Matches such as Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus at WrestleMania 39, and The Bloodline Civil War at Money in the Bank were all given appropriate time to make a statement and leave a lasting impression on the fans.

However, 2023 has truly been the year of short matches, with there being a considerable number of matches lasting under a minute in length.

These brief matches were either designed to highlight one specific wrestler, or they were drastically and somewhat negatively hindered by time constraints.

The matches on this list relate to showdowns that have taken place on the main roster, so matches that took place on NXT programming aren’t applicable.

So – with that being said, let’s examine the 11 shortest WWE matches of 2023.

11: Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya (Night Of Champions) (70 Seconds)

One of the criticisms that has been directed towards Rhea Ripley’s Women’s Title reign is the lack of quality PLE matches. Ripley is presented as the top star in the Women’s Division, yet throughout 2023, there has been nobody there to compete for her spot, and this means that most of her matches, particularly those on PLEs have been incredibly predictable.

When Ripley defended against Natalya at the Night of Champions event in May, it was a given that Ripley would retain, yet nobody could have anticipated Ripley to get the win in just 70 seconds. Ripley annihilated Natalya in the match, and there seemed like no reason why WWE couldn’t give Rhea an extended match with one of the more talented women in the division.

10: JD McDonagh vs. Dolph Ziggler (RAW, May 29) (60 Seconds)

Two matches on WWE programming in 2023 lasted just 1-minute in length. The first of these was a match between JD McDonagh and Dolph Ziggler. Their match in May would end up in a double count-out after McDonagh viciously assaulted Ziggler on the outside. The match is notable for being Ziggler’s last WWE TV match before his release.

The second match of the year coming in at just 1-minute in length, saw Rick Boogs defeat The Miz in February on RAW. This was the portion of the year where The Miz was on an extended losing streak, and the former WWE Champion was involved in several short matches to further his character arc.

9: LA Knight vs. Brent Jones (SmackDown, January 20) (58 Seconds)

LA Knight has had a breakout year in 2023. LA has gone from being a manager to main eventing a PLE against Roman Reigns. LA has emerged as one of the top stars in the company, and it was in January when WWE began to take LA seriously as a top star.

LA would enter into a feud with Bray Wyatt, and the build to this match saw LA pickup a number of wins on TV, including a victory that took just 58-seconds. LA defeated jobber Brent Jones in the aforementioned time, and it was great to see WWE bring back the classic concept of the ‘squash match’ in an attempt to get a talent over.

8: Piper Niven vs. Nikki Cross (RAW, March 6) (55 Seconds)

Thankfully 2023 was the year in which Triple H decided to drop the dreadful Doudrop name and persona. Doudrop would revert to the Piper Niven name, and Niven has had a decent run in 2023, and her tag-team partnership with Chelsea Green has received positive reviews from fans.

Niven’s push up the card started to take shape in March, as Niven would be booked to completely squash the once credible, Nikki Cross on RAW. It would take Niven just 55-seconds to win the match, and the quick match was a great showcase for Niven’s power-house style that fans had become accustomed to in NXT UK.

As for Cross, she has had a bizarre 2023. Cross has mainly been used to put over other women in the division, and her latest gimmick of her being in a trance isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire.

7: Dolph Ziggler vs. Omos (RAW, March 6) (50 Seconds)

Omos has been given some huge matches in 2023. Omos has wrestled the likes of Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins on Premium Live Events, and surprisingly, these matches were well received by fans. Omos shines when he’s working with someone that has the talent to carry him, and Lesnar and Rollins fit the bill for this role perfectly.

Omos has taken part in numerous squash matches on WWE TV throughout 2023, and in March on RAW, he squashed Dolph Ziggler in just 50-seconds. Although it was understandable why WWE booked the match in this way, it received vast criticism, as some fans believed that WWE were continuing to misuse Ziggler.

6: Omos vs. Anthony Alanis (RAW, May 1) (49 Seconds)

Speaking of Omos, another one of his squash matches took place on May 1, and it lasted 49-seconds. Omos would squash a local competitor known as Anthony Alanis, and the idea behind the squash was to get Omos ready for his Backlash match with Seth Rollins.

As WWE enters into 2024, it would be great to see Omos deliver longer matches on TV, as Omos has been on WWE programming for quite a while now, and the squash match formula has grown tiresome when it comes to the presentation of the former Tag Team Champion.

5: Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali (RAW, April 3) (40 Seconds)

The Almighty Bobby Lashley has been open and honest regarding how much missing WrestleMania 39 impacted him. Lashley was initially booked to face Bray Wyatt; however, due to Wyatt being ill, Wyatt was pulled from the match. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to reposition Lashley, meaning that he was absent from the card entirely.

The night after WrestleMania on RAW, WWE attempted to re-position Lashley as a threat, and the way they did this was by having Lashley destroy Mustafa Ali in a squash match. Lashley would make Ali submit to the Hurt Lock in just 40-seconds. This was infamously the RAW that Vince McMahon made drastic creative alterations to, and it was hardly a surprise that he wanted Lashley to look as strong as possible on the show.

4: Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross (RAW, July 17) (19 Seconds)

The summer of 2023 saw WWE attempt to push Shayna Baszler up the card. Baszler would feud with Ronda Rousey, in a feud which just so happened to be Rousey’s final WWE feud before leaving the company. WWE attempted to make fans invested in the feud, yet there was just a lack of investment from the fans.

The fans had grown tired of Rousey during her second run, and it had been a number of years since Baszler was a compelling character.

To try and present Baszler as credible heading into her SummerSlam showdown with Rousey, WWE would book Baszler to defeat Nikki Cross on RAW in just 19-seconds.

Did this do anything in terms of the excitement levels for the SummerSlam encounter? Arguably not, and the utter silence from the live crowd when Baszler defeated Cross was a clear indicator that what WWE were doing simply wasn’t working.

3: Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin (SmackDown, May 12) (7 Seconds)

One of the more underrated stars of 2023 has been Cameron Grimes. Grimes has only been given a few chances to shine on WWE TV, yet when he has been given the spotlight, Grimes has been able to deliver, and he has managed to connect with the audience.

One of Grimes’ highlights in 2023, saw him defeat Baron Corbin on SmackDown in 7-seconds. WWE likes to claim and market the match as lasting just 3-seconds, which simply wasn’t the case. WWE’s questionable timings aside, the match was a big moment for Grimes, and he received a huge pop upon securing the victory.

As for Corbin, WWE have gone back to basics with his character in 2023, and his run in NXT has been excellent. Corbin remains one of the most consistently good in-ring talents WWE have, and it’s easy to work out why WWE has so much faith in the talented star.

2: Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY (SummerSlam) (8 Seconds)

Matches that feature a Money in the Bank cash-in are typically short, and IYO SKY’s cash-in at SummerSlam was no exception.

Bianca Belair had just won the Women’s Title in a chaotic triple threat match, and this was the perfect opportunity for SKY to cash-in, and capture her first singles title on the main roster. SKY winning the ‘big one’ was well-deserved, and she was exactly what the women’s division on SmackDown needed at the time.

It took SKY just 8-seconds to defeat Belair and capture the gold, and this is actually on the shorter side when it comes to Money in the Bank cash-ins, as they are usually around 30-seconds on average.  

1: Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus (RAW, July 31) (5 Seconds)

One of the most disappointing storylines of 2023 was the feud between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch. On paper, the feud should have been incredibly special, yet due to questionable booking decisions, and an awkward initial chemistry between the two, the feud just failed to take off.

When the two legends were booked to face off on the July 31 edition of RAW, Stratus would enter the ring, the bell would sound, and then after 5-seconds, Zoey Stark would interfere, ending the match in a disqualification.

There were audible groans around the world with this finish, and it was yet another sign that WWE’s booking of the feud wasn’t meeting the expectations of the fans.

This ultimately would end up being the shortest match of 2023, which is crazy when you consider the star-power of the women involved.

Thankfully, Stratus and Lynch would slowly but surely manage to put it together, and their match at Payback which took place inside a steel cage, received widespread critical acclaim. The match is considered to be a match of the year contender by many, and some would even label it as one of the greatest women’s matches in WWE history.