12 Ups And 15 Downs For WWE In 2017 (2nd Opinion)

4. Southpaw Regional Wrestling

Southpaw Regional Wrestling Big Bartholomew Rusev
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One of the best things WWE did in 2017 had nothing to do with the actual product on Raw or SmackDown. Of course, we’re talking about the YouTube sensation Southpaw Regional Wrestling.

The concept: Videotapes of a long-forgotten regional wrestling promotion surfaced, featuring the kind of goofy characters and shoddy production values you’d expect from a low-rent wrestling promotion in the late 80s. Superstars like John Cena, Chris Jericho, Rusev, Luke Gallows, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, TJ Perkins and Heath Slater turned in memorable performances, some almost unrecognizable (TJP was tough to spot as the charisma vacuum John Johnson).

It was so successful that they shot several more videos after the initial burst were so wildly popular. Of course, WWE nearly ruined it by trying to incorporate some of the SPW characters into Raw (Pelvis Wesley, Tex Ferguson and Chad 2 Badd all showed up), but that fortunately fizzled out.

Still, Southpaw was a great diversion and showed just how hilarious WWE wrestlers could be when given the chance.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.