10 WWE Stars Who Will Have A Strong Second Half To 2017

1. Samoa Joe

jason jordan
WWE.com

You can't talk about TNA talent fans never thought would sign with, let alone thrive in, WWE without mentioning Samoa Joe. The idea of him even coming to the company was almost unfathomable, especially considering he (seemingly) peaked years ago. He was wasting away in TNA for his final few years there, but going to NXT really revitalized him and led to him doing some of his best work in many years.

Following a lengthy stay on the black-and-yellow brand, Joe made his surprise Raw debut one night removed from the Royal Rumble and instantly aligned himself with Triple H. That led to increased television time for Joe, and although he was nowhere to be seen at WrestleMania 33, it was best to keep him off the card than to throw him in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal for no apparent reason (see: Braun Strowman).

The Superstar Shake-up hasn't been kind to everyone, but it certainly has benefited Joe in a big way. He emerged victorious in the Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules main event, took the fight to Brock Lesnar like no one else has before, and had a Match of the Year candidate with 'The Beast Incarnate' at Great Balls of Fire.

The scary thing is he's just getting started, and if WWE was wise, they wouldn't hesitate in putting their top title on him before 2017 concludes, if not at SummerSlam.

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Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.