There is no objectively settled ranking of the best WWE matches ever. This list is an editorial ranking of WWE-promoted matches across eras and events, including the company’s WWF-era history and NXT—not a fan poll or an official canonical order. It weighs in-ring execution, story and stakes, crowd investment, historical influence, and how compelling each match remains today. WWE’s own 2017 all-match list acknowledged that the judgment is subjective; its WrestleMania rankings and Axios’s 2024 WrestleMania list are useful comparisons, but neither establishes an all-time consensus.
20 best WWE matches of all time
1. Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin — WrestleMania 13 (1997)
A submission match that turns a technical contest into a character-defining struggle. Austin refuses to submit to Hart’s Sharpshooter, while Hart’s increasingly ruthless tactics shift the audience’s sympathy. The famous ending is more than a dramatic finish: it marks a turning point in Austin’s rise and gives the match a lasting place in WWE’s storytelling history. Axios ranked it first in its 2024 WrestleMania list.
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WWE: Best Pay-Per-View Matches of 2009-2010 | $9.28 | Buy on Amazon |
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WWE: Best PPV Matches of 2016 | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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WWE: Best Pay-Per-View Matches of 2011 | $27.71 | Buy on Amazon |
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WWE: Best Pay-Per-View Matches of 2013 | $18.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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WWE: Best PPV Matches 2017 (DVD) | $25.00 | Buy on Amazon |
2. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels — WrestleMania 25 (2009)
Two carefully matched characters build suspense through counters, reversals, and near-falls. Michaels enters as the challenger who believes he can end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak; the match keeps that possibility alive without making the outcome feel inevitable. Its sustained tension is why it remains a defining example of a long main-event-style singles match.
3. Ricky Steamboat vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage — WrestleMania III (1987)
Steamboat and Savage make a championship match feel like a tightly plotted athletic contest. The pace is crisp, the action is easy to follow, and the finish lands as a genuine surprise. It is an influential model for a match built around precision and momentum rather than spectacle alone.
#1 Best Overall
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4. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart — WrestleMania X (1994)
The Hart brothers make their family relationship the match’s central conflict without needing elaborate staging. Owen’s speed and confidence challenge Bret’s reputation as the more accomplished wrestler, and the result gives their rivalry a meaningful first chapter. The combination of personal stakes and clean in-ring storytelling earns it a place near the top.
5. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan — WrestleMania X8 (2002)
The Toronto crowd’s reaction becomes a defining part of the match. The audience’s enthusiasm for Hogan reshapes the expected hero-versus-villain dynamic, and both wrestlers adjust to that response. The bout is less about intricate sequences than about presence, timing, and the rare feeling of a live crowd changing the emotional direction of a major match.
6. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle — WrestleMania XX (2004)
Guerrero’s resourcefulness meets Angle’s technical control in a title match with a clear competitive story. Guerrero pins Angle to retain the WWE Championship. WWE’s WrestleMania feature lists the match at 21:34 and describes it as a technical showcase; the result and title retention are also confirmed on WWE’s WrestleMania XX event page.
7. Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels — WrestleMania X (1994)
WrestleMania’s first ladder match turns the championship hanging above the ring into a simple, readable objective. Ramon and Michaels use the ladder both as an obstacle and as a source of danger, making every climb and interruption matter. Its influence is visible in how later generations expanded ladder matches into a recognizable WWE spectacle.
Rank #2
8. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz — WrestleMania X-Seven (2001)
This Tables, Ladders and Chairs match combines three teams’ distinct identities in one escalating contest. The ladders and tables create memorable high-risk moments, but the match works because the chaos has a clear purpose: each team is trying to retrieve the tag-team titles. It helped establish TLC as one of WWE’s most recognizable multi-team match formats.
9. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels — WrestleMania 26 (2010)
The rematch makes the career stakes explicit: Michaels challenges The Undertaker after failing to end the streak the year before, and agrees to put his career on the line. That stipulation gives every comeback and near-fall added weight. It is a more emotionally direct sequel than the first match, with a finish that closes Michaels’s in-ring story at WrestleMania.
10. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H — WrestleMania 30 (2014)
Bryan has to defeat Triple H to earn a place in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match later that night. That structure gives this opening match a practical consequence and makes Bryan’s victory an essential step in the larger event story. WWE lists its duration as 25:28 and frames it as the match that earns Bryan his later title opportunity.
11. John Cena vs. CM Punk — Money in the Bank (2011)
The match is built around Punk’s promise to leave WWE with the championship, turning a title defense into a conflict over trust, authority, and the audience’s allegiance. Cena’s composure contrasts with Punk’s defiance, while the crowd’s investment makes the outcome feel consequential. It remains a standout example of a rivalry whose story extends beyond the bell.
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12. Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog — SummerSlam (1992)
Hart challenges his brother-in-law in front of a Wembley Stadium crowd, with the Intercontinental Championship and family pride both in play. The match’s appeal comes from its patient escalation: each wrestler’s strengths and vulnerabilities become clearer as the contest develops. It is a major example of WWE presenting a championship match as both a sporting contest and a personal drama.
13. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. The Rock — WrestleMania X-Seven (2001)
Austin and The Rock meet for the WWE Championship in a rivalry between two of the company’s defining stars. The match’s character choices make the ending deliberately unsettling rather than a simple celebration of victory. Its importance lies in how it brings the rivalry to a dramatic peak while giving Austin’s character a consequential, controversial turn.
14. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey — WrestleMania 35 (2019)
WWE’s first women’s WrestleMania main event brings three contrasting approaches together in a championship match with historic event-level stakes. The three-way structure keeps the contest moving between shifting alliances and sudden openings, while the participants’ rivalry supplies the emotional context. Its place here reflects both the match itself and its role in a milestone for women’s wrestling in WWE.
15. Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan — WrestleMania 35 (2019)
Kingston’s championship challenge is the culmination of a story about an opportunity repeatedly denied. Bryan’s technical control makes Kingston’s resilience and bursts of offense feel earned, while the crowd’s support gives the title change unusual emotional force. It is one of WWE’s clearest modern examples of a long-running audience connection paying off in the ring.
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16. Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels — WrestleMania 24 (2008)
Flair’s career is on the line, and Michaels is the opponent who must decide whether to end it. Their story gives the match unusual clarity: every exchange carries the weight of a possible final moment. The emotional finish is the reason it stands out even among WrestleMania matches built around larger spectacle.
17. The Undertaker vs. Mankind — Hell in a Cell, King of the Ring (1998)
The match is remembered for its dangerous, shocking moments, but its lasting impact also comes from Mankind’s willingness to keep moving after being badly battered. The physical risk is central to the spectacle, and it should be viewed with its era in mind: it is not a template for what a wrestling match needs to do. Its place on the list reflects its extraordinary cultural visibility, not an endorsement of escalating real-world danger.
18. Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton — WrestleMania 30 (2014)
After defeating Triple H earlier in the night, Bryan enters a championship match against Batista and Orton. The three-way format allows the action to shift quickly, while Bryan’s path through the event gives the title contest a larger emotional payoff. The match completes one of WrestleMania’s most audience-driven stories.
19. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley — NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn (2015)
This NXT women’s championship match pairs a confident champion with a challenger whose persistence has become the story. Their exchanges make the contest feel competitive, while the crowd responds to the possibility of Bayley finally winning the title. Its significance comes from both its match quality and its contribution to a broader shift in how WWE presented women’s wrestling.
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20. AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon — WrestleMania 33 (2017)
Styles’s technical skill and Shane McMahon’s willingness to take risks create an unusual contrast. Styles later described McMahon’s athleticism and preparation positively in a WWE Photo Shoot feature, but that is a participant’s recollection rather than an independent assessment. The match earns its spot as a distinctive meeting of a top in-ring performer and a celebrity-level authority figure who was willing to compete physically.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How this ranking is judged
The order is editorial, not a scoring system or a claim about fan consensus. Each match was considered across five questions:
- In-ring execution: Are the pacing, counters, and physical storytelling clear and effective?
- Story and stakes: Does the match deliver on its character conflict, title implications, or career consequences?
- Audience response: Does the crowd remain invested, and do its reactions amplify the match’s turning points?
- Historical influence: Did the match shape a rivalry, a performer’s trajectory, an event, or expectations for a format?
- Lasting appeal: Does it remain compelling when watched today, with the period and its conventions in view?
WWE’s 2017 list, “The 100 best matches to see before you die,” is a useful historical point of comparison, but it was framed around matches available on WWE Network for that service’s third anniversary, with availability dated February 24, 2017. WWE’s separate list of the best WrestleMania matches and Axios’s 2024 WrestleMania ranking are narrower event-specific selections. None should be mistaken for a current catalog or a definitive all-time order.
What to watch first
- For a rivalry with a clear character turn: Hart vs. Austin at WrestleMania 13.
- For suspense and near-falls: Undertaker vs. Michaels at WrestleMania 25.
- For family drama: Bret vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X.
- For an arena transformed by its crowd: The Rock vs. Hogan at WrestleMania X8.
- For a modern championship payoff: Kingston vs. Bryan at WrestleMania 35.
WWE’s 2005 announcement for “WrestleMania: The Complete Anthology” described a DVD collection containing all 213 WrestleMania matches in the company’s history at that time. That is a historical description of the anthology, not confirmation of current availability or a present-day total.
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