10 Awesome Wrestling Matches From 2017 (That You've Already Forgotten About)

Something like Bobby Roode Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura from NXT TakeOver: Orlando is probably too understated to crack, let alone top, a top ten greatest matches of the year list. That's both a shame and symptom of the times.

Roode approached this superior sequel to their very good TakeOver: San Antonio clash with a sound strategy so few of his peers adopt. Roode is a performer as realistic as any who adopt a real combat sports influence because he does everything possible to avoid taking damage. He's the consummate defensive wrestler in an age which has apparently rendered such a strategy boring.

Rarely has this made as much sense as it did against Nakamura, the kayfabe best striker on the planet. Roode exhumed the 1980s to avoid his threat, raking his face against the ropes, stomping his head against the top turnbuckle, and adopting Ric Flair's figure four leglock. When Nakamura embarked on his comeback spots, it felt like a race against time; his energy bar had diminished, accelerating a finishing sequence tinged with dread. Every move struck in the first few minutes had a logical bearing on the last. The slow early pace existed to make sense of the later rush.

This clash of styles resulted in a match that more than most made suspension of disbelief incredibly, beautifully easy.