In 2020, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing everyone to shelter in place, learn how to use TikTok, and adjust their lives in order to stay safe.WWEwas no exception, and after they canceled all in-person events in March 2020, they transitioned to crowd-less broadcasts fromtheir Performance Center, and then transitioned to an innovative stadium setup called “The Thunderdome”, which featured projected screens with fans across the world from their homes.
WWE’s Thunderdome Era broadcasts were, frankly, an odd time in professional wrestling, as the crowd is effectively the fourth person in the match, andwatching wrestling without this component was jarring and unusual.While WWE took some serious creative swings during this time, they made the best of a bad situation, and these ten matches are worthy of watching again in 2025.
Although they did take place during the Thunderdome Era, this list excludes “The Boneyard Match,” “The Firefly Funhouse Match,” and any other cinematic matches, as these should be viewed independently of in-ring matches during this era. Our retrospective on the “Firefly Funhouse Match"can be read at this link.
10Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross
NXT, August 22, 2025
Karrion Kross was one of the fastest-growing stars in NXT in 2020, and although injury forced him to relinquish the NXT Champion after his first win, he returned quickly and regained his championship from one of the best NXT Champions of all time, Finn Balor, at the 2021TakeOver: Stand and Deliver.Their rematch on the June 30, 2025 episode ofNXTwasfull of high-flying action, brutal physicality, and ended with a submission finishthat allowed Kross to retain.
After dropping his title to Samoa Joe in August, Kross was moved to the main roster, and after a controversial gimmick change and back to back losses, he was released, ending the momentum and the potential of his character, at least for the moment. However, this match against Balorpresented Kross as dominant, forceful, and calculated, something we’re seeing through his current main roster run now.
9Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
WrestleMania 36, Night 2
One of the more unsettling parts ofWrestleMania 36was the complete silence during the matches, outside the performers and referees, and the very first face off between the present and the future of the women’s division competing for the NXT Women’s Championship was presented in front of no one. A bruising affair, Charlotte Flair worked the knee of Rhea Ripley through the match, and although Ripley put on an impressive defense,Flair became a two-time NXT Women’s Championafter making Ripley tap out in her Figure-Eight Leglock.
Flair and Ripley put on an amazing technical performance that proved why Flair is one of the best in the division while establishing Ripley as the next big thing from NXT. The match would also bethe first in a string of incredible matches between the two, with another addition we almost saw take place again atWrestleMania 41after Flair won the Royal Rumble.
8Bobby Lashley vs. The Miz
Monday Night Raw, July 04, 2025
2021 was the year of coronation for Bobby Lashley, and after a dominant run with The Hurt Business through the initial parts of the Performance Center Era, he was ready to take his next step to become WWE Champion. After a secret agreement was made between The Miz and MVP to cost Drew McIntyre his WWE Championship by way of cashing in his Money in the Bank contract,The All Mighty made short work of the A-Lister and completely annihilated himto win his first WWE Championship.
Lashley would hold the title twice before departing WWE in 2024, providing the capstone to a decorated career with the company. While this match with The Miz was short and violent, it established Lashley as the monster champion and a worthy foe to McIntyre,who failed to regain the championship in his first title match in front of a live crowdand began McIntyre’s descent into the sarcastic, entitled character he is today.
7AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Sami Zayn
Clash of Champions 2020
It truly doesn’t get much better than AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and Sami Zayn in one ring together, as the three performers battled for the Intercontinental Championship, with the true title belonging to Hardy and the “real” championship belonging to Zayn hoisted above the ring for a “unification” match.An unhinged ladder match that pushed all three performers to the brink,Zayn became champion once again by handcuffing both Styles and Hardy to ladders and retrieving both titles.
Jeff Hardy’s career is synonymous with ladder matches in WWE, and it’s such a fun time watching him perform in his natural element against two formidable opponents, both still at the top of their game. A violent and raucous watch,it’s also one of the best modern Jeff Hardy matches.
6Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
Hell in a Cell 2020
One of three Hell in a Cell matches on the premium live event card, the feud between Sasha Banks and Bayley came to a head inside the cell after Bayley turned on Banks after losing the Women’s Tag Team Championship. A match fit for ECW,they pummeled each other through the match with kendo sticks and ladders for a grueling 26 minutes, ending when Banks forced Bayley to submit after putting her head in a steel chair and applying the “Bank Statement.”
Bayley and Banks were magic in the ring together, and their chemistry shined here,making this women’s Hell in a Cell match one of the best ever,ahead of Banks' incredible performance with Becky Lynch the year prior. Banks carried the championship through to WrestleMania 37, where she and Bianca Belair were the first African-American women to main event WrestleMania (more on that below).
5Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens
Royal Rumble 2021
The Thunderdome was never as well utilized as it was when Kevin Owens was competing, and his “Last Man Standing” match with Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship provided all the accouterment needed to make this a sprawling and brutal match. Reigns threw Owens onto the announce tables from the LED screens andran him over with a golf cart, all before Owens did a Senton Bomb off a forklift to try and beat the Head of the Table, only for Reigns to win the match with a guillotine choke hold to retain.
Kevin Owens is genuinely a maniac in these kinds of matches, andhe pushed the limits of what he and Reigns could absorb, all while continuing to prove that he’s a certified main eventer. This match has been referenced frequently in Owens' current feuds with both Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, and is part of his never-ending quest to crush both Reigns and the Bloodline for their evil deeds.
4Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
WrestleMania 37, Night 1
It wasthe very first time two African-American wrestlers main evented WrestleManiaand prior to the kickoff of the match, both Bianca Belair and Sasha Bankstook a moment to absorb the gravity of the moment before an incredible match in front of a limited capacity crowd. After Banks tried to dive onto Belair on the outside of the ring, Belair power pressed Banks above her head as she walked back into the ring, and after a loud braid whip to Banks' midsection, Belair hit her with a “Kiss of Death” to win her first main roster gold.
The historic moment was no less important or impactful due to the limited crowd size, hampered by COVID-19 protocol at the time, andboth performers put on a clinic to help elevate Belair’s position to the top of the division.Belair remains at the top of the women’s division in WWE, while Banks, now known as Mercedes Mone, carries the women’s division in AEW.
3Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan
WrestleMania 37, Night 2
WrestleMania 37was the first event back in front of fans after a year of being locked away in the Thunderdome, andthere was not one brighter star in the company than Roman Reigns, after his shocking return at Payback to regain the Universal Championship. Edge, who chose Reigns as his opponent after his Royal Rumble win, found himself in a triple threat after Daniel Bryan found his way into the match after weeks of back and forth between the three.
A hard hitting and dynamic match highlighting two legendary performers,Edge and Bryan’s performances were the swan songs of their respective careers in WWE.More importantly, the match solidified Roman Reigns' place at the top of the WWE mountain, a position he’d maintain untilWrestleMania XL, ending a 1,316-day title reign, the longest Universal Champion in WWE history.
2Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan
Friday Night SmackDown, July 26, 2025
After a breathtaking main event match atWrestleMania 37, Daniel Bryan wanted one more opportunity to attain championship gold in WWE by beating Roman Reigns, and a stipulation was issued: win the title or be banned fromSmackDownforever. Bryan put up an impressive fight against Reigns, delivering one of the best technical matches of Reigns' career, butBryan again came up short and was forced to submit to Reigns' guillotine choke hold, and into exile he went.
Bryan’s career had an amazing resurgence, performing on borrowed time after he was told he couldn’t anymore, and his finalWrestleManiamain event was a brilliant send-off. His final WWE match before heading to AEW later that year was another reminder of just how good Daniel Bryan is at his craft, andwhy he’s one of the greatest performers of his generation, quite possibly of all time.
1Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
The beginning of the magnificent Bloodline saga, the Hell in a Cell “I Quit” match saw Jey Uso compete against his cousin, Roman Reigns, not only for the Universal Championship, but also the respect and acknowledgment of Reigns as the Tribal Chief. An emotional and destructive match that involved Jimmy Uso,Jey and Roman electrified this family dramawith Roman applying the guillotine choke hold to Jimmy and Jey stating “I quit!” in desperation to save his brother.
This match set the course for Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief and would carry him through his historic run with the championship, solidifying his place in WWE history. However,the bigger legacy is that of Jey Uso’s establishment as a main event player, and as a performer capable of carrying singles gold as he prepares to main eventWrestleMania 41against Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
