We had quite the 2023 in pro wrestling, both in and out of the ring.
WWE, which Vince McMahon finally sold, was as hot as it has ever been as Triple H’s vision took full shape with a greater focus on match quality and long-term storytelling while still providing the big moments, as Roman Reigns went over the 1,000-day mark as a world champion.
AEW and Tony Khan continue to put on some of the industry’s best matches and had one of its biggest shows ever at All In, but the event was shrouded in the turmoil around CM Punk as MJF emerged as the face of the company.
While all that was going on, Shawn Michaels’ NXT gained as much momentum as it’s ever had.
It has truly become the star-making-feeder brand WWE envisioned with Carmelo Hayes, Bron Breakker, the Creed Brothers and Tiffany Stratton.
Here are some of the best across pro wrestling from 2023.
Male Wrestler of the Year
MJF, AEW
There were so many deserving wrestlers this year that any one of them could have been in the top spot. But MJF, at 26, truly was the total package this year while becoming the longest reigning AEW World champion. MJF, who remains arguably the industry’s best promo, gets a leg up for making such a smooth and successful transition from the company’s biggest heel to its biggest babyface in the same year — while using some heel tactics and getting a “Kangaroo Kick” over to show a range we had not yet seen from him.
He is at the center of one of 2023’s best long-term stories with Adam Cole and main-evented one of the biggest shows ever at All In in London. MJF also had some of the year’s best matches facing Bryan Danielson in an Iron Man match, his Four Pillars four-way at Double or Nothing, tagging with Cole against FTR on Collision and beating Kenny Omega on Collision. He has also pulled double duty at times as a Ring of Honor tag team champion.
Honorable mention: Josh Alexander, Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson, Gunther, Carmelo Hayes, Will Ospreay, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins and SANADA.
Female Wrestler of the Year
Becky Lynch, WWE
Lynch truly was The Man in 2023, having some of the best matches of her career while spearheading change for WWE’s women’s division. Her superb feud with Trish Status led to one of the best cage matches ever at Payback and the ascension of Zoey Stark. Lynch also tore the house down with Tiffany Stratton at No Mercy in a No Holds Barred match, making and teaching a young star in the process during her NXT women’s championship run.
Lynch was out of WWE’s world title picture, but everything she did felt like the main event. She finished the year reuniting with former beastie Charlotte Flair in taking part in her second straight WarGames match. But it was Lynch’s successful efforts as NXT women’s champion to push WWE to showcase many of the women who had been underused that made this a truly special year for her.
Honorable Mention: Athena, Bayley, Guilia, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, Masha Slamovich, Toni Storm, Iyo Sky
Tag Team of the Year
FTR, AEW
Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler remained the standard in tag team wrestling and right now there are few teams close. They had arguably the tag team match of the year in a two-out-of-three falls clash against Jay White and Juice Robinson on Collision to end a superb trilogy during a six-month reign as AEW world tag team champions. Whether it was against the Young Bucks, Aussie Open or Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, FTR always delivered.
Honorable Mention: Creed Brothers, Aussie Open, Damian Priest and Finn Balor, Jay White and Juice Robinson, Ace Austin and Chris Bey.
Match of the Year
Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay I, Wrestle Kingdom
The match set up the central story for Ospreay and Omega’s 2023, including their exceptional rematch at Forbidden Door. Not being able to beat Omega for the IWGP United States championship unlocked an edge in Ospreay we saw throughout likely his best year in the business, and Omega’s singles wins slowly slipped after this when Don Callis turned on him and joined up with Ospreay. On that night at Wrestle Kingdom, we got two of the best wrestlers of this generation putting on a master class of what happens when beautiful match flow and counters descend into a level of violence that just keeps growing during their 30-plus-minute classic.
Honorable Mention: MJF vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW Revolution), Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus (Payback), Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (WrestleMania 39), FTR vs. Bullett Club Gold (Collision), Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania)
Faction of the Year
The Judgment Day, WWE
Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley have been the workhorses of WWE. They have appeared on all three brands while carrying much of the main story on “Monday Night Raw” for most of 2023. Priest and Balor have been undisputed tag team champions twice, Mysterio a two-time NXT North American champion and Ripley the WWE women’s world champion since WrestleMania 39. The heat they have garnered has made them perfect foil for the company’s top babyfaces and Priest could be a world champion in 2024 as the current Mr. Money on the Bank.
Honorable Mention: The Bloodline, LWO, Bullet Club Gold, Mogal Embassy, Blackpool Combat Club, Damage CTRL, Bomaye Fight Club, Alpha Academy
Storyline of the Year
The Bloodline
There wasn’t a hotter storyline in wrestling through the first eight months of 2023, filled with betrayals, babyface turns and making singles stars out of Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn. Zayn smashed Roman Reigns with a chair at the Royal Rumble, had an emotional championship match at Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal and the splintered group main evented both nights of WrestleMania. Then the Bloodline had its Civil War and Reigns faced Jey Uso in the main event of SummerSlam. The Bloodline was appointment TV that felt like a movie at times, helping lift up anyone the story touched.
Honorable Mention: MJF-Adam Cole friendship, Becky Lynch-Trish Stratus generational feud, Orange Cassidy wearing down defending the International championship, Athena and Billie Starkz’s Minion in Training story, Tony D’Angelo and Stacks double-crossing Gallus
Promo of the Year
Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, “Monday Night Raw”
It may have been the most important piece of business during WrestleMania season. Both Rhodes and Zayn were peaking as babyfaces and fan favorites to dethrone Roman Reigns. Needing to encourage the audience not to turn on one of them on their way to main eventing a night of WrestleMania each, Rhodes and Zayn struck the perfect mix of passion, admiration and resolve to leave fans behind each of them even more than they did coming in.
Honorable mention: MJF opening up about his personal struggles to seal his babyface turn (AEW Dynamite), CM Punk’s WWE return promo (SmackDown), Christian Cage and Adam Copeland’s first AEW meeting, Canada turns on Trish Straus.
Pay-per-view of the Year
Forbidden Door, AEW/NJPW
While there are plenty of pay-per-views with major story developments and big moments, you might not find a better pure wrestling show with two of the best matches you will ever see. Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay II and a true dream match between Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada with “The American Dragon” pushing through a broken arm. The night also gave us Jack Perry’s heel turn and CM Punk and MJF getting quality matches out of Satoshi Kojima and Hiroshi Tanahashi, respectively.
Honorable mention: Backlash, AEW All In, ROH Supercard of Honor, Keniji Muta’s Grand Finale, Elimination Chamber, WrestleMania 39 Night 1. AEW Revolution, NXT No Mercy.
Manager of the Year
Paul Heyman, WWE
Prince Nana and Don Callis certainly made it close this year, but no one stepped up in the big moment more than Heyman did in 2023. When WWE needed someone to guide a tricky two-prong story to WrestleMania 39 as fans got behind both Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn to dethrone Roman Reigns, it was Heyman who successfully guided them there. How often does a manager have one of the promos of the year? That’s exactly what Heyman did with Rhodes. When Roman Reigns is away, Heyman remains a driving force for The Bloodline story on both brands.
Honorable mention: Prince Nana, Don Callis, Zelina Vega
Male Breakout Wrestler of the Year
LA Knight, WWE
Let me talk to ya. Swerve Stickland was just as deserving but there were a few factors that gave Knight the nod. He went from being a manager with a bad gimmick late in 2022 to getting some of the loudest pops in the industry, had John Cena put him over in a tag match, main evented Crown Jewel against the biggest star in business in Roman Reigns and become one of WWE’s top 5 merchandise sellers. Knight did all of this without the help of being buoyed by an association with the Bloodline storyline. Strickland is on his way to some of those types of things but isn’t there yet.
Honorable mention: Swerve Strickland, Jey Uso, Trick Williams, Kyle Fletcher, Dominik Mysterio.
Female Breakout Wrestler of the Year
Julia Hart, AEW
This was quite the year for fresh female faces emerging as stars, but none bigger than Hart. Her spooky persona, entrance and her mist that brought out a darker side of Skye Blue was a key storyline in AEW. All of it made her feel different than any women’s wrestler night now. The 22-year-old’s ring work hit that next level of comfort, confidence and polish and she finished the year by becoming just the third TBS champion.
Honorable Mention: Skye Blue, Tiffany Stratton, Zoey Stark, Billie Starkz
Best Return/Debut of the Year
CM Punk returns to WWE at Survivor Series
Hell truly did freeze over in one of the rare genuine surprises in wrestling as CM Punk’s music hit to close Survivor Series in Chicago. It ended a nearly a decade-long absence and mended a rocky relationship with the company. The live reactions will forever be special. Punk was the talk of wrestling for all the wrong reasons in 2023 — outside of getting Collision off the ground — after his confrontation backstage with Jack Perry at All In led to him getting fired from AEW.
Honorable mention: The Rock returns to SmackDown (WWE), Adam Copeland (AEW), Mercedes Mone’ (New Japan/Stardom), Randy Orton (WWE), Josh Alexander (Impact), Miro (AEW), Kairi Sane (WWE)
Best OMG Moment
Sami Zayn turning his back on The Bloodline at the Royal Rumble
It was the climax of nine months of storytelling with Zayn as the Honorary Uce and produced an all-time pop for an all-time end to a pay-per-view. Zayn smashing Roman Reigns in the back with a chair was the catalyst to his emotional match against the Tribal Chief at Elimination Chamber, both WrestleMania main events and Jimmy and Jey Uso’s singles pushes.
Biggest Story
WWE sold to Endeavor
What happens in real life is always far more interesting than what happens in front of the camera. And Vince McMahon selling WWE was a day many never thought would come. After 40 years of control, Ari Emmanuel and Endeavor and not McMahon own WWE after paying $9.3 billion. On top of that, the decision has allowed McMahon to retain some corporate power, but lose creative control in WWE while merging and forming a new company, TKO, with the UFC for a seismic shift in the world of combat sports.
Honorable mention: CM Punk’s AEW issues and firing, Jade Cargill leaving AEW for WWE, the death of Bray Wyatt.
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