20 WWE and AEW Stars Who Had Their Best Year in 2023

With the end of 2023 fast approaching, many people are looking back on the past 12 months to reflect on this year in professional wrestling.

In many ways, this has been one of the busiest years this industry has seen in a long time. Huge headlines like WWE selling to Endeavor and CM Punk's shocking AEW firing and equally shocking WWE re-hiring dominated the news cycle for most of the year.

However, the past 12 months gave us some of the best matches, the best storylines and the best feel-good moments, too.

We also saw numerous performers have a standout year. Some put on incredible matches, some won major titles, some had career-defining moments, and some are just getting started.

Let's take a look at the WWE and AEW stars who had their best year in 2023.

Dominik Mysterio

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• WrestleMania 39 match with Rey Mysterio
• 2 North American Championships
• First person to ever wrestler in the main events of Raw, NXT and SmackDown in the same week

Dominik Mysterio's career so far can be split into two sections. There's his time with Rey Mysterio as a tag team, and then there's his time with Judgment Day.

While teaming with his dad and winning the tag titles got him off to a good start, Dirty Dom has shined brightest in 2023 as a heel.

He became a two-time NXT North American champion and produced some of his best in-ring work over the past year, with his matches against Wes Lee and Dragon Lee being two of the biggest highlights. The 26-year-old has a bright future if he continues along this path.

Christian Cage

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won the TNT Championship
• Became a father figure to Nick Wayne
• Defeated Adam Copeland, Bryan Danielson and others as TNT champion
• Possibly scored with Mama Wayne (His words, not ours)

This might not have been the year when Christian Cage won the most gold in his career, but it's undoubtedly when he has done his best work.

Becoming the TNT champion and mentor to Nick and Luchasaurus has allowed The Patriarch of AEW to tap into a new side of his persona that has made him simultaneously the most popular and reviled he has ever been. It has truly been a masterclass in character work.

On top of having a standout year on the mic, Cage has also been producing some fantastic in-ring work against the likes of Copeland, Danielson, Darby Allin and many more, and he has done it all in a sleeveless turtleneck like a pro.

Iyo Sky

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won Money in the Bank
• Won the WWE Women's World Championship at SummerSlam
• Held the women's tag titles with Dakota Kai

Iyo Sky and Damage CTRL have been dominating the women's division on SmackDown since being drafted to the blue brand in April, but things really kicked into high gear when she cashed in the MITB briefcase to win the women's world title from Bianca Belair at SummerSlam.

With Bayley, Kai, Asuka and the recently returned Kairi Sane at her side, The Genius of the Sky could hold onto that belt all the way until WrestleMania.

In addition to becoming the top women's champion on the blue brand. Sky has also continued to stand out for her aerial feats, especially during the WarGames match at Survivor Series when she hit yet another risky move from the top of the cage without the use of her sight.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Held the AEW Championship for all of 2023
• Won the ROH tag titles with Adam Cole
• Defeated the likes of Cole, Samoa Joe, Kenny Omega, FTR, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin in title bouts
• Became AEW fans' favorite scumbag

MJF was one of the top heels in AEW since it launched, but he successfully managed to transition into one of the most popular babyfaces in 2023 without changing who he is at his core.

The AEW world champion is still a cheater who will take a shortcut whenever it presents itself in a match, but he has done that while also being a fighting champion who will take on all challengers. It's a tough line to walk, but he has done it well.

Being a double champion and producing some of the best matches of his career has made 2023 the year of MJF in AEW.

Zelina Vega

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Re-formed the LWO alongside Rey Mysterio
• Put on a career-defining performance at Backlash in Puerto Rico

Zelina Vega is someone who has always had the talent and charisma to succeed, but poor booking from WWE management kept her career at a standstill until 2023.

After re-signing with the company in 2022, it took some time before she was paired with Legado del Fantasma and Rey to form the new LWO. Ever since then, she has been a regular fixture on SmackDown.

The highlight of 2023 for her was getting to wrestler in her home of Puerto Rico in a title match against Ripley that earned Vega a standing ovation from the crowd.

Kris Statlander

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Ended Jade Cargill's undefeated streak
• Won the TBS Championship at Double or Nothing
• Won a street fight with Willow Nightingale against Diamante and Mercedes Martinez

Kris Statlander has had a couple of long periods on the shelf due to some unfortunate leg injuries, but she came roaring back in 2023 and had her best year yet.

Not only did she hand Cargill her first defeat, but she won the TBS Championship in the process. Throughout her six-month reign, Stat defended the belt against numerous competitors, including former women's champions like Britt Baker and Nyla Rose.

Even with everything she accomplished this year, getting approval from Ben Stiller for her Zoolander wrestling gear might be the biggest highlight.

Zoey Stark

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Worked alongside WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus
• Won a No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal
• Defeated Becky Lynch in singles competition

Zoey Stark may be a new name to WWE fans who haven't been watching NXT, but those who have been following her career have been excited to see what she can do on the main roster.

One of her first major programs was teaming up with Trish Stratus for a few months, which immediately put a spotlight on the 29-year-old star.

She didn't win any gold in 2023, but she put herself in a great position to rectify that in 2024 by being a standout in-ring competitor who is also capable of standing her ground on the mic.

Willow Nightingale

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Defeated Mercedes Mone to become the first NJPW Strong women's champion
• Won the Owen Hart Cup tournament by defeating Ruby Soho, Athena and Billie Starkz
• Main-evented Death Before Dishonor with Athena

Willow Nightingale is one of the most likable wrestlers in the business today, but don't let the smile and dancing fool you. She is also one of the toughest competitors out there.

The former NJPW Strong women's champion had the best year of her career in 2023 and her 2024 will likely follow the same path.

Winning the Owen Hart Cup was her first major AEW accolade, but it won't be her last. With AEW and ROH now having a combined total of four titles for the women's division, the odds of Willow holding one in the next 12 months are very high.

LA Knight

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Wrestled Bray Wyatt at Royal Rumble
• Won the Slim Jim Battle Royal at SummerSlam
• Teamed up with John Cena at Fastlane
• Faced Roman Reigns in the main event of Crown Jewel

The meteoric rise of LA Knight has been a lot of fun to witness, but it's not as if he just suddenly got this good. Knight has been this charismatic for a long time but most fans didn't see his pre-WWE work in TNA and NWA.

He is already getting world title matches at PLEs and being paired up with stars like Cena, so WWE clearly sees him as a main event talent without ever having booked him to win a championship yet.

Knight's charisma and physical ability are going to take him straight to the top. It's all a matter of finding the right opportunity to give him that big push.

Julia Hart

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won the TBS Championship from Kris Statlander
• Gained Skye Blue as a follower
• Became the breakout member of House of Black

Julia Hart is only 22 years old and she is already one of the most popular women on the AEW roster, the most featured member of House of Black and the TBS champion.

AEW's presentation of Hart has been phenomenal. Everything from her specially crafted entrance to the way she has been booked has made her one of the most recognizable faces in the women's division.

As she continues to improve in the ring and on the mic, Hart is going to keep finding more success. It wouldn't be surprising to see her thrust into the women's title scene after her TBS Championship reign ends.

Rhea Ripley

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won the women's Royal Rumble match
• Defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 to win the women's title
• Helped Judgment Day become the most dominant force on Raw

Rhea Ripley has ruled over the Raw women's division ever since she won the title at 'Mania and has shown no signs of slowing down.

The Eradicator has successfully led Judgment Day to multiple titles while continuing to fend off every challenger. At just 27 years old, Ripley is way ahead of the curve and will likely be an important asset for WWE for a long time.

Toni Storm

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Redefined her character to become "Timeless"
• Reigned as AEW women's champion for the first five months of 2023
• Won the AEW Women's Championship for a third time from Hikaru Shida at Full Gear
• Threw a shoe at Renee Paquette

If you have watched any AEW programming over the past six months, then you have undoubtedly seen the transformation of "Timeless" Toni Storm.

It's hard to remember the last time someone had such a successful character transition to something so wildly different from their original character. Everything about this Hollywood starlet throwback character has been just about perfect.

The three-time women's champion is in the middle of what will likely go down as her best reign when it's all said and done.

Chelsea Green

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won the WWE women's tag titles with Sonya Deville
• Successfully defended the tag titles multiple times with Piper Niven
• Finally learned Adam Pearce's name

Some people are on this list because they had the best matches of their career, but Chelsea Green is here because she has had some of the best character work in all of pro wrestling.

Whether she is mocking her opponents or trading insults with Pearce, the former women's tag champ has been one of the most entertaining personalities on WWE TV.

Bryan Danielson

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Wrestled MJF in a critically acclaimed Iron Man match at Revolution
• Formed The Blackpool Combat Club
• BCC defeated The Elite in Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing
  
• Defeated Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door

You could find years where Bryan Danielson won more titles and had more main event matches than he did in 2023, but finding a year where his in-ring work was on the same level would be difficult.

Whether he is facing a brawler like Kingston or a technician like Zack Sabre Jr., Danielson is one of the best workers against any style.

Gunther

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Became the longest-reigning intercontinental champion in WWE history
• Set the record for the longest Royal Rumble performance at over 71 minutes
• Defeated Sheamus and Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 39

Gunther's record in 2023 speaks for itself. You can count his losses on one hand and he set the record for the longest reign as IC champion, which keeps getting longer with each passing day.

If someone was asked to put money on a guaranteed bet for a future world champion, the safest pick would be The Ring General. If he doesn't win a world title during his WWE run, it will be a massive failure on management's part.

Athena

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Became the longest-reigning ROH women's champion
• Defeated Willow Nightingale in a series of highly lauded matches
• Put Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair on the map

The only downside to Athena having the most dominant run of any champion in AEW this year is that most fans didn't get to see her incredible work due to all of it being on the ROH streaming service instead of on TV.

Her series of matches with Willow will help define her reign, but it's her partnership and feud with Starkz that will define her entire year in ROH.

Seth Rollins

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won a tournament to become the new WWE world heavyweight champion
• Defeated Logan Paul at WrestleMania 39
• Won the men's WarGames match alongside Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton

Seth Rollins is one of the most popular WWE Superstars right now. The fans sing his entrance music every time he comes out onto the stage, and he often gets "This is awesome" chants during his matches.

We usually define certain eras by associating them with specific people. Much like The Rock and Steve Austin defined the Attitude Era, The Visionary will be one of the people who define the era we are currently in when people look back on it in 10-20 years.

Whether his fashion choices will stand the test of time as well as his matches is the real mystery.

Kyle Fletcher

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Became the ROH TV champion by defeating five other men at Final Battle
• Had standout performances against Omega, Konosuke Takeshita, Danielson, FTR and many more
• Won the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships with Mark Davis at NJPW Sakura Genesis

Kyle Fletcher just turned 25 on Christmas Eve but he is already one of the most decorated young champions on the AEW roster.

His recent ROH TV title win is his first major singles accomplishment in AEW but he has held multiple sets of tag team championships alongside Mark Davis.

Fletcher is a future world champion just waiting for the right opportunity to prove his worth. His career is only going to continue to flourish if he continues along this path.

Cody Rhodes

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Served as captain of the winning team in the men's WarGames match
• Won the WWE Tag Team Championships with Jey Uso
• Won the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match
• Main evented WrestleMania 39 with Roman Reigns
• Defeated Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam

Cody Rhodes' list of 2023 accomplishments speaks for itself. Not only was this the best year he has had in WWE, but it might be the best year of his entire career. His work continues to prove WWE was right to bring him back and position him as a main attraction.

Eddie Kingston

Notable accomplishments and moments:

• Won the ROH World Championship from Claudio Castagnoli
• Won the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship from Kenta
• Defeated BCC in a 10-man tag match at Forbidden Door
• Defeated BCC in a Stadium Stampede match at All In
• Defeated Katsuyori Shibata at WrestleDream

Wednesday night, Eddie Kingston defeated Danielson to win the blue league in the Continental Classic, setting him up for the finals against Jon Moxley at Worlds End on Saturday.

If The Mad King is victorious, he will become the first AEW triple crown champion since he also put his ROH world and NJPW openweight titles in the pot.

Kingston's 2023 has been phenomenal and his legions of fans have loved every second of the ride he has been on with them. He might be a bum according to Danielson, but he's our bum.

Everyone on this list had a great year in 2023, but their 2024 could be even better. Who do you think had the best year?

---

The artwork was provided by Mel Coleman. You can follow her on Twitter/X @MelColemanArt. You can follow Chris Mueller @BR_Doctor.