The Top 10 Wrestlers of 2017 Honorable Mentions, Part One

Every year we get more and more votes in our year end Top 10, and every year that means dozens of talents get recognized by our voters, but don't quite make it to our final list. So here are some of the other vote getters.

Image credit: Chris Grasso.

Joey Janela: The former starman probably will never be the most technically proficient talent or the best high flyer. He certainly doesn't have the size of Vince's favorites. But the Jersey native oozes charisma and shows a willingness to do things no sane human would ever do. He also put on maybe the best show of Wrestlemania weekend, Joey Janela's Spring Break, where he fought Marty Jannetty in an absolutely insane match.

War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe): Hanson and Rowe made a name in the New Japan tag team division while also dominating ROH. They finished their run with ROH at Final Battle and all indications are they will finish up with New Japan during the first week of January. Once the pair hits WWE, they could be hugely over hosses in the tag division... or they could join The Club as forgotten talent.

Finn Balor: Balor spent a lot of the year injured and even upon his return suffered from creative still angry about his injury during his win to become the first Universal champion. He's meandered around the upper midcard putting on solid if uninspired matches. Rumors WWE has no interest in a continued push for him seem fueled by Balor on social media, but it remains to be seen if he really will become a solid unspectacular midcarder or break out into a new storyline.

Charlie Haas: The former WWE and ROH tag star is still active on the Texas independents and gets attention from several voters in that area.

Image credit: ROH

Dalton Castle: The results of Final Battle came out during the voting period, but Dalton was vastly overshadowed this year by Bullet Club in ROH. Even as he enters 2018 as a world champion, it remains to be seen if the bookers of ROH will ever truly embrace him as the unique heroic figure he's been for years. As much as I love Castle, this win feels two years too late.

The New Day: The biggest tag team of the last two years only received votes from a single correspondent. Stuck in a rut by a WWE that refuses to push them as anything but a combined entity, they now seem to suffer the same inattention they received as singles stars as a unit. It's a sad step down for Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. The return of the Bludgeon Brothers and the recent title win by Gable and Benjamin have opened up the Smackdown tag division again, but it remains to be seen if WWE will ever let the trio re-define themselves in the weeks and months ahead.

Bobby Roode: He held the NXT title for much of the year, but Roode still hasn't really excelled in WWE. He's a great talent when given the time to shine but on the cramped Smackdown roster he may never get it. A solid run with the United States title could define him, but hopefully WWE realizes he could be a solid main eventer before his bump card runs out.

Mustafa Ali: Ali has quietly became one of the best stars of the Cruiserweight division even as WWE seems to treat him as little more than a third man in most storylines. With strong fan reactions, he may eventually get more attention as a 205 Live main eventer, but with Cedric Alexander, Enzo Amore and Drew Gulak dominating that place he may have to continue a patient wait.

Baron Corbin: Perhaps the most natural heel in the business, Corbin is a guy that could be huge if given a chance to look like a dominant force. Unfortunately, he spends too much of his time being treated like a chump or a fool. I predicted big things for Corbin on the main roster, but now it is questionable if he's too far damaged to ever amount to much more in WWE.

Image credit: Shimmer Womens Athletes

Nicole Savoy: I have been a big backer of the Mae Young Classic competitor and Shimmer's current top champion since I first saw her as part of the ChickFight Tournament on Shimmer Volume 71. Since that time she won the inaugural Heart of Shimmer championship and defended it for over a year. Following her two matches in the MYC, she ascended to the top of Shimmer by beating her former stablemate Mercedes Martinez to take the dominant spot in Shimmer. She's got a huge upside for 2018, although her MMA style offense probably means she won't see a WWE contract anytime soon with her other former tag partner, Shayna Baszler, already signed and Ronda Rousey rumored as a potential new recruit for the company.

Other talents receiving votes: Becky Lynch, Dean Ambrose, Dirty Andy Dalton, Gino Tiht, Jeff Hardy, Jerome Daniels, and Seth Rollins.

All images are credit: WWE.com, unless otherwise mentioned.

A monster at #8: Braun Strowman joins the Top 10!

Since the brand extension, we've seen several major pushes. AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal and (of course) Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar have all got heavy amounts of screen time in the last year and a half. But no man can topple the literally biggest star WWE has created in that time.

His name is Braun Strowman.

Image credit: WWE.com.

Strowman is a beast by any standard. The 6' 8", 385 pound former strongman competitor skipped NXT television entirely. Debuting as a new beast of the Wyatt Family to replace an injured Erick Rowan. His push would be solid there, but it wasn't until he was separated from the Wyatts during the brand extension that he truly started to show signs of greatness.

Because while Braun is a great big man in the Vince McMahon vein, he's also a pretty darn good in ring worker. His psychology is impressive and his promos have turned into something far greater than golden boy Reigns could ever hope to accomplish.

But it was Reigns that really put Braun on the map in early 2017. Their feud was nothing short of epic. While Braun technically came out on the losing end when it was finished, he won far more fans. Hardcore and casual wrestling fans started to heavily cheer the Monster Among Men, especially when he destroyed Reigns repeatedly in the feud.

A shoulder injury barely derailed his push and he came back as a solid tweener on the roster. Beatings of Samoa Joe and Enzo Amore drew more fan support, but it was his turn on Triple H at Survivor Series that cemented him once and for all as a face. As 2018 dawns he will get another shot at Brock Lesnar's title, although the triple threat with Kane will likely end without him ascending the mountain top. But it seems only a matter of time before the Monster Among Men becomes the Champion Among Mere Mortals.

Alexa Bliss: the baddest bliss in the business at #9

"You're welcome."

Alexa Bliss delivered the phrase this Monday on Raw. But as the most decorated female wrestler of WWE in 2017, she deserves the accolade.

Image credit: WWE.com.

She opened the year as Smackdown Women's Champion, just six months into her tenure on the main roster. The Smackdown women's division revolved around her until she jumped to Raw. She almost immediately entered the title picture there. Having already beaten Becky Lynch for the title on her previous show, she took out two more of the Four Horsewomen to take her titles on Raw.

With victories over every Horsewomen but Charlotte, she seemed to be cemented as the top woman of Raw. As 2018 opens, the looming presence of the undefeated Asuka clearly puts her in danger, but no one can argue she spent the year defining what it meant to be a top wrestler in her division.

The interesting part of Alexa's career is just how much better she fit on the main roster than the microcosm of NXT. She never made it far on that roster, only getting a lackluster title match against Bayley that showed the Full Sail crowd at their worst. With her sudden arrival as a force to be reckoned with on the main roster, she's opened up huge storytelling possibilities in the years to come. Even with a Raw roster with Nia Jax, Bayley, Sasha, Mickie James, Asuka and all of Absolution, she still seems poised to be a top talent for years to come.

Tetsuya Naito: the ungovernable #10

For the first time in this list's history, half the talents on it are not WWE exclusive talents. New Japan Pro Wrestling invaded America in a huge way in 2017 with people seeking out the show on AXS or signing up for NJPWWorld to watch live events streamed with commentary by Kevin Kelly and Don Callis. A few names can be pointed out as the reason for this sudden rise, but perhaps the one with the most chance to soar up this list in 2018 is Tetsuya Naito.

In the biggest run of his career, Naito couldn't look more relaxed.
Image credit: NJPW.

It's hard to believe that eight years ago, Naito was one half of the IWGP Junior Tag Team champions as he made his international run on TNA television. He debuted there (alongside Yujiro Takahashi) in a handicap match loss to way past his prime Kevin Nash during the Main Event Mafia push. Unlike Kazuchika Okada later in TNA's relationship with New Japan, they did get something of a push. Aligned with Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi, they formed an effective tag team in the heel faction. It would also be the last time Naito played the heel for several years.

Naito came back to New Japan with fanfare, but after No Limit broke up and Yujiro joined the Bullet Club, his push to the main event floundered. He won his first G1 Climax in 2013, but fans weren't wowed by the thought of Naito versus Okada in 2013. A fan vote put the Intercontinental championship match into the main event with Hiroshi Tanahashi facing Shinsuke Nakamura in yet another match of their endless feud.

Ultimately, it would take another excursion for Naito to find his true calling. A trip to CMLL brought him into the stable Los Ingobernables (The Ungovernables). Lead by La Sombra (now Andrade "Cien" Almas), the stable were a bunch of tweeners in a wrestling culture known for strict heroes and villains. But with them, Naito shed his nice guy image as the "Stardust Genius". When he returned to Japan it was with a new demeanor and a legend was born.

Naito made his presence felt in the 2015 G1. And that presence made it clear he didn't give a shit what the fans thought. Even hated Bullet Club members were cheered in their matches against Naito. He would bring in more wrestlers to join his evil alliance: Bushi, EVIL, Sanada and Hiromu Takahashi. In a matter of a year, he would take reigns as both IWGP Intercontinental and IWGP World Heavyweight champion. Naito made it clear that he would not let the chosen of NJPW, Tanahashi and Okada, dominate the field with him around.

The first half of 2017 was built around Intercontinental title defenses, with victories at Wrestle Kingdom 11 over Tanahashi, Michael Elgin and Juice Robinson. He would drop the title to Tanahashi at Dominion, but that would just set up a huge run for Naito in the G1 Climax. He would win his block in the world's biggest tournament, then defeat Kenny Omega in the finals to win his second G1 Climax and his second five star match of the year. (The first was against Elgin.) He continued on a winning streak from there, even as his allies in Los Ingobernables won Junior Heavyweight and Six Man Tag Team gold. As 2018 dawns, Naito takes his place in the main event of another Wrestle Kingdom, but even with Omega vs. Jericho on the card, Naito's place at the top of the card is solid.

Naito proved he was ready to hang with the biggest talents in wrestling during 2017, but 2018 could be even bigger. It remains to be seen if he can end Okada's year and a half long reign as he did once before. But wherever the year takes him, it seems likely that Naito will remain a dominant force in New Japan and professional wrestling for years to come.

Your chance to vote in the year end Top 10 is almost gone!

Voting for the year end Top 10 ends the night of December 24th at midnight Central time. You have less than 72 hours to get in your votes for the best wrestlers of the year!

Who will join 2015 winner Sasha Banks and 2016 winner Broken Matt Hardy
as the best wrestler of 2017?  

As in previous years, the process is simple. All you have to do to vote is to send me your list of the top wrestlers from anywhere in the world. Your list can be as short as one or as long as 25, but it needs to be ranked in order of worst to best. Send your choices to wwfmegs{at}yahoo{dot}com (or leave them in the comments below) and I will tally the fan choices as well as my own top ten to give a full list of the top stars of 2017.

The only requirement for a wrestler to be eligible for the list is if they were active in the calendar year 2015 as an in ring worker. Promotions, gender and age are not limited, just as long as they wrestled a match at some point in the year 2017. Wrestlers should be rated on quality of match rather than out of match promos or shenanigans, all though those can be taken into account as an overall reason for your choice. Television programs recorded previous to the year but aired in 2017 also count to the calendar year. Tag teams and units must be listed separately on this list. If you feel they had equal levels of performance in your list of twenty, please put them one after another.

Though it is not required, any commentary on the wrestlers you chose and why you chose them would be appreciated, as it will be included as thoughts on the wrestler in the final Top Ten list.

For your consideration: 5 under the radar talents to look at for the 2017 Top 10

Every year I write a new lists of the Top 10 wrestlers of various promotions, but when the year comes to an end, I ike to remind folks of some of the great unsung talents as they start their own voting for the year end wrestlers. So here's a few talents I think may have flew under the radar but deserve recognition in 2017.

The days of Solomon Crowe are gone.

Sami Callihan. The former Solomon Crowe was Cody Rhodes before Cody Rhodes. He left WWE under his own volition and started to blow up independent wrestling with great match after great match. He's traveled around the world in 2017 and put on great matches in Lucha Underground (as Jeremiah Crane), New Japan, CZW, AAW, AIW and a lot of other acronyms.

Same goofy grin, though. 

Juice Robinson. The former CJ Parker was Cody Rhodes before Sami Callihan was Cody Rhodes. Juice left NXT because he saw the writing on the wall. His initial indie run post-NXT was lukewarm. But Juice took an invitation from New Japan, agreed to start again in their dojo and in a matter of a few short months started wrestling the best matches of his life. His 2017 was stupendous and I suspect his 2018 will be even better. Juice could prove to be the next Kenny Omega level gaijin talent in New Japan.

The Black and The Brave Academy's first graduate deserves a ton more recognition by the wrestling world. 

Connor Braxton. I hoped Iowa's own Braxton, a trainee of Seth Rollins and Marek Brave, would break out a bit more in 2017. An SCW regular locally, he's wrestled for WWN, House of Hardcore and AAW on a semi-regular basis. With great size, a great moveset and a good look he can be a huge star if he finds the right extra bit to get him more star attention. (I don't think the hoverboard will do it.)

Impact Wrestling still gets a few things right...

Mia Yim. Jade's career ended in TNA, but Mia continued to tear it up on the independent scene. Though she didn't go as deep in the Mae Young Classic as I would have liked, she still put on an impressive showing. Out with an injury now, she should have a strong 2018 on her return where hopefully the big boy promotions all start bidding for her services.

Jeff and his evil alter ego... together?

Jeff Cobb. A hoss is a hoss, of course, of course. Cobb may not be the biggest wrestler ever, but he's one of the strongest. Guam's resident star took the indies by storm in 2017, going from PWG and California indies to wrestling pretty much everywhere in the world. Most of his exposure might come under a mask and a blood soaked jumpsuit, but as Matanza or as a 2004 Olympic wrestler turned pro, he's one of the most talented guys in the game. And the Slamfest may be one of the most impressive moves in professional wrestling.

We're back... to close out 2017 with a new Top 10, voted on by you!

I am over here dusting the Wrestling Weekday homepage off. This site will get something of a face lift over the next year as it will feature some long form works and almost certainly, a name change. But none of that matters, the relaunch starts in the last week of the year. That means it is once again time for the year end Top 10.

And I need your help to determine the ten best wrestlers of 2017.

As in previous years, the process is simple. All you have to do to vote is to send me your list of the top wrestlers from anywhere in the world. Your list can be as short as one or as long as 25, but it needs to be ranked in order of worst to best. Send your choices to wwfmegs{at}yahoo{dot}com (or leave them in the comments below) and I will tally the fan choices as well as my own top ten to give a full list of the top stars of 2017.

The only requirement for a wrestler to be eligible for the list is if they were active in the calendar year 2015 as an in ring worker. Promotions, gender and age are not limited, just as long as they wrestled a match at some point in the year 2017. Wrestlers should be rated on quality of match rather than out of match promos or shenanigans, all though those can be taken into account as an overall reason for your choice. Tag teams and units must be listed separately on this list. If you feel they had equal levels of performance in your list of twenty, please put them one after another.

Though it is not required, any commentary on the wrestlers you chose and why you chose them would be appreciated, as it will be included as thoughts on the wrestler in the final Top Ten list.

All votes must be received by December 24, 2017, at midnight Central time.