Professional wrestling is built on story and character, but nothing draws a crowd quite like a great match. The truly special contests are the ones that make companies money hand-over-foot.

These are the clashes that WWE and All Elite Wrestling spend months building up, the special money matches everyone needs to see on the biggest stage possible.

Last year, from WWE, we got Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar, Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens.

From AEW, we saw MJF vs. CM Punk, The Acclaimed vs. Swerve in Our Glory, Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm.

This year, there are more major bouts both companies are ready to deliver, even though both rosters have changed significantly.

From Reigns vs. Sami Zayn to Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson, these are the money matches WWE and AEW must deliver soon.

Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns

This is the match everyone wants to see. Even with a great contest set for the WrestleMania 39 main event in Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, fans are calling for Reigns vs. Sami Zayn instead.

It is likely we will get to see The Honorary Uce face The Head of the Table soon, but it is worth discussing just how big this feels.

Zayn is not the top star Brock Lesnar or John Cena are, and Reigns has defeated those names already. The Honorary Uce is not the generational talent who can carry the brand for the long term.

However, not everyone has to be the No. 1 guy to be right to be the champion. Much like Mankind or Daniel Bryan, Zayn is a veteran who has won the hearts of the fans. He feels real in a way they respect.

Putting him against Reigns, the biggest star in wrestling, is the kind of David vs. Goliath battle that makes wrestling special. This can be a modern-day Rock vs. Mankind feud, and it is arguably even more anticipated right now than that legendary rivalry was in its time.

Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson

Kenny Omega has so many great matches left in AEW. However, there is no contest that AEW fans are anticipating more than his rematch with Bryan Danielson.

These are two of the best wrestlers in the world, and they already showed they could do something special together in their first match. The Cleaner is now healthier than ever and will face The American Dragon at his absolute best.

While Danielson is busy fighting for a shot at the AEW World Championship and Omega is an AEW trios champion and IWGP United States champion, the two should be able to clear up obligations for the right moment to sell a match better than any other in 2023.

Put this match on the AEW Double or Nothing card, and that show will easily sell out. These two men will push each other to be their best.

There is limited time left in Danielson's career as a professional wrestler. AEW cannot afford to wait to make this match happen.

The Usos vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn is so popular that almost everything he is involved in right now is a money match. The Honorary Uce will likely face every member of The Bloodline at some point in exciting bouts.

While he should face Roman Reigns over any other match, the stage has also been set for Zayn and Kevin Owens, longtime friends, to reform the one team that can dethrone The Usos.

The Honorary Uce turned on The Bloodline to protect The Prizefighter. The two have not always gotten along, but they have to work together now more than ever.

Owens and Zayn have teamed together in matches before, but neither has won tag team gold in their careers. They would solidify their standing in WWE by capturing the gold. The Prizefighter would even become a Grand Slam champion.

The tag team division is struggling in WWE, but fresh champions can set up new challengers and matchups. This match needs to happen soon to build the division forward.

The Acclaimed vs. Young Bucks

The Acclaimed went from a makeshift team on AEW Dark to a household name as AEW tag team champions. During this rise to prominence, Max Caster and Anthony Bowens faced top teams throughout the company, often losing.

The Young Bucks defeated The Acclaimed long before the team reached this top level. A rematch between the teams would feel like a brand new match altogether.

Bowens and Caster already beat FTR and Swerve in Our Glory to become a top tag team, but no team has truly arrived until the duo has defeated Matt and Nick Jackson.

This is the perfect title match for AEW Double or Nothing, once The Elite have lost the AEW Trios Championships to a worthy challenger like The House of Black or Best Friends.

Rhea Ripley vs. Beth Phoenix

WWE has a talented women's roster, but few great matches are left among those women that have not already happened. While Becky Lynch and Asuka can have great battles with anyone, they have faced nearly everyone.

Rhea Ripley, though, is a star on the rise with plenty of exciting challenges left. She won the women's Royal Rumble match, setting her up to face Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, which will be a great title match between two longtime rivals.

However, before that, Ripley should be the woman to help Beth Phoenix officially retire. The Glamazon promised to come after The Eradicator after all Ripley did to Phoenix's husband Edge.

That makes for a great final chapter in the career of Phoenix. She needs to pass the torch. Ripley is the perfect woman to carry that torch as the most dominant woman of this era.

Jamie Hayter vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.

Jamie Hayter and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. have been inseparable since Hayter first arrived in AEW. The Doctor was instrumental in bringing her back to the company after the pandemic.

While Baker and Hayter seem to still be best friends, AEW has planted the seeds over the most anticipated match in the women's division for 2023. Baker vs. Hayter is the kind of match that could genuinely main event an AEW pay-per-view.

Since AEW does not seem to have any plan for AEW Women's Tag Team Championships, this is the only direction left for these two women as neither needs the other for success.

With the AEW Women's Championship on the line, Rebel will be stuck in the middle of a battle of friends. She could help decide who wins.

Hayter is the absolute star of the women's division. She has plenty more top names to defeat, but outwrestling The Doctor would be especially sweet.

Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre

Gunther is the biggest heel in wrestling right now. He is a dominant force who has elevated everyone he wrestles against. Anyone could have a great match with him.

The WWE Universe is still anticipating one more match between The Ring General and Sheamus, but there is a bigger contest on the horizon. Gunther must fight Drew McIntyre.

A former world champion and someone who nearly defeated Roman Reigns last year, The Scottish Warrior has pedigree to spare, making him the most dangerous opponent Gunther has faced to date.

It will be hard-hitting. It will be exciting and dramatic. Either man could believably win. The history between them is already building, including clashes within the men's Royal Rumble match.

This could be the WrestleMania match that elevates the WWE Intercontinental Championship to top status in WWE.

MJF vs. Eddie Kingston

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is nearly untouchable on the mic. He can tear down anyone in a verbal tirade that is reminiscent of the all-time-great heels.

However, Eddie Kingston may be the man who can best challenge and overwhelm MJF. The Mad King is a matter-of-fact speaker, coming off as real as he can be. He does not need to be flashy to outshine everyone with the spotlight.

Despite his talent, Kingston has never won AEW gold. He has challenged for the AEW World Championship, TNT Championship and AEW Tag Team Championships without success.

He would step into a match with MJF as the underdog, and the crowd would eat it up. In an era when fans often cheer the bad guy, Kingston would win over the entire crowd with ease.

This is the story that MJF needs to tell more than any other. Once he gets past Bryan Danielson, no title match will make as much of an impact for AEW.