What an extremely wonderful year 2023 has been in wrestling, especially in terms of PPVs/PLEs. From WWE to AEW, NJPW, STARDOM, ROH, and Impact, these and many other promotions delivered outstanding PPVs and making them worth our $9.99...or $49.99. From extraordinary mat wrestling to unhinged, bloodletting violence to stunning storylines and breakout performances, this past year had it all and then some. If you haven't seen any of these events, where the hell have you been? However, for those that have seen all, some, or most, this is your guide to the best PPVs of the year. Do not, folks, sleep on any of the Honorable Mentions either, as these events were very entertaining and engaging as well. With all this being said, let's go into these twenty particularly special events, shall we???
20. NJPW Wrestling Dontaku '23
Fukoka, Japan
5/3/2023
We begin with New Japan's annual Wrestling Dontaku event. While the first half of the card was not the greatest in the world (as they customarily deliver eight and ten man matches that are fast-paced and generally not the most exceptional), it was the latter half that was damn good. Zach Sabre Jr defended the NJPW TV Title against United Empire's juggernaut, Jeff Cobb, in a great match that ended in a time limit draw. Also, we saw new IWGP NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions in CHAOS representatives Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii with Hiroshi Tanashashi defeating Suzuki-Gun (renamed Strong Style) in Ren Narita, Minoru Suzuki, and El Desperado in a thrilling match. Bullet Club leader David Finaly defeated former long time BC member, Tama Tonga to become the IWGP NEVER Openweight Champion in another great match, and SANADA defeated multi-time Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title in an excellent match. No, it wasn't one of the best Dontaku events ever, as many feel that actually last year's was the best of all the Dontaku series. However, this wasn't a bad one either. The main event was the cap to a pretty good Dontaku event and one of the better New Japan events of the year.
19. NXT Battleground '23
Lowell, MA
5/28/2023
NXT has had a pretty decent year. Their special themed NXT shows were overall fun to watch, but their PLEs have stepped up some from last year. Probably the best PLE the brand has presented this past year was Battleground, and for good reason. From the first match of Wes Lee defending the North American Title against challengers Tyler Bate and Joe Gacy, to the main event of Carmelo Hayes successfully defending the NXT Championship against former champion Bron Breakker, this event was full of non-stop action and exciting feels going into each match. The highlight was the brutal and physical Last Man Standing match between Ilja Dragunov and Dijak, as it was a wonder either man could walk away after the fight. Not to mention Tiffany Stratton became NXT Women's Champion defeating Lyra Valkyria in a good one as well. While other events they had such as Great American Bash, No Mercy, and Vengeance Day were all fairly entertaining throughout, this may have been the most physical and each person competing put on performances to be proud of. For sure, HBK was pleased.
18. AEW All In: London
London, England
8/27/2023
The event that made wrestling history. Whether the number was 78,000 or 84,000, the event became among the most attended wrestling events in history. Tony Khan made quite the ambitious goal of having a huge show in Wembley Stadium and he did just that. In 2018, All In changed the course of wrestling history when, thanks to Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, it became the most lucrative and game-changing indie wrestling event of all-time. With over twelve thousand seats attended in Sears Center Arena just outside Chicago, IL, the event was a critical and commercial smash, and laid the groundwork to what would eventually become All Elite Wrestling. 2023 marked the return of All In, only this took place in a WAY bigger venue: Wembley Stadium. This was a LONG cry from the 12,000+ that attended the Sears Arena. Plus, AEW is the second biggest promotion on the planet. As a means of going international, they went to London, and this event was excellent. More than one bit of history was made with this event. Not only was this the most highly attended PPV in decades, but also this would be CM Punk's final in-ring appearance for AEW defeating Samoa Joe in a damn good match, Saraya won the AEW Women's Championship in front of her British crowd with her legendary Knight family in the front row (which is outstanding considering she had been retired for over six years due to neck issues), and Will Ospreay (who was still contractually with NJPW) faced Chris Jericho for the very first time ever, and defeated him. This event could be considered almost as spectacular as the initial All In and for good reason. While there was a black cloud that momentarily overshadowed the event with the Punk/Jack Perry controversy, the overall event was an enormous win for AEW and showed that they officially were the alternative to WWE, and now there was no doubt about it.
17. NJPW Sakura Genesis '23
Tokyo, Japan
4/8/2023
Traditionally, Sakura Genesis is the big event before Wrestling Dontaku and then the big Dominion show. There have been decent to good Sakura Genesis events in the past, but this may possibly be the best one yet. One of the more historic situations that happened in the Sakura Genesis-lore was the unfortunate situation, in which Ketsuyori Shibata delivered that near fatal headbutt to Okada during their otherwise exceptional main event in 2017. No issues like that with this one, but instead several great matches on hand here, with the best being arguably the IWGP World Tag Team Title match between Aussie Open and BISHAMON. One could make a case for Hiromu Takahashi facing Robbie Eagles could've been the match of the night as well. Overall, this was regarded as the best Sakura Genesis event to date and rightfully so. You won't go wrong tuning in to this event.
16. NOAH Keiji Mutoh Grand Final Pro Wrestling Hold Out
Tokyo, Japan
2/21/2023
When Keiji Mutoh (aka The Great Muta) announced 2023 was his last year wrestling, the announcement resonated throughout all of wrestling. The impact Mutoh made within not just Eastern wrestling, but throughout the U.S. as well, especially NWA/WCW, as he was one of the greatest NWA/WCW Television Champions ever. Mutoh influenced generations of Japanese wrestlers, as well as non-Japanese wrestlers as well due to his unorthodox, yet quick and intense style. Not to mention, he had the most symmetrically perfect moonsaults to ever exist. Pro Wrestling NOAH decided to do an entire event dedicated to him and it was a banger of an event. Most of the card consisted of New Japan and AJPW talent facing NOAH talent, and ultimately everyone involved gave their best effort so as to honor Mutoh. Mutoh had a few retirement shows up to this point, but this was perhaps the best of them all. Even having a two-minute exhibition with fellow former Musketeer, Masahiro Chono (a legend in his own right) felt just right considering the momentous occasion. While Okada against NOAH star Maito Kiyomaia was the best match of the night, this was practically a wall-to-wall excellent card of action giving respect to one of the most influential stars to not just impact Japanese wrestling but became a global legend in much the same regards as someone the stature of Antoinio Inoki.
15. ROH Final Battle '23
Garland, TX
12/15/2023
The signature event for Ring Of Honor is Final Battle. It's appropriate that the last event of the year is the event that pretty much encapsulates the kind of year ROH would have for that year. Most times, they're also the best cards the promotion has the whole year too. The year of 2023 was no different. The bittersweet part of this event was that this was also the final big event Jay Briscoe was involved in before his untimely and unfortunate death the next month. He and Mark faced FTR in what has been regarded as one of the single greatest tag team matches of all-time, much less the greatest Dog Collar match ever. This past year's Final Battle was absolutely reflective of the gritty spirit of what the ROH roster contributed throughout the year. Matches such as the very physical I Quit match between Ethan Page and Tony Nese, the colossal battle between former partners Keith Lee and Shane Taylor, and of course the bloodbath that was BCC vs. FTR & Mark Briscoe that was billed as a "tribute to Jay Briscoe." The main event was historic in itself as ROH Women's Champion Athena faced off against young promising upstart, Billie Starkz, and this made it the first time the ROH Women's Championship main evented Final Battle. These two young women laid it all out there in a damn good main event to cap off a VERY good Final Battle, and one that Jay Briscoe would've really enjoyed.
14. STARDOM All-Star Grand Queendom
Yokohama, Japan
4/23/2023
We're off to STARDOM, the premiere women's promotion in the entire business, much less the biggest and most-well known Joshi promotion in the game as well. Capitalizing off their new ownership from BUSHIROAD, the same owners of New Japan, they've been enjoying more mainstream success than before across the western world, with reportedly more shows coming to the States in the near future as well. Their signature event this past year was All-Star Grand Queendom, and they did not miss whatsoever. STARDOM has been known to have Dream Queendom events, which have been more or less outstanding events in themselves, but this was as on par as the Dream Queendoms, if not a little better, which is quite a feat. While the main event of Tam Nakano facing her much-hated rival, Giulia, was one of the best matches presented the entire year from the promotion, other matches like Saya Kimitani facing Mina Shirakawa, REstart vs. Prominence, and Mayu Iwatane against the world-famous Mercedes (don't call her Sasha...yet) Mone were all fantastic matches that exemplified the greatness that STARDOM presents to the world. With all the events exciting events they presented, including Dream Queendom and the ever-illustrious 5STAR Grand Prix tournament, this event was the head of the pack.
13. ROH Supercard Of Honor '23
Los Angeles, CA
3/31/2023
Ring Of Honor presented their sixteenth annual Supercard Of Honor show from L.A. and quite honestly, it was a damn good show. Many moments over the sixteen years of the event have taken place such as The Hardys vs. The Young Bucks in an INCREDIBLE Ladder Match, the late, great Jay Briscoe vs. Kevin (Owens) Steen for the ROH World Title, and of course the wonderful match involving Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong for the title. This past year's SCOH was another excellent addition to the series that continues tremendous matches and very worthwhile main events. Aside from Zero Hour, which wasn't bad in itself, it started off HOT with two of the most awe-inspiring luchadors on the plabet as El Hijo de Vikingo faced Kommander in as thrilling of a match as you'd expect from these two. Also, Mark Briscoe faced Samoa Joe in quite the struggle for the ROH TV Title, but the main event was Eddie Kingston challenging Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title in a match that finally saw Kingston get some respect from Castagnoli after many years of distain from the champion, claiming he was a "bum". The only dark moment of the event came during the "Reach For The Sky" Ladder Match for the ROH world Tag Team Titles when Dante Martin of Top Flight sustained a horrific foot injury where his foot was twisted in a hideous looking position after a spot with Penta El Cero Meido went wrong. That match in itself was CRAZY. All-in-all, this PPV was hard-hitting, exciting action from the jump and left everyone watching, whether in person or at home, feeling Ring Of Honor knocked another great PPV out the park.
12. Impact Hard To Kill '23
Atlanta, GA
1/13/2023
Impact Wrestling had one of their best years in recent times in 2023. Just about every PPV was on point and consistent, yet almost criminally underrated compared to the likes of PPVs from WWE, NJPW, and AEW/ROH. One of them, in particular, was the first event of the year, Hard To Kill. Atlanta witnessed a fairly consistent and evenly distributed PPV. Between a wild six-man match to a very physical World Championship match between the champion, Josh Alexander and the ever notorious HOFer (and Busted Open Radio co-host) Bully Ray in a Full Metal Mayhem match to Mickie James defeated the ever impressive Jordynn Grace to not just win the Knockouts title once again, but to keep her Impact career, this event was very, very good and kept you entertained and involved in the action. This event could easily have set the standard of what would be a fantastic year for the company in terms of in-ring quality and signings. If you ever have a chance to peep Hard To Kill '23 out, you won't regret it one bit.
11. WWE Royal Rumble '23
San Antonio, TX
1/28/2023
WWE's first big PPV of the year (and considered one of the Big 4 of the year), Royal Rumble, was among the most special and historic Rumble events of the past decade. Aside from the very good WWE Universal title match between Kevin Owens and the ever-dominant Roman Reigns, both the men's and women's Rumble matches resulted in performances that lasted over an hour. Rhea lasted sixty-one minutes and won, while I-C Champion, Gunther, lasted approximately seventy-one minutes in the match, feat that may never be replicated anytime soon. Two records made in both Rumble matches is an awesome thing. Cody ultimately won the men's Rumble match after being away for over a year due to a torn pectoral muscle in 2021. The bigger story was after the KO vs. Reigns match when Sami Zayn finally turned on Roman and The Bloodline in what was not only one of the most memorable moments of the year but among the loudest pops of the year as well from the fans. This Rumble event was quite the excellent event and set the stage for what would be among the most watched and lucrative years in company history.
10. Impact Bound For Glory '23
Cicero, IL
10/21/2023
Impact Wrestling's version of Wrestlemania is Bound For Glory. Their signature event has produced some of the promotions most memorable moments. From Sting winning the NWA World Heavyweight title to Rhyno winning three matches in one night to become World Champion to Gail Kim becoming the inaugural Knockouts Champion, Impact has a history that definitely has BFG in the center of them all. With 2023's BFG event, the event was fast-paced and entertaining all throughout, as most Impact PPVs tend to be. However, the event got taken to entire new levels with the best bell-to-bell performer in the world today (and among the greatest of modern wrestling period), Will Ospreay, facing "Speedball" Mike Bailey in a match that has been revered as the greatest Impact Wrestling match of all-time, and for very good reason. While the rest of the card was very good in itself, including the great World Title match between Josh Alexander and champion Alex Shelley and the tag team title match, Opsreay and Bailey stole the entire show and presented BFG on a higher platform than any other show Impact had in 2023. Many would say there have been overall better BFG events in history. Maybe so, but this particular BFG was no slouch whatsoever and bell-to-bell, this was excitement from one of wrestling's underdog mainstream promotions. The heart and passion of everyone involved made Bound For Glory '23 a damn good show.
9. AEW Revolution '23
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2023
AEW's Revolution PPVs have been known for some of the sport's most fantastic moments and some the sport's most exceptional matches. Case in point, the 2020 Revolution PPV saw The Young Bucks face fellow Elite members, Kenny Omega and "Hangman" Adam Page in a match that has been described as "the greatest tag team match on American soil ever" and the arguments against this label are few. In 2022, CM punk and MJF fought in a bloody, yet memorable, Dog Collar Match. On that same card, Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson had an equally bloody and intense match, that ended with the shocking arrival of William Regal. With the 2023 edition of the event, the main centerpiece was the main event, which was a 60 Minute Ironman Match for the AEW World title between Bryan Danielson and champion, MJF. This has been hailed by critics, journalists, and fans as perhaps the greatest Ironman match of all-time, as not only did Danielson once again show why he's among the true GOATs in modern wrestling history, but that the super egotistical and offensively brash MJF was more than just a riot-causing wordsmith. He could legit hang with the best around and possibly gave the best in-ring performance of his career. Add to this the thrilling Trios Tag Title match between champions, The Elite, squaring off the AWESOME House Of Black faction, the sadistic Texas Death Match between Jon Moxley and "Hangman" Adam Page, and the Final Burial Match between Jack Perry and former mentor turned hated rival Christian Cage, and you had a super packed show that is almost up there with the inaugural Revolution as the best Revolution so far. Certainly, in the top ten AEW PPVs in its six-year history.
8. NJPW Dominion' 23
Osaka, Japan
6/4/2023
Many have considered NJPW's Dominion to WWE's Summerslam, as it's considered their second most important PPV behind their version of Wrestlemania, Wrestle Kingdom. If Dominion isn't known for anything else, it became known for arguably the two most astounding matches possibly in New Japan history: both in volving Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada. In fact, it was Dominion '19 where Omega finally won the big one in a match that was sixty-five minutes long and a two out of three falls match defeating Okada. Since then, Dominion has still been putting numbers on the board with excellent matches by the plenty. The 2023 edition saw new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, SANADA, face a reborn and reinvigorated former "young lion", Yota Tsuji, in a very competitive match that nearly saw Tsuji defeat SANADA in what certainly would've been one of the biggest upsets in recent New Japan history. Valiant struggle from the young star, but SANADA came out the victor in a well-earned victory. Other matches such as Zach Sabre Jr against Jeff Cobb, Hiromu Takahashi against Master Wato, and especially CHAOS members Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi facing BCC members, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and New Japan representative, Shota Umino, where this was every bit the brawl, we figured it would be. This past year's Dominion was a hotly contested event and, although this is one of the rare times Okada was not in the main event since the inception of the event in '09.
7. AEW Full Gear '23
Inglewood, CA
11/25/2023
Oh boy! This past year's Full Gear was on the lips and in the mouths of fans and in entertainment as a whole to an extent. While Full Gear has had some moments that have stuck with us since '19 such as Moxley vs. Omega in an Unsanctioned Lights out Street Fight, MJF winning the AEW World title, the epic "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Omega World Title match that Page ultimately won, and Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston, not a single match just mentioned compares to the BLOODSOAKER that was the now infamous, yet legendary, Texas Death Match between the aforementioned Page and Swerve Strickland. The level of barbarism and violence displayed is unlike most we've ever seen within mainstream American wrestling. Of course, the spot of Page thinking he was a vampire with Strickland even made TMZ. This hellacious match had lots of barbed wire, staple guns, barbed wire steel chairs, shattered glass and other objects that help provide this match as the most talked about match of the night and one of the most notorious matches in AEW history. However, the rest of the matches weren't bad whatsoever and were quite excellent in their own right. The Fatal Four Way Tag Team title Ladder Match was a virtual car wreck that you couldn't turn away from, Jericho & Omega vs. The Bucks turned out to be a very good encounter despite having to immediately follow the Texas Death Match, Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida was a very decent Women's title match that saw Storm become the only three-time champion in AEW history, and MJF vs. Jay White was a great main event to close out a show that, especially based upon the antics and horrific sights of the Texas Death Match, nobody will ever forget.
6. WWE Backlash '23
San Juan, Puerto Rico
5/6/2023
For the first time in over two decades, WWE went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a PLE, and man was this fun to witness and experience. WWE's annual Backlash PLE can claim the award of 2023 for most lively and energetic crowd, as the fans showed their passionate gratitude for their LONG-awaited return there. There was high level competition with matches like Bianca Belair vs. Io Skyy for the Raw Women's Title and Seth Rollins vs. Omos, but it was also an emotional evening as Zelina Vega challenged Rhea Ripley for the Smackdown Women's title in her native home in front of family and friends for the very first time. The outpouring of love and adulation for the LWO member was overwhelming and was reduced to tears before and after the match as well. Also, Cody Rhodes faced (as Pat McAfee refers to him) "The alpha male of our species" Brock Lesnar in a very heated contest that saw Lesnar legit busted open quite badly after an exposed turnbuckle spot. However, the eyes of not just wrestling but entertainment were on the match between Judgment Day's Damien Priest and the most streamed artist in all of popular music, Grammy Award winner, Bad Bunny, in a San Juan Street Fight. Seeing the young Reggaeton artist prepping himself by getting motivational talks from Rey Mysterio and Puerto Rican wrestling legend and former WWE star, Savio Vega, was great in itself, but Bunny's entrance was one of the most viewed entrances virally all year, as the entire crowd was singing along to "Chambea", plus the aerial views from the drone in the building were spectacular. The only thing that matched his entrance was the match itself, which was quite physical, and Bunny pulled off a performance that was quite exceptional for someone with no in-ring experience except his Mania 37 match against Miz and John Morrison, with ironically Priest as his partner. While overbooked like crazy, the match was among the most fun matches to watch all year and really helped make Backlash one of the sport's most talked about events of the year.
5. AEW Wrestledream
Seattle, WA
10/1/2023
In October of 2022, the world lost one of the most iconic stars in all of wrestling history, Antonio Inoki. the mega star was arguably the most influential Japanese star to ever exist in wrestling, to where he was even in the first and only "Boxer vs. Wrestler" match against "Th Greatest" Muhammad Ali in the seventies. He was also the founder of New Japan. With AEW and New Japan having an already successful and acclaimed business relationship, tony Khan decided to put on a PPV called Wrestledream, which was also the name of the WWE-SWS event in '91, in dedication to Antonio Inoki. Fresh off a fantastic All Out PPV the prior month, Wrestledream kept the AEW momentum going with a raucous crowd in Seattle, home of the likes of Darby Allen, Swerve Strickland, and Bryan Danielson. The entire event was excellent overall, as every match was full of intensity and guts. While there was much talk about the main event, which was hometown boy, Darby Allen, facing Christian Cage for the AEW TNT Title in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls match, it was the ending that became the hottest news item in the sport, and one of the biggest news items in recent years, as the man formerly known as Edge, Adam Copeland, made his much speculated debut attacking Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne. The event was also heralded for the BRILLIANT wrestling classic between Bryan Danielson and NJPW TV Champion, Zach Sabre Jr. Thios dream match was supposed to take place at the first Forbidden Door, but was put on hold due to Danielson sustaining a concussion. Going into the match he wasn't one hundred percent as he was a nursing a surgically repaired forearm from 2023's Forbidden Door against Okada. None of that was apparent in this phenomenal mat wrestling masterpiece between arguably the two most revered technical wrestlers in the sport today and definitely among the greatest of all time. The multi-time Hall Of Famer Inoki would be very pleased to the action and level of heart showed all throughout the night, and for its very first Wrestledream, it sets the bar for all future Wrestledream events to come.
4. AEW All Out '23
Chicago, IL
9/3/2023
Literally one week after the historic All In: London event happened, AEW came back to States to deliver All Out from Chicago for the fourth straight year. The 2019 show has been considered one of the single greatest wall to wall PPVs in all of modern wrestling history within the western hemisphere. Living up to the mystique All Out has already secured itself isn't easy, but the 2023 edition was very close to meeting that level. With sizzlers such as the first match between Adam Page and Swerve Strickland, Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho for the TBS Title, Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita, and FTR & Young Bucks vs. Bullet Club Gold, but the standout matches were the Leather Strap Match between Bryan Danielson and Ricky Starks in what was a bloody struggle, and Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley in a war that saw a crimson masked Cassidy lose the title to Moxley in one of the best performances we've ever seen OC have. This entire event was a barn burner and considering how much they all put into the prior week's monster event, they kept the ball rolling with All Out and delivered one hell of a PPV.
3. WWE Wrestlemania 39 (Night One)
Inglewood, CA
4/1/2023
It goes without saying that the biggest wrestling (sports entertainment, right WWE kiddies) event in all of the world is Wrestlemania. 2024 will mark forty years since the first Mania, and so many memories have occurred at Mania. While admittedly there haven't been a ton of outstanding Mania events, there have been some that have been among the best PPVs/PLEs ever seen in the business. For many years, the most highly regarded Wrestlemania was Mania 17 from Houston, TX and with matches like Taker vs. Triple H for the first time, TLC 2 with The Dudley Boyz, The Hardyz, and Edge & Christian, and the massive main event of Austin vs. The Rock, in what was easily the best match they have ever had against each other with the mind-blowing ending with Austin and Mcmahon. Since then, Manias such 30-32, 25 and 26 have all been critically acclaimed and considered especially high moments for WWE. Enter Mania 39. A couple of years ago, Wrestlemania took a cue from New Japan and making their signature event a two-night affair, and for the most part, it hasn't appeared to be a bad idea. With Mania 39, night one was absolutely outstanding. Blending highly entertaining moments such as Pat McAfee's return to face Miz in an impromptu match to very good matches such as Seth Rollins vs. a very highly impressive Logan Paul and the father vs. son match of Rey Mysterio vs. his son, Dominik. However, the two biggest matches of the evening belonged to Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Smackdown Women's Championship and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. The Usos for the WWE Tag team titles, as they made history being the first to ever have a tag team title match be the main event of any Mania. Both matches were simply superb and rank among the absolute best matches of the year. While night two was good, especially the simply vicious Triple Threat Match for the I-C Title and the compelling main event involving Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, night one was not just the clear winner of the weekend but may have eclipsed Mania 17 as the best Mania of all-time. There were little to no flaws here and this was as close to a perfect WWE PLE as we've seen in several years.
2. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17
Tokyo, Japan
1/4/2023
Earlier, we mentioned that Wrestle Kingdom is the signature event for New Japan. The annual Tokyo Dome show draws more people from all over the world onto the confidently named "King Of Sports". Since 2006, Kingdom has been the standard for the sport, always being the first big show within wrestling, always airing every January 4th, no matter the day of the week. Many classics have come from this event such as Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Okada, Tanahashi vs. Keiji Mutoh, Nakamura vs. Takayama, and of course Okada vs. Omega. Much like Hogan and Taker were the dominant names of Mania during their heydays, Tanahashi and Okada became the mainstays of Kingdom. and their main event matches were usually those of exceptional performances. As time has gone forward, stars such as Naito, Takagi, Ospreay, and Jay White would be headliners for the event as well. With Kingdom 17, we saw another fantastic exhibition of heart, guts, and true "Japanese strong style". There were a few notable moments within this event. First off, this was Keiji Mutoh's final NJPW match, as he teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shota Umino to face LIJ members, Naito, SANADA, and BUSHI. Given a true legend's send off, Mutoh's time in wrestling was coming to a complete close within the next few months. Also, the main event between Okada and then Bullet club leader, and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Jay White, had a exemplary match furthering their heated rivalry even more. However, it was another match that broke the wrestling Internet just one match earlier in the first bever meeting between IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion, Will Ospreay, vs. former champion, Kenny Omega. The match was legitimately one of the greatest matches, not just in Kingdom history. Not just in Tokyo Dome history, but also modern wrestling history as well. Not to mention, STARDOM was represented for the first time ever on the main card, as KAIRI defeated Tam Nakano to retain the IWGP Women's Championship. NJPW brought a VERY hard bar to reach with Kingdom 17. While Omega vs. Ospreay alone could've put this PPV as the best event of the year, other supporting matches, including the main event, further supported what New Japan has been saying since the early millennium, they really are the "King Of Sports".
1. AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
6/25/2023
When Tony Khan (albeit through an obnoxious spoiler from Adam Cole) announced there was a partnership with New Japan, it shook the wrestling world in as awesome of a fashion as you could imagine. With the announcement of their first joint PPV, Forbidden Door, dream matches and angles were certainly on the menu, and its inaugural event was seen as one of the best in the sport in 2022. With the bar being set so high, the ability to repeat the overwhelming acclaim of the first event, the pressure was on to duplicate its success, if not go higher. In came Forbidden Door 2, Originating from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Canadian crowd was hot all throughout the evening, as they should've been considering the first match alone within Zero Hour, Serpentico faced "Filthy" Tom Lawlor, but it only got better from here...way better! MJF had a good one against Hiroshi Tanashashi, CM Punk faced New Japan legend, and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kojima, Orange Cassidy faced Shibata, Zach Sabre Jr and Daniel Garcia in a Fatal Four Way match for the International Title, and a monstrous ten-man tag match with BCC, Konosuke Takeshita, and Shota Umino vs. The Elite, Eddie Kingston, and Tomohiro Ishii. Although the main event in a dream match in itself of Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada, Danielson accidentally broke his forearm during the match, and it brought down the match ever so slightly as Danielson was legit competing with one healthy arm. However, Ospreay and Omega faced each other in the much-anticipated rematch for the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight title in an even bloodier and more physical encounter than before. It's been argued which was the better encounter, but regardless of which one you thought was better, the point is that this another masterpiece between two of the most revolutionary competitors of their, or any, generation. AEW and New Japan delivered another scorcher with 2023's edition of Forbidden Door, and from bell to bell, this event was head and shoulders above every event throughout the year, although some events like the previously mentioned events like Mania 39 Night One, Kingdom 17 and All Out, would come very close. With this apparently being a yearly event, one can only imagine how they can continue to outdo each prior Forbidden Door event? Time will certainly tell.
Honorable Mentions
WWE Elimination Chamber '23
NJPW 51st Anniversary Show
WWE Wrestlemania 39 Night 2
WWE Summerslam '23
NJPW Battle In The Valley
NJPW New Beginning In Osaka
STARDOM Dream Queendom '23
WWE Night Of Champions '23
WWE Money In The Bank '23
GCW Blood On The Hills
NXT No Mercy '23
TJPW Live In L.A.
NXT Great American Bash '23
WWE Survivor Series '23: War Games
NXT Deadline
NJPW/AJPW/NOAH Together Again
CMLL Noche de Campiones '23
CMLL 90 Aniversario
AEW World's End
REVOLVER Unreal
REVOLVER Women's Grand Prix
WWE Payback '23
STARDOM Triangle Derby: Championship Night
IMPACT Rebellion '23
IMPACT/NJPW Multiverse United 2
NJPW STRONG Fighting Spirit Unleashed
STARDOM Dream Tag Festival
ROH Supercard Of Honor XVI
CMLL/NJPW Fantasica Mania Mexico
NXT Stand & Deliver
NJPW STRONG Resurgence
NOAH The New Year 2023
As you can see, the year of 2023 was exciting, fabulous, occasionally violent, and overall incredible. With 2023 being regarded as one of the most phenomenal years of wrestling over the past couple of decades, the PPVs/PLEs reflected this, as critically and commercially, 2023 saw events break records and bring in more fans around the world. As 2024 has now started, one has to wonder if this year can do even bigger and better numbers than 2023 and deliver even more amazing matches and PPVs/PLEs than 2023. This is what will likely make the year so anticipated. With the excellence of Wrestle Kingdom 18 in the books, this will most certainly be a fascinating year!
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