10 Best WWE Matches Of 2017 (So Far)

10. AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose (SmackDown - 31st January)

Some of WWE’s best matches have taken place on standard weekly television this year, with AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose standing as SmackDown’s finest offering. The two had a strong set of pay-per-view matches at Backlash and TLC last year, and were able to take their existing chemistry, transplant it into the restrictive TV match format, and work a strong bout on January 31st.

Ambrose was Intercontinental Champion at the time, while AJ had just lost the WWE Championship to John Cena. The match served as a warm up for the forthcoming Elimination Chamber, with Miz and Baron Corbin sitting on commentary. Their presence played into the finish as the referee, distracted by them brawling, missed Ambrose scoring a clear pin on Styles, but the overbooking didn’t drag the match down.

The duo did an excellent job of repeating past spots, working a series of exciting back and forth sequences that had the notoriously quiet Corpus Christi crowd filling the building with noise. Ambrose was allowed to control much of the match and the finish kept him protected, meaning that while AJ won, both emerged stronger than when they’d walked in.