WWE Superstars: Best In-Ring Combinations of Today

When people hear certain names, they are expecting a good match. For example, I'm sure when Macho Man vs. Steamboat were announced as a matchup at WrestleMania, I can't imagine anyone was anticipating a bad matchup from these two.

There are matchups like that in existence in today's WWE. Combinations that, more likely than not, always lead to an entertaining bout, even if they are rematches. The following list contains, in my opinion, from worst to best, the greatest one-on-one combinations on today's rosters.

Some of you may agree with my assessment and some of you may not, but everyone is always welcome to share their analysis in the comments. So, without further delay, let's get to the good stuff.

Justin Gabriel and Antonio Cesaro

Antonio Cesaro's best work in the ring has arguably been against smaller, more aerial-based wrestlers, and few people take to the skies better than Justin Gabriel. Matching the athleticism perfectly between different skill sets, Cesaro and Gabriel put on some entertaining matches. Given enough time, you've usually got match-of-the-night candidates in place.

With that said, the one key factor that can make a good match great is missing from many of the battles Cesaro and Gabriel have waged, and it's by no fault of either man, but that of management, and that's time.

The "Uber European" and "Cape Town Werewolf" are lucky to get 10 minutes for their matches. Still, plant yourself when you know you're about to see Gabriel and Cesaro in the ring, because you're in for an entertaining few minutes of action.

Sheamus and The Big Show

When people first got wind of a feud between Sheamus and The Big Show, the anticipation of a train wreck was thick to say the least. My, how these two put those thoughts to rest.

Not only did The Big Show and Sheamus put on a great match at the 2012 Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, but they managed to have a pretty entertaining feud in general. Arguably, this was the feud that put Sheamus on the map, and for the first time in a long time, The Big Show looked like the unstoppable force he should be.

Part of what made this feud great is the surprise of the outcome. Many people expected Sheamus to continue to steamroll the competition, as he had done with challengers before, but not on this occasion.

Of course, not even taking away from the match, Sheamus' versatility was on full display, and The Big Show got to dig deep into his bag of tricks to put away The Great White. For the first time in a long time, Show showed that Sheamus isn't unstoppable and brought out the angry side of Sheamus that makes even the most hardcore of critics smile and approve.

Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan

Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan are two favorites among hardcore wrestling fans—and for good reason. These two generally don't have bad matches, and when put together, they offer quite the show with sufficient time.

Rhodes and Bryan had several battles during their time on The SmackDown roster, as Rhodes continually reinvented himself and Bryan was inching ever closer to the World Heavyweight Championship after winning Money in the Bank.

Similar in many ways, yet very different in the ring, Bryan and Rhodes have gone tit for tat from singles to tag-team action and have been fun to watch all the way. Their ability to incorporate their own preferred moves of the same styles is likely what allows for such good chemistry between the two.

From Bryan's Missile Dropkick and Diving Headbutt to Rhodes' Diving Crossbody and Moonsault, to their ability to ground an opponent when the time comes, these two know their way around the ring and know what they need to do to bring it to each other night in and night out.

Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler

Due to the outcome of more than enough of these matches, I can't say I'm confident too many hardcore fans are behind this combination as I am.

Outcomes aside, I think it's clear to any who get a chance to see some of the work these two have produced over the years, they're very comfortable in the ring with each other. They're not afraid to take chances; it's a solid give and take between Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus, and they have a solid, old-fashioned dynamic.

The big, brutish, "Celtic Warrior" whom Sheamus is, works perfectly in sync with the swift, agile performer who is Dolph Ziggler. While both men do play their parts in the ring well, they also have to dig deep in their bag of tricks, more often than not, to stand against each other.

It's evident from Sheamus pulling out the Battering Ram to Ziggler having the knowledge to not only stop said Battering Ram (from the top rope,) but at times, counter with a facebuster or Jumping DDT.

You're gonna see the smaller man in Ziggler, at times, take the fight to the Celtic Warrior, and Sheamus, for his part, will have to be smart when he goes in there with Ziggler, but all that makes for a fantastic match at the end of the day.

Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes

Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer is one of many things Cody Rhodes took to heart in his time under Randy Orton as one-third of Legacy.

Like a sponge, Rhodes soaks up a lot from the people around him. Some of his signature offense can be attributed to those in his past such as Goldust, Hardcore Holly, and of course, Randy Orton. Sometimes, it's almost like looking at a far younger Orton in the ring when Rhodes is in action. That's quite the show—and especially so when he's actually in the ring with Orton.

The two Generation superstars have battled back and forth, from Rhodes' debut to this very day. It's likely that familiarity is what provides for such impressive action between Orton and Rhodes. Similar and different, the two have both had a solid grasp of the basics, from an acceptable ground game to impressive dropkicks.

Orton still outmatches his former protege in terms of smoothness, and he, of course, has the experience edge, but Rhodes is no slouch. Rhodes has handed Orton a loss on some occasions, and throwing "status" out the window, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for it to happen more often.

Randy Orton and Christian

The participants in the Two-Day Screwjob, which was Christian's first World Heavyweight Championship reign, went on to have an incredible and (at the very least,) unexpected series of matches throughout the summer in recent years.

It all started, with Teddy Long having Christian defend his World Championship against "The Viper" on an episode of SmackDown, and since then, we've seen a bitter rivalry result in some epic encounters. On their own, it's no secret that Randy Orton and Christian are two of the most fluid and versatile workers in the company, but together, it's basically peanut butter and chocolate for your eyes.

Even after their initial feud ended, "The Instant Classic" is likely still steaming for "one more match" for the World Championship (though I doubt he'd say no to a shot at the WWE Championship,) and it's likely that, in the near future, we'll see Orton with the World Heavyweight Championship again.

Barring it's not a complete burial for Christian, I can't see too many people not liking the idea of this feud continuing—especially if it were to happen around...TLC.

Antonio Cesaro and Kofi Kingston

You're probably a little shocked to see a decidedly midcard feud end up in the near the top of this list, but hear me out.

Antonio Cesaro has all the in-ring ability to be a headlining Superstar. Whether or not he's got the charisma or mic skills is a whole other story, but you can't deny, Cesaro is one of the top wrestlers in the company today.

Kofi Kingston, like Cesaro, has all the in-ring skills a top guy (for some,) would need. Mic skills/charisma, is not for me to say here. These two, on more than one occasion, have torn the roof off the building with their performances.

From Main Event to Raw to SmackDown, Kingston and Cesaro are two incredibly in-sync competitors.

What sets this combination apart from some others that Cesaro and Kingston have been a part of is that unlike say, Gabriel and Cesaro, WWE affords Kingston and Cesaro the time needed to make a match truly impressive. From Kingston's unreal displays of athleticism and Cesaro's incredible strength and his own agility, a good 15-minute bout between these two always has a chance to be match of the night.

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan

Wrestling purists (Ring of Honor fans, especially,) asked for it, and they got it.

Daniel Bryan, one of the founding fathers of ROH and a man many claim to be "The Best Wrestler in the World," and CM Punk, a man who deems himself "The Best Wrestler in the World" and the then-reigning WWE champion, squared off in a series of matches that the majority of people would say should have been main-eventing their PPV appearances.

Still, politics aside, Bryan and Punk, for lack of more fitting words, put on a wrestling clinic on more than one occasion—even when things got a little crowded when Kane and AJ were thrown into the mix.

These two worked together for years before coming to the WWE, and their familiarity shows in their matches. Bryan and Punk are among the top wrestlers in the world, and their claims to the title are evidenced in their matches, matching each other perfectly hold for hold, strike for strike and slam for slam.

Randy Orton and John Cena

Before CM Punk broke through the glass ceiling during the summer of 2011, there was another man who was known for bringing the best out of John Cena. Without a doubt, the top heel of his time, Randy Orton was the hardcore wrestling fans' answer to Cena.

And though they couldn't be more opposite in both attitude and background, their in-ring chemistry was something nobody could question. The technically savvy, yet underhanded, attributes of Orton worked well against the brawling, wild style that Cena brought to the ring.

The Viper and "The Champ" have been through it all. They been through singles matches, Iron Man matches, Hell in a Cell, and they've even traded the WWE Championship back on several occasions.

Seemingly, when one had the upper hand, it wasn't long before the other took the lead in their game of "career cat and mouse." It's been quite a while since these two have locked up. I can't say I'm not interested in seeing them go at it once more.

John Cena and CM Punk

I try to be a little less obvious when I go about making a list, but I can't think of a combination better than John Cena and CM Punk. Though they crossed paths a few times before, their on/off feud over the past couple of years has resulted in some of the best matches ever seen on television in a package that appeals to both hardcore and casual wrestling fans alike.

Cena and Punk, have been called "The Rock and Steve Austin of this Era." Personally, I always felt it was more..."The Rock/Chris Jericho" here, but it depends on how you look at it. Either way, there's really nothing that you can say about the Cena-Punk formula that hasn't been said already.

From free TV to pay-per-view, these two have taken each other to the limit time and time again. From their first true battle at Money in the Bank to their most recent encounter earlier this year on Raw, "The Franchise" and "The Indy Superstar" have seemingly found a way to top their previous encounter with each new match.

From Cena's use of the Powerbomb and Punk's use of the Piledriver, it's clear that they know each other far too well for their standard tricks to work in a match. It's seeing them try to not only one-up each other, but also seeing how they try to outsmart each other that makes for some of the most entertaining matches of the PG Era.

In Conclusion

So there you have it. It was a tough list to compile, with some omissions needed, as well as some serious thought. Combinations like Ziggler/Kingston and Sheamus/Wade Barrett just missed the mark for me.

Some combinations still need a bit more time before they can be sure-things (Big E. Langston/Alberto Del Rio is getting up there, and Damien Sandow/Sheamus is one with potential.) And of course, there are other combinations that can be counted on as well, such as Orton/Ziggler and even Kane/Orton (underrated combination, I think.) This was just my top 10.

Leave your thoughts below and thanks for reading. Enjoy the palette cleanser.