The 2024 calendar forWWEis one that will not be soon forgotten. Not just because of the matches, moments, or even achievements committed to the WWE brand, but because of the in-storyline grudges that emanated from WWE programming. Even more so than the matches,it’s the rivalries and storylines that bring viewers back week in and week out, and 2024 had several that were worth tuning in to.
One rivalry worth mentioning as an honorable mention is that between Chelsea Green vs. Michin, a fun midcard feud for the women’s division that delivered an entertaining Dumpster Match and an inaugural Women’s United States Champion atSaturday Night’s Main Event. Similar can be said for Chad Gable vs. Alpha Academy, which almost earned a spot in the Top 10 had it not been paused by the Wyatt Sicks introduction and failed to regain momentum months after.
10Oba Femi vs. Tony D’Angelo
Rocky III for the Wrestling World
Some will frown upon this feud because it is an imitation ofRocky IIIin every sense of the word. Not only is it a storyline that features a hero desperately wanting to redeem himself and regain his confidence after a devastating loss, but the storyline lifts actual dialogue from the movie.
Still, homage aside, the NXT crowd was wholly invested in seeing this storyline add new layers to these conventional archetype characters.The often-comical and cocky Don was now vulnerable, and Femi played the perfect big, bad obstacle. Femi was always a scary juggernaut, but in becoming the longest-reigning champion for his title, he was aware of exactly how scary and “inevitable” he was. D’Angelo’s hyper-awareness of Femi’s dominance nearly cost him everything, but it was Femi’s overconfidence that cost him in the end.
9Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice
More than Meets the Eye (Candy)
Gone are the days when WWE treated their female performers like eye candy, but that doesn’t stop the WWE Universe from, lacking a better word, thirsting over female members of the roster. Jaida Parker and Lola Vice (especially the latter, due to her post-match twerking celebrations) often find themselves the object of this type of fan affection. However, their story showed just how ugly things could get between two vixens who violently hate each other.
Their feud was intense as the beauties went into beast mode, highlighted by their Hardcore Matchin the classic ECW arena, where Parker would smash a break across Vice’s head. Just as notable was their NXT Underground bout at Deadline that catered to Vice’s MMA background, as well as the vicious brawls and promos between the two. Parker exhibited a boldness as a character akin to Ruthless Aggression, while Vice showcased a ferocity expected from a killer in the octagon. The combination made for NXT’s most heated rivalry.
8Sami Zayn vs. Gunther
A Surprise Sleeper Pick
This is a rivalry that didn’t so much build over time as much as crowd investment built over time. That means that fans could not bring themselves to care about Sami Zayn as the undefeated Gunther’s number-one contender for the IC Title, not when the people’s choice, Chad Gable, was still available and waiting in the wings. However, much like how Zayn had to scratch, claw, and scrap for his WrestleMania win, Zayn had to scrape through his fiery promos on the Road to Mania to get fans invested. As a result, his victory came to a thunderous ovation.
The story wouldn’t end there, as once Gunther became World Heavyweight Champion months later, he was on a quest to redeem his past loss, and thus, accepted a challenge from Zayn.By the time this midcard rivalry made its way into the main event picture for a rematch,fans were glued to the edge of their seats.
7Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens
Long-Term Storytelling Done Right
Like many storylines of the new Triple H era of WWE storytelling, Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes was a slow burn. Going into Bash at Berlin, the champion and the challenger were babyfaces who both wanted to be WWE Champion, but mutual respect would help maintain their friendship regardless of the outcome. Things changed when the WWE Champion aligned himself with the original Bloodline that Owens opposed for years, prompting a heel turn on Cody.
Some critics aren’t a fan of how Paul Levesque’s storylines are far slower than they were in the Vince McMahon era, but this is one storyline that has truly benefited from a long-term build. Watching the threads of this rivalry slowly unravel, month after month, constantly escalating to their shocking Saturday Night’s Main Event encounter has been incredibly compellingas they head into Royal Rumble 2025 for a Ladder Match.
6Bloodline vs. Bloodline
Expanding an Already Expansive Storyline
Since 2020, for four years,the Bloodline story has been wrestling’s longest storyline. After the Head of the Table lost his WWE Championship at WrestleMania XL, most fans figured that there was nowhere the storyline could go now and the end of Roman’s reign would be a suitable place to end it.Enter Solo Sikoa, pumping new life into the Bloodline storyline and stableby appointing himself as the new Tribal Chief, with new blood in tow.
The power struggle between Sikoa and Reigns over the Ulla Falla has fans anxious to see more. The WWE Universe easily could have become sick of this storyline by now, and 2024 would have been a reasonable place to end it. Instead, WWE has miraculously managed to add new layers and intrigue to a stable that’s been active for half a decade without beating a dead horse.
5Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. LA Knight
Making the United States Championship Special Again
Some of the best storylines of 2024 weren’t the marquee attractions or the main event angles,but the feuds that fit perfectly in the midcard. This one started in simple fashion with a then-babyface rookie in Carmelo Hayes wrestling the returning Andrade in a surprising show-stealer. Two competitors who respected each other continued to face off to prove who was the better man. That soon evolved into a Best of Seven Series, which slowly grew more intense with each bout as they traded wins, prompting a heel turn for Melo.
Soon, their stunning series caught the attention of the US Champion. Then, the series became about contending for a title, and miraculously, both men ended up facing the champion for his title in a slobberknocker of a Triple Threat at Crown Jewel in arguably the match of the night.
4Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman
One Monster Gets Another Over
The further that audiences distance themselves from the Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman storyline, the more that the feud reads as a success in retrospect. At the time, fans were just enjoying the ride of seeing two big hoss characters throw everything but the kitchen sink at each other - everything including mid-size cars and fully-sized humans. Now, readers can look back on it as the breakout performance for Bronson Reed, who benefitted incredibly from this feud.
This feud got Reed over in the same way that Strowman got over in 2017from a feud with Roman Reigns: it propels a new WWE Superstar into the main event picture by committing the craziest of moments on a weekly basis, be it launching a Tsunami atop a car ora Last Monster Standing bout.
3Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan and Dom Mysterio
The Most Captivating Love Triangle in Years
Wrestling in itself is a theatrical soap opera under the guise of a competitive sports competition. The drama that happens outside of the ring and on the mic in the wrestling promos is usually all that’s needed to add that soap opera quality, but sometimes, romance angles like this bring that soap opera-esque quality to something more on the nose. Such an attempt can provide mixed results, but for this trio, it was one of the hottest angles of the year.
Some of the loudest crowd reactions of the year came from Dom and Liv Morgan’s first kiss (and their subsequent SummerSlam kiss), the sexual tension between them while Rhea Ripley was on the injury list, and of course, Ripley’s return to get her man back.The Liv Morgan Revenge Tour dominated 2024, and Ripley revolved around her WWE Women’s World Title for virtually every minute of it, pitting the division’s best heel with the most over babyface.
2Roman Reigns and The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
A Rollercoaster of Spontaneity
The most spontaneous feud of 2024started as a tease for The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL. However, knowing that the dream match would cost them a long-awaited rematch from the prior WrestleMania and cost Cody Rhodes his right to a main event title match despite winning the Rumble, fans vehemently fought against the match for weeks in crowds and on social media. The “We Want Cody” movemebt prompted an unexpected heel turn from The Rock, aligning with Roman Reigns, while Seth Rollins promised to be Cody’s “shield.”
The storyline unraveled in unexpected ways in real-time, giving fans two Mania main events they adored. The unpredictably gripped viewers every week begging to see how everything would unfold. Even the most lapsed of fans and the smartest of marksdidn’t know where this was going until the story was finished (in more ways than one).
1CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre
Blood, Guts, and Hate
This is another feud that happened a bit spontaneously. The Road to WrestleMania was originally prepared forCM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. Fans may have never gotten this rivalry had CM Punk not gotten legitimately injured in the Royal Rumble match, prompting Drew McIntyre to say, “I prayed for this and it happened.“Bone-chilling words that set the tone for a tenacious feud, one that seethed with tension.
McIntyre continued to capitalize on that moment every week, not only garnering new heat for himself, but extending his saga with Punk while the Straight Edge Superstar was on the shelf. Once Punk was back in action, they were able to evolve their hatred for each other, even incorporating a friendship bracelet that would prove pivotal for their rivalry and final match. Few storylines engrossed theWWEUniverse from start to finish quite like this one.
