10 Wrestlers Whose Stock Has Risen In 2017
7. Naomi
She might have the SmackDown Women’s Championship around her waist at the moment, but Naomi was barely an afterthought four months ago. While the likes of Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch tussled for the gold, Naomi was only there to fill a spot, and play a quiet mid-tier role as her more celebrated counterparts carried the blue brand's women's division.
Injury kept her out of action at the beginning of 2017, but Naomi’s fortunes started soaring as soon as she returned. She earned her first title shot by pinning then-champion Alexa Bliss in two consecutive tag matches, then won the belt at the first time of asking, pinning the diminutive villainess at Elimination Chamber in February.
A second injury forced Naomi to vacate the belt a few days later, but she regained it in her hometown at WrestleMania 33, and has held onto it ever since. Though still behind Charlotte and Lynch in the popularity stakes, there’s no denying that her status has been enhanced this year, and that she has taken Becky’s position as the brand’s strongest pushed babyface. With any luck, Naomi’s push will continue, and her stock will keep rising in a division still lacking in depth.