The Top 10 WWE Matches of 2017

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I told you guys ‘Best of 2017’ season was coming and we’re going to keep the top 10 lists rolling. So, instead of writing an intro you’re all just going to scroll through, let’s just hit the list. The internet is probably going to hate it anyway.

Honorable Mentions

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III – I considered Almas one of the biggest breakout stars of the year. We’ve always known the guy can work, but maybe not to this level. Gargano is another guy who had a tremendous body of work in 2017. These two stole the show on the best card of the year.

Finn Balor vs. A.J. Styles, TLC – This was the only thing worthy of note coming out of that awful TLC show. But, with Bray Wyatt out, someone had to come in and wrestle Balor. Luckily, they can count on Styles to be the workhorse. These two brought the house down in a mat classic. If there was actually a story behind it, it’d probably be top five on my list.

Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream, NXT TakeOver: War Games – It was a fun, original feud and the payoff was just as good. I don’t think any wrestler has a better body of work in 2017 than Black, and Dream sure does look like a future stud.

Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair, Survivor Series – In my opinion, Bliss’ best work on the main roster. This match featured the two women who are arguably the cornerstones of their respective divisions.

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns, No Mercy – Was No Mercy too small a stage? Yeah, maybe – but it doesn’t take away from the match itself. A classic between established Hall of Famer and future legend.

The Elimination Chamber – The brutal confines of the Elimination Chamber created a chaotic match the built up to Wrestlemania and saw Bray Wyatt win his first WWE Championship.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman, Fastlane – An old school ‘irresistible force vs. the immovable object’ type of story. The psychology of this match was superb.

NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Authors of Pain vs. DIY, NXT TakeOver: Chicago – High drama as this match led to one of the most shocking heel turns of the year.

NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Ember Moon, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III – An exciting tale between two interesting characters culminated in an awesome match on NXT’s biggest stage.

War Games – How could you not have the brutality and nostalgia of the War Games even in the conversion?

WWE’s Top 10 Matches of 2017

10. Shane McMahon vs. A.J. Styles, Wrestlemania 33 – I’m kind of over Shane McMahon, but I’ll be damned if the dude didn’t steal the show with Styles in Orlando. The build was one of the best on the show, and it kicked off a long ass card with some energy. A match I don’t think gets the credit it deserves.

9. Smackdown Tag Team Championship, Hell in a Cell: The Usos vs. The New Day, Hell in a Cell – It was one of the best rivalries of the year, and it culminated on a stage that was fitting for a program of this magnitude. As was the norm with these two teams, the action was fast-paced, innovative, and exciting.

8. Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III – Everyone’s pointing to Black’s match with Velveteen Dream, but this is the one that really stood out to me. I can’t remember the last time I was sore from watching a wrestling match, but shit – these guys made me feel every strike. I may have had a concussion after watching this. It was one of the most physical bouts I’ve seen all year.

7. Hell in a Cell: Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens, Hell in a Cell – For a guy who I said I was over, McMahon yet again finds himself on my list. Still, you can’t deny how fun this match was, how big it felt, and how exciting it was. Plus, it led to one of the most shocking moments of the year, when Sami Zayn helped Owens dodge a McMahon elbow drop off the top of the cell.

6. Braun Strowman vs. Big Show, Raw (2/20/17) – When’s the last time two big boys got in the ring and tore the house down? I can’t recall. But, man Strowman and Big Show lit the barn on fire. I still say they should’ve held these guys out of the battle royal at Wrestlemania and run this match on the card instead.

5. WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman, Fatal 4-way, Summerslam – Pure unadulterated chaos. That is all.

4. NXT Tag Team Championship: The Authors of Pain vs. DIY vs. The Revival, NXT TakeOver: Orlando – With the NXT tag team division in a weird transition period this year, these three teams provided quite the showcase. I loved the psychology of DIY and Revival “swapping partners” during the match in a desperate attempt to bring down the powerful Authors of Pain.

3. WWE Championship: John Cena vs. A.J. Styles, Royal Rumble – Two absolute legends blowing off a tremendous program from 2016 with Cena tying Ric Flair’s record with a 16th World/WWE Championship. What else can I say about these two that hasn’t already been said?

2. Brock Lesnar vs. A.J. Styles, Survivor Series – I was incredibly surprised by this bout. With virtually no story behind it, very little build to it, these guys delivered a veritable ‘Match of the Year’ contender. The amount of offense Styles got in played right into the respect card that Paul Heyman kept pulling. That was surprising in and of itself. This had all the makings of one of those Lesnar squash matches, but it ended up being his most competitive match of the year, and one of my personal favorites.

1. United Kingdom Championship: Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne, NXT TakeOver: Chicago – This was a hard choice to make, as I really felt the margin separating the top three on my list was incredibly narrow. What it comes down to for me is raw emotion. You can break it down a million ways, but at the end of the day, it’s about the emotions a match can illicit within you. I remember watching this match and being blown away – taken completely out of the real world for a few moments. What more can you ask for? It was technically fluid, exciting, and high drama. Plain and simple.

In looking at last year’s list, it feels like the bar was raised quite a bit in 2017. We’ll see how WWE responds in 2018.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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