10 Pleasant Surprises For Wrestling Fans In 2017

8. The Return Of Paige

Andrade Almas Zelina Vega
WWE.com

An up-and-down eighteen months for Paige saw crisis after crisis splashed all over the internet, but her return has thankfully not left her too exposed on the super-talented main roster she left behind. Turning back up on Raw alongside Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, 'The Anti-Diva' has taken on the role of assured veteran as the leader of a new heel group and the embittered architect of today's Women's Division.

That she even made it back to the ring was perhaps the best news of all.

There were sadly too many spells in 2017 where several public discrepancies alongside partner Alberto Del Rio/El Patron seemed to foreshadow a permanent departure from the company, not least after an injury-ravaged hiatus followed back-to-back Wellness Policy violations shortly after the pair were separated by the 2016 draft.

As dynamic and confident in her first match back against Sasha Banks as she was in promos announcing the mission statement of her new stable, she's quickly established herself as Raw's lead heel above Women's Champion and 2017 standout Alexa Bliss. How the faction will interact again with the Champion as well as the undefeated Asuka in upcoming weeks will ensure some much-needed storyline drama in the division remains at a premium.

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