10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2017

6. NXT TakeOver: Orlando

Finn Balor AJ Styles TLC 2017 Too Sweet
WWE.com

A great opener - almost the sole preserve of NXT, on the evidence of 2017 - exists to unglue the crowd and immerse them in the experience of a wrestling show without exhausting them. The chaotic eight-person tag achieved precisely that, simultaneously (and belatedly) positioning the SAnitY faction beyond the realm of the curio.

Aleister Black Vs. Andrade 'Cien' Almas was well above the level of serviceable, let down slightly by Andrade's lack of relevance while also doing much to restore it, ultimately - following which the show entered categorical classic territory.

The Triple Threat war between #DIY, The Revival and the Authors Of Pain yielded perhaps the greatest shared enemy sequences ever, in which the former teams subverted their own rivalry and their own make-up in an attempt to overcome the combined might of the latter. It was wonderful storytelling both logical and entirely unexpected - elusive stuff for a genre in which those creative philosophies are all too often wildly divergent.

Asuka Vs. Ember Moon elevated the latter and reinforced the former, achieving Paul Heyman's ideal of wrestling perfection, while the marvellous, slow-burning headliner between Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura conclusively indicts the rapidity with which both were sullied on the main roster.

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!