Sportskeeda WWE Awards 2017: Match of the Year

The year is coming to an end and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to give out our annual WWE Awards!

We will be dishing out numerous awards as 2017 comes to a close, ranging from Superstar of the Year to Heel of the Year, and you can get involved in the conversation by letting us know who you would’ve chosen in the comment box.

The following article will be concentrating on the five greatest matches the WWE has seen in 2017. There's no denying that WWE is going through a boom period of quality in-ring action, so choosing our top five list has been no easy task. Do you agree with our choices? Have your say below!

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#5 Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg - WWE Universal Championship at Wrestlemania 33

Battle of the Beasts

When considering the match of the year candidates, two names not often mentioned in the discussion are Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg. Whether you enjoy the sight of Goldberg and Lesnar squashing opponents in a matter of seconds is entirely down to personal preference, but will normally only appeal to those fans who like their wrestling to tell a story, regardless of how high they rate the in-ring action.

Yet even the so-called 'hardcore fans', who are all about match quality, cannot deny just how effective and entertaining the WWE Universal Championship match was at Wrestlemania 33. After seeing the former WCW Champion destroy the "Beast Incarnate" in just over a minute at Survivor Series 2016, we were all slightly concerned as to how their next meeting would go. Would Vince really allow one of his main world title matches at Mania go the same way as the aforementioned squash?

The answer, thankfully, was no. The pair actually went in a very clever direction, not trying to be people they weren't, and essentially just sticking to their key strengths. They are both about the high-impact, big eye-catching moments, and seeing the two of them execute this together for nearly 10 minutes was outstanding.

In an era of WWE where we are blessed with so many talented in-ring performers like Styles and Nakamura, Goldberg and Lesnar reminded us that wrestling is a varied discipline that appeals to many different people of many different levels.

There might have been those who refused to embrace the return of Goldberg back in 2016, but this match at least justified it for some.

#4 Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: War Games

Welcome to infamy.

In a similar way to the previous match, the meeting between NXT's Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black makes this list because they dared to do things a little differently. The action inside the ropes was by no means under-par, but it was the psychology and implementation of sub-text that made this one of the best matches of the year.

Velveteen Dream, as a character, might still have a long way to go before it wins over the masses, but what this feud has shown us is that given the right opponent, it can work wonders. In many ways, this match was a throwback to the early days of Goldust, when he faced Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship back in 96.

The contrast of the sexually-ambiguous, over-the-top exhibitionist versus somebody who personifies manliness and ruthlessness had us on our seats from start to finish. And what made everything work so well was that other than trying to win the match, Dream also had a secondary motive - to force Black to 'say his name'.

This was effective at bringing the crowd into proceedings, with chants of 'say his name' echoing around the arena. With so much going on, it's easy to forget that the two men are actually very skilful wrestlers in their own right, able to put on a decent match with even the blandest of gimmicks.

NXT has had a steady comeback year in 2017, but one of the standout moments has to be this little gem that is sure to live on in people's memories for some time to come.

#3 Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns - Ambulance Match at Great Balls of Fire

Leading a new generation.

This year's feud between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns might have been a million miles from Austin vs. Rock, or even Cena vs. Orton, but given time, the two could end up forming the signature WWE New Era rivalry. Vince clearly has a lot invested in the pair and provided they stay healthy and avoid wellness policy violations, we could be seeing a lot more of them in the coming years.

Like every great wrestling rivalry, things have to start somewhere, and 2017 was a pretty decent start indeed. Going in as the heel, Strowman eventually won round the WWE Universe, mainly as he managed to bring people together in their rejection of Reigns. With both men now playing the role of a face, it's uncertain when they will meet again as opposing forces, but let's hope it happens sooner rather later.

For our money, the apex of their feud came at the Great Balls of Fire PPV. The two were engaged in an Ambulance match, where the only way to win is to incapacitate your opponent so that you can throw them in the ambulance and close the door.

The action was high-impact from the start, demonstrating that wrestling can still be about two larger than life monsters going to war with each other. For anyone who still claims that Reigns can't put on a decent match, they should really try giving this one a watch.

The brilliance of the bout came at the very end with some clever booking decisions the likes of which WWE doesn't demonstrate nearly enough in 2017. Given the fact that Reigns is Vince's new poster boy and would likely be going on to face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34, he couldn't really afford to lose this signature match.

That being said, Strowman was being billed as a true monster, so a clean loss for him would have taken a lot of wind from his sails at a very crucial time. What eventually happened was pure genius. Strowman officially lost the match after trying to charge the "Big Dog" who managed to stand aside just at the right time, sending the "Monster Amongst Men" into the vehicle.

Reigns then went about trying to end Strowman's life and career by reversing the ambulance into a solid wall. This was a huge character development for Roman, as fans were demanding to see more of his ruthless side. Strowman, for his part, managed to literally walk away from the attack. By the end of the PPV, both men looked like real heavyweights ready to lead the company forward into the future.

#2 Tyler Bate vs Pete Dunne - UK Championship Match at NXT Takeover: Chicago

Here come the Brits.

After the success of the WWE UK Championship tournament earlier this year, British wrestling seemed to be on top of the world. The WWE had finally embraced the buzz and excitement that has been gripping the UK scene for the past few years, acknowledging that their third biggest market is finally worthy of their attention.

Yet, with the scheduled WWE Network special show still facing delays, fans were in danger of forgetting all about the hard work put in by all of the tournament participants. What they needed was a reminder, and this is exactly what they got when NXT decided to take over Chicago.

NXT has become the de facto home of the WWE UK Championship in this interim period. Previous champion Tyler Bate defended the title against Jack Gallagher on a weekly edition of the Wednesday night show before facing the Cruiserweight Pete Dunne in May this year.

There's a very good reason why, in the immediate aftermath of the match, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin tweeted his approval, along with thousands of his fellow viewers. This was, quite simply, the perfect demonstration of British wrestling done on the biggest of stages. Bate and Dunne are special talents who personify what it means to be a product of the UK scene, but still able to appeal to a global audience.

Not only this, but they are both more than capable of mixing different styles together, catering to a variety of fan bases all at once. Whatever the eventual fate of the UK Championship network show, the quality of this match means that fans will be demanding much more of it in the future.

This was also a coming-of-age moment for Pete Dunne, a man who many tipped to be the eventual winner of the tournament itself. With Triple H high on the young talent from Birmingham, the future appears to be very bright indeed, and this classic was the perfect launching pad.

#1 John Cena vs AJ Styles - WWE Championship Match at Royal Rumble

The cream of the crop.

Our choice for the 2017 match of the year might not surprise many of you, but there's an extremely good reason for that. Undoubtedly, the apex of WWE action this year has to be the rubber match for the WWE Championship between John Cena and AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble PPV.

In a period where storytelling perhaps isn't Vince McMahon's forte, the meeting of Cena and Styles from 2016 was an incredibly special moment executed perfectly. It must have been tempting for Vince to just treat AJ like every other TNA/ROH start that comes his way. He could have slipped the "Phenomenal One" into the mid-card and pretended the past 10 years had never happened.

Instead, common sense prevailed, and the company decided to showcase the first meeting like the big deal we all knew it was. And from the very start, we knew the two legends had chemistry between them. The only question still remaining was, could they channel this chemistry and put on some high-quality matches as well?

The answer, emphatically was, yes. Cena and Styles have met a total of three times in single's competition since AJ's debut in WWE and they have easily put together the greatest trilogy of matches of WWE's PG/New Era.

Styles is quite simply a wrestling genius, often showing his fellow roster members up with how much of a gulf exists between him and the company's second best. When it comes to watching AJ perform, the question should not be, is this going to be a good match, rather, is Styles even capable of having a bad one?

That being said, it does take two to tango, and the fact that Cena has managed to keep up with Styles on three different occasions is the testament to how much the 16-time champion has come since his debut over 15 years ago.

This year's Royal Rumble PPV match for the WWE Championship will go down as an all-time classic, able to be enjoyed by anyone at any time. The fact that Cena equalled Ric Flair's record with his victory has almost been relegated to a minor, secondary point, and that pretty much says it all.