The Big Picture

The first four months of 2026 have been a frantic sprint. We just got past the emotional wreckage of WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.

Cody Rhodes survived his title defense. John Cena said goodbye. AEW Dynasty delivered match-of-the-year candidates in March.

The schedule is relentless, and the bodies are piling up. Everyone is hurting heading into WWE Backlash next week. Let's rank the top moments of the year so far.

10. Gunther's Royal Rumble Elimination Spree

Gunther didn't win the 2026 Royal Rumble, but he broke another record. He chopped his way through half the roster in January, turning the over-the-top-rope classic into his personal torture chamber.

He eliminated seven men in the span of twelve minutes, including fan favorites who were heavily favored to win. The crowd in St. Petersburg went completely silent when he dumped LA Knight over the top rope with a brutal lariat to the jaw.

It was a stark reminder that the Ring General doesn't need a championship to be the most terrifying man on the roster. It wasn't flashy, but the sheer physical dominance set the tone for his entire year.

9. The Wyatt Sicks Tribute at WrestleMania 41

Bully Ray recently argued that Bo Dallas is the absolute linchpin to Bray Wyatt's legacy in WWE. Speaking out about the faction, the Hall of Famer bluntly stated, "Bo Dallas is the link to Bray Wyatt. I would have kept Bo Dallas around."

WrestleMania 41 proved Bully's point entirely. The Uncle Howdy entrance in Las Vegas was chilling. The fireflies lit up Allegiant Stadium, and the subtle nods to Bray's old lantern brought genuine tears to the massive crowd.

It wasn't a long segment, and some critics argued it disrupted the pacing of Night 1, but it was a perfectly executed emotional beat. It anchored the middle of the show and proved the faction still has immense crowd support.

8. Okada vs. Ospreay III at AEW Dynasty

AEW Dynasty on March 30 was built entirely around in-ring execution. Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada met again, and they somehow found a fifth gear in their legendary rivalry.

They brawled into the Kansas City crowd early on, throwing caution out the window. Okada hit a rainmaker that nearly took Ospreay's head off at the 20-minute mark, turning the challenger inside out.

Ospreay countered later with a vicious hidden blade to the back of the neck for a near-fall that had the building shaking. It was a physical, exhausting 35-minute clinic. Some traditionalists argued it relied too heavily on big move kickouts, but the live reaction in Missouri was undeniable.

7. Drew McIntyre's Post-WrestleMania Meltdown

Drew McIntyre is doing the best character work of his entire career right now. The night after WrestleMania 41, he hijacked Raw and refused to leave the ring.

He didn't just cut a standard promo; he aired grievances that felt uncomfortably real and deeply personal. He trashed CM Punk, the management team, and the fans in attendance who he claimed abandoned him.

He paced the ring like a caged animal, physically threatening a cameraman and refusing to drop the microphone when his music hit. It crossed the line from scripted anger to genuine hostility. That kind of raw, unpolished segment is rare on modern Monday nights, but McIntyre nailed it perfectly.

6. Rhea Ripley Reclaims Her Throne

Rhea Ripley walked into WrestleMania 41 as the challenger, but she carried herself like the champion. She walked out carrying the gold after a brutal, unforgiving fight.

The match against Liv Morgan was physical and ugly in the best way possible. Ripley didn't rely on flashy offense or high spots to pop the crowd. She grounded Morgan with heavy strikes, stiff forearms, and punishing submission holds.

The finish—a devastating Riptide off the second rope—was definitive and left no room for a rematch. Ripley's victory lap felt like a massive coronation. The women's division desperately needed a dominant champion heading into the summer schedule, and Ripley fits the bill.

5. Swerve Strickland's Texas Death Match Survival

Swerve Strickland has a sick obsession with violently defending his turf. His title defense on AEW Dynamite back in February was deeply uncomfortable to watch.

He took a literal staple gun to the chest in the first ten minutes. Later, he was put through a flaming table on the outside of the ring. Swerve embraces the absolute chaos, and it makes him the most dangerous man on the AEW roster.

He survived a brutal piledriver on the exposed concrete floor to eventually retain his championship. It was a bloody, chaotic mess that left both men battered. The match likely took years off his career, but it cemented his title reign as legendary.

4. Seth Rollins Turns His Back on Cody

Everyone knew the fragile alliance between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes was a ticking time bomb. We just didn't expect it to shatter so violently on the road to WrestleMania.

Rollins hit a vicious curb stomp on Cody during a high-stakes tag team match in March. He left the champion laying completely unconscious in the center of the ring.

There was no long, drawn-out explanation or tearful apology. Rollins just grabbed his heavy coat, smirked at the camera, and walked up the ramp. It added a massive layer of paranoia to Cody's title run just weeks before Vegas. Rollins proved once again that he is a total snake when the stakes are high.

3. CM Punk's Main Event Masterclass

CM Punk finally secured his elusive WrestleMania main event. Night 1 in Las Vegas was built entirely around his match, and he delivered under immense, crushing pressure.

Punk isn't the explosive athlete he was a decade ago, and he knows it. He works around his physical limitations by grounding the match with smart, old-school psychology and brutal strikes.

The final sequence was a desperate, exhausting exchange of finishers that had the crowd on their feet. Punk hitting two consecutive GTSs to finally secure the pinfall was a massive cathartic release for the fans. It wasn't a pristine technical masterpiece, but the storytelling was absolutely flawless.

2. Cody Rhodes Survives The Bloodline

Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 was an exercise in pure, unadulterated chaos. Cody Rhodes defended the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns in a match that refused to stay in the ring.

It was a wild brawl that spilled onto the entrance ramp and into the timekeeper's area. Solo Sikoa predictably interfered, hitting a Samoan Spike behind the referee's back. Jimmy and Jey Uso got involved, turning the ringside area into a warzone.

Cody absorbed three massive spears and still somehow managed to kick out. The visual of a battered, bleeding Cody hitting a trio of Cross Rhodes to finally put Reigns away is already iconic. The booking was entirely overbooked and messy, but the crowd ate up every single second.

1. John Cena's Farewell

Nothing else could possibly take the top spot on this list. John Cena's farewell match at WrestleMania 41 Night 1 was a masterclass in pure wrestling nostalgia.

Cena left his sneakers in the center of the ring in front of 70,000 screaming fans at Allegiant Stadium. He didn't try to wrestle a 30-minute five-star classic that his body couldn't handle.

He hit his signature five moves of doom, gave an incredibly emotional unscripted speech, and walked up the long ramp for the last time. The camera caught him physically breaking down in tears before stepping through the curtain into retirement. It was a slightly messy, imperfect send-off, but it felt incredibly real.

Honorable Mentions

Gunther's recent IC title defense on Raw was a physical war. Mercedes Moné's AEW return promo in February sparked massive online debate.

Bron Breakker destroying the entire NXT locker room before his main roster call-up was a fantastic television segment. We are completely exhausted, but WWE Backlash is already looming on May 9.