While a lot has changed in pro wrestling, it is notable how much is still the same. WWE is still the king of the wrestling world while ROH and TNA are plugging away trying to get fans to pay more attention. There are even a lot of the same stars around such as John Cena, Randy Orton and others. But a lot of other things have changed for the business, both good and bad. There have been moments where it looked like WWE was going to change majorly only for the status quo to return. There have also been times when it appeared as if TNA or ROH was going to take the next step up but didn’t make it pay off.
But there have been a lot of great things in wrestling in the last decade. It’s not just amazing matches or huge shows but things that shifted the business for the better. There have been rises in everything from indies to revivals of certain segments of wrestling that fans loved. There have been new brands and even a long-overdue competitor to WWE that have shaken things up. From an epic promo to surprising returns, here are 10 of the best things to happen to wrestling in the last decade as a reminder of how much really did change in the last decade.
10 Fan Favorites Rising to the Top
Yes, WWE will still push guys Vince is determined to make champions no matter what (Jinder Mahal springs readily to mind). But WWE has also proven willing to allow a worker to rise to the top due to the massive fan support for them. Daniel Bryan is the most obvious case as WWE knew fighting the huge fan support for him was futile.
It continued with Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, and Kofi Kingston all coming out as champs in the end. Vince will still push his favorites but it gives hope how several times in this decade, it’s the fans who decided who would be the face of the company.
9 Tag Team Revival
In the late 2000s, tag team wrestling was on a downturn with far too many ad hoc teams and brief title reigns. It took a bit but the 2010s saw a great revival of tag team wrestling with scores of great pairings around. WWE could provide some terrific teams from the New Day to the Usos and really cared about making tag wrestling mean a lot.
That’s especially true for the great duos NXT has provided. TNA had some fun teams themselves while the Young Bucks soon broke out as arguably the best team of the decade. While a few teams may be rough, the revival of tag wrestling is a good thing to brighten up the wrestling world.
8 Surprising Returns
What do Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, the Ultimate Warrior, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg all have in common? They’re five guys fans in 2009 were absolutely sure would only pop up on WWE TV when Hell froze over. Instead, all five made returns, some for the Hall of Fame and others to allow their legacies to grow more. Say what one will about Goldberg and Lesnar but their title runs did get fans going.
It’s great seeing guys like Bruno get their due rather than be forgotten. It’s continued with CM Punk’s recent return and showing how you really can never say never when it comes to a major star returning to WWE.
7 British Wrestling Rising
For a long time, whenever international wrestling was mentioned, Japan and Mexico were the nations that came to mind. The United Kingdom was mostly ignored in terms of being a major power. But the 2010s changed that as British wrestling not only thrived but also made its impact in the mainstream. With more incredible stars coming from that part of the world, WWE had to pay attention and create NXT UK.
That’s allowed Paige, Pete Dunne, Finn Balor, Walter, and others to become huge stars in the U.S. as well. The stiffer British manner allows this to thrive and the UK is now an influential force on the business.
6 The Rock Returns
This is one return so huge that it merits its own entry. On Valentine’s Day, 2011, WWE fans got the greatest gift they could ask for as the Rock made his first appearance in the ring in seven years. At first, it was to host WrestleMania but the Rock was soon embarking on a war of words with John Cena that gave fans the dream match of two stars of different decades facing off in some epic encounters.
The Rock has made more appearances and his Hollywood stardom has meant more attention for WWE. If nothing else, the Rock shows today’s WWE stars what being a wrestling icon means.
5 Punk’s Pipebomb
Some moments in wrestling become instantly immortal. On June 27th, 2011, CM Punk strolled out to the rampway on RAW, sat down and proceeded to deliver one of the greatest promos in the history of the business. For the next five minutes, Punk ripped into Vince McMahon, HHH, John Cena, the entire product and even the fans in a blistering tirade that summed up what a lot of folks thought of WWE.
It turned him from just a star to a huge icon and pushed Punk’s dominating reigns as champion. Punk’s stunning recent return just highlights how the shockwaves of this bomb resonate today.
4 The WWE Network
The rise of streaming services has been one of the biggest entertainment business stories in the last decade. WWE was a bit ahead of the curve by establishing the WWE Network in 2014. Obviously, the key draw is the incredible library of past shows from various territories but the Network has gone out of its way to producing some amazing stuff on its own.
It's had original series, documentaries and given NXT a home. They've even managed to uncover such lost gems as the Tom Magee match and the Last Battle of Atlanta. Being able to access the greatest wrestling library ever is a dream come true for many fans.
3 AEW
It’s not just AEW itself that’s great (although it does show real promise). It’s what it represents as it’s finally giving WWE some competition (let’s face it, TNA has never been competition). A brand new wrestling league immediately getting a prime-time deal on TNT and boasting some of the hottest acts on the indies was going to get attention.
That’s paid off as AEW has been getting great ratings and clearly pushing WWE to make some daring moves. It’s the kick in the pants wrestling has needed and AEW proving there can still be room for the growth of a new company.
2 The Women’s Revolution
Remember what women’s wrestling was like in 2009? WWE matches were brief and only memorable for ladies in hot outfits. Even TNA wasn’t that well off with the Knockouts on a decline. It took a while before WWE finally woke up to how real women’s wrestling was needed.
Since 2015, the women in WWE have been on the rise, culminating in Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte headlining WrestleMania. It’s proven that women can succeed in wrestling without showing off skin and be true stars for the business.
1 NXT
NXT has been the saving grace for WWE this decade. HHH’s idea of a special farming program has turned into an incredible separate brand that has given WWE new stars and new life. The TakeOver specials have stolen the show from the big PPVs with New Orleans the only WWE show ever to get two five-star rated matches from Dave Meltzer.
While some NXT stars have faltered on the main roster, others have thrived as it gives them the training and preparation for the WWE style. NXT is truly one of the best moves WWE made this past decade.