10 Best WWE Storylines Of 2017

2. Monster Mash

Maryse Nikki Bella
WWE.com

Responsible for some of the company's all-time great physical spectacles in 2017, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns' incredible rivalry afforded the 'Monster Among Men' welcome elevation to the upper echelon on the Raw brand thanks to the unadulterated carnage caused.

Though 'The Big Dog' was the first to dent Braun's post-roster split unbeaten streak in a choice March clash, their real story began just a week removed from Roman's historic retirement of The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Barely able to reflect on the contest, Reigns was decked by Strowman in an attack that's already reached iconic status for the cavalcade of cinematic visuals employed. Braun rearranged the backstage area with Roman's lifeless frame before tipping over the ambulance attempting to take him to hospital.

It kicked off an increasingly wild game of can-you-top-this between the two than invariably included at least one vehicle and awful lot of thunderous impact in the process. Best of all, perhaps more by accident than design, Braun actually got to win the feud. After months of battle and injuries sustained to both, Roman never definitively vanquished his devastating foe before the pair spun off into new feuds.

Pointedly, and with praise to both for how they handled themselves in the rivalry just persistently standing toe-to-toe with Raw's newest killer did far more for Reigns' megastar aura than forced 'torch-passing' victories over John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H and others.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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