15 Ups & 13 Downs For WWE In 2017
7. Nostalgia Rules
WWE understand the power of nostalgia better than most. The company routinely dip into their rich, storied history to cash-in on their fans' fondest memories, and while this often comes off contrived, or manifests as the past burying the present (see: Kane), they absolutely nailed it several times in 2017.
The Shield had only been apart for less than four years prior to their reunion, but the crowd's universal acceptance shows that it happened at just the right time. Gone from WWE for the best part of a decade, The Hardy Boyz made a heart-stopping return at WrestleMania 33, drawing the night's biggest pop in the process. Kurt Angle, meanwhile, has been a welcome appointment as Raw's General Manager, and his last-minute addition to TLC 2017 amplified the event's appeal ten times over.
The company saved their riskiest move for last. Reviving the iconic WarGames stipulation had been on many fans' wishlists forever, and there's was no telling how it would look through WWE's lens, especially as 17 years had passed since the last bout. Fortunately, it was a complete success, and closing the year's final NXT TakeOver special on a suitably chaotic note.