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The year 2017 saw women's wrestling have its highs and lows. It had the first ever women's money in the bank ladder match. It also had a very distasteful kendo stick on a pole match. A lot of attempts were made to shine the light on the women but the WWE still has a long way to go before we get to see women in the main event of PPVs.
Stephanie McMahon made the announcement for the women's royal rumble match. Let's take a look at the top stars who made this happen, listing the best women from the current Raw and Smackdown rosters.
#5 Tie: Bayley and Naomi
Bayley had a good start to the year. She was champion for a brief period. Her downfall from the top of the card can only be attributed to WWE's poor character development.
She has the potential to become the top babyface of the company but this can only be done with consistent storytelling and good booking. The 50-50 booking has really hurt her credibility and teaming with her once rival Sasha Banks has not helped her in any way.
Here's to hoping 2018 will be a better year for the "hugger".
Naomi did a very good job in reinventing herself. The gimmick is a hit and the fans like it. She almost missed Wrestlemania due to an injury but made it back in time to win the SmackDown women's championship.
Her title reign was brief and not exciting. She managed to stay on top of the card for a longer period compared to her peers. Once again WWE's lack of character progression halted Naomi's push and poor storytelling did not help.
#4 Carmella
Carmella hit the jackpot in WWE. She won the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match. The finish of the match might be ridiculed by many but the fact remains that it is Carmella who is now holding the briefcase which is sure to make her the champion soon. This also shows that the WWE has full confidence the former New England Patriots cheerleader.
Carmella has a long way to go before she can claim to be the top star in the business. She has the promo skills to become great but cannot hang with the best in the ring. Apart from winning the briefcase, the year has been underwhelming for the star.
#3 Natalya
Natalya is a good in ring worker and can have great matches provided she gets paired with the right the person. She's been part of major storylines throughout the year. A year ago, she was showing pictures of her cat to the general manager and now she is the top heel the Smackdown brand.
She formed the infamous welcoming committee which gave her the platform to show some of her best work as a heel. She became the champion soon and remained on top for a long duration while having an excellent feud with Charlotte Flair.
Natalya continues to stay on top. A recent comment from former WWE superstar Beth Phoenix prove that Natalya has only greater things to look forward to.
#2 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss is the most fitting example of hard work paying off. She was in NXT for a long time where she never won the women's championship. She got drafted to SmackDown last year and began what would turn into a wonderful career. "Little Miss Bliss" entered 2017 as the Smackdown women's champion. She walked into Wrestlemania as champion where she dropped the title and got drafted to Raw two weeks later.
Bliss is excellent on the mic and can hold her own in the ring. The crowds show their love for her and she gladly asks them to shut up which only makes her character as a heel even better. Her work has made her one of the top villains in the company which is why she rightfully became the Raw women's champion.
Bliss is an excellent talent and has a great year ahead as she once again closes the year as champion.
#1 Charlotte Flair
Charlotte sets the bar for all the women in the locker room. There are not many who come close to what she can accomplish in the ring. She walked into the year as champion and is now closing the year as champion.
This year did not begin very well for Charlotte. She was in an uninteresting feud with Bayley where she lost her title and her undefeated rein in PPVs. The superstar shakeup provided the catalyst for Charlotte's character change. The crowd was behind her babyface turn and her talent only added fuel to it.
Her storyline with Natalya has provided for some good entertainment and positions her as one of the top babyfaces of the company. The next year will be no less and we are bound to see greater work from The Queen.
