7 biggest moments in professional wrestling from November 2017

November has come and gone, and during the month a number of different stories captured the attention of wrestling fans. Whether it was a number of events that took place over one weekend, championships being won, returns to the ring by different female WWE superstars, NXT talent brought to the main roster, or a major match up being announced for another promotion, November was an active month in the business.

Of those stories that became a focal point over the course of the month, how has that laid the foundation for December? Will the events that have taken place encourage greater attention on the product, or will fans forget about what they recently saw? A number of questions were answered, while new ones have emerged. What happened? Who was affected and how will what took place over the course of the month stand out? Here are the seven biggest matches and moments in professional wrestling for November 2017.

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#7 NXT Takeover: War Games

Another brainchild of the 'American Dream' returns to the WWE this past month after a twenty-year absence.

On Saturday, November 18th, WWE's NXT brand presented NXT Takeover: War Games. This was significant because a War Games match hadn't taken place in twenty years. The match is recognized as a Dusty Rhodes creation and features two rings enclosed in a steel cage, which provides an opportunity to highlight creativity and ingenuity.

While there was some criticism of the match itself, in part due to some changes to the rules from the original conception, those performing in the match demonstrated creativity, athleticism, and perseverance.

The match was highlighted by a number of spots including a superplex from the top of the cage performed by Roderick Strong on Adam Cole, landing upon the remaining members of the matchup. In fact, the removing the roof from the cage allowed for greater freedom for the talent to demonstrate what they could do.

#6 Survivor Series 2017

This years edition of Survivor Series provided a number of the first time ever meetings.

The night following Takeover event was the annual Survivor Series pay per view. An event that was in the making for weeks, it had its share of run-ins and altercations. For instance, the men's five on five matches saw both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn get involved, nearly costing Team SmackDown Live the win for their team. We also saw Team Raw essentially implode, as Triple H attacked his captain Kurt Angle from behind, causing him to get pinned, only to then turn on his brother-in-law Shane McMahon later and ultimately allowing Team Raw to defeat team Smackdown Live.

The event ended with Braun Strowman beating down Triple H, leaving the "King of Kings" completely wiped out at the hands of the "Monster Among Men". The event also featured tremendous multi-man matches such as Cesaro and Sheamus against The Usos, and The New Day against The Shield. Fans saw just how dominant Asuka can be, as she wiped out the last two women left on team Smackdown Live to emerge victoriously.

#5 Paige returns, flanked by NXT call-ups

Paige returned to the ring and she didn't come alone.

On the night after Survivor Series, WWE welcomed back a former NXT women's and Divas champion in Paige. When her music hit, the eruption from the crowd showed just how much she was missed by the WWE faithful. She didn't return alone, as she was joined by two NXT alumni in Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Both women represent an influx of talent to the Raw women's division.

The same could be said about the Smackdown Live roster, as Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, all from NXT, debuted the following night. The arrival of the three women to the SmackDown Live roster was announced via an attack on most of the present women's roster The additions create the potential for something quite special to take place, given that these additions to Raw and SmackDown Live mean six women have been added to the two major brands.

#4 Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega announced for Wrestle Kingdom XII

Chris Jericho faces Kenny Omega for the first time ever for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

November 5th, saw the online bantering between the IWGP United States champion and the Best in the World come to a head. Chris Jericho appeared via video screen at an NJPW event and challenged Kenny Omega for his IWGP United States championship. An immediate buzz started on social media and throughout the wrestling world since it hinted that Jericho, who was recently in WWE, will appear in a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring for the first time in twenty years.

The buzz illustrates the notoriety of Jericho and validates how incredible Omega is, arguably the best wrestler outside North America today. Announcing the match two months prior to its actual date leaves many opportunities for both men to use various means to promote the confrontation. Regardless of who walks away victorious, fans can be rest assured that they will be treated to a match they may have thought they could only dream about On January 4th that dream becomes a reality.

#3 Triple H and John Cena announced as the ‘fifth members' of their respective teams

After being out of the ring for months, Triple H returns for Team Raw and John Cena was announced via social media for team Smackdown Live.

As the build to Survivor Series went on, a great deal of hype was needed in order to boost the value of the match. Orton, Nakamura, Roode, McMahon, Strowman, Angle, Balor, and Joe have certainly been notable and significant names in wrestling over the past two decades, but when the opportunity presented itself to include two other names, two certain WWE Hall of Famers, then it became important to include them.

An injury to Jason Jordan led to a decision to make Triple H the fifth and final member of Team Raw. However, prior to that, it was announced through social media that Team Smackdown Live would recruit ‘free agent' John Cena to once again join the blue brand, in their battle against the self-proclaimed ‘A-show'. Throughout the match, there were several special and interesting confrontations that fans may have never thought they would see, whether it was old rivalries like Nakamura and Balor, or a confrontation between Samoa Joe and John Cena. Each meeting was special.

#2 Roman Reigns captures Intercontinental championship

The Big Dog now can add Intercontinental championships to his list of championship accomplishments.

It isn't just his yard, and he isn't just the "Big Dog". We can now add Intercontinental champion to the many accomplishments of Roman Reigns. On the November 20th edition of Raw, Reigns faced and defeated The Miz for the title. It had been speculated that Miz was slated to drop the title because he will be off filming a movie. However, the match was another solid showing by Reigns and demonstrated how committed he is to his craft in the ring.

While the decision to make him the champion may be met with some criticism, it does show that regardless of the circumstances of any opportunity presented to him, Reigns is willing to commit to the role and add a new chapter into his career. As the new Intercontinental champion, one wonders what stands before Reigns, as the ‘reigns' as champion headed into the new year.

#1 Starrcade returns… as a house show?

Starrcade returns for the first time since WCW closed its doors, but now as it should have.

WCW ran a number of different pay per views over the promotion's existence. However, out of all those PPVs, one stood above all others as the measuring stick and signature event for the company. There was one that, for WCW, was what WrestleMania is for WWE. The event was called Starrcade, and would normally happen in December as a means of closing off the year.

After a sixteen-year absence, Starrcade returned, only this time it was under the WWE umbrella since they now own the rights to the name. So on Saturday, November 25th in Greensboro, North Carolina, Smackdown Live presented Starrcade. The unfortunate part was that, though it should have been commemorated as the brainchild of Dusty Rhodes, only those in the Greensboro area could watch what was a house show for the brand? It is a shame because the event deserved greater recognition and truly would have benefited from being a WWE network exclusive at the very least.