Power Ranking WrestleMania, Survivor Series and All 11 WWE PLEs From 2023

WWE reached new heights business-wise in 2023 with incredible financial success across the board, and the weekly product reaped the rewards.

Raw and SmackDown have been creatively inconsistent at times with Vince McMahon having a measure of influence on and off throughout the year, but the premium live events have largely gone off without a hitch.

From smaller shows such as Fastlane and Backlash to tentpole pay-per-views including WrestleMania 39 and the Royal Rumble, WWE delivered when it mattered most this year. Even the weaker events featured their fair share of highlights and memorable matches and moments.

Triple H has done an exceptional job of ensuring these shows feel must-watch, giving fans what they want to see and ending each of them on a high note that leaves the audience looking forward to what's next.

Traveling to Montréal, Puerto Rico and London for a few of the events has only added to the exciting aura surrounding the current product.

With Survivor Series done, here is every WWE PLE from 2023 ranked from worst to best, along with analysis of what they thrived at, where they went wrong, and how they could have been better.

While far from bad, Fastlane was WWE's weakest outing on PPV in 2023 and simply paled in comparison to the other events.

Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura stole the show with their grueling Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship. It was hindered by an obvious outcome, but they worked hard to deliver an above-average main event.

The biggest knock against Fastlane was that it felt like a glorified house show on the whole, both in the buildup and the actual execution of the event. However, it wasn't completely inconsequential, as the night opened with Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso becoming undisputed WWE tag team champions in shocking fashion.

Elsewhere on the card, Carlito finally returned to aid the LWO against Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits while LA Knight was again endorsed by John Cena following their big tag team win over The Bloodline.

Fastlane won't be remembered as anything special in the long run, but the three hours were enjoyable and what they needed to be.

Crown Jewel was WWE's next premium live event after Fastlane and only slightly stronger on the whole.

Of the seven matches on the main card, not one of them was below average. Everything ranged from solid to stellar, most notably the World Heavyweight Championship clash between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre that opened the evening.

Nothing else on the card came close to measuring up, but Logan Paul stealing the United States Championship from Rey Mysterio was newsworthy. That was in addition to the surprise return of Kairi Sane toward the end of the WWE Women's Championship match.

Roman Reigns defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event against LA Knight, and the two exceeded everyone's expectations. They had the crowd invested every step of the way, only to hit them with the inevitable heartbreak of The Megastar falling short thanks to Bloodline interference.

WWE has had better events in Saudi Arabia in recent years, but Crown Jewel 2023 was perfectly passable if not slightly unremarkable.

SummerSlam was noticeably worse than WWE's other "Big 4" PPVs in 2023 (including Survivor Series, amazingly enough) but still had more than enough quality content to make it worthwhile.

This show was marred by its main event, which featured Jey Uso challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Despite an electric atmosphere to start off, the bout ultimately underwhelmed, and Jimmy Uso's nonsensical betrayal of his brother hardly helped matters.

The rest of SummerSlam was largely entertaining, though. Logan Paul and Ricochet had a blast of an opener, Iyo Sky cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase to capture the WWE women's title was a pleasant surprise, and Seth Rollins delivered yet another gem with Finn Bálor for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Other highlights included Cody Rhodes besting Brock Lesnar in a superb match and LA Knight getting his long-awaited big moment by winning the Slim Jim-sponsored Battle Royal.

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler attempted something different with the MMA Rules stipulation but unfortunately fell flat. The event's excessive runtime of four-plus hours also drags it down our list a bit.

Payback was similar to Fastlane in that it was seen as a "comedown" PLE following the string of international events and Big 4 pay-per-views, yet it somehow ended up being a sleeper show.

Two of the six matches are among WWE's best all year: the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Street Fight and Becky Lynch vs. Trish Status inside a steel cage.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn battled valiantly with The Judgment Day and all around the arena in Philadelphia, and they were even busted open at one point. The constant interference was overkill, but the tag titles changing hands was a refreshing development.

Meanwhile, Lynch and Stratus went out there with something to prove and closed their stagnant feud on a high note. It had the drama, the action and everything in between. Their steel cage clash was a hot way to kick off the event.

The rest of Payback wasn't too shabby, either. Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez was a bit disappointing, but Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory for the United States Championship and LA Knight vs. The Miz were fun for what they were, and Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura was a well-wrestled main event.

The success of a Royal Rumble event mostly hinges on the same-titled matches and whether they live up to the lofty expectations of fans.

That didn't prove to be a problem this year as both the men's and women's Rumbles were fairly well received.

Cody Rhodes returning from injury to reign supreme in the men's contest made for a wonderful moment, and Rhea Ripley outlasting 29 other competitors from the No. 1 spot was nothing short of sensational.

Moreover, Sami Zayn scored the biggest pop of the night when he hit the chair shot heard around the world on Roman Reigns in the closing moments of the show, cementing his split from The Bloodline in the process.

The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match itself between Reigns and Kevin Owens wasn't their best encounter, and Bianca Belair vs. Alexa Bliss and Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight were duds, but WWE hit a home run with when the lights were at their brightest.

WWE has stepped up its game with the Saudi Arabia shows for the past two years, and the Night of Champions event in May was no exception.

Unlike other installments, not every active championship was defended across the card, but that theme being abandoned actually made the show more enjoyable.

Seth Rollins and AJ Styles opened with their usual excellent outing as only they could, culminating in the former becoming the inaugural world heavyweight champion.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch and Gunther vs. Mustafa Ali were both solid bouts as well. Asuka ended Bianca Belair's record-setting run as Raw women's champion, Rhea Ripley squashed Natalya in short order, and Brock Lesnar avenged his loss to Cody Rhodes from Backlash.

This would have been a mediocre event overall had it not been for the top-notch tag title main event with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens overcoming Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa thanks to an assist from Jimmy Uso.

That thrilling finish set the stage for what was to come with The Bloodline heading into the summer.

The days of Raw and SmackDown battling for brand supremacy at Survivor Series are long gone. Replacing it has been WarGames the last two years, and for the second straight year, the gimmick salvaged the show.

The women again put forth a fantastic effort inside the two cages, brutalizing each other with every weapon they could find before Becky Lynch scored the winning fall for her team.

The Chicago crowd rallied behind The Miz in his pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship against Gunther and showed him respect in defeat. Rhea Ripley vs. Zoey Stark was the low point of the night with the fans quietening down for that, but Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee made up for it with their electric sprint.

The men's WarGames match was a worthy main event as the returning Randy Orton played a pivotal role in his team coming out on top over The Judgment Day.

Of course, a big reason behind the show being ranked so high was its incredible cliffhanger of a conclusion. CM Punk emerging for the first time in almost a decade simply to make his presence felt made for an all-time Survivor Series moment.

Money in the Bank is one of WWE's most anticipated annual events regardless of what the card looks like, but bringing it to London in front of a white-hot crowd was one of the smartest things the company could have done.

The Money in the Bank ladder matches were entertaining as always and had satisfying winners with Damian Priest and Iyo Sky walking away with the opportunistic briefcases.

The middle of the card was all over the place, but the audience in attendance was amped for all of it.

Drew McIntyre made an unannounced return to confront Gunther, Shayna Baszler betrayed Ronda Rousey out of nowhere, and Seth Rollins retained his World Heavyweight Championship over Finn Bálor.

It was an unforgettable night made even more special by The Usos scoring a stunning win over Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa in tag team action. Even more stunning was Jey Uso handing The Tribal Chief his first pinfall loss of any kind since December 2019.

WrestleMania may not be London-bound anytime soon, but holding another PLE there within the next year is a must.

In a normal year, Backlash ranking so high would be unheard of, but it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to see the 2023 version crack the top three for how exhilarating it turned out to be.

The crowd in Puerto Rico brought the energy and kept it at an unbelievable level all night. In the opener alone, they gave Iyo Sky a hero's welcome and helped make her match with Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Championship a tremendous one.

The fans then elevated Seth Rollins vs. Omos as well as the United States Championship Triple Threat match involving Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory and Bronson Reed. Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega would have been decent at best virtually anywhere else, but in Puerto Rico, they were treated like total stars.

The Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle was a standard six-man tag team affair, but Bad Bunny and Damian Priest put forth a phenomenal performance in their San Juan Street Fight and had the entire building rocking.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar in the main event wasn't remotely as fun—the best was yet to come from them—but The American Nightmare winning was at least the correct outcome.

Elimination Chamber is often overlooked being between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania and is perhaps the most pointless PPV WWE puts on most years.

However, this year's edition was the exact opposite in that everything felt like it mattered and the execution was near-flawless.

In a perfectly laid-out women's Elimination Chamber match, Asuka survived five of Raw's finest to punch her ticket to WrestleMania 39 for a Raw Women's Championship opportunity.

Then-United States champion Austin Theory's Elimination Chamber win wasn't a celebrated, but he and the rest of the male combatants brought their A-game and had their time to shine.

Edge and Beth Phoenix got a measure of revenge over Finn Bálor and Rhea Ripley in an intergender tag team match that the crowd ate up with The Rated-R Superstar being in his home country of Canada.

That was what also made the main event, Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn, such a happening. The Montreal love for Zayn was palpable and provided a perfect symphony for their Match of the Year contender.

The sole blemish at Elimination Chamber was Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley lasting less than five minutes and having an indecisive ending, but it was best kept short and sweet.

The two-night factor gives WrestleMania 39 an obvious advantage over the other events, but with it being WWE's best top-to-bottom 'Mania in the last decade at least, it's hard to argue against it being in our No. 1 spot.

Night 1 in particular gradually built and had a spectacular second half. Logan Paul and Seth Rollins ripped it up, Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio had an undercard classic, and Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair finished their feud with the best women's match in WrestleMania history.

Additionally, the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship main event with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn getting their moment by beating the longest-reigning holders The Usos couldn't have been booked better.

Night 2 took a slight turn for the worse in terms of who went over, but the wrestling was still second to none. The Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat was exceptional, Bianca Belair and Asuka went to war, and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes was an amazing main event up until the head-scratching finish.

WrestleMania 39 had a few flops, but that's bound to happen on such a stacked card. All in all, it was a monumental weekend, raising the bar to such a level that it will be a tall task for WrestleMania 40 to top it.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.