The 30 Best WWE Matches of All Time

"The Four Horsewomen" (Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlott Flair, and Becky Lynch) changed the game during the Women’s Revolution with their rivalries and matches against each other. The match between Sasha Banks and Bayley at NXT Takeover Brooklyn in 2015 (it would be on this list if NXT was included) set the bar for women’s wrestling. However, on the main roster, they only wrestled each other a few times but never replicated their feud on NXT because they were always portrayed as friends. When they finally got to be rivals in 2020, it felt like years in the making. The closest they got to recreating the magic they made in Brooklyn was in this Hell in a Cell match. They were real-life best friends, but their chemistry in the ring against each other just showcased how they made better on-screen enemies. This classic women's HIAC contest is tailor-made for this list of the best WWE matches of all time.

The Attitude Era is still one of the most beloved eras in wrestling for all of its unforgettable characters and all of the crazy things that took place during its timespan. Now imagine taking six of those larger-than-life characters and putting them all in one match. That is exactly what the WWF did to close out the year 2000. The WWF Champion Kurt Angle was forced to defend his title against Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, and Rikishi. This wasn’t as organized as the Elimination Chamber matches that would be introduced two years later and was chaotic from start to finish. The bump Rikishi took from the top of the cell into a truck bed of sawdust was impressive for a guy his size. The violence and mayhem that erupted during this HIAC guarantee its spot here as one of the best WWE matches of all time.

Shawn Michaels accidentally cost The Undertaker the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1997 when he was the special referee in his match against Bret Hart. Simply put, Undertaker wanted revenge. In their first match against each other, it ended up being an all-out brawl. Shawn Michaels' new buddies Triple H, Chyna, and Rick Rude would get involved whenever they got the chance. Therefore, Undertaker wanted to make sure "HBK" couldn’t run and his DX comrades couldn't interfere. This would be the introduction of the Hell in the Cell match, which was a steel cage with a roof, so there was no other way in or out without getting through the door. It will always be the first (and arguably best) of the HIAC bunch. Also, the debut of The Undertaker’s brother Kane at the end is a moment wrestling fans will never forget.

Bret "The Hitman" Hart was at the top of the WWD mountain in 1994. Bret had won every major championship you could have won in the company up to that point. Although you would imagine his family would be very happy for his success and carrying on the family's legacy, his little brother Owen Hart was sick of being in his shadow. Owen's jealousy would lead to him turning on his older brother and igniting one of the most memorable WWF feuds of the 90s. Bret refused to wrestle his brother Owen at first but eventually would have to at WrestleMania X. It ended up being arguably the greatest opening match in WrestleMania history. It still holds up today and is held up by everyone who watched it as one of the best WWE matches of all time.

It was when two of the biggest most colorful characters and larger-than-life legends met in a match of epic proportions. Randy Savage was hoping to get a WWF Championship match from the Ultimate Warrior. However, he continuously denied Savage's and then manager Queen Sherri Martel's request for a match. Savage would then cost Warrior his title belt at the 1991 Royal Rumble. The animosity between the two grew to the point where they agreed to wrestle each other as long as they both put their careers on the line. It was an unforgettable encounter filled with plenty of drama and suspense. Although Randy Savage went into the match as the heel, there were still fans rooting for him all the while. In the end, they had another reason to cheer him on as we got the emotional reunion of the "Macho Man" and Miss Elizabeth. This match did have a little bit of everything.

Looking back at the match under the current circumstances of Sasha Banks no longer being around, this encounter almost feels like a passing of the torch moment. The "EST of the WWE" Bianca Belair had won the 2021 Royal Rumble and chose Sasha Banks, who was the Smackdown Women’s Champion, as her opponent for WrestleMania. The match was historic for a couple of reasons. The match would be the main event on night one, thus being the second time the women would go on last on the card for the legendary show. It would also be the first time that two black women would main event a WrestleMania.

Due to the rainy weather earlier in the day, the production of the first night of WrestleMania was stripped down compared to night two. There were fewer bright lights, no LED ring posts, or barricades, plus the atmosphere was smokey. The audience was not lit up with lights, but the spotlight was definitely on the performers in the ring. It added this old-school vibe to the match as a whole. Both women are super talented and it was such a monumental match/moment that belongs on this list of the best WWE matches of all time.

In 2014, Randy Orton had recently defeated John Cena to unify both the World Championship and the WWE Championship. Batista had made his return to the WWE and won the Royal Rumble that year. It was officially going to be Batista versus Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania. However, the fans were not happy about it as Daniel Bryan and his "YES! Movement" was more over than the company could have ever imagined. This Daniel Bryan problem and the fact that CM Punk walked out of the WWE in January 2014 led to the WrestleMania XXX card being changed. Bryan would face Triple H earlier in the night to earn the opportunity to be included in the main event match, which turned it into a Triple Threat final. Bryan would defeat "The Game" in a great match to move on to the main event in front of a crowd that would have rioted if he didn’t walk out victorious. It was simply incredible.

Hulk Hogan was one of the biggest stars in the 80s and was essential to the WWF’s success in its global expansion. "The Hulkster" headlined the first nine WrestleMania's and was the top draw for the company till the day he left in 1993. When he signed with World Championship Wrestling in 1994, people questioned if he would ever return to the WWF. When it was announced that the nWo (Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash) would be returning to the WWF, the list of matches fans started fantasy booking was endless. There were so many new stars who became top names during Hogan's absence.

One of those names was none other than The Rock. The idea of The Rock vs "Hollywood" Hogan was just a dream match months earlier, but now it finally was possible. It was interesting to see if the crowd would chant for their new hero in The Rock or fall back into their old ways of rooting for their returning hero Hogan. The crowd made this match and you just have to watch it to understand just how insane it truly is. So many elements combine to mark this clash of titans as one of the best WWE matches of all time.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper doesn't get enough credit for his involvement in the WWF's success during the 80s boom as Hogan's ultimate antagonist. Although he was in the main event of the very first WrestleMania and had many other memorable matches at the event, this match against "The Hitman" was his absolute best. Piper had recently won his first singles championship in the WWF when he defeated The Mountie for the Intercontinental Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble.

Bret Hart's run as a singles competitor started picking up in the last couple of years and he had already been a former Intercontinental Champion. It was established that Piper's relationship with the Hart Family went further back than maybe people knew and that he was like an uncle to Bret. It made the competitive match between the two more personal and allowed them to tell a better story in the ring. The added "color" Bret got makes this a bonafide pick for one of the best WWE matches of all time.

In the early 2000s, these three teams brought tag team wrestling back to prominence. They weren't doing it traditionally, but in a way to satisfy the appetite of society at the time. Which meant they were going to take it to the "extreme." It started with a tag team ladder match between The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian at No Mercy 1999. In 2000, we witnessed a three-way ladder match featuring the Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian at WrestleMania 2000. Later that year at SummerSlam 2000, fans were treated to the first ever Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between the three teams (which was such an enjoyable car wreck of a match!). When they ran it back at Wrestlemania X-Seven, it exceeded all expectations. This is one of those matches you show your friend who might not be a huge wrestling fan because these teams put their bodies on the line for the sake of creating an unforgettable match.

They were best friends, but the spotlight for years had always been on Charlotte Flair. Since her run on NXT, it seemed as if Charlotte was deemed the chosen one. Charlotte welcomed every opportunity and ran with it regardless of what the critics thought about her. Becky Lynch on the other hand always felt like the black sheep of the Four Horsewomen. Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bayley had all won Women’s Championship titles before Lynch won her first one in 2016.

In 2018, the "Irish Lasskicker" had had enough of playing second fiddle to Charlotte. It hit a boiling point when Flair was included in Lynch's title shot at SummerSlam and ultimately won the title. The two friends exploded and brought us months of memorable matches. A defining moment for "Big Time Becks" was at the first ever and only all-women's PPV Evolution” in a Last Woman Standing match against Flair. These two stole the show and it honestly should have been the main event. The sheer brutality of this affair easily marks it as one of the best WWE matches of all time.

Taking place in the United Kingdom, Bret "The Hitman" Hart defended his Intercontinental Championship in the main event of SummerSlam 1992 against his brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith. Smith and Hart had been rivals for years in their respective tag teams (The British Bulldogs/The Hart Foundation) and always had great chemistry. Davey Boy was from the UK and the crowd was strongly behind him, even though Bret was immensely popular as well. For years, the Intercontinental Championship was considered the workhorse title and sometimes the stepping stone before winning the WWF Championship. These were two of the company's biggest workhorses over the years. This might have been Davey Boy's career-defining match, while "The Hitman" would go on to bigger and better things by becoming the WWF Champion by the end of the year.

The ladder match has become a staple in professional wrestling, especially the WWE. Every year now we have the Money in the Bank matches, which are multi-man/woman ladder matches that award the winner with a future championship title shot. The first ladder match to be recognized by WWE (it wasn’t the first in the company, by the way) was the one between the "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon. Michaels was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship in the fall of 1993 because he couldn’t defend the title. Razor Ramon would later win a tournament to become the new IC champion.

When Michaels returned after a brief hiatus, he claimed to still be the IC Champion. Therefore to proclaim the one true undisputed champion, they were put in a ladder match where both belts hung above the ring. Thanks to the revolutionary daredevil feats put on display during this bout and the two legends that participated in it, this ladder match spectacular has to be considered one of the best WWE matches of all time. Many followed it, but this one is still considered the gold standard.

The Undertaker and Mankind had one of the most legendary feuds in the 90s. They were involved in many unforgettable matches from Boiler Room Brawls to Buried Alive Matches. Mankind was the first person who got the upper hand on "The Phenom" both mentally and psychically. The Undertaker’s longtime manager and friend Paul Bearer even turned on the Deadman during their battles. When they crossed paths again in 1998 and it was announced they would be involved in a Hell in a Cell match, fans knew these two would go to any lengths to inflict pain on each other. I don’t think anyone expected to get what we did though. The bumps Mankind took in this match are infamous beyond just the wrestling world. People who may not even watch or enjoy wrestling have most likely seen these or heard Jim Ross' legendary calls. This match will forever be iconic and historic for the risks taken in it.

They were the two biggest stars of the Attitude Era. They had met before at WrestleMania, but this time was different. The first time they met at WrestleMania XV, Steve Austin was white hot while The Rock was the heel corporate champion. However, when Austin was out of action for a year due to having neck surgery, The Rock became the biggest white hot babyface in the company. When Austin returned he was no longer alone at the top, but there was only room for one up there. To be on top you needed the WWF Championship.

When Austin won the 2001 Royal Rumble and The Rock defeated Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at No Way Out 2001, the table was set for an epic battle. These two had amazing chemistry and easily tore the house down. The fans were divided from bell to bell. The only question left to answer was who was more desperate to be on top and what would they do to secure the WWF Championship. The shocking ending of this blood-fueled main event marks it as one of the best WWE matches of all time.

There are wrestlers who you know are tough that could tolerate pain and wrestlers you know are technically sound but might not come off as the tough guy. Mick Foley helped a lot of wrestlers who might not have come off as tough guys get over as tough guys. The first of those wrestlers in the WWF was the blue-blood aristocrat Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1997 when he introduced him to his Cactus Jack persona. When they reignited their feud in early 2000, Jack challenged HHH for the WWF Championship in a street fight. This was a brutal encounter with weapons and hard-hitting moves that had both men down for the count at several points in the match. It was a defining moment in HHH's career. Foley would do this same thing for guys such as The Rock, Randy Orton, and Edge. As one of the best WWE matches of all time, this bloody brawl solidified HHH's very first WWF Championship reign.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage versus Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania III is most likely one of your favorite wrestler's favorite matches. It was ahead of its time in terms of quality between two of the company's biggest workhorses. It also stole the show on a card that had a massive main event. Miss Elizabeth was in the corner of Randy Savage while Ricky Steamboat had George "The Animal" Steele (he had a massive crush on Elizabeth, by the way!) in his corner. The feud became super personal after Savage had crushed Steamboat's larynx with a double ax handle from the top rope to the outside while Ricky was draped over the steel barricade. The addition of Steamboat seeking retribution added an extra element to the match. It was just a fantastic, high-stakes affair that showcased two of the very best at the time.

When Bret "The Hitman" Hart returned to the WWF in the fall of 1996 after taking some time off after WrestleMania, the first person he challenged was newcomer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This was the rivalry that made Steve Austin one of the biggest superstars on the roster at the time. Their first match was at the 1996 Survivor Series and many will argue that was just as good, if not a better match than this one. After "The Hitman" defeated the "Texas Rattlesnake," Austin continued to be a thorn in Hart's side.

Austin would cheat to steal the victory of the 1997 Royal Rumble from Bret and cost him the WWF Championship in a match against Sycho Sid on Raw that very same year. Although all roads were leading to Bret facing off against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania again, the plans changed when HBK got hurt. It allowed us to have Austin vs. Hart two at WrestleMania in a submission match. I have written about this match in a couple of articles and it's personally my favorite match of all time. The iconic shot of Austin bleeding profusely while being locked in the Sharpshooter lifts this even more as one of the best WWE matches of all time.

This might be the most important match in WWE history. WrestleMania 3 was a huge success and the event that turned the tide for the WWF at the time. Although WrestleMania was successful the previous two years, the third installment of the event broke all sorts of records both statistically and financially. The main event on the card was the "Immortal" Hulk Hogan defending his WWF Championship against Andre the Giant. Although they had feuded with each other before in reverse babyface and heel roles, by the mid-80s wrestling boom we were led to believe they were close friends.

"The Hulkster" had been the WWF Champion for two years but not once did he offer Andre the Giant a shot at the title, which villainous manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan reminded The Giant about. Therefore when Andre appeared on Pipers Pit with Heenan, the writing was on the wall. This was Hogan’s biggest challenge yet. It was also the first time the WWF recognized Andre being body slammed, although he had been slammed a handful of times around the world before this major event. This bout embodied the magnitude of the unstoppable force facing off against the immovable object.