WWE saw a huge influx of talent in 2016. A handful of talented names from the independent circuit were signed up by the company and similarly, a list of names that were already in the company went on to make headlines for all the good reasons.
As we wrestling fans have this habit of matchmaking and playing with permutations, this talent intake and some other factors made us come up with some excellent main event matches that WWE could have booked.
Though a lot of such possibilities did happen, there are certain matches that didn’t materialise. In this list, we are going to take a look at them.
Honourable Mention: Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon
This is not exactly a match that could main event one of the 'big four' shows. But Stephanie McMahon vs. Ronda Rousey would've been apt to headline any of the second level pay-per-views. The possibility stemmed from Rousey's appearance at WrestleMania back in 2015 and we all wanted her to step into the ring in 2016 and face Stephanie.
But the loss against Holly Holm proved to be too much for Rousey to handle and she had a complete media blackout after.
This also dashed WWE's hopes of having such a cross over match but we cannot completely rule out the possibility of this happening in 2017.
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. John Cena
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. John Cena is one of those matches that should happen at one point or the other. There were rumours about Nakamura and Cena facing off against each other at a live event but it didn’t happen.
Nakamura being in NXT and Cena being on the main roster was the biggest hurdle, but it was cleared out by the live event platform.
Considering that Cena had a lighter schedule throughout the year, it’s understandable why this match did not happen. But with WWE aggressively exploring international markets, Nakamura vs. Cena would’ve been a great move for WWE in terms of business. It would’ve also made the fans happy.
#4 Bayley vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks
The four horsewomen had a breakthrough year in 2016. All four women had their fair share of success this year but we did not get the fatal four way match that we wanted.
Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks had a triple threat at WrestleMania 32, but Bayley was left out since she was still in NXT.
With WWE now open to Women headlining their major shows, a four-way match between these four would’ve been a memorable one. However, with the brand split in place, Becky went away to SmackDown by the time Bayley was called up to the main roster.
But in 2017, we could still hope that such a match could happen in any of the cross-brand pay-per-views.
#3 The Shield vs. The Club
A match between these two factions would’ve been hard to imagine in the early part of 2016.
However, after all the members of Shield went baby face, the match became a huge possibility. But the problem here was the brand split. AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose ended up in SmackDown whereas, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows were on Raw.
Also read: 5 best Bullet Club matches that you probably didn't know about
Despite this, WWE had a chance to make this dream match in a big pay-per-view while Ambrose and Styles was feuding with each other. Ambrose and Styles relying on their former allies to take each other out would’ve been a treat for the fans.
Unfortunately, the booking didn’t go through but we might get to see this match next year.
#2 Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
The Triple H - Seth Rollins feud was supposed to go down after Triple H turned on Rollins and helped Owens win the Universal Championship. But WWE decided to delay the storyline and fans were left wondering why Hunter would turn against Rollins in the first place.
WWE had the option of letting Triple H vs. Seth Rollins headline any of the pay-per-views after the turn happened but instead, they chose to keep Triple H away from the action. The storyline has cooled down considerably and most fans out there have lost interest in it.
It remained as one of the unsolved storylines of 2016 and it wouldn’t be a surprise if WWE decides to make the match happen in 2017.
#1 Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles
Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles is a dream match on any day. The reason why these two did not cross paths this year was the brand split. WWE only called up Balor from NXT during the draft and he ended up on Raw when AJ Styles was drafted to Smackdown.
Balor would once again suffer a setback in the form of injury which took him out of action after winning the Universal title.
With the history that these two men have and their Bullet Club roots, WWE could've come up with an excellent storyline involving these two and The Club. And considering how good these two are when it comes to in-ring work, it was bound to be a match of the year contender.
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