Why 1997 Was The Greatest Year In Wrestling History
Because 1997 was about far more than just the Montreal Screwjob.
Ask wrestling fans of different ages and of different tastes, and you'll get a whole variety of answers on just what the greatest year in pro wrestling history is.
Truth be told, there are so many great years in the history of the wrestling business. Even if some of the more recent ones may have felt like a true slog to be a wrestling fan, there's always plenty of brilliance to be revisited with a trip down memory lane. Or hell, some people may even make the bold claim that 2020 has been a standout year for the industry due to how AEW has established itself as a genuine player in the market.
For the purpose of this article, it's 1997 that's being held up on a pedestal and proclaimed the greatest year in wrestling.
1997 was a perfect storm in so many ways, not least with how WCW and WWF both put out some of their best ever programming. The ratings war had yet to hit the peak numbers seen in 1998 and '99, but quality-wise, '97 saw WWF having to up its game to compete with the dominance of World Championship Wrestling - and for fans, that led to an iconic year for the business.
It's a subjective matter, of course, but here's the argument for why 1997 was the best year in the history of professional wrestling.
10. The Rise Of The Real People's Champ
Before The Rock took the moniker on as his own, WCW had organically grown their own People's Champion in the form of Diamond Dallas Page.
From a manager and sometimes commentator, DDP famously only began his formal in-ring wrestling training at the age of 35. To his immense credit, Page would go on to make himself one of main attractions of WCW during the company's most popular years - with him becoming a three-time World Heavyweight Champion along the way.
For DDP, his star really began to seriously shine in 1997.
That year started off hot for the Master of the Diamond Cutter, with Page being one of the few to turn down an approach from the New World Order. Not just that, but, in a memorable segment, DDP would drop both Kevin Nash and Scott Hall with Diamond Cutters in the ultimate F-U at January '97's Souled Out PPV.
In that one moment, Page suddenly become a major babyface on the rise - and DDP's ascension was really kicked into another gear when he began feuding with the nWo's 'Macho Man' Randy Savage.
Page and Savage would exchange wins in a lengthy rivalry through 1997 - a rivalry that won the PWI Feud of the Year - and this would even lead to DDP butting heads with nWo leader 'Hollywood' Hogan.
It would take DDP until 1999 to win WCW's biggest prize, but 1997 was the most important, impressive year of Page's career.