The Ten Count: The Best Women’s Wrestling Matches of 2023
Been around the world putting on classics
Without a doubt, wrestling is currently in another boom period. From the major leagues of WWE and AEW to the promotion that won’t die known as ̶I̶m̶p̶a̶c̶t̶ ̶W̶r̶e̶s̶t̶l̶i̶n̶g TNA Wrestling to the likes of GCW and beyond have all seen record success across all metrics. One of the biggest driving forces of that? A renewed focus and emphasis on actual women’s wrestling. Gone are the days of evening gown matches, bra and panty matches, and the classic “women’s match right before the main event that will only get five minutes at most.”
Now we have women headline major Pay Per View or Premium Live Events. There are multiple women's storylines being told at the same time. Women’s wrestling finally matters, and 2023 was a banner year for it. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the following list
Outside Looking In
As with any list, something always misses the list for various reasons. This list is no different. Here are five matches that just missed the cut in no particular order.
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs Iyo Sky (WWE: Backlash 05/06/23)
NJPW Women’s Strong Championship: Guilia vs Willow Nightingale (NJPW: Independence Day Night Two 07/05/23)
AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander vs Jade Cargill (AEW: Rampage 09/13/23)
Impact Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace vs Masha Slamovich (Impact Wrestling 04/27/23)
NJPW Women’s Strong Championship: Guilia vs. Deonna Purazzo vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Momo Kohgo (New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling Presents: Multiverse United 2 08/20/23)
10) Allie Katch vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Steph De Lander vs. Maki Itoh (GCW: No Signal In The Hills 3 08/11/23)
If there’s one match on here that’s not like anything else, it’s this one. From it being a GCW match to being the rare match from Allie, Steph, and Masha that didn’t involve a male counterpart in the match to this not being a complete bloodbath given the women involved. However, despite all that, these women put on an entertaining match full of moments, from Steph almost kissing Allie to Itoh’s crying middle fingers. This match proves that GCW isn’t just glass tubes and deathmatches.
9. Texas Street Fight: Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez & Diamanté (AEW: Collison 12/16/23)
Eminem once asked, “Do you like violence?” If the answer is yes, then this match is for you. From the moment we saw Statlander and Willow channeling their inner Pulp Fiction with their attire and recreating the classic “What’s in the briefcase?” to Mercedes and Diamanté bringing a barbed wire bat and a lead pipe to the ring, we all knew we were in for a treat and a violent encounter.
As is the standard with any AEW street fight, there was the inevitable use of thumbtacks, glass and blood. Everything in the match happened with a reason and not just for the sake of it, which is a sign of a well-booked match. If there’s one thing that AEW does right when it comes to their women, it’s the lights out/street fight matches.
8. IWGP Women’s Championship: Mercedes Mone vs. Kairi (NJPW: Battle In The Valley 2/18/23)
In 2023, many people wondered what would be next for the former Sasha Banks. After making her debut at Wrestle Kingdom with a new name and attitude, she had her first chance at capturing gold outside of WWE and proving to everyone that she was a legit star and not just a product of the WWE machine.
Heading into Mone’s first match in nearly a year, there were questions on whether she could keep up and match the Japanese wrestling style she often spoke highly of while in WWE. She answered that question mere moments into the match. Mone debuted a very different style from her time as Sasha Banks, using the Luca Libre style she picked up during her time in Mexico while keeping that trademark attitude but turning up a few levels.
After a classic ref bump, Mone and Kairi took things to a new level by introducing a table paired with brawling around the entrance ramp. Mone won the match; however, we all won that night as it reminded us that the artist, formerly Sasha Banks, was back and somehow even better than before and that Kairi was just as good as Mone.
7. Impact Knockouts Championship Title vs. Career: Jordynne Grace vs. Mickie James (Impact Wrestling: Hard To Kill 01/13/2023)
One of the best wrestling stories coming into 2023 was Mickie James’s “Last Rodeo” storyline. To put things simply for Mickie, work your way up from the bottom and win the title or retire. Mickie’s Last Rodeo made every match mean something and even carried the momentum after she won the championship.
Pro wrestling is at its best when it tells a story. It could have been easy for James and Grace to rely on the story of title vs career, but the two decided to tell a story of the power of Grace versus James’s experience. Over twenty-plus minutes, it was clear that these two wouldn’t mail it in in this main event match. From Grace delivering one of the best stalling suplexes/jackhammers to Mickie willing to throw caution to the wind by diving all over the place, it was a beautifully put-together story with a perfect ending with the savvy veteran taking advantage of a mistake to steal the win and continue her career.
6. Steel Cage Match: Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch (WWE: Payback 09/02/2023)
When looking at our bingo card for 2023, do you know what wasn’t on it? Trish Stratus making a comeback and having a legit run throughout most of the year. Trish returned to WWE and proved she is just as good as the last time we saw her working full-time. The moment we saw Trish and Becky win the tag team titles, we all knew it would lead to an eventual one-on-one match. We didn’t realize that Trish would become the heel and put in some of the best character work in her career, culminating in the classic that she and Lynch put together at Payback.
From Trish telling a fan to “shut the fuck up” to a superplex from the top of the cage to homages to Victoria and Lita, it was clear that the two were going to put on a match full of memorable moments. If Trish doesn’t step back into wrestling as a competitor again, she will leave us on a high note, proving that at almost 50 years old, she can hang with the best. However, something says Trish still has more work to do.
5. Impact Knockouts Championship: Trinity vs. Deanna Purazzo (Impact Wrestling: Slammiversary 7/15/23)
Impact Wrestling embodies the definition of “why won’t they die” and the “never say die attitude.” Despite being around for 20 years and having 1000 episodes on TV, people continue to doubt Impact’s ability and contributions to wrestling. Long before the company in Stamford decided to focus on actual women’s wrestling, TNA/Impact led the charge with the likes of Gail Kim, ODB, The Beautiful People, and Awesome Kong, to name a few.
The matchup between Deonna and Trinity continues that lineage. For Trinity, this was her moment to prove to the world that she was more than the wife of one of the Usos or Sasha’s sidekick. Deonna had another chance to prove to the world that she had made the right decision by leaving NXT and betting on herself as a legitimate star and one of the best pure technical wrestlers in the game.
The women were out to show that they would put on a straight-up wrestling match to show that Trinity has another level and can hang with a wrestler such as Purrazzo. The most important takeaway from this match? Trinity proved that she’s no sidekick and is a legit star and centerpiece of any women’s division she’s a part of.
4. NJPW Strong Women’s Championship: Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale
Willow and Mercedes make another appearance here, this time against each other to crown the inaugural New Japan Strong Women’s champion. This match is remembered for two things amongst fans: Mone’s injury that’s sidelined her ever since and the confusion at the end.
Let’s not focus on that; let’s focus on how this match finally put Willow on a big stage and slowly helped her get over as a critical player for both New Japan and AEW. Willow and Mercedes were well on the way to turning in a legitimate match-of-the-year contender. It was the classic story of power versus finesse. Despite the injury, Willow proved that she can turn the smiling off and go move for move with one of the best in the business. Assuming Mercedes continues to work as a wrestler for hire, there’s a high chance we’ll see this match again in 2024.
3. NXT Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match: Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton (NXT: No Mercy 09/30/23)
I asked earlier if you liked violence, and perhaps you do, just not AEW’s form of violence. Don’t worry; here comes this match between Becky Lynch and Tiffany Stratton. A rematch from an excellent encounter that saw Lynch take the title from the upstart Stratton, this match builds upon the dislike the pair already have for each other and takes it to a new level.
This match checked all the boxes of a quality extreme rules match: kendo sticks, brawling in the crowd, table spots, and fire extinguishers. You name it, and somebody it used in this match. The most important takeaway from this match is that Tiffany Stratton is next and is a star in the making. Stratton pulled out all of her trademark moves and showed a vicious streak that proves her character isn’t just a pretty-faced, mean girl. Need more proof of how good Stratton has become? Watch the sprint that was the last three minutes of this match.
2. ROH Women’s Championship: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale (ROH: Death Before Dishonor 7/21/23)
If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? If Athena and Willow put on the best women’s match that most haven’t seen, does it deserve praise? The answer to both those questions is a resounding yes. I can talk about how Athena had the best year of ANY women’s wrestler (Mami included) and how the criticisms of a lack of personality and character are no longer valid. Instead, I will tell you to check the recap on ROH’s YouTube or read this.
This is the second encounter between Athena and Willow, and they somehow upped their previous title encounter. They used the match as an homage to the days of ROH and Shimmer’s past to tell a story of dominant champion vs. fiery challenger to a battle of wills as they pulled out all of the classics. What was the best thing they did in this match with all the callbacks and homages? After a hard-hitting match, they perfectly executed the “babyface passes out to a submission” trope that made everybody believe this was Willow’s night.
1. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Rhipley (WWE: WrestleMania Night One 04/01/23)
When I sat down to assemble this list of the ten best matches of 2023, I knew one match was just above everything else. One match that had everything going for it, and this is that match. Do you want pomp and circumstance? It gets no more prominent than WrestleMania. Do you want history? This was the first match in WrestleMania history to feature all women: the ring announcer (Samantha Irvin), the referee (Jessika Carr), and, of course, the competitors. Do you want a backstory for the match? Rhea needed this match to put her new character over, solidify her as a true main event player, and get revenge for failing to beat Charlotte during the pandemic WrestleMania. You put all those ingredients together and you have the perfect gumbo base. The only thing missing in this gumbo? A quality match.
This was the perfect mix of styles, as Charlotte is one of the best in the ring, and Rhea brings violence and realism to all of her matches. Everything in this match played off of their history and Rhea’s inability to beat Charlotte. These two women put countless near falls, trademark spots, high stakes, and emotions on display and left in the ring. The most important thing about this match? The right woman won.
There you have it. The ten best women’s matches from 2023, plus five that just missed the cut. Do you disagree with any of the matches on the list? Do you think the matches are correct, but the order is wrong? Embrace your inner wrestling fan, and let me know how you feel on Twitter
