Ranking the 10 best WWE Matches of the past decade

As we wrap up yet another decade, it gives us a great chance to reflect, and despite RAW and SmackDown's troubles in the past few years, 2010-2020 has given us plenty of amazing matches to look back on. With NXT coming into the fold proper half way through the decade, the quality of wrestling went up even higher, and adding in the great Women's Revolution, WWE has shown off some fantastic wrestling.

While companies like AEW, New Japan, Impact, Ring of Honor and others have put on some amazing contests, WWE remains the biggest company in the world, and today we are going to focus on them. So without further ado, sit back and read along as we look back at the last decade and analyse WWE's 10 best matches over that time.

There have been countless great matches in WWE over that time, so let us know in the comments below which matches you would have had on this list.

#10 John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan - SummerSlam 2013

Daniel Bryan and John Cena are two of the best Superstars of this decade, and when they collided at SummerSlam, it was an epic encounter. The promo leading into it was one of the best in WWE history, with Los Angeles indie PWG even getting a mention. And on this night, two of the greatest went to work.

The contest was back and forth, and Bryan got a surprise victory, becoming the WWE Champion to continue his 'Yes' Movement, but it was what happened after the contest that's most memorable.

Triple H hit Bryan with a Pedigree, leading to a Randy Orton cash-in, kickstarting the movement that would get the Leader Of The Yes Movement to the main event of WrestleMania 30, but that shouldn't overshadow what an amazing contest this was.

#9 The Revival vs. DIY (2-out-of-3 Falls) - NXT TakeOver: Toronto

Once upon a time, tag team wrestling was key to WWE's success, but over the past decade, it has largely been ignored on RAW and SmackDown Live. Thankfully for the fans, Triple H and NXT love tag team wrestling, and there's been plenty of great matches over the past few years. But the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest is DIY vs. The Revival in a 2-out-of-3 Falls contest back in Toronto.

The match started off slow, but all four men are incredibly talented together, and they build the match perfectly, leading to the finale of both members of DIY forcing Dash and Dawson to submit together.

This was one of the best rivalries in NXT history, and this contest is the pinnacle of that, showing us that tag team wrestling can still be fantastic, if given the right time and story to tell.

#8 Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

The biggest positive in wrestling over the past few years has been the rise of the Women's Revolution, and no match in WWE highlights that positive more than Bayley and Sasha Banks battling over the NXT Women's Championship in Brooklyn. The build going into it was fantastic, and for 15 minutes, they had a back and forth battle that was just as good as any men's match we've seen in quite some time, and culminated in a very emotional moment.

Bayley hit a massive move from the top rope before hitting her patented Bayley-to-Belly for the win, but not before both women won over the sold-out crowd at the Barclays Center.

When the two embraced, it was hard not to feel proud of how far the women in WWE had come, and even though the Iron Woman Match they followed this up with was amazing, NXT found magic on this night.

#7 CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar - SummerSlam 2013

When Brock Lesnar originally returned to WWE, he was almost unstoppable, so when The Best in the World stepped up to challenge him at SummerSlam, fans were understandably excited to witness a classic. The build to this contest was amazing (as you'd expect from CM Punk and Paul Heyman), and with the personal animosity between the three men, the match was bound to be a physical contest.

This is arguably Lesnar's best WWE match since making his return, and despite the fact that the part-time performer came out on top yet again, the Second City Saviour did his best to convince the fans he could slay The Beast.

For some reason, this match is always overlooked, but watching it again, this shows exactly why WWE has been great for so many years, as it showcased the very best of professional wrestling, something these two men are so great at.

#6 AJ Styles vs. John Cena - Money in the Bank 2016

There are many dream matches out there in wrestling right now, but the last true dream to come true happened in 2016, when just months after his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles stood across from John Cena.

Styles had been tearing it up since his debut, and with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson by his side, promising to "Beat up John Cena", he did exactly that in a fantastic match.

Despite both mens ages and experience, this one was still amazing, as you'd expect from such professionals. Despite the interference to hand Styles the victory, the match itself was still amazing.

They'd go on to wrestle at SummerSlam and Royal Rumble over the next few months, and while they were great, they just couldn't top the first, which will go down as a wrestling dream match that truly lived up to and even exceeded the hype.

#5 Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa - NXT Takeover: New Orleans

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa is arguably the best WWE rivalry of the past few years. After the turn in Chicago and all the animosity, the two finally went to battle in New Orleans. The atmosphere was absolutely electric, and the two men tore shreds off of each other for quite some time, even getting so physical that it felt uncomfortable to watch at times.

But, that's exactly what this rivalry needed, as these two men were such vital parts of NXT before Ciampa's heartbreaking betrayal, so this was a showcase of exactly how grudge matches in wrestling should be done.

The two would go on to have another two incredible contests, but the first one was the best, given all the elements involved, solidifying them as two of, if not the best NXT Superstars we've ever seen.

#4 Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton - WrestleMania XXX

Once in a while, WWE nails it, and from SummerSlam 2013 up to WrestleMania XXX, the story of Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority is a perfect example of that. At every turn, Bryan had odds stacked up against him and even coming into this night, his title match wasn't guaranteed. But after defeating Triple H in the night's opening contest, The Leader Of The Yes Movement was added to the main event.

The match was a classic Triple Threat, involving plenty of storytelling and interference, but Bryan wasn't going to let years of being held backstop him on this night, as he submitted The Animal to reign supreme.

The image is something that the fans in New Orleans and around the world will remember for a lifetime, because this was the ultimate long-term story done so well, and WWE got lucky with these three men putting on an incredible show to close out WrestleMania.

#3 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn - NXT TakeOver: Dallas

Nakamura and Zayn put on a show for the NXT Universe

NXT likes to do things simple: put two incredible performers in the ring in front of a rabid crowd, and let the magic happen, and that was displayed no better than Takeover: Dallas back in 2016. This was the WWE debut for the Japanese sensation Shinsuke Nakamura and for 15 minutes, these two put on a classic contest that has defined NXT and it's history to this day.

Three years later, both men are together on the main roster, and after the respect that they gained for each other on this night, that's no surprise, as this was beauty from beginning to end. Unsurprisingly, the debut of Nakamura and the NXT farewell of Zayn ended with a Kinshasa for the 1-2-3, but both men absolutely elevated their standings in WWE on this night, and gave the fans in Dallas a night they'll never forget.

#2 Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - WrestleMania 26

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had an absolute thrilling contest at WrestleMania 25 (happened in 2009, before anyone asks), but a year later, the two upped the stakes and had yet another. In Arizona, the two icons of the wrestling business went back-and-forth, but unfortunately, HBK's legendary career had to come to an end at some point, and it was on this fateful night.

Despite his best efforts, the HBK just couldn't break through The Undertaker and his mighty undefeated streak, but he went out with his head held high in one of the best wrestling matches in WWE history.

The Deadman would go on to have some thrilling contests in the next few years, but this was still his best WrestleMania match of the decade, and at their ages, it shows just how good both these men were and are at professional wrestling.

#1 CM Punk vs. John Cena - Money in the Bank 2011

This was WWE's first five-star match in over 14 years, and given the quality of everything surrounding it (in ring work, story, characters, electricity in the building), it really was a perfect storm.

It was widely known that CM Punk was looking to leave the company given his contract was up, so no one truly believed he would come out as WWE Champion, but the 16,000 strong in Chicago willed it to happen.

The atmosphere was one of the most incredible in WWE history, and after a long, hard-fought contest, Vince McMahon tried to appear, but this led to the hometown hero hitting a GTS for the 1-2-3. The story following this was terrible, as WWE struggled mightily to capitalise on the 'Summer of Punk', but on this night, WWE created absolute magic that we may never truly see again.

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