chief putting his Undisputed WWE Universal Title on the line against The American Nightmare, would take place under Bloodline Rules.

A year after fans believed Cody would finish the story, the deck was stacked against him and there wasn’t much to separate the two men during the first part of the match. The first part featured good wrestling, but everyone watching knew the contest wasn’t going to end without other people having their say.

First up was Jimmy Uso, whose interference was nullified by twin brother Jey. Solo Sikoa was out next, but John Cena showed up to take him out. That was the cue for the Final Boss, who sent Big Match John packing. 

Seth Rollins wasn’t much help, but The Undertaker arrived on the scene to eliminate The Rock from the equation. 

That left Cody and Roman alone, with Rhodes finally finishing the story by hitting Cross Rhodes three times to end the long reign of Roman Reigns. 

A good match in its own right, but the sports entertainment shenanigans put it over the top.

1. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre - Bad Blood

It’s fair to say the Hell in a Cell match, as a stipulation, had lost its lustre. Bad booking and shows that featured multiple Cell matches for seemingly no reason other than branding had diluted what was once the promotion’s go-to blood feud settler. 

That was all put firmly in the past when CM Punk and Drew McIntyre squared off at Bad Blood. The climax of a deeply personal and bitter rivalry, their Cell match was everything fans wanted and more. 

This was two guys who positively hated each other doing horrible things to not just win the match but maim their enemy. It had violence, drama and blood, some of which came from a hardway cut The Scottish Warrior sustained when Punk whacked him with a metal toolbox. 

The match (and thus their feud) came to a suitably vicious conclusion, too, with the Straight-Edge Superstar putting things to bed (and McIntyre to sleep) with a chain-assisted GTS.