Braun Strowman dominates, the Hardy Boys’ Wrestlemania return… WWE End of Year awards
SunSport looks back at what went down in the squared circle in the last 12 months
IT’s been another exciting year for WWE and its top superstars – but who have been the real winners and losers between the ropes?
Sun Sport looks back at the very best (and worst) of what went down in 2017 for our end of year awards.
It's been another action packed year in the wacky world of WWE
Superstar Of The Year Award
Braun Strowman
He started the year as just another one of Vince McMahon’s plodding monsters. Who’d have thought Braun would end 2017 as WWE’s most entertaining anti-hero?
Braun got himself over with numerous crowd-pleasing attacks on Roman Reigns – including one where he sent Roman flying off a ledge while strapped to a stretcher.
Even some useless booking – including a lukewarm effort in the WrestleMania battle royal and clean loss to Brock Lesnar – didn’t stop Braun from winning over fans.
He looked like a monster in the SummerSlam four-way and even survived being stuffed in a garbage truck trash compactor at TLC.
He then lived in the garbage truck for a week before he retuned like a horror movie monster – exactly the sort of thing that’s made him the most fun part of Raw in 2017.
Worst Superstar Of The Year Award
Bray Wyatt
Ironically, Braun’s former leader Wyatt has been WWE’s worst performer.
He won the WWE Championship in February – a low point for the title – then choked in a ridiculous match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania.
WWE also forced fans to endure his abysmal House of Horrors match against Orton at Payback.
Bray then entered a never-ending feud with Finn Bálor, killing Bálor’s heat with his nonsense promos (what exactly were they fighting over? We’re still not entirely sure).
A bout of mumps mercifully spared us from seeing Bray wrestled in a dress as “Sister Abigail”, though he’s sure to do it sometime in the future.
Best Show Of The Year Award
The UK Championship Tournament, January 15
The crowd was electric for this two-night tournament at Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom, where WWE crowned its first ever UK Champion.
Tyler Bate played the plucky underdog babyface, while Pete Dunne was the vicious heel who’d stop at nothing to win the title.
It became a gripping story as the pair made their way through the quarter and semi finals to meet in the climatic match.
Bate won the championship but it made superstars out of both men – proof that old school storytelling is still at the heart of top wrestling drama.
Match Of The Year Award
Tyler Bate v Pete Dunne – NXT TakeOver: Chicago, May 20
The Two Brits followed their success at the tournament with an absolute belter for the UK Championship five months later.
This time, Dunne beat Bate for the title.
But it was a dynamite showcasing of “British Strong Style” from both men – which is at the core of the UK’s biggest wrestling boom period for decades.
The match not only stole the show on the night, it raised the bar for the whole of WWE – a bar that even WWE’s top superstars have failed to reach since.
Moment Of The Year Award
The Hardy Boyz return a WrestleMania 33
As any fan knows, WWE is all about the “moments”. And the skin-prickling return of the Hardys was the greatest moment by far this year.
Speculation was rife that Matt and Jeff – the hottest free agents in wrestling thanks to their Broken gimmick – would return.
And the Citrus Bowl stadium exploded when the Attitude Era legends made their surprise entry into the tag team ladder match – and then won the Raw tag titles.
One of the true WrestleMania moments that demands repeat viewing.
The Going Strength-To-Strength Award
The Women’s Division
It’s easy to be cynical about WWE’s “women’s evolution” – the Raw division has been creatively poor for most of 2017 and WWE is still obsessed with “historic” moments.
But there have been huge successes. Both the Mae Young Classic and women’s Money in the Bank match – despite its controversial finish – were great moments.
Asuka has retained her killer aura, while superstars such as Alexa Bliss, Naomi, and Carmella have had career-defining years.
The women’s division also had WWE’s hottest storyline last month when both Paige’s Absolution and the Riott Squad invaded Raw and SmackDown respectively.
With the announcement of the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match, 2018 could be an even better year for WWE’s female superstars.
Betrayal Of The Year Award
The Festival of Friendship – Raw, Feb 13
It’s been a year of betrayals. Tommaso Ciampa turned on Johnny Gargano, Mojo Rawley attacked Zack Ryder, and Big Cass put the boots to Enzo Amore.
But the best of all was Kevin Owens’ brutal assault on Chris Jericho – made even more devastating because it happened during Jericho’s celebration of their friendship.
Owens gave Jericho the “List of KO”, before attacking him and smashing his head through a TV screen Shawn Michaels/Marty Jannetty-style.
It was a highlight of a fantastic year for KO – and another great moment in the ongoing reinvention of Jericho.
Tag Team Of The Year Award
Sheamus & Cesaro
They started the year as an odd couple, before connecting with the fans as super-over babyfaces.
A heel turn on the Hardy Boyz set up one of the year’s hottest feuds and they had more great matches against The Shield and The Usos, winning the Raw titles three times.
They’re the most consistent performers of 2017 and continue to have the best matches on Raw week-in week-out in both tag and singles competition.
Feud Of The Year Award
Brock Lesnar v Samoa Joe
It was short lived, but pound-for-pound the most exciting and dramatic feud on WWE television all year – and culminated in a bruising match at Great Balls of Fire.
The feud was pure fantasy booking – there was a time when fans thought they’d never see Joe in WWE, let alone square off against the Beast himself.
Joe choked out Paul Heyman in a sizzling segment and – to many fans’ surprise – dominated Lesnar on Raw in numerous altercations.
Fans knew Joe wouldn’t defeat The Beast, but Joe’s intensity and Lesnar showing genuine weakness set up Joe as a credible contender to the Universal Championship.
Failure Of The Year Award
Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion
Longtime jobber Jinder defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in a shocking upset at Backlash last May.
WWE was trying to swerve fans and get Jinder over as a headliner – but at the cost of its supposedly most prestigious title, which soon became a mid card belt at best.
It’s not all Jinder’s fault – he’s actually improved massively this year – as WWE booked him in dreary feuds against Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The entire WWE Universe breathed a sigh of relief when AJ Styles beat Jinder for the belt in Manchester last month – and again when Jinder failed to regain the title at Clash of Champions.
Superstar Troll Of The Year Award
Roman Reigns
No superstar has been able to wind up fans quite like Roman Reigns has in 2017.
Already hated, he entered number 30 into the Royal Rumble (when fans were expecting Kurt Angle) then did the unthinkable – retired The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
His post-Mania appearance on Raw was pure trolling – standing silently in the ring for 13 minutes while fans spat venom at him.
He also defeated John Cena – proof that he really is the future of WWE and destined to be an even more despised babyface than Cena himself.
But the biggest wind up of all is that while fans savagely boo him, they can’t change the fact that he’s a great wrestler and getting better all the time.
Most Disappointing NXT Call Up Of The Year Award
Shinsuke Nakamura
Vince McMahon’s track record with NXT talents is less than stellar. Tye Dillinger, Baron Corbin, and Finn Bálor have all floundered on the main roster.
Most disappointing though is former NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, who made his much-anticipated main roster debut on the SmackDown after WrestleMania.
Nakamura had the obligatory feud with Dolph Ziggler but then lost clean to Jinder Mahal in a woeful feud over the WWE Championship.
The “King of Strong Style” has since been a supporting player in the Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon feud.
But it’s not all Vince’s fault. Nakamura hasn’t looked anywhere near as dynamic in the ring as he did in NXT. Is he possibly he’s stopped trying?
The Please Turn Heel Award
Sasha Banks
Sasha showed intensity in a barnstormer against Alexa Bliss at Great Balls of Fire, but suffered under the poor creative direction of Raw’s women’s division for most of 2017.
She had several opportunities to turn heel during the year – specifically when teasing tensions between her and BFF Bayley – but WWE never pulled the trigger.
Maybe it would have been one betrayal too many in 2017? Whatever the reason, she’s too talented to be wasted in a supporting role.
Sasha could take centre stage on Raw if WWE gave her the freedom to resurrect her heel Boss character from NXT.
The Careful What You Wish For Award
Kurt Angle back in the ring
Fans have wanted Angle back in a WWE ring for years – and when he was revealed as the new Raw GM it seemed it would eventually happen somewhere down the road.
But Angle was rushed into a main event match at TLC as a last minute substitute for Roman Reigns – then wrestled again at Survivor Series.
It was obvious Angle wasn’t in ring shape and that years of injuries have taken their toll. With his stiff limited movement, he had all the grace of a sweaty wardrobe in the ring.
We don’t doubt Angle has another classic in him, but for the sake of his legacy and health we don’t want to see him wrestle again until he’s 100 per cent ready.
The Better Late Than Never Award
“Woken” Matt Hardy
The WWE fans were buzzing for the Hardys when they returned – and specifically at the prospect of seeing the Broken Hardys in WWE. But it never happened.
In fact, it looked like WWE had done its usual trick of squandering potential as the Hardys were relegated to glorified jobbers.
But the gimmick – with Broken Matt Hardy reimagined as “Woken” Matt Hardy – finally debuted a few weeks ago.
It immediately became the most exciting thing on WWE television. Hopefully Hardy will be given the creative freedom to ensure 2018 is filled with Woken Wisdom.
The Spoiled Brat Of The Year Award
Jason Jordan
It was a bumpy start for Jason Jordan when he was revealed as Kurt Angle’s illegitimate son.
Fans knew he didn’t have the charisma to pull off such a big storyline – and despite solid performances against John Cena and Roman Reigns, fans turned on Jordan.
But he’s played up to the heat by becoming an entitled brat in recent weeks. That’s not a criticism – it’s been fun to watch and is surely the start of a much-needed heel turn.
Wait for the moment he snaps and hits his old man with a belly-to-belly. Jordan has potential to be much more than a spoiled brat in 2018.