10 Wrestlers Whose Stock Has Risen In 2017

WWE's inability to create new stars is a common complaint, but for good reason. As great as the company's current top guys are, they can't hold a candle to those of yesteryear in terms of star-power. It's the reason ageing part-timers like Goldberg are called out of retirement to fill big spots, and until WWE solve the problem, they'll continue churning out plenty of serviceable workers, but no era-defining stars.

Elevation is still possible, however. The likes of AJ Styles and Finn Balor became huge WWE stars last year, and outwith the company, the internet's growing influence on the sport and the explosion of social media have given wrestlers new ways to build meaningful connections with the audience. We'll never see another Rock or Austin, but performers are still getting over, and 2017 has already seen a number climb the ladder.

Wrestling has always been a high turnover sport, and when one star falls out of the spotlight, there's a dozen ready to take his or her place. Some have benefited from a big push, while others have soared purely on the strength of their performances. Either way, each of the names within finds themselves in a stronger position today than they did on January 1st.

Tyler Breeze and Fandango’s recent rise mirrors Jinder Mahal’s in a big way, though they were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts at claiming gold, unlike their SmackDown brand-mate. The duo were plucked from the card’s lower reaches and thrust into number one contendership in the build-up to Backlash, and although they’ve lost two consecutive Tag Team Title shots, their stock has never been higher as a unit.

Breezango’s weekly ‘Fashion FIles’ segments have been an entertaining highlight through SD’s recent creative lull. The duo have finally been given the opportunity to flex their personalities on television, and they’re getting over at a time when the tag division desperately needs credible teams. They’ve always been entertaining, but Breezango finally feel purposeful, and they’re a great comic foil for the malevolent Usos.

There’s a good chance Breezango were only pushed as placeholder challengers ahead of The New Day’s imminent return, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them slide back down the card before long. Here’s hoping that this isn’t the case, as the past few weeks have proven that the duo are more than capable of playing a big role on SmackDown.