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We're halfway through the year and WWE has given us six pay-per-views so far, including two of the big four. Alongside Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 37, we've seen Elimination Chamber, Fastlane, Backlash, and most recently, Hell in a Cell.
Which of these events has given us the best WWE matches in the past six months? Spoiler warning: there's a lot from WrestleMania here. The first major event from the company to feature a large live crowd? Of course, WWE pulled out all the stops for that one.
We're here to count down the five WWE best pay-per-view matches of 2021 so far. We're kicking off, obviously, with WrestleMania.
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#5 Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship - WrestleMania Night 1
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Man, they really ran this feud into the ground, eh? Still, fans knew that Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre could deliver a great WWE Championship match on the Grandest Stage of Them All. They were two of the most dominant forces in all of WWE. We should've known the potential of this feud when we saw them square off at Backlash 2020.
This time, with no Lana to interfere and Lashley walking in as WWE Champion, there was a fresh feel to it. McIntyre was chasing, looking to win back a belt that he never should've lost. Add to all that the fact that this was kicking off WrestleMania, and we had a recipe for success.
They laid into each other from the word "go." It was exactly what fans were hoping to see: a pure hoss fight. Lashley's resilience and pure will were showcased here, as he took everything McIntyre had and then some. A trio of Future Shock DDTs couldn't do the job when one was usually enough for any other WWE Superstar.
A big dive to the floor saw McIntyre flatten both the champion and MVP, and it seemed McIntyre was poised to get the WWE Championship back. However, a brief distraction from MVP allowed Lashley to avoid the Claymore and catch McIntyre in the Hurt Lock. With nowhere to go and that classic Bret Hart step-up turnbuckle reversal failing, the Scottish Warrior passed out in the middle of the ring.
#4 Cesaro vs Seth Rollins - WWE WrestleMania Night One
The WWE Universe has been begging for Cesaro to get what he's owed for years now. A proper run at the top, a major WrestleMania victory, and for WWE to stop treating him like a nobody with a fun swing.
We've got two of those this year, and with Money in the Bank coming up, we might get that third this year as well. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. At WrestleMania, Cesaro hoped to get his first major singles victory over a well-established face of the company, Seth freakin' Rollins.
Seth had mocked Cesaro a few months prior, stating that the Swiss Superman never lived up to his potential. He tried to recruit Cesaro to be a new follower as well, but Cesaro turned him down. At WrestleMania Night One it was time for Cesaro to put up or shut up.
The story was also about Seth avoiding the swing, as he'd been embarrassed by that recently and refused to be treated in such a horrific manner. Throughout the opening, Rollins found several ways to get out of Cesaro's grasp, and even managed to plant him with the Falcon Arrow and Pedigree. However, a pop-up uppercut left Rollins nearly out cold and in prime position for a spin.
Cesaro decided to one-up himself, of course, spinning Rollins around his head with the UFO. After that, he swung Rollins around with twenty-three rotations before eventually planting Rollins with the Gotch Neutralizer.
It was a great feel-good moment for Cesaro, and the fans in attendance loved every second of it. After all these years, Cesaro finally got his due.
#3 Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship - WWE Fastlane
It really seemed that Daniel Bryan had Roman Reigns' number on this night. At this point, Bryan has never beaten Reigns in a one-on-one match. The Leader of the Yes Movement and the Tribal Chief have been a constant in one another's careers since Reigns debuted on the main roster nine years ago.
Six years back, the two met at Fastlane 2015 where Reigns defeated Bryan before moving onto WrestleMania. Knowing that, this was a redemption arc for Bryan as he wanted to get to the top of the WWE mountain one final time. The only issue was that he had to go through the one obstacle he couldn't beat.
And, honestly, had Edge not been the special enforcer, Bryan may have walked out with the victory. Bryan's mat prowess left Roman Reigns a little nervous in the early goings of the match. Several submission attempts were made, forcing Reigns to push himself to the ropes again and again.
Eventually, the ref was taken out after an accidental running knee from Bryan, bringing Edge into the ring as a referee. Roman speared Bryan for the two-count. Bryan was able to synch in the Yes Lock, and had it not been for Jey Uso, Roman probably would've tapped out. A few chair shots to Edge and Bryan freed Roman from Bryan's grasp.
Bryan got some revenge, hitting Jey with the chair but also accidentally whacking Edge. Bryan locked in the Yes Lock for a third time, and with nowhere left to go, Roman tapped out. Edge, though, didn't see it, and cracked Bryan with the chair. The Rated-R Superstar hammered both competitors with steel, leaving them both down on the mat.
When another ref ran down, Reigns just barely made the cover, securing the win and setting up the WrestleMania main event.
#2 Bianca Belair vs Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship - WrestleMania 37 Night 1
WWE wrapped up the first night of the two-night WrestleMania with the SmackDown Women's Championship. The build-up was a bit weird, but fans had been clamoring for this one for some time. Bianca Belair, the Royal Rumble winner, challenged Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
These two tore it down and had one of the best matches of the year. Bianca managed to show off her incredible strength while Banks proved herself to be one of the best veterans on the roster.
Speaking of Belair's strength, look at that. The gorilla press walking up the stairs, sending Banks over the ropes to the mat. It was fantastic.
Belair pulled out everything in order to beat Banks, but near the end it seemed impossible. When Banks kicked out of the 450 Splash, you could see the desperation in Belair's eyes.
In the end, the hair whip around the world cracked like thunder on Banks' midsection, and Belair was able to plant her with the KOD to win her first WWE Championship.
#1 Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan vs Edge for the WWE Universal Championship - Wrestlemania 37 Night 2
Roman Reigns has been unstoppable since returning to WWE back at SummerSlam. While opponents like Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre came close to taking down The Tribal Chief, Edge and Daniel Bryan were no match for him.
The challengers had to team up to get Reigns out of the match along with his right hand man Jey Uso. Every time Edge and Bryan went back at one another, though, Reigns returned. There was no stopping the WWE Universal Champion on this night.
They hit him with everything. Reigns withstood a series of Yes Kicks and the Yes Lock before powerbombing Bryan onto Edge. Another powerbomb sent Bryan through a table, but before Reigns could celebrate he was speared off the steps by the WWE Hall of Famer.
The only time it looked like Reigns was in trouble was when Edge snapped. He brought the chairs in, and took Bryan out for good with the con-chair-to. As he looked to finish Reigns off, a returning Jey Uso made the save. Jey paid for his trouble with a spear, but it was just enough time for Reigns to recooperate.
After spearing Edge, Reigns crushed his skull with the con-chair-to before pinning both challengers at the same time. It was the kind of dominant performance that we rarely ever get to see, especially in WWE. Usually there's more done to keep major players protected, but Roman demolished Edge and Bryan without a second thought.
