10 Images That Proved 2017 Was Wrestling’s Craziest Year Ever

9. Top Of The Tower

Young Bucks Session Moth Martina Kenny Omega
WWE

Perhaps the most audience validation some of 2015's illustrious Performance Center class ever received, the December UK Tour leading into the spectacular TakeOver: London show was a festival of passion and pride in the wrestlers that had made NXT the hottest wrestling product in the world.

Sami Zayn's return from injury straight into a blockbuster main event against Finn Bálor in Newcastle, duelling Jordan/Gable chants in the Blackpool's beautiful Tower Ballroom, and fans in every city united in song for Bayley were individual viral sensations. From the smallest acorn, a forest of oak trees had grown.

It's why 'The Hugger' still receives such enormous responses on every UK tour. Unlike numerous crowds in the United States, UK fans formed a bond with the former Women's Champion that bad booking can't break. But the American Alpha Blackpool love story was suitably enhanced by the gorgeous surround.

It proved a worthy location for WWE's UK Championship tournament. A concept rolled out in January that has since tragically become Vince McMahon's latest discarded toy, the brief sojourn into the vibrant British independent scene was another once-unthinkable stride for a company infamous for inward-looking. Aesthetically vintage, it couldn't have been more 2017.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett