10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2017

5. WWE Royal Rumble

Finn Balor AJ Styles TLC 2017 Too Sweet
WWE.com

A marathon Big 4 WWE pay-per-view that sprinted by, the Royal Rumble generated much in the way of drama, excitement and long-term world-building. The disastrous fallout of Randy Orton's Rumble match win may tarnish its reputation in retrospect - but on the night, at least, it promised the highest stakes for his once-promising programme with Bray Wyatt.

While Charlotte and Bayley bettered the opener a couple of weeks later on RAW, their match delivered in itself and with the sort of protective clean finish sorely missed in the company elsewhere. The middle portion of the card delivered two bonafide WWE Match Of The Year candidates. Kevin Owens Vs. Roman Reigns was a thriller, an overstuffed feast that nonetheless was palatable in its brutality, whereas John Cena's "record-tying" 16th World Title win at the expense of AJ Styles was a stunning Big Match John match, in which Cena wrestled as a character, not a caricature of the a la mode athletic showcase. The King, Neville, secured his crown in a gripping bout with Rich Swann which, while misplaced, did not misfire.

The Rumble match itself did its job - but the baseline requirement is still something special, all these years later, made all the better by virtue of it not being an antagonistic disaster.

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!