10 Wrestlers We're Most Thankful For In 2017
Not a turkey to be found.
It's easy to be pessimistic about the current state of professional wrestling.
Negative opinions often trump positivity, not because they carry more weight, but because bandwagoning is contagious. Put stock into the sport's most outspoken critics and you'll be led to believe that the business is falling apart. 'WWE is objectively terrible,' 'the wrestlers are spot monkeys who don't understand psychology,' 'things were better in the Attitude Era,' etc.
We're not saying these narratives don't carry weight, but it's a shame that we so regularly let them dominate discussion of what is a thriving industry in everything but a competitive sense - particularly at this time of year.
It's Thanksgiving in the United States today. The holiday's very name encourages gratitude, and for most, it's a day of celebrating friends and family, gorging on exorbitant amounts of turkey, then slipping into a self-induced food coma. It's clichéd, but there's no better time to ruminate on what we're thankful for, even in the bizarre world of professional wrestling.
The sport would be nothing without its standout performers, so let's take a moment to celebrate the men and women who keep us glued.
10. Johnny Gargano
The past two years have seen Johnny Gargano gradually become NXT's most believable babyface since Sami Zayn.
Nobody generates more sympathy, and nobody's easier to root for. Whether playing the Ricky Morton role in tag matches or working from beneath against more domineering singles opponents, Gargano has mastered his underdog role, and now sits among developmental's most popular acts.
Seeing Tommaso Ciampa betray him at TakeOver: Chicago was as gut-wrenching as watching a ravenous wolf maul a corgi pup. Jericho and Owens aside, it was the year's most shocking knife-in-the-back moment, and while injuries have prevented WWE from following up on the May angle, Gargano vs. Ciampa will blow the roof off whatever building it eventually takes place in.
An NXT Champion elect, 'Johnny Wrestling' has been consistently entertaining throughout 2017, though he hasn't had much success in terms of raw wins and losses. Still, with Drew McIntyre on the shelf for an indefinite period of time, Gargano now has a clear pathway towards becoming NXT's top babyface. Here's hope they don't waste his promise and popularity by jobbing him out to someone like Lars Sullivan by the year's end.