Ranking the 5 Best WWE and AEW PPVs of 2024 Thus Far

Whether you call them pay-per-views or premium live events, it is safe to say that through the first half of 2024, WWE and All Elite Wrestling have delivered their fair share of excellent major events.

They are shows that have been propped up by their in-ring action but accentuated by the excitement and emotion surrounding them.

From the biggest event the industry has to offer to the farewell of an icon, 2024 has already seen some of the best and most memorable shows in recent memory.

Which are among the top five and which pro wrestling blockbuster takes the No. 1 spot? Find out with this half-year-in-review look.

The Double or Nothing PPV kicked off with a banger of a match as Will Ospreay collected his first AEW title, defeating Roderick Strong to capture the International Championship.

If that wasn't enough of an exclamation point out of the gate, the return of MJF and the resolution of his feud with Adam Cole was.

From there, we had great in-ring action in a mostly top-heavy show.

Swerve Strickland and Christian Cage overcame so-so booking to have one of the better matches on the card, while Mercedes Moné and Willow Nightingale ran back their match from New Japan Pro-Wrestling with a legitimately great sequel.

If you are into chaotic brawls, the show had that, too.

Adam Copeland broke his leg ending his feud with Malakai Black inside a Barbed Wire Steel Cage, while The Elite's Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry knocked off Darby Allin, Bryan Danielson, and FTR in the latest Anarchy in the Arena match.

Less consistent across the board in terms of quality, the show did not hit home like the other AEW offerings on this list, but with the MJF return and the three matches at the top of the card all delivering, Double or Nothing earned its place at our No. 5 spot.

Full recap available here.

With momentum on its side following the biggest WrestleMania of all time, WWE rolled into Lyon, France for a Backlash card that may not have been as stacked as The Showcase of the Immortals but still delivered big time.

Thanks in large part, that is, to a molten-hot French crowd that was invested in and hyped for everything the company threw at it.

It did not hurt that the first match out of the gate was a Street Fight pitting Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga against two of the most popular guys in the company, former world champions Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, and ended with the arrival of Tanga Loa.

Two strong championship matches followed as Bayley retained the WWE women's title and Damian Priest controversially escaped with his world title, thanks to some well-timed interference from his Judgment Day buddies, Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh.

It was the main event pitting Cody Rhodes against AJ Styles that stood out as the best of the night, though. It was a legitimate Match of the Year contender between two celebrated competitors who had never wrestled each other before.

Their chemistry was obvious, and the crowd was unglued for the match. The result was a spirited bout that saw The American Nightmare overcome The Phenomenal One for the victory.

The compact nature of the five-match card allowed the fans to stay hot, with nothing overstaying its welcome and everything being allowed to breathe as a result.

Full recap available here.

For the first time ever, AEW presented Dynasty, a new addition to the PPV schedule that wasted little time establishing its place among the others.

Kazuchika Okada and PAC kicked off the night's action with an extraordinary continental title contest, and a trios match of AEW all-stars followed in the form of The House of Black against Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe.

Those two matches on most cards would be enough to earn it a universal thumbs-up, but when you add Roderick Strong vs. Kyle O'Reilly's technical wizardry, a great women's title match between Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa, and Willow Nightingale's long-awaited TBS title win, you have a card that was firing on all cylinders before it even got to its top three bouts.

Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson had one of the best matches of the last decade while The Young Bucks and FTR wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry with a ladder match for the vacant AEW world tag team titles.

The main event was the defining match on the card, though, as Swerve Strickland paid off his meteoric rise up the ranks by defeating Samoa Joe to capture the AEW world title in a great main event.

Dynasty was a show that highlighted Tony Khan's match-making abilities. At a time when overall creative in AEW was beginning to be called into question, he momentarily silenced the doubters with another extraordinary show full of superb in-ring action.

It was not the only time he managed that feat.

Full recap available here.

AEW bid farewell to an icon at Revolution as Sting took his final bow in a wild and chaotic main event that utilized plate glass and thumbtacks, among other items.

The Icon teamed with Darby Allin to successfully defend the AEW Tag Team Championship, knocking off The Young Bucks and bringing an end to one of the most storied careers in professional wrestling history.

It was the perfect capper to a show that had been built around The Stinger, but he was hardly the only banger on the show.

Christian Cage continued his late-career renaissance, defeating Daniel Garcia in the opening match of the night, ensuring his TNT title reign continued. Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson lived up to expectations with a hard-hitting, emotional war that concluded with the underdog defeating his biggest doubter.

Roderick Strong and Orange Cassidy had a strong showing, and Will Ospreay made his official in-ring debut as a full-time member of the AEW roster with a win over Konosuke Takeshita.

Sprinkle in a little Toni Storm-Deonna Purrazzo action and add Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page tearing the house down for the top prize in the company, and you have what was arguably the most complete offering from AEW on PPV this year.

In most instances, it would have been enough for it to rank at the No. 1 position on this countdown. Unfortunately, the event found competition in not only the biggest event of the year but also one with historical significance beyond the retirement of a legend.

Full recap available here.

The spectacle and grandeur of WrestleMania is never in doubt.

It is the biggest show in professional wrestling from the most prominent company in the industry, and it's one that will always capture the attention of die-hard and casual fans alike.

This year's show did just that, with the return of The Rock, the latest in the Bloodline story, the culmination of Cody Rhodes' journey to the WWE title and a couple of family feuds.

The show was spread out over two nights in Philadelphia and served as the official kickoff of the Triple H era in WWE.

The historical significance of that, coupled with some great in-ring outings from Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn and Gunther, LA Knight and AJ Styles, and the threesome of Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Logan Paul, made The Showcase of the Immortals can't-miss.

Add to it the fact that Rhodes finished his story in dramatic fashion, defeating Roman Reigns and ending his historic run as undisputed WWE universal champion, and you have a show with so much significance within the company and beyond that it cannot be denied.

AEW had more complete cards from an in-ring perspective, but when you add great matches with the historical implications and the raw emotion of Rhodes finally winning the top prize in the industry, it edges past all competition...at least in the first half of 2024.

Full recap from Saturday available here.

Full recap from Sunday available here.