15 Of The Absolute Best WWE Matches Of 2015

Wrestling can be ridiculous. But when it's done right, it's better than any show on television.

15. Chris Jericho vs. Neville: Beast in the East, July 4, 2015

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Singles Match

Winner: Chris Jericho

Yes, Chris Jericho can still put on one hell of a match at the age of 45. Taking on rising superstar Neville, the two put on a highly entertaining match in Tokyo. It had everything from mat-based wrestling to high-flying maneuvers. It was a unique matchup between a well-respected veteran and a beloved rookie, and it delivered one of the best matches of the night.

Also, Michael Cole's commentary was on fire.

14. Daniel Bryan (C) vs. Dolph Ziggler: RAW, March 30, 2015

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Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Winner: Daniel Bryan

After winning the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan defended the title the following night on RAW against fellow fan favorite Dolph Ziggler. The match had incredible back-and-forth action with lots of counters and near pinfalls between the two superstars. Even though Ziggler lost the bout, the post-WrestleMania crowd commended both superstars. Rewatching this match will only make you miss Daniel Bryan, who's currently out with an injury.

13. New Day (C) vs. The Usos vs. Lucha Dragons: TLC, Dec. 13, 2015

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Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Winners: New Day

WWE had a rough 2015. While stars have been dropping like flies due to injuries and bad creative booking, New Day has managed to rise to the top. Along with The Usos and the Lucha Dragons, the three teams delivered an explosive opening to an otherwise lukewarm TLC pay-per-view. While the match had some brutal spots and gave New Day the much-needed credibility as Tag Team champions, Kalisto delivering a Salida del Sol off the top of the ladder is a spot for the ages.

Also, Xavier Woods is damn entertaining on commentary.

12. Charlotte (C) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch: NXT Takeover: Rival, Feb. 11, 2015

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Fatal Four Way Match for the NXT Women's Championship

Winner: Sasha Banks

This match was proof that NXT continued to deliver high-quality women's wrestling in 2015. You had four badasses putting their bodies on the line for the prestigious NXT Women's Championship. From the very beginning, the match was fast-paced and brutal. The viciousness kept viewers on the edge of their seats. In the end, Sasha Banks picked up a well-deserved win, crowning her the new NXT Women's Champion.

11. John Cena (C) vs. Cesaro: RAW, July 6, 2015

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Singles Match for the United States Championship

Winner: John Cena

In 2014, we saw a very stale, repetitive John Cena who barely put on any noteworthy matches. In 2015, after winning the United States Championship at WrestleMania from Rusev, he delivered the single most entertaining weekly segment on RAW: The U.S. Open Challenge, where he put the title on the line against random opponents. We saw a revamped John Cena, who experimented with a new moveset and put on high-quality matches. One of these matches was against wrestling extraordinaire Cesaro, and the two delivered an incredible match, with each competitor trying to outdo the other. It was quite a treat for casual and diehard fans alike.

10. Finn Bálor (C) vs. Kevin Owens: NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Aug. 22, 2015

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Ladder Match for the NXT Championship

Winner: Finn Bálor

When you pit two ring veterans like Kevin Owens and Finn Bálor against each other, you're bound to create magic. The two put on two spectacular title matches in 2015, and ended their rivalry at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn in a devastating, psychology-based ladder match. The storytelling is what made this match great. It was about Owens doing everything in his power to slay the demon Bálor. In the end, Bálor retained the title, and Owens would go on to the main roster full time.

9. Finn Bálor (C) vs. Samoa Joe: NXT Takeover: London, Dec. 16, 2015

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Singles Match for the NXT Championship

Winner: Finn Bálor

Sometimes, you like to see two wrestlers beat the crap out of each other. Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor put on the match of the night at NXT Takeover: London. This was a grudge match, done with finesse by two of the greatest wrestlers on the planet. It was brutal, it was fast-paced, and it was awesome. Bálor won the match, but Samoa Joe certainly made his mark on the WWE Universe.

8. Seth Rollins (C) vs. Dean Ambrose: Money in the Bank, June 14, 2015

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Ladder Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Seth Rollins

There are rivalries throughout sports history that will stand the test of time: Ali-Frazier, Ewing-Bird, UCLA-USC... Ambrose-Rollins. There's nothing like watching two wrestlers who click inside the squared circle. This match was indeed a violent spectacle and culminated with a heartbreaking loss for Ambrose (and a well-respected win for a villainous Rollins). It broke the hearts of many, but it did elevate Ambrose to new heights.

7. Bayley (C) vs. Sasha Banks: NXT Takeover: Respect, Oct. 7, 2015

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30-minute Ironman Match for the NXT Women's Championship

Winner: Bayley

In the follow-up to their spectacular match at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Sasha Banks and Bayley battled it out in the first-ever 30-minute female Ironman match. This match also made history, having two women headlining the main event for a WWE pay-per-view for the first time ever. What began as a friendly one-on-one match quickly turned into a vicious battle. Sasha Banks turned up her heelish tactics, ramming Bayley onto the large LCD screen and making Bayley superfan Izzy cry in the front row. It was awesome.

6. John Cena (C) vs. Sami Zayn: RAW, May 4, 2015

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Singles Match for the United States Championship

Winner: John Cena

When Bret Hart introduced NXT Superstar Sami Zayn as John Cena's opponent in the U.S. Open Challenge, the Montreal crowd burst into one of the loudest pops of the year, maybe even the decade. Sami Zayn is the ultimate good guy whom everybody wants to succeed. His match versus John Cena began with a slight hiccup: Zayn injured his shoulder in real life at the beginning of the match. The rhythm of the match was a bit off in the beginning, but when the two finally connected, it was a work of art. Zayn hit all his high-flying moves and for a second, we truly believed John Cena would lose the title. Nevertheless, Zayn delivered, and despite working injured, he and John Cena put on a match for the ages.

Also, when Sami Zayn was trending No. 1 worldwide on Twitter, a lot of Directioners were confused.

5. Sasha Banks (C) vs. Becky Lynch: NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, May 20, 2015

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Singles Match for the NXT Women's Championship

Winner: Sasha Banks

By the time Becky Lynch challenged Sasha Banks for the NXT Women's Championship, Banks had established herself as the bona fide heel of NXT. She was a cocky champion reminiscent of The Rock circa late '90s/early 2000s. Becky Lynch, on the other hand, was still new to the WWE Universe. We knew she was good, but nothing about her TRULY stood out...until this match. A fresh, red-haired, steampunk Lynch came out guns blazing and put on a highly technical match against "The Boss." Even though Banks won the bout, Lynch earned the respect of wrestling fans, and even had the Full Sail University crowd singing her song in appreciation. This was the night a star was born.

4. John Cena (C) vs. Kevin Owens (C): Elimination Chamber, May 31, 2015

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Champion vs. Champion Non-Title Match

Winner: Kevin Owens

One of the more brilliant moments in 2015 came with the main roster debut of NXT Champion Kevin Owens against U.S. Champion John Cena. Their match at Elimination Chamber drew the eyes of casual and longtime die-hard fans alike. Fans who followed Owens since his pre-WWE days were eager to see how he would fare against Cena, the embodiment of mainstream pro wrestling. The match was spectacular. Not only did Owens showcase his incredible athleticism and ring psychology, but it also pulled Cena out of his awfully repetitive "five moves of doom" moveset. Owens picking up a CLEAN win over an unbeatable Cena established him as the new Superstar to watch, as well as the future of WWE.

3. Brock Lesnar (C) vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins: Royal Rumble, Jan. 25, 2015

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Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Brock Lesnar

After Cena and Lesnar battled it out at SummerSlam and Night of Champions, their third match would take place at Royal Rumble. That is until The Authority inserted Seth Rollins into the mix. This match would prove that Rollins could hold his own amongst ring veterans like Cena and Lesnar. The intensity and fast pace of this match kept the audience on the edge of their seats. While Cena and Lesnar showcased their brute strength, Rollins used his agility and high-flyer style to expose his opponents' weak spots. Rollins dropping the elbow on Lesnar through the announce table was the spot of the night, and even though Lesnar walked away with the victory, Rollins proved he was main event material.

2. Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Roman Reigns [vs. Seth Rollins]: WrestleMania 31, March 29, 2015

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Singles/Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Seth Rollins

No one thought the main event for WrestleMania 31 was going to be any good. Many believed Roman Reigns was not ready for a championship opportunity. The opinion among fans was that this main event was going to stink up Levi's Stadium, and WWE was going to be booed out of the building. Well...it was just the opposite.

Lesnar dominated Reigns for the first half of the match, garnering the now famous "Suplex City" catchphrase. But when Lesnar got busted open and began bleeding, Reigns took advantage and tried to put the beast down with multiple spears and Superman punches. For a fraction of a second, the world stopped as Reigns pinned the unbeatable Beast...but Lesnar kicked out. The swerve of the year came when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and turned the main event into a Triple Threat match. He would curbstomp a weak Reigns and win/steal the WWE Championship in what commentator Michael Cole called "The Heist of the Century."

Pro wrestling is drama, but it doesn't always get it right. In this instance, it did, and it was better than any drama on television or film.

1. Sasha Banks (C) vs. Bayley: NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Aug. 22, 2015

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Singles Match for the NXT Women's Championship

Winner: Bayley

WWE has ALWAYS had a problem when it comes to the Divas division. Their so-called #DivasRevolution was a dud and the most disappointing thing of 2015, simply because they failed to capitalize on the female talent that moved up from NXT. To see Charlotte, Becky, Paige, and Sasha involved in pathetic, asinine storylines leaves a lot to be be desired. WWE has the female talent, but it's CLEAR that WWE writers and Vince McMahon are still stuck in their old-fashioned ways. And that's a damn shame.

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks stole the show at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. In front of a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, these two athletes put on a match that captivated the WWE Universe. The story was not about backstabbing friends, or "crazy women" antics, or petty middle school shenanigans. This story was about a lovable underdog going up against a cocky champion. It was about two women proving they are the best in the world, and the sole focus was the NXT Women's Championship.

Not only was this the best match of 2015, but it's also the greatest women's match in WWE history. So, come on, WWE. When it comes to women, you can do better.