10 WWE Creative Success Stories In 2017

10. Samoa Joe's Reinvention

Most of WWE's 2017 NXT call-ups have struggled for main roster momentum, but not Samoa Joe. Angry, intense, and genuinely intimidating, he has become a weekly highlight on Raw, and one of the most entertaining all-round performers in the company.

This isn't the Samoa Joe that was charging through Ring Of Honor and TNA, pulling off legendary bouts with AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, and CM Punk. No, this is a man whose athleticism is a fraction of what it used to be, and whose in-ring chops are greatly diminished from his prime years, but has found a way to prosper regardless. His character work is on another level right now. Joe is Raw's best promo, and his aura is strong enough to survive the odd clean pinfall loss every now and then - a rarity in the modern age.

The Brock Lesnar feud was Joe's biggest highlight. Presenting the former NXT Champion as a violent, ruthless killer, it put Joe over not only through his promos, but his cold-blooded assault on a helpless Paul Heyman on June 5th. There was even a clamour for Joe to take Brock's Universal Championship at Great Balls Of Fire, but alas, it wasn't to be.