Greatest WWE Matches: Reality Era Edition

What everyone could rest assured of, though, is the fact that WWE was still able to book some phenomenal matches. Matches that blended the old and young guard perfectly, showcased a great new crop of talent, or showed that two old-timers still got it. They were the matches that carried the era, and below is a list of these matches.

Team Cena vs Team Authority (Survivor Series 2014)

The Authority was at its height during the Reality Era. They had control of everything and everyone as they dominated the majority of television. The audience was ready for a change, and they got some semblance of that in what is a top-three Survivor Series match.

This Survivor Series elimination match had massive stakes, but the action started sluggish. It was headed down a bad path until Dolph Ziggler stepped in and gave a performance of a lifetime. The action heated up once he got involved, and the crowd was all over it. His comeback is the thing of legend, and it’s exactly what a Survivor Series elimination match should be. Ziggler was the star of the company that night.

AJ Styles vs John Cena (SummerSlam 2016)

Fans were salivating when AJ Styles debuted at the Royal Rumble. His presence in WWE meant that there were numerous dream matchups that we were about to see. The biggest of which was the face that ran the place, John Cena. They were the two biggest stars, and when they locked horns, they created magic. The best of which was their amazing Summer Slam encounter.

There was a huge clash of styles here, pun intended, but that made the match that much better. Both men knew what they had and worked their butts off to live up to expectations. Cena displayed a deeper technical side, while Styles demonstrated his brawling skill set. Their match was exactly what we wanted it to be and included the rare Cena job. Styles going over clean was a shock and elevated an already phenomenal wrestling match.

Kevin Owens vs John Cena (Elimination Chamber 2015)

John Cena had a huge target on his back during the Reality Era. He was not the “Super Cena” that we all knew. There were dents in the armour, and he was ripe for the picking. NXT Champion Kevin Owens saw this and pounced on Cena, producing some compelling television throughout the summer. All of their matches were fantastic, but all sit in second place behind Cena and Owen’s first encounter.

This match was about power more than anything. Both men used power to gain the advantage, but it was the story that stole the show. These were the best two storytellers in the company, and we felt tremendous emotion during this match. We didn’t want the contest to end, but were surprised when it did, with Cena doing yet another job. It was a huge boost for Kevin Owen’s career, and a pivot in John Cena’s.

Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose (Royal Rumble 2016)

Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens were the joy of WWE’s mid-card. Their feud brought back some prestige to the Intercontinental Championship. Their program overshadowed most World Championship angles. It was a wild ride that concluded with one of the best Last Man Standing matches in WWE history.

This was what you wanted in a Last Man Standing match. Owens and Ambrose threw away the traditional slow start with a frenzied pace that didn’t let up. They used every weapon that they could to put the other one down and included some great near-finishes with the ten-count.

The action was great and led up to a great finishing bump by Kevin Owens. This match needs to be on everyone’s watch list, if it isn’t already.

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (Wrestlemania 31)

Not many duos can boast the success that Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns can. They were responsible for headlining three WrestleManias. As their Mania’ matches went on, there can be a case made that they waned in quality. However, no one can say their initial WrestleMania encounter wasn’t a great match.

WrestleMania 31 bore witness to an incredibly physical match. This was never going to be a great technical wrestling match; that was not how either man worked. They were not going to be pulling out step-over-toeholds. These men were going to beat on one another, and that’s what it was. This was a war of attrition, which didn’t look like either man was going to win. Point of fact, they didn’t, when Money in the Bank holder Seth Rollins interjected himself and changed WWE history. It was a massive surprise that elevated an already great main event.

Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (Wrestlemania 32)

Women’s wrestling was in the middle of a huge revolution during the Reality Era. The days of treating women as eye candy were over. WWE had moved into an era where women’s wrestling was taken seriously, and this triple threat match was at the forefront.

Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch went to war for the newly minted Women’s Championship, and it was a fantastic war. The action was great throughout the match as three-quarters of the four horsewomen battled to prove who was the best. Wrestlemania 32 was not known for its great matches, but this was far and above one of them. It was a highlight not only of the night, but also of the Women’s Revolution. Things changed from that night on.

Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins vs John Cena (Royal Rumble 2015)

John Cena and Brock Lesnar had been at odds for months leading up to this match. Cena had won the right to face Lesnar, but of course, without the Authority, this match meant nothing. So Triple H took it upon himself to add golden boy Seth Rollins into the match. It made the triple threat a bit of an oddball matchup, but one that produced one of the best triple threats in years.

Seth Rollins added a great dynamic to the match. His speed and youthful exuberance were great against the power and experience game of Brock Lesnar and John Cena. It was fun to see each matchup throughout the match, and even more fun to see Rollins and Cena ally to battle the beast. This was as back-and-forth as any triple threat would get. It had a telegraphed finish, but did anyone think Brock Lesnar would be slain that easily?

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose (Money in the Bank 2015)

Seth Rollins’ betrayal of the Shield was a twist that not many could have predicted. It was inevitable that the group would split, but Rollins’s assuming the heel role was a bit of a shock. Surprising as it was, it led to the best feud of the Reality Era when Dean Ambrose tried to get revenge on his former stablemate.

They went to battle in many matches, all of which were great, but none that could surpass what they accomplished at Money in the Bank. They took all their chemistry and bundled it into a match with not only great action, but drama that had us hanging on every move. The ladder was not just a prop but a symbol of everything these two men had worked for in their careers. This match could have gone on forever and it wouldn’t have been enough.