WWE News: WWE announces 'Match of the Year' for 2017

What’s the story?

In its official website, WWE has announced the ‘Match Of The Year’ for 2017. The honour of the best contest of the calendar year has gone to the face-off between John Cena and AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at the 2017 Royal Rumble.

Besides, a few other notable matches were also praised in the latest comprehensive list put forth by the WWE. On the iconic bout, Styles affirmed, “That rivalry was something people wanted to see and thought would never happen. People knew what they were in store for: Two guys who bring out the best in each other. If you saw me before this match, you’d see a smile on my face because I knew something great was about to happen."

Fans can catch the aforementioned Cena versus Styles clash below.

In case you didn’t know…

At the end of every year’s fourth quarter, WWE looks back at the calendar year’s best matches to felicitate the superstars involved in those enthralling contests.

The various wrestling superstars, who have competed in the top matches of the year, provide statements on the said matches selected among the year’s very best. ‘The Phenomenal One’ AJ Styles did the same by reminiscing his iconic showdown with Cena at the Royal Rumble earlier this year.

The heart of the matter

John Cena competed for his 16th WWE Championship in an attempt to dethrone reigning title holder AJ Styles and tie Ric Flair’s record of the most World Championship reigns. With the 'Phenomenal One' getting the better of him, Cena and Styles were engaged in a heated rivalry in 2016.

However, the trend changed on January 29th of 2017 as Cena made history at the 2017 Royal Rumble by winning the bout.

Despite coming up short in his WWE title defense, Styles earned widespread praise for his incredible match with Cena at the Royal Rumble.

Below is a comprehensive list of WWE’s Top 25 matches of 2017.

1. AJ Styles vs. John Cena — WWE Championship Match (Royal Rumble)

2. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman — Fatal 4-Way Universal Championship Match (SummerSlam)

3. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne — WWE United Kingdom Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)

4. The New Day vs. The Usos — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (SummerSlam Kickoff)

5. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles — Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)

6. Asuka vs. Ember Moon — NXT Women’s Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)

7. “The Demon” Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles (WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs)

8. The Authors of Pain vs. #DIY vs. The Revival — Triple Threat NXT Tag Team Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)

9. Big Show vs. Braun Strowman (Raw, Feb. 20)

10. Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz — Triple Threat Match (Raw, May 1)

11. The Usos vs. The New Day — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (WWE Battleground)

12. Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania 33)

13. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro & Sheamus — Raw Tag Team Championship Match (WWE No Mercy)

14. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (Raw, May 29)

15. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar — Universal Championship Match (WrestleMania)

16. Aleister Black vs. The Velveteen Dream (NXT TakeOver: WarGames)

17. Finn Bálor vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt — Fatal 5-Way Match (Extreme Rules)

18. Sanity vs. The Undisputed ERA vs. The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong — WarGames Match (NXT TakeOver: WarGames)

19. Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns — Universal Championship Match (Royal Rumble)

20. Gentleman Jack Gallagher vs. TJP vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Noam Dar — Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match (205 Live, Feb. 7)

21. Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley — Raw Women’s Championship Match (Raw, Feb. 13)

22. John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin — WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match (Elimination Chamber)

23. Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura — NXT Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)

24. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho — Triple Threat United States Championship Match (SmackDown LIVE, July 25)

25. Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro — Intercontinental Championship Match (Raw, Dec. 11)

What’s next?

The WWE looks to close out 2017 in style with Christmas editions of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live this December 25th and 26th respectively.

WWE’s next big PPV event is the Royal Rumble, which will go down on January 28th. History will be created by 30 female superstars in Philadelphia.

Author’s take

2017 was a great year for the WWE - not only from a creative standpoint but also from a business perspective. One hopes that the beloved promotion continues to thrive in the ever-evolving world of sports & entertainment.