Best WWE Matches of 2017
In wrestling terms, 2017 was a great year. Not only because of everything that happened in Japan with the trilogy between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega, but also because WWE's level also rose thanks to the new generation talents who are increasingly determined to steal the show. The result was great matches, and now WWE.com has chosen the best of the year.
Many of the entries were already suspected when WWE Network released its collection of the best of the year, but these were not in order and only reached October. Now, without further ado, this is the official list of the best matches of 2017 in WWE:
- 25- Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro for the Intercontinental Championship (Raw, Dec 11)
- 24- Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho for the United States Championship (SmackDown, Jul 25)
- 23- Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)
- 22- Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin (Elimination Chamber)
- 21- Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley for the Raw Women's Championship (Raw, Feb 13)
- 20- Jack Gallagher vs. TJP vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Noam Dar in a Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match (205 Live, Feb 7)
- 19- Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship (Royal Rumble)
- 18- WarGames: The Undisputed Era vs. SAnitY vs. The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong (NXT TakeOver: WarGames)
- 17- Finn Bálor vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt in a Fatal 5-Way Match (Extreme Rules)
- 16- Aleister Black vs. The Velveteen Dream (NXT TakeOver: WarGames)
- 15- Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship (WrestleMania)
- 14- Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (Raw, May 29)
- 13- Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus & Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Championship (No Mercy)
- 12- Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania)
- 11- The Usos vs. The New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Battleground)
- 10- Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz in a Triple Threat Match (Raw, May 1)
- 9- The Big Show vs. Braun Strowman (Raw, Feb 20)
- 8- The Authors of Pain vs. The Revival vs. #DIY for the NXT Tag Team Championship (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)
- 7- Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles (WWE TLC)
- 6- Asuka vs. Ember Moon for the NXT Women's Championship (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)
- 5- Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles in a Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)
- 4- The New Day vs. The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship (SummerSlam)
- 3- Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne for the WWE United Kingdom Championship (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)
- 2- Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe for the Universal Championship (SummerSlam)
- 1- AJ Styles vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship (Royal Rumble)
Compared to the best matches of 2016, or even with the list of the best of 2015, we can see a noticeable trend, and that is that NXT and the women's division have declined, which is particularly clear with these last ones, which barely made it to two positions and did not go beyond #6, when in previous years they had always been on the podium.
Just like last year, AJ Styles stood out with 6 matches on the list, and closely behind is Roman Reigns, who had five of the listed matches. The podium is completed by Seth Rollins, who despite having a low profile in recent months, managed to have four of the best matches of 2017.
If we bring the brand war into this field, Raw (excluding cruiserweights) takes the victory with 10 matches on the list, while SmackDown and NXT (including the UK division) tie with 6 matches each. 205 Live barely found a place and the remaining two matches were interpromotional.
But, as mentioned at the beginning of the article, 2017 had so many wrestling gems that this list stands out mainly for its great absences. Each reader will find some and is invited to share them in the comments. Among them, it is inevitable to mention the Last Woman Standing match between Asuka and Nikki Cross in NXT, as well as several others from NXT, and not to mention the presence of Neville himself, who held the cruiserweight division in the first half with his rivalries against Jack Gallagher and Austin Aries.
As expected, at the top is AJ Styles vs. John Cena, an instant classic, and The New Day vs. The Usos is the only match that repeats, with great merit.