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

2. American Alpha Vs. The Usos - WWE SmackDown March 21

Wyatt Styles EC
WWE.com

This was every bit as good as the equally fading memories of American Alpha’s stirring NXT run. Maybe the fact that the WrestleMania sequel never materialised has tainted and virtually banished the memory of it. Maybe there are simply too many above average, high quality back and forth matches on WWE TV these days. Regardless, this is unassumingly the best (non-NXT) tag bout WWE has promoted in 2107.

Watching it back now makes you mourn American Alpha even more than a risible scripted Jason Jordan promo. They were at their symbiotic best here; Chad Gable slid beneath Jey Uso, and Jordan blindly tagged into drop him with an amateur-style throw before both dropped a rushing Jimmy with picture perfect, high-angle stereo dropkicks.

Jimmy Uso channelled The Revival to drag Jordan off the apron to cut off their next hope spot, and the comparison holds water; much like the very best Revival matches, this was an ultra-dramatic, ultra-athletic update on the southern tag team formula, expertly calibrated to immerse the audience into an intoxicated state of passionate babyface support.

And WWE still did nothing with them.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!