AJ Styles?(Survivor Series)If you take everything into consideration -- the high-profile event, the megastars on display, the electric atmosphere -- that alone is enough to make this one of the best battles of 2017.
But when Styles and Lesnar can put on the kind of performance they did in a match that had little time to percolate before their showdown, that's saying something. From the moment the bell rang, this was utter excitement. The crowd roared for both men. Lesnar was irrepressible for the first few minutes. It was a spanking. Somehow, Styles turned the momentum around by attacking Lesnar's legs and then landing a Pele Kick, followed by a Phenomenal Forearm from the top rope to the outside of the ring, which left Lesnar laying motionless.
We'll spare you all the play-by-play, but know this: The action didn't slow down for one wasted second until Lesnar suddenly ended things with a final F-5. If anyone in creative has any semblance of common sense, they'll make a rematch -- and quickly. (Matt Wilansky)
Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)
The first ever
"Make a name for yourself," were the words spoken to Dunne by Triple H during the U.K. tournament earlier in the year; he and Bate did that and then some at TakeOver: Chicago. This was the only WWE match all year to earn a perfect 5.0 score using my ESPN.com pay-per-view match rating system -- and it was the second match in a trilogy that told three separate, interlocking stories.
Dunne and Bate followed up that brilliant performance with one final showdown to close out 2017 on a special edition of NXT. For the first time ever, the episode on the WWE Network stretched almost 15 minutes beyond the normal format to accommodate another masterpiece. There aren't two superstars in all of professional wrestling that I'd want to watch perform more than Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, and hopefully we get even more from them in 2018. (Sean Coyle)
Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black (NXT TakeOver: War Games)
If you're looking for a match that had it all -- great build, fantastic in-ring action, and next-level ring psychology -- look no further than Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black's instant classic at NXT TakeOver: War Games. This was Dream's coming out party to a wide audience; in his biggest match to date, he put on a performance few expected from him, as he and Black tore the house down on what was one of the best match cards of the year.
I immediately bought in on Dream's character after Patrick Clark was repackaged earlier this year, largely because he poured 100 percent of himself into the role, much like Goldust and other bizarre characters before him. It was his ability to keep up with Black in the ring, however, that left me and the rest of the WWE Universe shocked. In his previous matches, he was solid, yet unspectacular in the ring, and usually on one end or the other of a squash match. Once it was obvious that the match was no squash and Dream was keeping up with Black, the crowd was seemingly rooting for the heel Dream over the very popular face Black, largely because his performance was just so unexpected. The timing of everything was perfect, and gave me a feeling that I don't get all that often while watching wrestling -- genuine surprise. (Nick Irving)
#DIY vs.? The Revival?vs. Authors of Pain (NXT Takeover: Orlando)
The final match for The Revival before their move to Raw did not disappoint, as the three best tag teams in NXT gave a performance worthy of match of the year in Orlando over WrestleMania weekend. This match had everything a wrestling fan could want: big spots, power displays, unique pairings, false finishes, incredible chemistry, and more.
The first half of this match saw an unlikely alliance between #DIY and The Revival, who combined their forces in the common goal of dispatching the power of AOP, as shown by the quadruple power bomb that sent Rezar through a table on the outside and criss-crossed versions of each team's finishers. AOP would gain control as the match continued, though, eliminating #DIY with the Last Chapter before flexing their muscles on The Revival, hitting the Super Collider for the victory. NXT Takeover: Orlando could go down as the best show of the year, with this match as the focal point to an incredible weekend of wrestling. (Pete Ferlazo)
The Usos?vs.? The New Day?(Hell in a Cell)
I loved the #DIY-Authors of Pain matches (including the triple threat with The Revival), as well as Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate U.K. title match at TakeOver, and the AJ Styles-Brock Lesnar match from Survivor Series, but if you're forcing me to pick just one match, my favorite would have to be the Hell in a Cell match that was the culmination of a terrific Usos vs. New Day rivalry. It was entertaining, innovative, physical, gritty and real. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and took a format that sometimes can hinder matches and used it to take this rivalry to the next level. The feud entering this event, based on the verbal sparring and past matches, was worthy of the main event spot, and these teams proved that their next meeting should be a headliner. (Matt Willis)
Killshot vs. Dante Fox (Ultima Lucha Tres)
This one is a little out there, and chances are good that there are many people in the wrestling community who haven't even seen this match from Lucha Underground. But if you pine for the days of ECW, this "Hell of War" match is right up your alley. The storyline leading to this match is that Dante Fox and Killshot were in the same military group during wartime, where Fox was supposedly killed in combat only to return to feud with Killshot throughout Season 3.
The first fall was first blood and after 12 excruciating minutes, Dante Fox put Killshot through a plate glass window held up by chairs, resulting in blood trickling from Killshot's back. The second fall was no disqualifications, and although this was the shortest of the three stages at six minutes, there was no shortage of action. Ladders, chairs and finally a barbed wire board contributed to the chaos of Stage 2. Killshot evened up the match by powerbombing Fox into the barbed wire board followed by a cradle driver onto the broken glass from the opening stage.
The final fall was an medical evac match where the objective was to put your opponent away in the vehicle for good (aka, an ambulance match). While both competitors fought tooth and nail, a wooden structure holding another plate glass window near the vehicle was unveiled. The competitors eventually made their way to the second floor, where Killshot hit Fox with a beer bottle, sending him crashing through the glass. Killshot then placed Fox in the medical evac to win the Hell of War match. It was not a technical wrestling classic by any means, but the storyline and the violence of the match made it a worthwhile edge of your seat watch and my match of the year. (Andrew Davis)
If you take everything into consideration -- the high-profile event, the megastars on display, the electric atmosphere -- that alone is enough to make this one of the best battles of 2017.
But when Styles and Lesnar can put on the kind of performance they did in a match that had little time to percolate before their showdown, that's saying something. From the moment the bell rang, this was utter excitement. The crowd roared for both men. Lesnar was irrepressible for the first few minutes. It was a spanking. Somehow, Styles turned the momentum around by attacking Lesnar's legs and then landing a Pele Kick, followed by a Phenomenal Forearm from the top rope to the outside of the ring, which left Lesnar laying motionless.
We'll spare you all the play-by-play, but know this: The action didn't slow down for one wasted second until Lesnar suddenly ended things with a final F-5. If anyone in creative has any semblance of common sense, they'll make a rematch -- and quickly. (Matt Wilansky)
The first ever
"Make a name for yourself," were the words spoken to Dunne by Triple H during the U.K. tournament earlier in the year; he and Bate did that and then some at TakeOver: Chicago. This was the only WWE match all year to earn a perfect 5.0 score using my ESPN.com pay-per-view match rating system -- and it was the second match in a trilogy that told three separate, interlocking stories.
Dunne and Bate followed up that brilliant performance with one final showdown to close out 2017 on a special edition of NXT. For the first time ever, the episode on the WWE Network stretched almost 15 minutes beyond the normal format to accommodate another masterpiece. There aren't two superstars in all of professional wrestling that I'd want to watch perform more than Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, and hopefully we get even more from them in 2018. (Sean Coyle)
Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black (NXT TakeOver: War Games)
If you're looking for a match that had it all -- great build, fantastic in-ring action, and next-level ring psychology -- look no further than Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black's instant classic at NXT TakeOver: War Games. This was Dream's coming out party to a wide audience; in his biggest match to date, he put on a performance few expected from him, as he and Black tore the house down on what was one of the best match cards of the year.
I immediately bought in on Dream's character after Patrick Clark was repackaged earlier this year, largely because he poured 100 percent of himself into the role, much like Goldust and other bizarre characters before him. It was his ability to keep up with Black in the ring, however, that left me and the rest of the WWE Universe shocked. In his previous matches, he was solid, yet unspectacular in the ring, and usually on one end or the other of a squash match. Once it was obvious that the match was no squash and Dream was keeping up with Black, the crowd was seemingly rooting for the heel Dream over the very popular face Black, largely because his performance was just so unexpected. The timing of everything was perfect, and gave me a feeling that I don't get all that often while watching wrestling -- genuine surprise. (Nick Irving)
#DIY vs.? The Revival?vs. Authors of Pain (NXT Takeover: Orlando)
The final match for The Revival before their move to Raw did not disappoint, as the three best tag teams in NXT gave a performance worthy of match of the year in Orlando over WrestleMania weekend. This match had everything a wrestling fan could want: big spots, power displays, unique pairings, false finishes, incredible chemistry, and more.
The first half of this match saw an unlikely alliance between #DIY and The Revival, who combined their forces in the common goal of dispatching the power of AOP, as shown by the quadruple power bomb that sent Rezar through a table on the outside and criss-crossed versions of each team's finishers. AOP would gain control as the match continued, though, eliminating #DIY with the Last Chapter before flexing their muscles on The Revival, hitting the Super Collider for the victory. NXT Takeover: Orlando could go down as the best show of the year, with this match as the focal point to an incredible weekend of wrestling. (Pete Ferlazo)
The Usos?vs.? The New Day?(Hell in a Cell)
I loved the #DIY-Authors of Pain matches (including the triple threat with The Revival), as well as Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate U.K. title match at TakeOver, and the AJ Styles-Brock Lesnar match from Survivor Series, but if you're forcing me to pick just one match, my favorite would have to be the Hell in a Cell match that was the culmination of a terrific Usos vs. New Day rivalry. It was entertaining, innovative, physical, gritty and real. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and took a format that sometimes can hinder matches and used it to take this rivalry to the next level. The feud entering this event, based on the verbal sparring and past matches, was worthy of the main event spot, and these teams proved that their next meeting should be a headliner. (Matt Willis)
Killshot vs. Dante Fox (Ultima Lucha Tres)
This one is a little out there, and chances are good that there are many people in the wrestling community who haven't even seen this match from Lucha Underground. But if you pine for the days of ECW, this "Hell of War" match is right up your alley. The storyline leading to this match is that Dante Fox and Killshot were in the same military group during wartime, where Fox was supposedly killed in combat only to return to feud with Killshot throughout Season 3.
The first fall was first blood and after 12 excruciating minutes, Dante Fox put Killshot through a plate glass window held up by chairs, resulting in blood trickling from Killshot's back. The second fall was no disqualifications, and although this was the shortest of the three stages at six minutes, there was no shortage of action. Ladders, chairs and finally a barbed wire board contributed to the chaos of Stage 2. Killshot evened up the match by powerbombing Fox into the barbed wire board followed by a cradle driver onto the broken glass from the opening stage.
The final fall was an medical evac match where the objective was to put your opponent away in the vehicle for good (aka, an ambulance match). While both competitors fought tooth and nail, a wooden structure holding another plate glass window near the vehicle was unveiled. The competitors eventually made their way to the second floor, where Killshot hit Fox with a beer bottle, sending him crashing through the glass. Killshot then placed Fox in the medical evac to win the Hell of War match. It was not a technical wrestling classic by any means, but the storyline and the violence of the match made it a worthwhile edge of your seat watch and my match of the year. (Andrew Davis)
The final fall was an medical evac match where the objective was to put your opponent away in the vehicle for good (aka, an ambulance match). While both competitors fought tooth and nail, a wooden structure holding another plate glass window near the vehicle was unveiled. The competitors eventually made their way to the second floor, where Killshot hit Fox with a beer bottle, sending him crashing through the glass. Killshot then placed Fox in the medical evac to win the Hell of War match. It was not a technical wrestling classic by any means, but the storyline and the violence of the match made it a worthwhile edge of your seat watch and my match of the year. (Andrew Davis)