5 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2016

Just like in previous years, I had to go through a ton of awesome matches from around the world to narrow it down to the five best wrestling matches. This was because WWE, NJPW, and a few other companies all put on many fantastic matches that, in a vacuum, could’ve been the best of the year.

I had to leave out some true dream matches, including that singles match between A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10 that was a thousand times better than their WrestleMania 34 match. I had to exclude the ridiculous 6-man tag match at PWG Battle of Los Angeles that looked like a flying demolition derby. I even had to cut some of the great matches produced by WWE, NXT and the Cruiserweight Classic.

Don’t get me wrong, these matches and the many other awesome ones produced throughout 2016 were fun to watch. If anything, you should still go watch any match in 2016 that features such wrestlers as: A.J. Styles, Kenny Omega. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Cesaro, The Young Bucks, Hirooki Goto, Will Ospreay, just to name a few.

Hell, even wrestlers that normally get lambasted for being subpar wrestlers (such as The Miz, Roman Reigns and in some cases John Cena) had awesome matches in 2016.

However, despite all that praise, the five matches listed here are simply…better. These five matches were not only spectacular from a quality standpoint but also had major consequences for the wrestlers involved.

All five of these matches meant something bigger or symbolized something historic. These five contests will not only go down as the best of the 2016 calendar year, but in some cases will also be remembered as some of the best wrestling matches ever.

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#5 Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - NXT TakeOver: Dallas

Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura put on such a good match that it beat everything showcased throughout all of WrestleMania weekend. Fans chanted for both of them even though only one of them actually participated in the WrestleMania show, mainly because they put on one of the best matches in NXT history.

While the crowd was completely mesmerized for Nakamura’s entrance, the passionate NXT fans were equally split between the world-famous Nakamura and ‘heart & soul of NXT’ Sami Zayn. But this wasn’t a WWE-style match; no, Zayn and Nakamura put on a match worthy of Wrestle Kingdom instead.

The action was fast and crisp, there was brutality and believability in each strike, and Zayn, despite being a happy-go-lucky sort of guy, showed true guts and refused to give up no matter how much punishment he took.

Nakamura and Zayn simply had spectacular chemistry on this night and put together a barn-burner of a match. It was the perfect way for Zayn’s NXT career to end and was also the perfect way for Nakamura to make his NXT debut.

Perhaps the only true knock against this match is that it exposed just how different (read: better) things are for wrestlers in NXT than on the main roster. Zayn and Nakamura both looked like world-champion-level stars in this match, while on the main roster, one of them has been horribly underutilized and the other has been completely neutered by people who don’t understand him or his gimmick whatsoever.

#4 The Final Deletion

Although not a traditional wrestling match, this piece of wrestling theatre was so wacky, so over-the-top and so entertaining that you couldn’t help but laugh at it. This was the greatest example of ‘backyard wrestling’ becoming something captivating and ridiculous.

Matt and Jeff didn’t pull any punches, using everything including chairs, a trellis, a dilapidated boat named Skarsgård, and even fireworks and a Taser in this spectacle. The match’s over-the-top nature and Matt Hardy’s ridiculous acting were so surprisingly brilliant that they actually made all of this nonsense work.

If you were to show a non-wrestling fan this match, they would probably enjoy it a lot more than almost anything else. Why? Because to most people, pro wrestling is inherently wacky, ridiculous, over-the-top, and esoteric. This match exemplifies all of those things, making it an unexpected wrestling masterpiece.

You know a match concept is great when WWE – which normally hates using outside ideas – tries to copy something twice, but fails to replicate the success of the original.

#3 John Cena vs. A.J. Styles - SummerSlam 2016

This was one of the best matches of John Cena's career

This was a dream match of epic proportions. Fans had been clamoring to see Styles in WWE for years, and on the second-biggest WWE show of 2016, he faced the biggest star in the entire company.

From the beginning, Cena knew that he’d need to go the extra mile if he had any hopes of beating the legendary A.J. Styles. To that end, Cena busted out some of his rarest moves and best grappling game. We saw things from Cena that were incredibly rare, such as a Yoshi Tonic and reversing out of one submission after another.

But Styles proved to everyone watching why his name carried so much weight. He hit power moves like Cena, showed Shawn Michaels-level technical grappling, Undertaker-like endurance, and even hit a Kota Ibushi-style springboard frankensteiner onto Cena while Cena was on the top rope. He was the perfect wrestler on this night and showed everyone what he could do.

This match will be remembered for solidifying Styles as a true WWE main eventer. He could no longer be seen as just another indy guy that had a cult following; he cranked things up to eleven in this war with WWE’s biggest star and won. It was easily the best match on the SummerSlam 2016 card and the best match on WWE’s main card for the entire 2016 calendar year.

#2 Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito - G1 Climax 2016

Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito were – and still are – two of the most beloved wrestlers in NJPW. 2016 saw Omega make the transition from background midcarder and glorified comedy wrestler to a serious, main-event-level athlete. It also saw the explosion in popularity of the new Tetsuya Naito, whose Los Ignobernables de Japon gimmick became the coolest thing in all of wrestling.

These two upper-tier athletes faced each other in the semi-finals of the always-spectacular G1 Climax tournament, and they put on a performance for the ages.

Naito and Kenny absolutely destroyed each other with vicious strikes and amazing wrestling. They exemplified toughness in this match, as they hit each other as hard as possible and on the hardest parts of the ring as well. Kenny hit a Dragon Suplex on Naito on the ring apron, while Naito tried his best to demolish Kenny’s legs throughout the match.

Kenny showed everyone just how good he is at selling by not only being incapable of running the ropes (due to said limb targeting by Naito) and writhing in pain as if he had suffered a real injury. The audience could feel his pain, which is why they were much more vocal for this match than almost any other G1 contest in 2016.

While some might dismiss this as another one of those ‘big move after big move after big move’ finish sequences, the story made complete sense. The desperation and the will to win was so overpowering for both Kenny and Naito that they did whatever was necessary to beat the other.

They both knew how determined the other was, which is why it wasn’t ‘big move then pin then big move again’, but instead, ‘three big moves and then 2 9/10 count’.

While it isn’t the best match of 2016, it definitely earned its 5-star rating and must-see status.

#1 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada - Wrestle Kingdom 10

Undertaker vs. Kane.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio.

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels.

Misawa vs. Kobashi.

You can now add Tanahashi vs. Okada to that list of greatest wrestling feuds of all time.

As Tanahashi and Okada’s rivalry entered its fourth year, they once again stole the show with a 5-star performance. But not only was this an outstanding grappling match with fantastic athleticism, but there was also a deeper story that dated back to the previous year’s Wrestle Kingdom event. Okada had lost that match because he failed to maintain wrist control while setting up his Rainmaker.

He was so despondent over losing that he cried. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship meant that much to him. He struggled but managed to get one more chance at Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom, which made this encounter a do-or-die situation for Okada.

This match was off-the-charts great. Not only did Okada and Tanahashi wrestle at a blistering pace and hit so many gorgeous moves, but the story between them unfolded like a true masterpiece.

Each big move had some greater meaning and added to the drama unfolding in the ring. Okada would hit one of Tanahashi’s big moves and Tanahashi would do the same. Tanahashi would go for one of his signature moves and Okada would dodge it, underscoring how well these two men know each other. That particular concept is often lost on WWE wrestlers, as most stars hit their same ‘comeback sequences’ like combos that never get interrupted.

For over thirty-five minutes, Tanahashi and Okada fought in a brutal war that was bigger and better than every other match they had before. It featured more reversals, a deeper story, more believable finishing sequences, a thunderous crowd, and a never-ending sense of ‘this match could end at any time’. You couldn’t turn away for a second because you’d miss a big move that might end the match.

Finally, that element of wrist control came out in the closing moments. Okada refused to let go of the wrist, he held on desperately in order to hit a third and final consecutive Rainmaker to win.

This was an instant 5-star classic that not only cemented Tanahashi vs. Okada as the defining wrestling feud of the 2000s, but also signaling a passing of the torch. With this epic win, The Tanahashi era had ended and Okada had become the new ace of NJPW.