WWE 2016 Review

Here we go. My yearly masterpiece, the my 2016 WWE review. Included are biggest surprises, best matches and of course, my superstar of the year. Go on! Read!

Biggest Disappointments

5. Gallows and Anderson

While the handling of AJ Styles will definitely be applauded later in this post, the handling of his team mates was a far cry from how Styles was handled. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were a dominant team in Japan, holding the IWGP Tag Team Titles for over a year. They were apart of the Bullet Club, a hugely over and dominant faction that spread over multiple companies. How does WWE ruin the team? They were on the right track though. They had Gallows and Anderson attack The Usos on their surprise Raw debut. Having the top team from NJPW attack the most well known and established team in WWE was very smart. Pairing them together with AJ Styles was smart. Jobbing them out to Reigns and the Usos was where it starting turning bad for them. They were able to get a victory over the Usos at May's PPV Extreme Rules but against Roman Reigns, they were powerless. After their split from Styles thanks to the draft, they went straight into the title hunt, only to be unsuccessful in FOUR different title defenses while AJ Styles became the king of Smackdown. It's definitely something that can be fixed in the new year and I do blame the fact that The New Day are very close to breaking the tag title record. Gallows and Anderson came up right when they reached a year as champions. WWE is all for having records broken and 90 days away from the record, Gallows and Anderson would just have to wait. For being such a dominant team in Japan and the way WWE has handled Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, I expected better, that's all.

4. Wrestlemania 32 as a whole/Shane and Taker

Coming into 2016, we all knew Wrestlemania 32 was going to be a bit on the lacking side. Mainly because many of their stars were injured. John Cena, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton were all out, ruling out many big matches for the show. Roman Reigns was being billed as the top face despite severe fan backlash, Daniel Bryan just announced his retirement and Ambrose was knocked out of contention for the main event after a great battle with Triple H at Roadblock. All these factors led to a Wrestlemania that wasn't dream like as 30 and 31 were. Reigns was put in the main event for the 2nd straight year and the fans hated it. Shane McMahon came back and they put him with The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match in one of the most random matches on the card. Styles and Jericho had what was their FOURTH match of their feud on the show. The New Day didn't even defend their titles at the event, despite competing. The previously set up Bray Wyatt VS Brock Lesnar match was squashed in favor of Lesnar/Ambrose. They did do two things right before the event though and that was the multi man IC Title match and the triple threat match for the Divas Title. There was still hope, at least in my eyes, of it still being a great Wrestlemania like the past two. Well....

The IC Title match delivered as expected. Jericho/Styles delivered. The New Day VS The League of Nations was pointless but it did feature the nostalgic moment of the night when Stone Cold, HBK and Mick Foley came out. The Lesnar/Ambrose match was crap. Sorry, not crap but it should have been MUCH better. Lesnar's street fights have been great since his return. It was a lazy match. The shining moment of the night was the women's triple threat for the NEW Women's Championship. They stole the show. The Hell in a Cell had major implications, but it was SOOOO SLOW. Why would they give almost 45 minutes of screen time to two guys who weren't even around for most of 2015?  Yes, it had the insane jump spot but it was so PG and planned, it was ridiculous. Then, they had The Rock come out and waste another 30 minutes or so, at least that's what it felt like, and the main event dragged. The crowd chanted for Nakamura during the match. They were so disinterested. Not that it was a bad match but it was bad booking. And you think Triple H would have LEARNED from his Wrestlemania 25 main event debacle. How does a feud that personal NOT be No DQ? It was about 11:50 when it was all over and I was just drained. It did not live up to the greatness of Wrestlemania 30 and 31. It gave us an ending that NO ONE wanted. The crowd booed so loudly that they had to mute the mics. That shouldn't happen to the hero of the show. It was a good show but thanks to the injuries and bizarre booking decisions, it left a lot to be desired.

3. The whole Brock Lesnar/Goldberg match

Once WWE announced that Goldberg would be in WWE 2K17, you know he was going to be on WWE TV very soon. It happened with Ultimate Warrior and Sting the last two years and of course, it happened with Goldberg. Literally out of nowhere, it was reported that Goldberg and Brock Lesnar would be facing each other at Survivor Series and out of nowhere that match was made. It was made to promote a video game that was already released. OK, I get it. You have to sell the PPV, I'm OK with it, it's something WWE has been doing with the part timers for the entire era. What I'm not ok with is the fact the MAIN EVENT of one of your big PPVs ended in 86 seconds. That's one minute and 26 seconds. That's insane. That's embarrassing. I don't care if it was done to get another match between the two or to add shock value or a MMA type fight feel. How do you follow the amazing Raw vs Smackdown elimination match with this short main event? It didn't sell me on the game at all. It made me get rid of it that much faster. I understood the point of the match but for it to go down like the way it did was bad.

2. Daniel Bryan's Retirement

Man, this hit me hard. Daniel Bryan is probably the most inspirational stories of this era. You all know already. His rise to super stardom thanks to the fans. The fans literally hijacking a Raw session. The impossible dream becoming reality when he became World Champ at Wrestlemania XXX. It was all so magical and one of the best pay offs in WWE history. When Bryan was plagued with neck injuries and problems, we all felt for him but he returned and won the Intercontinental Title at the following Wrestlemania. Things kept getting worse and he was shelved again but we all figured he would be back again, especially with all the potential stars he could face on the big stage, like Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Austin Aries, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles just to name a few. Bryan was a key part of this new era that WWE was ushering in but time passed, and nothing. Then, the heart breaking tweet from Daniel Bryan. Raw was taking place in Seattle, Washington, Bryan's hometown and he tweeted out that he was retiring. This was shocking and definitely something I thought was a work. You'l remember Mark Henry's passionate retirement speech from 2013 as one of the best promos in Raw history which ended with him attacking John Cena. I thought it was going to be a swerve but then all the wrestlers starting pouring in support and thank yous. Then, Raw finally came on and he was given the main event slot. And it wasn't a work. It was real. One of the founders of this era of change was really calling it quits. Bryan cited the previously mentioned neck injuries, various seizures and no feeling in his arm as the reasons why WWE doctors told him he couldn't compete anymore.

This hit me hard and it's one of the few times I came close to crying this entire year. Simply because, there were SO many great matches for him when he returned. So many guys who wouldn't have made it to WWE without CM Punk and Daniel Bryan's successes. Bryan VS Balor, Owens, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Hideo Itami, ALL THESE guys would have been amazing. He would have been used to push stars to the next level. It's very sad as a wrestling fan but very good news for him as a person. No more wrestling means more time with his wife Brie Bella. It also means more time to start a family, which will start once Brie gives birth in 2017. And Bryan is still around but now as Smackdown GM, a role he's done nicely at. Regardless of that, it's still very sad to not see him as a competitor anymore, especially after his meteoric rise.

1. Releases

This was a pretty sad year for releases as WWE fired some guys who could have started an era all on their own and some stars who never got a chance to even shine on their own. First, Damien Sandow. Do I need to say more? The guy was super over a Mizdow and it looked likely that they were going to do something with him when he finally broke away from The Miz. Once Sandow didn't win the Andre the Giant Battle Royale at Wrestlemania 31, it was pretty much over for him. The funny thing is that he kept getting great reactions from the crowd, despite being a jobber for basically the rest of his time spent. It's a shame they never gave him a chance to use his original gimmick again afterwards. WWE also released Wade Barrett this year. Barrett should have been England's first WWE Champion and had all the freaking momentum in the world when he made his debut on Raw. It just never came true though. Cena killed The Nexus at SummerSlam 2010 and Barrett's career was in limbo ever since. Yes, he managed to win the IC Title five different times but injuries really did Barrett in. Barrett had EVERYTHING needed to succeed in the company, except the most important thing, backing of creative. The one release that hurts the most was that of Cody Rhodes. For all the good WWE has done in the year 2016, letting Rhodes, one of the most talented guys in WWE, go, is still very shocking, especially when they started the brand split a few months after his departure. Rhodes cited being upset over creative not dropping the Stardust gimmick as one of the main reasons for leaving. Rhodes deserved much better and was legit one of the best talents WWE has ever had. WWE's loss is the wrestling world's gain though as Rhodes as been doing it all since then, even going on to join the Bullet Club, you know, the hottest stable in wrestling today. Good for him!

WWE also loss Alex Riley, Ryback and Albero Del Rio, three guys who may have had mixed reactions about them but were definitely veterans people could recognize. In Riley's case, he never got a 2nd chance to show what he could do. He has just turned heel and looked to try to defeat all the indie talent in WWE. They could have teamed him with Baron Corbin and had a monster tag team on their hands. Anyway, Rhodes, Barrett, Sandow and Ryback were a class all on their own and could have led WWE into an era themselves. Things happen for a reason and who knows if all the good, like Owens and Styles winning the titles, etc, would have happened if they stayed. Regardless, it was a huge disappointment to see them all go this year.

Biggest Accomplishments

5. The NXT/WWE PPV weekends

WWE learned something very important in 2016. Well, they really started it in 2015 but 2016 saw the tradition of it starting. WWE began to put the NXT Live Specials with their big four PPVs, something they tested first in 2015 with Takeover: Brooklyn and WWE SummerSlam. It just adds a lot more intrigue for the entire wrestling fanbase when they do this. They started with Wrestlemania weekend, having Takeover Dallas on Friday night and that show was amazing. American Alpha and Asuka won titles, there were crowd appearances for Kota Ibushi and Bobby Roode and the show was featured the debuts of Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura, who got a hero's welcome in the best match of the weekend. WWE learned quickly that they had a hit on their hands and did it for Survivor Series as well. The Takeover/SummerSlam weekend was already booked in 2015 for the next two years. It's done so well for the company that not only are they doing NXT Takeover: San Antonio for Royal Rumble weekend, they're also moving the NXT Takeover for Wrestlemania weekend to Saturday in the spot the Hall of Fame usually took place in.

NXT is treated like a brand and with these weekends and it presents some competition for both rosters, to see who can have a better show and see who has the fans buzzing more after their shows are over. NXT definitely won Mania weekend as proven by the crowd chanting for Shinsuke Nakamura during the Reigns/HHH main event. The other weekends can be debated but I will say that all but one weekend, NXT has had the match I most enjoyed.  SummerSlam 2016's match between Styles and Cena  is the only exception but it's definitely something that will and must continue in the future. The pairing of these two is very smart and it gives NXT much more exposure.

4. Treatment of Women

For years, the women matches have either been used as cheap sexual intermissions or piss breaks. We all knew, or sorry, HOPED this would change as The Four Horsewomen from NXT would soon be making their way to the main roster. For a while, it looked like business as usual as the Divas Revolution fell on its face. Once Sasha Banks made her return to WWE at the Royal Rumble, it started to pick up again. The first big moment of the year was when the Divas Title was abolished for the new Women's Championship and the announcement by WWE Hall of Famer Lita that Divas would now be referred to as superstars. Then, Sasha, Charlotte and Becky Lynch would steal the show competing for the title at Wrestlemania. Charlotte would continue to dominate but once Sasha would reenter the title hunt, it became serious business. On the first Raw of the brand split, Sasha and Charlotte stole the show in their first of many title matches and Sasha was able to win her first Women's Title. Over on Smackdown, the women were also given the spotlight as a new Smackdown Women's Title was created, giving Becky Lynch her first taste of gold in WWE. Sasha and Charlotte made a lot of history while trading the Raw Women's Title back and forth. They main evented Raw on two separate occasions and at Hell in a Cell 2016, not only become the first women to compete inside Hell in a Cell, they became the first two women to main event a WWE PPV. They went on last on a PPV that featured Roman Reigns, Rusev, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens. That is amazing.

Besides matches, women like Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Nia Jax and BAYLEY all made their way to the main roster. While Bliss and Carmella got to shine on Smackdown feuding with the top women Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella respectfully, Nia and Bayley haven't got to shine just yet as Sasha and Charlotte got to hog most of the spotlight. Bayley is reportedly in talks of receiving a title match at Wrestlemania, which would make a whole lot of sense due to it being in Orlando AKA NXT's home state. The women finally got the respect they deserved. As Sasha said once she won the title for first time, it's the era of women's wrestling and one that will continue for years to come, especially in 2017 if Sasha/Bayley, the match of the year for 2015, feud on the main roster.

3. Major Talent Acquisitions

WWE has been doing such a great job the last couple of years in bringing in solid talent for their company. 2014 they signed Ferval Devitt, Kevin Steen and Kenta who became Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and Hideo Itami respectively. 2015 brought Samoa Joe, Asuka, and Athena AKA Ember Moon, more stars to beef up NXT. They wasted very little time signing talent in 2016. Barely into the new year, there were reports of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson all coming to WWE. This was speculated on even more when WWE themselves released a report about it on their website. With each of them receiving farewells from NJPW, (AJ being kicked out of the Bullet Club and then bowing to the crowd, Nakamura relinquishing the IWGP Intercontinental Title and Gallows and Anderson losing the IWGP Tag Titles and bowing to the crowd) it looked like the reports were coming true. Styles came first by debuting in the Royal Rumble, weeks after putting on a match of the year contender with Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom. Despite not being well known throughout the casual wrestling community, the Internet Wrestling Community, Orlando where the Rumble was at and myself all went mental when he came out. Nakamura was next when he came to NXT in an amazing debut match against Sami Zayn at Takeover Dallas. Like AJ, he received a warm welcome, despite not being as well known. Gallows and Anderson debuted a week after Wrestlemania to a critical reaction.

The signings didn't stop! The same week as Styles debuted, Austin Aries made his debut for NXT! Two former TNA World Champions came to WWE at the same time. They also signed former TNA Champs Bobby Roode and Eric Young, former ROH World Champion Roderick Strong, former ROH TV Champ Tommaso Ciampa and Dragon Gate veteran Johnny Gargano. These are all guys who can help WWE in their long term future. and will definitely have strong performances in the year 2017. I'm really expecting a lot from guys like Aries, Strong and Roode in the new year and am expecting WWE to continue with the massive signings.

2. Cruiserweight Classic

A tournament to crown the best Cruiserweight in the world done by WWE? I'm sorry, WHAT? It's something doesn't sound like WWE at all but it's a fantastic thing they did in 2016. The Cruiserweight Classic was a 32 man tournament to crown the best cruiserweight wrestler in the world. They certainly went all out to find the best too. They of course used stars that were already in their NXT brand like Ciampa, Gargano and Rich Swann but they got worldwide known stars, like Kota Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr., Noam Dar, Tajiri, Brian Kendrick and Cedric Alexander just to name a few. It lasted 10 weeks and aired right after NXT on Wednesdays. It was pre-taped with the exception of the live finale. There were so many fantastic matches on the show, plenty of match of the year contenders, like the instant classic of Kota Ibushi VS Cedric Alexander. The final four came down to tournament favorite Kota Ibushi, 2nd favorite Zack Sabre Jr, luchador Gran Metalik and submission specialist TJ Perkins.

Most of the guys who did well were offered contracts for NXT but two who didn't sign that I hoped would was Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr. Because of them not signing, WWE wasn't going to let someone who didn't sign a deal win the whole thing. At first, this didn't make sense to me but once the finals came down between Perkins and Metalik, it was clear. Triple H brought out the new Cruiserweight Championship as the fans popped big for it. The return of the division meant the return of the title. In a grueling final match up, Perkins would not be denied as he tapped out Metalik in the final. He also defeated Da Mack, Johnny Gargano, Rich Swann and Kota Ibushi to even make it to that spot, all by the same way. Perkins had an inspirational story that carried him all the way to  being the first Cruiserweight Champion.

The tournament was something new for the company, something that has never been done or seen before in Vince's WWE. Putting the focus on the smaller guys and having an entire tournament about them was great for them and the fans. I looked forward to every week to see what exciting match would take place next. It also provided some guys with different type of deals for WWE as Ibushi came back for some matches within NXT. Hopefully, this isn't the last one and there is already talks of doing a tournament with all women in 2017. I hope this lights the way for other tournaments in the future.

1. The Draft ushering in a New Era

After a few years of having everyone for both shows, WWE became a bit stale on their weekly TV shows. Not only stale, but many stars were being lost in the shuffle, especially the NXT call ups. WWE, out of nowhere essentially, announced that Smackdown was going live on Tuesdays in July and that a draft would take place on the same episode that would be Smackdown's first live broadcast. They picked commissioners and general managers for both shows. Raw got Stephanie as commissioner while Mick Foley served as GM, mainly to promote his new WWE Network show Holy Foley. Come on WWE, we aren't dumb. Smackdown had Shane as commissioner and Daniel Bryan as the GM. That was a little more unexpected but very welcome as he was such a fan favorite and his retirement really was a major blow for the company. With all the stars up for grabs, the draft made for an interesting show. It was also announced that there would be 6 picks from the NXT roster as well, adding a little more intrigue to the already mystery draft. Raw had the first pick and the advantage for most of the night as they are the longer and flagship show. Although they could have put the WWE Title on Raw, they didn't and picked obvious first round choice Seth Rollins, who had a chance to become champion at Battleground, which followed the draft. Smackdown obviously chose Dean Ambrose and the WWE Title as their first pick. Raw followed with Charlotte, who brought the Women's Title to Raw in a shocking pick. Shocking not because she didn't deserve it, shocking because main stars like Roman Reigns and John Cena hadn't gone in yet. While everyone thought Smackdown was going to counter with Sasha Banks, they chose AJ Styles as the fourth overall pick even though he was only in the company for 6 months. Raw closed out the first round with the biggest pick of the draft at that point, Finn Balor from NXT. The crowd popped hard and it was really telling in what direction WWE was going in for this era. If I told you last year that a draft was happening and Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Charlotte, AJ Styles and Finn Balor were going to be the first five picks, would you have believed me? Oh, and the three remaining members of the Class of 2002, Cena, Orton, Lesnar, were drafted in the second round. Crazy!

The draft forced both shows to usher in new titles. Raw, without a World Title, came up with the Universal Title, which was first won by Finn Balor in his WWE PPV debut and later Kevin Owens, giving two former NXT Champions their first World Title. Raw also got the Cruiserweights and the first Cruiserweight Champion in TJ Perkins after he won the Cruiserweight Classic, who was then followed by a rejuvenated Brian Kendrick and a fan favorite in Rich Swann . Smackdown only had the WWE Title and the Intercontinental Title so they had to give the tag teams and women something to compete for. At their first exclusive PPV Backlash, they crowned the first ever Smackdown Women's and Tag Team Champions, which were won by Becky Lynch and Heath Slater and Rhyno respectively. AJ Styles also climbed to the WWE mountaintop on the same event as he became WWE Champion. At one point in September, the champions were Kevin Owens, Rusev, Charlotte, The New Day and TJ Perkins for Raw and AJ Styles, The Miz, Becky Lynch and Heath Slater/Rhyno for Smackdown. NXT had Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and The Revival as champions for their brand. What a time to be a wrestling fan.

The Draft gave new superstars their time to shine. Over on Raw, it gave Finn Balor and Kevin Owens their first World Titles, something that may have been much harder with just one title. It gave AJ Styles a chance to back up his claim as being the Face that Runs the Place in becoming WWE Champion, something that may have been impossible with just one World Title. It gave Becky Lynch her moment to shine and finally win a women's title, something that may have been hard with Charlotte and Sasha floating around the top with just one title. It also gave time for Alexa Bliss and Carmella to get exposure, which both have succeeded in at Smackdown's PPVs Backlash, No Mercy, and TLC. Alexa took it a step further by winning the women's title at TLC. The Draft was the best thing WWE did in a year of already amazing decisions and the proof is in the stars who were given opportunities because of it.

Biggest Surprises

10. New Day's Title Reign

The New Day won the WWE Tag Titles at SummerSlam 2015. They held the titles every month in the year 2016. They didn't defend it as often as they should, but it's a crazy accomplishment, especially for a team of color. Sorry, but it's the truth. It's on the biggest surprises list because of the teams they had around at the same time of their reign. The Usos, Styles/Jericho The Lucha Dragons, Gallows and Anderson, Sheamus and Cesaro etc. So many great teams with multiple shots against The New Day but they all fell. New Day got by with a couple passes on PPV but they defended the titles on Raw plenty of times in the year. The fact that New continued to dominate despite the act getting repetitive was very shocking. And they broke the record for the longest tag team title reign. That's 478 days as champions everyone. Ridiculous. They did lose the titles days after breaking the record and made it to 483 days, continuing the record of WWE having stars break records by only a few days i.e. Nikki Bella and Finn Balor. Congrats to The New Day though.

9. Shield Makes History

The Shield, the dominant faction of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, have been broken up for two years now but they are all STILL making history. This year alone, all three men were the WWE World Champion in one night. Roman Reigns was defending his WWE World Title against Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank in a Wrestlemania worthy encounter. Rollins never lost the title while Reigns ascended while he was out. The match sells itself. In a shocking moment, Seth Rollins got the clean victory over Reigns, which was his first clean loss on the main roster. Minutes later, Ambrose's music hit. Ambrose had just won the MITB briefcase about an hour before the title match. Rollins was blindsided and got hit with a Dirty Deeds and pinned, giving Ambrose his first WWE World Title and making all three members of the Shield world champion. Then, Reigns would go onto to become United States Champion in September, making it the 2nd title all three men have won. They also had a brief reunion at Survivor Series when they Triple Powerbombed AJ Styles through a table and backstage at Tribute to the Troops in December.

Here's a fun fact for you; at least one Shield member had been apart of every WWE Title match since Royal Rumble 2015 until Styles fought James Ellsworth on Smackdown in October 2016. How ridiculous is that? The Universal Title is the same as each match has had Rollins or Reigns apart of it. Another fact, they've all been involved in each other's first title reigns. Rollins pinned Reigns for his first title, Reigns pinned Ambrose for his first title and Ambrose pinned Rollins for his first title. A perfect triangle of defeats. The Shield's legacy will continue to grow in 2017 and beyond as Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns aren't going anywhere any time soon.


8. Smackdown Live every Tuesday

I watch Raw every week live, as long as I'm not working. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it sucks. I really watch because it's live. Anything can happen. Two of my mark out moments of the year came from Raw this year. Live works as its more exciting. It has that feeling of anything can happen. With the announcement of the brand split, they also announced that Smackdown was going LIVE on Tuesdays, a decision being tossed around for quite some time now. It makes sense. How do you compete with the flagship show if you aren't live? While Smackdown being live hasn't had a shocking moment just yet, the fact that it is live every week is a step in the right direction for the brand. And now I add two hours of wrestling to my viewing schedule a week.

7. Sasha and Charlotte break barriers

Sasha Banks VS Charlotte was the main roster feud that I was waiting for. They were apart of the same roster since July but WWE strategically kept them apart for good reason. They knew the gem they had. When Sasha/Charlotte became Sasha/Charlotte/Becky, I figured it would mean Charlotte/Sasha would be a post Mania feud. Then, Sasha vanished. Charlotte feuding with Natayla in a good feud. It wasn't until June where Sasha would re enter the fray and we were finally treated to a one on one match between the two at a Raw in July, the first Raw of the brand split. Sasha won in shocking fashion, tapping out Charlotte in a great match. The two would trade the title back and forth for the rest of 2016 but not without making some history along the way. Sasha and Charlotte main evented two different Raws, both had Sasha winning the title. One was a Falls Count Anywhere match. They main evented a WWE PPV inside Hell in a Cell. Let me type that again. They MAIN EVENTED a PPV, one of the dreams they had while in NXT. A women's HIAC was long overdue. I honestly thought The Bellas were going to have one in 2014 after Nikki turned on Brie. It would have worked. Finally, the two women would wrestle at WWE Roadblock in a 30 minute Iron Man match. Sasha had experience with this match type when she and Bayley main evented Takeover Respect back in 2015.

When you make so much history in a year

Sasha and Charlotte were definitely thrown down our throats in the latter part of 2016 but the amount of history they broke together is undeniable. It was truly amazing as a fan of them both.

Not from 2016 but one of my favorite pics of them

6. Triple H's Raw return

When WWE had to crown a new Universal Champion after Finn Balor's untimely injury and it was a match that featured Roman Reigns, it looked like WWE were past the whole Reigns suspension and going to give him the title. Reigns competed against Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Big Cass, all NXT alumni in the main event of the last Raw of August. Big Cass getting eliminated first was expected. What was NOT expected was Triple H to make a random return to attack Roman Reigns. I guess this was his way to get a bit of payback from Wrestlemania 32 in which Reigns defeated The Game for the WWE Title. It got even more shocking when Triple H turned on Rollins and gave him a Pedigree, thus making Kevin Owens the Universal Champion. We didn't get answers to this shocking betrayal but I know we will come Wrestlemania season.

5. Dream Match Heaven

With the added talent WWE got this year and a few call ups, it made a couple dreams matches happen on both the main roster and in NXT. Shinsuke Nakamura signing basically made every match with any top talent a dream match. Sami Zayn, Austin Aries, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe were all competitors Nakamura had the pleasure of wowing us with. AJ Styles was the same way for the main roster as matches like Styles/Owens, Styles/Jericho and most importantly, Styles/Cena came true in 2016. Rollins had a few. His Wrestlemania worthy encounter with Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank 2016 was a singles match so long in the making that even though it had happened before, it was still a dream match. Rollins and Balor, two former NXT champions, was a huge dream match as was Rollins/Owens, who had a great feud for the Universal Title. Lesnar/Orton and Lesnar/Goldberg happened but WWE might have been better if they didn't even do them in the first place. As WWE brings up more talent from NXT and the draft switches people around, more matches will happen and become reality. AJ Styles VS Randy Orton is still a major match up that hasn't happened as is Styles VS Rollins, Balor, Aries, Joe, basically anyone who can hang with him. John Cena hasn't faced many of them either. The Undertaker VS either Cena or Styles is a mega match on a different level for 2017 but I'll get more into that later. Anyway, WWE did a lot of matches in 2016 that I didn't think were possible as we started the year.

Just ONE of the many matches this year

4. WWE raids NJPW

New Japan Pro Wrestling doesn't have many talent in the WWE. You never hear of a superstar who originated there being successful in WWE. There are plenty of stories from ROH and now, TNA, but NJPW has been left in the dust. That changed very quickly as they scooped up AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. It's safe to say that these four individuals were very big in the company, three of them being apart of the biggest faction in the world, The Bullet Club. Nakamura was the king and although not present in the main event picture, he was a main event player. I akin him to being the Randy Orton of NJPW. Nakamura will be the first true NJPW star to get over on the main roster. I don't really count AJ Styles as he's more know for his TNA days but regardless, reading the report that the four of them were all heading for WWE was amazing and shocking.

3. More former TNA World Champions debut

Samoa Joe showing up to WWE was shocking. James Storm was even more shocking. Now, seeing TNA guys in WWE is kind of becoming the thing. AJ Styles, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, all for TNA Heavyweight Champions, made their debut for the company, the latter two for NXT. Roode has gotten over very quickly in a short amount of time while Aries hasn't connected as quickly as I thought. Styles was instantly over the first time he stepped out. These guys are building the path for other guys who may be on their way eventually, like Chris Sabin, EC3 and others. WWE is no longer jaded to using great TNA talents and that's a great thing.

2. Sasha's Raw Title win

Heading into the summer months, reports stated that Sasha Banks was going to finally win the Women's Title from Charlotte at SummerSlam in the same arena that she had the match of the year with Bayley in 2015. It was perfect. It was finally going to start the singles feud between Sasha and Charlotte and give Banks the title in the process. Well, WWE didn't want to wait that long and on the first Raw of the draft split, Charlotte and Sasha tore down the house with a great contest for the Women's Title. It featured Sasha using some Eddie Guerrerro esque tactics to get rid of Charlotte's lackey Dana Brooke and it featured a moonsault from Charlotte from the top to the outside. It ended with Charlotte locked in the Banks Statement in the middle of the ring, tapping out and finally making Sasha Women's Champion. It was a moment that was slated for SummerSlam but having it happen on one of the biggest Raws of the year was even better.

1. Handling of AJ Styles

For years, many wondered if TNA Original AJ Styles would ever step in a WWE ring. He previously had trial matches back in 2002 but never signed a deal with the company. After fourteen years of wrestling in just about every major company in the world and winning almost every World Title in the world sans the ROH Title, AJ finally made his way to WWE when he debuted in the Royal Rumble at #3 to a roaring crowd. He entered a feud with Chris Jericho and while he was victorious at Fast Lane against him, when it came to the biggest event Wrestlemania, AJ took the loss. He rebounded to the WWE Title picture but was unsuccessful against Roman Reigns. It looked like WWE were just going to treat Styles like a mid carder for his time in WWE as the next night, he lost in the main event to Kevin Owens in a Money in the Bank qualifier match. Then, the inevitable happened, they put him with Cena in a feud and we all feared the worst. The John Cena curse would claim another victim. You know, how people feud with Cena, lose the feud and then are never relevant ever again? Guys like Wyatt, Rusev and Owens were currently suffering from this fatal disease. Well, Owens beat it by winning the Universal Title. Styles turned heel in their first meeting on Raw which was followed by a heel like victory in their first ever match at Money in the Bank. Cena got the victory in a 6 man tag at Battleground and they had the rubber match at SummerSlam. You are allowed to get one against Cena, usually the first or second match but the final one? Cena ALWAYS gets because, you know, Cena wins! This was not the case as AJ Styles avoided the dreaded curse as he was able to defeat Cena clean in their rubber match. He backed up his impressive win by winning the WWE World Title three weeks later, giving him the biggest title he's never won. AJ would go on to pin Cena again in a Triple Threat title match at No Mercy, giving him three different pinfall victories over John Cena in one year. Let me type that again. AJ STYLES, the TNA Original, the guy no one ever really thought was going to be in WWE, has three different pinfall victories over the biggest star in WWE since the 90s. This is NOT a test...

If I would have told you that AJ Styles was going to sign with WWE this year, what would be your response? The way WWE had been signing talent, it was a bit more believable at the start of 2016 then say the start of 2011.  Now, if I told you AJ Styles was going to beat John Cena in singles matches TWICE and win a feud with him, what would your response be then? WWE gets major brownie points for finally treating a superstar that wasn't made in WWE like a superstar. Often time, mega stars from other companies aren't treated like the mega stars that they are. Sting, Goldberg, etc but WWE finally got it right with Styles, who took WWE by storm in 2016 and made it a better company because of it.

Feuds of the Year

5. Samoa Joe VS Finn Balor

Samoa Joe and Finn Balor's feud actually started in 2015 after the Dusty Rhodes Classic Finals, which saw the two of them win the tournament. When Joe wanted a shot at the championship, William Regal made Joe earn it, which enraged Joe and caused him to decimate Balor, turning heel. His first attempt was a bust, losing to Balor at Takeover London. Despite this, they continued to feud, with the next chapter being at NXT Takeover Dallas, the night before Wrestlemania. Since it was likely some NXT stars were going to debut the Raw after Mania, this looked like the likely time that Balor was going to drop the title. In a match that had to be stopped a couple times due to blood loss from Samoa Joe, it wasn't meant to be as Balor was able to defeat Joe again. This was shocking as Balor was a shoe in for the Raw after Mania, making his big debut. This was something I predicted in last year's post.

Joe would not give up and desperately wanted that NXT Title. A couple weeks after Dallas, Balor defended the title against Joe at a house show in Lowell Massachusetts. Lowell was the same city Joe won the TNA World Title at in 2008. The city was good to him again as he was able to finally win the NXT Title almost a year to his NXT debut. The rematch would take place inside a Steel Cage at Takeover The End, a first of its kind. Samoa Joe had to go all out to stop Demon Balor, hitting a Muscle Buster from the top rope to vanquish him and retain the title, ending the feud.

This was Balor's farewell feud and once he lost the title, it was all but certain that we would be leaving NXT for the main roster. Though it was his last feud, Balor didn't hold back and it made for some great matches with him and Joe. Can't wait to see it on the main roster.

4. AJ Styles VS Roman Reigns

After Roman Reigns won the WWE Title from Triple H at Wrestlemania, he would need a new challenger. Even though Styles had just lost to Jericho at Mania, he was able to rebound quick and win a Fatal Four #1 Contender's match. This would give the WWE Universe a familiar match up; WWE's Golden Boy VS The Internet Darling. It's tried and true and Reigns and Styles did not disappoint in the two matches they had for the title.

This was the first major title feud in what was billed the New Era. An era where new stars would get chances and Styles was at the head of the era. At Payback, Reigns and Styles showed their chemistry early on and had a great title match. Styles was definitely not winning against Reigns in his first defense of the title and in expected fashion, Styles loss in a hell of a performance. Because of the great match they had, a rematch was set for the next PPV Extreme Rules, which will be talked about later in the post. It was an even better match than their Payback encounter but it ended the same, with Reigns with his hand raised high.

It was a feud that benefited both men. Reigns instantly became a fighting champion and it put his reign over. Styles became a star, looking great in defeat and made him an instant star. It also provided Styles with his first bit of WWE main event experience, something that would continue in the latter half of 2016.

3. Kevin Owens VS Sami Zayn

They are destined to do this forever. Zayn and Owens will always be a major feud in any promotion they are apart of  and it finally started on the main roster. It started at the Royal Rumble, where Sami Zayn was a surprise entrant and immediately went to Kevin Owens, who he ended up eliminating him from the match. Zayn disappeared until the Raw after Fast Lane, where he would appear to stop an Owens attack on Neville. This would be his actual debut for the main roster. They would be apart of a Wrestlemania match together, a 7 man IC Title Ladder match for Owens' title. Zayn would prevent Owens from winning the match, something Owens couldn't forget  about. Because of that, it would lead to their first one on one match on the main roster at Payback in Chicago. The two tore the house down as expected with Owens getting the first win here. Owens would refocus to get back the Intercontinental Title and waited to see who would win the title match between Miz and Cesaro that night. Zayn and Owens would continue their feud during this match, causing Cesaro to lose to The Miz.

This would lead to the fantastic Fatal Four Way at Extreme Rules, which thanks to his obsession with Owens, was so distracted and loss the match to the Miz after putting Cesaro away. The two would compete in another ladder match, this time, the Money in the Bank Ladder match. Neither man won due to focusing on each other. Finally, the two decided that if they wanted to move on with their careers, they would have to squash the feud with one more match, this time at Battleground. In the match of the night and a match of the year contender, Sami Zayn would get his first WWE win over Kevin Owens to end their rivalry.

Now, we all know Owens and Zayn won't be done until they main event a PPV for a World Title and even still, it won't be finished. This is a top feud for any promotion and WWE has seen this and did a great job telling a story between the two. I will talk more about their Battleground match later but wow, what a great job in 2016 between the two.

2. Sasha Banks VS Charlotte

Personally, this was the feud from NXT I was waiting for as soon as they made their debut on the main roster in 2015. WWE knew the gem they had so they waited awhile before they put the two together. Sasha and Charlotte had their first match on the main roster on the Road to Wrestlemania, which saw Sasha win. Their real singles feud didn't start until the summer, once Sasha made her return. After the Battleground tag team match which saw Bayley as Sasha's tag partner and provided us with an awesome hug between them, Sasha and Charlotte would finally do battle for the first time for the Women's Title. This was their first one on one title match since their NXT days and it took place on the first Raw of the brand split era. In the match of the night, Sasha finally realized her dream on the main roster when she tapped out Charlotte to win her first Women's Title. It was a shocking moment, a well deserved moment and one that made the crowd  chant out to Sasha that she deserved it. Her speech after the match was the icing on the cake as she proclaimed it was the era of Women's Wrestling. Sasha and Charlotte weren't done yet.

Charlotte was contracted a rematch, which would take place at SummerSlam. While many thought Sasha winning was a foregone conclusion, that was not the case and Charlotte was able to reverse the Banks Statement into a pinning combination to get a shocking victory and win back the title. Reports came out that Sasha was dealing with some nagging injuries, which caused the title to switch hands so fast. Charlotte would deal with Bayley in the interim and once Sasha came back, they had a triple threat match at Clash of Champions, which saw Charlotte retain by pinning Bayley. Now that Sasha was healthy again, she got her contracted rematch in the Raw main event a week after COC. In another great match between the two, Sasha was able to tap out Charlotte again to win the Women's Title. Charlotte then used her contract clause for another match at Hell in a Cell but Sasha upped the ante by asking for a Hell in a Cell match, which was agreed upon. With no indication except rumors, Sasha and Charlotte were placed in the main event spot of the PPV, a first for the women's division. It was a hard fought match with table spots and a botchy ending sequence but Charlotte was able to overcome Sasha again to win her third Women's Title.

Sasha and Charlotte put aside their feud for Survivor Series but once it was over, Sasha announced she wanted her rematch, which would take place at another Raw. Originally, it was in the middle of the show but after a countout, Mick Foley stated the match would be a Falls Count Anywhere match. It would be the main event again, giving the ladies THREE straight main events. Sasha tapped out Charlotte AGAIN, this time with the help of a railing amidst the crowd to win her third championship. Charlotte used her rematch clause for the next PPV Roadblock and Sasha challenged her to an Ironman match, a match type Sasha had experience in. It was announced during the build for the match that no matter who won the match, there would be no rematch and that it was really, The End of The Line, which was the PPV's tagline. In a thrilling conclusion to this current feud, Charlotte came out on top again, tapping out Sasha in sudden death overtime to win her FOURTH Women's Title, which is really her fifth overall counting the Divas Championship,

Was this feud overkill? In terms of the amount of matches and time given, yes. There were so many other talented women who could have been featured as well. Bayley, Alicia, Nia, Emma, Dana, etc. Was it a feud I really wanted? Yes, of course. It's one I'm glad happened. So did they go overboard one too many times with all the title changes? Yes. No woman retained over the other in the feud but there was a lot of history and great matches between two. Three main events, three different match types, the longest women's match in WWE history, etc. Despite the hate that it was shoved down our throats, it was still a fantastic feud that put the women on the same level as the men.

1. AJ Styles VS John Cena

It's a feud that WWE fans have simulated in various wrestling games for years. It was always a dream match. What if the face of TNA went against the face of WWE? The problem with being the face of a company is that you're needed more than ever. Cena was at the top of WWE and is still at the top. While Styles wasn't always in the top role in the company, he was respected as such. Styles finally left TNA at the end of 2013 and became a free agent. I don't think WWE was ready just yet for Styles as they were still in the transitional period. They still had Punk and Daniel Bryan and they just barely gave Bryan the main event of Wrestlemania XXX due to fan backlash. So, Styles wrestled all over the world, in ROH, the indies and of course New Japan Pro Wrestling, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title twice. Finally, 2016 came around and the rumors starting pouring in that Styles was coming to WWE and came he did. The amount of feuds that came to my mind for Styles was never ending. With Styles and Cena under the same company, the dream match could finally take place.

It had to wait though. Cena was out battling an injury and Styles was still new to the WWE Universe. Many knew who he was already but they had to first build Styles up as a legit star, someone who was worthy enough to contend with John Cena. They did this by first putting Styles with Jericho and then to two back to back WWE Title main events with Roman Reigns. With Styles now a household name, it was finally time. The two met on the Memorial Day Raw to a thunderous ovation and a dueling chant. The WWE Universe was ready for this meeting! The meeting between the two faces turned sour as Styles turned heel and ambushed Cena with Gallows and Anderson. Styles cited the same reason mostly everyone hates Cena; he's always around and less talented then the person he was facing. WWE didn't waste time and announced that John Cena would face AJ Styles at Money in the Bank 2016, a match literally 14 years in the making.

Styles and Cena had a great match but there was obvious ring rust from Cena. The dream match was ruined when Gallows and Anderson interfered and hit Cena with a Magic Killer, their finishing move, which gave Styles the win. Cena became tired of the constant 3 on 1 attacks and found the help in Enzo Amore and Big Cass and along with them, defeated The Club at Battleground in a 6 man tag. Cena pinned Styles in the match. With the draft split, it separated both teams as Gallows and Anderson and Enzo and Cass went to Raw and Styles and Cena went to Smackdown. The two were now able to have the one on one classic they deserved and Styles challenged Cena to one more match at SummerSlam.. The two did not disappoint and had a near 25 minute classic that featured AJ Styles kicking out of an Attitude Adjustment from the top rope. In the end, AJ Styles, with no help from anyone, defeated John Cena with the Styles Clash and Phenomenal Forearm. No low blows, no foot on the ropes, just a clean 1-2-3 victory. Do you know how many times John Cena has been defeated cleanly? About 12 times since 2005. Styles would also get a pinfall on him at No Mercy in a triple threat match, meaning AJ Styles has three pinfall victories over John Cena in his rookie year to Cena's one. Mind freaking blowing.

AJ and Cena is the year's top feud because it was a dream rivalry. It was something we never thought possible but always wanted and in the end, the two gave us great performances worthy of their dream billing. It was a feud that AJ Styles won, over the top guy in the WWE. It instantly put over Styles as champion and it propelled him straight to the main event scene. And any feud that was the cause for putting the WWE Title on AJ Styles has to be the feud of the year.

Mark Out Moments of the Year

10. Becky Lynch FINALLY wins a title

I'm a huge Four Horsewomen fan. I love them all. I want to see them all be successful in WWE. Charlotte, Sasha and Bayley all held the NXT Women's Title but Becky never got that opportunity. Once she was drafted to Smackdown and they were making the first Smackdown Women's Champion, I was nervous that Becky was going to get treated like crap, especially with Nikki Bella on the show but WWE proved me wrong when they actually gave the title to Becky, her first ever championship. It was an amazing sight to see and it made me a proud wrestling fan to finally see her ascension to the top.

9. American Alpha wins NXT Tag Titles/Drafted to Smackdown/Win Smackdown Tag Team Titles

This one is a bit personal for me. I went to the first NXT show in Philadelphia. On the show, Jason Jordan wrestled Bull Dempsey and in the match, the crowd called him Jason Jobber. Jordan had the look to succeed but he didn't find his niche just yet. Enter Chad Gable and the two instantly meshed as a tag team and the NXT Universe saw just that. They got an opportunity at the titles at Takeover Dallas and made the most of the chance by winning the titles in the first match of Wrestlemania weekend. Once they lost the titles in June and a draft looming, it looked likely that Jordan and Gable would be making their way up the ladder. This was the case as they were both drafted to Smackdown during the live special, making me go crazy. I was very excited for Gable but even more proud of Jason Jordan who had finally found who he was with his partner and made his dream come true. Next up, the Smackdown Tag Team Champions, which of course happened the same night I posted this! They become the first former NXT Tag Team Champions to win titles on the main roster. Great and unexpected moment! Last title change of the year!

8. Rollins' triumph return

Seth Rollins injury came at a bad time. He was on top of the world and one of the longer reigning WWE Champions of this generation. With a nine month expected recovery time, I didn't expect him back until close to SummerSlam so imagine by shock when after Reigns had defeated AJ Styles, Rollins would come back to Pedigree Reigns at Extreme Rules. The crowd went crazy as did I at home. Rollins was back to reclaim what was his and in his first match back, he did. It didn't last long but Rollins came back and showed that he was better than ever.

7. Nakamura makes history

Shinsuke Nakamura had a great first impression by defeating Sami Zayn at Takeover Dallas in the match of the weekend. He continued to get a massive following, with the crowd humming his theme music every time he came out. A star that over can't be denied to be the top star of NXT and Nakamura got his chance at Takeover Brooklyn II in a first time ever match with Samoa Joe. Earlier I said that NJPW doesn't have a success story in WWE like other companies do. Nakamura took the first steps to change that as he defeated Samoa Joe and became NXT Champion, the first man to hold that title and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This is only the beginning for Nakamrua and I definitely know he'll be the first success story from NJPW.

6. The whole Ibushi/Alexander match

I don't want to talk to much about the match here but man, was this an edge of your seat type of match. Even though I knew who was going to win it, it didn't stop me from getting highly involved with the match and jumping up and down like a child for all the big moves. That's all. We'll come back to this soon.

5. Balor draft pick/Universal Title win

My love for Finn Balor should be known by now. I'm a huge fan of his and want to see him succeed in WWE. Once he loss the NXT Title and his rematch to Samoa Joe, I knew it was finally time for his to come to the main roster. Oh, and WWE was having a draft with six picks coming from NXT? Strange...After he put over the next face of NXT Shinsuke Nakamura, it was finally time for Balor to make his arrival. Raw drafted Finn Balor fifth overall, over the like of John Cena, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar. This pick was backed up by his immediate push to the main event, where he won the newly made world title for Raw, the Universal Championship, at SummerSlam against Seth Rollins. We know what happened next with his injury but it didn't stop me cheering like a child when Finn accomplished these two feats in less than a month's time.

4. Triple H wins Rumble and 14th Title/Raw return

Triple H is my favorite wrestler of all time. There, I said it. As Wrestlemania season came about, it seemed likely that Roman Reigns VS Triple H was the planned main event. If that was the case, then WWE was going to need to put the title on Triple H because you know, it's more interesting to see the face chase after the title. Triple H made his unannounced but expected return in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating champion Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to win his 14th World Title. After losing it at Mania, he disappeared. Vanished from the main roster but was still making regular manager appearances for NXT. When WWE was crowning a new Universal Champion, they had a Fatal Four Way between Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Big Cass and Roman Reigns. Reigns just speared Rollins outside when Triple H made his surprise return, hitting Reigns with a Pedigree. A little revenge from Wrestlemania. After he was eliminated by Rollins, it looked like Rollins was going to become champion but Triple H turned on Rollins, setting up for an obvious Wrestlemania 33 match. It was great to see The Game still hanging with the youth and pushing them as well.

3. AJ Styles debut/Meeting Cena on Raw/Beating Cena clean/WWE Title win

I had to lump all four together because otherwise, this list would be all Styles centered. The Styles rumors started once the year started and it wasn't sure when Styles was going to debut, whether it was going to be at the Royal Rumble or the Raw afterward. Much to everyone's approval, it was at the Royal Rumble as the #3 entrant. He lasted 30 minutes and was eliminated. Another great moment was when he met John Cena for the first time on Memorial Day. The chants of Let's Go Cena, AJ Styles were deafening. The crowd was looking forward to this for a long time. This started the feud and they would eventually wrestle together at SummerSlam 2016 in the match of the night. Styles had already defeated Cena at MITB but that was thanks to his buddies Gallows and Anderson. At SummerSlam, it was a one on one affair, no interference, no cheap tactics, just a straight wrestling match, with Styles defeating Cena clean. Styles followed up his huge victory with his WWE Title win at the next PPV against Dean Ambrose. He did cheat there but he's a heel so. who care? I was jumping up and down for each every moment, especially the debut. Styles in WWE was something we never thought we see but it's definitely was something we needed.

2. Sasha Banks wins Women's Title

Sasha Banks is my favorite star going right now and it's not just because I'm in love with her. She's an amazing in ring worker and she's definitely over with the crowd. She was never given the women's title on the main roster despite this. That all changed on July 25th, 2016 when she finally got a one on one WWE Women's Title match. With the Banks Statement, she defeated Charlotte to win the title. I was crying tears of joy when she did. Not really but I know I woke up everyone in the house when she won. Then her speech at the end, ah, so satisfying. Great moment, probably the best Raw moment of the year. Well....

1. Kevin Owens wins Universal Title

THIS is the best Raw moment of the year. Kevin Owens as a World Champion was a foregone conclusion in WWE. The man beat John Cena his first night on the main roster. He had some snags afterwards but Owens was always on TV in some way or fashion. When it was time to crown a new Universal Champion. Owens was one of the four involved. Triple H came out and gave his support to Owens by turning on former associate Seth Rollins. Owens was shocked but he knew the opportunity that laid before him so he covered Rollins to become the champion. I went crazy for a number of reasons. One, Reigns wouldn't win. Two, Triple H turning on Rollins confirmed a face turn for Rollins. And three, Owens finally won a World Title, going back to my original prediction from last year stating Owens would be a World Champion, as well as Balor and Ambrose. This was a great moment, one that was much deserved.

Superstar Most Likely to win First World Title in 2017

5. Rusev

Rusev is a big man. Vince has a thing for big guys. Him being world champion should be a foregone conclusion. He's also very agile for a man of his size and he has an amazingly gorgeous wife who is a great mouthpiece for the guy. He's already feuded with two of the top stars in WWE, both for the US Title and on the losing end but he definitely has the big match experience. The Universal Title would look good on Rusev and he could definitely have some great matches with Seth Rollins down the line. I say give him a chance. 2017 might be the year it finally happens.

4. Big Cass

This one is my dark horse pic but something tells me he might be the most likely guy on the list. Vince is already a big supporter of his because he fits the mold of what Vince wants most in superstars; look and height. Big Cass had a main eventer look no doubt but I want to see how he fares in the ring before I cast final judgment. Cass was already in his first World Title match this past summer. It will not be his last. I think the Enzo and Cass team will die out soon and Enzo will just play the manager role for Cass. Big Cass VS Roman Reigns is Vince's dream come true and it will definitely happen soon.

3. Sami Zayn

How many fantastic matches has Sami Zayn had this year? And despite this, how many titles has Zayn won? None. It's a shame when you think about it. Zayn will take that underdog role Daniel Bryan had for so many years. The fans will continue to voice their opinion on Zayn until WWE has no choice but to put a title on him. You can't constantly keep stealing the show without them putting a World Title on you. Even if it's a short reign, I feel like Zayn will win a World title in some way or fashion in 2017.

2. Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe main evented 5 different NXT Takeover specials. He was the first two time NXT Champion. He's veteran of professional wrestling. He should already be on the main roster and I think that time will finally come around the Royal Rumble. There's nothing left for him to do in NXT and once you run out of things to do, it's time to move onto the main roster. Joe has the skill set us internet wrestling fans love. Winning a World Title in your main roster rookie year is certainly tough, but not impossible and if put on the right show, SMACKDOWN, I think Joe will thrive enough to become a World Champion.

1. Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura is probably the most over star in WWE right now. The crowd serenades him as his theme song blares throughout any arena he's in. As the current NXT Champion, it's always hard to tell when he'll be leaving NXT. There are a lot of great stars on the roster but Nakamura is the only one the exudes that much star power. That being said, it might be hard to bring him up to the main roster so quickly. Balor was in the same position as Nakamura was in last year so anything is possible. I think Nakamura as WWE Champion would do wonders for the brand as a whole and for NJPW, seeing that their stars can succeed in WWE.

Best Matches of the Year

10. Seth Rollins VS Roman Reigns - Money in the Bank

WWE called this a match worthy of the main event of Wrestlemania. While WWE often times over exaggerates, this is one time they got it right. This is one of those special title matches where everything aligns just right. Roman Reigns was finally WWE Champion, only due to Rollins being out with an injury. Rollins comes back from said injury and wants to reclaim what he believes was rightfully his. Rollins and Reigns were suppose to have two PPV matches up to this point. One was at Night of Champions 2014 but Reigns had to have emergency surgery. Then, Rollins was going to defend the title against Reigns at Survivor Series 2015 but then the major injury to Rollins happen. It was finally time, the rightful champion vs the interim champion. It had every making of a Mania match.

Having to follow the first ever meeting between Styles and Cena and the great Money in the Bank Ladder match is no favorable task but it's one Rollins and Reigns thrived off of and had a great main event. Rollins didn't lose any steam, even with this being his first match back since injury. The two went toe to toe and my favorite moment from the match was when Rollins reversed an incoming Spear into a Pedigree. It wasn't the most beautiful thing but it was awesome.

Rollins didn't get the cover there but it was enough damage done to keep Reigns stunned enough for another Pedigree. This time, Reigns stayed down and it would give Rollins his 2nd WWE World Heavyweight Title. This was a shocking clean loss for their golden boy, his first ever. Reigns failed a wellness test earlier in the day, which led to his loss here. We'll take it anyway we can get it! It was a great match regardless and it led to an even bigger moment afterwards with Ambrose cashing in. I would love to see them do it again soon.

9. Charlotte VS Sasha Banks VS Becky Lynch - Wrestlemania 32

The Divas Revolution fell flat, mainly because there just was not enough emphasis on singles feuds. WWE looked to changed that at the start of the year by finally adding Sasha Banks to the Divas Title picture, which would lead to Charlote VS Sasha at Wrestlemania 32. It was the feud that was going to save the Divas Division. Rightfully so, WWE decided to add Becky Lynch into the mix as well and we now had a major triple threat match for the title in probably the biggest women's match in Wrestlemania history. It was so big and so hyped, they decided to do away with the term Diva and the Divas Championship, instead calling the women Superstars and giving them a brand new title, simply called the Women's Championship. The match became even bigger and more important than ever.

There was a lot of pressure on these three ladies, three of the four Horsewomen who were going to rejuvenate women's wrestling. The pressure did not affect them at all as the three had the best match at this year's Wrestlemania. From Sasha's entrance with her cousin Snoop Dogg rapping her out to Charlotte wearing pieces from her father's retirement robe from Wrestlemania 24, the match had all the big match main event feel needed. They did exactly what they needed to do and had a great match that told a fantastic story. It was the culmination of the 9 months the three had been on the main roster and showed the world on the grandest stage that women's wrestling was alive and well. Sasha hitting a frog splash was a soft spot but Charlotte stole the show with her moonsault to the outside. Thanks to some underhanded tactics, Charlotte made Becky tap out to become the inaugural Women's Champion. As a wrestling fan, it made me very proud to see these ladies do everything possible to steal the show. And they did just that.

8. The Miz VS Cesaro VS Sami Zayn VS Kevin Owens - Extreme Rules

THIS is how you do a Fatal Four Way match. Mesh two different feuds together for one chaotic and unforgettable contest. WWE knew they had a gem on their hands when they combined the talent of The Miz, Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Kevin Owens together. This was a fun contest with each guy getting to show off their move set. It started off quickly with Zayn giving a Hellvua Kick to Owens as the bell rung and it broke down from there. We saw the traditional corner spot with all four guys involved and some of my favorite moments were the Cesaro uppercut train followed by Owens Cannonball Express. It was awesome to see.

Cesaro took a lot of the punishment in the match, taking all three men's finishing moves. Miz hit him with the Skull Crushing Finale, but he kicked out. He got hit with a Pop up Powerbomb but kicked out. It was Sami Zayn's Hellvua Kick that would do Cesaro in but Owens pulled Zayn out the ring. While those two were fighting each other, Miz got in the ring and covered Cesaro to retain his championship. It helped elevate the Intercontinental Title by having three of the best workers in WWE try to take it from The Miz. It helped put Miz back on the map as he retained over the three guys and it gave the WWE Universe the best multi man match of the year. Really great contest.

7. AJ Styles VS Roman Reigns - Extreme Rules

AJ Styles had only been in the WWE for four months but he was already put into the WWE Title picture against the WWE's new golden boy Roman Reigns. Their Payback match was great and they had a chance to show the world what they could do again, just this time, it would be under Extreme Rules. It did not disappoint. They also had to follow the previously mentioned Fatal Four Way match and in my opinion, they had the best match of the night. This was an all out war, one that saw them wrestle into the crowd and all the way up to the Kick Off panel table, where Reigns slammed Styles and where Styles hit an innovative Phenomenal Forearm. Styles took a lot of vicious spots in the match, going through two of the announce tables. One by a back body drop, the other by powerbomb.

Such a fantastic contest that also featured The Club and The Usos as both teams tried to make sure their guys won. The closing moments had Styles hitting his 2nd Styles Clash on Reigns but this time onto a chair. One of the Usos distracted Styles just enough for Reigns to kick out at 2. Styles then went into a rampage with a chair, destroying The Usos and Reigns in the process. Styles would go for a Phenomenal Forearm but Reigns was ready and hit Styles with a Spear in mid air to end the match and retain his title.

It instantly put over Styles as a top contender in WWE. It put over more of the face that Reigns was the top guy in WWE at the time. It gave the fans an unforgettable and big time WWE Title match the world wanted to see. This was an eye opener for anyone who didn't know Styles or doubted him. A breakout performance for Styles and a sign of things to come.

6. DIY VS The Revival - NXT Takeover Toronto

You might remember me openly stating that the tag division was the weakest division in NXT. I think they might have heard me because the tag matches this year have been the best yet and it was the latest NXT Tag Title match that stood high above the rest. It was a 2/3 Falls match, which is the signature match type in NXT. These four guys went all out and had the best match of the evening. The Revival have been on a whole nother level since winning the titles and upped the ante with every match they had. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano were the perfect team for them to face. Their Brooklyn match was great but this was a step above it. Great storytelling, amazing in ring chemistry and many near falls.

Ir was an edge of your seat nail biter. One of the best moments of the match was when DIY hit Dash Wilder with The Revival's own move, The Shatter Machine.

The ending sequence was great too. After a few pinning combinations, Gargano locked Wilder in his Gargano Escape while Ciampa locked Scott Dawson in an armbar. Dawson pleaded with Wilder not to tap but the pain was too much to bear and he tapped, making Gargano and Ciampa champions together in NXT.

It was an amazing match from all four talents. It's the type of match that makes you salivate as a wrestling fan, especially knowing this is only NXT, meaning both teams are just getting started. If this is a sign of things to come for the division then we're in for a special treat whenever these guys do come to the main roster.

5. TJ Perkins VS Kota Ibushi - Cruiserweight Classic Finale

Words couldn't describe how happy I was when Kota Ibushi was shown in the crowd during Takeover Dallas. I've been a huge fan of his since I saw him in NJPW . When he was announced for the Cruiserweight Classic, I just knew he was going to win as he was probably the most well known talent involved. Well, just because you're well known, doesn't mean you'll win. The two favorites, Zack Sabre Jr and Kota Ibushi didn't sign contracts with WWE while the other two finalists, TJ Perkins and Gran Metalik did. Guess who was winning?

That didn't stop me from believing Ibushi was going to win though. The two had one of the best matches in the tournament. Many close calls, and great reversals. My heart sank when Ibushi hit Perkins with the Powerbomb only to have Perkins kick out. No one kicks out of that move! There was also a sequence when Ibushi when for a big powerbomb but it was reversed into a DDT by Perkins.

There were a lot of big moments and great counters but the end came like most of Perkins matches at that point, locked in his knee bar, but here, Perkins added a new twist. Ibushi has a surgically repaired neck so Perkins, with the leglock still in stood up and reach for his neck. The pain that Ibushi was in looked legit disgusting and in the biggest shocker of the tournament, Ibushi tapped out. TJ Perkins was moving onto to the finals.

What a tense match in the tournament and the second best match of the whole thing. Perkins taking out the favorite instantly made him the man to beat and one of my favorite wrestlers on the roster. Anyone who can take out my favorite by right has earned that respect. Great match between the two.

4. Kevin Owens VS Sami Zayn - Battleground

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens didn't have the top quality matches in NXT. They were good but those were more about Owens dominating, not a back and forth classic. Their match at Battleground 2016 was just that, a show stealing contest worthy of the two men involved. They went back and forth, doing moves most stars wouldn't dream of. There was a really nasty spot on the ring apron when Zayn suplexed Owens and the sound it made, ugh. It also told a really good story as both men knew that if they were still at each other's throats, they couldn't continue on in their careers with both men allowing the obsession over the other in multiple matches.

They went all out, counters, the whole nine yards. Zayn went for his signature dive through the ropes to a DDT on the outside, only to be met with a superkick. Zayn hit a Half and Half Suplex, only for Owens to get up, try and clothesline and get hit with another suplex. The finish was the best. Zayn hit one Helluva Kick and let Owens fall onto his chest. In a moment of what we all thought was compassion, it was just Zayn thinking if one kick was enough. He propped him back in the corner and hit another one and covered Owens for the win, the first win in four matches between the two in WWE.

It was a tense match that may have not been for any titles or anything, but definitely outshined anything else on the show and this had the Shield Triple Threat on it too. Zayn and Owens aren't done yet and I'm definitely ok with that.

3. Kota Ibushi VS Cedric Alexander - Crusierweight Classic 2nd Round

15 minutes of pure wrestling. There was no storylines, no gimmicks, just two guys who wanted to move onto the next round in a tournament. I don't think anyone was quite prepared for the in ring classic these two were ready to put on but the crowd sure appreciated it in the end. The first few minutes were the feeling out process but once Ibushi landed one of his signature kicks, that changed quickly. So many highlights in this match. How about when Ibushi went for his signature moonsault, only to miss and then Alexander came back with a huge dive over the top rope? How about when Ibushi tried again and actual hit it? How about when Ibushi hit that amazing corkscrew moonsault thing?

I think the most thrilling part of the match was near the end, when Alexander hit a massive kick to Ibushi's head and followed with a devastating brainbuster for a 2 count. Immediately after, Alexander hit him with another vicious kick for another 2 count. It was such an amazing sequence. Cedric would try to hit a top rope move but Ibushi moved out the way and hit in a quick release German Suplex, followed by a head kick and then followed by the Powerbomb for the 1-2-3. Amazing match over.

Breath taking. Absolutely amazing match. Some of the best in ring work I've seen from any WWE show. It backed up Ibushi being the favorite while making Alexander look absolutely fantastic in defeat. So good that the crowd started a Please Sign Cedric chant, which was met by Triple H coming out and giving the thumbs up to the crowd and taking him to the back. A perfect ending to an amazing match. It would be a real pleasure and honor to watch them wrestle one more time.

2. AJ Styles VS John Cena - SummerSlam

John Cena has faced some amazing talent in the past five years at SummerSlam. CM Punk in 2011, Daniel Bryan in 2013 and Seth Rollins in 2015, all in losing fashion too. 2016 was the rematch with AJ Styles and while it was indeed a rematch, it didn't feel anything like their previous encounter. That's because it was on an entirely different level and showcased the two best stars on Smackdown. Cena's ring rust was completely gone this time around, which meant the two could have a much better match. They went 25 minutes and had the match of the night and definitely the best match of the entire WWE weekend.

Cena always steps his game up when he faces one of the Internet darlings, usually by pulling out moves you generally don't see form him often, like this spinning move.

They went finisher for finisher and definitely one of the bigger surprises was when Cena hit the top rope AA on Styles and went for an immediate cover but AJ STYLES KICKED OUT! Second man to do it after Kevin Owens. Cena was in disbelief after the move.

As Cena went for another AA, Styles reserved into a Styles Clash. Knowing that it would not be enough to fell the 15 time World Champion, Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm, which was enough to keep the Mighty Cena down for a squeaky clean three count. AJ Styles defeated John Cena in a feud. This is not a video game simulation, this is real freaking life.

Match of the night hands down. This was the match they needed to have and Cena keeps putting on great performances against top talent, despite the fans thinking Cena can't wrestle. It was an amazing contest and was definitely worthy of being put on the SummerSlam card, maybe as the main event.

1. Shinsuke Nakamura VS Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover Dallas

Fight Forever.

During this match, the crowd chanted that, a chant I never heard before but it was one that I agreed with so much. This match was just on such a different level than WWE was used to putting on that no other match could touch its brilliance and I had to award it the match of the year for 2016. Everything about it was epic from the entrances, to the match itself to the ending, everything flowed nicely. When Nakamura made his entrance, he instantly belonged. His theme song matched his charismatic walk and it fit him to a tee. The crowd was already chanting before the match started. Then, once the match started, it was simply amazing. Sometimes you're worried that a match might not live up to the hype, that was not the case here. So many kicks, so many knees, so much VIOLENCE. At one point, the two were just hitting each other with forearms, just back and forth, back and forth. The crowd was eating it up, loving every minute of it and that's what started the fight forever chants.

I talked about how earlier Owens reserved the Zayn corner dive with a superkick. Nakamura countered this as well, but with a timely boot of his own.

Zayn would not go quietly and continued to take all the pain Nakamura was dishing out. The end came once Nakamura hit Zayn with a knee to the back of the head from the top rope and then lined him up for his signature knee strike, now called the Kinshasa. With that, the match was over and Nakamura had immediately made an amazing first impression on the WWE Universe.

Nakamura prevailed against the heart and soul of NXT in an epic encounter. Respect was shown by both men at the end of the match and Nakamura gave the ring to Zayn, as he said farewell to NXT crowd as he made his way to the main roster. It was an ending befitting Zayn and made the match that much sweeter.

It's hard to describe what made this match so amazing. Like the Sasha/Bayley match from Takeover Brooklyn last year, just so many things lined up perfectly to make this match so amazing and so noteworthy. It was the perfect introduction for Shinsuke Nakamura and the perfect exit for Sami Zayn. It gave the WWE Universe such an amazing match and it was so great, that the crowd chanted for Nakamura during the main event of Wrestlemania two days later. It was awesome and it's a must see for any wrestling fan. Hands down, the top match of 2016.

BOLD Predictions for 2017

5. NXT VS WWE

With WWE doing all these Takeover/Big Four weekends, don't you think it's time to do some stars from NXT VS the stars of Raw and Smackdown? Yes, the NXT stars ultimate goal is to be on the main roster but they aren't there just yet. Let's start doing some fantasy matches for the big shows, like AJ Styles VS Shinsuke Nakamura. It's a match that is destined to happen under the WWE umbrella one day but it would be a good showcase for both brands. How about DIY VS Sheamus and Cesaro? Could you imagine how hard hitting that would be? How about Asuka VS Charlotte? I think for Wrestlemania weekend, there needs to be some added competition between the two and there will be at least one NXT VS WWE match, either on Takeover Orlando or Wrestlemania 33. Participants are still a mystery but it's something that finally needs to happen.

4. Daniel Bryan

When Daniel Bryan retired, my heart broke. It broke because he retired at a time when there were so many great matches for him to have with his friends and former stars he was already in the ring with. With that being said and with the way Miz has been treating Daniel Bryan, I strongly believe we'll see Daniel Bryan in the ring one more time. He said WWE doctors wouldn't clear him yes but what if by some miracle, he gets better and is able to wrestle once more? Imagine how happy all the fans would be. I just don't think WWE would tease something like that if they didn't already know something. Daniel Bryan will wrestle one more time in 2017. Will it be against Miz? Or maybe even AJ Styles? I don't know but it's going to happen!

3. Cena part time

This is already starting to happen but John Cena's star is continuing to rise and it's rising high and fast. From his TV show American Grit to him hosting Saturday Night Live, Cena won't be having a full time schedule in WWE anymore. It will be down to just the big four PPVs, that's it. Cena is becoming a hot act outside of wrestling so I think it's time for him to do more work for the company outside the ring. It's a little sad because that means less Cena matches and Cena is a hot draw. Putting him against anyone instantly makes the match special but in 2017, this will be a rare thing as Cena will continue to film movies and transition to a life without pro wrestling.

2. Wrestlemania matches

Wrestlemania 33 is months away and there are some major matches that could take place. Goldberg VS Brock Lesnar is all but confirmed but I don't care about that. Seth Rollins will most likely get Triple H after what happened back in August. Kevin Owens, if he's still Universal Champion, should be defending against the 2017 Royal Rumble winner Finn Balor or Chris Jericho. Either one would be acceptable to win the Rumble to get the shot but Balor's shot depends on a miraculous recovery. The money main event is definitely John Cena VS The Undertaker. Now, whether it be for the WWE Title or not depends on when champion AJ Styles drops it, if he does. Regardless of what Vince thinks, the best women's match for Raw would be a heel Sasha Banks VS Bayley for the Raw Women's Title. It would be a crime if it didn't happen in there in Orlando. I'm still not 100% sure what guys like Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles will do but the main matches will definitely be Goldberg/Lesnar, Taker/Cena, Owens/Balor or Jericho and Sasha/Bayley. Hopefully.

1. Major acquisitions

AJ Styles. Shinsuke Nakamura. Austin Aries. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Roderick Strong. Bobby Roode. Cedric Alexander and the rest of the great Cruiserweights. WWE had the best signing year in its history. How are they going to follow that up? Well, let's be honest, they can't but they can add more great stars to their roster. Two stars from ROH that are must haves are Adam Cole and Jay Lethal. I don't know what their contract status is but if they do become free agents, they need to be coming over to WWE. The Young Bucks were going to be my top pick but they just signed with ROH so they are out. Drew Galloway is done with TNA in February so a WWE return would be great. The biggest signing they could get right now would be Ricochet. WWE has been reportedly interested in the star and with good reason. He's an amazing in ring talent and as much as we talk about gravity forgetting Neville, gravity doesn't even know Ricochet. He needs to come to WWE very soon.

What to look for in 2017

3. NXT Call-ups

2016 saw the main roster debuts of Enzo and Cass, The Vaudevillians, Carmella, Apollo Crews, Nia Jax, Mojo Rawley and the two biggest success stories, Finn Balor and Alexa Bliss. Balor and Bliss both won titles this year. So, who's next to come up? That's the question on everyone's mind. Tye Dillinger and Samoa Joe are two that are rumored to make their debut at the Royal Rumble in January while I'm waiting for the day The Revival will bring their great matches to the main roster. The biggest star, Shinsuke Nakamura, is the one star everyone is waiting for on the main roster but WWE needs a big star to replace him before they can call him up. Balor was in NXT for almost 2 years before he was finally called up so Nakamura might not be coming 2017. Regardless, it will definitely be interesting to see who will be coming in 2017.

2. Does Wrestlemania rebound?

Wrestlemania 32 was the first one of the of the 30s Wrestlemania to have received negative reviews. 30 and 31 both got universal acclaim, mainly for their superb endings and great matches. 32 fell flat, despite great performances from the three women who stole the show. I'm looking to see how and if WWE can make Wrestlemania great again. This was the first Wrestlemania to really bomb since 27. You shouldn't bomb on your biggest show of the year. With more stars healthy, a split brand and some amazing chances to make great matches, WWE should not be able to repeat the mistake again. I already gave my dream card for the show. If WWE does that and and adds to it, then we'll all be in for a treat.

Just imagine WWE doing this!

1. Draft Lottery 2017

Now that the brands are split, the most exciting thing about next year is going to be when they do the draft lottery or trades or whatever they have in store. With stars on different shows, some feuds just aren't possible right now, like Styles/Rollins, Zayn/Ziggler or Vince's wet dream of Cena/Reigns. A lottery would add intrigue to a three hour Raw and would freshen up some feuds. It would also give a chance to bring up some NXT guys to the main roster as well. It's definitely going to happen in the new year.

Superstar of the Year

5. The Shield

It's hard to break all these guys up and I think they are had great years, but there was not one better than the other. I'll break down their years individually and you be the just who was the greatest in 2016.

Roman Reigns started the year as WWE Champion, fresh off his huge Raw title win, which I saw live. Reigns continued to piss of the powers to be and in a shocking move, Vince McMahon made the Royal Rumble for Reigns' WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the 1st time a champion has ever defended the title in the match and the 2nd time the title has been on the line in the match, first since 1992, the night Ric Flair won his first WWF Title. Oh yeah, and Reigns started a #1. Reigns tried his best but Vince's hencemen the League of Nations took out Reigns early, putting him through the announce table and he got carried to the back. Reigns would come back before the #30 entrant came out, who happened to be Triple H. Triple H was assaulted at TLC by Reigns. The match came down to Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus and Triple H. While Reigns was eliminating Sheamus, Triple H tossed Reigns over the top rope, ending his 2nd reign as champion. Triple H would go onto to win the match and the title.

Reigns wasn't given his rematch clause because, you know, the boss was champion after all. Instead, he had to compete in a #1 contender's triple threat match featuring Ambrose and Brock Lesnar. Reigns won by pinning Ambrose and was moving onto the main event of Wrestlemania 32 against Triple H, his 2nd straight main event at the show. The crowd MASSACRED him at Mania but despite this, he was able to overcome The Authority to win the WWE Title. The crowd hated it and booed him out the stadium but the people at home didn't get to hear it all because THEY MUTED THE MICS! That's how bad it was. Regardless, Reigns was champion.

Reigns next challenger was AJ Styles. Styles was mainly used as a way to get Reigns over as a top fighting champion. If Reigns could beat a star as renowned as Styles, it would solidify him as a top talent. Despite valiant efforts from Styles, Reigns overcame him on two separate occasions, once at Payback and then at Extreme Rules in the Extreme Rules match. Go figure. Reigns took all the punishment Styles delved out in each match and looked very strong in defeating an athlete such as Styles. The crowd hated it obviously. While Reigns was celebrating his victory at Extreme Rules, the former champion who never lost it, Seth Rollins, made his return, attacking Reigns. Their mega match was booked for Money in the Bank. On that night, Seth Rollins was the better man and dethroned the Roman Empire. On the same day, Reigns failed a drug test and as apart of the wellness policy, was suspended for 30 days. The failure wasn't announced until the Tuesday following and they had already announced The Shield Triple Threat for Battleground. Since it was only thirty days, he would be back in time for the PPV, which was about 5 weeks away from the suspension date. While suspended, he was drafted to the Raw brand.

Reigns' return was not triumph, as he was the one who took the pin in the match, failing to win the title. With no World Title on Raw, Roman Reigns competed in a series of matches to determine the man who would face Rollins at SummerSlam for the new Universal Title. While Reigns won the initial Fatal Four Way qualifier, he was unsuccessful against new to the main roster Finn Balor. Balor gave Reigns his 2nd clean loss in his career on his 1st night on the main roster. Obviously, Reigns was feeling the repercussions from his test failure. Reigns would enter a feud with Rusev, the United States Champion, who he would dethrone at Clash of Champions and retain over inside Hell in a Cell at...Hell in a Cell but before he became US Champion, he had a shot to become Universal Champion after Balor got injured. He competed in the Fatal Four Way Elimination match with Big Cass, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens. Triple H would make return and cost Reigns the match, getting a bit of revenge from Wrestlemania. After his team lost at Survivor Series, Reigns starting going after the Universal Title but lost to Owens by DQ thanks to Chris Jericho. Reigns would end 2016 with the US Title and a shot at the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble.

Seth Rollins year didn't start until May, where he returned to attack Reigns at Extreme Rules. He then won back the title at MITB, only to lose it minutes later to Dean Ambrose, who was cashing in his MITB contract. Rollins ad Ambrose would battle for the title and in one instance, there was a false finish which gave Rollins the title. It was later overturned. On the draft, Seth Rollins was drafted to Raw as the #1 draft pick but he failed to bring the WWE Title to Raw after losing in the Battleground Triple Threat. Raw had to crown a new World Champion and created the Universal Championship. Rollins was automatically entered into contention for the title but lost at SummerSlam to new star Finn Balor. Balor was unfortunately injured and they had to crown a new champion. Seth Rollins competed in the previously mentioned Fatal Four Way Elimination match where he lasted to the last two with Kevin Owens. Rollins was about to win but Triple shockingly turned on Seth Rollins, turning Rollins heel for the first time in two years. Rollins spent the rest of the year trying to take the Universal Title away from Kevin Owens, which he was unsuccessful on about four different occasions.

Dean Ambrose started the year as Intercontinental Champion and was going to end his feud with Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble. Ambrose won the match and would go onto compete in the Royal Rumble match. He was apart of the final two with Triple H but he was unsuccessful in capturing the title. Ambrose lost the IC Title in a Fatal Five Way on the Raw before Fast Lane, which was won by Kevin Owens. At Fast Lane, Ambrose lost a #1 contender's match featuring Reigns and Brock Lesnar, being pinned by Reigns. During the build towards Reigns/Triple H, Ambrose entered into the fray and challenged Triple H to a WWE Title match, which would take place at a WWE special Roadblock. Ambrose was unsuccessful in his match and had to look forward facing Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania in a No Holds Barred match, which he would lose in a boring match. Ambrose would then enter a feud with Chris Jericho and he was able to beat the 6 time World Champion in two separate matches at Payback and Extreme Rules. Ambrose entered the Money in the Bank ladder and won in his 3rd attempt in the match. Ambrose wouldn't wait long and cashed in after Seth Rollins won the WWE Title, winning his 1st World Title. He would later be drafted to Smackdown as their #1 draft pick and won The Shield Triple Threat at Battleground. Ambrose then defended the title at SummerSlam in an unremarkable match against Dolph Ziggler and he would later lose it at Smackdown's first exclusive PPV Backlash against AJ Styles. Ambrose was unsuccessful in trying to get his title back at No Mercy and TLC and would then end the year feuding with The Miz for the IC Title.

Of all the members of The Shield, I think Roman Reigns had the best year but they all had great years staying relevant in WWE. The best night in the faction's history was at Money in the Bank, where they were all WWE Champion within a five minute period. They would reunite at Survivor Series and then at Tribute to the Troops. The group's legacy is growing more and more as the years go by and it will be interesting to see what 2017 holds for them.

4. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens had a great debut last year against John Cena and many of wondered if he would rebound after the dreaded feud with John Cena. He definitely would in 2016. Owens started the year feuding for the IC Title with Dean Ambrose, which led to their fantastic Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble. Owens lost but he would enter the Royal Rumble match. Owens eliminated the debuting AJ Styles before coming face to face with old rival Sami Zayn. They would start to fight one another before Zayn eliminated Owens. Owens got an opportunity to compete for the Intercontinental Title in a Fatal Five Way on a Raw in February. Owens regained the title and would defend the against Dolph Ziggler at Fast Lane. On a Raw leading up to Wrestlemania, Owens attempted to attack Neville after the match only for Sami Zayn to come out and attack him, reigniting their feud. Owens had to defend his IC Title at Wrestlemania in a 7 man ladder match but lost the title thanks to Sami Zayn.

Kevin Owens would compete in a Fatal Four Way to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Title. Zayn was suppose to take part in in but he was attacked by Owens backstage. Owens didn't win the match and instead, AJ Styles got the win. Owens had to face Sami Zayn at Payback due to his actions and in a great match, Owens got the victory and instantly told of his intention to reclaim the IC Title, which was now heard by The Miz. Zayn and Owens' rivalry spilled into the IC Title match between The Miz and Cesaro. At the next PPV, Extreme Rules, the four all competed in a Fatal Four Way for the title in one of the best matches of the year but Owens wasn't able to win the title back. Owens qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating AJ Styles. Owens came close to winning the contract but Zayn once against prevented him from winning a match and instead, Ambrose won the match.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn decided that had to end their feud once and for all to be able to move on with their respective careers. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were both drafted to Raw before their match at Battleground. On the show, the two had an absolute barn burner of a match and for the first time in WWE, Sami Zayn defeated Kevin Owens. Afterwards, Owens started feuding with Enzo and Cass and started a friendship with Chris Jericho, which I haven't touched on at all but MAN, this was probably the best thing for Owens. The two would team at SummerSlam to face Enzo and Cass and they were successful in their first teaming. The next week, Kevin Owens had a great opportunity to win the WWE Universal Championship as champion Finn Balor went down with an injury. A Fatal Four Way Elimination match would take place featuring Owens, Cass, Reigns and Rollins. When it came down to Rollins and Owens, Triple H turned on Rollins and gave his support to Kevin Owens. This would allow Kevin Owens to win the Universal Title, becoming the third man to have won the NXT Title and a World Title on the main roster. Owens spent the rest of the year defending the title against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns successfully and making the best segments with Chris Jericho.

Kevin Owens stayed relevant in WWE ALL YEAR LONG. It didn't matter what Owens was doing, he made it interesting. While Finn Balor's injury was unfortunate, it did give Owens his first World Title and he made the most of his opportunity. Owens looks like he's going to enter Wrestlemania 33 as champion and it wouldn't have been possible with the great year he had in 2016.

3. Charlotte

You can love her or you can hate her but regardless, you have to give props to Charlotte on the fantastic 2016 she had. Charlotte didn't lose a singles match on PPV this year. She didn't lose any titles matches this year. She stayed in the title picture all year and main evented a PPV, a first for any woman in WWE. Do I need to go on? Seriously. For the sake of the post. let's discuss Charlotte's year.

Charlotte started off the year as the Divas Champion, locked in a feud with Becky Lynch. They would do battle at the Royal Rumble for the Divas Title and thanks to her father's assistance, she was able to retain over Becky. After the match, Charlotte would put the beat down on Becky and was about to leave but Sasha Banks made her return and intention known that she wanted the Divas Title. Before that could happen, WWE put Charlotte in a feud with Brie Bella, as she was on her way out of the company to focus on family life with now retired husband Daniel Bryan. There was the obvious dissing of Bryan and such and at Fast Lane, Charlotte successfully defended the title against Brie Bella in her last title match.

Wrestlemania was coming around and there needed to be a #1 contender for Charlotte's title. Sasha and Becky had multiple matches to determine the challenger but a they ended on a double countout one time and the other time, Charlotte interfered and caused there to be no winner. The match made for Wrestlemania was Charlotte defending against Becky and Sasha in a triple threat, a match 9 months in the making for the main roster as these three ladies all made their main roster debut at the same time. In the biggest women's match in Wrestlemania history, Charlotte was able to win the match. During the pre show for Wrestlemania, WWE Hall of Famer Lita unveiled the new WWE Women's Title, awarded to the winner of the triple threat so Charlotte's Divas Title reign was over but only due to her winning the new Women's Title.

Becky and Sasha would leave the title picture and Charlotte would begin feuding with Natalya over the new title, because, you know, logic. They would rip a match straight from NXT when Charlotte defended the title against Natalya at Payback. In the match, Flair was in Charlotte's corner and Bret Hart in Natalya's, basically a rematch from NXT Takeover I. Charlotte would retain here and then at the next PPV Extreme Rules thanks to Dana Brooke, who aligned herself with Charlotte. Shortly after, Charlotte turned on her father and told him to leave by berating him, saying that people no longer referred to her as Ric Flar's daughter and instead called Ric Charlotte's dad. Flair left crying.

Charlotte would end her feud with Nattie at Money in the Bank in a tag match with Brooke teaming with Charlotte and Becky teaming with Natalya. The vicious blondes were victorious and on the Raw following, Sasha Banks would continue her feud with Charlotte, leading to a tag team match at Battleground, where Sasha would announce Bayley as her mystery partner. Sasha tapped out Charlotte during the tag match. During this time, Charlotte was drafted to the Raw brand as the #3 pick overall. Not the third woman pick, or the third Raw pick, 3rd OVERALL. It went Seth, Dean, and then Charlotte. It was a shocking and well deserved move.

Since Sasha tapped out Charlotte at the PPV, Sasha was given her first ever one on one title match, a year after her debut. In the first of their incredible series of matches, Sasha Banks finally defeated Charlotte and won the WWE Women's Title for the first time. Charlotte had been champion for basically 10 months at that point. The rematch would take place at SummerSlam. Charlotte would make the most of her rematch and was able to regain her championship by countering the Banks Statement into a pinning combination. Sasha was reportedly hurt and given time to heal her injuries. The next night on Raw, Charlotte was faced with the debuting Bayley and she immediately entered the title picture. Sasha healed faster than expected and at the first Raw exclusive PPV Clash of Champions, Charlotte retained over Bayley and Sasha.

Sasha was still owed a one on one rematch for the title she lost at SummerSlam and in the main event of Raw in October, Sasha Banks got the title back after tapping Charlotte out again. Charlotte was owed a rematch and Sasha challenged Charlotte to a Hell in a Cell match from Sasha's hometown of Boston. Charlotte agreed and the ladies were going to make history by being the first women's match inside Hell in a Cell. That history making moment got even bigger when they got the main event of the PPV Hell in a Cell. Of all the HIAC matches at the PPV, they were the most personal. Charlotte resorted to attacking Banks before the Cell was fully dropped and put her through the announce table. This sneak attack would help Charlotte go onto to win her third Women's Title.

Charlotte would put aside her feud with Sasha to lead Raw's women team against Smackdown. Raw's women ended up winning with Charlotte and Bayley being the survivors of their team, but Charlotte attacked Bayley after the match, looking like the feud was finally going to be over between Sasha and Charlotte. Nope, Sasha had a rematch clause as well so she used it on the November 28th edition of Raw and after the first match stopped, Mick Foley made the match the main event and made it a Falls Count Anywhere match. This was all taking place in Charlotte's hometown. In the crowd, Sasha locked in a unique Banks Statement in the hand rail, forcing Charlotte to tap out and give Sasha her third Women's Title. The final match would take place at Roadblock in a 30 minute Iron man match with the caveat that no matter who won, there would be NO rematch. The two lades had the best match on the show and gave it their all but it was Charlotte who won the match in sudden death overtime, tapping Banks out. Charlotte would win her FOURTH WWE Women's Championship, her fifth overall title on the main roster.

Charlotte had a Queen type of year, reigning supreme basically all year long. No injuries to hold her down either, Charlotte remained as the face of the division all year. People may be getting tired of her but to those people, I say get used to it. Charlotte has only won 6 women's titles in two years. She still has a long way to go to beat her daddy. Charlotte will remain a big part of Raw's women's division in the year 2017 but I'm willing to bet you'll be seeing her on Tuesday nights soon enough, so she can win the Smackdown's Women Title about 6 times. Congrats to Charlotte on a stellar, history making year, despite the haters.

Get used to this.

2. Shinsuke Nakamura

It might be unfair to put Shinsuke Nakamura on this list, mainly because he was only around for 9 months and due to NXT's taping schedule, he wasn't seen as often as other stars but I will say this, every time Nakamura was on TV this year was important and added to his increasing star in WWE. The man is super over and people are literally counting down the days until he comes to the main roster.

Nakamura started his year in Japan, defeating AJ Styles in a match of the year contender at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Then the reports got out about him signing to WWE and the rest is history. NXT General Manager gave long time member Sami Zayn a great opportunity on his quest to try and win the NXT Title for the 2nd time, a chance to face a new superstar coming to NXT; Shinsuke Nakamura. The crowd popped big, despite just being a pre-recorded message. It was announced the two would do battle at NXT Takeover Dallas, the start of Wrestlemania weekend. Zayn and Nakamura tore the roof of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center and had the best match of the weekend and of the year. Nakamura immediately impressed in his debut match. He impressed so much that you could hear Nakamura chants during the Wrestlemania main event between Roman Reigns and Triple H. Truly amazing.


Nakamura would go onto to winning some easy squash matches against Blake, Murphy, etc and would even team with other NXT standout, Austin Aries. When Aries made his intention clear that he wanted to be NXT Champion, he was met by Nakamura, who wanted the same thing. Regal made the match official for the next Takeover event, The End. The match was another first time meeting for Nakamura and it did not disappoint and the two had the best match of the event, something Nakamura was going to be doing a lot of in 2016. Aries put up a hell of a fight but he was chopped down by the King of Strong Styles in an impressive and important victory.

Nakamura was obviously out for the NXT Title but before he could get it, he declared that he had to beat an NXT icon to get there and that was Finn Balor. Balor had just lost his rematch against Samoa Joe and was basically on his way up to the main roster. They had a match on a NXT episode in July and again, didn't disappoint. In the passing of the torch, Nakamura defeated Balor in his farewell match. Defeating Sami Zayn, Austin Aries and Finn Balor in one year is very impressive, especially when he had the final matches in NXT with Zayn and Balor. With this in mind, William Regal made him the #1 contender for the title and he would face Samoa Joe at Takeover Brooklyn II in ANOTHER first time ever meeting.

The match was hard hitting, it was violent and it was fantastic. They both gave it their all and with the crowd solely behind him, Nakamura hit a vicious Kinshasa on Joe for the 3 count and the NXT Championship in one of the best moments in NXT that year. Joe was angry at this obviously and set a trap for Nakamura on the following NXT show and slammed him on the ring steps. The feud turned more personal and their rematch was set for the next NXT Takeover, Toronto. Samoa Joe had to cheat with a low blow and another slam on the steel steps as he won the title and became the 1st man to win the title twice. Nakamura immediately asked for his rematch to take place in his hometown of Osaka, Japan. His hometown was not disappointed as Nakamura regained his title, making him the 2nd man to win the title twice. He would finally vanquish Joe in a steel cage match in Melbourne, Australia to end the feud and retain his title. Nakamura had a date with Bobby Roode at Takeover San Antonio for the NXT Title in a match featuring the two most over guys in WWE.

Nakamura had an amazing year, one that was filled with first time ever dreams matches, title wins and exciting charisma. Nakamura captivated the entire WWE Universe this year and not only put on fantastic matches but was the catalyst needed for guys like Zayn and Balor and hopefully Samoa Joe to finally go to the main roster. He's officially taken his throne as the king of NXT and like Balor, will reign supreme there for a while before coming up to shake up the main roster.

1. AJ Styles

From the start of the year to the end of it, there was no one better than AJ Styles, which is funny because once January 1st, 2016 came around, AJ Styles wasn't even apart of the company. He was still under contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling and involved in a big upcoming first ever match with Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom. The day of the show, reports came out that Styles, Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson had all given their notice to NJPW as they signed with WWE. WWE themselves put the report on their website, adding fuel to the fire. AJ Styles still had booking for after the Royal Rumble, which was his rumored debut. Many reports were conflicting, saying he was going to debut at the event or the night after or not at all just yet. A few days before the event, sites officially said Styles had signed and would debut at the Royal Rumble. It wasn't until the actual event that the dream became reality. As Reigns eliminated Rusev and awaited #3, unfamiliar music hit. Unbeknownst to the home audience, the titantron slowly said the words I Am Phenomenal while the crowd popped big, probably the biggest reaction all year outside Wrestlemania. The announcers instantly put Styles over as the crowd went crazy, mentioning that he was a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, obviously not mentioning his ties to TNa just yet. AJ Styles got to mix it up on his first night with the reigning (ha) WWE Champion and lasted almost a half hour before being eliminated by Kevin Owens.

Styles immediately entered a feud with Chris Jericho as the two wrestled their first match together on the raw following the Royal Rumble, with Styles winning in his debut. They continued the feud as Jericho would win one on Smackdown and Styles at the next PPV Fast Lane. They would form a team together called Y2AJ and would feud with New Day for the tag titles, for two weeks. When Y2AJ lost, Jericho turned on Styles, leading to Styles debut at Wrestlemania against Jericho. Jericho has always been known to put talent over at Mania, Triple H, HBK, Christian, CM Punk and Fandango just to name a few. For whatever reason, Jericho scored the pinfall in one of the more shocking moments of the show.

Styles would rebound very quickly by becoming the #1 contender to the WWE Title on the Raw following Wrestlemania, only 3 months after his debut. It was pretty awesome to see the TNA original already featured in the main event. Styles put on a good performance against Roman Reigns but he was unsuccessful in his first title match at Payback. He was granted a rematch due to some of the things that happened with Gallows and Anderson, who were obviously backing AJ Styles. Styles got his rematch at Extreme Rules and in one of the top matches of the year, Styles was unsuccessful in dethroning Reigns. This did two things for WWE. It put over Reigns as the main champion by winning two match over a talent like Styles and it also gave AJ his first two main events on PPV. Styles would try to rebound and qualify for Money in the Bank but was beaten by Kevin Owens.

This was at Payback but....

And then, one of the biggest moments in WWE history, at least for this era. John Cena returned and met AJ Styles his first night back. A monumental moment for all of professional wrestling as two of the top stars in the entire entertainment came together. As Gallows and Anderson came out to ruin the moment, Styles showed his true colors and turned heel, attacking Cena and finally siding with Gallows and Anderson, forming The Club, an obvious hit at the The Bullet Club.

Then, a match 12 years in the making was made as it was announced that AJ Styles would battle John Cena at Money in the Bank. It was a good match but there was obvious ring rust from Cena. Styles won by The Club interfering and hitting Cena with The Magic Killer. Styles and The Club would face Cena, Enzo and Big Cass at Battleground, which Cena pinned Styles to give his team the victory. Styles would then challenge Cena to one more match, this time to take place at SummerSlam. In the best match of the night, AJ Styles defeated John Cena CLEAN and afterwards, declared himself as The Face That Runs The Place, stealing Cena's trademark. This huge win would push Styles back into the main event picture and a big match against WWE Champion Dean Ambrose.

Styles found himself in a familiar position as he was in a main event of a PPV against a former Shield member for the WWE Title. It was a battle for the ages and in the end, AJ Styles had to hit Ambrose with a low blow and then the Styles Clash to win his first ever WWE World Championship. Styles was already a NWA, PWG, TNA and IWGP Heavyweight champion in his career and just added the biggest prize in the pro wrestling world. Styles would defend the title against Ambrose and Cena at the next PPV and would pin John Cena to retain the title. The man PINNED John Cena three times in one year. Who the hell is the last guy who has done that? I think Edge pinned Cena twice in 2006. After his team lost at Survivor Series, AJ Styles competed in his first TLC match against Ambrose, retaining the title in a vicious match, ending the year as WWE Champion. The TLC match featured one of the best spots of the year and is in gif form below.

Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker were all World Champion within their first year but none of them were on the same level as AJ Styles. Styles feuded with one of the top Attitude Era stars, the new golden boy of the WWE during his ascension, the franchise player and the most likable member of The Shield, all while stealing the show each time he did it.  Styles elevated everyone who he competed with and made WWE a better place in 2016. Who would have thought on January 1st, 2016, that AJ Styles, who looked like he was going to become IWGP Intercontinental Champion, would be Superstar of the Year for WWE? Who would have thought that a former TNA World Champion would be the best guy in WWE this year? And AJ Styles no less? It's surreal, it's shocking and it's definitely one thing; phenomenal.

Final remarks

If I had to give WWE a letter grade this year, it would be a B. There are still many things for them to fix like the Cruiserweights not getting any love, the three hour slog that is Monday Night Raw and useless storylines. WWE has proven this year that they know what wrestling fans want, they just have to do it on a more consistent basis. The draft really gave WWE new life heading into the second quarter and the Raw vs Smackdown feuds were pretty awesome for Survivor Series.

That's all from me! Thank you for reading this long post! Happy New Year! I'll see you around Royal Rumble season!