10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2017
9. WWE TLC
A fever dream of a pay-per-view, TLC symbolised the entrenched, unbreakable bond between the company and its fanbase: even in a year otherwise defined by creative malaise, Vince McMahon can still overcompensate. He delivered the impossible when confronted by extenuating circumstances.
The headliner hastened the return of Kurt Angle, in full, fantastical Shield regalia - and while he is a shadow of his former, ultra-intense self, the sheer goodwill carried him through a match brilliantly obscured by the smoke and mirrors WWE remains superb at concocting. Framed as an action hero with a stirring close-up at the bout's climax, the atypically great camera work also obscured the fact that Angle did not perform his own stunts.
Bray Wyatt was also struck down by the mumps, creating scope for a realised dream match between AJ Styles and Finn Bálor - an eleventh hour replacement yielding what narrowly missed out on the 10 Best WWE Matches presented by the main roster all year. A respectful exhibition with enough escalatory bite to buy as a fight, this was five minutes too short to reach true classic status - but again, the shocking development of the match itself made it memorable.
An underrated undercard showcasing a good Asuka match, weirdly written off as a burial - and another rewarding Women's bout far better than its wider programme - propelled TLC into the upper echelon.