Top 10 WWE Matches of the Year so Far (Part 2)
Men's Money In the Bank ladder Match
We kick start part two off with the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match. If you read part one of this post you would have seen that the women's (Smackdown LIVE addition) money in the bank ladder match came in at number eight and I spent a lot of time talking about how excited I had been for that match and how the Smackdown LIVE match was such a huge moment for women's wrestling and a brilliant all round match up because of the story being told, how invested the fans were, the build up and the winner, the men's had all that and looking back it really was one of my favourite matches of the first half of twenty seventeen. I've mentioned in so many previous posts that the Money in the bank ladder match is one of my favorites in wrestling and while we don't always get the result we want and often it can be a disappoint every single year I'm super excited during the build up and I anticipate it just as much as the year before. While we never really know what is going to happen in the WWE the money in the bank is the one event that always feels pretty unpredictable. Every year there is always that one competitor we all feel should really get the win but there is almost always a line up that has a valid argument for each to actually get the victory in the end and would totally work and make sense. This year we had a killer line up and honestly any one of the superstars involved could have walked out Mr Money in the Bank and it would have worked just fine. Competing in one of the most fun, exciting, and unpredictable MITB ladder matches were, first timers Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin and AJ Styles and previous entrants Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn. You look at that line up either as a casual or hardcore fan and can see the potential so clearly. Anyone, watching knew this was going to be an amazing match and that was exactly what it was. I had really high expectations of this match and they were totally met. There were so many different styles here and with so many having it split down the middle with half having competed in this match before and the other half making their debut it made things very interesting. A story was told right from the very start after Corbin had attacked Shinsuke Nakamura during his entrance and while Nakamura made a return later in the match it really set the tone at the start and despite being a man down the first half of this match was brilliant. The longer it went on the better it got and honestly I didn't know what to expect as far as the end result goes. We had so many brilliant moments, spots and wrestling and with the close calls and that intense moment between Nakamura and Styles there was a level of excitement in the air we haven't really had in any other match. All the superstars worked amazingly well together but in the end it was my personal favourite Baron Corbin who walked away with the win and crowned the two thousand and seventeen Mr Money in the bank.
Finn Balor VS Seth Rollins VS The Miz
When I was taking the notes for this blog post I spent a lot of time checking out other articles and videos while also re watching so many matches from the year to see what should feature in the top ten. There have been a number of really strong matches and it can be difficult to remember them all and find the right place on the list to place it. However, there really was one underdog match I never forgot about and knew I wanted it to be in this post just not completely sure where. After re watching it a couple of times I realised it just had to be in the top five at least and so here it is, my favourite RAW main event of the year so far, Finn Balor VS Seth Rollins VS The Miz. As these three superstars main evented in an amazing triple threat for thethr chance to become the number one contender to face Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental championship the WWE set up the start of a lot to come for each of these superstars and in one match made the actual title feel like a big deal. To have such huge top stars such as Rollins and Finn Balor compete for the chance to challenge for a "Mid card" title felt like a big deal and I'm so so glad it was done. Over the past couple of years we have seen both the US and IC title rise and both have started to feel like championships big stars would want to hold. With guys such as John Cena, Roman Reigns,Chris Jericho, and Kevin Owens all holding one or the other they have been re-established and it feels good to finally see both championships being used right and held by main event stars. The Miz in particular has done a fantastic job with the IC title and no one really makes that that title feel more important than he does. On this episode of Monday night RAW I was still worried about how the WWE were going to use him following the superstar shake up but this match had cleared any worries that I had. Such a hard working, dedicated and talented superstar he really does deserve the little push he has gotten over the past year and boy has he been nailing it. Competing in a main event against two of the most talked about superstars in the WWE is such a huge deal and when you are pitted in such a match against the likes of Seth Rollins and Finn Balor it really does put a guy under pressure but honestly Miz was brilliant. He brought so much character and was able to fit into the match perfectly. As for Balor and Rollins they naturally have brilliant chemistry and are so clearly two of the best wrestlers in the world today and it showed here. All three superstars had their place in this match and the close calls, false finishes and the amazing wrestling throughout made this such a brilliant match and I had to include it in the post. Not to mention Bray Wyatt's interference and the Miz taking the victory really did top it all off.
DIY VS Authors of Pain VS The Revival
Up next at number three is a match everyone has been talking about and for sure has featured on so many other top WWE matches of the year so far articles. Over in NXT the work from the tag team divison has continued to be absolutely phenomenal. The teams down there are forever improving and putting on some truly epic matches up. One of, in fact, the best, match of the year so far from the NXT tag team divison in my personal opinion comes from NXT Takeover Orlando in it was the triple threat elimination match between the Revival, DIY, and the Authors of Pain. Over the past year I have spent so much time talking about all three of these teams and rightfully so. Time and time again they continue to put on some amazing matches and the storyline's only add to the brilliant work we see. This match in particular really did standout for me. As I mentioned in part one I really did struggle with where to place this match and the DIY vs the Authors of pain match from NXT Takeover Chicago because honestly either one of them could have been at number three however after going back and re-watching both matches it was this one I really did favor. It had everything you could ask for and so easily could have been the main event of the show. Taking place on Wrestlemania weekend this match set the bar and put every other tag team over on the main roster under serious pressure. The match was full of amazing spots, fantastic storytelling and the chemistry between all three teams was something so special. It was one of those matches that just warmed my heart. So much happened and every single person in the arena and at home were complete captivated from start to finish. The history between the Revival and DIY is one of the best tag team rivalries in recent history. While we didn't have a big story their matches were brilliant and some of the best I have seen in ages. Their knowledge of each other really did shine through in this match. We saw the two teams work tougher in an attempt to take out the Authors of Pain several different times throughout the match and they really did make such amazing moments. The unpredictability was another amazing factor in this match. While it was likely the Authors of pain were going to win (and so they did) it wouldn't have surprised me to have seen DIY get the win. Altogether it was a fun, exciting, thrilling match that had everyone on the edge of their seats and highlighted all three of these teams as some of the best in the world.
AJ Styles VS John Cena
In at number two is another popular match up, for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble pay per view we have AJ Styles VS John Cena. For a lot of people this has gone down as their two thousand and seventeen match of the year (so far) and I totally understand why. It was such a huge, important match between two superstars who have brilliant chemistry and are so massively over with fans all around the world. For me however, there was just one more match that I enjoyed a little bit more and it had to go in at number one. However, Cena VS Styles back in January was a true standout match and so easily one of the best of the year. It's one that since I have gone back and watched at least another three times and honestly thats what I've done before when the two have collided in the ring together. Just two years ago we never would have thought this match would even have taken place and throughout twenty sixteen we had seen Styles and Cena engage in what was one of the best feuds of the year making it even more special to see them collide once again. This time round they didn't have as much time to really develop a huge storyline but they didn't really need to. The story was there. Styles was the self proclaimed new "face that runs the place" and Cena was chasing after tying Ric Flair's record and becoming a sixteen time world champion. Here we had two huge names, a WWE Championship match, and a story that told itself, fans all around the world casual and hardcore were invested and when it came to the action the match lived up to expectations and raised the bar for all the matches to come in twenty seventeen.
Pete Dunne VS Tyler Bate
I have spent so much time this year talking about Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate and here I am again. In at number one in my top ten WWE Matches of the year so far and here is exactly why, taken from my NXT Chicago review here is what I had to say about this match:
One of the matches I was most excited for last night was without a shadow of a doubt the United Kingdom Championship match between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne. While neither men have made frequent appearances on NXT the pair have a brilliant story to tell, fantastic in ring chemistry and the fans on board. I have previously spoken plenty about both these men and I was expecting nothing less than a top quality match. We have already seen what Bate and Dunne can do in the ring when they are pitted against one another; at the start of the year the two competed in the finals of the United Kingdom Championship tournament and delivered what was easily one of the best matches of the entire weekend. They raised the bar and made sure all eyes were on them and the British Wrestling scene. The then nineteen year old Tyler Bate did walk out with the victory and of course made history by becoming the first ever WWE United Kingdom Champion however, as I recently mentioned in a previous blog post the attention never faded from Pete Dunne, he did what he set out to do, make a name for himself. Since the tournament the world has been talking about him applauding him on not only his phenomenal in ring skills but his even stronger character work. This past Friday we saw him remain a strong talking point when he defeated Trent Seven to become the brand new number one contender and as so last night he went toe to toe with Tyler Bate once again for the WWE United Kingdom Championship. The two men didn't disappoint what so ever. Yet again they stepped in the ring and delivered pure gold. The crowd were completely invested in the action from the start and throughout and in the end we there was no denying the fact that this was one of the best matches of the night. It's hard to know what to say without sounding repetitive but these guys just killed it. There was story being told throughout the entirety of this match and its what really made the whole thing standout so much more. There most certainly wasn't one man working better than the other, both these superstars came out and made an impact. They worked their characters perfectly and had everyone on the edge of their seats not wanting to see the action end. This was easily the best pure wrestling match of the night. It was the kind of match kids in twenty years time will tell the world was the match that inspired them to become professional wrestlers. Watching this I myself was inspired. A completely captivating contest full of everything you could possibly ask for; great storytelling, amazing character work, and phenomenal wrestling. What more could you ask for? Pete Dunne did walk out with the win and crowned the brand new WWE United Kingdom Champion. Again, I wasn't surprised with the end result. Pete Dunne is one of the best things in wrestling and one of the most talked about men in the community. His championship win was inevitable and while Tyler Bate was a great champion I'm confident Dunne will take things to the next level completely. Watching this I did find it impossible to pick a side and I soon realised I would be happy with any result. Admitting a part of me was sad to see Tyler dethroned I'm fully aware that Pete Dunne is about to truly shake things up for the better.
And there it is! My top ten WWE matches of the year so far! I had so much fun writing this post and I'm very happy with the result and the matches in the list. Part one of this post will of course be linked bellow. 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.
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