10 Images That Proved 2017 Was Wrestling’s Craziest Year Ever

5. Stars Align

Survivor Series 2017
WWE

Shortly before he deftly crushed the dreams of fans by treating the match as his creative playground, Triple H's last-minute addition to the Survivor Series 2017 main event added to what was already one of the grandest main events WWE had ever dared to promote.

The ever-changing match graphic was an endlessly fascinating galaxy of stars, perhaps crafted by Vince McMahon himself in an effort to steal the global fanbase's attentions back from New Japan Pro Wrestling's Chris Jericho bombshell.

It was modern day WWE in microcosm. 2000s stalwarts John Cena and Randy Orton joined forces with NXT alumni and TNA/NJPW icons Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura. They'd all be led by Shane McMahon because inside the minds of the great and good, he's tougher than the lot of them.

On the other side, Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor were the Roode/Nakamura equivalents whilst Kurt Angle and Triple H added the requisite star power alongside the company's newest next big thing Braun Strowman.

Rarely have the company been so spoiled with such a diverse range of talents, and 'The Game' indeed deserves credit not only for flinging WWE's doors so wide open but also welcoming the invitees into main events such as these. If only he could lose to a few of them too...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 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 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, 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.