10 Pleasant Surprises For Wrestling Fans In 2017

Shock And Awe(some)

Andrade Almas Zelina Vega
WWE.com

Escape.

From the literal entrapment of mesh cells, shark cages, and chamber pods, to the release from the oppressive clutches of authoritative heel's killer submission hold or the quashing of introspective doubt from a babyface chasing a dream, escape so often plays an underlying role in professional wrestling, mirroring why many watch something as inherently silly in the first place.

Like cigarettes and alcohol, wrestling is often imbibed young, forming a bond that never breaks. Paul Heyman and numerous others since have posited that for fans of the art-form, no explanation is necessary, whilst for critics none will do. As the concept of niche hobbies dissolves in the modern age though, it may now just be a case of it being the simplest method of escape.

Wrestling fills spare hours between life's grind, but now does so by literally filling hours. There's so much of it that talking about a particular match mirrors telling friends you'll add a boxset to your 'list' when you've finished the current one you're ploughing through. It wasn't always this way. Without a bloated television output or 24-hour streaming service, wrestling had to do more with less.

And it was easier to escape. Wrestling would dazzle, delight, and surprise. The surprise was the key to the escape hatch, opening up a world you then didn't need to leave. Nowadays, the hatch is splayed wide open. Surprises are rarer, because they're substantially harder to pull off. Fortunately, the best ones still replicate that glorious escapism.

10. The Authors Of Pain

Andrade Almas Zelina Vega
WWE Network

A challenging duo to adjust to in the wake of American Alpha and The Revival's reinvention of tag team wrestling in NXT, The Authors Of Pain were one of the acts to visibly develop on the Developmental Brand.

WWE fans had reason to be cautious upon Akam and Rezar's arrival. Throughout much of the 2000s right up until the Full Sail/Performance Center operation commenced, audiences were effectively drilled into not getting too used to a good thing. Recent storylines involving The Nexus, CM Punk's 'Pipe Bomb' and even Daniel Bryan's darkest days before the dawn had left viewers with Stockholm Syndrome. NXT was the first product to consistently deliver exactly what a core section of the audience desperately craved, with the 2014-16 golden generation already confined to nostalgia thanks to mixed fortunes on the main roster.

But the new giants on the scene weren't content to leapfrog their rivals on size alone. The Authors got better, and better and better, to the point where their TakeOver: San Antonio Tag Team Title victory over #DIY didn't feel remotely out of place. Key components in arguably NXT's best matches of the year since, the duo have electrified in triple threats, ladder matches and the uniquely booked WarGames extravaganza.

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