Best WWE pay-per-view matches of 2021 so far

It's probably not shocking that most of the matches on this list come from the biggest show on the WWE calendar
It's probably not shocking that most of the matches on this list come from the biggest show on the WWE calendar

#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.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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