WWE Raw: Examining The Best and The Worst of the Brand for 2017

Best Match: Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz, May 1

Three very different superstars met with a chance to challenge Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose at stake. You had the grounded style of prototypical WWE Superstar The Miz in one corner. Next up was Finn Balor, who cut his teeth primarily in Japan. And then there was Seth Rollins, who was at one point Triple H’s hand-picked successor to the throne.

Even though I wrote at the time that Miz was the obvious winner going in, it really could have gone any way. In one main event match, WWE was able to set up a future Intercontinental Championship match, further two other storylines (Balor/Wyatt and Rollins/Joe), and logically build to a pay per view main event down the road. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

It may not have been a technically perfect match, but for a regular episode of television it was damn good. Any of the three competitors could be main event players, two of the three are former world champions in WWE, and all have a solid amount of fan support. It’s a recipe for success.

Honorable Mention: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns, May 29

Seth Rollins quietly had a solid 2017 in the ring, didn’t he? Any match that he’s had with Cesaro and Sheamus could go here, too, but a singles match between Rollins and Roman Reigns with both on the side of good opened the door to a lot of possibilities.

Historically, this match is important because it’s the first time Reigns defeated Rollins in one on one action. Generally, it’s just another in the long list of “good Roman Reigns matches that too many smarks try to ignore because they badly want to hate him.”