Braun Strowman, Usos and the Most Impressive WWE Stars Since WWE WrestleMania 33

After the fireworks from WrestleMania 33 in April died down, Braun Strowman emerged with his fangs bared, ready to devour lesser creatures scurrying around him.

The Monster Among Men has been a sight to behold in the past six months. He's been a bloodthirsty titan one can't look away from. And his acts of destruction have been among the best WWE highlights on TV or pay-per-view.

The success of WWE's other top post-WrestleMania stars has looked a lot different. 

The Usos have thrilled via a stellar tag team rivalry. Breezango has used absurd humor to make its mark. And Kevin Owens's black heart has elevated SmackDown on many occasions since April.

Who has been WWE's best in that span? Read on for the answer to that with great matches, big moments and stirring performances on the mic determining the order.

Honorable Mention

• AJ Styles
• Breezango
• John Cena
• The Miz
• Seth Rollins
• Samoa Joe

Breezango's Fashion Files comedy segments have been some of the best stuff on WWE TV in 2017. Tyler Breeze and Fandango have to be acknowledged for that, even if their in-ring work hasn't been anything of note.

Rollins did well while floating around the Universal Championship picture in the middle of the year, but he often didn't have much to work with storyline-wise. It wasn't until ahead of SummerSlam that he truly got going when he and Dean Ambrose joined forces again.

Others had great spurts, but something got in the way.

A knee injury kept Joe from building on his great momentum. A stagnant feud with Ambrose that went past its shelf life held The Miz back. Hiatuses from the ring lessened Cena's contributions.

5. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns' battles with Strowman have been enthralling works of violent art. The two powerhouses destroying the battlefield as they look to end each other has been top-notch stuff.

The Big Dog thrived as a sullen, focused badass throughout.

He got blown out of the water at times in his rivalry with Cena, but he had his moments as well. Reigns fired some memorable shots against a superior mic worker during that storyline.

Throw in his performance at Extreme Rules in the hard-hitting Fatal 5-Way and a strong showing at SummerSlam in a four-hoss clash, and Reigns had to impress even his most stubborn critics.

4. Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss has been the most compelling Superstar in the women's division post-WrestleMania.

She's been highly consistent in and out of the ring. The Raw women's champ showed herself to be a reliable mic worker who can mix it up on the mic with anyone from Sasha Banks to Mickie James. She's a convincingly heartless egotist heel with grade-A facial expressions as we've seen weekly on Raw. 

While Little Miss Bliss hasn't delivered a string of classics like wrestlers above her on the list, she's been solid once the bell rings.

Bliss keeps looking better as the year progresses. Her victory over Bayley at Payback was good. Her matches against Banks topped that. And at No Mercy, she flourished in a Fatal 5-Way at No Mercy.

3. The Usos, The New Day (Tie)

Each time The Usos and The New Day cross paths, something special happens.

After Kofi Kingston's ankle injury healed and The New Day debuted on the blue brand, they have been banging heads with Jimmy and Jey Uso in a whirlwind rivalry. The two teams have smashed each other with verbal uppercuts. They have torn down the house in the ring several times over, from a Street Fight on SmackDown to a thriller inside Hell in a Cell.

Chair Shot Reality co-founder Josh Isenberg tweeted that he thinks this has been the best feud of the year.

It's easy to make that argument. The Usos and The New Day have been able to maintain tension throughout their battles. And they have made SmackDown's tag team division must-see.

As successful as these squads have been, it's surprising to see two names above theirs on this list. Owens and Strowman, though, have had career years and have been the backbones of their respective brands.

2. Kevin Owens

The Prizefighter has been the heart and soul of SmackDown since his arrival following WrestleMania.

He began by battling voraciously for the United States Championship. He delivered top-notch matches against Styles and Chris Jericho in the process. But it was when he lost that title that he truly emerged as a marquee talent.

The enraged version of Owens who would do anything to retrieve that gold has been a revelation.  

KO's seething promos have been consistently great. He's been the kind of heel that an audience despises but is enthralled by.

And he's nailed every one of his big moments, from smashing Vince McMahon to the canvas to tangling with Shane McMahon in and atop the Hell in a Cell.

Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman is among those who believe KO is worthy of earning some hardware this year. "Kevin Owens is really an MVP performer," he tweeted.

That's never been truer since his move to SmackDown, where he emphatically established himself as the show's top star.

1. Braun Strowman

It doesn't matter that he doesn't have the gold to prove it—Strowman has felt like Raw's top champion for much of the year.

There hasn't been a more engaging force on WWE TV this year. The Monster Among Men's path of destruction, from overturning an ambulance to laying out some chump in his way, has been the highlight of Raw again and again.

The New Age Insiders podcast put it simply: "Braun Strowman is appointment television."

SmackDown was often the better of WWE"s two top shows in 2016. Since Strowman started colliding with Reigns, Brock Lesnar and the rest of the red brand, though, Raw has surpassed it.

His growling, threatening interviews have clicked—as have the moments when he lets his overwhelming power speak for him.

Strowman's in-ring resume since April 2 has been excellent. His PPV battles with Reigns have been exciting slugfests. He played a key part in the Fatal 4-Way at SummerSlam—a Match of the Year contender. And a number of his matches on Raw have been the best of the night.

Even though he was forced to miss two months thanks to elbow surgery, Strowman has been clearly the best Superstar since WrestleMania wrapped up.