18 Ups & 15 Downs For WWE In 2023

17. Viking Rules

Viking Raiders alpha Academy
WWE.com

Hats – well, Viking helmets – off to the geniuses who figured out how to disguise a standard WWE plunder brawl involving the Viking Raiders by just attaching a Viking ship bow to the ring, which was adorned with shields, and giving the match a different name.

The Viking Rules match only made its way to television twice this year, but both instances absolutely ruled, with the Raiders defeating Alpha Academy in July, and then Ivar toppling Kofi Kingston in October. They were tremendous fun, with everyone going all-out to deliver for the fans and produce something memorable beyond the typical hardcore-lite matches WWE traffics in regularly.

By over-delivering on both Viking Rules matches, it’s now become lore for fans in the know, something that when booked becomes appointment viewing. The recent feud between Ivar and Bronson Reed has lent itself to the possibility of a blowoff Viking Rules match, which would instantly become a must-see affair.

While not on the level of the Iron Survivor match, kudos to WWE for making this a fun match type for fans to anticipate.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.