5 matches from 2024 that you must re-watch for years to come

Professional wrestling and sports entertainment are two sides of the same coin. Ignore the online vitriol and find your own reasons to enjoy both. Looking back across the industry, there were a lot of great matches worth a rewatch. In fact, these are the top five matches fans must re-watch from the last 12 months of action.

Will Ospreay versus Bryan Danielson at AEW Wrestle Dynasty

Will Ospreay versus Bryan Danielson may be the greatest match in professional wrestling history. Danielson started the year continuing his work to show that AEW has the best talent in the world. He gave his body, and eventually his career, to prove that point. This match with Ospreay is an entry to a catalog for Danielson that may be the absolute best seen in professional wrestling.

Danielson versus Ospreay includes all the high points necessary in a great match. It may not have the over-the-top spectacle of “sports entertainment,” but if you watch this match and are not entertained from start to finish, have your pulse checked immediately. This match had everything that both Danielson and Ospreay are known for. Including an amazing finishing sequence to close things out. Make it a point to re-watch this match in 2025 and almost every year after.

Willow Nightingale versus Kris Statlander at AEW All Out

Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander were put in a tough position at AEW All Out. Their Chicago Street Fight followed the amazing match between Will Ospreay and PAC, a position that can be difficult to survive in a space where fans have limited energy. At least, difficult for those not named Nightingale and Statlander.

These two women went out and for nearly 15 minutes they stole the show. They continued to step on the gas, weaving the story of their hatred into more violence every step of the way. It was the type of match that reminded those in the wrestling community that Statlander and Nightingale are the type of performers the women’s division should be built around for years to come.

Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40

If you love sports entertainment and the plunder involved, then Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes may be your match of the year for 2024. Cody Rhodes went through everything both in front of the camera, and the politics behind it to get to this match. What did that lead to? A spectacle that will be remembered for the shenanigans involving John Cena, Seth Rollins, The Rock, and several others. But do not forget that Reigns and Rhodes were having a great match before all that occurred. There are times when sports entertainment works perfectly and Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns was just that.

Bron Breakker versus Sheamus versus Ludwig Kaiser at WWE Survivor Series

It is hard to argue against Sheamus when he claims he puts on “banger, after banger, after banger.” He’s the go-to WWE leans on to help get a younger performer over, while making them look amazing in the process. Bron Breakker and Ludwig Kaiser are two newer talents who could use the rub that comes from working with someone like Sheamus, and work is just what they did.

This match at Survivor Series stole the show in the eyes of many. Breakker, Sheamus, and Kaiser beat the mess out of each other for nearly 15 minutes. When the dust settled, Breakker kept the title, setting up some interesting opportunities with both men in the future. WWE does triple threat matches well, but with three talents of this level, this match stands out throughout 2024.

Swerve Strickland versus “Hangman” Adam Page at AEW All Out

We get it. Hardcore wrestling may not be everyone’s favorite style. And this match was violent. Exceptionally violent. But it wasn’t just about the violence that happened in the ring that night. This match was about the overall development of two characters into two massive individuals that AEW can continue to build around for the future. What started as a battle between two competitors over the AEW World Championship, things slowly escalated into a situation between two men where violence off the scale was the only outcome. Page walked out the match with the victory, and there’s still so much more to tell between these two talented performers for years to come.