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2016 has been a relatively good year for WWE, despite some flaws. For every Nakamura debut in NXT and AJ Styles debut at Royal Rumble, you have a Roman Reigns world title win at Wrestlemania and a Darren Young and Titus O’Neill feud.
But, despite these ups and downs, one thing that has remained consistent throughout the year so far are the wrestlers’ ability to put on some amazing matches. From debuts to dream matches, here are my 10 favourite WWE matches so far this year.
Note: I will not be including Cruiserweight Classic Matches, even though there have been some awesome matches. If you haven’t seen these, go check them out:
- -Kota Ibushi vs Cedric Alexander CWC
- -Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa CWC
- -The Brian Kendrick vs Kota Ibushi CWC
#10 MITB Ladder Match- Money in the Bank
Consisting of a star-studded group of wrestlers, the winner was never predictable, which only added to the excitement of this matchup.
A chaotic spot-fest, the wrestlers involved took a number of awesome high risks to pop the audience, and the match didn’t fail to deliver. With Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and maybe Sami Zayn all being potential winners, the unpredictable and fast-paced nature of this match made it one of the most exciting matches of 2016 so far.
Dean Ambrose winning was an awesome moment too, as was his cashing in later in the same night.
#9 AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns- WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Extreme Rules
This match was an intense, hard-hitting, high octane brawl. It was a joy to watch, and even though the result was never in doubt of Reigns retaining, the near falls for Styles still had us on the edge of our seats.
From the involvement of The Club and the Usos, which usually would’ve been a bad thing but turned out to be a perfect fit for the story being told, to the multiple chair, announce table, and barricade spots, this match was a great way to cap off the feud between these two.
Oh, and Seth Rollins returned at the end, saving us from another same old Reigns win that we saw at Payback. A wonderful match overall.
#8 Intercontinental Title Ladder Match, Wrestlemania 32
When Sin Cara, Zack Ryder and Stardust were added to the IC Title picture randomly just weeks before the Grandest Stage of Them All, it seemed like our hopes of a wonderful Intercontinental title match at Wrestlemania were dashed. Boy, were we wrong.
Although arguably KO vs Zayn would’ve been better, we still got an awesome seven-man ladder bout as compensation. A high energy spotfest from the moment the bell rang, each man’s drive to steal the show with an awesome spot was evident.
From Zayn’s dive through the ladder to the outside onto everyone, Ziggler’s superkick frenzy, or Sin Cara’s dive to the outside onto a prone Stardust on a ladder, this was an awesome watch and one of the best Wrestlemania openers in a while.
Also, to put the cherry on the cake, Zack Ryder got his Wrestlemania moment with the shock win. Overall, another awesome WWE contest in 2016.
#7 Sasha Banks vs Charlotte, Raw July 25th, Women’s Championship
The pinnacle of a story that arguably should have culminated at Summerslam, the emotion was evident in the crowd,
Banks, and eventually after the show went off the air, everyone backstage, was emotional. A wonderful performance from both women, everything about this title win felt surreal. The reaction received on social media and from the entire fan base cemented this as one of the most defining women’s matches in years.
From Sasha getting Dana Brooke ejected from ringside by using a tactic popularised by Latino Heat himself, Eddie Guerrero (Sasha’s idol), to the final sequence where Charlotte told Banks “she will never beat her”, which Banks responded to by locking in the Bank Statement and making Charlotte submit, this match was amazing and a defining women’s classic in the ‘Women’s revolution’.
#6 Finn Balor vs Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT, July 13th
Two of the best wrestlers in the world. A dream match. A ton of anticipation and hype. This match was destined to be great.
Starting with a strong pre-match promo that only added to the hype, the atmosphere was electric in Full Sail. The story being told was awesome as well. Balor, the former NXT Champion who had become an icon of the brand, was slowly being phased out of NXT television.
He still had one challenger left though, and Nakamura needed to face and defeat Balor to ensure his spot as the next challenger for the NXT Championship. The match was as great as expected.
From Balor targeting Shinsuke’s knee, the near falls, late drama towards the end, and the embrace of the two men after the match, this was a dream match that delivered after all the hype surrounding it.
#5 Gargano and Ciampa vs The Revival, NXT Takeover Brooklyn II
This was a throwback to the old-school style of tag team wrestling that is so dearly missed on the main roster. Stealing the show on a card that consisted of Nakamura vs Joe and Bayley vs Asuka, this match showed why tag team wrestling can be so exciting.
With the crowd firmly behind Gargano and Ciampa, The Revival’s use of old school heel tactics such as blocking tags and double teaming behind the ref’s back worked exceptionally well, and the mix of breathtaking action combined with in-ring storytelling created an incredible tag team bout.
The false finish towards the end of the match heard one of the biggest pops of the night when the crowd thought they had new champions, and the Revival’s heel work only further drove the crowd to get behind Gargano and Ciampa.
Overall, an incredible tag team contest that showed what tag team wrestling can be when given time and effort.
#4 The Miz vs Kevin Owens vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn, Intercontinental Title, Extreme Rules
Despite Roman Reigns and AJ Styles’ best efforts, they couldn’t outdo the show-stealing performance earlier in the night by these four competitors. When you put three of the best wrestlers currently in the WWE (Owens, Cesaro, Zayn) and Miz (who’s wrestling ability is severely underrated) in the ring together for a workhorse championship and give them ample time, you can expect a Match of the year contender.
That is exactly what WWE got, with the high intensity, false finishes and story-telling mingling to create a classic. The use of every wrestler was perfect, with Zayn being the underdog who had his most hated rival in the match, to Miz being the arrogant, chicken heel.
All up, an incredible match from four of the most underrated superstars on the roster (besides KO, who recently won the Universal title, well-deserved may I add).
#3 AJ Styles vs John Cena, Summerslam 2016
Having a great match at Money in the Bank, people weren’t sure about the singles rematch between Styles and Cena. Would Cena win as he had against others in their blow-off match? Was their chemistry at Money in the Bank a fluke?
Any of these doubts or others were blown out the water, with Styles and Cena delivering an instant classic that stole the show and is definitely a contender for Match of the Year.
With a great pre-match promo, and awesome offence produced by both men, this match was awesome. The hot crowd made this match have that big-fight feel, with duelling chants of AJ Styles and Let’s Go Cena ringing throughout the contest in the Barclays Center.
The best sequence of the match was when Cena hit an AA from the middle rope, covered Styles… 1,2, kickout. The Barclays Center erupted in cheers, which then transformed into a YES! chant.
To quote Enzo and Cass, you can’t teach how to evoke that kind of reaction. An instant classic between two of the best in the world.
#2 Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn, Battleground
A fitting climax to one of the best rivalries of this year so far. Already having a stellar bout at Payback, people were expecting an even better contest when a rematch was announced for Battleground. That’s exactly what they got, and you could say the two men exceeded the high expectations placed on them.
A number of ridiculous spots added extra drama to the already emotional bout, with Zayn delivering a god damn BRAINBUSTER to Owens on the apron. A number of spots brought the audience to their feet, with one sequence where Zayn delivered back to back exploder suplexes earning a standing ovation.
The atmosphere was electric and the storytelling in the ring was amazing, with emphasis on the underdog Zayn continuing to power out of Owen’s big moves, and eventually hitting two successive helluva kicks for the win.
Overall, an insane bout that had the fans in awe, as the storytelling, wrestling, and atmosphere, was incredible.
#1 Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT Takeover Dallas
In my opinion, no matter what matches take place for the rest of 2016, this will still be one of the leading contenders for Match of the Year.
Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut was always going to be special, but with an amazingly hot crowd, a very fitting opponent, and a match that went above and beyond the already high expectations, it turned out to be epic.
Rejecting neither man, the Dallas crowd was electric in their support of both Zayn and Nakamura, creating that rare environment of two faces versing and neither man receiving jeers.
The huge hype surrounding Nakamura’s debut and the reality of Zayn’s soon departure from NXT created an environment that hasn’t been topped yet this year. Two of the best wrestlers in the world, fighting in a dream match, with an incredibly hot crowd at a Takeover event.
What more could you ask for?
That sequence of back and forth stiff forearms between the two men was insane, and the ‘fight forever’ chant by the crowd was well earned. The best bout of the year so far and something I’m glad I witnessed liv
