10 Pleasant Surprises For Wrestling Fans In 2017
5. WarGames
There was no earthly reason why WWE's first ever crack at WarGames would fail, but the company have routinely conspired to do substantially worse with substantially less in the past, and the announcement of some new contrivances threatened the beloved model before the bell even rang.
Aping WCW's worst incarnation of the match, nine of NXT's finest were split into teams of three and enclosed in shark cages in an effort to modernise the concept and most likely flog a sh*t load of hefty Mattel play-sets in the process.
When Triple H first pestered his future father-in-law for the match in 2002, the strained compromise was the broadly enjoyable Elimination Chamber. Elements of that stipulation wove themselves into the new WarGames, with significant drama around the release of the teams from their pens as well the impending sense of real danger when the crew fought inside the 'unforgiving' steel.
An enjoyable brawl and deeply satisfying last TakeOver main event of the year, the match was a star-making stage for Adam Cole, whilst also portraying Killian Dain as perhaps the next great hairy bearded monster despite the industry overspilling with them as it is.
Ultimately, the biggest winner (as usual) was Triple H. The trial run was a resounding success - he'll almost certainly try and port onto the main roster where he himself can step into the 'Match Beyond'.