The best professional wrestling matches of 2017

ByWWE ON ESPN STAFF
December 22, 2017, 11:09 AM

— -- Well, 2017 was a wild year in the world of professional wrestling, but it's finally drawing to a close.

Over the course of 12 months, the WWE on ESPN staff has watched hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of wrestling programming, and we've seen the best (and worst) of it all. In recognition of the greatest achievements inside of the squared circle in 2017, we've gotten together to make our picks in 10 different categories, covering individual performances, teams, rivalries and shows.

Our "Best of 2017" has reached the end of its first week, and with it one of the key recognitions we'll hit in this retrospective -- match of the year. Between personal taste and numerous other variables, our staff's picks in this category spread throughout the year in WWE and well beyond that company's boundaries. Without further ado, let's dig in.

Brock Lesnar?vs.? Braun Strowman?vs.? Roman Reigns?vs.? Samoa Joe?for the Universal championship (SummerSlam)

The setup for this match was nearly perfect. You have four of the biggest stars of the WWE set for the main event SummerSlam and, up until that point, there had barely been a physical confrontation between the group. Add in the callout of Brock Lesnar by Jon Jones and the incorporation of an "if he doesn't win, he'll leave the WWE" stipulation and all of a sudden the stakes were higher than ever.

The entire crowd at Barclays rose to its feet as each of the four men made their entrances -- and nobody sat down for the rest of the match. From Strowman lifting tables and putting Lesnar through a couple of them, to multiple spears by Roman, to a Coquina Clutch that looked like it could end it all, the match took on an entirely different energy after Lesnar got carted away. After several minutes of triple threat action, Lesnar returned to the ring and took care of business to retain his title. This match had it all.

The storytelling was great, the action was huge and regardless of the assumed outcome (come on, Brock couldn't go back to the UFC without dealing with his suspension), this was one of the most memorable matches of the year.? (Andrew Feldman)