Every WWE PPV Of 2023 Ranked From Worst To Best

When wrestling historians look back at all that took place in WWE in 2023, they will simply say ‘nothing important happened that year’. If the history books are published in OPPOSITE LAND, that is!

2023 was a monumental year for the company, which saw WWE sold to Endeavor and merged with UFC as part of the TKO entity.

There were also high-profile firings and hirings and one terribly tragic death in Bray Wyatt that nobody saw coming and rocked the wider wrestling community. There was plenty to talk about when it came to the behind-the-scenes comings and goings, but there was equally as much to examine when it came to what we saw take place on our screens.

Particularly when it came to WWE’s 12 supershow offerings, which ranged from good to very good to very very good.

But just how good are we talking here?

This is Every WWE Pay-Per-View of 2023 Ranked from Worst to Best.

11. Crown Jewel

Crown Jewel 2023 wasn’t a bad show – in fact, WWE barely put a foot wrong all year when it came totheir so-called premium live events. It’s just that, when it was over, you went away feeling as thought there was nothing on it that was really must-see.

It began with a very good World Heavyweight Title match, as Seth Rollins defended against the new, moody Drew McIntyre. A strong showing for both, this 20-minute contest still never quite reached that higher level.

Rhea Ripley then defended her Raw Women’s Championship in a five-way hoss fest with Nia Jax, Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. Even with the numerical odds seemingly stacked against Mami, there was never a sense that the title would change hands.

John Cena finished off his SAG-AFTRA-approved mini comeback tour by putting over Solo Sikoa in a strong showing.

Logan Paul continued his rise up the ranks by dethroning United States Champion Rey Mysterio in another enjoyable match. Hate him all you want (as a character), but there’s no denying at this point that Logan is actually quite alright at this and was good value for the title win here.

Kairi Sane returned to WWE and helped IYO SKY retain her SmackDown Women’s Championship in a rewarding (if not a tad overlong) bout with Bianca Belair.

Cody Rhodes then brushed past Damian Priest in a competitive grudge match, before LA Knight pushed Roman Reigns to the limit in a typical interference-filled Undisputed WWE Universal Title defence.

10. Fastlane

Once again, Fastlane – which took place about a month before Crown Jewel – was absolutely fine.

Like Crown Jewel, however, once the show was over you didn’t feel as though you’d seen anything truly special and some of the matches felt TV-quality.

The opener certainly set a high benchmark for what was to come after it, as Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso defeated The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and Damian Priest to bag the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. It just built and built and built expertly, and the crowd went mental at the result.

The six-man tag between the Latino World Order and Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits couldn’t really hope to follow it. It didn’t, but it was still entertaining viewing and it was nice to see Carlito make his in-ring return as a fully-fledged member of the LWO.

IYO SKY clung onto the SmackDown Women’s Title by besting Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match that got better as it went and kept fans guessing as to the outcome right until Bayley’s distraction helped her Damage CTRL teammate walk away with her prize.

John Cena and LA Knight joined forces to down Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa in a very simple but effective tag match.

And, finally, Seth Rollins retained his World Heavyweight Title against Shinsuke Nakamura in a wild Last Man Standing match.

9. SummerSlam

A big letdown of a main event stopped SummerSlam 2023 from finding itself in a higher position on this countdown.

The Tribal Combat match between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title should have been an epic blowoff match for the ages. But it wasn’t. Overlong and overwrought, the battle of The Bloodline was a major disappointment on almost every level, especially when it didn’t abide by it’s own stipulation of no interference as Solo Sikoa and a Jimmy Uso turn helped Reigns retain.

A shame, but there was good stuff to be found elsewhere.

The show began with a delightful match between Logan Paul and Ricochet. I don’t know if it went ‘viral’ as they had hoped , but it was an exciting way to start the Biggest Party of the Summer.

Match number two served up a gripping decider between Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes. We have no idea exactly what Brock and Cody were even beefing about in the first place, to be honest, but it gave us a trio of tremendous matches. The Beast Incarnate put over The American Nightmare and even gave him a respectful handshake on his way to another months-long layoff.

The Slim Jim’s Battle Royal was a battle royal sponsored by Slim Jim’s. At least the ever-popular LA Knight got his moment.

The MMA Rules scrap between Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey sadly didn’t work as they had probably hoped and was a bit of a weak way to end Rowdy Ronda’s WWE career.

Things perked up with Gunther defending his Intercontinental Title against Drew McIntyre in a suitably meaty outing, before Seth Rollins retained his World Heavyweight Title against Finn Balor in yet another good match.

Bianca Belair won the SmackDown Women’s Title from Asuka in a triple threat also including Charlotte Flair, only for IYO SKY to successfully cash-in her Money in the Bank briefcase and steal it away moments later.

8. Royal Rumble

The 2023 Royal Rumble was far-from-perfect, but an excellent men’s Rumble, a pretty damn good women’s Rumble and an emotionally charged main event and end-of-show angle helped it linger long in the memory.

There was only ever going to be one winner in the men’s Rumble – which opened the show – something that was hammered home when Cody Rhodes was joined by Gunther, Seth Rollins and Austin Theory in the final four.

Once it got down to the American Nightmare and Der Ring General, it was just classic stuff as Gunther – the match’s number one entrant and clear MVP – managed to sprinkle in at least a little bit of doubt before the inevitable.

Along the way we had a cameo by Booker T, an unexpected elimination of Brock Lesnar by Bobby Lashley and some other neat stuff, but this was really all about shining the spotlight on Cody (and GUNTHER putting in a mammoth performance).

It would have been nice if LA Knight and Bray Wyatt – wrestling for the first time on television since returning to the company – had been able to do something more with their Mountain Dew Pitch Black match.

Sadly, not only was it a bust, but it turned out to be Bray’s last televised match of his career, as he passed away eight months later at the age of only 36. The match may not have been a classic, but nobody will ever forget the exceptional performer that Windham Rotunda was.

Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title defence against Alexa Bliss was also a bit of a slog, but the rest of the fighting females in San Antonio, Texas got things back on track with the second Rumble of the evening.

Like the men’s Rumble, there was only one clear and obvious winner here, but unlike Cody (who entered Number 30), Rhea Ripley came out first and went coast-to-coast to secure her WrestleMania title shot.

And Roman Reigns defended his title against Kevin Owens. It was a Roman Reigns main event title defence, so you know the drill here. The real story came after it, however, when Sami Zayn finally reached breaking point and turned on Roman to a thunderous reaction.

7. Payback

After getting bumped off the SummerSlam card a month beforehand, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus probably had quite the chip on their shoulder and likely went out to prove why they didn’t deserve the snub at Payback. Oh boy did they do just that. Throwing down inside a steel cage, the Hall of Famer and The Man had one hell of a fight to finally put their long and personal rivalry to bed.

Show host John Cena made himself the special referee for LA Knight’s routine victory over The Miz, before Rey Mysterio defended his United States Title against Austin Theory.

The Bloodline duo of Priest and Balor then took the tag belts away from Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in a very sports-entertaining street fight that probably just pipped the cage match to Match of the Night honours.

Judgment Day’s Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriquez couldn’t really expect to equal that sort of intensity, but their Raw Women’s Title match did what it needed to.

And Seth Rollins beat Shinsuke Nakamura in what was a perfectly serviceable – if not teensy bit long – headliner.

6. WrestleMania 39 - Night Two

After returning from a torn pec and winning the Royal Rumble, much was made of the quest of Cody Rhodes to ‘finish the story’ and beat Roman Reigns to become Undisputed WWE Universal Champion in the main event of WrestleMania 39.

It seemed like a dead certainty, the logical conclusion to a drawn-out saga and a change the WWE Universe was more than ready for. It was the right time and the right place for Roman to relinquish his title. So, naturally, he didn’t.

It was a deflating ending to the two-day extravaganza and an all-time booking blunder in the eyes of some but, credit to Rhodes and Reigns for everything that happened before the three count, because it was an excellent piece of work.

The second night of WrestleMania 39 was excellent overall, beginning with a surprisingly good battle of the behemoths between Brock Lesnar and Omos.

The four-team women’s tag match, meanwhile, was clearly a way to get everyone on the card but it had its moments.

The three-way IC Title meatfest between Gunther, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus had more than mere moments. From start to finish, this bruising war of attrition was utterly captivating (and painful to watch at times, in a good way). It may very well end up going down in history as one of the great WrestleMania matches.

Following it was a tall order, but Bianca Belair and Asuka were game and brought the goods at the big dance, with the EST of WWE notching another notable defence.

And then it happened. Taking a cue from Vince’s performance a year prior, Shane McMahon returned to WWE ready to throw down with The Miz. He threw down, alright. Threw himself right down to the mat after tearing his quad on a leapfrog just seconds into their planned impromptu match. Fortunately, Snoop Dogg was on hand to save the day with a People’s Elbow to the two-time WWE Champion.

Edge also beat The Demon Finn Balor in a violent, all-action Hell in a Cell match in what will likely be Adam Copeland’s final outing at the Showcase of the Immortals.

5. Night of Champions

With five title matches and two simmering grudge matches on the bill, you can’t accuse Night of Champions of being anything other than a loaded show.

In the evening’s first bout, Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins beat AJ Styles in a very good match to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship.

Trish Stratus then downed Becky Lynch (with a little help from Zoey Stark) in Trish’s first singles match for almost four years.

Nobody in their right mind thought Mustafa Ali had much of a chance to taking the IC Title away from Gunther, but he gave the Austrian masochist a good fight before staring at the ceiling.

Asuka then beat Bianca Belair to win the Raw Women’s Title in a slightly disappointing outing, though the finish with the black mist was certainly memorable.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley then absolutely steamrolled past Natalya, before Brock and Cody met for the second time. They told a great story, with Rhodes trying to fight valiantly despite having a ‘broken arm’ and Lesnar shrugging off various cast shots and attempted comeback to make him pass out in the Kimura. Just great, no-BS pro wrasslin’ from these two.

And in the main event, the ultra-over duo of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens kept their tag titles by beating Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns after Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso decided they didn’t want to be part of The Bloodline anymore. A great match that built towards high drama, it ended the show on a strong note with a genuine feel-good moment.

5. Backlash

Backlash 2023 would have been a good show anyway, but the Puerto Rican crowd – enjoying their first WWE pay-per-view in the flesh since 2005’s disastrous New Year’s Revolution – turned it into an unforgettable one.

Early indications that the fans in attendance were there to really enjoy themselves came in the very first match as they were positively molten for IYO SKY. Unfortunately for them, SKY was unsuccessful in her challenge of Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair in an excellent match.

Seth Rollins saw off Omos in a standard Big Man versus Little Man match. Didn’t have the outright spectacle of Brock versus the Nigerian Giant from WrestleMania, but it was still Omos’s second-best match ever.

Austin Theory narrowly escaped with his US Title by winning a short-but-spirited three way over Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed.

Hometown girl Zelina Vega was the clear favourite in her match with Rhea Ripley, but sentiment wasn’t enough to see her win the SmackDown Women’s Title on the Island of Enchantment.

Zelina’s reaction, strong as it was, was positively blown away by the pop rap superstar Bad Bunny received for his entrance. What’s more, the Grammy winner’s Street Fight with Damian Priest was legitimately the best match on the show.

The celebrity – who has always shown the utmost respect to the business – put in an incredible shift in a match that was booked to perfection, Carlito and Savio Vega cameos and all.

The six-man between The Bloodline (Usos & Sikoa) and Owens, Zayn and Matt Riddle that went on after didn’t give the crowd much time to catch their breath (not that they needed it).

In the main event, Cody Rhodes found a way to defeat Brock Lesnar in a worthy curtain closer.

4. Money in the Bank

Like the thousands in San Juan, those in London’s The O2 would have had a good night had Money in the Bank been a run-of-the-mill affair. Luckily for them, it was anything but.

Putting the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match on first certainly didn’t hurt any, as the seven lunatics risked life and limb in their pursuit of the briefcase.

There were a couple of heart-in-mouth moments – most notably when Ricochet and Logan Paul screwed up a very dangerous-looking spot from the top rope through a table on the floor – but overall it was an exhilarating exhibition of creativity, with Damian Priest emerging the winner, much to the disappointment of the fans who wanted LA Knight to walk away with the briefcase.

The Women’s Tag Titles changed hands when Shayna Baszler turned on Ronda Rousey and gifted the win to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in what was a pretty cursed year for those particular belts. It was also the weakest match on the show, but still perfectly watchable.

Gunther put away Matt Riddle as he continued his record-setting IC Title run in style, before Cody beat Dominik Mysterio in a fine mid-card tussle.

IYO SKY won the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase in a match that was pretty much on par with the men’s version. The finish was also one of the best in recent memory.

Seth Rollins retained his World Heavyweight Title against Finn Balor in a somewhat arbitrary but none-too-shabby match.

In the main event, The Bloodline collided when The Usos beat Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns. Your mileage may vary depending on how into the storyline you were, but it was certainly heated and The Tribal Chief finally tasted defeat when Jey pinned him to set up SummerSlam.

3. Elimination Chamber

Elimination Chamber 2023 was all about the main event.

Three weeks after belting Roman Reigns in the back with a steel chair, Sami Zayn received his shot at the Head of the Table’s Undisputed WWE Universal Title.

Wrestling the match of his life in front of his friends and family in Montreal, Sami came close to causing the ultimate upset before he became the latest person to try and fail to take the title away from Roman.

As for the match, it was a classic, the downbeat ending doing nothing to erase the 30-or-so minutes that came before it.

As far as the rest of the show went, it was mostly good but felt inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Asuka became number one contender to the Raw Women’s Title by winning the opening Elimination Chamber match, which was the typical consistent effort.

Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley were having themselves a grand old time before The Beast decided to hoof The Almighty right in the hurt business. You’d think this result and the post-match attack would set up the blowoff at WrestleMania, but that rather suspiciously wasn’t the case.

Edge and Beth Phoenix beat Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley in a really fun intergender match and Austin Theory retained his United States Title in a superior Elimination Chamber match after Logan Paul cost Seth Rollins the championship.

As with Backlash and Money in the Bank, it must be said that the lively, non-domestic US crowd really added to the show and made it seem even better than it was.

2. Survivor Series

Look in my eyes. What do you see? CM Punk making his shocking WWE return!

It was a moment that many fans were sceptical would ever happen, given not just Punk’s baggage with the company he walked out on a decade prior, but everything that has happened elsewhere in the not-too-distant past.

The Straight-Edge Superstar’s jaw-dropping walk-on was undoubtedly the most talked-about thing of the night – and might have been the biggest wrestling story of 2023 – but the overall quality of Survivor Series: WarGames shouldn’t be forgotten.

The women’s WarGames opener was a corker, full of violence and a couple of really mad spots.

There was a lot to love about GUNTHER making mincemeat out of The Miz’s chest in their surprisingly engaging IC Title match.

Santos Escobar beat Dragon Lee in a very fun lucha-inflected match, while Rhea Ripley had no real issue getting the better of Zoey Stark in their Women’s World Title clash.

The main event was about as good as a modern-day WarGames match is going to be, with the return of Randy Orton being one of its many highlights.

1. WrestleMania 39 - Night One

The best WWE PPV or PLE (or whatever you want to call it) of 2023 was, fittingly, the first night of WrestleMania 39.

It didn’t exactly begin with fireworks in the ring as Austin Theory beat John Cena to retain the US Title. It’s always nice to see Cena given he’s clearly in the winter of his in-ring career, but this just felt really flat and it wasn’t much of a surprise when Big Match John spoke about his disappointment with the Theory programme and match later in the year.

The pace quickened in match number two, as the Street Profits won one of those four-team ‘get as many people on the card as possible’ matches. Not complaining when the other three teams are Alpha Academy, the Viking Raiders and the unlikely duo of Braun Strowman & Ricochet, because this was just a blast.

As was Seth Rollins’s victory over Logan Paul.

There was a dip with the six-woman tag between Damage CTRL and the trio of Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus, but it wasn’t horrible or anything and it’s always nice to see the legends.

Rey Mysterio finally got his hands on that ungrateful son of his Dominik in a very heated match, before Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair did their very best to steal the weekend with an exhausting, back-and-forth battle.

Ripley’s victory made her come across as even more of a star, while Flair did her reputation no harm in what was her best performance in eons.

The Miz and surprise opponent Pat McAfee cooled the crowd off nicely with an impromptu bit of business before the much-anticipated main event.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens finished their story and finally beat The Usos to claim the tag titles in the night’s second bonafide classic. High emotion, big moves, close near falls and a very happy ending – this one had it all and put a sparkling bow on one of the strongest WrestleManias perhaps ever.

And with that, we finish our story.