What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
There is no official, definitive ranking of WWE’s best storylines. This list weighs how clearly each story develops, how strongly it draws viewers in, how much it changes its characters or WWE, and whether it delivers a satisfying payoff. It includes rivalries and larger arcs, which work in different ways: a feud can build through repeated confrontations, while a fan-led movement makes the audience part of the story.
How this ranking works
WWE’s 2013 list of the 10 greatest WrestleMania rivalries is a useful historical reference, but it covers a narrower subject than every major WWE storyline. The company and A&E later named several other feuds as subjects for WWE Rivals. Those retrospectives establish that these stories have lasting prominence; they do not make any one ranking definitive.
The order below is an editorial judgment, not an official WWE canon. It balances narrative clarity, emotional investment, character or company impact, and payoff. Long-running feuds are judged for their escalation and conclusions; crowd-led and faction stories are also judged for how their format creates investment.
The 10 best WWE storylines
-
Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon
The Attitude Era’s defining authority-versus-rebel story made its conflict instantly legible: an antihero who refused to obey his boss, and a boss who tried to control him. Week after week, Austin’s defiance gave the feud new ways to escalate, turning a workplace power struggle into a company-defining narrative.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.#1 Best Overall
Sale
Mattel WWE “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan Action Figure, Main Event Series #165- Fan Favorites! WWE action figures bring Superstars to life in 6-inch scale.
- TrueFX Technology! Each figure is detailed with a life-like face for added collectability.
- Dynamic Posing! Fans can recreate signature moves with 14 points of articulation.
- Play and Display! Reenact favorite WWE Main Event matches or create new rivalries and moves.
- Super Collectible! WWE fans can find their favorite Superstar figures (each sold separately, subject to availability).
A key origin point was Austin’s “Austin 3:16” promo after winning the King of the Ring tournament in 1996. Netflix Tudum’s account of the moment recounts how the planned winner changed after the Curtain Call incident and how Austin seized the opportunity on the microphone. Recalling the promo, Austin said, “I kept talking and kept talking, and I could hear Vince in the background, ’cause he was doing commentary.” The later alliance between Austin and McMahon at WrestleMania X-Seven complicates the arc; it is a turn in their story, not the whole story.
-
Steve Austin vs. The Rock
Austin and The Rock brought two top stars into repeated, high-stakes collisions, giving their rivalry a scale few WWE feuds can match. WWE’s retrospective follows their WrestleMania XV, X-Seven, and 19 matches. The X-Seven chapter tied Austin to McMahon, while The Rock’s victory at WrestleMania 19 gave the rivalry a final major chapter. Its strength is not just star power, but the way each WrestleMania meeting added a new turn.
-
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
Michaels’s fixation on ending Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak supplied the rivalry with a clear, personal objective. Their WrestleMania 25 match was followed by a rematch at WrestleMania XXVI, where Michaels put his career on the line and lost. That career stake made the conclusion feel consequential: the story did not merely revisit a great match, it put a character’s future on the outcome.
-
Daniel Bryan’s Yes Movement
The Yes Movement stands apart from a feud built around two opponents. Its defining strength was audience participation: the fans’ response became part of the story’s momentum, making Bryan’s underdog rise feel like something viewers were helping to propel. WWE’s history material records Bryan’s WrestleMania triumphs, but the movement’s importance is best understood as a crowd-driven arc rather than a conventional rivalry with one opponent and one final match.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteSpecial offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #2
Sale
Mattel WWE Toy Vehicle & Rey Mysterio Action Fgure Set- Roll down to the ring with the Lucha Low Rider vehicle.
- Includes a WWE Main Event Rey Mysterio action figure with advanced articulation.
- Recreate iconic entrances with the Lucha Low Rider hydraulics action.
- Rey Mysterio can enter the match with the vehicle's launching action.
- Ride into matches with real rolling wheels.
-
The Undertaker vs. Kane
The revelation of Kane as Undertaker’s brother gave this feud the shape of a supernatural family saga. Their story could return in new forms because it was rooted in identity and kinship as much as in a single championship or match. WWE’s retrospective highlights their WrestleMania XIV confrontation and their WrestleMania XX rematch, which followed Kane burying Undertaker alive at Survivor Series 2003.
-
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Hart and Michaels made a compelling pairing through the contrast between their identities and approaches. Their rivalry’s place in WWE history is reinforced by its inclusion among the subjects announced for WWE Rivals. Its lasting significance rests in that clash of personalities and the attention it commanded; this ranking does not rely on unverified claims about specific backstage incidents or a detailed chronology.
-
The Bloodline
The Bloodline is a modern family-and-power story, built around Roman Reigns and relationships shaped by hierarchy, loyalty, and fracture. Its central appeal is the way family ties make shifts in allegiance feel personal as well as political. The story’s scale and conclusion remain harder to judge as a complete arc than a closed, single rivalry, so its high placement reflects its recognizable central conflict rather than a claim that every chapter is settled.
-
John Cena vs. Edge
Cena and Edge form a durable hero-and-antagonist pairing: their contrast gives the rivalry a clear emotional center, while its repeated confrontations sustain the stakes over time. WWE and A&E named the feud as a subject for WWE Rivals, evidence of its standing in the company’s retrospective view. Its appeal lies in the sustained opposition, rather than in any one isolated match.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #3
Mattel WWE Jey USO Play & Display Action Figure- Fan Favorites! WWE action figures bring Superstars to life in 6-inch scale.
- TrueFX Technology! Each figure is detailed with a life-like face for added collectability.
- Dynamic Posing! Fans can recreate signature moves with 14 points of articulation.
- Play and Display! Reenact favorite WWE Main Event matches or create new rivalries and moves.
- Super Collectible! WWE fans can find their favorite Superstar figures (each sold separately, subject to availability).
-
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
Hogan and Andre turned a clash of larger-than-life star personas into a defining WrestleMania spectacle. At WrestleMania III, Hogan’s bodyslam became the image most associated with the match and its payoff. WWE reports that 93,173 people attended the event; that figure is WWE’s reported attendance, not an independently reconciled count.
-
John Cena vs. The Rock
Few rivalries made their central idea as easy to grasp as a collision between generations. Their WrestleMania XXVIII meeting was promoted as “Once in a Lifetime,” then followed by a rematch at WrestleMania 29. WWE’s timeline records The Rock winning the first match and Cena the second, giving the two-event story a clean reversal and payoff.
Why no single list settles the question
WWE’s 2013 retrospective ranks WrestleMania rivalries, placing Austin–Rock first, Undertaker–Triple H second, Hogan–Andre third, and Undertaker–Michaels fourth. It is a valuable view of how WWE framed those matchups at the time, not a comprehensive ranking of every storyline—especially stories that came later or do not fit the rivalry format. The WWE and A&E announcement for WWE Rivals also named Hart–Michaels, Undertaker–Kane, Cena–Edge, and the Monday Night Wars among its program subjects. The Monday Night Wars, however, is a broad company-level conflict rather than one WWE storyline, so it is not ranked here.
Documentaries can add context to these stories, but a retrospective account is not the same as a complete event-by-event record. For example, Netflix Tudum’s discussion of Austin’s promo is useful for the origin of the Austin–McMahon story, while WWE’s own retrospectives show how the company frames its WrestleMania rivalries. The ranking above is best read as an argued selection: the stories that most effectively combine a clear premise, meaningful investment, lasting impact, and a memorable payoff.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
