Top 10 WWE Matches of 2017 So far (Part 1)

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World! I hope you are all well and good and are of course having a good week! So as I mentioned on Monday, this week I will be uploading a lot of review/highlights posts because of it being pay per view weekend this weekend just gone but I can announce that the highlights posts this week have come to an end! Yay! While I do occasionally enjoy writing those posts they get so boring so quickly and I like to spend time writing more creative booking posts or ones like today... more lists! Now, over the past couple of weeks I have been taking a look at some of the standout stars of the WWE this year in  my top ten WWE Superstars of twenty seventeen so far and I did really enjoy writing those and it looks as though you guys enjoyed reading them. In both those posts I mentioned that I would be writing my top ten WWE matches of the year so far and uploading those as soon as possible and that is what I have for you today. Okay, so I know these posts usually go up a lot earlier than what they have done this year. In previous years this is something that I would have had up during the first couple of weeks of June but with so much happening this year there's just been a pretty big delay. However, I've managed to find the time to take some notes, go back and have a look at a bunch of WWE matches from the year, and create a list of the ten best from that bunch. It was hard narrowing it down to just ten but I think I have a list that I really like. There are some matches I didn't write about but deserve a mention anyway, those matches include; Charlotte VS Bayley, the women's money in the bank ladder match (the second one), and most of the matches from the United Kingdom Championship tournament. This post has of course been split and half and part two will be uploaded this time next week. This post also only features matches from January to June. As always, any recent blog posts will be linked bellow including this weeks Battleground Review. Finally, you can let me know what you think has been the WWE match of the year by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.

Braun Strowman VS The Big Show 

Okay, so we're starting things off with a match I did not expect to be adding to a post like this at all but here we are anyway. If you had told me this time last year that a match between Braun Strowman and the Big Show would be listed as one of the best matches of the year I would have said you were absolutely insane! However, when I was taking my notes and looking back this was one of my personal favourite matches of twenty seventeen so far. Now, I don't know if this is going to be a popular choice or one that you guys would have featured in your list but honestly, there was no way I was going to be able to not include it. So the match took place back on February twentieth during an episode of Monday night RAW. In a battle of the most dominant big guy in the WWE the two main evented the show and it was a main event that honestly I wasn't expecting much from. I really was expecting this to be a short, simple match with some impressive spots and the overall big win from Strowman to close the show and furthermore push him as the next big thing in the WWE. However, what we got instead was a wrestling match the world could enjoy, a main event that catered to fans of all ages around the world.  So in all fairness the match wasn't the longest and is for sure the shortest match on this list but most certainly deserves its place. I actually didn't originally plan on staying up and watching this main event but I remember not feeling to great so I ended up staying awake anyway. Both these men didn't wait long at all to kick start action with Strowman rolling out of the ring during Show's entrance as their intense match up began outside the ring. With a brawl breaking out between the two it was hard to see which superstar would get the upper hand first but was also so great to see was how interested the crowd were on the night. After Show sent Strowman through the steal steps the former world champion was able to gain some early momentum however struggled to stay on top of the up and comer who very quickly was able to showcase his surprisingly good wrestling ability. To be honest it wasn't the big spots that had this match standing out for me. While the ring breaking and everything else that happened was fun to and really did make this match as big as it was but it was the wrestling that really impress me. This was the first time we saw Strowman showcase more than his dominance and I was so so so surprised to see just how well both men worked together. As far as a feud goes, I don't believe I'd have an interest due to the lack of originality but with Strowman as champion in the future I do think there is something there. I believe this match was a big part in Strowman's push and getting him to where he is now and I had to have this in my top ten for the sheer reason that it brought me so much entertainment and I was so surprised by what I saw.

Nikki Cross VS Asuka - Last Women Standing 

Okay, so in this list there are for sure going to be matches you don't agree with. I know that. There have been so many standout matches already from both RAW and Smackdown LIVE and of course NXT. Trying to narrow it down to just ten that everyone will agree with is borderline impossible and so I''m sticking to focusing on those matches I have personally loved. In at number nine is a match that I have spoken so highly of since it took place last month and when taking a look back at some of the matches that we have seen from NXT and its women's divison so far this year there is no doubt in mind that this was one of the best and my personal favourite. So the year of twenty seventeen has so far seen Asuka continue to break records and make history and her unbelievable title reign has made her the most dominant champion in NXT history. However, when you're the best there is constant competition coming your way and down in NXT women are desperate for an opportunity and every single female talent in the locker room has had their eyes firmly only the champion. The focus on every women's mind has been enthroning Asuka and becoming the new NXT Women's champion and so far every single one of them has fallen. From Billie Kay to Peyton Royce to the likes of Ember Moon and Ruby Riot. However, there has been one women more focused than anyone on the NXT Women's championship, Nikki Cross. So you all know that I have been a fan of Nikki for a long time and her arrival in the WWE is something that has made me so happy! So far she has been making a huge impact. Her character work has been brilliant and she continues to impress in the ring with the best still yet to come. Her best match to date has without a shadow of a doubt her singles match against Asuka for the NXT Women's championship. The first NXT history, Cross and Asuka competed in the first last women standing match following their brawl the week before. I was honestly so excited for this one and was not left disappointed in the slightest. You got the impression that both women genuinely hated each other and every single spot performed had so much passion behind it. We had some great storytelling and again the fans were so invested in the action. We had some brutal spots performed where ladders, chairs and the announce table were included and the final spot was so well done and ended the match perfectly. I would have loved to have  seen Nikki get the win just because I feel as though it would have worked so so well and would have been the best way for Asuka to drop the title however, I really did love this match and I had to include today.

Women's Money in the Bank Ladder match - Smackdown LIVE

Up next we have a match that probably will come as no surprise but one that again just had to be included is the women's Money in the bank ladder match. Now I would love to be able to say that the first ever women's money in the bank ladder match was a huge success and that is the match I'm talking about, however, it is in fact the second and women's MITB ladder match to feature on Smackdown LIVE that I will be talking about in this post today. Okay, so as we all know, women's wrestling has been on the up and we have so many history making moments and matches of the past four years or so that has changed women's wrestling completely. This year the WWE are far from slowing down with the Mae Young Classic taking place this summer, more opportunities for women in the company rising and history making matches coming our way more and more frequently we are beginning to reach a position in which women in the WWE are equal to men. We have a long way to go yes, but one of the prime examples of things getting better is the women's money in the bank ladder match. The first in history it was about time women were given this opportunity and as I mentioned during the time of that pay per view this is something that I have wanted the WWE to put on for a long time! The first was... a disappointment to say the least. Shorter than expected and James Elsworth actually unlocking the briefcase and winning for Carmella the match did not go down well and was far from what the fans wanted to see. However, the controversy did lead to a rematch and on an episode of Smackdown LIVE Carmella, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Tamina, and Natalya once again competed in a MITB ladder match to crown the first ever Miss Money in the bank,. There is no denying that the second time round was a far better outcome. The wrestling was better, the spots were better performed, and the closing moments were far stronger and more entertaining. I found myself completely hooked from start to finish,  there was a good story being told throughout and the fans both in the arena and at home were so invested in the action. We had some brilliant spots, each women had a place and a role to play and the closing moments were so well done. With Becky Lynch knocking Ellsworth off the ladder we really got to see just how over she is with the fans being completely behind her but Carmella was so easily the right winner and seeing her climb the ladder herself to retrieve the briefcase was such a great moment. The match was fun, exiting, it elevated the Smackdown Women's divison to new heights, proved a huge point that women can compete in any kind of match, and has opened so many doors for Carmella in particular not to mention the match allowed Tamina and Natalya to finally have their moment and standout.

The Elimination Chamber

Yet another stipulation match is up next but again how could it not? The Elimination Chamber just like the Money in the bank ladder match has always been one of my favourite matches on the wrestling calendar. It's exciting, often unpredictable and one that always gets people talking. In recent years the match and the pay per view has been pushed aside with it's relevance kinda fading. However, in twenty seventeen the WWE decided to bring back this pay per view again and this time we would some of the biggest stars of Smackdown LIVE compete to become the WWE Champion. Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin, The Miz, and AJ Styles all took part in what was hands down one of the best match of the year so far. When you look at the line up what more could you expect. There was never any denying that these six men would deliver and put on a killer match and thats exactly what they did. Here we had some of the biggest and best stars in the WWE today all looking to head into Wrestlemania as WWE Champion and face off against Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton. I remember around this time not knowing who on earth would walk away with the victory. There were so many option and an argument for every one of these superstars to take the win. While I love them both The Miz and Baron Corbin were both ruled out. However, both men did make an impact. For Corbin this was really important. While The Miz was killing and the end result wouldn't matter regardless because of the impact he was already making, Corbin needed to standout in this match and thats exactly what he did. His attack on Ambrose following his elimination was perfect and exactly what they needed to do. For the rest of the match we were treated to some amazing in ring action. Completely unpredictable I was left watching this match not knowing who was going to get the win and you guys know how much I love a good unpredictable match up. Now, I have seen pretty much every single Elimination Chamber match, I honestly don't know one I haven't watched and I have to say that this easily one of the best if not my all time favourite.  It just had everything you could ask for and the end result was s satisfying for us more hardcore fans. For years Bray Wyatt has been delivering in matches that have ranked some of the best of the year and has of course been apart of some great storyline's and phenomenal mic work but up until this year he hadn't walked away with gold. At the elimination Chamber he not only eliminated both John Cena and AJ Styles he walked out the new WWE Champion. It was a well deserved victory and the perfect ending to an epic match up.

DIY VS The Authors of Pain - NXT Takeover Chicago 

Honestly, I really struggled with number six. As we have already mentioned in today's blog post there have been so many brilliant matches from NXT already this year especially in the tag team divison. The Revival, DIY, and the Authors of Pain have all been so amazing over the past year or so and have been responsible for delivering some of the best matches the NXT tag team divison has seen so you can for sure expect to see all three of these tag teams feature more in this list over in part two. In at number six however is the epic NXT tag team championship match between the Authors of pain and DIY. So apart of me believes this match should be featuring a lot higher up in the list maybe even over at number five or two but it was really hard to chose between this and another match I'll be talking about in part two and in the end I decided to go with this spot. Things may change later on in the year but for now I'm place at match at number six. This match has easily been one of my favourites of the year so far for so many reasons. The brilliant spots, the heel turn, the unpredictability, seeing how far AOP have come and the amazing wrestling that took place. This was totally worthy of main eventing the takeover show and here is exactly what I wrote in my review and why this match has made the list.

Of course these guys didn't disappoint in the slightest. The match was just as good as I was expecting it to be, in fact, even better. The two teams brought something completely different to the table and while I was confident that the Authors of Pain would be retaining there was a lot more to this match and throughout it my opinions changed more and more in regards to exactly which team would walk out with the gold. Now, I have already mentioned that I believe the WWE United Kingdom Championship match between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne was the best pure wrestling match and I stick by that however the match of the night was without a shadow of a doubt the main event. The stunts, the wrestling, the character development, the storytelling, everything was just perfect. I cannot fault it at all. It connected with everyone. It was one of those matches that reminded me why I'm such a big wrestling fan. It was beyond entertaining, I was emotionally invested and while I would have

loved to have seen DIY reclaim the NXT Tag team championships the Authors of pain had the match they needed to have. They finally proved a point and this was without a shadow of a doubt their best performance to date. Of course Johnny and Ciampa out wrestled them but AOP were able to keep up with them perfectly well. They were dominant and had the fans watching them very carefully. Sure they still have a long way to go but I have to admit that I'm personally really growing to love these two.Now, I am going to be writing about this match in full later on in the week so keep an eye out for that over the next couple of days. Of course for now we have to touch on those closing moments of the show. After failing to capture the NXT Tag Team Championships it was an emotional night for DIY. At first I believed that this would be the last time we would see DIY in an NXT ring, there little farewell, however, Tommaso Ciampa had other ideas and in a shock ending to the night Ciampa turned on his tag team partner in a beat down to close the show. I know some expected the pair to split but I was honestly hoping to see them make their way up to the main roster to work as a tag team over on Smackdown live within the next month so a part of me was disappointed however, the turn was done so well that I can't complain. There was real emotion watching this and the events really tied in perfectly with what we had seen already during the tag team match. This was a fantastic way to close the show and really did demonstrate just how effective building up a tag team can really be. The division was put on a pedestal on Saturday and I have to say that the NXT Takeover Chicago main event was the match of the entire weekend.

And that marks the end of part one! Part two of this post will be uploaded this time next week! For now you can let me know what has been your WWE match of the year so far by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria. 

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