WWE’s 9 Best Matches of 2017 So Far

7. The Authors of Pain vs. DIY – NXT TakeOver: Chicago

The freshest matchup on this list of WWE’s best matches is The Authors of Pain vs. DIY from NXT TakeOver: Chicago. They battled in a Ladder Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship, closing out the night’s festivities.

Pairing these two teams together, who look nothing alike in size, doesn’t seem like a recipe for success. But, DIY and AoP gave a fantastic showing, displaying a story of the minute Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa trying to claw their way through the champs to get their second reign. They did everything possible, from taking them out, with a double-jump from atop a ladder to superkicking Paul Ellering.

At multiple points, it looked like Gargano and Ciampa had this match in their favor. Like the past few times against the Author’s, though, they couldn’t do just enough to get by. It told an unsatisfying ending arc for these babyfaces, who had gold so close.

The power of Akam and Rezar proved to be too much. They hit one Super Collider Powerbomb on Gargano and Ciampa, planting them to the ground and climbing the ladder to successfully retain the belts.

While this doesn’t factor into the match, the post-antics saw Ciampa’s now-famous heel turn. It capped off a wild night that the WWE Universe will talk about for a long time.