15 Ups & 13 Downs For WWE In 2017
6. Roman Reigns' Incredible In-Ring Year
Say what you will about the man's push and character direction, but denying Roman Reigns' in-ring greatness is foolish at this point. 'The Guy' has developed well beyond his green early days, and has now become one of the company's most reliably consistent big match performers, delivering countless great bouts against a wide variety of opponents.
Reigns started the year with a tremendous plunder brawl against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble. The ensuing Braun Strowman series was full of thrills and spills, and a huge reason behind 'The Monster Among Men's' surge in popularity this year, while TV bouts with Seth Rollins, Cesaro, and Jason Jordan stand out among Raw's finest in 2017.
When was the last time Reigns delivered a genuinely bad in-ring performance? The Undertaker bout was horrible, but not even prime AJ Styles could've dragged an acceptable match from the decrepit 'Deadman' that night. The long-awaited John Cena showdown didn't deliver either, but while Roman must absorb his share of the blame for this, but the increasingly inconsistent 16-time World Champion is just as complicit.
No matter how obnoxious his creative direction becomes, it's becoming increasingly difficult to deny Reigns' status among the in-ring elite.