10 Best WWE Matches Of 2017
2. Brock Lesnar Vs. AJ Styles - Survivor Series
Brock Lesnar is easily the most inconsistent headline performer in WWE history, owing to both his selective enthusiasm and the very essence of his act. So evidently powerful in both storylines and reality is Lesnar that, understandably, certain matches of his render suspension of disbelief difficult. Moreover, his Suplex City schtick - a match structure/trap too logical to deviate from - diminishes returns as much as it diminishes the credibility of so many of his opponents.
Positioned opposite AJ Styles, the flight of fancy that was the size difference mattered little; Styles flew around the ring with such terrifying abandon that the same German suplexes developed a new sense of danger and drama. It didn't matter, on November 19, that we'd seen this from Lesnar countless times before. Styles perfected the space between moves, selling the onslaught with career-threatening stakes. His bumping was equally impressive; Styles, like the master he is, just caught the canvas with his upper back, avoiding the neck with mathematical precision.
His spectacular aerial-based comeback was paced - again, perfectly - to yield impassioned hope from a set of fans who, outside of the searing heat of the moment, were well aware of the impending result. Lesnar deserves credit, too, for his selfless and immaculate selling - as well as that skull-crushing Calf Crusher escape, a sick sequence that underscored his supernatural menace.
Ultimately, it was as good as we hoped it would be; a genuine dream match made real.