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From heel turns and face turns to reunions and retirements, the last 12 months of WWE television has seen more eventful moments than any year in recent memory.
As 2017 comes to an end, we will be taking a close look at the top 50 Superstars from each of the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters over the last year, ranking them from 50 to 1 and grading them from F to A+.
In this article, the countdown begins with a look at the Superstars who took the positions from 50 to 31 on the Raw roster.
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#50 Emma
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Emma’s makeover to ‘Emmalina’ in early 2017 didn’t exactly go to plan, and nor did her transformation back to Emma a few months later. She suffered an injury shortly after her long-awaited return and then racked up several losses, including two against Asuka, before she was released from her WWE contract in October.
For someone as talented as Emma, it was sad to see her leave, but she’s already been booked for multiple independent shows in February 2018 and will undoubtedly be a success wherever she goes in the future.
Grade: E
#49 Austin Aries
Austin Aries’ short time on the main roster sure was eventful. In the space of six months, “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” spent three months commentating on cruiserweight matches, another three months challenging for the Cruiserweight Championship, and then, out of absolutely nowhere, he was released.
Aries was entertaining enough during his time in WWE but, as he has since revealed, the creative team had no ideas for his character and decided to let him go.
Grade: D-
#48 Heath Slater
After his SmackDown Live Tag Team title reign with Rhyno, it felt like 2016 was the year that Heath Slater finally proved his worth in WWE and showed to the higher-ups in the company that he can be taken seriously as an in-ring performer.
However, Slater & Rhyno have barely been involved in storylines in 2017 and would have been better served staying on SmackDown Live instead of moving to Raw in April’s Superstar Shake-Up.
Grade: D-
#47 Apollo Crews
Of the high-profile NXT signings over the years, Apollo Crews has had one of the most underwhelming main-roster runs of them all. He was used infrequently on SmackDown Live in 2016 and his switch to Raw in April 2017 hasn’t worked out as well as it could have.
Granted, he’s receiving a lot more TV time now that he’s part of Titus Worldwide, but for someone with his in-ring ability, Apollo remains one of the most underused and misused talents in WWE right now.
Grade: D-
Joint #45 Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
As far as accomplishments go, 2017 wasn’t the worst year for Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows. They won the Raw Tag Team titles from Sheamus & Cesaro at the Royal Rumble and went on to appear in an exciting ladder match on the main card at WrestleMania 33.
Since then, however, The Club haven’t been involved in any major storylines, leading to various rumours over the last couple of months that they could soon leave WWE.
Grade: D-
#44 Goldust
It wasn’t the best year of Goldust’s career but it certainly wasn’t the worst. He appeared infrequently on Raw, much like in 2016, with the biggest moment coming when he attacked tag-team partner R-Truth and turned heel after a defeat in May.
The veteran has slowly turned face again, with no real explanation, and was last seen competing as “The Natural” Dustin Runnels in a win over Dash Wilder at Starrcade in November.
Grade: D-
#43 Mustafa Ali
For someone who wasn’t originally due to appear in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic, it’s certainly been a whirlwind 18 months for the high-flying Mustafa Ali.
The Illinois native’s rivalry with Drew Gulak on 205 Live is one of 2017’s most underrated feuds, and he would probably receive a much higher grade than this if he had appeared in more featured matches on Raw over the last few months.
Grade: D
Joint #41 Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson
Wherever The Revival have gone in 2017, injuries have followed. In April, Dash Wilder fractured his jaw and was out for two months. Then, six weeks after Wilder’s return, Scott Dawson required surgery on a bicep injury that will rule him out until February 2018.
The best moment of their year was the Triple Threat NXT Tag Team title match against #DIY and The Authors of Pain at TakeOver: Orlando in April. Since then, it’s safe to say luck hasn’t been on their side.
Grade: D
#40 Noam Dar
Only fans who watch 205 Live on a regular basis will appreciate just how entertaining Noam Dar was during his relationship with Alicia Fox, who he dumped in brutal, yet hilarious, fashion after losing an I Quit match to Cedric Alexander in July.
“The Scottish Supernova” is yet to be involved in a Cruiserweight Championship storyline but, at the age of just 24, there’s still plenty of time for that.
Grade: D
#39 Alicia Fox
You might have thought Alicia Fox would get lost in the shuffle of the women’s division when the likes of Sasha Banks, Bayley and Nia Jax were called up to the main roster.
But, as it’s turned out, after a year in which she captained Team Raw at Survivor Series and picked up a clean victory over Sasha, Noam Dar’s former girlfriend is more relevant now than she’s ever been.
Grade: D
#38 Curt Hawkins
Who says winning and losing matters in wrestling? In a year where Asuka's much-celebrated undefeated streak has made its way onto Raw’s main roster, so too has the less-celebrated Curt Hawkins losing streak.
The former Edgehead’s switch to Raw in April’s Superstar Shake-Up wasn’t exactly a headline-grabber, but his run of over 100 consecutive defeats now has us all wondering who he’ll finally end the unwanted streak against.
Grade: D
#37 Kalisto
Kalisto’s biggest positive of 2017 – his long-awaited switch to 205 Live and subsequent Cruiserweight Championship victory in the main event of Raw – could also be classed as his biggest negative.
In the space of seven weeks, the former Lucha Dragon joined the cruiserweight division, won its only title, lost it, lost the rematch, and now he seems to be out of the title picture for good.
Grade: D
#36 Titus O'Neil
With the exception of his recent altercations with Samoa Joe, the WWE Universe hasn’t seen much of Titus O’Neil as an in-ring performer in 2017.
That’s not a bad thing, though, because the leader of Titus Worldwide has featured on Raw more than ever before since aligning with Apollo Crews, Akira Tozawa and, most recently, Dana Brooke. If he can lure a more high-profile Superstar to his brand, who knows what the future will bring!
Grade: D+
#35 Jack Gallagher
From entertaining babyface to easy-to-hate heel, Jack Gallagher has been one of the most impressive 205 Live roster members to come out of 2016’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament.
His match against Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship at Fastlane in March was the best cruiserweight PPV match of 2017, and he’d probably be featured higher in this list if he appeared more on Raw over the last 12 months.
Grade: C-
Joint #33 Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel
Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel made their long-awaited return to the spotlight in 2017 as part of The Miz’s Miztourage, featuring on several pay-per-views and in Raw main events after two years in the WWE wilderness.
The only major negative from their year was that WWE decided to use Sheamus & Cesaro in their place when The Miz battled with The Shield in October.
Grade: C-
#32 Cedric Alexander
As far as storylines go, 2017 hasn’t been a great year for Cedric Alexander. He was involved in the love triangle story with Noam Dar and Alicia Fox, which ended in July, and he hasn’t had a meaningful feud since.
But, as far as quality matches go, Cedric has been involved in more of them than anybody else in the cruiserweight division. It’s just a shame that most of his best work is only seen by those who watch 205 Live.
Grade: C-
#31 Mickie James
If these selections were put together in August, Mickie James would have done well to even make the top 50. But, fortunately for the veteran, she’s received a lot more television time in recent months thanks to her feud with Alexa Bliss.
Granted, she didn’t win the Raw Women’s Championship, but the storyline was much better than people expected and Mickie felt like a genuine threat to the title whenever her and Alexa met.
Grade: C-
Check back on Friday, 15 December to see who we ranked from 30 to 11 on the Raw roster in 2017.
For latest WWE News, live coverage and rumours visit our Sportskeeda WWE section.
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