The 2010s are coming to a close. WWE fans witnessed the meteoric rise of CM Punk in 2011 and his abrupt departure in early 2014. Daniel Bryan went from one of the most universally respected independent wrestlers in the world to a certified WWE main eventer.
John Cena shored up his legacy as an all-time legend in his WrestleMania interactions with The Rock. The Undertaker’s streak ended. The Shield debuted. Brock Lesnar returned and redefined what a world champion might look like in the modern era. The Women’s Revolution fundamentally altered the place of women’s wrestling in WWE in the latter half of the decade.
This article takes a look back and evaluates WWE from its least impressive to its very best in the 2010s.
10 10. 2010
At the start of a new decade, WWE was far from at its best. The first legs of the year saw the surprise return of Edge, miscast as a face. His Royal Rumble victory was fun but forgettable and set up a deflating loss to Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, while WWE wedged Batista into a farewell feud opposite John Cena over the WWE Championship. The retirement of Shawn Michaels took another top star out of the mix, and the closest thing to a replacement at the top of the card was The Miz.
WWE threatened to regain momentum with a hot start to the Nexus angle, but the faction’s thorough domination at the hands of Cena quickly wore away at them. These young lions getting pushed back felt emblematic of WWE at a crossroads and not yet ready to really get behind fresh stars.
9 9. 2013
On paper, WWE had some heat going into 2013 with The Shield having recently debuted, Team Hell No thriving, CM Punk wrapping up a historic title run, and The Rock temporarily in the mix. WrestleMania 29 revealed the cracks in the company, including low lights like Triple H shattering Brock Lesnar’s air of invincibility and an unnecessary and uninspired revisiting of The Rock vs. John Cena.
The year would peak with an excellent SummerSlam show, highlighted by Daniel Bryan pinning Cena and a fun war between Punk and Lesnar. As WWE settled into fall, though, The Authority immediately felt like a slog, and Bryan’s future as a main eventer looked to be in jeopardy.
8 8. 2014
WrestleMania 30 in many ways captures 2014 in a nutshell, as a year largely defined by Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar.
Bryan dominated the show in New Orleans, winning the match of the night opposite Triple H, and then winning again in a world title barnburner over Randy Orton and Batista. Little did fans know it would be his last great performance of the year, before he missed the latter half of 2014 due to injury.
Meanwhile, Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at ‘Mania in a lackluster match. He’d go on to shock some more in an extended squash of John Cena at SummerSlam as he redefined the WWE Championship picture as part-time champ.
7 7. 2017
2017 saw WWE better diversify its presentation. AJ Styles shored up his footing as an in-ring virtuoso, while Chris Jericho reinvented himself once again as a foil for Kevin Owens. Goldberg and Brock Lesnar redefined what a world title program might look like, including a well-received sprint at WrestleMania 33. Meanwhile, NXT continued to dazzle with its tag team scene in particularly clicking on cylinders between The Revival, #DIY, and The Authors of Pain.
2017 was also the year when Jinder Mahal reigned as WWE Champion in the near-universally panned sustained title run. The women’s divisions on both the main roster and NXT each faced challenges as well. On Raw and SmackDown, the initial luster of the Women’s Revolution was fading, while in developmental, the once sterling division struggled to regain its momentum after exodus of every top star besides Asuka.
6 6. 2015
2015 kicked off as a year of uncertainty. John Cena was receding to a supporting role, Brock Lesnar was as a part-time champion, and Roman Reigns was seemingly positioned to become the new face of the company, despite not having a groundswell of fan support. The year got off to a rocky start with a poorly received Royal Rumble.
Things picked up for WWE at WrestleMania 31 when a seemingly underwhelming card over-delivered, featuring Seth Rollins cashing in Money in the Bank during the main event. Rollins would go on to be the standard bearer for most of the year, proving himself not just a potential star, but one of the best in-ring workers in WWE history.
5 5. 2018
2018 was a tumultuous year for WWE. The year included the arrival of Ronda Rousey and NXT reaching new heights as its own brand. Roman Reigns also seemed to at last arrive as “the man” with his SummerSlam victory over Brock Lesnar, only to suffer a tragic setback in leukemia forcing him away from the ring. Major shows in Saudi Arabia had their effects, too, ironically just as women’s wrestling seemed to click on all cylinders for the company.
A fun Shield reunion, a great NXT rivalry between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, and an all-time great show in NXT TakeOver: New Orleans all helped to elevate this year, despite setback for WWE.
4 4. 2019
2019 may be best defined by its power couple of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Rollins’s banner year included winning the Royal Rumble and beating Brock Lesnar twice for the Universal Championship. Meanwhile, The Man won her own Royal Rumble, in addition to the main event of WrestleMania 35. Oddly enough, it was WWE pairing up this real-life couple on air that seemed to short circuit momentum for both of them.
2019 had its oddities, between Lesnar yo-yoing in and out of world title pictures, and Kofi Kingston’s unlikely run to WrestleMania 35 and beyond. The year also Bray Wyatt’s reinvention as The Fiend—one of the most captivating characters in WWE history, if questionable in terms of the matches the character has produced.
3 3. 2016
2016 marked a time of change for WWE, including the dawn of a new brand split era and the introduction of the Universal Championship. These transitions were not entirely smooth, particularly given that Finn Balor—the star NXT call up hand-selected to reign as the first Universal Champion—was injured in his crowning match, which sent plans in a tailspin.
2016 was also highlighted by a long feud full of strong matches between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair, the rise of Kevin Owens to main event prominence, and NXT further establishing its reputation for in-ring excellence.
2 2. 2011
At the onset of 2011, WWE looked to be in a place of uncertainty. The Miz had just won the WWE Championship and would wind up carrying it into the main event of WrestleMania, but was he really a star worthy of that acclaim? Meanwhile, though John Cena had grown into his position as the definitive star of his generation, there’s a real argument that the act was tired after he’d spent six years on top.
WWE got the shot of adrenaline it needed when CM Punk dropped his now-iconic Pipe Bomb on Raw, setting up his all time great match with Cena the Money in the Bank PPV. 2011 also saw WWE get behind Daniel Bryan, including a Money in the Bank Ladder Match victory that set up the foundation for his first world title win and emergence as a main event heel.
1 1. 2012
It’s hard to find many years that more assuredly offered something for everyone than 2012, particularly at the top of WWE. The Rock was back to headline WrestleMania against John Cena in one of the biggest matches for star power WWE has ever put on. Brock Lesnar wound up back in the WWE fold too, and faced Cena and Triple H in truly unique, brutal spectacles.
For wrestling purists, though, 2012 may have been all the more captivating for work of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Punk got a credibility boosting surge in winning his heated feud with Chris Jericho before turning heel. Bryan made magic with first his heel champion shtick, then his incredibly fun tag team with Kane. Perhaps best of all, Punk and Bryan staged more than one forgotten classic together in the spring.