B/R Wrestling Awards 2023: Ranking WWE and AEW's Best Moments

The wrestling business had a boom year in 2023, especially WWE, seeing big names return and ticket sales skyrocket.

Much of the reason for that success was down to great storytelling. Both WWE and All Elite Wrestling delivered moments that will not soon be forgotten.

Roman Reigns and The Bloodline finally faced resistance from Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes and more.

Randy Orton and CM Punk returned on the same night to make Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 a very memorable night.

The company even made a massive business move, merging Zuffa (including UFC) with WWE to create TKO Group Holdings, a company that is certain to change the landscape of sports for years to come.

AEW booked its biggest show ever, the stadium event All In: London, featuring an unforgettable main event between MJF and Adam Cole.

Adam Copeland jumped ship to AEW, starting the story with Christian Cage that he has wanted to tell for years.

Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page elevated each other as top stars in the company for years to come. Eddie Kingston became a household name, winning title after title.

These moments and more made 2023 a special year for wrestling. The following top 10 lists highlight those best moments of both companies' year.

Bonus Unranked Moment: Tributes to Bray Wyatt, Terry Funk and Jay Briscoe

Three of wrestling's most passionate souls passed away in 2023, far before their time, and their respective companies delivered emotional and powerful show in tribute to their memory.

On the August 25 SmackDown, WWE brought in some of Bray Wyatt's closest friends to talk about his legacy and put together multiple powerful tribute videos. His signature creative flair was highlighted.

Cody Rhodes came in for that same show to talk about the legacy of Terry Funk.

Talent wrestled matches in honor of both men including a fun hardcore match between The Street Profits and Brawling Brutes and LA Knight honoring his last opponent Wyatt throughout his main event match against Finn Bálor.

AEW put together a tribute to Jay's life in two forms: an unforgettable match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal as well as a three-hour wrestling-focused Celebration of Life.

Many including Claudio Castagnoli, Samoa Joe, Eddie Kingston, Christopher Daniels and Adam Cole talked about their history with Jay and his legacy.

Both sides delivered powerful tributes that cannot be easily ranked against the rest of the year. Instead, this is just a celebration of how both WWE and AEW handled these devastating losses and would go onto support the families affected.

AEW No. 10 - 6

10. Will Ospreay Signs with AEW

The Assassin was the biggest free agent to come in 2024, but he did not wait for his contract to expire before he chose his new home. Ospreay appeared at Full Gear 2023 to sign his new AEW contract, giving him a new home for the prime of his career.

9. Orange Cassidy Proves Himself to Jon Moxley

Cassidy's run as International champion was special. He joined the ranks of the all-time great midcard champions with a run where he defended more than every other week. It ended at Jon Moxley, who took him down at All Out 2023.

The big moment came at Full Gear where he fought Mox again and managed to successfully defeat his greatest rival, earning the respect of one of AEW's greatest.

8. The Elite Announce Re-Signing

Elite is in the name of All Elite Wrestling. If Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page had left for WWE, it would left a hole in the business that AEW may never recover from.

In August though, The Elite agreed to expensive contracts with AEW that would keep them on board for years to come.

7. AEW Collision Debut

AEW debuted its third weekly TV program on June 17. The show had a different feel and started with the return of CM Punk. His promo would cause a stir, and the show itself delivered a hard-hitting focus that AEW has been missing.

While the ratings have not always been great for Collision, hurt by the odd Saturday night time slot, the product has been consistently strong, delivering memorable matches time and again.

6. Sting Announces His Retirement

The Icon first began wrestling in 1985. He has wrestled for more than half of his life. His AEW run has been a very important opportunity to write the end of his career, and he announced on October 18 that he would retire at Revolution 2024.

The retirement will be the bigger moment, ending a legendary career, but it is still important to wrestling history that Sting is ending his career soon.

WWE No. 10 - 6

10. The Rock Returns to WWE

It is always a special moment when The Great One appears in a WWE ring. On September 13, he made a shock appearance alongside Pat McAfee to shut up the loudmouth Austin Theory.

It was a cool one-off. However, it did not impact the brand much. 2024 could see a much bigger Rock appearance if he is ready to finally confront Roman Reigns.

9. Puerto Rico Welcomes Hometown Heroes

Backlash 2023 was the first event in Puerto Rico in 18 years, and the crowd showed why it should happen far more often.

They delivered some of the biggest crowd reactions of the year, especially for crowd favorites Bad Bunny and Zelina Vega. Bunny felt like a megastar, and Vega's emotional arrival was the career highlight for her so far.

8. Judgment Day Captures All the Gold

Rhea Ripley took over WWE at WrestleMania 39, but the story of Judgment Day needed more time to grow.

At Payback, it all came together, and the group became the new most dominant stable in the company after taking Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens' titles.

7. Iyo Sky Cashes in Money in the Bank Briefcase

The Genius of the Sky has long awaited her starring moment. It came at SummerSlam when she stole the WWE Women's Championship away from Bianca Belair.

One year after Damage CTRL's arrival, the group's vision was realized. Sky reached the mountaintop and still holds that gold months later.

6. Gunther Breaks Intercontinental Championship Record

While The Ring General was the MVP of 2023, his year could not be fully boiled down to a single moment.

The biggest was when Gunther defeated Chad Gable in a match of the year contender to solidify his run as the longest and most dominant in WWE history. The Intercontinental Championship is now synonymous with Gunther.

AEW 5: Eddie Kingston Wins the Modern Triple Crown Championship

The Continental Classic was its own special moment in professional wrestling, delivering by far the most memorable tournament in AEW's history.

The entire tournament is not a moment alone, but Eddie Kingston's crowning moment certainly was. It has been a very important year for The King of the Bums.

Kingston had never won a major wrestling championship until 2023. In this year, he won the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship ahead of entering the G1 Climax.

He finally overcame his greatest rival Claudio Castagnoli and won the ROH World Championship. Finally, he went on a winning streak in the Continental Classic, defeating Daniel Garcia, Castagnoli, Andrade El Idolo, Bryan Danielson and finally Jon Moxley.

The match with Mox at Worlds End was especially poignant. The two men delivered the type of hard-hitting war that made them both fall in love with professional wrestling, and Kingston finally picked up a victory over his good friend to win the tournament.

This was one of the last moments of the year for AEW and set a standard for Kingston that he will have a tough time meeting or exceeding in 2024.

WWE 5: Randy Orton Returns

WWE is not the same without Randy Orton. The Viper was off television for over a year, and some began to speculate that he would never wrestle again.

Luckily, he healed and found himself again physically. He returned at Survivor Series 2023, looking better than he ever has.

While his return was a bit overshadowed by the end of Survivor Series, there is no doubt that Orton's return changed the dynamic in WWE.

He will be a key part of the build to WrestleMania 40 and hope to show that he is far from done working, especially with a new contract on the horizon with WWE.

AEW 4: Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page Test the Hardcore Audience

Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland put together one of the best feuds of 2023. At every turn, The Cowboy and The Mogul over-delivered.

This was most clear in their Full Gear rematch. This Texas Death Match was not for everyone in its brutal, bloody violence, but for those that could stomach it, they saw two men elevating their game.

It was a hardcore battle that started off hot and never slowed down. Hangman drank his rival's blood. Swerve smashed The Cowboy with a cinder block and hanged him with a chain.

This battle stole the show and broke the internet. The two men elevated each other as main event acts and will likely be in the AEW World Championship scene in 2024.

The Mogul especially used this spotlight to make himself undeniable and kept the crowd completely invested in him as a performer.

WWE 4: Jey Uso Pins Roman Reigns

In 2023, Roman Reigns still ruled WWE, but the cracks began to show. He barely kept his Undisputed Universal Championship against worthy challengers in Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes and LA Knight.

Moreover, he was pinned for the first time in 1,294 days by Jey Uso. Finally truly breaking out on his own, Jey was made by one moment, working with his brother Jimmy Uso to topple The Tribal Chief.

The follow-up at SummerSlam was not as good, but that did not stop Jey from getting over more than ever.

WWE committed to "Main Event" in this moment, allowing him to fully escape his brother's shadow.

The crowds are now completely behind Jey at the same level as The American Nightmare, The Ultimate Underdog and The Million Dollar Megastar. The former challengers to Reigns have all gotten over, but no one has risen more that "Main Event".

AEW 3: MJF Finds a Best Friend in Adam Cole

The Feel-Good Bromance of the Summer was a special event in AEW. MJF finally got a chance to turn babyface, and he delivered the comedy and drama.

Adam Cole showed his storytelling fervor, elevating comedy to the point of genuine emotion. It is rare that a story like this can work, especially this well.

The two men put on a phenomenal tag team match with FTR that stands as arguably the biggest moment in Collision history so far.

The two men opened main evented All In: London. This highlighted how much this had become the story of the summer for AEW.

An unfortunate ankle injury sidelined Cole for the rest of the year, but Worlds End delivered a clear emphatic end to this friendship as The Boom turned on The Scumbag.

That Cole reveal, flanked by Wardlow, Roderick Strong and The Kingdom, could have made the top 10. However, it was an up-and-down build that only worked because this summer story was so important.

WWE 3: CM Punk Returns

The journey of CM Punk in 2023 has been rocky. He was suspended and injured in 2022 then returned for the debut of AEW Collision. However, more backstage drama led to his firing ahead of All Out 2023.

After everything, the stage was set for a moment that seemed impossible just a few years ago, the return of The Best in the World to WWE.

WWE kept it completely quiet, even as WWE prepared for Survivor Series in Chicago. The crowd was uncertain whether to expect him or not and remained respectful of the talent competing throughout the night.

When "Cult of Personality" hit though, the roof exploded. It was a moment like we rarely see in wrestling and set the stage for Punk's redemption story.

2024 will be the year where The Best in the World defines his legacy. If all goes well, he could get everything he ever wanted and put on a main event run for the ages.

AEW 2: Adam Copeland Arrives in AEW

AEW has often called itself an alternative to WWE, but many of its free agent signings have felt like they settled for the company over choosing it. That was not true with Adam Copeland.

After finishing up his dates with WWE, he decided to sign with AEW in order to tell the final story of his career. In particular, he chose to tell his own story with his best friend Christian Cage.

He started it off by debuting at WrestleDream, stopping his friend from attacking The Icon Sting. While it was rumored heavily in the days leading up to the show, it was still surreal to hear "Metalingus" play in AEW.

The Rated R-Superstar and The Patriarch have already had two great matches together, including a hardcore battle at Worlds End.

This angle continues to evolve, but Copeland has committed to work at his best in an environment that was always going to challenge him as an in-ring performer.

It has been great to see him open up and show off his own creativity.

WWE 2: Sami Zayn Turns on The Bloodline

The Bloodline storyline is the most important angle of the modern era, and it reached its emotional high-point at Royal Rumble 2023.

Sami Zayn, who elevated the group to new heights with his performance in 2022, turned against the stable and began the true downfall of The Bloodline.

Even if The Honorary Uce ultimately failed in his bid to take the Undisputed Universal Championship from Roman Reigns, he set the course for a new future.

Jey Uso would soon follow him, creating two new singles stars in the main event scene.

Zayn himself would rejoin with Kevin Owens to capture the Undisputed Tag Team Championships, putting together one of the best matches of the year and ending WWE's best show, WrestleMania 39 Night 1, on a high.

AEW 1: All In London

All In: London was the biggest gamble in AEW history. It was the first true stadium show for the company, and they booked Wembley Stadium.

It worked out in ways no one could have predicted. AEW reported 81,035 tickets sold for the event, a record in professional wrestling. Even though the official attendance was lower at 72,265, it was still a monumental achievement.

No one outside WWE has seen a paid attendance this high, and AEW was so confident in the results that they booked Wembley Stadium for 2024.

All In will not be as special in year two, unlikely to reach the same lofty attendance goals, but it will still be a show that celebrates the power of professional wrestling beyond WWE.

There is a true alternative that can deliver an event at this magnitude in the modern era. The show featured great wrestling including MJF vs. Adam Cole, FTR vs. Young Bucks, CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe, Will Ospreay vs. Chris Jericho and more.

Next year could have even loftier goals for its card in order to incentivize fans to choose AEW once again in the United Kingston over alternatives like Bash in Berlin one week later.

WWE 1: WWE Merges into TKO

There was not a more significant moment for WWE in 2023 than what happened behind the scenes, though we have still yet to see the full impact of the merger between WWE and Zuffa into TKO Group Holdings.

This was the most significant business change for WWE in decades, taking the business out of the hands of the McMahon family at a level never seen before.

This has led to Triple H taking full control of WWE creative while Vince McMahon seems to mostly work in the background.

Business is booming as fan sentiment grows more positive for the long-term future of WWE. This was genuinely vital reset that will hopefully only continue to improve the business.