4. Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles - WWE Championship: TLC
When you put two of the best technicians, athletes, and all-around in-ring performers in the same ring to fight, chances are that you are going to get a good match. Since coming to WWE in 2016, AJ Styles has consistently delivered excellent matches with every opponent, elevating ones not thought to be great wrestlers and stealing the show against other great wrestlers.
Since shockingly returning from retirement early this year, Daniel Bryan has also strung together a series of good matches and reminded us all why he is one of the best.
These two first fought on the Smackdown before the Crown Jewel PPV, as Bryan refused to attend due to personal beliefs about the actions of the Saudi Arabian government. The feud escalated quickly on that show to the point where a title match was sanctioned. AJ Styles made Bryan tap out to the Calf Crusher, and proceeded to face Samoa Joe at Crown Jewel.
Yet the week before Survivor Series, Styles had to defend his title again. Taking advantage of a downed referee, Bryan hit a low blow, the running knee, and won the title, turning heel.
While we saw two excellent matches between these two, the match at TLC far exceeded them both. Very close near-falls, both competitors getting in a significant amount of offense, submission specialization, fantastic timing, and more elements contributed to the electricity of the matchup, creating a perfect environment for these two to function in.
Styles, the babyface, got the crowd on his side as he attempted to exact revenge on "The New" Daniel Bryan and take back the WWE title, creating a perfect dynamic between the two. Indeed, there were several "this is awesome" chants from the WWE Universe as these two battled.
Bryan ended up winning off a rollup and retaining the WWE Championship, but this match will surely be remembered for a while and deserves a spot on this list.