WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (2024)

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WWE star struts Miami catwalk while pregnant

Leah Van Dale, a WWE star who goes by Carmella, walked the runway during Miami Swim Week while six months pregnant. The wrestler is expecting her first child with husband Matt Polinsky, also known as Corey Graves.

The pro wrestling world was on fire in 2023 with the top promotions all gaining significant traction, thanks to the top superstars who have carried the business for years.

WWE benefited greatly.

In one of the more surprising moments outside the ring, WWE and UFC merged to form a new company, TKO Group. It launched a new era for the company.

It was among the most notable WWE happenings in 2023. Let’s look back at some of the best moments of the year.

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Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley win Royal Rumble

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (2)

Superstar Cody Rhodes arrives at the red carpet for the premiere of the Peacock original WWE documentary "American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes" July 18, 2023, in Sandy Springs, Ga. (WWE via Getty Images)

Cody Rhodes returned to a WWE ring for the first time since he tore a pectoral muscle and wrestled in a Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins in June 2022. Rhodes was the final entrant in the men’s Royal Rumble match and eliminated Gunther to earn a shot at the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. From then on, he would focus on "finishing the story."

Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan began the match as the first and second competitors, respectively, and cleared everyone out of their way. It was down to those two and Asuka. After the Japanese superstar spit mist in Morgan’s face, Ripley eliminated her. Ripley then head scissored Morgan to the floor to win the match. She challenged Charlotte Flair for the title.

Sami Zayn turns on Roman Reigns, challenges him at Elimination Chamber

Before everyone’s attention turned to WrestleMania, Roman Reigns and The Bloodline had unfinished business with Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble. Reigns and Owens went 1-on-1, and Reigns retained the title. Reigns gave Zayn the opportunity to beat Owens down after the match, but he declined and instead gave Reigns a chair shot, officially ending Zayn’s time with the faction.

Zayn challengeD Reigns at the Elimination Chamber premium live event for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship in his hometown of Montreal. Zayn came close to upsetting Reigns in front of an electric crowd but fell short. However, The Bloodline would fracture even more with Jey Uso refusing to beat down Zayn.

John Cena confronts Austin Theory

John Cena confronted Austin Theory in an intense promo weeks before WrestleMania 39. After Theory made fun of his thinning hair, Cena said he would "rather be bald than have them pipe in fake crowd noise for my matches because nobody cares."

Cena roasted Theory and made their United States Championship match at WrestleMania official. Theory won the match.

Rhea Ripley tops Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (4)

Rhea Ripley during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium April 1, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Ripley and Flair had their match at WrestleMania 39 Night 1 at SoFi Stadium and put on a pretty strong performance for the crowd.

In a lengthy match, Ripley knocked out Flair at the top rope and got her ready for the Riptide. Ripley completed it and slammed Flair home. She would cover Flair for the 1-2-3 and win the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

She was later named the RAW women’s champion and holds the title to this day.

'STONE COLD' STEVE AUSTIN TALKS STATE OF PRO WRESTLING, 'HONORED' TO HAVE LASTING IMPACT ON WWE

Roman Reigns beats Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (5)

Cody Rhodes wrestles Roman Reigns in the Undisputed WWE Universal Title Match during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium April 2, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

It was uncertain who was going to win this match going in. Reigns had the lengthy title reign and the boost of The Bloodline behind him despite its apparent fissures. Rhodes had said he needed to "finish the story" to everyone who would listen.

As Rhodes thought he was going to win, Solo Sikoa entered the ring and hit the Samoan Spike on Rhodes. Reigns pinned Rhodes and picked up the stunning victory.

Bad Bunny defeats Damian Priest

Bad Bunny and Damian Priest faced off at Backlash in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny came out to an electric crowd and was considered to have one of the best entrances all year.

The match was intense as ever as Priest delivered a Falcon Arrow to Bad Bunny on an elevated platform through the table. Later in the match, Bad Bunny hit the Bunny Destroyer on Priest and got the pinfall. But the match was considered one of the best of the year.

Seth Rollins wins World Heavyweight Championship

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (6)

Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch June 27, 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

With Reigns becoming more exclusive to SmackDown, Paul Levesque unveiled the World Heavyweight Championship on RAW with a tournament for the championship.

Seth Rollins and A.J. Styles were the finalists for the tournament and fought at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. The two went back and forth with a bevy of aerial maneuvers to get a leg up against each other. Styles even used Rollins’ pedigree finisher to try to get the fall.

However, Rollins got the upper hand with a superkick and a pedigree of his own. He then hit the Curb Stomp to finish off Styles. Rollins has held the title since then and has proclaimed himself a fighting champion.

WWE'S VINCE MCMAHON TALKS MASSIVE SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR VETERANS, IMPORTANCE OF AMERICAN FLAG

Gunther’s historic Intercontinental Championship reign

Gunther has been one of the most dominant superstars in WWE over the last year. He won the Intercontinental Championship in June 2022 and had a wild match against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre to retain the title. By September, he became the longest reigning Intercontinental champion, surpassing The Honky Tonk Man’s 454-day reign.

Gunther was ranked No. 4 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 singles wrestlers in 2023. Gunther is likely being set up for a major 2024.

Damian Priest, Iyo Sky win Money In The Bank

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (7)

Iyo Sky enters the ring during the WWE Backlash at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelo May 6, 2023, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/ Getty Images)

Damian Priest and Iyo Sky both won their respective Money in the Bank ladder matches and earned a championship title shot any place and any time. Priest has been holding the briefcase since then and has missed out on cashing the title in, most recently at Survivor Series: WarGames.

Sky cashed her briefcase in at SummerSlam after Bianca Belair defeated Flair and Asuka in a triple threat match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She then retained her title at Fastlane thanks to help from the returning Kairi Sane. With Damage Control by her side, Sky appears to be set to be a champion for a long time.

LA Knight’s rise

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (8)

LA Knight walks to the ring. (WWE)

LA Knight had a sudden and organic rise to the top of WWE. From nearly winning the Money in the Bank ladder match to teaming up with John Cena, Knight certainly earned his shot at Reign’s championship at Crown Jewel.

Though he lost, Knight’s personality and gimmick harkened back to the old Attitude Era for pro wrestling fans. He’s one of the top guys on the SmackDown roster and is poised for an even bigger 2024.

"Yeah!"

Logan Paul wins US title

On the surface, there was nothing about Logan Paul that screamed professional wrestler. But he started the year proving the naysayers wrong. He had an incredible coast-to-coast spot with Ricochet at the Royal Rumble and then entered his WrestleMania 39 match against Rollins on a zipline.

Paul appeared to earn the respect of the pro wrestling world with his performance in the Money in the Bank ladder match, though he came up short. He then defeated Ricochet at SummerSlam with the help of brass knuckles. The YouTube star caped off his incredible year with a U.S. title win against Rey Mysterio.

Paul figures to be a big player in the company in 2024 and will soon have his first challenge for his title.

CM PUNK SHOCKS PRO WRESTLING WORLD WITH WWE RETURN

CM Punk, Randy Orton cap wild WWE returns

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (9)

CM Punk makes a shocking return to WWE Nov. 25, 2023. (WWE)

In 2023, WWE had some massive returns from superstars who have previously left the company. Sane returned later in the year, but it was Chelsea Green and Nia Jax who came back to the Royal Rumble. Trish Stratus and Lita also returned to the ring.

Carlito came back at Backlash to help Bad Bunny defeat Priest, and Jade Cargill became the first former All Elite Wrestling superstar to make a WWE appearance.

At Survivor Series: War Games, there were three major returns. Before Orton, R-Truth was seen in the back interacting with some other superstars. It had been about a year since he’d been seen on WWE TV after he suffered an injury.

Orton was already set to participate in the War Games match with Rhodes, Zayn, Owens and Rollins against Judgment Day and McIntyre. He helped the Rhodes-led team win the match.

But what nobody expected was the return of CM Punk. The crowd went crazy as Punk made his appearance at War Games. Punk and AEW had parted ways only a few months prior. Now, both Orton and Punk are set to build major matches in 2024.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

WWE's wild returns, LA Knight's rise, Roman Reigns' dominance highlight big 2023 (2024)

FAQs

Is Reigns still a Champion? ›

Following his title win, Reigns would successfully defend the title against Elias, Jason Jordan, Cesaro, and Samoa Joe before losing it back to The Miz on the 25th Anniversary of Raw on January 22, 2018, ending his reign at 63 days.

Who is the richest wrestler? ›

Top 5 richest WWE wrestlers

Vince McMahon tops the list with a staggering net worth of $3.2 billion, with Dwayne Johnson and Stephanie McMahon following in. Vince McMahon is by far the richest WWE icon being the CEO of the company itself. He is a former professional wrestler and owns 57% of WWE's Class A common stock.

Who is the king of WWE all time? ›

1) Hulk Hogan

Throughout his career, Hogan won the WWE Championship six times and toppled legends like Andre the Giant, Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage. Even after an eight-year absence, Hogan returned for Wrestlemania X-8 and gave one of the best performances ever against The Rock.

Who is the WWE Universal Champion in 2024? ›

Cody Rhodes

Who is the current undisputed champion in 2024? ›

Who is the Undisputed WWE Champion? There's no disputing the fact that Cody Rhodes is the de facto face of WWE in 2024 — he's held the Undisputed WWE Championship since WrestleMania XL when he finally “finished the story” and defeated Roman Reigns.

Is Roman Reigns retired? ›

Who is Roman Reigns' twin brother? ›

Who is Roman Reigns' real wife? ›

Will Roman Reigns leave WWE? ›

Thankfully, that is not the case. Instead, Roman is simply taking time away from television at the moment. With a few exceptions, injured stars or those not currently on-screen aren't part of the 2024 WWE Draft. Roman is currently on a break, including doing an acting gig.

Did Roman Reigns come back to SummerSlam 2024? ›

5, 2024.

Who owns WWE? ›

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings.

Is Paul Heyman married in real life? ›

Who is the WWE champion in 2023? ›

The new World Heavyweight Championship was announced by Triple H heading into the 2023 WWE Draft. A tournament was held to crown the new champion culminating with Seth" Freakin" Rollins defeating AJ Styles at WWE Night of Champions 2023.

Who is number one in WWE? ›

He might not call himself the Big Dog anymore, but when it comes to professional wrestling, there is no one bigger right now than Reigns, the Undisputed WWE universal champion, and that doesn't figure to change in 2024.

Which WWE superstar passed on in 2023? ›

Droz. Another tragic passing in 2023, former WWF and ECW star Darren "Droz" Drozdov passed away at the age of 54 from natural causes on June 30. Droz went to the WWF after a career in the NFL.

Who is the boss of WWE 2023? ›

The following month, McMahon announced his retirement from WWE, but his return to WWE as executive chairman was confirmed in January 2023.

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