The 10 Best Men's Pro Wrestling Matches Of 2024, Ranked

The best men's pro wrestling matches in 2024 from around the world.

WWE.com

Thanks to special performances from stars like Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson, 2024 was a year to remember when it comes to pro wrestling matches.

Ospreay left his home company of New Japan Pro Wrestling in early 2024 and the result was a run of matches in AEW that stand up against some of the best in history. Though he was on the final stretch run of his in-ring career, Danielson carved out special pieces of work against top talent that helped elevate AEW on PPV.

WWE delivered in a different way and leveraged long-term storytelling with characters that fans deeply cared about to show off it's in-ring acumen.

Here's the 10 best men's pro wrestling matches of 2024, ranked.

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10. Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin - AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash (12/18/24)

This was a masterclass in two different styles making a perfect match. Ospreay is the high flyer and Allin is the daredevil hardcore expert, but both men blended those styles together during this Continental Classic bout in a memorable and effective way.

Darby took insane bumps that put Ospreay's unique offense over and Ospreay waded into the hardcore depths that Darby brought him to. It was a back and forth dance that captured the audience seconds into the match.

9. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey - MLP Forged In Excellence Night One (10/19/24)

In this one, two of the best in-ring talents in the world collided head-on in a new and unique environment full of fans that were ready for something great. Both Takeshita and Bailey fed off that energy and gave the audience something to remember. MLP as a brand needed this as a foundation match, too.

8. Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada - NJPW WrestleKingdom 18 (1/4/24)

The rematch. The great thing about this match was how much both Okada and Danielson pulled from the first match to work this one. The psychology of the match was perfect in that regard and the result was a sequel that was as good as the first. We'll forget that the third match happened.

7. Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita - AEW Revolution (3/3/24)

If you want to see what top speed looks like in a wrestling match, this is the one you need to watch. The pace is outrageous and neither Ospreay nor Takeshita missed a beat. They are exactly where they need to be when they need to be there each and every time. The result is an action-packed match full of unique spots that only these two can pull off.

Jeff Jones-All Elite Wrestlin

6. Bryan Danielson vs. ZSJ - NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka (2/11/24)

The mat wrestling match the entire world needed. Unlike the aforementioned Darby Allin vs. Will Ospreay match, this one wasn't a contrast in styles at all. This was a clash of two similar styles of in-ring masters. Danielson and ZSJ went hold for hold in this and featured unique counters and other spots directly tied to the mat.

5. Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns - WWE WrestleMania 40 (4/7/24)

Not all pro wrestling matches need to have crazy flips, flops, and athletic madness to be considered great. Rhodes vs. Reigns had emotion. It cultivated a feeling within the sea of people at WrestleMania 40 waiting for Cody Rhodes to finish his story and win the coveted Undisputed WWE Championship. This match was about that story and featured fun bells, whistles, and callbacks to complete it. An era defining bout from two of the best in the business today.

4. Will Ospreay vs. MJF - AEW Dynamite (7/17/24)

Normally when a match goes an hour, there are points throughout it in which the audience can spot and recognize the outcome is heading in that direction. The magic of this match was that you couldn't. This was a burner of a match from minute one until minute 58. Ospreay vs. MJF hadn't wrestled before in AEW up until this point and the audience spewed energy because of that freshness.

Lee South-All Elite Wrestling

3. Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland - AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door (6/30/24)

Two of AEW's biggest and hottest stars of 2024 collided head-on in this one and the result was a story based match that capitalized on their popularity. The audience got to pick one babyface or the other to cheer for and the environment that created was as memorable as the action in the bout itself.

Lee South-All Elite Wrestlin

2. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre - WWE Bad Blood (10/5/24)

The best Hell in a Cell match WWE has put out in years. Not only did this have the backstory that made the Hell in a Cell stipulation worthwhile and valuable, but both Punk and McIntyre left it all on the table in terms of violence so that they could remind the WWE audience just how vicious and brutal Hell in a Cell matches should be.

1. Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW Dynasty (4/21/24)

There's only two things to say about this absolute classic. First, it's the work of two pro wrestling wizards that were perfectly in-tune with their opponent and the audience that was waiting to see history. Second, the physicality between Ospreay and Danielson was off the chart wild. No match should ever break the five-star scale, but if one could, this would be the one. A must-see match for any level pro wrestling fan.

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