The year 2023 is coming to a close! And it was seemingly one of the most intriguing years in WWE. Indeed, the company did it all to capture the attention of the fans and threw many surprises their way and was successful in generating the buzz that has seen them in their hottest period for some time.

Now the road to WrestleMania has almost begun. As we approach the Royal Rumble premium live event, it becomes interesting to analyze why the year 2023 was a wild ride for the entire WWE universe. Maybe because of their way of presenting the storylines? Or some of the grandest returns? So without further ado, let’s dive deep into the discussion.

CM Punk’s return to WWE

Let’s start with the biggest surprise of the year 2023. Yes, you got that right; it was the return of CM Punk. Ever seen a unicorn walk the Earth? Well, Punk’s return was somewhat similar to that since the chances of his return until the end of the Survivor Series became relatively thin. But as they say in pro wrestling never say never. As the show drew to a close after the WarGames match, ‘The Cult of Personality’ echoed in the Allstate Arena leading to one of the loudest pops of 2023 and leaving fans in a state of utter disbelief.

This certainly explains why CM Punk was a No. 1 even during his WWE hiatus. Eventually, the nearly 10-year wait paid off when the ‘Second City Saint’ came back to the WWE. Now he is officially going to fight in the Royal Rumble match, and his prospects in the company will be interesting to watch.

Do not forget the return of Randy Orton

Another highly anticipated veteran who was missing from the WWE was Randy Orton. The Viper also made a grand return to help Cody Rhodes’ team in the Survivor Series WarGames and eventually led them to a colossal win. He was out of action for a year and a half because of a legitimate back injury and had also undergone fusion surgery, which kept him away from what he loved the most.

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The year 2023 was certainly fruitful for all the Randy Orton fans, as they kept anticipating his return and also tuned in throughout to know his progress. The WWE, however, used the veteran perfectly to mask CM Punk’s return. This overall anticipation and its ultimate result in the form of Orton’s comeback made the year 2023 certainly special for the fans.

Roman Reigns’ historic reign as a champion continues

Another major reason for such an intriguing 2023 was ‘ The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns. Arguably the highlight of his reign came this year with The Bloodline saga and his feud with Cody Rhdoes. Reigns defeated Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 to retain his title in a surprise result. It was indeed a shocker for many, since most of the faithful thought that Rhodes was going to put a halt to his historic championship reign.

On top of that, the fans also wanted to know how far his run as champion would reach. As of now, it has covered a whopping 1198 days, and it could be possible that it may last until WrestleMania 40.

And then we saw the rise of Jey Uso and LA Knight, who indeed became the talk of the town and were groomed to face Roman Reigns. The fans got their backs, and their status heightened when they indulged in some of the intriguing storylines of 2023 and faced Reigns. But at the end Reigns has prevailed over everyone so far with no end in sight.

Gunther’s dominance in 2023

While Roman Reigns extended his run with the WWE Undisputed Universal title, it is hard to forget another dominant champion in 2023, Gunther. After defeating Ricochet to win the Intercontinental title in 2022, The Ring General has shown ferocity in his character.

He kept on dominating whoever came in his path and is one of the toughest adversaries for all the current babyfaces who aspire to become the Intercontinental champion. Many greats, such as The Ultimate Warrior, Chris Jericho, and The Miz, might have held the title before, but Gunther’s current record might have surpassed their accolades. The lowdown of which is his 549-day title reign, which is the longest of all time. On top of that, he has put brilliant matches against the likes of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Chad Gable and many more.

Now the fans are waiting with bated breath to see who could dethrone the Austrian. Gunther looks relentless and it will be a monumental occasion when someone finally takes him down.

Another reason for excitement was the road of Cody Rhodes this year

The fans were eagerly waiting for night 2 of WrestleMania 39, but little did they know that a curve ball would be thrown at them. Despite losing the main event at WrestleMania 39, the fans were still hopeful Cody Rhodes finishing his story in WWE. The 38-year-old has been one of the hottest stars ever since he came back to WWE.

After years of hustle in the independent circuit and AEW, the fans wanted to see Rhodes succeed in the WWE. Maybe that is why his booking since the Royal Rumble 2023 has garnered a significant amount of attention, thus making this year a joyride for the fans. After suffering a loss against Roman Reigns, Rhodes proved his mettle by defeating the likes of Brock Lesnar twice and winning the tag team championships. Recently he stood tall at the end of the WarGames match, a spectacle his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes made famous.

Thus despite being away from the title picture, WWE booked Rhodes as a major star and have arguably enhanced his reputation as he sets on a road to redemption. Will this road take him towards Roman Reigns again? We will have to wait and see.

For now let us know what you make of this list and are there any other moments this year that impressed you.

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