10 Things Happening In WWE Right Now You Wouldn't Have Believed 12 Months Ago
What a difference a year makes.
This time last year, AJ Styles was amid his first run as heel WWE Champion, Kevin Owens was wearing the fresh silverware of the Universal Championship, and the WWE Universe was watching with a curious eye as Goldberg made his spectacular return to wrestling.
As is usually the case in WWE, quite a lot has happened since then. The Undertaker seemingly bowed out at WrestleMania, Neville has both returned and departed from the company, and even the infinitely talented Austin Aries made his premature exit from WWE. Meanwhile, legendary icons of the business like Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Snuka, and Ivan Koloff have all passed away.
But it hasn't all been doom and gloom in McMahonland. In fact, WWE have made several positive moves that shocked wrestling fans in a good way, from the introduction of the Mae Young Classic to the return of Jim Ross at WrestleMania.
With so much going on in the world of WWE, we've cherry picked ten of the most shocking developments you wouldn't have believed just one short year ago.
10. Braun Strowman - Beast Killer
The rise of Braun Strowman in 2017 has been one of the highlights of the WWE year. Unlike Jinder Mahal on SmackDown, 'The Monster Among Men' has been gradually built up over time, slowly gaining credibility and fan acceptance along the way.
WWE's decision to revive the job match played a big role in his transformation. Manhandling terrified opposition, his annihilation of enhancement talent once he went solo on Raw was the perfect way to establish him as a violent barbarian. From there Strowman has grown as a performer and even headlined SummerSlam, where he was arguably the standout performer of the night.
Conversely, the juggernaut wasn't even on the main card for WrestleMania 33 - such is the level of thought put into the Strowman push. With no meaning or logical match available, he was instead relegated to the pre-show Andre Memorial Battle Royal, patiently gaining his moment the following night when he squared off with Lesnar.
From where he was to where he is, WWE's methodical cultivation of Strowman from Wyatt Family background player to legitimate main eventer has been simply stellar. Strowman is a walking case study of how to build a headline talent and get them over - a rare feat in modern day WWE.