To conclude my “Best of WWE in 2022” series, we will conclude with what I believe to be the match of the year. I think with the first full year post-pandemic, we were able to get the full experience of intense WWE matches once again. The pandemic era produced many great matches, but without the roar and reaction of the crowd, we miss a very important element in WWE matches that put it over the top. It was tough to narrow this one down, but I tried my very best. Here are my nominees for WWE Match of the Year.

Becky Lynch (C) vs. Bianca Belair – RAW Women’s Championship (WrestleMania 38)

Bianca and Becky’s match at WrestleMania was the culmination of a long story that goes all the way back to Summerslam 2021. These two put on one of the greatest women’s matches in WrestleMania history, with terrific storytelling, intense spots, and near-falls that had the capacity to catch anyone’s breath. As a metaphorical sign of the war these two engaged in, Bianca sported a visible shiner in her left eye.

The ebbs and flows this match went through to reach its conclusion makes this a memorable moment in both women’s careers. It also helps that both women’s characters perfectly contrasted with each other. They had a few more matches in the calendar year, but nothing compared to this masterpiece.

Gunther (C) vs. Sheamus – Intercontinental Championship (Clash at the Castle)e

Perhaps I am overzealous, but I cannot help but think this has to be a top 5 match of all time for the Intercontinental Championship. Sheamus is at his best with someone who doesn’t mind throwing down, and Gunther is at his best in like manner. And the performance these two put on will be a match that should be remembered for quite some time. WWE is a profession where stories are told with your bodies, and both of these men bore the marks of a war on their chest, their back and everywhere else.

These two were absolutely made to fight each other. I must have re-watched this match an unhealthy amount of times, but do I care? Absolutely not. This is professional wrasslin and it’s purest and finest. There are certain strokes for certain folks and certain styles that resonate with certain people. This was wrestling, fighting, storytelling and everything in between. Damn near perfection.

Roman Reigns (C) vs. Brock Lesnar – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship – Last Man Standing Match (Summerslam)

I cannot find a better way to conclude a seemingly life long rivalry between two superstars that know each other like the back of their hands. I believe this match started to push the boundaries of what a Last Man Standing match truly means. When it’s Last Man Standing, it means you are the LAST MAN Standing. It’s not a matter of merely beating each other with weapons and hitting your finishers over and over again. It’s about literally trying to beat your opponent to the point of damn near incapacitation.

I mean, lifting up half the damn ring and using a forklift to do your dirty work, the brutal looking weapon hits. It was just all so perfect altogether, and it was a poetic end to a feud that appeared to wear out its welcome. I just cannot see how these two can even fight again after that, but if they do, it’ll be too soon.

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins – Hell In a Cell Match (Hell In a Cell)

What I specifically loved about this match was the tone that was set before the match even began. Out first came Seth Rollins mocking Cody’s father with a polka dot-themed look. And then there’s Cody Rhodes, meticulously hiding his torn pectoral muscle until the bell rang.

This match gave me a greater appreciation for Seth. Not only did Seth put Cody over for a third straight high profile match, but he also made sure to protect Cody as best as he could, while still making the match look incredibly brutal. The perfect balance of safety and physicality was reached here.

And of course, while many wondered how Cody was cleared to compete, he put on one of the gutiest performances in WWE history. I highly doubt WWE will consider this again, much less inside Hell In a Cell, but for what we got, it was amazing, and in my opinion, arguably a top 5 Hell In a Cell match in WWE history.

This match also left me wanting more of Cody against different WWE opponents.

The Usos (C) vs. The Street Profits – Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships (Money In The Bank)

I have to show the tag team division love here, as the tag team of the year, The Usos, had a year for the ages. And while this match didn’t define their year, I believe this was their best showing as a collective unit. The Street Profits are one of the undercover most accomplished tag teams on the roster. They have won the RAW, SmackDown and NXT tag team championships (to my knowledge, only The New Day and The Revival have accomplished that trio).

There were rumors spiraling throughout the year that WWE was getting ready to split the Street Profits up and have Montez Ford begin a singles career. Angelo Dawkins also got rave reviews from WWE officials backstage. But I am happy to see that WWE held off on splitting the two up before we got this beauty. Some of the near-falls in this match was some of the best all year.

 

AND THE WINNER IS………..

 

End of story.

I hope you enjoyed my best of series for WWE in 2022. Here’s to more memories in 2023.