SUMMARY
- YouTube influencer turned pro wrestler Logan Paul had a memorable moment while competing in his first ever Royal Rumble.
- In an episode of RAW on September 4, 2023, 'The Ring General' defeated Chad Gable to become the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in the history of WWE.
The year 2023 has been like a rollercoaster ride for WWE fans, with so many ups and downs. This year saw the transition of WWE from a promotion where Vince McMahon led creative decisions to Triple-H taking the lead. Fans have been both happy and sad at various times in the year, and there was a great boost in the viewership and engagement of the promotion.
Triple H led the promotion for the first year, and it would not be wrong to say that ‘The Game’ did an astounding job. With the return of some mega-superstars like CM Punk and the rise of some emerging superstars, WWE saw this year as one of its finest runs.
Starting with Royal Rumble 2023, the PPV events of WWE in 2023 have been an absolute hit. Now that we are in the last phase of the year, it’s time to look back on some amazing moments that made fans go crazy in the arena and around the world.
Top 10 WTF moments in WWE 2023
There have been some jaw-dropping and shocking moments in the year 2023. Let’s look at some of these crazy WTF moments at WWE in 2023.
10. Sami Zayn turns on Roman Reigns and The Bloodline split:
In the first WWE pay-per-view event of 2023, something astonishing happened when the top faction, The Bloodline, had a split. Roman Reigns had always doubted Sami Zayn’s loyalty to him. He told Sami that he wanted only him by his side for the whole time during his match with Kevin Ownes for the title. It would be Zayn’s final test.
Sami remained there, and after a few near-defeat moments, Reigns finally came up victorious. After the match, the whole Bloodline was out in the ring, and Roman made Sami Zayn watch Kevin Owen get destroyed by the faction. At last, they handcuffed Owens, and ‘The Tribal Chief’ was about to hit him with a chair when Sami stepped in and pleaded with him to stop.
Roman Reigns, instead of stopping, gave the chair to Sami Zayn and told him to deliver the final beating. But Sami hit Romans instead as soon as he turned his back towards him, and it was a huge WTF moment for the fans. The Bloodline had split after beating both Sami and Owens, and Jey Uso went out of the ring frustrated.
9. Logan Paul and Ricochet’s mid-air collision had the fans on their feet:
YouTube influencer turned pro wrestler Logan Paul had a memorable moment while competing in his first-ever Royal Rumble. The 28-year-old star pulled off an incredibly high-risk move along with the high-flying WWE superstar Ricochet in the Royal Rumble 2023.
Logan entered the ring at number 29 when numerous wrestlers were lying down in the ring. He found himself in a position where he and Ricochet were standing in the aprons on opposite sides, face to face. They both had a bit of talk and springboarded off the top rope, colliding with each other. This was truly one of the best WTF moments in WWE 2023.
8. Gunther becoming the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion:
Gunther has been one of the most successful rising superstars in WWE. He has shown his excellent wrestling abilities in the ring and has been consistently entertaining the fans. In an episode of RAW on September 4, 2023, ‘The Ring General’ defeated Chad Gable in a title-defending match to become the longest-reigning IC champion in the history of WWE.
History made. pic.twitter.com/DIifjDYTxJ
— WWE (@WWE) September 7, 2023
It was a WTF moment as The Ring General broke the Honky Tonk Man’s record of 454 days of reign as an IC champion. He had successfully defended his title 15 times before that match, and with his victory over Gable, he earned his place in the record books of the Stamford-based promotion.
7. Brock Lesnar endorsing Cody Rhodes after losing to him in Summerslam:
Cody Rhodes took on the Beast Incarnate in a brutal match at Summerslam 2023. It was one of the best one-on-one matches of the year. The American Nightmare finally stood victorious, ending the trilogy of bouts between these two superstars. Cody faced Brock two times before this, first at the WWE Backlash 2023, where he won the match.
And the second time at the Night of Champions 2023, where the beast came out victorious. The final match of the trilogy ended with Rhodes hitting three consecutive crosses and defeating Lesnar. After the match, Brock stood up and stared down at Cody before going forehead to forehead.
But to everyone’s surprise, Lesnar shook hands with Cody and hugged him, showing respect. This was truly one of the WTF moments of WWE 2023, given the heel status of Brock Lesnar.
6. John Cena reunited with The Rock on WWE SmackDown:
In one of the episodes of SmackDown in September, The Rock made a surprising appearance. The Brahma Bull was involved in an in-ring segment where he aided Pat McAfee in beating down Austin Theory, and he also delivered People’s Elbow to Theory, erupting the whole crowd.
After the segment ended and later in the show, The Rock met his former foe turned Friend John Cena. Both of them had a healthy discussion and hugged each other which was truly a WTF moment and no one had seen it coming.
5. Jey Uso became the first superstar to pin down Roman Reigns in nearly 3.5 years:
Following the split in The Bloodline, The Usos completely sided with The Bloodline after the Nights of Champions 2023. Jimmy Uso betrayed Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at the PPV in Saudi Arabia and helped Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn pick up a victory against Roman and Solo.
The Money in the Bank of 2023 saw ‘The Bloodline Civil War’, where Roman and Solo went toe to toe against The Usos. The ending of the match left everyone shocked as Jey Uso pinned down Roman Reigns to clinch victory in the tag team match, ending the unpinned streak of Reigns.
4. Drew McIntyre does the Cristiano Ronaldo “SIUU” celebration during his match with Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel:
WWE Crown Jewel 2023 had a shocking start when Drew McIntyre returned to face Seth Rollins for a title match. It was one of the most hyped matches of the year, and fans were going crazy throughout it.
🚨WWE SUPERSTAR DREW MCINTYRE HITS THE SUII ❤️
Ronaldo influence 🔥🔥🔥🔥#WWE #WWECrownJewel #Ronaldo #AlNasr #PremierLeague #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/rmem6grpp4
— s7ayan (@s7talks) November 4, 2023
At one point in the match, when McIntyre had an upper hand on Rollins, he tossed the champion on the mat and did a victory impression of football legend Cristiano Ronaldo shouting “SIUU”. But the match did go in favor of the Scottish Warrior and Rollins clinched victory over him. Still, Drew had one of the best WTF moments in WWE 2023, where his celebration got fans on their feet.
3. Iyo Sky gets her big moment by cashing in her MITB contract to become the champion:
One of the biggest highlights of the year 2023 in WWE was Iyo Sky becoming the Women’s Champion at the SummerSlam. Sky, who previously won the Money in the Bank, cashed in her contract, and with the help of Bayley, she became the champion.
Won’t cover the best of Raw show tonight
But what I will show you is Iyo Sky cashing in her MITB briefcase to become Women’s Champion in one of my favorite moments of the year pic.twitter.com/arxcKQbjBR
— CrispyWrestling (@CrispyWrestlin) December 26, 2023
Sky pinned Bianca Belair after she had a tiring triple-threat match where she defended her title against Charlotte Flair and Asuka. After the match ended, Sky and Bayley raced to the ring, cashing in her MITB contract and pinning Bianca to emerge as a champion. It was truly a WTF moment for the fans, as no one expected it.
2. Randy Orton’s epic return at Survivor Series 2023:
The celebrated superstar Randy Orton made his much-awaited return to WWE at the Survivor Series: War Games 2023. The superstar was supposed to face The Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre in a final main event alongside Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, and Sami Zayn. But he was nowhere to be seen for most of the match.
Cody Rhodes’ team was nearing defeat when suddenly The Viper’s music hit off, and Randy returned to aid his team and lead them to victory. Fans across the arena roared and shouted to see their favorite superstar return with a stunning physique. This was truly one of the WTF moments of 2023.
1. CM Punk made a comeback at WWE after a decade:
The most surprising and undoubtedly best moment of WWE 2023 was CM Punk making a return to the Triple-H-led promotion. After he departed from AEW earlier this year, there were huge speculations about the superstar’s future. Punk was last seen in WWE at the Royal Rumble of 2014.
At the end of the match, when Cody Rhodes and his team won the match, the famous ‘Cult of Personality’ started playing off in the arena, and the fans were going crazy. The whole arena erupted as Punk entered the arena, and everyone was on their feet. This marked the biggest WTF moment for WWE in 2023.
In the year 2023, WWE has had some memorable and great moments that are cherished by the fans. Overall, it was a great year where fans witnessed great in-ring action, awesome storylines, and legendary superstars’ returns.