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Highlighting the 20 best matches in the WWE for the year 2017.
Year in and year out the WWE seems to have this way of captivating it’s fans while at the same time frustrating them. It almost seems for every great moment, there’s one that leave us scratching our collective heads. 2017 was no different in that regard. From tired title runs most notably in the form of Bill Goldberg and Jinder Mahal, to the criminally bad booking of Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, to the continued super human booking of Roman Reigns, there were definitely things that WWE fans could be frustrated with this year.
On the flip-side however, 2017 brought us great moments too. To AJ Styles ending Mahal’s title reign on an episode of SmackDown, to the returns of Kurt Angle, The Hardy Boyz, and Paige, to scintillating rivalries between Reigns and Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon, and The New Day and The Usos, this calendar year had it’s fair share of positivity as well.
But one thing it seems you can always count on with the WWE is the in-ring performances. Currently hosting one of the deepest and most talented workers the roster has ever seen, 2017 followed that trend and then some. This years list of best matches has a very unique blend. There were traditional one on one matches, a fatal 4-way, multiple gimmick matches, and even WarGames managed to sneak in. And all this greatness was capped off by a trilogy between two of the best young wrestlers on the planet today.
Ahead we count down WWE’s 20 best matches of 2017.
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20. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs Cesaro & Sheamus – No Mercy
The Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins versus Sheamus/Cesaro feud has been going strong since July. In fact, the only reason it’s come to screeching halt is due to a severe triceps injury to Ambrose just a couple of weeks ago. But before that, the narrative between these two teams was pretty simple: they’re incapable of having a bad match against each other. Whether its squaring off in tag team action or it’s two of the four superstars going head to head in singles action, you can always assume brilliance when they tangle.
But for their 2017 rivalry, nothing they did was better than what they produced at No Mercy in September. Following up their SummerSlam match, which was another solid tilt, where Ambrose and Rollins captured the tag team titles, The Bar was looking for not only their straps back, but some revenge. The intensity in this bout was absolutely off the charts and it had Staples Center in Los Angeles rocking as the former champs took it to The Shield members, dominating for long stretches of the bout. But just when it seemed that Rollins and Ambrose were done on a few different occasions, an errant Brogue Kick from Sheamus to his partner led to their demise.
But of course we have to talk about Cesaro’s individual, gutsy performance. Living up to his “Swiss Superman” persona, “The King of Swing” ate the ring post early in the match leaving him with a nasty looking mouth injury which ultimately requiring dental surgery to repair the teeth that were pushed up into his gums. But he fought through it and still almost came away with another tag team title down the line proving that he’s one of the toughest guys on the roster. Even in losing The Bar looked strong while Ambrose and Rollins solidified themselves as one the best teams in the WWE. Clearly a very successful night in LA.
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19. Bobby Roode vs Hideo Itami – NXT TakeOver: Chicago
It first has to be said that Hideo Itami’s time in the WWE hasn’t exactly gone the way many expected. After being signed to the company in June of 2014 after solidifying himself as a stud while performing for Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, Itami very quickly caught the injury bug. He was first injured in May of 2015 and was knocked out of action for over a year. And just a little over a month after returning, he was hurt again, this time spending another 8 months on the shelf.
However, when he finally made his most recent return in April of this year, it was to confront new NXT Champion Bobby Roode which led to this classic at TakeOver: Chicago. For all the months of inactivity, it almost seemed like no WWE fan got to see just how good “Black Sun” really was. Well that was on full display on this night at The Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois as Itami matched Roode, a former 2-time TNA Champion, move for move over the course nearly 18 hard-hitting minutes. It was truly a veteran versus veteran battle as both men played to their strengths with Itami using his agility and hard striking matched up with Roode’s size, strength, and mat wrestling acumen.
Itami let it all fly that night in Rosemont, seemingly dishing out the frustration that had been his WWE career up to that moment in the form of kicks, chops, and slaps. Itami even managed to kick out of a Glorious DDT, but a second one ended his night. Roode showed his brilliance as well shortly before the finish as he used his veteran savvy and experience to roll out of the ring after enduring an Itami GTS, thus buying time to kick out at two. For two guys with a nearly combined 40 years of experience going head to head for a major title, you’d expect something special. But Roode and Itami took it to another level. Great stuff.
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18. Asuka vs Nikki Cross – Last Woman Standing – NXT 6/23/2017
At the 2016 Hell In A Cell pay per view, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks took part in the first ever women’s hell in a cell match. Then in June of 2017 the women of SmackDown Live took part in the first women’s MITB match. The result of the match produced so much outrage that the blue brand added a second MITB match just nine days later. Then, on the December 18th episode of RAW, Stephanie McMahon announced that the 2018 Royal Rumble will feature the first ever women’s match of that namesake. It’s truly been a remarkable couple of years for the women’s division in the WWE.
Mixed in with all these major milestones for women’s wrestling was the somewhat under the radar match between Asuka and Nikki Cross on the June 23rd episode of NXT. On that night, Asuka and Cross went to war in what was the first ever Last Woman Standing match in the history of the company. And unquestionable it was the best so far of all the firsts. Over the course of 20-plus minutes these two warriors tore into each other with a level violence rarely seen in a women’s match.
Battling for Asuka’s NXT Women’s Championship, Cross seemed willing to do anything to dethrone “The Empress of Tommorow” as she employed a bevvy of chairs while also delivering a guardrail aided spinning neck breaker on the cement. But the champ was up to the challenge as she finished off the challenger with highlight reel superplex from a ladder through the announce table, rendering Cross unable to answer the ten count.
It was a star making performance from Cross who has future NXT gold written all over her. And for Asuka, it was another notch on her already sparkling WWE belt. Here’s hoping these two cross paths again in the near future.
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17. Pete Dunne vs Mark Andrews – United Kingdom Championship Tournament Semifinals
At the start of 2017, the United Kingdom Championship Tournament took place in Blackpool, England and introduced 16 fresh, British faces to the WWE universe. Over the course of the next two days, these men put on numerous, hard-fought battles that yielded new superstars to keep on the radar. Due to their performances, guys like Trent Seven, Wolfgang, and Danny Burch continued to work dates for the WWE throughout 2017. However, two of the men that stood out from the crowd were semi-finalists Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews.
The high-flying Andrews was a somewhat already well known commodity on the states if you were a fan of TNA as “White Lightning” worked for the fledgling company for a few years beginning in 2014. Dunne, on the other hand, was more well known to hardcore wrestling fans who follow the independent scene as “The Bruiserweight” had won titles in Chikara, Progress Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling, and Westside Extreme Wrestling. And with both men being right around the same age while growing up on the British wrestling circuit, they were no strangers to each other, having gone to battle in some shape or form more than 40 matches before this night in January.
You could tell that the duo knew each other well and seemed to ooze natural chemistry as Dunne, the brawler, wore down Andrews who still managed to work in his arsenal of high-flying maneuvers. The match only lasted around 11 minutes, but that didn’t stop these two Brits from tearing into each other and working the Blackpool crowd into frenzy. In the end it was Dunne’s power that carried the night as he picked up the victory and moved on to the finals to face the other standout from this tournament, Tyler Bate. But as good as the ensuing trilogy between Bate and Dunne was, a lot needs to be said about Andrews who should one day become a key member of the WWE’s 205 division.
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16. Drew McIntyre vs Andrade Almas – NXT TakeOver: WarGames
One of the first awards that could come to mind from this battle between Andrade Almas and Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship at TakeOver: WarGames would be “shocker of the year”. Going into this match, most (this writer included) assume that McIntyre had this one in the bag. The 32 year-old Scotsman had recently returned to the WWE and after just four months into his NXT run, “The Celtic Colossus” dethroned Bobby Roode for NXT gold. So when only his second title defense came around, he’d held the belt for just 91 days, a fairly short amount of time for an NXT title reign.
Also take into account that Almas, who’d been with the NXT for two years before getting this title shot, really only got hot when he turned heel and hired Zelina Vega to be his manager about three months earlier. He looked like he was going to be fodder for a new champion. Add in that Almas was giving up about six inches and 30 pounds to McIntyre and it had to be believed that “Cien” would have his hands full.
But when the match started at TakeOver, a different feel began to play out. The opening minutes were a bit stale but it worked as it built a slow burn which fed into the final five minutes that were about as intense as they come. From McIntyre’s running boot that sent “Cien” into a shooting star press bump, to Almas breathtaking moonsault to the outside, the duo made the NXT Championship proud. And the added surprise of Almas winning the strap only added to the match’s quality.
This may have been both men’s best night as members of the WWE. And although the ending, which saw McIntyre get legitimately injured, hurt things just a little bit, the sheer intensity of the match carried it to one of the years best.
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15. Finn Balor vs AJ Styles – TLC
The 2017 Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay per view may go down as one of the most surprisingly good shows of the past decade. Not to say it was an amazing night. It was pretty good but it originally looked like it was going to be dreadful. With the two marquee matches on a boring card being Finn Balor in yet another match with Bray Wyatt to continue their painfully bad 2017 feud and a 5 on 3 TLC Handicapped match with The Shield facing The Miz, The Bar, Braun Strowman, and Kane, this show had virtually no spark. But when a bout of viral meningitis knocked both Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt out of the show, the WWE scrambled and in the main event replaced Reigns with Kurt Angle, marking his first WWE match in over 11 years.
However, the best thing to come out of this when Daniel Bryan loaned AJ Styles over RAW for the night to face Balor in place of Wyatt. Styles flew from South America to Minneapolis to take the match and once again remind fans why he was the unabridged 2017 WWE MVP. It was a dream match between the former Bullet Club members in New Japan Pro Wrestling and it almost seemed like the near 14,000 in attendance at Target Center knew they were seeing something unique and special.
With virtually no time to build and with no titles or stakes on the line, Balor and Styles still managed to pull of the match of the night, while one of the best of the year. It was a back and forth throw down which saw each guy come close a number of times before Balor got one of the biggest wins of his career via his “Coup de Grace”. The image of the two legends coming together with their old Bullet Club salute was one of the best moments of 2017. When two guys this good are paired together, one will always expect magic. And Styles and Balor did exactly that at TLC.
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14. Andrade Almas vs Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III
In May, shortly after Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa failed to win back the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver: Chicago, Ciampa viciously turned on his partner thus ending the DIY partnership. So it seemed like the duo would be headed for a heated feud for the remainder of 2017. However, during the match they performed in, Ciampa tore his ACL and would be shelved for about 8-12 months. So with Ciampa in his temporary rear view mirror, Gargano took to singles competition in search of the NXT Championship. Gargano’s results as a singles competitor had been mixed but even when “Johnny Wrestling” loses, he still produces magic. And that was no different than he faced Almas in the opener at Brooklyn III in August.
When Almas, whose first 18 months with NXT where manic at best, enlisted the services Zelina Vega over the summer, his stock began to rise significantly. And his first signature win came at the expense of Gargano but it wasn’t without a tremendous battle first. For 13 minutes the two NXT standouts waged a hard-hitting, fast-paced war that got what would be a fantastic show off to a great start. And in what was a somewhat short amount of time, both men seemed to unload their entire arsenal on each other. The final three minutes of this match may quite possibly three of the best wrestling minutes of the year. Both men came shockingly close to the victory but it wasn’t until Vega, in a tremendous bit of storytelling, threw a DIY shirt at Gargano, which distracted him long enough for Almas to deliver his Hammerlock DDT for the win.
The victory was one of the many that propelled Almas to eventual NXT gold and it was no surprise. Performances like this turn heads. The good news? These two are slated to go war again in just a few weeks at TakeOver: Philadelphia as Gargano once again defied the odds and became number one contender. I have a feeling this next match may crack the 2018 top 10.
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13. The Usos vs The New Day – Hell In A Cell
In September of last year, after six-plus years on the WWE roster, The Usos finally turned heel. It had been a long time coming for Jimmy and Jey as their baby face personas had clearly become a bit stale. But after turning to the dark-side, the brothers have never been better. The pre-heel Usos managed to win two tag team championships in those six years. However, the post heel duo have taken three in less than a year and a half and are clearly performing and getting over at the highest level that they ever have.
Throughout this run for The Usos, their undoubted number one rival have been The New Day as the two squads have passed the SmackDown Tag Titles back and forth and performed in a series of outstanding matches throughout 2017. Their wars at Battleground, Money In The Bank, and the SummerSlam kick off show were outstanding battles, the latter of those three just narrowly missing this list. But it was their ultra-violent battle at Hell In A Cell in October that was their very best work.
In the PG era, it always seems to be a bit difficult to engage in one of these types of gimmick matches due to the limitations of the rating. But these two teams, like usual, proved once again incapable of having a bad match, as they ratcheted up the violence and then some. There was some silliness with Woods and Big E using a number of musical instruments in their attack, but there was nothing funny about both teams usage of the kendo sticks. Shear brutality. But in the end, it just seemed like Jimmy and Jey were willing to go the most extreme which in doing so, were able to capture their fifth tag team title.
The Usos and New Day have moved on for now from each other as this HIAC match was the finale to the best tag team feud of the year. But as long as they stay on the blue brand roster, there’s a chance they’ll link up again. That’s good news for WWE fans.
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#12. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate – NXT 12/20
As mentioned in match number 17 of the year, the United Kingdom tournament brought a litany of bright, young British superstars to the WWE. But none were bigger, nor had more impact in the company than Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate. Their 2017 trilogy was by far the years best as far as in-ring competition goes as the Dunne and Bate, 24 and 20 respectively, delighted the WWE universe in three matches, all which will appear on this countdown.
Much like Mark Andrews, Bate has had a long history with Dunne dating back to their days on the British independent circuit. Before squaring off in the finals of the UK tourney, the duo had battled in singles action seven times against each other with Dunne getting his hand raised in five of those matches. So when Bate defeated to become the first WWE UK champion in January, it was a bit of a surprise. But one thing that was not shocking was just how good these two were in the ring together.
This particular match between them was the finale of the trilogy. Dunne, now as UK Champ, was as brutal as ever in this one. His use of intricate stretch holds and his nasty looking stomps to dislocate Bate’s fingers was cringe-inducing. But as usual, Bate held his own and proved that he’s one of the best young prospects on earth. He never gave in to his counterpart and came close numerous times to recapturing the strap.
Dunne was the victor on this evening at Full Sail University and the idea that this rivalry is over is a bit sad. But at the rate these guys are going, don’t be shocked to see them one day headline a main roster pay per view. Yeah, they’re that good.
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11. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs Authors of Pain – TakeOver: Chicago
In September of 2015, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, two longtime friends from the independent circuit, teamed up for the first time in the WWE. As part of that years Dusty Rhodes Classic, the duo got knocked out in the semi-finals but that was only after they proved that their team was for real. Over the course of the next year-plus, the team went on a terrific run, however they always seemed to come up just short in their pursuit of NXT gold. But on November 19 of 2016, they finally made good when they defeated The Revival at NXT: Toronto for the NXT Tag Team Championship. The match, a two out of three falls bout, won acclaim from many different wrestling outlets including this one, as I awarded it the 2016 match of the year.
However, DIY’s title reign was short-lived as they dropped the belts to The Authors of Pain after just 70 days as champs. This ladder match at TakeOver: Chicago in May was their official one on one rematch for the belts and it was all sorts of awesome. DIY, undersized by an average of bout five inches and a combined 220 pounds, took the battle to the champs but took a tremendous beating in the process. Akam and Rezar took massive bumps as well and put the underdogs over in a major way before climbing the ladder and retaining their belts.
This match, the main event of what was one of the best shows of the entire year for any organization, earned its stripes and then some. AOP looked like world beaters and Ciampa and Gargano were able to continue their underdog story. Well, that was until Ciampa shockingly turned on his partner in the closing moments of the show. When all four guys in a match can look strong and yet still make time to book their future, you know something went right. Here’s to the incoming Gargano/Ciampa 2018 feud. Can’t wait.
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10. Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles – Survivor Series
In October, then WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, on the heels of yet another boring, repetitive, insulting win over Shinsuke Nakamura at Hell in a Cell, made his intentions clear that he wanted to face Brock Lesnar at the inter-brand Survivor Series pay per view. You could almost hear a collective groan from the WWE Universe. However, it was also a sign that his title reign was most likely coming to an end. The reason? There was no way that this match was going to happen. If it did, there was only one possible conclusion: a Lesnar squash. That wasn’t going to happen to a world champion, even as useless as Mahal was.
So when AJ Styles came to the rescue and beat Mahal for the Championship on the November 7th SmackDown Live, what once looked like a nightmare scenario turn into a dream pairing for Survivor Series. However, it didn’t come without some concerns. Could Lesnar hang with a guy like Styles for an extended period of time? Would Lesnar dominate too much and make AJ look bad? Can both guys come out of this match looking better than they did when they walked in which is always the goal in a champion versus champion match? The answers to all of those questions was a resounding yes.
Throughout 2017, “The Beast” had some tough challenges. Samoa Joe battled him tough at Great Balls of Fire. His got pushed pretty deep in his fatal 4-way at SummerSlam. Even Braun Strowman came close at No Mercy. But nobody came as close to toppling Lesnar the way Styles did on this night in Houston. Styles had Lesnar on the ropes numerous times including a Calf Crusher that looked very close to ending the proceedings until Lesnar, almost desperate, repeatedly smashed his opponents head to the mat causing the break. It’s been a long time since anyone had seen Brock so vulnerable.
Once again, Brock got the job done when he reversed a Phenomenal Forearm into an F-5 for the win. Another Styles dream match in the books. Who’s next?
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9. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate – United Kingdom Tournament Final
The second installment between Bate and Dunne on this list was actually the first match in their 2016 trilogy. This battle, haven taken place in the finals of the United Kingdom Tournament in January was the first exposure for WWE fans to a rivalry that had been going strong for nearly five years prior to this night in Blackpool. Bate, on the strength of victories over Tucker, Jordan Devlin, and Wolfgang, while Dunne having defeated Roy Johnson, Sam Gradwell, and Mark Andrews, earned their stripes in a WWE ring and the collision course ended with this tremendous 15 minute scrap.
Becoming the very first UK champion for the WWE was going to a big deal for whoever came out on top in this one and for Bate, who was still two months away from turning 20 years old, it became a crowning achievement in a budding career as he was able to topple his foe on this night. But it came at a price as Dunne unleashed a savage beating on “The Iron Master”, targeting his already banged up right shoulder and taking the 19 year-old to the brink of defeat. The match was filled with old-school, British style wrestling. A breath of fresh air considering the ages of both men involved.
This match did wonders for both it’s combatants. Dunne looked like a legit future heel world champion as he bordered on sociopathic at times. Bate on the other hand, played the love-able baby face perfectly as he weathered a frantic storm from his opponent only to put him away in the end with The Tyler Driver 97. Unbelievable battle but the duo would do it better one other time in 2017. But we’ll get to that.
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8. Aleister Black vs The Velveteen Dream – TakeOver: WarGames
Checking in at number eight was not only one of the best matches of the year, but one of the shockingly great matches of 2017. It was no surprise to see Black put on a great performance. After all, the guy is a 15 year veteran of the sport and has won titles in three different countries throughout his storied independent career. Not to mention that he’s been on an absolute tear since debuting on the NXT brand in November of 2016. Black has dispatched almost every challenger in his path and is clearly a future NXT title contender.
However, it was his opponent on this night in Houston that made up the majority of question marks coming in. The physical abilities of the former Tough Enough contender Patrick Clark have never been questioned, nor his charisma. But after being eliminated from the reality show early on for what was described as a lack of humility it looked like the end of the line for the 22 year-old. But the WWE couldn’t pass on his potential and signed him to the NXT where he debuted at the beginning of 2016.
In May of this year, Clark debuted as The Velveteen Dream and it wasn’t long before he set his sights on Black. After having one of the most underrated feuds of 2017, the duo finally locked horns at WarGames in November in what was by far the biggest stage in The Dream’s career. And did he hold up? Well, he was brilliant. As was Black.
The story telling and psychology in this match was just off the charts. It told the story of two completely different styles battling for supremacy while each man tried at every stop to get into their opponents head. And even after Black emerged victorious, his “enjoy infamy” words to his opponent before finally saying his name capped off a near flawless program. Black may be the next big title contender, but on the strength of what The Dream accomplished on this night, he may not be too far behind.
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7. Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber PPV
When the 2017 Elimination Chamber PPV came around, Bray Wyatt had been on the WWE’s main roster for close to four years. When he debuted in the summer of 2013 as the leader of The Wyatt Family along with Erick Rowan and Luke Harper, Wyatt immediately captured a cult following. From his perfectly constructed promos, to his maniacal ring antics, to his vicious, random attacks on some of the company’s most love-able baby faces, “The Eater of Worlds” began to grow a fan base that increased immeasurably during his first couple of years in the WWE. But like most guys who get over in the company when they’re not supposed to, Wyatt became the victim of some atrocious booking and always seemed to take a back seat when it came the main event scene.
But at the 2017 EC, that all changed as Wyatt finally captured the title belt that many believed he deserved long before it finally happened. And oh yeah, the match itself was tremendous. In fact, it was probably the best match of it’s type since the 2009 version at that year’s No Way Out. On this night in Phoenix, Wyatt took on AJ Styles, John Cena, The Miz, Baron Corbin, and Dean Ambrose, and truthfully, each guy shined in their own way. However, nobody shined more than Wyatt and AJ Styles. The two men just seemed to carry the match through the most exciting parts before Styles ate the pin from Bray, giving Wyatt his first world championship.
The only thing that hurt this match in the slightest was that it was a bit predictable. With Randy Orton, Wyatt’s cohort at the time, winning the Royal Rumble the month before, Wyatt’s win was a bit academic. But that was this match’s only shortcoming. When six guys at this level are firing on all cylinders like they were in this match, fireworks almost always ensue. And despite Wyatt’s title reign being very short-lived, it was a hopeful future sign of what’s to come.
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6. WarGames Match: TakeOver: WarGames
Now this may be an unpopular choice being ranked as high as it is. I know that. There are some out there that they felt the WarGmaes reboot at TakeOver was bit of a spot-fest, and there is some legitimacy to that. But at the end of the day, the NXT brand took a gimmick match that hadn’t been used in 17 years, mind you which was when things weren’t so PG, changed up the rules a bit, and not only made it work, but got an amazing match out of it. Where there an abundance of spots? Yes. Hell yes. But they were incredible looking ones. Between the table spots, the top rope stuff, and Roderick Strong’s superplex to Adam Cole off the top of the cage down onto the rest of the field, this match had fans in the edge of their seats and the crowd in Houston losing their collective minds.
With nine guys being involved in one match, it’s difficult for everyone to shine but somehow they all made it work. Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain, the two guys with the lightest resumes in this match may have been the most impressive. Their power moves and shear tenacity ruled the night and they both came out looking like killing machines. Roddy and The Authors of Pain were equally as destructive and Strong’s disdain for Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly was on full display.
But this night belonged to The Undisputed Era. Adam Cole looked like the future world champion that many have dubbed him as already. And Fish and O’Reilly parlayed their victory into more success, as they captured NXT tag team gold 11 days later.
This match was in a word, nuts. High paced, violent action ensued and over the course of nearly 37 minutes, these nine men left everything in the ring. What more can you ask for?
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5. Asuka vs Ember Moon – TakeOver: Brooklyn III
When Asuka signed with the WWE and subsequently debuted in September of 2015, most assumed that big things were ahead of her. Widely regarded as one of the best female wrestlers on earth, “The Empress of Tomorrow” wasted no time proving the expectations right as just seven months after her debut, she dethroned Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship and went undefeated while a member of the brand. She would then go an a historic 510 day run with the title before vacating due to injury and moved to the main roster. During her title reign, Asuka turned away a number of difficult challengers. Not only did she defeat Bayley for a second time, she also dispatched Nia Jax, Mickie James, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross to name just a few.
But unquestionably, the one superstar that pushed Asuka to the brink of that one pinfall loss was Ember Moon. Moon, who was originally scheduled to be part of a fatal 4-way for the women’s belt at TakeOver: Chicago before injuring her shoulder, finally got her chance in Brooklyn in August. And in the best match of the night on what was a tremendous card, “The War Goddess” gave Asuka everything she could handle and looked at numerous times like she was going to do the impossible. But Asuka used her experience and had one more trick than the 29 year-old Texan that she used to keep her belt.
Moon and Asuka were the perfect yin and yang. Moon, the intense baby face, taking on the champ who turned heel during her reign due to the feeling that nobody was on her level, was a perfect narrative. Asuka may have won, but Moon proved she was mortal and in effect, was a winner that night as well. Moon used that momentum to eventually capture the title after Asuka’s injury and has taken over where her predecessor left off. Will Moon have the level of success that Asuka did? Time will tell. But based on the brilliance both displayed in Brooklyn, Ember has proven that she can hang with the best in the world.
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4. Authors of Pain vs DIY vs The Revival – TakeOver: Orlando
Before Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa got their one on one rematch with The Authors of Pain after dropping their belts to the hulking duo, they managed to sneak in another 2017 classic. This time the two teams welcomed The Revival to the program. And any time you add two guys that make up potentially the best tag team on earth, good things are bound to happen. As mentioned previously, DIY and The Revival had a scintillating 2016 feud that led to a couple of the best tag team matches in the history of the WWE. So when Wilder and Dawson managed to position themselves back in the title hunt, one had to imagine that this type of match would produce gold. And it did.
The psychology of this bout was just brilliant. To watch the two challenging teams put aside an entire year of battle and team together to try and incapacitate the larger champs just proved how far everyone was willing to go to wear those belts. But once they’d get AOP down for a few minutes, the old rivalry would kick right back in and the two teams tore into each other circa 2016. And to see the young champs weather the storm and come battling back to retain the titles was about as inspiring as a heel tag team gets.
Everybody involved on this night won. The Revival ate the pin after getting so close to a third reign as champs. However, that enabled the team to make the jump to the main roster. DIY left without being pinned which led them to another title shot in Chicago which ended with their team blowing up and will eventually be a classic feud. And The Authors continued to look like the next great tag team in WWE history. And not only did the men in the ring win on this night, so did the fans as this was clearly the match of the night.
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3. Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe vs Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns – SummerSlam
When Brock Lesnar looks back on his best matches in the WWE, quite a few will come to mind. Right off the bat, he’d have to think about his wars with Kurt Angle. What about his 2004 No Way Out match with Eddie Guerrero? His 2013 SummerSlam war with CM Punk has got to be up there as well as his 2015 triple threat against John Cena and Seth Rollins. Well now he has a new one to throw into the mix. Because his fatal 4-way war with Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns was not only one of the best of his career, not only one of the best of 2017, but also one of the best SummerSlam main events of all time.
The first half of this match was was just out of control. All four guys tore into each other with reckless abandon. And by the time Strowman put Lesnar through two tables rendering him temporarily unable continue, it had looked as if somewhat had lobbed a hand grenade into the ring side area. With Lesnar gone for some time, it looked as if a new champ was on the horizon, and that new champ looked a lot like Strowman. But Reigns and Joe battled him hard and the length of time it took to try and finish each other off gave Lesnar the time he needed to get back to the ring and finish the job he had started all the way back at Wrestlemania.
All four guys deserve a ton of credit for the success of this match. Lesnar for taking a couple of massive bumps which led to him allowing the other guys to shine was huge. Strowman for indulging in the destruction that this match became known for. Reigns for being the stirring baby face who never refuses to quit no matter the level of punishment he takes. And Joe for being the quiet ring general MVP that make s him one of the best wrestlers on earth today. And the best part? This match saved what may have gone down as one of the most ho-hum SummerSlams of all time. Great stuff all around
credit: wwe.com
2. AJ Styles vs John Cena – Royal Rumble
After AJ Styles signed to the WWE in 2016, most people assumed that it wouldn’t take long before he crossed paths with John Cena. Surprisingly it took a good six months before the two finally got together, but it first happened at the 2016 Money In The Bank PPV. On that night in Las Vegas, the two put on a good, if not great match. The type of match you’d expect for two guys who’d never worked together before. Styles came out victorious that night but Cena would get some revenge a month later at Battleground, albeit in the form of a six man tag victory. The blow-off to the feud took place another month later at SummerSlam and this time, the duo blew the roof off The Barclays Center in New York and took number six on my top 15 matches of the 2016.
So when Cena returned in December of last year after taking a couple months off to film a movie, and now with Styles as champion and Cena looking for his record tying 16th world championship, the writing was on the wall for a rematch. And with Styles having two wins over Cena under his belt, it was almost certain that Cena would be victorious. And that’s exactly what happened. However, even though the result was never in much doubt for most people, Styles and Cena put on by far their best match together and just narrowly missed match of the year honors.
People always talk about that “big fight feel” and this match embodied that. Two clear-cut legends going toe to toe at one of the biggest shows of the year in front of over 50,000 fans at The Alamodome is about as big time as it gets. And this time around the two veterans were so sharp and on point that it became the masterpiece we all waited for. Say what you want about Cena, but the guy shows up for big matches. And what else is there to say about Styles? The guy is purely one of the best in the entire world and he’s slowly becoming the WWE legend that this company needs so desperately right now.
Absolutely breathtaking.
credit: wwe.com
1. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate – TakeOver: Chicago
And here it is. The best trilogy of the year combined with two of the best, young professional wrestling prospects in the world who managed to thrill the WWE universe not once, not twice, but three times in the calendar year, wrestling on the best card of 2017. That’s a recipe for number 1. This match in the Dunne/Bate program was their second installment. Their first match (#9) was the finals of the UK Tournament that saw Bate win the bracket and the belt. The third match in the series (#12) was after Dunne had captured the belt and battled Bate in his mandatory rematch.
But this match at TakeOver: Chicago was not only the best of their three, not only the best of the year, but possibly one of the best five matches in the last decade. And the crazy part? They only had about 15 minutes to work. But in 15 minutes, the two Brits packed in so much punishment you’d think they’d worked for triple that time. And that was never more apparent when in the end they stood in the center of the ring trading stiff shots, neither man unable to break the other. Dunne captured his first belt under the WWE banner this night and took a leg up on what is already a legendary feud between two guys who are basically still kids.
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On a card that featured names like Bobby Roode, Hideo Itami, Asuka, Eric Young, and Roderick Strong, Dunne and Bate outperformed all of them. Their may not be a more perfect pairing in the entire company right now and although it looks like their rivalry will be put on hold, don’t expect that to last long. And don’t be surprised of these two kids top this list together again next year.