For wrestling, I think 2024 will be remembered as a year where change became more certain. The year began with perhaps the final separation of Vince McMahon and WWE, as he resigned from the newly-merged TKO amidst public outcry and continued allegations. We also saw a full year of AEW attempting to move on from the continuing ghosts of CM Punk and backstage scandals. Outside the two largest companies, other brands like TNA and NJPW also made strides to carve out their own roles in a very congested wrestling scene.
Today I break down my picks for the best of wrestling this past year, with some honorable mentions as well. Of course, I can only recommend what I saw, so this list does skew American professional wrestling, especially WWE and AEW, as that’s most of what I watched. But there are plenty of highlights from all around the wrestling landscape for both the diehards and those just seeing what they should catch from the year.
Best Character of the Year: The Wyatt Sicks
The Wyatt Sicks debuted in June of this year, but despite only seven months, I think they’re clearly the best characters from the past year. If you isolate just the storyline moments, atmosphere, and personality provided, I’m not sure we’ve given the group enough credit for how great they’ve been. I think we were all so worried about what could go wrong with the group eventually (lack of consistent direction, in-ring work, etc.) that we weren’t focusing on everything they’ve nailed so far.
The peaks of the Wyatt Sicks this year are probably some of my favorite moments. Their debut rampage on WWE RAW and their first match against American Alpha exceeded my expectations for how good this weird group could be. But the reason they are my pick for this spot is the promo work this year. If you haven’t, you must listen to some of Bo Dallas’ promos this year, especially his first and his promo regarding the Miz. Dallas demonstrates what I think wrestling sometimes overlooks: characters can be silly if they are simple. Somehow, the most emotional I’ve been this year during any promo was from a boogeyman character interviewing himself, but it was just magical. And the character moments from each member, especially the grief of Erik Rowan, have consistently resonated as well.
While the sample size is still relatively small, here’s my ask for 2025: please give us more groups and characters like the Wyatt Sicks. Perhaps not ever main eventers, but they are outlandish and unique, and even in small doses are impossible to look away from.
Honorable Mentions: Timeless Toni Storm, Hangman Adam Page, Roman Reigns, LA Knight
Best Tag Team of the Year: Axiom and Nathan Frazer
I wish the tag team category was more competitive, but honestly, this felt like a lock for me. While other tag teams may have had great stretches throughout the year, it was a weaker year for tag team wrestling across the board. Except in NXT, and really only except the work of Axiom & Nathan Frazer. The pair have been in the title scene since February and have held the belt since then for all but 18 days.
NXT weekly storylines can still be all over the place, but every single match they’ve had this year has been good to great, and I think if I made a best tag match list they’d be on more than half of it. The in-ring work is clearly the highlight of Axiom & Frazer, whose blazing pace is always refreshing in the WWE style, but I’ve also been impressed with how they continue to progress a simple story. All year they’ve been facing a potential breakup as the pair balanced individual aspirations with their team’s success, but even at the last PLE of 2024, the duo was finding new and interesting ways to tell that story.
So, while they didn’t have much competition this year, I still think this is a team it would be a shame if you hadn’t caught any of their matches. If you want a place to start, their NXT Deadline match was an excellent snapshot of the year while also getting you ready for where the duo could go in 2025.
Honorable Mentions: The Young Bucks, FTR, The New Day
Most Underrated Women’s Wrestler: Nia Jax
It’s time to give due to the most improved wrestler overall and at times the best Women’s Wrestler of 2024, Nia Jax. Jax returned at the Royal Rumble, and despite moments of botches (see War Games), it’s really been a great year for Jax. Matches with Becky Lynch, her entire Queen of the Ring run, and some stellar TV matches especially have capped a consistent year for WWE’s Smackdown champion. I know some naysayers will still cry out that Jax is a far shot from the best workers, but sometimes you have to give credit for growth. And there are some things Jax excels at that, along with her improvement, I think make her genuinely a great main eventer to have on hand.
She’s intimidating, has a good character, and usually elevates her opponents through her presence. I know there are other hidden gems out there less known than Nia Jax, but I think if it’s the time to celebrate someone’s work for a year, then Nia deserves that celebration more than most.
Honorable Mentions: Kris Statlander, Tiffany Stratton, Athena
Most Underrated Men’s Wrestler: Oba Femi
I swear to God, if you aren’t a fan of Oba Femi then your life is worse than it needs to be. He’s underrated only because in NXT he may not have captured everyone’s attention yet, but it’s quickly becoming cliche to praise Femi. Saying that he will be the future of the WWE, or a world champion, seems to be almost diminishing at this point.
Femi is a badass, and he’s so young that even the parts he doesn’t have quite perfect yet are endearing. Perhaps the perfect example of when NXT gets something right, Oba Femi continuing to improve with each match makes you feel like you’re in on the next big rockstar before they hit mainstream. What Femi does well, he does as good as anyone: Throw other people around, and have fun doing it. A rare mix of sheer size and personality with actual in-ring greatness at times, and Femi is a must-watch for any wrestling fan. Oba Femi vs Dijak vs Josh Briggs would be my recommendation for anyone who wants to see what all the hype is about, but honestly, any match of his would be worth the watch.
Oba Femi has defined himself so far as the NXT North American Champion but the last thing he did before the end of 2024 was become the number one contender for Trick Williams’ NXT Championship, so his potential may be realized sooner rather than later.
Honorable Mentions: Zack Sabre, Jr., Speedball Mike Bailey, Michael Oku, Samoa Joe
Best Women’s Wrestler: Jordynne Grace
Jordynne Grace will likely garner more attention starting next year, as she likely makes her permanent move to WWE. I think her only downside this year is a lack of eyes on TNA. But the TNA’s women’s division has long been one of the best in the business, and Jordynne Grace has been the biggest contributor to that. A modern day Ultimate Warrior at times with her energy and athleticism, I sincerely think Jordynne Grace is perhaps the best wrestler in the world in terms of sheer star presence when she’s given the right storyline and platform.
She appeared in the Royal Rumble last year, and her stretch in that match would be a great starting point for those not aware of the hype. If you need a bigger example of why she was the best women’s wrestler this year, her final shot at the TNA Knockout’s title in two out of three falls was an instant classic. But honestly, the best thing I could say about Grace is if you aren’t aware of her matches this year, you might not get it. Because she’s been a factory, week in and out, for just fantastic wrestling, and if you missed it in 2024 something tells me you won’t be able to in the future.
Honorable Mentions: Roxanne Perez, Willow Nightingale, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm
Best Men’s Wrestler: Will Ospreay
How anyone calculates this award is going to be different, and I think this was probably the category with the most right answers. I think the character and storylines of either Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns are understandable, or the drama of the feuds and moments of either Danielson or Swerve. But if you put it all into a blender, and try to be a little objective like I am here, I think it’s hard to deny Ospreay this year. Not that I would want to either, as he’s been one of the best in wrestling for close to a decade now.
I think my biggest reason for picking Ospreay in 2024 is that his matches have become their own genre. In the year he fully transitioned to the American scene, his profile boosted to boot. I think picking my favorite match of this year for Ospreay could be even harder than just the best match in general, but he has something for everyone. If you want an emotional farewell, his handoff of his RevPro title to Michael Oku is an absolute barnburner, and if you want just two guys trying to be the best in the world, Ospreay vs Danielson at Dynasty is a classic. I get why Ospreay might not be your personal favorite, or why you prefer some other picks in a packed year. But if you think he didn’t deserve this choice, then I think you’re just being delusional. 2025 the question may become can anyone match the production of Ospreay, a truly challenging proposition.
Honorable Mentions: Cody Rhodes, Swerve Strickland, Roman Reigns, Bryan Danielson, Gunther
Most Underrated Match: AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship, Backlash
What makes a match underrated in my mind usually comes down to how many people see it, how people remember it, and if there are pieces of it that age even better than when it occurred. The match in 2024 that I think stands at the top of all three of those criteria is this one-of-a-kind bout between AJ Styles and the freshly crowned WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Now, everyone who at least heard of this match when it happened knows it was hosted by I think the best crowd in wrestling all year, if not among the best ever for a show of this stature. And while France’s World Cup atmosphere elevated this affair, I think if that’s all you gave this match credit for or simplified it to that factor, you’d be the reason I selected it for this category.
No, the outcome wasn’t ever really in question. Cody Rhodes just beat Roman Reigns after nearly four years, so he wouldn’t have lost to King Kong. But you should see this match as what it was. How do you make a match with a known outcome, with one month’s build, great? You use what you’re given, and these two did here.
I think, for me, this is my most rewatched match of the year. If you give it a chance, I think you’ll find that for what it could do, it was nearly perfect.
Honorable Mentions: Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson (Grand Slam), Drew McIntyre vs Damien Priest (Clash at the Castle), Kris Statlander vs Willow Nightingale (Streetfight), Will Ospreay vs. Michael Oku (High Stakes)
Best Match of the Year: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (Bloodline Rules), WrestleMania Night 2
There are different kinds of dream matches. Maybe you think WWE overcomplicated this one, or it was too over the top for you. For me, this is my favorite kind of mayhem you can only get in wrestling. The end to both a three-plus-year reign and a two-year story that ended about as well as it could’ve. It was set up perfectly the night before. In terms of storytelling, I’m not sure if WWE could hit a better note.
I don’t think the match is remembered for how great it was on top of the wild ending, but I assure you it didn’t slouch in that department. Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes have great chemistry, and not once did it seem like a foregone conclusion. Add to that, every run-in WWE could think of, including a pretty random GONG from the Undertaker, and I couldn’t stop smiling by the end. I had other matches I liked the in-ring of more, but if you take the comparison out of it, this was easily the only match I saw this year where I felt so vindicated for being a wrestling fan. You don’t get that every year, and we should be grateful when we do.
Honorable Mentions: Will Ospreay vs Bryan Danielson (Dynasty), Women’s Royal Rumble Match, CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (Hell in a Cell), Young Bucks vs Sting & Darby Allin (Revolution)
Best Feud: Hangman Adam Page vs Swerve Strickland
There were two right choices here, and for the sake of integrity, this is the only category where I feel the need to formally mention the runner-up. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre was an all-time classic, and it’s rare a feud that concludes at its best while also never losing attention along the way. I almost went with this pick just because it seems to have propelled both men to other things better, but that seemed to miss the mark of comparing the feuds themselves. For that reason, I’m giving the nod to what may go down as one of the best wrestling feuds of all time.
Swerve vs. Hangman does stretch over two years now. That’s the main reason this was a toss-up for me, but jeez, they literally burned the house down in this one. A feud that has brought both men to the peak of the AEW and wrestling world and caused both to become intertwined likely for the rest of their careers. Their brutal finale to the feud is a car crash, but in the best possible way for a feud like this. Honestly, the best way to describe this feud is it was so compelling it’s hard to imagine these characters ever coexisting on the same brand. That will be a challenge for them to overcome in 2025, but for now, the best feud in all of wrestling has closed its current chapter.
Honorable Mentions: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre, Toni Storm vs. Mariah May, Cody Rhodes vs. The Bloodline
Best Show of the Year: WWE Backlash (France)
Let me be clear, I don’t think anyone will like this pick. You’ve probably landed on either your favorite AEW show (hard to narrow down), WrestleMania, or maybe some other wildcard choice. But I swear, everyone reading this will love this show. I don’t think there’s another PLE or PPV this year that would be for anyone who tuned in, so that’s why it’s my pick.
As mentioned previously, I don’t think you can overstate the impact of the crowd on this show. The entrances alone are enough to bring it to the top of many fans’ lists for the year. But what I don’t want to go missed is the quality of the show itself. Yes, it’s one downside on paper is that following WrestleMania. Of course, some of the stories are less drawn out or the stakes as high as some other shows. But there are no bad matches on this five-match card, and the atmosphere provided all the drama needed. It has the peaks of any show this year with Bloodline vs. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, Bayley vs. Tiffany Stratton vs Naomi and, of course, the Styles vs. Rhodes main event being all match of the year contenders. The other two? Oh, just a title-change win for Bianca and Jade and the best entrance of the year for Jey Uso vs Damien Priest.
The lows aren’t low, the best of this show is as good as any, and the crowd will make you want to show a friend. Just like I want to show you. In a year of great shows, I think if you had to only watch one it would be WWE Backlash-France.
Honorable Mentions: AEW Dynasty, WWE WrestleMania, NXT Deadline
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