#DIY vs The Revival, TakeOver Toronto, November 2016
If ever there was a match that epitomises tag team wrestling then this was it. Since August both Ciampa & Gargano had vowed to dethrone the tag champs, if the previous TakeOver match was a verse then this was the chorus. The Revival have singlehandedly reinvented tag team wrestling in WWE, since the forming of their partnership the attitude towards tag wrestling has changed greatly. Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano since their debut have been a breath of fresh air within NXT, their style and attitude have been a revelation and they have certainly filled the gap left by American Alpha. The match at TakeOver was a two out of three falls match, it was the only way of finding out who was the better team. The match itself was exceptional, the three falls were planned out remarkably well as the action went back and forth. Both teams strived for victory as the story unfolded, the challengers looked to have the match won before the Revival zeroed in on the knees of Gargano as they did in August. The match reached a fever pitch as the champs took control, DIY however fought back through the pain, as the audience got to their feet Johnny and Tomasso seized control and took the victory and the belts.
AJ Styles vs John Cena, Summerslam, August 2016
There are few wrestlers left in the industry that when beaten people take notice, Undertaker, Lesnar, Triple H and John Cena are the handful of superstars left that get that reaction. When AJ Styles arrived in January a plethora of dream matches were discussed by insiders and fans, Styles proved himself against Jericho and then exhibited all his skills in his feud with Roman Reigns. His next challenge was company man John Cena, the face of the WWE had missed much of the year due to injury, but on his return AJ was waiting. The May 30th Raw was a sight to behold, for the first time ever AJ Styles and John Cena stood side by side in a WWE ring, the atmosphere was electric. As with all great confrontations comes betrayal, Styles would be the one to turn on Cena and position himself at the top, ready to topple WWE’s resident king. Act 1 took place at MITB, AJ won but with assistance from Club cohorts Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, following that there was a six man tag match at Battleground involving Enzo & Cass. The WWE draft then soon followed, Styles and Cena found themselves on the same show, the feud had to be settled, the venue was Summerslam. Both AJ and Cena play off each other so well, when they step in the ring good things happen, magic is in the air. Their match at Summerslam was truly phenomenal, it was the match of the night and arguably match of the year, everything was left in the ring, as we all know Styles left the eventual winner and he rightfully cemented his main event status.
The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler, No Mercy, October 2016
If there was anyone in WWE that could rival AJ Styles for wrestler of the year then its the Miz, his resurgence from failed former WWE champion has been amazing. After he easily defeated Apollo Crews at Summerslam a down on his luck Dolph Ziggler wondered into the middle of Miz’s cross-hairs, it set in motion a series of stunning promos and even better matches. The Miz with his quick wit and cruel demeanour was quick to slate the former world champion, Dolph in response surprisingly admitted to his shortcomings but promised he could change his career for the better. After being defeated by the Miz at Backlash, Dolph was willing to sacrifice even his career for another opportunity, Miz being the dastardly heel that he is happily accepted the career vs title match. In the run up to the event Miz did a “this is your life” on the career of Dolph Ziggler and drafted two members of the Spirit Squad back in, the segments were priceless. They eventually clashed at No Mercy, the match itself should have been the main event, well in theory it was, it eclipsed the Bray Wyatt/Randy Orton match. The two traded near falls as the match reached it’s conclusion, both Maryse and the Spirit Squad attempted to thwart Dolph’s path to victory. The referee finally sent Miz’s cohorts to the back, with momentum on his side Ziggler managed one last Superkick..1,2,3. This was a superb piece of storytelling both in and out of the ring.
Team Raw vs Team Smackdown, Survivor Series, November 2016
Personally I was against the idea of Raw vs SDLive so soon after the brand split, what was there to fight for? What is exactly was the point of the feud? As we moved closer towards the PPV itself the combatants were named for the 5 on 5 men’s elimination match, it was this match stole the show and left you breathless. Featuring a plethora of main event talent the match delivered on all fronts, for fifty-three minutes the 10 superstars blew us all away. With each man given more than enough time the action flowed incredibly well, the time flew by as the severity of the match grew with each elimination. With multiple plot lines running throughout the match tension was sky-high, for the majority most kept their tempers in check, but when it blew it really blew. Performance awards go to Seth Rollins and AJ Styles, who individually performed to the very best of their ability, Seth especially performed out of his skin, his energy was infectious. As the match went on Styles and Ambrose as expected kicked off, so much so that Dean partnered up with former Shield cronies Rollins & Reigns to triple powerbomb Styles through the announce table. The finale of the match came down to Roman against Randy & Bray, we all took a deep breath as we watched Roman systematically beat down the remaining SD team. When it seemed Raw would be saved by Roman, Bray emerged to score potentially the biggest victory of his WWE career as he planted Reigns with Sister Abigail for the win.
Cesaro vs Sheamus, Clash of Champion, September 2016
I know this could be a controversial choice, but to pick another match involving the above contenders would be easy. This was the seventh of their best of seven series, up to this point the two had faced each other so many times that some were becoming immune to it. The first six matches ranged from okay to very good, this one however was excellent, when you thought they couldn’t do anymore they managed to have the audience at clash of Champions on their feet baying for blood. It was certainly a surreal moment to see and hear the crowd screaming to let them fight, with both men selling their previous collisions the stakes were high. It was a slow build before the final ten/fifteen minutes, they hit each other with everything before spilling to the outside of the ring and into the audience. The excitement in the arena reached fever pitch as the fatigue began to show on both men, beat up and bruised the two super workers excelled. It then seemed that neither man would be victorious as the referee called a stoppage, with the action halted the crowd called for further violence, the decision was made to end the match….surprisingly on a high. There have been higher profile matches this year but this typified how WWE can set itself apart when it want’s too.
WWE excelled this year when it came to in ring activity, there were many matches that could have made the list but I feel I included the ones which really stood out from the rest. Please see my worthy selection below who narrowly missed out:
AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns/Payback
AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns/Extreme Rules
American Alpha vs The Revival/TakeOver Dallas
Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura/TakeOver Dallas
Y2AJ vs New Day/RAW
The Revival vs #DIY/TakeOver Brooklyn
AJ Styles vs John Cena/MITB
AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose/TLC
Find me on Twitter @Ciaran_Heel
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