WWE And WCW Top 45 Matches Up to 2025

In this list I will be ranking by….

1. In Ring Skills

2. Crowd reaction

3. Storytelling

4. Character work

Now, I will get to the list.

#45 Edge Vs The Undertaker Summerslam 2008

Edge and the Undertaker delivered a classic. This match was very underrated. Edge speared the Undertaker on the announce table, on steel steps, and through the cell wall. Taker countered ANOTHER spear into a choke slam. The Undertaker choke slammed Edge through 2 tables! Finnaly, Undertaker whacked Edge with the camera, did a conchairdo, and hit a tombstone for the win.

#44 Royal Rumble Match 2020

Brock Lesnar was the WWE heavyweight champion, which means he was the very first WWE champion to enter in a royal rumble match. He tied the record for eliminations with 13! He had one of the best eliminations in history when he overhead suplexed John Morison out of the ring. Drew Mclyntire eliminated the beast. Then Edge made his return. The crowd went wild. This match is one of the funnest to watch in history.

#43 AJ Styles Vs. John Cena Summerslam 2016

This was a very impressive and important match. In John Cena’s entrance people chanted “JOHN CENA SUCKS” so loud it could be heard from a different universe! It was REALLY loud, the whole match, PLUS the in ring performance was world class. It was important because it set up their Royal Rumble match at 2017 that was arguably better than this one (in my opinion, not). AJ did a Frankenstein and then hit Cena with with a Phenomenal Forearm, which Cena responded to by hitting him with a top rope AA. Cena did a phenomenal job at making AJ Styles look like a star in WWE. (Styles and Cena both had a fantastic performance)

#42 Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz vs Edge and Christian SummerSlam 2000

There isn’t any doubt these six men have the best chemistry when fighting against each other in WWE history. This match had so many great moves, like when one of the Dudleys power bombed one of the Hardys through a table from on top of the announce table, and when Edge and Christian pushed Bubba Ray Dudley from the top of a ladder all the way to the floor through two tables! What a fight.

#41 Shawn Michaels vs Mankind In Your House Mind Games

Mankind brought out the best of HBK in this match. Mankind and Michaels went crashing through tables, slammed on cold, hard concrete, and hit with steel chairs. Shawn attacked Mankind's knee by suplexing it on the steel steps. Finally, the Undertaker came out through the casket causing a disqualification.

#40 Cactus Jack vs Sting Beach Blast 1992

This match was an absolute street fight. Cactus used the concrete floor to his advantage. He did a sunset flip from the ring apron to the concrete. He also did an elbow drop on the cold hard concrete. They fought in the crowd, on the entrance way, in the ring, and on the outside of the ring. Sting smacked a steel chair on the back of Cactus Jack. In the end, Sting delivered a thunderous closline from the top rope to the entrance ramp.

#39 Drew McIntyre vs CM Punk Badd Blood 2024

Punk and Drew saved the Hell In A Cell gimmick. They each gave it their all and it showed. Both were bloody, got slammed through tables, and beat the heck out of each other. 5 star rating.

#38 Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes Wrestlemania 40

It was the main event of Wrestlemania. The Head of the Table Roman Reigns had held his WWE Universal championship for over 1300 days and was almost unbeatable. In the match WWE legends came in and defended the wrestlers they wanted to win. Cody finally finished the story!

#37 Sami Zayn Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura NXT TakeOver Dallas

These two men put on a CLASSIC. Shinsuke made his DEBUT matchup and gave himself room for the main roster. Nakamura showcased his unique style with his awesome knee strikes. The match was amazing with technical moves and the even better with the PHYSICAL moves. But to add on to that, this match was also the LOUDEST NXT match of all time.

#36 Undertaker vs Mankind King Of The Ring 1998

This match was a symthany of destruction. Mankind fell off the cell twice! First, Undertaker tossed him off the cell on the announce table. Secondly, Mankind got choke slammed through the cell. After that, Mankind was smiling! Undertaker dived to the outside but missed. Finnaly, Undertaker did a choke slam on the thumbtacks to end it!

#35 John Cena vs. CM Punk RAW February 25 2013

In the match there were many counters such as a closeline from the top rope into the STF. These men have chemistry that cannot be taught. I thought it was going to be it when Cena hit his final STF but it kept going. WHAT A MATCH!!!!!!

#34 Kevin Owens Vs. Sami Zayn Elimination Chamber 2025

I cannot say anything about this brawl except that it was INCREDIBLY BRUTAL. Not only was this an amazing match, but it also brought back hardcore memories from the Attitude Era. It started off with Zayn throwing Owens into the steel post and ended up with Sami Zayn doing TWO Blue Thunderbombs through tables, then on concrete in the crowd area. Later, Sami was going for a superplex but Kevin Owens slid underneath him and flipped Sami over through two tables on the outside of the ring! After Sami got his breath, Kevin set up a table and fisherman busted him through a table from the top rope. AGAIN, Kevin Owens did a brainbuster through a steel chair, but Sami got fired up and did a half and half suplex through another chair. It gets better though, Sami grabbed a BARBED WIRE CHAIR and hit Kevin with it over and over. Then he set up two chairs with a barbed wire chair stacked on top of it and Blue Thunderbombed him on it! THEN, Kevin got better and beat Sami up then did TWO Powerbombs on the ring apron… Kevin then pinned Zayn for a three count. He then left the ring… NO KEVIN WANTS MORE! Owens was going to Piledrive Sami on the concrete if RANDY ORTON hadn’t made his comeback and did an RKO to Kevin!

#33 Justin Liger vs Brian Pillman Superbrawl 2

This match was one of the first high flying matches in wrestling history. Liger did a flip to the outside. Brian did a crossbody to the outside. It started out fast with a few drop kicks. The crowd loved it. They did an amazing superplex from the top rope. This match was one of the most underrated matches of all time and should definitely be watched.

#32 Shawn Micheals vs The Undertaker Wrestlemania 26

The career of Shawn and the Undertakers streak was on the line. It had the potential to be the best of all time. The near falls were amazing and at the end the storytelling was unmatched. The crowd loved it to. In the end Shawn was forced to retire after the Undertaker did the iconic spike tombstone piledriver.

#31 Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk SummerSlam 2013

Lesnar was the unstoppable force in 2013 and Punk was the man who wanted to slay the beast. It was fun to watch CM Punk beat up Paul Heyman. This was one of the best SummerSlam matches of all time. Brock threw Punk all around the ring, and punk was doing all the high flying moves he possibly could. This was the perfect setup for when Brock was going to end the streak of the deadman.

#30 GUNTHER vs. Drew Mclyntire vs Sheamus Wrestlemania 39

Each three of these men gave it their all. All three of these men’s chest were bright red. Drew doing a flip to the outside of the ring was iconic. This was a fight and should definitely be witnessed. The crowd was invested. The only reason this is not higher on the list is because the storytelling was not top notch. However, this was the best match of the 2020s so far!

#29 Triple H vs. The Undertaker Wrestlemania 28

The match started out with a spinebuster on the steel steps. Then taker did a hells gate but triple h used his animalistic strength to lift taker up on the mat. Not to mention Shawn Michaels was the ref. I thought the streak was over when HHH and SM did a super kick and pedigree, but taker kicked out. It was the perfect length with near fall after near fall.

#28 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Triple H No Way Out 2001

After losing the WWE title, the game still put on 5 star matches. One of them was against Austin in a bloody 3 ways of hell match. The first fall was a normal match won by Austin. The second fall was the best fall with Austin and the game beating the heck out of each other. The last fall was a steel cage match. This one was the most brutal. They used barbed wire, steel chairs, a sledgehammer, and the cage itself. It had an amazing ending with Stone Cold hitting HHH with a steel chair, and HHH hitting Austin with a sledgehammer. When Triple H fell on Austin the match was over.

#27 Cactus Jack vs Triple H No Way Out 2000

This match was one of the most violent matches in WWE history. Cactus fell off the cell 2 times! He whacked Tripel H with a flaming barbed wire. In the end, Cactus got pedigreed on the mat for a three count.

#26 Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar Smackdown September 18 2003

I do not know how these men could battle for a whole hour and it being this high on the list. This without question the best iron man match in WWE history. As you can see above that there were plenty amounts of highlights. It had the perfect amount of falls. If their are to many than it is just a wasted match, but if there are only one then it gets really boring. This one was perfect.

#25 Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho Wrestlemania 19

Shawn Michaels was having his first Wrestlemania match against an evil heel Chris Jericho. This match had it all. It had moonsalts, submissions, great heel work by Chris, fast paced action, a loud crowd, and Michaels finnaly getting the win he needed to make sure he was still a top talent in WWE.

#24 Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena SummerSlam 2013

Daniel Bryan had just started the famous Yes! Movement. He was put to the challenge when facing WWE champion John Cena. Triple H had just announced himself as speacal guest referee. The match was fantastic. After the match Randy Orton cashed in his MITB contract. Triple H then pedigreed Bryan. NO! By the way Bryan won. Randy Orton pinned Bryan, 1, 2, 3! Orton was the new champion!

#23 John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins Royal Rumble 2015

This match was one of the most chaotic matches I have ever seen. You might say I ranked this way to high, but this match portrayed Lesnar as the beast who would not stay down. After being speared through the barrier, John thought Brock was out. But NO! The beast got up. Just watch it. This is what WWE needed at the time

#22 DIY vs. The Revial NXT Takeover Toronto

That fight is without a doubt the best NXT match of all time. The crowd went wild for this fast paced action packed bout. The crowd was chanting no no no no no no no when Johnny was in the reverse figure 4. It was very, very emotional when DIY finally won the NXT Tag Team Championship, in the best match of the year.

#21 The Shield vs. Team Hell No with Ryback TLC 2012

Everybody was looking to steal the show. The shield did a powerbomb on the announce table. Roman did a spear through the barrackad. Rollins fell off of a 20 foot ladder. Finnaly the shield was just too strong for team hell no then he did a top rope powerbomb through a table. This match was the most underrated match of all time.

#20 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart Wrestlemania 10

Owen Hart was seeking revenge for jealousy. He was jealous because his brother, Bret Hart, got all the glory. This was a fast paced tenchnical 5 star match. In the beginning, Owen and Bret did great storytelling while they played their roles. This match was the best match of Owen’s whole entire career. It was just plain amazing.

#19 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat Wrestlewar 1989

The perfect end for the greatest trilogy of matches in the history of matches. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat have incredible chemistry. Some consider this the best televised Ric Flair match in history. However, this was only the beginning of the trio of matches between Flair and Steamboat on this list!

#18 Shawn Micheals vs Kurt Angle Wrestlemania 21

All should see Kurt Angle’s best match at Wrestlemania 21. This incredible performance from both men included an Angle slam on the ring post and a crossbody onto the announce table by Shawn Micheals. These wrestlers had another great match at WWE Vengeance 2005 that nearly made the list

#17 Shawn Micheals vs Triple H vs Chris Benoit Wrestlemania 20

The performance all three men did was WILD. The first ever triple threat match for the world heavyweight championship at the main event of Wrestlemania, was the best triple threat match of all time! Triple H hit one of the pedigrees of his career, when bloody Michaels sold perfectly. The best move was when Triple H and Shawn Micheals agreed to take out Benoit by DOUBLE SUPLEXING HIM THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!!!! After that, Chris Benoit made the game tap out with his famous crossface.

#16 Cactus Jack vs Randy Orton Backlash 2004

It was a hardcore match between an evolution member, Randy Orton and the hardcore legend Mick Foley (Cactus Jack). Randy Orton was a legend in the making and needed a really good match, well he got one. With the help of Mick Foley this was the match that put Randy Orton at the top of the Roster. It had multiple great moves such as when Foley countered an RKO into a slam onto thumb tacks and when Foley threw Orton extremely far down, from the stage to tables on the ground. One word could describe this fight, hardcore.

#15 The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Wrestlemania 17

The classic headline of Wrestlemania was a match everyone was excited to watch. And it exceeded expectations with awesome moves. It was one of the all time greats with highlights such as when The Rattlesnake gave The Rock a chair beat down. And then when Stone Cold did something no one was expecting happened, Stone Cold shook Mr. McMahon hand!

#14 Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio Halloween Havoc 1997

Rey and Eddie had some previous matches, but this one everyone really remembers. The stakes were high. If Rey lost he would lose his mask, but if Eddie lost he would lose his title. The match was fantastic. Rey did a flip to the outside and then caught Eddie into a hurricanrana. Then, this move happens that EVERYONE remembers. Rey did a backflip from the top rope and turned it into a DDT. This match was everything the cruiserweights needed.

#13 Kurt Angle Vs. Chris Benoit Royal Rumble 2003

The crowd knew Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit had a lot of chemistry, but they never expected them to put on a 5 Star technical classic. The crowd was not the loudest at the beginning of the match, but at the end they realized that this was an incredible match and went RABID. Kurt and Benoit had absolutely perfect counters with both men knowing what to do at all times. The German Suplexes were used to perfection, and Benoit did an amazing job with the diving headbuts.

#12 Hulk Hogan vs The Rock Wrestlemania 18

It was the LOUDEST thing that has ever occurred on this universe. Hogan was one of wrestling’s greatest heels but this incredible matchup made him a face. Every single move that happened the crowd went nuts over, even punches. But every move was larger than life, and I don’t think a single person sat on their seat in this bout. LOUD.

#11 Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz vs Edge and Christian Wrestlemania 2000

This is the second of three HIGH FLYING TRIPLE LADDER MATCHES! Everybody should definitely see the high flying action of the Hardys, the amazing work with the ladders and chairs by Edge and Christian, and the destruction of tables by the Dudleys. What I like a lot is the teamwork Edge, Christian and the Dudleys have and the technical moves by Matt Hardy. But I REALLY like JEFF HARDY SWANTONS. He did it soooo high at Wrestlemania 2000 from an extremely tall ladder through a table on concrete.

#10 CM Punk vs John Cena Money In The Bank 2011

In this seesaw matchup the tides kept turning. It was counter after counter in one of the most exiting to watch wrestling matches of all time. The crowd was clearly on Punk’s side. They went wild for their hometown hero, while every move Cena made was instantly booed for. Even Mr. McMahon came out to help Cena win. In the end, Punk stole the victory by the GTS.

#9 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat WCW Clash Of Champions 1989

Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat battled for nearly an hour. Some say this is the best Flair and Steamboat match. One guy even put this match at number 1. They even fought outside of the ring, when flair did a body slam on the outside which was basically concrete. The real fun came in the ring. Both these men put on a classic. This match was declared the best match of the year, but there is one more match between these men.

#8 Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat Wrestlemania 3

This was the very first classic in all of wrestlings history. It was in 1987. People were mostly excited for Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant, which was another incredible match. But what stole the show was 2 people fighting for the IC championship in a high flying fast paced match.

#7 The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels In Your House Bad Blood 1997

Shawn Micheals and The Undertaker were on their game, they fought inside the confines of the cell and outside of it. Shawn Micheals brutally beat up the camera man, so they had to get some help, but when they opened the cell Shawn Micheals escaped it! There were some amazing moves outside of the cell like when Undertaker stepped on the hand of Micheals and he fell from the cell. At the end of the match, Kane made the greatest debut of all time when he tombstoned the Undertaker to help Shawn Michaels pick up the victory.

#6 Cactus Jack vs Triple H Royal Rumble 2000

In this bloody and dangerous street fight both men put up on a completely awesome match. This is the very definition of a street fight. No amount of money would make me want to do this, because of the WEAPONS. Steel chairs, barbed wire, trash cans, the announce table,THUMB TACKS, they used it all. But in the end Triple H pulled in the huge victory for his career by a pedigree on the THUMBTACKS!

#5 The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz Wrestlemania 17

Welcome to the first of the top 5 matches. I loved watching it because of MANY astonishing moments. I think the best move was when Edge speared Jeff Hardy hanging off the belts from the LADDER!!!

#4 Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat Chi Town Rumble 1989

This is the DEFINITION of a 5 star wrestling classic. It was fast paced and very fun to see all of the moves add up to create this nearly perfect match. When you see Ricky Steamboat in green and Ric Flair in red you know it was the Chi Town Rumble clash. It was definitely the best WCW match.

#3 Shawn Micheals vs Razor Ramon Wrestlemania 10

At Wrestlemania 10 Shawn Micheals vs Razor Ramon was the first ever Ladder match, and the best. WWE was just trying out the stipulation but the match was so good that ladder matches are now one of the most popular stipulations in WWE. Shawn and Razor used the ladder to their advantage in every way possible, and they put together the third best match of all time. But in the end Razor climbed the ladder and got the IC gold. The real reason this is the third best match of all time, is that in those times matches were rarely creative, just a bunch of technical moves. But at WrestleMania 10 Shawn Micheals Vs Razor Roman, they brought a different and better style of wrestling for the first time.

#2 Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin Wrestlemania 13

The best double turn, I quit match, best match of the year, and 2nd best match of all time, was Austin vs Hart at Wrestlemania 13. They fought in the stands, on the outside of the ring, and in the ring. There was also blood. The best part was Austin screaming in pain and never gave up, but Austin was knocked out. Austin got suplexed on the concrete. After the match Bret got booed and Austin was cheered for.

#1 Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker Wrestlemania 25

This was the perfect match in wrestling history. Shawn Michaels did a moonsault from the top rope to the outside but missed. The Undertaker did a dive that almost broke his neck. But the best part came after all of that. Michaels missed his sweet chin music and the Undertaker did a choke slam. One, two no! Shawn kicked out! Shawn hit SCM again but that was not the end either. You just never knew when it was going to be over, and you did not wanted it to be over. One of the best tombstone piledrivers I have ever seen happened when Shawn tried skit the cat, but taker countered it. Taker tried all of his finishers but none got the job done. If I could I would rate this match 7 stars!

I hope you liked our list. Look down to see more amazing rankings…