10 Best WWE Matches Of 2017
7. Kevin Owens Vs. Roman Reigns - Royal Rumble
As well-rounded a performer as he is, Kevin Owens' late '16 best buds bit with Chris Jericho was somewhat wasteful. Owens operates best as a killer, as this killer No Disqualification match with Roman Reigns demonstrated.
There was so much to take in, even beyond the hysterical ultra-violence. This was at once an Attitude Era-style stadium-wide brawl, a suspenseful thriller in which both men agonisingly evaded a sick chair stack, and a gruesome exhibition of body horror. Both Owens and Reigns were on top form on the night, discovering a chemistry that eluded them at Roadblock: End Of The Line. Even Roman's staunchest critics couldn't help but see what Vince McMahon sees in him, albeit briefly, when he countered an Owens superkick with a powerbomb of herculean strength.
A festival of brutal content that at times threatened to become incredulous, Owens Vs. Reigns was nevertheless excellent enough to elevate the 2017 iteration of the January classic into all-time great territory, were it not for another despairing titular match.
The tainted finish removed the gloss - we'd already seen so much interference in Owens' Universal Title defences, hence the shark cage premise - but it at least gave us...