Wrestling Inc's Top 5 Matches Of The Week: 1/5/2024

It's a new year, time for the first edition of Wrestling Inc.'s Top 5 of 2024. The past seven days have given wrestling fans plenty of action and plenty of great matches to talk about. AEW debuted its newest PPV, Worlds End, which featured the finals of the first-ever Continental Classic tournament. Fans also found out the identity of the infamous devil — and his fiendish friends — that's been haunting MJF.

Last week's WWE SmackDown was a best-of affair, much like the Raw that aired four days prior, but this week's Raw was a special Day 1 edition that offered action and intrigue, in addition to furthering along some of its current storylines. WWE NXT 

Per usual, this list isn't ranked, so each match is listed in the order in which it took place. Disagree? Feel free, but be sure to tell us your favorites in the comment section.

While it's fair to say that AEW Worlds End was a bit of a mixed bag, the conclusion to the Continental Classic tournament was fittingly excellent. The match set two longtime friends against each other, with Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston both advancing to the end of their respective leagues in the days leading up to Saturday's pay-per-view. It was the first time the two have faced off in singles action in over three years, and the bout didn't disappoint.

Watching how the match was structured, it's clear how familiar these two performers are with one another. Most of the match saw Kingston and Moxley countering each other's strengths and playing up their opponents' weaknesses. Mox continually tried to take Kingston down to the mat, while Kingston emphasized standing strikes.

The two were evenly matched throughout the fight. By the end, both men had taken each other beyond their limits and were barely able to stand. The core story being told throughout this match, and the tournament as a whole, is that Kingston is the type of man who will not give up. While it took him four Urakens, he eventually put away Moxley for the three-count, winning the first-ever Continental Classic and capturing the new AEW/ROH/NJPW Triple Crown.

As a nice touch following the match, Moxley congratulated his friend before quickly getting out of the way and giving Kingston his long-deserved moment in the sun. Kingston ended 2023 on a massive high, and it's exciting to think about what might come next for the veteran in the days ahead.

Written by Nick Miller

Whenever a stipulation is added to a match such as No Disqualifications there is instant pressure on the performers to deliver on that and use it to their advantage, which is exactly what happened at AEW Worlds End between Adam Copeland and Christian Cage. It is often said that real-life friends hit harder against each other, and that seemed to ring true throughout this TNT Championship match. 

At this stage in their careers with the star power they both command, the former WWE Tag Team Champions could easily have taken things easier, but that wasn't the case. They went all out in a truly physical brawl that went up into the crowd and all around ringside using a variety of weapons, including a flaming table spot as they got the maximum mileage out of the stipulation to truly convey the idea that they hated each other. 

With Copeland busted open and Cage playing the cowardly heel that used dirty tricks, it was an easy story to get into. It was simply two men who hate each other, wanting to cause as much punishment as possible, and when that is done well it is an easy recipe for success. It was a win that AEW's Worlds End desperately needed by that point as the PPV had been struggling to build much excitement; the veterans went out and proved exactly why they've had the careers they have. 

However, the big reason that this match was so good was that it wasn't just a hard-hitting affair. They also pieced together some great drama at the end to ensure that a strong story was told. Copeland got the victory to win his first title since coming out of retirement, giving the fans a big pop and something to cling to, but Cage had one more trick up his sleeve. Killswitch had won a No. 1 contender's battle royale earlier in the night, and Cage tapped into that by forcing him to give it up immediately as he won the match back. 

Written by Matthew Wilkinson

WWE fans were treated to a special "Day One" edition of "WWE Raw" on Monday, seeing a surprise appearance from The Rock, and two exhilarating title matches — one of which was for the WWE Women's World Championship.

Following a dominant display against Maxxine Dupri last month, WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley pivoted her attention to the red brand's newest women's roster member, Ivy Nile. Despite being recognized as the underdog in the lead-up to this title match, Nile fought hard to deliver what many now consider to be Ripley's best title defense so far. And while she may be shorter than Ripley, Nile's efforts proved that she could match (and at points, surpass) Ripley's strength.

Viewers saw a glimpse of Nile's power at the beginning of the matchup when she swiftly lifted "The Eradicator" onto her shoulders. As the two competitors later moved the action to the outside, Nile sent Ripley flying onto the floor with a German Suplex. When they each reentered the ring, Nile maintained control with a hurricanrana and a single leg drop pin, from which Ripley subsequently kicked out. Undeterred, Nile followed up with a Tornado DDT for another near fall.

Eventually, Nile tried a different tactic as she utilized the element of flight with a crossbody off the top rope. Unfortunately for Nile, Ripley struck her with a headbutt during her descent, opening the door for her to then deliver the Riptide to retain her WWE Women's World Championship. 

Written by Ella Jay

Like most years, Seth Rollins was a workhorse in 2023 as the reigning and defending World Heavyweight Champion. It only made sense for him to kickstart 2024 by defending against Drew McIntyre in the first "WWE Raw" main event of 2024. While not officially a stipulation, this did feel a bit like a "last chance" of sorts for McIntyre who has had to resort to being a heel again in pursuit of gold. 

"The Scottish Warrior" dictated the pace early on to allow the babyface champ his eventual comeback. Make no mistake, though, it wasn't that simple for Rollins to emerge victorious. Commentator Wade Barrett summed it up best when he said, "Counter for counter from two guys at the top of their game."

Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest made his way down to strike Rollins, but it was McIntyre who capitalized by kicking him and throwing Dominik Mysterio over his head. McIntyre then landed a huge Claymore on the champ that made everyone at home gasp as the camera angle eventually revealed Rollins' foot was on the rope for the nearfall. Rollins ultimately did what he does best — get out of a sticky situation and hit his finisher to escape victorious. 

Watching these two clash on Monday served as a reminder that Rollins and McIntyre have crossed paths a number of times throughout the last 12 years, starting with the inaugural NXT Championship tournament and eventually battling for the "Raw" Tag Team Championship, the WWE Championship, and now the World Heavyweight title. Some wrestlers are destined to do this forever, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing another round from these two down the line.

Written by Colby Applegate

One is "the best wrestler in the world" and the other is "the best wrestler in the world," and professional wrestling is luckily not the kind of art form where those two claims would cancel each other out. Kazuchika Okada and Bryan Danielson are simply two rare, combustible elements that make each other stronger, meaner, and better, and their clash on January 4 in the legendary Tokyo Dome was a fiery display of what can only be described as "spiteful respect" or "loving hatred."

The more the two men hurt each other, the meaner they got, the meaner they got, the more they seemed to be enjoying themselves. By the time Kazuchika Okada pinned Bryan Danielson, he'd kicked him, stretched him, pulled off his eyepatch, and abused his broken orbital bone. When the match was over, Okada was a humble victor and Danielson was beaming with delight, overjoyed with the punishment that Okada laid into him. In the post-match comments, the joyful psychopath Danielson said that he'd been disappointed by his victory over Okada, as Danielson's arm was broken, and "The American Dragon" felt that both he and Okada had let each other down. On Thursday morning, Danielson believed he and Okada finally told the story they were meant to tell, even if it meant he came out the loser.

Written by Ross Berman