Every pro wrestling fan has his own ideas about who should face who next, and we’re no different as there are some matchups we’re dying to see this year. These WWE matches we want to see in 2017 are not just great shouts for in-ring action, but they can also be marketed as main event attractions which can help create sizable mainstream WWE buzz and generate new stars in the process.
Nikki Bella vs. Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is on a two heavy losses streak in the UFC, and even before her last failure she said that she won’t be doing MMA fights for long. So now is the perfect time to switch from an octagon to a ring, and let’s not forget that the former unstoppable UFC fighter has experience of performing in WWE as she appeared at WrestleMania 31. The huge fan of WWE should for starters face Nikki Bella, who has been on a serious roll since returning from injury. They both have greater appeal than of just WWE fandom, so this can be a very smart move for the organization itself, as quite a lot of people would tune in for the fight and the WWE would acquire new fans.
The Undertaker vs. John Cena
The Deadman hasn’t competed on Raw or Smackdown since 2013 and as rumors of 2017 being his last year competing are getting stronger, everyone wants to see him in another huge match. Who better than John Cena, as this is the WWE match fans worldwide want to see. It needs to happen fast as Cena is on his part-time schedule and The Undertaker is in the risk of injuring himself so late in his career. The two faced off before but never on a large stage, this fight is ten years into making and we feel like 2017 is the last chance to potentially see it.
Samoa Joe vs. Bill Goldberg
After reigning supreme in NXT, 2017 is the perfect time for Samoa Joe to make it to the big stage of WWE and this highly promising and experienced wrestler deserves to match up with a big name. Bill Goldberg is an obvious choice as this semi-retired pro wrestler was active in 2016, and of course, he doesn’t have to be Joe’s first opponent under the brighter lights. Samoa is a highly agile fighter despite his size, and therefore he will be perfect to face Goldberg from whom we can’t expect flashing strikes anymore due to his age. Both fighters are highly technical so this could be a bout for casual and hardcore pro wrestling fans.
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Another NXT star needs to make a jump up to the big league, but in women’s competition as the NXT female champion Asuka requires some better opponents, and nothing is better than champions facing off. Charlotte Flair already passed the path Asuka is currently on and after being the NXT champion she is now in her fourth reign of the WWE. Flair’s match with Sasha Banks in 2016 was the first women’s match to headline a WWE pay-per-view event, so the organization surely has big plans for her and testing her with big upcoming names can only make her better.
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT is on fire recently and the amount of talent in the promotion is insane, and when the champion is as dominant as Shinsuke Nakamura he needs to take a step up. And WWE needs to make him fight A.J. Styles, a man he confronted before in the semi-main event of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10, where the match was deemed as one of the organization’s very best of the year, if not the best. This matchup could give fans a very technically balanced, but high-intensity match between arguably two of the biggest pro wrestling stars right now. This pick is a lock, but we just hope the WWE won’t make us wait for it.
What do you think of our list of top 5 WWE matches we want to see in 2017? Share ideas of your own with the rest of fans.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
