Over the past week, we have gone through the honorable mentions and numbers 10-6 on the list of the best WWE Superstars of 2016. This inevitably brings us to the top of the list, where we look at which five Superstars had the best year. This includes consistently great performances, whether it is through character work, in-ring technique, or both. This is WWE’s best of the best for 2016.
5. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens started off the year in an Intercontinental Championship feud with Dean Ambrose, and Owens in the title scene would last until WrestleMania, where Owens lost the belt to Zack Ryder in a multi-man ladder match. Owens then feuded with longtime best friend/rival Sami Zayn, and has been in the Universal Championship title picture since becoming the second-ever (and longest reigning) Universal Champion after Finn Balor had to vacate it.
On top of being in great feuds for the year (including his current one with Chris Jericho), Owens has consistently put on amazing matches. He had a great Last Man Standing match against Dean Ambrose at the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View, great matches with Sami Zayn throughout the summer, and his match tomorrow against Roman Reigns could be a contender for “Match of the Year.” It is hard for someone to have a better first 1.5 years on the main roster than Kevin Owens.
4. Shinsuke Nakamura
On January 4, 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura had an instant classic of a match against AJ Styles at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10. Two days later, The King of Strong Style confirmed that he would leave Japan to sign with WWE. It would not be until April 1st at NXT TakeOver: Dallas where Nakamura would first appear in a WWE ring. In his debut, he tore the house down with Sami Zayn in Zayn’s last NXT match, and it was only the start to a great run.
Nakamura went into three feuds for the rest of the year. First, he feuded with Austin Aries, then after beating Aries, he would then face the former NXT Champion Finn Balor. After proving that he could beat the “icon” of NXT, Nakamura’s sights were set on the NXT Championship. Nakamura captured the belt from Samoa Joe, and feuded with Joe until a house show in Melbourne, Australia earlier this month where The King of Strong Style retained the gold to close out the year as the current (and two-time) NXT Champion.
3. AJ Styles
When Nakamura left NJPW, it was rumored that AJ Styles was coming to WWE as well. That rumor was confirmed in the Royal Rumble match, when Styles showed up as the third entrant for the match. The arena went insane, and after an amazing debut, Styles has had a (*sigh*) phenomenal year in WWE.
Styles was eased into WWE by feuding with Chris Jericho, and although he lost to Y2J at WrestleMania, the WWE Universe immediately realized how much in-ring talent Styles brought to the table. After the Club debuted, Styles would then turn heel, then he instantly became one of the best heels in the company.
The journey from “new WWE Superstar” to “face of SmackDown Live” came into fruition with his feud with John Cena. Styles has defeated Cena clean, and Cena and failed to get a victory over the Phenomenal One. This, like with Kevin Owens from last year, showed the WWE Universe that he belongs at the top of event cards, and Styles would prove that even further by winning the WWE World Championship. If Styles can defeat Dolph Ziggler on the last SmackDown Live of 2016, he will end the year as the WWE World Champion (imagine hearing this last year).
2. Chris Jericho
Two words can perfectly describe the Year of Jericho: The List. After Dean Ambrose ruined Jericho’s $15,000 jacket (which he brought up in the men’s Survivor Series match), Jericho debuted a new look. Jericho was smug, grew a goatee, and started wearing “$700 yak fur” scarves instead of a light-up jacket. While this was a nice change of pace, what took Jericho from usual part-timer to the most entertaining part of Raw was the List of Jericho.
Jericho decided to take whatever he didn’t like and wrote it down on a list. Eventually, this got to the point that the List of Jericho was getting huge cheers from the crowd, and it became more and more prominent each week, like how SmackDown fans showed James Ellsworth enough support to make him an official WWE Superstar.
Jericho has proved time and time again, but especially this year, that he has… IT. Every aspect of his gimmick is entertaining, including his (now former) friendship with Kevin Owens, interactions with Seth Rollins, or little jabs at Mick Foley. Y2J can turn anything into the best thing about Raw, and he has proven to be Raw’s most valuable commodity.
1. Sasha Banks
While two words summed up Jericho’s year, one word can sum up 2016 for Sasha Banks: Charlotte history. In Janurary, Sasha Banks was one of WWE’s best “Divas,” who deserved a chance at the Divas Championship. Come WrestleMania 32, Sasha Banks was one of the best WWE Superstars on the roster. At almost every turn, Sasha Banks was part of Raw making history with the women’s division.
Banks feuded with Charlotte for the latter half of the year, winning her first WWE Women’s Championship (now the Raw Women’s Championship) from Charlotte on the July 25 edition of Monday Night Raw. Banks and Flair would play hot potato with the belt, so Banks would end up winning the belt in October, and yet again just a few weeks ago. This has included a Raw main event slot, a Falls Count Anywhere match, a Hell in a Cell match, and an upcoming 30-minute Iron Man match tomorrow at Roadblock: End of the Line. Banks helped lead the charge to create an incredible environment for women’s wrestling, and along with amazing matches time and time again, Banks deserves her spot as the best WWE Superstar of 2016.
