10 Best WWE Wrestlers Of 2017

Time For Heroes

neville wwe
WWE.com

In a year that's offered wrestling fans some of the best action ever (the best, if Dave Meltzer's rankings are your guide), it’s harder than ever for performers to sustain plaudits on the main roster.

WWE’s present day super-service results in the talent wrestling all the bloody time, but that's just a small problem feeding into a much bigger one. The standard of work shooting up has simultaneously sent excitement levels plummeting. Grainy footage of grizzled 1950s crowds losing their minds over a ten minute headlock is now just about as big a joy to watch as a Seth Rollins singles match. In both cases, you know all the beats and rhythms long before they happen, but at least a less-than-comatose crowd give you a reason to keep watching. And less people spent months on the shelf through injury thanks to a particularly tight toe-hold.

Wrestling’s never been so good, but it’s never been so hard to be a good wrestler. It's subjective of course, but Vince McMahon's irrational and erratic decisions force the most incredible patience from fans that would even tolerate the TakeOver-to-TakeOver management of NXT as a worthy replacement to WWE's unending churn.

A spot with the organisation isn't even enticing well paid independent stars as much as it used to. It's all, if anything, further reason why these performers deserve as much credit as they do. Being the Best In The World is p*ss easy compared to being the Best In World Wrestling Entertainment.

10. Alexa Bliss

neville wwe
WWE.com

Aside from brief belt swaps with Naomi and Sasha Banks on SmackDown Live! and Monday Night Raw respectively, Alexa Bliss has maintained control of her brand's Women's Title for the entire year. Clearly a huge sign of trust from management, Bliss' in-ring efforts are gradually improving to match the outstanding character work that helped her break out of the pack as one of the division's two pillars this year.

And whilst Sasha Banks, Bayley and others have suffered horribly from bad booking, she's just about managed to avoid the poison of the pencil. In truth, the idiocy and abject failures of her contemporaries has only boosted her profile further as a legitimate Champion.

Fans back winners, and even as a heel the audience has taken her on as a credible contender quashing their favourites. A 'This Is Your Life' segment trashing Bayley was perhaps WWE's worst televised moment of 2017, but Alexa was categorically not to blame despite the company's decision to throw her under the bus for it a week later. Her delivery of p*ss-weak content was remarkably strong - arguably the most vital skill to master in the overwrought WWE of today.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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