10 Best WWE Wrestlers Of 2017

1. AJ Styles

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WWE.com

It had to be AJ Styles. Again.

Proving just how elite he was during his maiden annum with WWE, the ‘The Phenomenal One’ survived a sophomore slump in spite of creative factors that would have sunken a lesser vessel.

Dropping his first WWE Title to John Cena in an outstanding Royal Rumble headliner in January, his increasing frustrations grew into one of WrestleMania's real main event programmes against Shane McMahon. Well, that's the company line obviously, and whilst many dared to afford 'Shane-O-Mac' credit for their 'Show Of Shows' opener, Styles' selfless display was the only thing saving the match from being yet another vanity project for the 'Boy Wonder'.

The blue brand Commissioner knackered AJ's angle with Kevin Owens as well, with virtually every match between the pair hamstrung by the need to build drama between 'KO' and the third man rather than his 'Phenomenal' foe.

Transitioning briefly to US Title level to ably assist Baron Corbin in a way John Cena refused to, he then had one of the company's best matches of the year on about a day's notice when he stepped in for Bray Wyatt against Finn Bálor at October's Tables, Ladders and Chairs show.

Fans were still tripping up to thank him for that when he heroically liberated the WWE Title from the death clutch of Jinder Mahal, then immediately proved how vital he was in the spot when faced with tackling Brock Lesnar eight days later. It was 'The Beast' best match in years, but was barely AJ's finest that month.

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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