10 Best WWE Matches Of 2017
8. AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose - SmackDown, January 31
A match between the hardest-working talent on the roster and the best talent on the roster, this was a contextually superb performance of grit, intelligence, and high drama - just a furious, TV-paced bout so good that it stands out amongst the ceaseless churn eleven months after the fact.
In the modern landscape of pro wrestling, performance supersedes realism. A match is a show to put on, not a war to win. The brilliance of AJ Vs. Ambrose, a match as good as their TLC minor classic even without the spectacular shortcuts, is that it fused the disciplines of old school strategy and new school content to form a believable and exciting whole. The head-spinning procession of gorgeous counters felt less like a polite, politicised game of your-turn than they did a high-stakes game of genuine oneupmanship. Given that the idea was to position both men on an even keel ahead of Elimination Chamber, the structure was as clever as it was dramatic.
Were it not for the incessant, spotlight-hogging guest commentary stylings of The Miz, and latterly Baron Corbin, this may have ranked higher. As it is, the men who should have paid most attention to it did not - something we've attempted to rectify through recognition here.