Ranking the WWE Rivals with the Best In-Ring Chemistry Today

Ryan DilbertJun 5, 2018

WWE Superstars with stellar chemistry complement and elevate each other like no one else can.

Just about every night, WWE puts two wrestlers in the ring together and hopes entertainment springs from that pairing. Often the result is good, but less often the sparks from two enemies creates a wildfire.

When rivals with amazing chemistry compete, greatness follows.

As tremendous as they've been each time they've locked horns, it's no surprise that CM Punk and John Cena grab a top spot on a list of WWE foes with the best in-ring chemistry. A number of other rivals have been electric together as well.

One will notice that certain wrestlers appear often on this list. Some men just work fantastically with just about anyone. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton are the definition of that kind of WWE Superstar.

Ranked on how great their matches together have been, how many classics they've produced as opponents and how perfectly they seem to fit together in the ring, here are WWE's rivals with the best chemistry in the ring today.

Honorable Mention

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As good as Sheamus and Daniel Bryan's world title bout at Extreme Rules 2012 was, it makes one wonder what those two could have done with more than 18 seconds at WrestleMania 28.

Their bouts on Raw, from their clash on March 14, 2011, to their recent showing on the July 8 episode earlier this year, prove that that 2-out-of-3 Falls match was no fluke.

Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston have had a number of very good matches, Night of Champions 2010 for example, but they don't have a true classic among all those impressive performances.

Randy Orton has shown great chemistry against Bryan, Alberto Del Rio and Rob Van Dam in recent bouts, Wade Barrett and Sheamus always deliver entertaining brawls and Del Rio and Cody Rhodes have shown they can produce a main event level match together.

The rivals who ranked higher than all of these have turned their chemistry into classics and enthralled us with their animosity at a higher level.

7. Antonio Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan

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Standout Match

Raw, July 22, 2013 (Gauntlet match)

Aside from their work together at Ring of Honor, including a memorable fight at Northern Navigation 2008, Antonio Cesaro and Daniel Bryan haven't met in the ring often.

Many of the rivals who didn't make the list have compiled a number of matches worthy of a B grade. Cesaro and Bryan overtake them with a single A+ effort.

Cesaro's strength, Bryan's speed and both men's elite mat skills forged together make for an unforgettable clash. Forearms, dropkicks and near-falls gave fans a glimpse of a potential rivalry worthy of the main event.

6. Antonio Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston

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Standout Matches

Antonio Cesaro is even more in sync with Kofi Kingston than he is with Daniel Bryan.

Cesaro and Kingston have made Wednesday nights must-see with hard-hitting and dramatic matches that feel more like pay-per-view fare than TV bouts. Like with Bryan, Cesaro's power contrasts beautifully with Kingston's speed.

Cesaro's superplex from the apron juxtaposes Kingston flying around the ring.

Each time they battled for the United States Championship it felt like victory mattered more than normal, that a midcard title often underused and appreciated was suddenly a trophy worthy of every bruise and swollen body part.

5. The Shield vs. Daniel Bryan

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Standout Matches

TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2012
Raw, April 22, 2013 (with Kane and Undertaker)
Payback 2013 (with Randy Orton)

It's no coincidence that The Shield started their WWE careers off with a string of great matches and that Daniel Bryan was a part of a good chunk of those bouts.

Bryan has played both the victim who goes crashing through a table and the aggressor, seemingly powered by a jet engine as he hurls himself at Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Each member of The Shield has had good matches against Bryan individually and every combination of partner alongside Bryan has ended with entertaining action in the ring. It brings back memories of Dusty Rhodes battling various combinations of The Four Horsemen.

Rollins and Bryan have clicked especially well together, each one seemingly try to out motor the other, crashing into each other with the recklessness of a daredevil. This is the rivalry WWE would most benefit from tapping here.

Look for a five-star match between Rollins and Bryan in the next few years.

4. Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian

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Standout Matches

SummerSlam 2013
Extreme Rules 2011

WWE was wise to revisit Alberto Del Rio and Christian's feud from 2011.

Those two foes worked seamlessly together then and did so again during their brief feud in 2013. Each time they faced off on SmackDown, they made it difficult for them to top themselves, but each time they did.

Their SummerSlam match won’t get the attention it deserves because it was part of a pay-per-view with two other classic bouts. Still, Del Rio and Christian impressed yet again with fluid ring work.

The rivals combined speed, athleticism and spots violent enough to leave the audience cringing to produce the same kind of magic we saw from them at Extreme Rules 2011.

In an interview with Bootleg Kev of Power 98.3, Del Rio called Christian one of his favorite wrestlers and performers and it's not hard to see why. Some of Del Rio's best work has been against "Captain Charisma."

3. Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk

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Standout Matches

Fans who saw these two men battle during their days at Ring of Honor knew that they had special chemistry.

Daniel Bryan and CM Punk grew as performers in the time from their meeting at Reborn: Stage 1 in 2004 to their rivalry for the WWE Championship in 2012 and it made their already great matches even better.

This is not a rivalry with the drawing power of John Cena against The Rock, but it's a purist wrestling fan's dream. Bryan and Punk rode technical wizardry, emotion and an impressive smoothness in the ring to create masterpieces each time out.

2. Christian vs. Randy Orton

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Standout Matches

Raw, Feb. 14, 2005
Over the Limit 2011
SummerSlam 2011
Raw, Aug. 26 2013
Smackdown, Aug. 2, 2013 (Triple Threat match with Rob Van Dam)

When one compiles Randy Orton's greatest matches, Christian's name is going to come up often. The same goes for Christian.

Seeing them do battle is to see near-perfection. Their classic at SummerSlam 2011 is the best example of how powerful the stories told in the ring with these two are, but each meeting has been memorable.

Their long history together combined with their energy, fluidity and precision make them ideal dance partners. Christian darts around the ring and Orton catches him, a viper snatching an eagle out of the air.

They continue to come up with creative counters for each other's moves, making every match a new piece of art.

1. John Cena vs. CM Punk

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Standout Matches

Sometimes rivals seem born to face each other.

Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair converged to compose greatness time and time again, as did Kenta Kobashi against Mitsuharu Misawa and Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Add John Cena and CM Punk to that group.

The contrast between Punk and Cena go beyond wrestling styles; it's a collision of two worlds every time they fight.

Punk is the rebel while Cena represents the establishment. Cena is more mainstream, has been in movies and is Hulk Hogan to Punk's Randy Savage in terms of position with the company. That juxtaposition makes for intrigue as they do battle, when power and mat wrestling, showboating and knees to the chin merge.

Their Money in the Bank 2011 match was the clear match of the year. Their showdown on Raw earlier this year ranks as one of the greatest matches ever shown on that program.

Going forward, WWE must be wise in revisiting this rivalry to have Punk and Cena churn out more classics, but avoid overdoing it. Even the greatest symphony can lose its luster by being overplayed.