The Complete A-Z Of Wrestling In 2017

10. Q - Queen (And A Goddess)

The Shield Paige
WWE.com

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss get equal billing here, having started and ended 2017 as Champions of their respective brands and largely dominating the competition despite an April Superstar Shake-up switch.

Though Flair spent the bulk of the year without the Raw Women's Championship she'd endlessly traded with Sasha Banks in 2016, an obvious post-WrestleMania babyface turn was forthcoming when increasing respect in her performance level made her effectively impossible to boo. Smackdown Live!'s match quality was boosted exponentially by her arrival too.

In contrast, Alexa's heatseeking year masked her slightly slower in-ring development, with 'Little Miss Bliss' upping her microphone game magnificently as chief antagonist and natural fit to lead the line on Monday Night Raw after toppling Bayley in April. Outside of an eight-day reign for 'The Boss' in August, she's held the title ever since and looked largely untouchable atop the flagship.

Ironically, both will miss out on the landmark Royal Rumble match in January if they remain in possession of their brand's Championships. But being selected to hold gold - not participation in a match to earn a shot at it - will always represent real wrestling history.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett