Grading the 10 best wrestlers of 2017
The argument over just who is the top guy in wrestling is made all over the world by wrestling fans of all different backgrounds. Many would argue that AJ Styles is the best in the world right now, for his high flying moves and technical wizardry.
Others would say John Cena, whose wrestling exploits are often put on hold to appear in mainstream media. Most recently, he's playing a bull in the upcoming film Ferdinand. Does his cross-audience appeal and no questions asked main event status give him the edge?
We decided to check with the diligent Internet Wrestling Database and see how the wrestlers stacked up on win/loss records, both at PPVs and not. But that can't be the sole criteria by which the wrestler of the year should be judged. After all, it is sports-entertainment, and the ability to command the crowd and have them at your fingertips is surely a valid factor to consider.
Championships still matter, and having a belt automatically puts a lot of focus on you. We'll look at both the championships held and the length of their reigns.
Last but not least, we must take a look at how many people outside wrestling fandom could have heard of a particular athlete. People who have never watched pro wrestling a single, solitary day in their lives know who Hulk Hogan is, while they may not have heard of Ric Flair at all.
Without further ado, let's examine ten popular wrestlers and see which of them could claim the best 2017, in alphabetical order.
AJ Styles
The high flying, hard hitting AJ Styles should always be considered a contender for wrestler of the year, and AJ has a Phenomenal run in 2017.
One look at his win/loss record via iwc, we see that AJ had 55 wins and 63 losses in 2017. That might not seem impressive, but that's about a 50-50 split.
Win/Loss Record Grade: C
Now let's look at his titles and how long he held them. AJ entered 2017 with the WWE championship he'd captured in September of 2016. He lost it in February, and then seemed to move down to the mid-card.
He started pursuing the US title, and ended up with two reigns, which is almost one long reign because he only lost the belt for a few days. He held onto the belt from July 4 until October 8 but for that little hiccup.
Finally, he won the WWE championship for the second time on November 7 and has held onto the belt ever since.
So AJ Styles held onto gold for eight out of 12 months, and four of those were with the 'big belt.' AJ gets top marks for in this category.
Championships Grade: A
When we look at AJ's cross-media appearances, he doesn't have many. He was mentioned on the Today show by opponent John Cena and used this for an angle, but other than that, AJ has concentrated on his in-ring work. He's been mentioned by no less than Forbes magazine, so he is definitely garnering some attention.
However, the average person who doesn't follow wrestling is unlikely to have heard of AJ Styles.
Cross-Media Appeal Grade: C