Whether because of the draft or the rise of NXT elite talent, we all can agree that there have been some great changes in the WWE this past year. Let’s keep it going. Here are 5 WWE Superstars that should have a big 2017.
Tye Dillinger
Sure, it’s not 20 - 10 (see what I did there), but it is 2017 and it’s time for the Perfect 10 to make his way to the WWE main roster. I might be alone in this, but I am truly a believer in that than once you cross x amount of years of wrestling experience in or outside of WWE the WWE main roster should be the next squared circle you step foot in (if it is something you’re pursuing). It was just today that Dillinger tweeted that it is his 15 year wrestling anniversary. He might not be AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, or Karl Anderson, who are the only group of newly signed WWE wrestlers post WWE Performance Center incarnation that did not report to NXT before going to the main roster, but after having a losing streak on NXT TakeOver specials and not having a prominent main event story line within the show, what other choice is there? The fact that his perfect ten chant has already made his way over to the main roster itself is enough of a reason to push the guy into mid card status within Smackdown Live or Monday Night Raw.
Gallows and Anderson
If you watch television with a glass eye you might notice that Gallows and Anderson often say after attacking a fellow superstar or winning a match (which they haven’t done much of since being split from The Club), “that’s what we came here to do.” Whether its a scripted line or not, it speaks for what people thought the Bullet Club alumni were going to do once they arrived at the WWE. Their former leader is taking over Smackdown Live, as he rightfully should, but what will happen once he loses his title? Since Cena’s return we know it’s bound to happen anywhere between the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. I’ve always said it; Styles is the better wrestler. Cena is the better superstar. WWE is sports entertainment. And in a bracket led by money making machines, it might be a long time till Gallows and Anderson win the RAW Tag Team Championships. Putting the belts on Sheamus and Cesaro shows some promise. As does American Alpha winning the belts on the Smackdown Live side. After a year of dominance by entertainment centered tag teams, The New Day and Heath Slater and Rhyno, it seems like the tag team division will be a little centered on the wrestling side of things again. Gallows and Anderson are the perfect team to take the belts of Sheamus and Cesaro when the time comes. If that does not happen however, you have former Bullet Club leaders on the RAW side and Smackdown Live side. Just take your pick.
Paige
Hear me out. Once she makes her return to Monday Night Raw, even if it is midway through the year, all eyes will be on her. Forget Total Divas! The internet wrestling community and WWE Universe alone will be intrigued by her every move inside of the ring. Will she still have .... it? Chris Jericho won’t be the judge but dare I say that she is destined to become the Roman Reigns of the Monday Night Raw Women’s Division? That is, if they book her correctly. So WWE, the balls in your court. You already planted the seeds after her debut match on the main roster. People loved it back then. At a time pre Becky, Charlotte, Sasha, and Bayley, women’s wrestling was slowly being revolutionized in NXT by Emma and Paige. That’s why no one minded at all when the wrestler who has been in action since the age of 13 ended AJ Lee’s reign and was also the first NXT Women’s Champion. Use that to her advantage and make people hate her. She can’t be as good as a heel as Charlotte is but you can get her up to an Eva Marie level.
The New Day
Hear me out - again! How many days was it? 438? They have to had become stale at some point. That only gives them more of a reason to make 2017 their year. You can argue that championships don’t mean much nowadays in the WWE. The New Day was a money making machine, though. Their entertainment ability got them there; not the titles. They would not have had as many opportunities to let that shine without them, but with the arrival of Enzo and Cass, they’ve met their match. They are no longer the tag team. I, unlike most of the WWE Universe, would love to see this be the year that The New Day splits up. Challenge them. Fans will be waiting for the moment they come together again and that will keep them relevant. But since I know it is very unlikely, I would love to see Big E or Kofi Kingston get an individual title run, which is another thing that’s very unlikely. But if all else fells, I would love to see them help give lower card superstars or fellow tag teams the rub.
Braun Strowman and Baron Corbin
Yes this is a tie. Both serve a similar purpose - destruction. One if currently doing it better than the other. With the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win however, it shouldn’t take long for Baron Corbin to catch up. Corbin is doing what anyone in his shoes would be doing if the WWE wasn’t pre-determined. Braun Strowman is being a monster, though. He doesn’t care if he interrupts matches and is doing minimal talking but still saying much more than Baron Corbin has. It’s not long till Braun has a big title match and future title win. For Baron Corbin though, what will it take? Both have the potential. All WWE needs to do is make it happen.