2016 Wrestling Examiner Awards
It's time for the third-annual Wrestling Examiner awards. It's a tradition that has slowly grown over the years. This year will be our biggest one yet. We'll hand out awards for six different promotions and award some overall awards. We'll also give you the previous winners (if available) for those who are interested. Let's get started.
NJPW:
PPV of the Year: Wrestle Kingdom 10
For those are unaware of Wrestle Kingdom, it's New Japan's version of WrestleMania. It always features the biggest matches and biggest stars. In the tenth version of this event, we were treated to one of the best pay-per-views of all-time. The main event match between Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi was the cumulation of a feud that spanned years. It was an emotional passing-of-the-torch moment that saw Okada become the promotion's new ace. We also saw a classic match between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles over the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Other stars on the show included Katsuyori Shibata, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay Lethal, Hirooki Goto, and Tetsuya Naito.
Match of the Year: Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito- G1 Climax Day 18
As great as the standout matches on the Wrestle Kingdom show were, there was no better match than the match between Omega and Naito during the G1 Climax. This was a much-anticipated show, as it featured two of the biggest stars in the wrestling world and two of the biggest favorites to win the whole tournament. A heel on heel match is notoriously difficult to pull off, but this was executed perfectly. Both men acted like total heels while managing to enthrall the crowd with their in-ring work.
Breakout Star of the Year: Kenny Omega
Omega started the year as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a popular member of the Bullet Club. But after he dropped the title to KUSHIDA and AJ Styles signed with WWE, he overthrew Styles as leader of BC and moved into the heavyweight division. Since then, he became the first foreigner to win the G1 Climax, defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to become IWGP Intercontinental Championship, competed in the promotion's first-ever ladder match, and became a two-time NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team champ with Matt & Nick Jackson. Out of seemingly nowhere, Omega has become one of the best wrestlers in the world and one of the biggest stars. It seems also certain that he will become World champ in 2017.
Rising Star of the Year: Sanada
SANADA came into the wrestling spotlight when he was competing in TNA's X Division. He won the title once and main-evented Bound for Glory 2014, but never seemed like he was a true star. In April of 2016, he joined LIJ and helped stable leader Tetsuya Naito win the IWGP Heavyweight title. Since then, he beat Hiroshi Tanahashi in the G1 Climax and finished second (with Evil) in his block of the Tag League. As evidenced by the win over Tanahashi, NJPW officials clearly see SANADA as a future superstar and possible ace.
Junior Heavyweight of the Year: KUSHIDA
While it's almost certain that KUSHIDA will move up to the heavyweight division this year, he was the biggest star of the junior heavyweight division in 2016. He racked up two reigns with the Junior Heavyweight title, successfully defending it against the likes of ACH, Bushi, Kenny Omega, and Will Ospreay. He also won the 2016 Super-J Cup.
Heavyweight Tag Team of the Year: Guerillas of Destiny
Before the Guerillas of Destiny came about, the dominant tag team in New Japan was the Bullet Club team of Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Once they left, their fellow stablemates were thrust into the spotlight. They were originally deemed unworthy of the belts, they improved drastically throughout the year. They held the IGWP Tag Team Championships twice, losing them to and winning them back from Jay & Mark Briscoe. They also made it to the finals of the World Tag League before losing to Great Bash Heel.
Junior Heavyweight Tag Team of the Year: The Young Bucks
The most popular tag team outside of WWE had a phenomenal 2016, especially in Japan. They had two runs with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles and teamed up with Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega to form The Elite and win the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team titles twice.
Comeback Star of the Year: Tetsuya Naito
In previous years, New Japan tried everything they could to make Naito a big babyface star. He challenged for the Heavyweight title at Wrestle Kingdom, allied with Hiroshi Tanahashi, and won a number of titles. The push never worked, and it seemed like Naito was a lost cause. Then, in late 2015, Naito formed Los Ingobernables de Japon. It was in 2016 however, that the new gimmick really took off. Naito won the New Japan Cup, defeated Kazuchika Okada for the Heavyweight title, and is the current Intercontinental champion. He has emerged as one of the most popular wrestlers in the entire world and has become a legitimate top-tier megastar. It seems incredible that Naito actually made it to the top. For years, it seemed like he was destined to always be rejected by the crowd. Maybe the WWE will use this lesson when it comes to Roman Reigns?
Wrestler of the Year: Kazuchika Okada
At Wrestle Kingdom 10, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defended his title against the 2015 G1 Climax winner Hiroshi Tanahashi. Tanahashi was the ace of NJPW. He had competed in all of but two Wrestle Kingdom main events and had defeated Okada in the main events of 7 and 9. In a MOTY contender, Okada defeated Tanahashi to retain his title and become the new ace of the company. Okada would later have another reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion throughout the year and defeated stars such as Tetsuya Naito, Naomichi Marufuji, Hirooki Goto, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe. In his first year as the company's new ace, Okada proved he could be the top star of a promotion.
Lucha Underground:
Comeback Star of the Year: Rey Mysterio Jr.
In March of 2016, we saw the second version of Aztec Warfare takes place. This is Lucha Underground's version of the Royal Rumble, so fans were pretty excited. They were even more excited when they found out Rey Mysterio Jr. was the #2 entrant. He hadn't been seen on a big stage since leaving WWE in 2014. While there were legitimate concerns about Mysterio Jr.'s health, the former WWE Champion proved he still could go. He teamed up with Prince Puma and El Dragon Azteca Jr. to win the Trios Titles and beat Puma in the main event at Ultima Lucha Dos (LU's version of WrestleMania).
Rising Star of the Year: Killshot
Killshot was in the first season of Lucha Underground, but he didn't really do much of note. In Season 2, he was given an awesome backstory of being a former sniper with PTSD. He began to pick up some victories and fans started cheering for him. He had a great feud with Marty Martinez that culminated in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match that main evented an episode of the show. Killshot has yet to win gold or join the main event scene, but has made a name for himself as a star on the rise and one of the world's best high-fliers.
Match of the Year: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Prince Puma at Ultima Lucha Dos
This is a dream match in every sense of the word. Mysterio Jr. is arguably the greatest Cruiserweight of all-time and is one of the few little men to actually succeed in the World title scene. Prince Puma (a.k.a. Ricochet of New Japan) is the best high-flyer in the world and rumored to be heading to NXT soon. There was really no solid build to this match, but it wasn't necessary. It was a simple story: Puma wanted to prove that he could hang with the legend and former Trios partner. Mysterio Jr. won the match, but his post-match endorsement of Puma was well-deserved. The match itself was a blend of seamless counters and big spots that wowed the crowd. The runner-up for this award is the bloody No Mas match between Sexy Star and Mariposa.
Breakout Star of the Year: Matanza Cueto
The Monster was referenced in Season 1, but he didn't make his debut until Aztec Warfare 2. He dominated the rest of the competitors in the match and walked away with the Lucha Underground Championship. Although he lost the title in Aztec Warfare 3, Matanza has ran roughshod over the competition. He's defeated wrestlers like Mil Muertes, Pentagon Dark, Fenix, Cortez Castro, and Prince Puma.
Wrestler of the Year: Sexy Star
2015 Winner: Prince Puma
WWE spent all of 2016 patting themselves on the back for the Women's Revolution. After decades of poor treatment, women were finally getting a chance to display their talents in big matches. Women like Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks have all benefited from this. But WWE didn't start the revolution of women's wrestling. In fact, they are a few years late to the party, especially when you look at companies like UFC and TNA. Lucha Underground however, has taken it to a whole new level. Male and female wrestlers compete against each other all the time and both genders are treated equally. No wrestler is bigger proof of this than Sexy Star. She has organically emerged as one of the promotion's biggest stars and is one of the best female wrestlers in the world. She had an incredible 2016, starting with her absolutely brutal No Mas match against Mariposa. She rode that momentum to winning the Gift of the Gods Championship and won Aztec Warfare 3 to become Lucha Underground Champion.
TNA:
Knockout of the Year: Gail Kim
2015 Winner: Gail Kim
Just like in 2015, Gail Kim was the biggest star of TNA's Knockout division. She held the TNA Knockouts Championship twice in 2016 (more than anyone else) and became the first female inductee in TNA's Hall of Fame. While she did end the year on the shelf, she looks primed to make a big return in 2017. In the meantime, look for women such as Allie, Laurel Van Ness, and Jade to step up.
Breakout Star of the Year: Mike Bennett
2015 Winner: Rockstar Spud
2014 Winner: Ethan Carter III
"The Miracle" Mike Bennett was known primarily in ROH as a tag team wrestler alongside Matt Taven as part of The Kingdom. After he and his wife Maria Kanellis came to TNA, he's proven he can be a top-tier heel. He became the first person to cleanly pin Ethan Carter III and won the X Division title. He's main evented shows, contended for the World title, and faced off with some of the top men in the promotion. It's clear that Bennett will be a major player in TNA in 2017.
Comeback Star of the Year: Matt Hardy
For years, Matt Hardy has simply been regarded as Jeff Hardy's younger brother. In 2016, Matt finally broke out. At the beginning of the year, he beat EC3 to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The two even executed a double turn, and Hardy became a heel. This heel turn led to a feud with Jeff Hardy. During the feud, Matt Hardy became "Broken". He developed a strange accent, changed his appearance, and began talking strangely. While this could have fallen flat, "Broken" Matt Hardy became one of the biggest stars in all of wrestling. His Final Deletion match with Jeff Hardy (more on that later) was one of the most-talked about matches of the year. This career transformation has made Hardy more popular than he ever was before and has totally rejuvenated his career.
Rising Star of the Year: Trevor Lee
Lee first made himself known to the TNA fans as part of the GFW invasion storyline in 2015. After a short hiatus, he returned to TNA in February with Shane Helms as his manager. He won the TNA X Division Championship from Tigre Uno and later joined forces with Andrew Everett to form The Helms Dynasty. Unfortunately, TNA hasn't really paid much attention to the X Division and Lee, but Lee has managed to stay relevant and looks poised to break into the promotion's upper echelon. The runner-up for this award is DJ Z, Lee's biggest rival of 2016. He might have had a bigger 2016, but his ceiling is definitely lower than Lee's.
Match of the Year: Final Deletion
If you're looking for a technical standout (like The Revival vs. #DIY), a high-flying spectacle (like Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet), a thrilling story (AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura), or a psychological masterpiece (Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens), this is not for you. If you're looking for the slightly unhinged side of wrestling, welcome. If you want your matches to be more entertainment than wrestling, welcome. The Final Deletion was an absolutely insane match (if we can call it that) featuring "Broken" Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy (now known as Brother Nero). Over the course of 20 minutes, we saw a dilapidated boat, Senor Benjamin, Matt's son, and so much more. It may have been the most entertaining 20 minutes of wrestling produced this year.
Tag Team of the Year: Decay
2015 Winner: The Wolves
2014 Winner: The Wolves
Even if Davey Richards had not been injured, they still would have a hard time beating out Decay for this award. The Decay formed in January of 2016 and immediately put themselves in the tag title conversation. They would only hold the titles once, but they battled with teams like The Wolves and Beer Money throughout the year. The Hardys formed in August and beat the Decay, but we can't discount the work Abyss and Crazzy Steve did throughout the year. They brought something different to the tag division and were quite successful.
Wrestler of the Year: Matt Hardy
2015 Winner: Ethan Carter III
When people think about TNA, they usually think about the promotion's financial troubles. That was a big part of their narrative in 2016, but it wasn't as big as the story of "Broken" Matt Hardy. In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Hardy totally reinvented himself with an absolutely absurd character. It's honestly baffling how much success Hardy has had. Hardy can list himself alongside the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, and Kazuchika Okada as one of the top wrestlers of 2016. Alongside Brother Nero, Hardy is one-half of the TNA Tag Team Champions and held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship earlier in the year.
NXT:
Feud of the Year: The Revival vs. #DIY
2015 Winner: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
2014 Winner: Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
The Revival was easily one of the best tag teams of 2016. They took part in a number of classic matches while having two NXT Tag Title reigns. Near the beginning of the year, they engaged in a feud with American Alpha. At some point during this feud, The Revival was defeated by Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Gargano and Ciampa were still upstarts, so this was regarded as a massive upset. As soon as The Revival dispatched of American Alpha, #DIY stepped in. In a feud that spanned many months, we saw two MOTY contenders and a score of great moments. At TakeOver: Toronto, #DIY finally captured the titles in an emotional, feel-good moment.
Maneuver of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura's Kinshasa
A great maneuver doesn't necessarily need to be a finisher. After all, Goldberg's Spear is one of the best in wrestling history. That being said, a finisher automatically gets a leg up on the competition because it tends to be more dramatic and usually puts an opponent away. In NXT in 2016, there was no finisher more dreaded than Nakamura's Kinshasa. He used it to put away opponents such as Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, and Austin Aries. It wasn't until Nakamura faced Samoa Joe that someone finally kicked out.
Woman Wrestler of the Year: Asuka
2015 Winner: Sasha Banks
2014 Winner: Charlotte
There's literally no other choice for this award. Yes, Bayley had a very good 2016, but she lost two titles matches to Asuka and moved to Raw in August. Asuka on the other hand, won the NXT title from Bayley in Dallas and has yet to be beaten. She's defeated everyone in her path, including Emma, Nia Jax, and Mickie James.
Title Reign of the Year: Asuka's NXT Women's Championship Reign
Let's look at all of the other possible contenders. We start with Finn Balor's NXT Championship reign. Yes, it was the longest NXT title reign of all-time, but it only lasted four months into 2016. We must disqualify the other four reigns that followed it, as Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura traded wins and the belt. The only other NXT Women's Championship reign in 2016 besides Asuka's was Bayley's, but that also lasted just four months into 2016. As for the NXT Tag Team Championship reigns, we find nothing as good as Asuka's reign. The Revival's first reign lasted only four months into 2016 (April sure was a big month for title changes huh?), American Alpha only held the belts for a couple of months, and DIY's reign only started in November. That leaves only The Revival's second reign with the tag belts. While it did last over 160 days, their reign was overshadowed by the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Thus, we give the award to Asuka, who defended her title against the likes of Bayley and Nia Jax.
Match of the Year: Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas
2015: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at TakeOver: Brooklyn
It was a close call over The Revival/DIY match from Toronto, but the Nakamura/Zayn match wins out. There was a ton of excitement for this match, seeing as it was Nakamura's debut match in NXT. Fans of Nakamura were scared that WWE would totally waste Nakamura and saddle him with some stereotypical gimmick. Instead, Nakamura was allowed to be himself and was given an absolutely electric theme song. The match itself was incredible, with both men displaying some hard-hitting moves. At one point, they stood in the ring and simply smashed each other with forearms. It was awesome. Nakamura eventually got the win, but both men looked like stars. After Nakamura left the ring, Zayn was given a standing ovation from the NXT Universe. It was implicitly understood that it was Zayn's farewell match.
Breakout Star of the Year: Johnny Gargano
If you followed Gargano's career pre-NXT, you probably haven't been surprised by his success in NXT. If you haven't, just be glad you're getting to see him now. Though he made his NXT debut in 2015, Gargano has become one of the brand's biggest stars in 2016. He's an incredible wrestler and his strong selling allows him to play the babyface in peril role very well. He and Tommaso Ciampa may be the tag champs right now, but it cannot be long before Gargano is World champion.
Tag Team of the Year: The Revival
When Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder upset American Alpha at TakeOver: The End to become the first two-time NXT Tag Team Champions in history, it was pretty clear that 2016 was going to be a fantastic year for them. Though their second reign ended in Toronto at the hands of DIY, The Revival was still the top tag team in NXT for a good chunk of the year. They also had a handful of classic matches throughout the year (including their match with American Alpha in Dallas) and solidified themselves as one of the best tag teams in the world (along with the likes of the Young Bucks and the New Day).
Moment of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura Debuts
Ask any wrestling fan worth his salt who the best wrestlers in the world are and Shinsuke Nakamura, along with stars such as Chris Hero, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Kenny Omega, and Kevin Owens, will inevitably show up somewhere on that list. While many have undoubtedly become more aware of him since he showed up in NXT, Nakamura is a highly decorated wrestler and was one of the top stars in Japan. When it was announced that he was coming to NXT, people were excited but worried, WWE has a history of wasting talented wrestlers who made their names outside of WWE (see Chris Harris, Colt Cabana, and Hero). But when Nakamura's new music hit in Dallas, everyone knew that Nakamura was going to be just fine. It was an electric, surreal moment that was one of the best of the year.
Rising Star of the Year: Andrade "Cien" Almas
The man formerly known as La Sombra made his NXT debut against Tye Dillinger at TakeOver: The End. It was a bit of a rough start for him, as the fans cheered for Dillinger. Almas's struggles continued to pile up, as fans didn't get behind his weird attire and cheered for other stars such as Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura. Then, after a first-round loss in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Almas snapped and attacked his partner Cedric Alexander. Since then, we have seen a much improved version of Almas. He seems much more comfortable in the ring and has absolutely excelled in the ring. Although Almas still isn't a headliner, his ceiling is very, very high.
Debut of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura
I've already talked enough about Nakamura's debut, so I won't go into too much detail here. The debut was an electrifying moment that laid the groundwork for the King of Strong Style to have a great 2016.
Wrestler of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura
2015 Winner: Finn Balor
2014 Winner: Sami Zayn
Just like in 2014 and 2015, this award goes to the man that ended the year holding the NXT Championship (though that is by no means a criteria for this award). Samoa Joe is a serious contender for this award, but Nakamura was clearly the MVP of 2016 for NXT. His match with Sami Zayn was the best of the year, he held the NXT title twice, and decisively won his feud against Samoa Joe. He is clearly the most popular wrestler on the NXT roster and looks to have a very dominant 2017. Hell, we could even see him jump up to the main roster.
ROH:
Tag Team of the Year: The Young Bucks
While Jay & Mark Briscoe are still the aces of ROH's tag division, the Young Bucks have supplanted them as the tag champs. In fact, Matt & Nick Jackson are now widely considered to be the best tag team in the world. Not only did they dominate the New Japan junior heavyweight title scene and PWG's tag team ranks, but they became the most dominant team in ROH. In late September, they won Ladder War VI over The Addiction and Motor City Machine Guns to win their second ROH tag titles. They then defeated The Briscoes at Final Battle to retain the titles and have since engaged in a feud with the Hardys.
Comeback Star of the Year: Colt Cabana
One of the most popular stars of the independent scene, Cabana was a star in the early days of ROH. After an absence of nine years, Cabana returned to ROH and challenged Jay Lethal for the World title. He was unsuccessful, but he formed a team with Dalton Castle. He eventually turned on Castle and become one of the biggest heels in the promotion. Overall, his return was a big success and proved that he could still be a major player in a big promotion.
Rising Star of the Year: Donovan Dijak
Dijak has emerged as one of ROH's biggest stars on the rise. He started as a heel under Prince Nana's tutelage and has since emerged as one of the most cheered stars. He's since aligned himself with the Motor City Machine Guns. It should only be a matter of time before Dijak becomes one of the promotion's top stars.
Breakout Star of the Year: Dalton Castle
Castle's current gimmick has been among the most successful in recent history, but he really caught fire in 2016. He was involved in the ROH TV title scene and beat his former tag team partner Colt Cabana at Final Battle. He's now emerged as a true World title contender and should capture the title in 2017.
Match of the Year: Ladder War VI
As we mentioned before, the Young Bucks won this match against The Addiction and MCMG to win the ROH tag titles. It was a hellacious bout with bodies, broken tables, and ladders strewn everywhere. Ladder Wars are rare in ROH and they will continue to be great if they are booked in a similar manner.
PPV of the Year: Final Battle
Final Battle is ROH's biggest show of the year, akin to Wrestlemania. This year's edition was a grand affair. The Young Bucks beat the Briscoes in a fun match, Dalton Castle got some comeuppance on Colt Cabana, Kyle O'Reilly finally beat Adam Cole for the World title, and so much more. It was a lot of fun and showcased what a great year it was for ROH.
Wrestler of the Year: Adam Cole
2015 Winner: Jay Lethal
It was a fantastic year for Adam Cole, as he cemented himself as one of the top stars in wrestling. In May, he joined the Bullet Club, the hottest stable in all of wrestling. A few months later, he beat Jay Lethal to become only the third man in history to become a multi-time ROH World Champion. Although he lost the title to his former tag team partner Kyle O'Reilly at Final Battle, it was a tremendous match and Cole looked great. This may have been Cole's final full year with the promotion, but he should have a great 2017 no matter where he ends up.
WWE:
PPV of the Year: Survivor Series
2015 Winner: WrestleMania 31
Wrestlemania 32 was supposed to be an incredible show. It was taking place in front of a record crowd and featured superstars such as The Undertaker, Shane McMahon, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, and Dean Ambrose. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a massive disappointment. All three major matches were busts and the show was much too long. Survivor Series on the other hand, was a fantastic show. The men's Survivor Series match was one of the best matches of the year, the Brock Lesnar/Goldberg match was an awesome moment, and we saw a number of big stars. It was a great show that delivered on all aspects.
Woman Wrestler of the Year: Charlotte Flair
2015 Winner: Nikki Bella
2014 Winner: Paige
After a tepid start to the main roster (being an awkward face and a member of Team PCB), Charlotte finally turned heel in the beginning of 2016. She's been a heel ever since and has been one of the company's best in 2016. Whether it was using Dana Brooke as a patsy or launching sneak attacks on other wrestlers, Charlotte managed to get the entire WWE universe to turn against her. That great heel work has translated into some major success. She amassed an incredible PPV win streak, won the first ever women's Hell in a Cell match, and held the Raw Women's Championship on four different occasions.
Title Reign of the Year: The New Day as WWE Tag Team Champions
2014 Winners: The Usos as WWE Tag Team Champions
This is a pretty obvious one: no other championship reign broke any longevity records. They might not have had any classic matches this year, but the match that ended their reign (against Cesaro & Sheamus at Roadblock) was a show-stealer.
Most Entertaining Superstar: The New Day
2015 Winner: The New Day
Like the previous entry, this is an obvious choice. The New Day are one of the few acts in WWE that have creative freedom and that has shown. Their promos and segments have consistently been among the product's highlights in 2016 and should also be in 2016.
Return of the Year: Shane McMahon
2015 Winner: Sting
The last time we saw Shane McMahon was in 2009. He was a minor actor in the Triple H/Randy Orton feud and left the company soon afterward. Fans were unsure if he would ever return. After realizing that he would never lead the company (thanks to the rise of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon), he left to make his mark in China. He finally returned in February of 2016. He was sorely needed by the WWE, as they were lacking star power for 'Mania. John Cena had been scheduled to fight The Undertaker, but he had gone down with an injury during a match with Alberto Del Rio. Enter Shane McMahon, who came back to a roaring return and a high-profile feud with 'Taker.
Comeback Superstar of the Year: Goldberg
2015 Winner: The Undertaker
2014 Winner: Tyson Kidd
After taking on Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania XX, Goldberg retired from wrestling. He has taken on other ventures such as acting and hosting a podcast, but fans kept asking him to come back. Finally, in conjunction with the release of the new WWE video game, Goldberg made his return to WWE. He delivered a phenomenal promo on Raw and then followed up by squashing Lesnar at Survivor Series. His next match will be the Royal Rumble match.
Faction of the Year: The New Day
2015 Winner: The New Day
2014 Winner: The Shield
Just like in 2014, The New Day was by far the most important faction in 2016. They held the tag titles for nearly the entire year and were consistently one of the biggest parts of Raw. Even after dropping the titles, they manage to stay relevant.
Breakout Star of the Year: Alexa Bliss
2015 Winner: Kevin Owens
Alexa Bliss was brought up to the main roster as part of the draft. It was initially seen as an underwhelming choice. She had been impressive in NXT, but was never at the level of Bayley and Asuka. It was widely assumed she was mainly there on Smackdown to make up the numbers. That all changed the week after Backlash, when she became the #1 Contender to the Smackdown Women's Championship. It was pretty much assumed that she would be a paper contender, meaning she would lose to Lynch without much of a fight and Lynch would move on to other challengers. Instead, Bliss delivered some fantastic promos and became one of Smackdown's best heels. She beat Lynch cleanly in a Tables match at TLC to win the title and end the year on top of the division.
Tag Team of the Year: The New Day
2015 Winner: The New Day
2014 Winner: The Usos
The New Day wins this award for the second year in a row, even though you could argue that they had a better year in 2015 than 2016. They held the Raw Tag Team Championships for nearly the entire team and clashed with teams such as the Wyatt Family, The Vaudevillains, The Ascension, the League of Nations, and The Usos.
Match of the Year: AJ Styles vs. John Cena at Summerslam
2015 Winner: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble
2014 Winner: Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series
For the third year in a row, John Cena is involved in our best match of the year. The match he put on with Styles was an instant classic. The two have incredible chemistry and spend the latter portion of the match putting on an incredible sequence of counters and near-falls. Not only did it leave fans breathless, but it solidified Styles as a main event star.
Moment of the Year: Goldberg beats Brock Lesnar
2015 Winner: Seth Rollins Cashes In
2014 Winner: Brock Lesnar Breaks the Streak
For the third year in a row, Lesnar is involved in this award. That's not very surprising when you consider how big of a star the former UFC champ is. This year, he found himself on the losing end of a squash match with Goldberg. The surprising part was that this wasn't supposed to be a squash match. No, this was supposed to be a hard-hitting brawl centered around a rivalry that had first sparked in 2004. Instead, Goldberg dominated Lesnar and won the match in 86 seconds. It will go down as the biggest squash match in wrestling history.
Debut of the Year: AJ Styles
2015 Winner: Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks
2014 Winner: Sting
When 2016 rolled around, huge news broke. WWE had conducted a talent raid on New Japan Pro Wrestling and nabbed four of their top talents: Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Stlyes. The former TNA World Heayweight Champion was easily the biggest get of the group and fans were understandably very excited. Over the course of a long career in places such as ROH and New Japan, Styles had proven himself to be one of the best wrestlers in the world. No news was set for his debut, but fans hoped it would be in the Royal Rumble match. It made perfect sense, as the match was taking place in Orlando, a city Styles was very familiar with thanks to his days in TNA. The Rumble is also a great place for new stars to debut. When the Rumble fans started, fans only had to wait 90 seconds for Styles to make his debut. His fantastic new music hit and the crowd came absolutely unglued as Styles made his entrance at #3. That entrance set the tone for Styles's phenomenal (pun intended) year. It was everything a great debut should be: surprising and impactful.
Talker of the Year: Paul Heyman
2015 Winner: Paul Heuman
2014 Winner: Paul Heyman
For the third year in a row, Paul Heyman nabs this award and frankly, it wasn't even close. Heyman is one of the best mic workers in wrestling history and he continues to get better. Some of the best promos in WWE history, including his rant against Vince McMahon and his promo after Brock Lesnar broke the streak. Heyman was again in top form in 2016. The biggest highlight was during the Lesnar/Goldberg feud. Heyman did a great job as the snivelly heel that got under Goldberg's skin. It really helped build for their Survivor Series showdown.
One Night Performance of the Year: Dean Ambrose at Royal Rumble
2015 Winner: Seth Rollins at Night of Champions
2014 Winner: Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30
Bryan's career-defining performance at 'Mania 30 will always be the standard-bearer for this award, but Ambrose is more than deserving. His night started when he successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match. It was an excellent match that was WWE's best match of the year for a number of weeks. Later on, Ambrose entered the Royal Rumble match to try and become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He ended up being the runner-up to Triple H, eliminated Chris Jericho, and lasted nearly 30 minutes. The only people who lasted longer were Roman Reigns and Jericho. When we got down to the final two of Ambrose and Triple H, fans were visibly pumped. They were clearly ready for Ambrose to win the title, but they would have to wait a few months later for that to happen. On that note, Ambrose's performance at Money in the Bank (where he won the MITB briefcase and cashed in on Rollins to become the champ) is the runner-up here.
Maneuver of the Year: Baron Corbin's End of Days
2015 Winner: Neville's Red Arrow
2014 Winner: Neville's Red Arrow
I really wanted to give the Red Arrow the nod here, as it is still an exceptionally breath-taking move that requires an enormous amount of athleticism to pull off. Unfortunately for Neville, he spent much of the year injured/off TV, so we didn't get to see the Red Arrow that often. On top of that, he turned heel in December, so his fan-favorite move needed to go (it was replaced by a submission move called World of Agony). So, we open the floor up to other moves. We saw a number of great moves this year, but none really dazzle like the Red Arrow. Randy Orton's RKO has been around for years, Sami Zayn's Helluva Kick is pretty banal compared to the rest of his arsenal and his DDT through the turnbuckles is seen pretty rarely, AJ Styles uses too many big moves to have one stand out, etc. There's only one move that really stands out: Corbin's End of Days. The former NXT star debuted in April, so the move is still fresh and is arguably the most protected move in wrestling today. It's also an awesome looking finisher that he can hit out of nowhere and looks like it can legitimately knock someone out of commission.
Feud of the Year: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
2015 Winner: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
2014 Winner: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
As good as Styles/Cena and Miz/Ziggler were, we have to give the nod to the feud that has been going on for years. This year's iteration started in the Royal Rumble match, when Zayn made a surprise entrance and eliminated Owens. Zayn properly made his main roster debut a few weeks later when he saved Neville from an Owens attack. The two were then part of the 7-man Intercontinental Championship match at 'Mania along with Sin Cara, Stardust, The Miz, Zack Ryder (the winner), and Dolph Ziggler. Neither man won, but Zayn did take Owens out of contention. They then met in a fantastic match at Payback which Owens won. But the rivalry didn't end there, as the two men would brawl later that night during the IC title match between The Miz and Cesaro. Because of this, all four men competed for Miz's IC title at Extreme Rules the next month. It was a phenomenal match that saw both men once again target each other again. Both men then took part in the MITB Ladder match alongside Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Dean Ambrose (the winner), Alberto Del Rio, and Cesaro. Finally, they had a final clash at Battleground. It was one of the best matches of the year that Zayn won. It was a fitting end to the latest chapter of an epic rivalry.
Rising Star of the Year: Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Enzo & Cass were the most popular tag team on the NXT roster and fans were ecstatic when they made their main roster debut on the Raw after 'Mania. Even about nine months later, they remain one of the most over acts on the WWE roster. Enzo Amore has become one of the best talkers in all of WWE and Cass is clearly a big star in the making. The sky is the limit for these two stars.
Wrestler of the Year: AJ Styles
2015 Winner: Seth Rollins
2014 Winner: Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns (who had two WWE World Championship reigns and one United States Championship reign in 2016) provided some tough competition here, but we have to give the nod to Styles. Why? Let's go through the year he had. He debuted in January at the Rumble match, where he lasted nearly 30 minutes and eliminated two men. When he entered at #3, the crowd came unglued and it was one of the biggest pops in recent memory. He then entered a feud with Chris Jericho, where the in-ring action was top-notch. After wrapping up the Jericho feud, he won a Fatal 4-Way against Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro on the Raw after 'Mania to become #1 Contender to Reigns's WWE title. Styles was unable to capture the title, but the in-ring action was once again incredible. Styles then turned heel, aligned himself with Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, and started a feud with John Cena. It was one of the best feuds of the year and Styles pinned Cena cleanly in the best match of the year. Styles then went on to beat Dean Ambrose at Backlash for the WWE World Championship and has held that title ever since. He was WWE's most consistent performer of 2016 and should do the same in 2017.
Overall:
Weekly Show of the Year: Lucha Underground
2015 Winner: Lucha Underground
2014 Winner: NXT
I really, really wanted to give this award to Talking Smack, but it's hard to overlook Lucha Underground. Over Season 2 and Season 3, we saw a lot of fantastic wrestling and great storytelling. We saw the feud between Killshot and Marty "The Moth" Martinez, the blood-soaked massacre between Mariposa and Sexy Star, the dominating run of Matanza Cueto, and so much more. It has consistently been a great show (unlike NXT) and should be great in 2017.
Legend of the Year: Chyna
2015 Winner: Dusty Rhodes
2014 Winner: Ultimate Warrior
Every year, it seems like we lose more and more iconic wrestlers. 2016 saw the passing of Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, Mr. Fuji, and more. Arguably the biggest loss was Chyna, who remains one of the WWE's biggest omissions from the Hall of Fame. She is one of the most influential female wrestlers in wrestling history and proved that women could hang with the men. She won the Women's Championship once, entered the Royal Rumble twice, was a member of DX, and was a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Promotion of the Year: New Japan Pro Wrestling
2015 Winner: NXT
At the beginning of the year, WWE conducted a talent raid on New Japan. Four talents were poached: Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and Doc Gallows. Gallows & Anderson were the promotion's top tag team and Styles & Nakamura were two of the promotion's biggest stars (along with Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi). Many feared that New Japan would be unable to recover, but the promotion instead thrived. They created new stars such as Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Guerillas of Destiny, Katsuyori Shibata, and SANADA. Wrestle Kingdom 10 was one of the best pay-per-views of all-time and we saw a number of instant classics, such as Okada/Tanahashi, Styles/Nakamura, and Omega/Naito. No other promotion came close to the perfection of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Thanks for reading everyone.
NJPW:
PPV of the Year: Wrestle Kingdom 10
For those are unaware of Wrestle Kingdom, it's New Japan's version of WrestleMania. It always features the biggest matches and biggest stars. In the tenth version of this event, we were treated to one of the best pay-per-views of all-time. The main event match between Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi was the cumulation of a feud that spanned years. It was an emotional passing-of-the-torch moment that saw Okada become the promotion's new ace. We also saw a classic match between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles over the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Other stars on the show included Katsuyori Shibata, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay Lethal, Hirooki Goto, and Tetsuya Naito.
Match of the Year: Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito- G1 Climax Day 18
As great as the standout matches on the Wrestle Kingdom show were, there was no better match than the match between Omega and Naito during the G1 Climax. This was a much-anticipated show, as it featured two of the biggest stars in the wrestling world and two of the biggest favorites to win the whole tournament. A heel on heel match is notoriously difficult to pull off, but this was executed perfectly. Both men acted like total heels while managing to enthrall the crowd with their in-ring work.
Breakout Star of the Year: Kenny Omega
Omega started the year as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a popular member of the Bullet Club. But after he dropped the title to KUSHIDA and AJ Styles signed with WWE, he overthrew Styles as leader of BC and moved into the heavyweight division. Since then, he became the first foreigner to win the G1 Climax, defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to become IWGP Intercontinental Championship, competed in the promotion's first-ever ladder match, and became a two-time NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team champ with Matt & Nick Jackson. Out of seemingly nowhere, Omega has become one of the best wrestlers in the world and one of the biggest stars. It seems also certain that he will become World champ in 2017.
Rising Star of the Year: Sanada
SANADA came into the wrestling spotlight when he was competing in TNA's X Division. He won the title once and main-evented Bound for Glory 2014, but never seemed like he was a true star. In April of 2016, he joined LIJ and helped stable leader Tetsuya Naito win the IWGP Heavyweight title. Since then, he beat Hiroshi Tanahashi in the G1 Climax and finished second (with Evil) in his block of the Tag League. As evidenced by the win over Tanahashi, NJPW officials clearly see SANADA as a future superstar and possible ace.
Junior Heavyweight of the Year: KUSHIDA
While it's almost certain that KUSHIDA will move up to the heavyweight division this year, he was the biggest star of the junior heavyweight division in 2016. He racked up two reigns with the Junior Heavyweight title, successfully defending it against the likes of ACH, Bushi, Kenny Omega, and Will Ospreay. He also won the 2016 Super-J Cup.
Heavyweight Tag Team of the Year: Guerillas of Destiny
Before the Guerillas of Destiny came about, the dominant tag team in New Japan was the Bullet Club team of Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Once they left, their fellow stablemates were thrust into the spotlight. They were originally deemed unworthy of the belts, they improved drastically throughout the year. They held the IGWP Tag Team Championships twice, losing them to and winning them back from Jay & Mark Briscoe. They also made it to the finals of the World Tag League before losing to Great Bash Heel.
Junior Heavyweight Tag Team of the Year: The Young Bucks
The most popular tag team outside of WWE had a phenomenal 2016, especially in Japan. They had two runs with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles and teamed up with Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega to form The Elite and win the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team titles twice.
Comeback Star of the Year: Tetsuya Naito
In previous years, New Japan tried everything they could to make Naito a big babyface star. He challenged for the Heavyweight title at Wrestle Kingdom, allied with Hiroshi Tanahashi, and won a number of titles. The push never worked, and it seemed like Naito was a lost cause. Then, in late 2015, Naito formed Los Ingobernables de Japon. It was in 2016 however, that the new gimmick really took off. Naito won the New Japan Cup, defeated Kazuchika Okada for the Heavyweight title, and is the current Intercontinental champion. He has emerged as one of the most popular wrestlers in the entire world and has become a legitimate top-tier megastar. It seems incredible that Naito actually made it to the top. For years, it seemed like he was destined to always be rejected by the crowd. Maybe the WWE will use this lesson when it comes to Roman Reigns?
Wrestler of the Year: Kazuchika Okada
At Wrestle Kingdom 10, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defended his title against the 2015 G1 Climax winner Hiroshi Tanahashi. Tanahashi was the ace of NJPW. He had competed in all of but two Wrestle Kingdom main events and had defeated Okada in the main events of 7 and 9. In a MOTY contender, Okada defeated Tanahashi to retain his title and become the new ace of the company. Okada would later have another reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion throughout the year and defeated stars such as Tetsuya Naito, Naomichi Marufuji, Hirooki Goto, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe. In his first year as the company's new ace, Okada proved he could be the top star of a promotion.
Lucha Underground:
Comeback Star of the Year: Rey Mysterio Jr.
In March of 2016, we saw the second version of Aztec Warfare takes place. This is Lucha Underground's version of the Royal Rumble, so fans were pretty excited. They were even more excited when they found out Rey Mysterio Jr. was the #2 entrant. He hadn't been seen on a big stage since leaving WWE in 2014. While there were legitimate concerns about Mysterio Jr.'s health, the former WWE Champion proved he still could go. He teamed up with Prince Puma and El Dragon Azteca Jr. to win the Trios Titles and beat Puma in the main event at Ultima Lucha Dos (LU's version of WrestleMania).
Rising Star of the Year: Killshot
Killshot was in the first season of Lucha Underground, but he didn't really do much of note. In Season 2, he was given an awesome backstory of being a former sniper with PTSD. He began to pick up some victories and fans started cheering for him. He had a great feud with Marty Martinez that culminated in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match that main evented an episode of the show. Killshot has yet to win gold or join the main event scene, but has made a name for himself as a star on the rise and one of the world's best high-fliers.
Match of the Year: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Prince Puma at Ultima Lucha Dos
This is a dream match in every sense of the word. Mysterio Jr. is arguably the greatest Cruiserweight of all-time and is one of the few little men to actually succeed in the World title scene. Prince Puma (a.k.a. Ricochet of New Japan) is the best high-flyer in the world and rumored to be heading to NXT soon. There was really no solid build to this match, but it wasn't necessary. It was a simple story: Puma wanted to prove that he could hang with the legend and former Trios partner. Mysterio Jr. won the match, but his post-match endorsement of Puma was well-deserved. The match itself was a blend of seamless counters and big spots that wowed the crowd. The runner-up for this award is the bloody No Mas match between Sexy Star and Mariposa.
Breakout Star of the Year: Matanza Cueto
The Monster was referenced in Season 1, but he didn't make his debut until Aztec Warfare 2. He dominated the rest of the competitors in the match and walked away with the Lucha Underground Championship. Although he lost the title in Aztec Warfare 3, Matanza has ran roughshod over the competition. He's defeated wrestlers like Mil Muertes, Pentagon Dark, Fenix, Cortez Castro, and Prince Puma.
Wrestler of the Year: Sexy Star
2015 Winner: Prince Puma
WWE spent all of 2016 patting themselves on the back for the Women's Revolution. After decades of poor treatment, women were finally getting a chance to display their talents in big matches. Women like Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks have all benefited from this. But WWE didn't start the revolution of women's wrestling. In fact, they are a few years late to the party, especially when you look at companies like UFC and TNA. Lucha Underground however, has taken it to a whole new level. Male and female wrestlers compete against each other all the time and both genders are treated equally. No wrestler is bigger proof of this than Sexy Star. She has organically emerged as one of the promotion's biggest stars and is one of the best female wrestlers in the world. She had an incredible 2016, starting with her absolutely brutal No Mas match against Mariposa. She rode that momentum to winning the Gift of the Gods Championship and won Aztec Warfare 3 to become Lucha Underground Champion.
TNA:
Knockout of the Year: Gail Kim
2015 Winner: Gail Kim
Just like in 2015, Gail Kim was the biggest star of TNA's Knockout division. She held the TNA Knockouts Championship twice in 2016 (more than anyone else) and became the first female inductee in TNA's Hall of Fame. While she did end the year on the shelf, she looks primed to make a big return in 2017. In the meantime, look for women such as Allie, Laurel Van Ness, and Jade to step up.
Breakout Star of the Year: Mike Bennett
2015 Winner: Rockstar Spud
2014 Winner: Ethan Carter III
"The Miracle" Mike Bennett was known primarily in ROH as a tag team wrestler alongside Matt Taven as part of The Kingdom. After he and his wife Maria Kanellis came to TNA, he's proven he can be a top-tier heel. He became the first person to cleanly pin Ethan Carter III and won the X Division title. He's main evented shows, contended for the World title, and faced off with some of the top men in the promotion. It's clear that Bennett will be a major player in TNA in 2017.
Comeback Star of the Year: Matt Hardy
For years, Matt Hardy has simply been regarded as Jeff Hardy's younger brother. In 2016, Matt finally broke out. At the beginning of the year, he beat EC3 to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The two even executed a double turn, and Hardy became a heel. This heel turn led to a feud with Jeff Hardy. During the feud, Matt Hardy became "Broken". He developed a strange accent, changed his appearance, and began talking strangely. While this could have fallen flat, "Broken" Matt Hardy became one of the biggest stars in all of wrestling. His Final Deletion match with Jeff Hardy (more on that later) was one of the most-talked about matches of the year. This career transformation has made Hardy more popular than he ever was before and has totally rejuvenated his career.
Rising Star of the Year: Trevor Lee
Lee first made himself known to the TNA fans as part of the GFW invasion storyline in 2015. After a short hiatus, he returned to TNA in February with Shane Helms as his manager. He won the TNA X Division Championship from Tigre Uno and later joined forces with Andrew Everett to form The Helms Dynasty. Unfortunately, TNA hasn't really paid much attention to the X Division and Lee, but Lee has managed to stay relevant and looks poised to break into the promotion's upper echelon. The runner-up for this award is DJ Z, Lee's biggest rival of 2016. He might have had a bigger 2016, but his ceiling is definitely lower than Lee's.
Match of the Year: Final Deletion
If you're looking for a technical standout (like The Revival vs. #DIY), a high-flying spectacle (like Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet), a thrilling story (AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura), or a psychological masterpiece (Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens), this is not for you. If you're looking for the slightly unhinged side of wrestling, welcome. If you want your matches to be more entertainment than wrestling, welcome. The Final Deletion was an absolutely insane match (if we can call it that) featuring "Broken" Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy (now known as Brother Nero). Over the course of 20 minutes, we saw a dilapidated boat, Senor Benjamin, Matt's son, and so much more. It may have been the most entertaining 20 minutes of wrestling produced this year.
Tag Team of the Year: Decay
2015 Winner: The Wolves
2014 Winner: The Wolves
Even if Davey Richards had not been injured, they still would have a hard time beating out Decay for this award. The Decay formed in January of 2016 and immediately put themselves in the tag title conversation. They would only hold the titles once, but they battled with teams like The Wolves and Beer Money throughout the year. The Hardys formed in August and beat the Decay, but we can't discount the work Abyss and Crazzy Steve did throughout the year. They brought something different to the tag division and were quite successful.
Wrestler of the Year: Matt Hardy
2015 Winner: Ethan Carter III
When people think about TNA, they usually think about the promotion's financial troubles. That was a big part of their narrative in 2016, but it wasn't as big as the story of "Broken" Matt Hardy. In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Hardy totally reinvented himself with an absolutely absurd character. It's honestly baffling how much success Hardy has had. Hardy can list himself alongside the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, and Kazuchika Okada as one of the top wrestlers of 2016. Alongside Brother Nero, Hardy is one-half of the TNA Tag Team Champions and held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship earlier in the year.
NXT:
Feud of the Year: The Revival vs. #DIY
2015 Winner: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
2014 Winner: Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
The Revival was easily one of the best tag teams of 2016. They took part in a number of classic matches while having two NXT Tag Title reigns. Near the beginning of the year, they engaged in a feud with American Alpha. At some point during this feud, The Revival was defeated by Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Gargano and Ciampa were still upstarts, so this was regarded as a massive upset. As soon as The Revival dispatched of American Alpha, #DIY stepped in. In a feud that spanned many months, we saw two MOTY contenders and a score of great moments. At TakeOver: Toronto, #DIY finally captured the titles in an emotional, feel-good moment.
Maneuver of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura's Kinshasa
A great maneuver doesn't necessarily need to be a finisher. After all, Goldberg's Spear is one of the best in wrestling history. That being said, a finisher automatically gets a leg up on the competition because it tends to be more dramatic and usually puts an opponent away. In NXT in 2016, there was no finisher more dreaded than Nakamura's Kinshasa. He used it to put away opponents such as Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, and Austin Aries. It wasn't until Nakamura faced Samoa Joe that someone finally kicked out.
Woman Wrestler of the Year: Asuka
2015 Winner: Sasha Banks
2014 Winner: Charlotte
There's literally no other choice for this award. Yes, Bayley had a very good 2016, but she lost two titles matches to Asuka and moved to Raw in August. Asuka on the other hand, won the NXT title from Bayley in Dallas and has yet to be beaten. She's defeated everyone in her path, including Emma, Nia Jax, and Mickie James.
Title Reign of the Year: Asuka's NXT Women's Championship Reign
Let's look at all of the other possible contenders. We start with Finn Balor's NXT Championship reign. Yes, it was the longest NXT title reign of all-time, but it only lasted four months into 2016. We must disqualify the other four reigns that followed it, as Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura traded wins and the belt. The only other NXT Women's Championship reign in 2016 besides Asuka's was Bayley's, but that also lasted just four months into 2016. As for the NXT Tag Team Championship reigns, we find nothing as good as Asuka's reign. The Revival's first reign lasted only four months into 2016 (April sure was a big month for title changes huh?), American Alpha only held the belts for a couple of months, and DIY's reign only started in November. That leaves only The Revival's second reign with the tag belts. While it did last over 160 days, their reign was overshadowed by the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Thus, we give the award to Asuka, who defended her title against the likes of Bayley and Nia Jax.
Match of the Year: Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas
2015: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at TakeOver: Brooklyn
It was a close call over The Revival/DIY match from Toronto, but the Nakamura/Zayn match wins out. There was a ton of excitement for this match, seeing as it was Nakamura's debut match in NXT. Fans of Nakamura were scared that WWE would totally waste Nakamura and saddle him with some stereotypical gimmick. Instead, Nakamura was allowed to be himself and was given an absolutely electric theme song. The match itself was incredible, with both men displaying some hard-hitting moves. At one point, they stood in the ring and simply smashed each other with forearms. It was awesome. Nakamura eventually got the win, but both men looked like stars. After Nakamura left the ring, Zayn was given a standing ovation from the NXT Universe. It was implicitly understood that it was Zayn's farewell match.
Breakout Star of the Year: Johnny Gargano
If you followed Gargano's career pre-NXT, you probably haven't been surprised by his success in NXT. If you haven't, just be glad you're getting to see him now. Though he made his NXT debut in 2015, Gargano has become one of the brand's biggest stars in 2016. He's an incredible wrestler and his strong selling allows him to play the babyface in peril role very well. He and Tommaso Ciampa may be the tag champs right now, but it cannot be long before Gargano is World champion.
Tag Team of the Year: The Revival
When Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder upset American Alpha at TakeOver: The End to become the first two-time NXT Tag Team Champions in history, it was pretty clear that 2016 was going to be a fantastic year for them. Though their second reign ended in Toronto at the hands of DIY, The Revival was still the top tag team in NXT for a good chunk of the year. They also had a handful of classic matches throughout the year (including their match with American Alpha in Dallas) and solidified themselves as one of the best tag teams in the world (along with the likes of the Young Bucks and the New Day).
Moment of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura Debuts
Ask any wrestling fan worth his salt who the best wrestlers in the world are and Shinsuke Nakamura, along with stars such as Chris Hero, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Kenny Omega, and Kevin Owens, will inevitably show up somewhere on that list. While many have undoubtedly become more aware of him since he showed up in NXT, Nakamura is a highly decorated wrestler and was one of the top stars in Japan. When it was announced that he was coming to NXT, people were excited but worried, WWE has a history of wasting talented wrestlers who made their names outside of WWE (see Chris Harris, Colt Cabana, and Hero). But when Nakamura's new music hit in Dallas, everyone knew that Nakamura was going to be just fine. It was an electric, surreal moment that was one of the best of the year.
Rising Star of the Year: Andrade "Cien" Almas
The man formerly known as La Sombra made his NXT debut against Tye Dillinger at TakeOver: The End. It was a bit of a rough start for him, as the fans cheered for Dillinger. Almas's struggles continued to pile up, as fans didn't get behind his weird attire and cheered for other stars such as Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura. Then, after a first-round loss in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Almas snapped and attacked his partner Cedric Alexander. Since then, we have seen a much improved version of Almas. He seems much more comfortable in the ring and has absolutely excelled in the ring. Although Almas still isn't a headliner, his ceiling is very, very high.
Debut of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura
I've already talked enough about Nakamura's debut, so I won't go into too much detail here. The debut was an electrifying moment that laid the groundwork for the King of Strong Style to have a great 2016.
Wrestler of the Year: Shinsuke Nakamura
2015 Winner: Finn Balor
2014 Winner: Sami Zayn
Just like in 2014 and 2015, this award goes to the man that ended the year holding the NXT Championship (though that is by no means a criteria for this award). Samoa Joe is a serious contender for this award, but Nakamura was clearly the MVP of 2016 for NXT. His match with Sami Zayn was the best of the year, he held the NXT title twice, and decisively won his feud against Samoa Joe. He is clearly the most popular wrestler on the NXT roster and looks to have a very dominant 2017. Hell, we could even see him jump up to the main roster.
ROH:
Tag Team of the Year: The Young Bucks
While Jay & Mark Briscoe are still the aces of ROH's tag division, the Young Bucks have supplanted them as the tag champs. In fact, Matt & Nick Jackson are now widely considered to be the best tag team in the world. Not only did they dominate the New Japan junior heavyweight title scene and PWG's tag team ranks, but they became the most dominant team in ROH. In late September, they won Ladder War VI over The Addiction and Motor City Machine Guns to win their second ROH tag titles. They then defeated The Briscoes at Final Battle to retain the titles and have since engaged in a feud with the Hardys.
Comeback Star of the Year: Colt Cabana
One of the most popular stars of the independent scene, Cabana was a star in the early days of ROH. After an absence of nine years, Cabana returned to ROH and challenged Jay Lethal for the World title. He was unsuccessful, but he formed a team with Dalton Castle. He eventually turned on Castle and become one of the biggest heels in the promotion. Overall, his return was a big success and proved that he could still be a major player in a big promotion.
Rising Star of the Year: Donovan Dijak
Dijak has emerged as one of ROH's biggest stars on the rise. He started as a heel under Prince Nana's tutelage and has since emerged as one of the most cheered stars. He's since aligned himself with the Motor City Machine Guns. It should only be a matter of time before Dijak becomes one of the promotion's top stars.
Breakout Star of the Year: Dalton Castle
Castle's current gimmick has been among the most successful in recent history, but he really caught fire in 2016. He was involved in the ROH TV title scene and beat his former tag team partner Colt Cabana at Final Battle. He's now emerged as a true World title contender and should capture the title in 2017.
Match of the Year: Ladder War VI
As we mentioned before, the Young Bucks won this match against The Addiction and MCMG to win the ROH tag titles. It was a hellacious bout with bodies, broken tables, and ladders strewn everywhere. Ladder Wars are rare in ROH and they will continue to be great if they are booked in a similar manner.
PPV of the Year: Final Battle
Final Battle is ROH's biggest show of the year, akin to Wrestlemania. This year's edition was a grand affair. The Young Bucks beat the Briscoes in a fun match, Dalton Castle got some comeuppance on Colt Cabana, Kyle O'Reilly finally beat Adam Cole for the World title, and so much more. It was a lot of fun and showcased what a great year it was for ROH.
Wrestler of the Year: Adam Cole
2015 Winner: Jay Lethal
It was a fantastic year for Adam Cole, as he cemented himself as one of the top stars in wrestling. In May, he joined the Bullet Club, the hottest stable in all of wrestling. A few months later, he beat Jay Lethal to become only the third man in history to become a multi-time ROH World Champion. Although he lost the title to his former tag team partner Kyle O'Reilly at Final Battle, it was a tremendous match and Cole looked great. This may have been Cole's final full year with the promotion, but he should have a great 2017 no matter where he ends up.
WWE:
PPV of the Year: Survivor Series
2015 Winner: WrestleMania 31
Wrestlemania 32 was supposed to be an incredible show. It was taking place in front of a record crowd and featured superstars such as The Undertaker, Shane McMahon, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, and Dean Ambrose. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a massive disappointment. All three major matches were busts and the show was much too long. Survivor Series on the other hand, was a fantastic show. The men's Survivor Series match was one of the best matches of the year, the Brock Lesnar/Goldberg match was an awesome moment, and we saw a number of big stars. It was a great show that delivered on all aspects.
Woman Wrestler of the Year: Charlotte Flair
2015 Winner: Nikki Bella
2014 Winner: Paige
After a tepid start to the main roster (being an awkward face and a member of Team PCB), Charlotte finally turned heel in the beginning of 2016. She's been a heel ever since and has been one of the company's best in 2016. Whether it was using Dana Brooke as a patsy or launching sneak attacks on other wrestlers, Charlotte managed to get the entire WWE universe to turn against her. That great heel work has translated into some major success. She amassed an incredible PPV win streak, won the first ever women's Hell in a Cell match, and held the Raw Women's Championship on four different occasions.
Title Reign of the Year: The New Day as WWE Tag Team Champions
2014 Winners: The Usos as WWE Tag Team Champions
This is a pretty obvious one: no other championship reign broke any longevity records. They might not have had any classic matches this year, but the match that ended their reign (against Cesaro & Sheamus at Roadblock) was a show-stealer.
Most Entertaining Superstar: The New Day
2015 Winner: The New Day
Like the previous entry, this is an obvious choice. The New Day are one of the few acts in WWE that have creative freedom and that has shown. Their promos and segments have consistently been among the product's highlights in 2016 and should also be in 2016.
Return of the Year: Shane McMahon
2015 Winner: Sting
The last time we saw Shane McMahon was in 2009. He was a minor actor in the Triple H/Randy Orton feud and left the company soon afterward. Fans were unsure if he would ever return. After realizing that he would never lead the company (thanks to the rise of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon), he left to make his mark in China. He finally returned in February of 2016. He was sorely needed by the WWE, as they were lacking star power for 'Mania. John Cena had been scheduled to fight The Undertaker, but he had gone down with an injury during a match with Alberto Del Rio. Enter Shane McMahon, who came back to a roaring return and a high-profile feud with 'Taker.
Comeback Superstar of the Year: Goldberg
2015 Winner: The Undertaker
2014 Winner: Tyson Kidd
After taking on Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania XX, Goldberg retired from wrestling. He has taken on other ventures such as acting and hosting a podcast, but fans kept asking him to come back. Finally, in conjunction with the release of the new WWE video game, Goldberg made his return to WWE. He delivered a phenomenal promo on Raw and then followed up by squashing Lesnar at Survivor Series. His next match will be the Royal Rumble match.
Faction of the Year: The New Day
2015 Winner: The New Day
2014 Winner: The Shield
Just like in 2014, The New Day was by far the most important faction in 2016. They held the tag titles for nearly the entire year and were consistently one of the biggest parts of Raw. Even after dropping the titles, they manage to stay relevant.
Breakout Star of the Year: Alexa Bliss
2015 Winner: Kevin Owens
Alexa Bliss was brought up to the main roster as part of the draft. It was initially seen as an underwhelming choice. She had been impressive in NXT, but was never at the level of Bayley and Asuka. It was widely assumed she was mainly there on Smackdown to make up the numbers. That all changed the week after Backlash, when she became the #1 Contender to the Smackdown Women's Championship. It was pretty much assumed that she would be a paper contender, meaning she would lose to Lynch without much of a fight and Lynch would move on to other challengers. Instead, Bliss delivered some fantastic promos and became one of Smackdown's best heels. She beat Lynch cleanly in a Tables match at TLC to win the title and end the year on top of the division.
Tag Team of the Year: The New Day
2015 Winner: The New Day
2014 Winner: The Usos
The New Day wins this award for the second year in a row, even though you could argue that they had a better year in 2015 than 2016. They held the Raw Tag Team Championships for nearly the entire team and clashed with teams such as the Wyatt Family, The Vaudevillains, The Ascension, the League of Nations, and The Usos.
Match of the Year: AJ Styles vs. John Cena at Summerslam
2015 Winner: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble
2014 Winner: Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series
For the third year in a row, John Cena is involved in our best match of the year. The match he put on with Styles was an instant classic. The two have incredible chemistry and spend the latter portion of the match putting on an incredible sequence of counters and near-falls. Not only did it leave fans breathless, but it solidified Styles as a main event star.
Moment of the Year: Goldberg beats Brock Lesnar
2015 Winner: Seth Rollins Cashes In
2014 Winner: Brock Lesnar Breaks the Streak
For the third year in a row, Lesnar is involved in this award. That's not very surprising when you consider how big of a star the former UFC champ is. This year, he found himself on the losing end of a squash match with Goldberg. The surprising part was that this wasn't supposed to be a squash match. No, this was supposed to be a hard-hitting brawl centered around a rivalry that had first sparked in 2004. Instead, Goldberg dominated Lesnar and won the match in 86 seconds. It will go down as the biggest squash match in wrestling history.
Debut of the Year: AJ Styles
2015 Winner: Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks
2014 Winner: Sting
When 2016 rolled around, huge news broke. WWE had conducted a talent raid on New Japan Pro Wrestling and nabbed four of their top talents: Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Stlyes. The former TNA World Heayweight Champion was easily the biggest get of the group and fans were understandably very excited. Over the course of a long career in places such as ROH and New Japan, Styles had proven himself to be one of the best wrestlers in the world. No news was set for his debut, but fans hoped it would be in the Royal Rumble match. It made perfect sense, as the match was taking place in Orlando, a city Styles was very familiar with thanks to his days in TNA. The Rumble is also a great place for new stars to debut. When the Rumble fans started, fans only had to wait 90 seconds for Styles to make his debut. His fantastic new music hit and the crowd came absolutely unglued as Styles made his entrance at #3. That entrance set the tone for Styles's phenomenal (pun intended) year. It was everything a great debut should be: surprising and impactful.
Talker of the Year: Paul Heyman
2015 Winner: Paul Heuman
2014 Winner: Paul Heyman
For the third year in a row, Paul Heyman nabs this award and frankly, it wasn't even close. Heyman is one of the best mic workers in wrestling history and he continues to get better. Some of the best promos in WWE history, including his rant against Vince McMahon and his promo after Brock Lesnar broke the streak. Heyman was again in top form in 2016. The biggest highlight was during the Lesnar/Goldberg feud. Heyman did a great job as the snivelly heel that got under Goldberg's skin. It really helped build for their Survivor Series showdown.
One Night Performance of the Year: Dean Ambrose at Royal Rumble
2015 Winner: Seth Rollins at Night of Champions
2014 Winner: Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30
Bryan's career-defining performance at 'Mania 30 will always be the standard-bearer for this award, but Ambrose is more than deserving. His night started when he successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match. It was an excellent match that was WWE's best match of the year for a number of weeks. Later on, Ambrose entered the Royal Rumble match to try and become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He ended up being the runner-up to Triple H, eliminated Chris Jericho, and lasted nearly 30 minutes. The only people who lasted longer were Roman Reigns and Jericho. When we got down to the final two of Ambrose and Triple H, fans were visibly pumped. They were clearly ready for Ambrose to win the title, but they would have to wait a few months later for that to happen. On that note, Ambrose's performance at Money in the Bank (where he won the MITB briefcase and cashed in on Rollins to become the champ) is the runner-up here.
Maneuver of the Year: Baron Corbin's End of Days
2015 Winner: Neville's Red Arrow
2014 Winner: Neville's Red Arrow
I really wanted to give the Red Arrow the nod here, as it is still an exceptionally breath-taking move that requires an enormous amount of athleticism to pull off. Unfortunately for Neville, he spent much of the year injured/off TV, so we didn't get to see the Red Arrow that often. On top of that, he turned heel in December, so his fan-favorite move needed to go (it was replaced by a submission move called World of Agony). So, we open the floor up to other moves. We saw a number of great moves this year, but none really dazzle like the Red Arrow. Randy Orton's RKO has been around for years, Sami Zayn's Helluva Kick is pretty banal compared to the rest of his arsenal and his DDT through the turnbuckles is seen pretty rarely, AJ Styles uses too many big moves to have one stand out, etc. There's only one move that really stands out: Corbin's End of Days. The former NXT star debuted in April, so the move is still fresh and is arguably the most protected move in wrestling today. It's also an awesome looking finisher that he can hit out of nowhere and looks like it can legitimately knock someone out of commission.
Feud of the Year: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
2015 Winner: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
2014 Winner: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
As good as Styles/Cena and Miz/Ziggler were, we have to give the nod to the feud that has been going on for years. This year's iteration started in the Royal Rumble match, when Zayn made a surprise entrance and eliminated Owens. Zayn properly made his main roster debut a few weeks later when he saved Neville from an Owens attack. The two were then part of the 7-man Intercontinental Championship match at 'Mania along with Sin Cara, Stardust, The Miz, Zack Ryder (the winner), and Dolph Ziggler. Neither man won, but Zayn did take Owens out of contention. They then met in a fantastic match at Payback which Owens won. But the rivalry didn't end there, as the two men would brawl later that night during the IC title match between The Miz and Cesaro. Because of this, all four men competed for Miz's IC title at Extreme Rules the next month. It was a phenomenal match that saw both men once again target each other again. Both men then took part in the MITB Ladder match alongside Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Dean Ambrose (the winner), Alberto Del Rio, and Cesaro. Finally, they had a final clash at Battleground. It was one of the best matches of the year that Zayn won. It was a fitting end to the latest chapter of an epic rivalry.
Rising Star of the Year: Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Enzo & Cass were the most popular tag team on the NXT roster and fans were ecstatic when they made their main roster debut on the Raw after 'Mania. Even about nine months later, they remain one of the most over acts on the WWE roster. Enzo Amore has become one of the best talkers in all of WWE and Cass is clearly a big star in the making. The sky is the limit for these two stars.
Wrestler of the Year: AJ Styles
2015 Winner: Seth Rollins
2014 Winner: Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns (who had two WWE World Championship reigns and one United States Championship reign in 2016) provided some tough competition here, but we have to give the nod to Styles. Why? Let's go through the year he had. He debuted in January at the Rumble match, where he lasted nearly 30 minutes and eliminated two men. When he entered at #3, the crowd came unglued and it was one of the biggest pops in recent memory. He then entered a feud with Chris Jericho, where the in-ring action was top-notch. After wrapping up the Jericho feud, he won a Fatal 4-Way against Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro on the Raw after 'Mania to become #1 Contender to Reigns's WWE title. Styles was unable to capture the title, but the in-ring action was once again incredible. Styles then turned heel, aligned himself with Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, and started a feud with John Cena. It was one of the best feuds of the year and Styles pinned Cena cleanly in the best match of the year. Styles then went on to beat Dean Ambrose at Backlash for the WWE World Championship and has held that title ever since. He was WWE's most consistent performer of 2016 and should do the same in 2017.
Overall:
Weekly Show of the Year: Lucha Underground
2015 Winner: Lucha Underground
2014 Winner: NXT
I really, really wanted to give this award to Talking Smack, but it's hard to overlook Lucha Underground. Over Season 2 and Season 3, we saw a lot of fantastic wrestling and great storytelling. We saw the feud between Killshot and Marty "The Moth" Martinez, the blood-soaked massacre between Mariposa and Sexy Star, the dominating run of Matanza Cueto, and so much more. It has consistently been a great show (unlike NXT) and should be great in 2017.
Legend of the Year: Chyna
2015 Winner: Dusty Rhodes
2014 Winner: Ultimate Warrior
Every year, it seems like we lose more and more iconic wrestlers. 2016 saw the passing of Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, Mr. Fuji, and more. Arguably the biggest loss was Chyna, who remains one of the WWE's biggest omissions from the Hall of Fame. She is one of the most influential female wrestlers in wrestling history and proved that women could hang with the men. She won the Women's Championship once, entered the Royal Rumble twice, was a member of DX, and was a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Promotion of the Year: New Japan Pro Wrestling
2015 Winner: NXT
At the beginning of the year, WWE conducted a talent raid on New Japan. Four talents were poached: Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and Doc Gallows. Gallows & Anderson were the promotion's top tag team and Styles & Nakamura were two of the promotion's biggest stars (along with Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi). Many feared that New Japan would be unable to recover, but the promotion instead thrived. They created new stars such as Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Guerillas of Destiny, Katsuyori Shibata, and SANADA. Wrestle Kingdom 10 was one of the best pay-per-views of all-time and we saw a number of instant classics, such as Okada/Tanahashi, Styles/Nakamura, and Omega/Naito. No other promotion came close to the perfection of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Thanks for reading everyone.
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