2016 Pro Wrestling Year End Awards

2016 Pro Wrestling Year End Awards
January 20, 2017
By Ryan Porzl

With the year coming to an end, it's time I give my year end awards for what I considered both the best and worst in American and Japanese wrestling. Like previous years, these are my opinions and mine alone.



American Wrestling

Wrestler of the Year: Eddie Edwards (TNA)- This year provided many wrestlers worthy of wrestler of the year including Bobby Lashley, Matt Hardy, Johnny Mundo, and Pentagon Dark (though not all his big moments aired yet) to name some. However, Edwards is the one who deserves it the most. One reason is the fact he made the most of a bad situation. When the year first began, Edwards was one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions as part of The Wolves with Davey Richards and it looked as though it would be another year as part of The Wolves. Then, Richards tore his ACL less than a month into the new year during the UK tour leaving Edwards to himself. There are few things that can be worse for a wrestler than one who is in a tag team only for their partner to get hurt because everything regarding them is in that tag team and now, it's on the shelf. It could've been a bad year for Edwards but he turned it around and went on to have an amazing year to the point where he went from losing his partner to World Champion within a span of nine months. You got to give him that respect and he also doesn't seem like he's one half of The Wolves or waiting for Richards as he has broken out as a singles wrestler. From match quality, Edwards had one great match after another this year including with Decay and Beer Money as part of The Wolves to his involvement in the X Division to his main event matches with Lashley, Eli Drake, and EC3. Edwards was among the elite of the elites in the ring. From a storyline standpoint, Edwards also had a year many in the business couldn't match as he entered the year as a Tag Team Champion, then went on to win Two TNA X Division Championships, and ended his year by becoming TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He also made history becoming the first to win the TNA and ROH Triple Crown.

Woman's Wrestler of the Year: Becky Lynch (WWE)- From a real life standpoint, Lynch gets this award for being able to turn chicken shit into chicken salad. Lynch is one of the few women on the WWE roster that can be counted on to put on a good match and cut a good promo although she wasn't given the same attention that Sasha Banks and Charlotte received before the split despite being head and shoulders above them. Once the split took effect, Lynch shined as she became a top star on the Smackdown Women's Division as she was free from Banks & Charlotte's shadow and away from most of the deadweight in the women's division. She especially shined with her feud with Alexa Bliss over the Smackdown Women's Championship as they put on one great match after another. I also chose Lynch because Charlotte and Banks are horrible while no one really dominated in TNA, there was no Women's Title to compete for in ROH, and Sexy Star is average in LU. From a storyline standpoint, Lynch also become the first Smackdown Women's Champion.

Tag Team of the Year: The Revival (NXT)- This was between The Revival or Decay but I went with The Revival as both are great but I think Revival are probably the better team in the ring and like many, I like how they're a throwback to The Minnesota Wrecking Crew and The Brain Busters with their sneaky tactics, use of short cuts, and targeting specific body parts. They also have great double team moves and have provided many great matches against American Alpha and DIY that in some cases were the best matches on the show. The team also comes off like a fluid well oiled machine as Dash and Dawson have shown excellent chemistry. From a storyline standpoint, Revival entered the year as NXT Tag Team Champions and regained the titles as well becoming the first tag team to regain the NXT Tag Team Championships (Neville was the first overall to do it).

Best Fan Favorite: Becky Lynch (WWE)- Lynch gets a second award as she plays a babyface role very well and is easily likable. She's easy to get behind playing a never say die character and her passion shows in her work. She can cut a good promo but she can also make you laugh like when she first won the title and came off as a kid in a candy store. She's also one of those people you want to see gain success and achieve their dreams cause you like them so much.

Best Villain: Mike Bennett (TNA)- Bennett was definitely the best villain of the year. The way he came off as an egotistical jerk who thinks he's better than everybody and comes in like some messiah as The Miracle. Probably another good thing is that he is a great competitor so he not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. He has an attitude that's hateable and plays a cheater well.

Best Match of the Year: The Broken Hardys vs. Decay (TNA Bound For Glory, 10/2)- This match was fun and had just about everything though definitely not for everybody. We had the usual hardcore madness with chairs, tables, ladders, barbwire, and tacks being used. We also got some brawling in the back and even in the park which oddly enough may be the first time TNA has done that despite running Universal Studios for 12 years. It was also nice to see fighting on the outside and the back of the building which isn't as common as it was in the 1990s or 2000s. The match also had the Hardy goofiness with Jeff changing into his Inchweeed and Willow gimmick, Matt & Abyss fighting on a truck, etc which are the parts that aren't for everyone. There is also good story telling as Reby is taken out before the match to allow a 3-on-2 with Rosemary interfering and providing interference. We saw the drone Vanguard 1 appear and spray something at Rosemary as revenge for her blowing mist at him during Delete or Decay and we saw the truck driver who's truck was stolen by Decay leading up to Delete or Decay show up. We also saw Reby get revenge on Rosemary by putting her through a table with a powerbomb. Like I said, this match had good storytelling, lots of plunder, and Hardy goofiness. Something for everyone.

Best Brawler: Baron Corbin (WWE)- Corbin has proven to be a great bruiser as his punches look crisp and his kicks do too while doing a good job of beating people down. It's probably not surprising seeing as how he is a former golden gloves boxer and football player. He comes off as someone who is no the most technical wrestler but definitely one of the toughest that could brawl and bang it out with the best.

Best Flyer: Jack Evans (Lucha Underground)- Evans has always been an insane high flyer and 2016 was no different. Evans is capable of doing just about any high flying move that the average flyer can from moonsaults to 630 splashes. He can nail the moves right and isn't sloppy. He's also not a spot monkey as he does his stuff but it's not always crash and burn style.

Best Talker: Eli Drake (TNA)- Drake is an absolute natural on the mic. He can be serious and he can be funny on the mic but he's always a treat. Drake is one of those guys who's so good, he could've went back and forth with legendary speakers in their time like Roddy Piper and not miss a beat. You're never bored listening to Drake.

Most Improved: Alexa Bliss (WWE)- Bliss has always shown great potential especially after turning heel in 2015 and aligning herself with Blake and Murphy. However, she has really shined and come into her own this year. For someone who did not have a wrestling background prior to signing with WWE and only having three years experience, she's already one of the best women on the roster. Bliss has risen to the occasion as she's good on the mic, plays her character very well, and provides great matches. She doesn't come off green or inexperienced and she can more than carry her weight during a promo or a match. Not only that but she's one of the few who have been brought up to the main roster this year that didn't come off as not ready like Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, American Alpha, and Apollo Crews.

Comeback of the Year: Abyss (TNA)- This is a huge no-brainer. Heading into 2016, Abyss was completely and totally rudderless. His last hot angle was his Joseph Parks gimmick which ended two years earlier. Since then, Abyss wandered and did little as his alliance with Magnus was a flop, him aligning with Storm's Revolution was decently successful, and then he didn't do much after that. He was in desperate need of a change and he got one when he became part of Decay with Crazzy Steve and Rosemary. To say the least, this has been a huge shot in the arm of his career as he become part of one of the hottest acts in TNA, held the World Tag Team Championship for most of the year, and had a hot rivalry with The Broken Hardys. Abyss has shown he still has what it takes in the ring and that he just needs direction and he got it in 2016. Abyss was also able to reinvent himself with a new look this year which is good considering he's been a regular since 2003 and it's nice to change things up as opposed to trying to look and do the same thing for so many years to the point where it gets stale.

Best Feud: EC3 vs. Mike Bennett (TNA)- This feud was great for many reasons. One is because they had great chemistry both in the ring and on the mic. Another was the story as Bennett came off like EC3 did when he first came in back in 2013 as the cocky young up and comer who feels entitled and thinks he owns the place while EC3 seems to have matured in the years since his arrival. The two also engaged in great promos and matches while having many memorable moments including Bennett resorting to pinning referee Earl Hebner is a pathetic and desperate attempt to get a win over a TNA Hall of Famer because EC3 beat every Hall of Famer that's a wrestler. The feud also featured a big moment as Bennett became the first to pin EC3 in a match which ended EC3's 30 month unpinned and unsubmitted streak.

Debut/Return of the Year: Matanza Cueto (Lucha Underground)- I don't always agree with what Lucha Underground does but they got a winner with Matanza. Along with Mil Muertes, Matanza is another great monster and plays his role perfectly. However, Matanza is not some lumbering big man as he's a great athlete and moves around easily as he can keep up with the fastest guy all the while being a successful amateur wrestler. He's an excellent prospect who already has achieved much in his young career but is capable of achieving much more. From a storyline standpoint, Matanza quickly won the Lucha Underground Championship in his televised debut as well as the second Aztec Warfare.

Most Underrated: Donovan Dijak (ROH)- Originally I wanted to pick all the great talents that are stuck in WWE's storage unit known as NXT wasting their primes (Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, Eric Young, The Revival, Asuka, and TM-61) but that's too many. I also considered Bray Wyatt but he at least got a title. Instead, I'll go with last year's winner in Donovan Dijak. Dijak is someone who could be a future world champion but ROH has done nothing with him. Dijak has the whole package as he's a big guy with strength but very agile. He's got the tools who could be a future world champion but the company has done very little for him as he made no growth since winning the Top Prospect Tournament nearly two years ago.

Best Announcer: The Pope (TNA)- Pope again gets this prize. Again, he gets it because he is a good and entertaining commentator. He knows all the moves and he has his moments where he's serious while other times he's funny. He's also never annoying which I can't say about most announcers in the big companies who either sound moronic or not funny or just annoying. I also think he makes good points as well on commentary.

Best Non Wrestler: Gregory Shane Helms (TNA)- I was also considering picking wrestling's R2-D2 in Vanguard 1 but I don't know if he counts since he's a drone. Anyway, Helms deserves it. I give Helms credit because he never struck me as a manager type as he's not the best talker or showman outside of his Hurricane gimmick but he did well this year. He had good chemistry with Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett while having an important manager quality as his presence elevated them. With TNA repeatedly calling Helms probably the greatest cruiserweight, it makes Lee and Everett come off like guys to watch if Helms is with them, mentoring them, and giving his seal of approval.

Best Gimmick: Decay (TNA)- I think I'm a fan of the evil clown type characters which is one of the reasons why I like Decay. The whole gimmick and the way it's portrayed is great. They come off creepy and psychotic while giving this macabre atmosphere. You got Rosemary walking like a sadistic marionette while dragging the Knockouts championship on the ground like some piece of meat. Abyss proclaiming himself to be beautiful despite his smile, facepaint, and loss of teeth saying otherwise. Crazzy Steve comes off like a Joker type with the paint and maniacal laughing. They're something you would likely see in your nightmares.

Best Promotion: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling- Say what you will about the chaos backstage this year but TNA again is the best promotion. The actual product was still fun to watch with good storylines and great matches. Up and comers were given chances in Bram, Eli Drake, and Jade winning their first TNA titles while vets like The Hardys and Abyss saw career revivals. The company was willing to try new things like the deletion stuff with The Hardys along with the Impact Grand Championship. Drew Galloway got a well deserved World Heavyweight Championship reign, DJ Z got another well deserved X Division Championship, and Lashley looked like a bad ass by becoming the second man in TNA history (after Kurt Angle) to hold three titles at the same time. The company had many great rivalries and stories this year including the EC3/Bennett rivalry, the Maria/Allie storyline, and The Hardys/Decay rivalry. TNA was also able to bring in many great prospects including Mike Bennett, Maria, Moose, Allie, Braxton Sutter, Sienna, Marshe Rockett and Aron Rex. The only thing I didn't agree with was they could've done a little better with the Knockouts but besides that, TNA had a great year creatively.

Worst Wrestler of the Year- Chris Jericho (WWE) and Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT) (Tie)- I had to pick both and both are controversial but I don't care. When it comes to Jericho, his best days are behind him. Granted, I think some of it is laziness on his part but he has not looked good in a long time and is a far cry from what he used to be. He never had a single good match on PPV this year and had some bad ones including his slopfest with AJ Styles at the biggest stage of them all Wrestlemania and his awful asylum match with Dean Ambrose. Each of Jericho's matches all feel the same as they start well but get slower and slower to the point where they're so boring by the end of them. His promos aren't as good as he relies on dumb catchphrases. His list of Jericho is an unfunny version of his 1,004 list of moves he had in WCW in 1998. Jericho has also gotten very lazy as he doesn't seem to put an extra effort in as his matches are paint by the numbers and his pace gets slower as the matches progress.

Nakamura is the most overrated wrestler in the business today. Yes, I liked Nakamura from 2006-2010 but he's been dreadful for years. I hate his King of Strong Style gimmick as he comes off like a drunk stumbling around and spaced out. His catchphrase appropriately enough sounds like he's vomiting after one too many. Jake "The Snake" Roberts at Heroes of Wrestling looked more sober than Nakamura does. His matches are 90% knee attacks and that's it. Knee, knee, knee. The guy does almost nothing that doesn't involve a knee attack or some type of kick. If you took a shot for everytime he attacked with his knee, your liver would burst in minutes. He shows no psychology in his matches as wrestlers have routinely worked on his leg for a couple of minutes during a match only for him to run around and knee opponents with the same exact leg that was being worked on and he would act like nothing is wrong. Nakamura is also too limited to the point where if you seen one match, you've seen them all. Same knee and kicks with forearms, triangle choke, and reverse suplex sprinkled in.

Worst Women's Wrestler of the Year- Sasha Banks (WWE)- Oh boy. When it comes to the WWE, I'm never short on choices for Worst Women's Wrestlers of the Year and 2016 gave me a gold mine of options. In the end, there was plenty to choose from but almost all of them had an excuse. There were Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, and Eva Marie but they are at least very green and inexperienced. There was Bayley who has a horrible gimmick and very basic in the ring but at least she's basic. Finally, it comes down to Charlotte and Sasha but at least Charlotte isn't always injured so that leaves me with Banks. For someone who the internet wrestling community has praised, you would think Banks was someone special but she was a disaster this whole year. To say the very least, Banks couldn't do anything right this year. As a wrestler, she's a trainwreck as her offense looks terrible, she can't bump properly, and she's nearly killed herself when she's tried dives such as her somersault suicide dive at Wrestlemania. She's just as bad of a talker as she doesn't say anything great, she's not witty, and nothing memorable. All her promos are a variation of her telling us that she's the boss. I hadn't seen a single good or great match while her series with Charlotte was bad. You can also argue that Banks is so bad that she keeps getting hurt as she was injured twice this year which was her first full year on the main roster. The fact she was injured twice in a single year should raise concerns and that she can't bump right.

Worst Tag Team of the Year: The New Day (WWE)- For the second year in a row, this embarrassing abortion of a tag team gets the award. The problems I had last year were back as The New Day were as annoying as ever. Every week, it was the same thing with the three doing putrid attempts at comedy by standing in the ring and doing some monologue but it was just annoying as is the rest of the gimmick with the use of a trombone to their catchphrases to their gyrating. It's almost like WWE set out with a mission to create the most annoying, the most irritating, the most infuriating, the most obnoxious act wrestling has ever seen. For a company that wants to think it specializes in entertainment, it seems to specialize in creating ways of torture. Along with the bad act, The New Day fail everywhere as they're nothing special as a team and don't show any great chemistry in the ring. Big E. has never been good while Kingston and Woods have been cut at the knees. Sometimes, I can't even tell what they are as they're seemingly babyfaces but then they cheat during matches. They never had that one match or promo that was incredible or something you'll remember fondly in five years. The creative team also fails to properly utilize the fact they're a trio as Big E. and Kingston work what seems like 90% of the time while Woods is wasting the prime years of his career barely wrestling and playing a trombone though he did become more active later in the year. Like I mentioned last year, look at Demolition in 1990 after Crush was recruited. Demolition would always want their opponents to not know which two would be wrestling until they came out. Even going back to The Original Midnight Express or The Fabulous Freebirds, you never saw Norvell Austin or Buddy Roberts stand around 90% of the time. Finally, I give them this award because they now got the longevity record for the Tag Titles. Yes, Demolition still has the record for the 1971-2010 version of the World Tag Team Championship but still. I know Demolition aren't on good terms with WWE but why New Day? How does WWE go from a bad ass team like Demolition to the hodge podge of crap known as The New Day? Demolition became the longest Tag Team Champions in WWE History in 1989 which was 27 years ago in 2016. Since that record was broken, WWE has had The Brain Busters, The Hart Foundation, The Legion of Doom, Money Inc., The Steiner Brothers, The Quebecers, Owen Hart & The British Bulldog, The New Age Outlaws, The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian, The APA, The World's Greatest Tag Team, and MNM as Tag Team Champions. Not only that, but they had teams like Badd Company (as the second Orient Express), The Rockers, Power & Glory, The Rock n' Roll Express, The Beverly Brothers, The Faces of Fear, Kronik (briefly) and Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon come through and have runs while never winning the titles. Out of all these teams, this is the team The WWE picked? The New Day were the pick. Screw that.

Worst Match of the Year: Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon (WWE, Wrestlemania 32, 4/3)- Like worst women, WWE gave me a treasure trove of options and I weighed them before picking this one. For one thing, the match was just awful. Taker is one of the all time greats but is WELL past his prime and just seems to be around to steal a Wrestlemania spot from someone else. As much of a fan I am of Undertaker, he's truly someone who should be remembered as he was. Shane is a daredevil but not a wrestler and surely not someone who should get a Wrestlemania match and it doesn't help he comes off as a guy going through a mid-life crisis. Second is the match went too long as it clocked in at 30:05 which is way too long for a 51 year old broken down Undertaker taking on a 46 year old Shane McMahon who hadn't wrestled a match in years. Now, Undertaker could pull it off in his prime but not now and not with someone like Shane. The offense was absolutely pathetic as neither could strike to save their lives. Despite being billed as "the best pure striker in the WWE", Taker has never thrown crisp, great strikes and Shane's were worse as his strikes barely made contact and a kid could've thrown harder punches. The submissions were laughable as Taker's hell's gate has never looked good and Shane reversing it into a texas cloverleaf was so ridiculous. Another problem was Shane being able to last as long as he did. Other than the fact his last name is "McMahon", is there any reason to think Shane could go 30 minutes with Taker? Realistically, Shane shouldn't have lasted five minutes but here he was able to hold his own and kick out of moves that would put regular wrestlers away. The match was also a one move match as the only thing about it was to set up Shane's cell dive which was gutsy but it doesn't make up for 30 minutes of garbage. Another gripe is the fact they destroyed the Cell and fought outside it. Call it nitpicking but I hate Hell In A Cell matches where the wrestlers destroy the Cell just to fight out of it. For something that's Satan's Structure, you'd think it would need the hand of god to destroy it but no. Also, what's the point of the Cell if there's fighting on the outside? The purpose is to keep the participants in and everyone else out. I don't mind if it fits the story like the first one when Shawn Michaels injured a cameraman (who I know was Too Cold Scorpio as a plant), the door was opened to get him out, and Shawn attempted to escape or King of the Ring 1998 where it started at the top of the Cell. Finally, there's the stipulations of the match with one being if Shane won, he got to run RAW. However, despite losing the match, he got to run a few weeks worth of RAWs. Nice to see WWE can't pay attention to their stipulations.

Worst Feud: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks (WWE)- Words can't describe how much I hated this feud. I hated it because it featured two wrestlers with little to no talent. It was a rivalry that dragged for too long as these two feuded last year as part of the Diva Gang Wars only to feud almost all of this year as they feuded leading up to Wrestlemania and nonstop for the last six months of 2016. It sicken me that these two were given so many "first of" moments over more talented women like Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss who had a far better feud this year. The WWE also could've done these history moments with Beth Phoenix and Natalya or AJ Lee and Kaitlyn a few years ago. These two never had one good or great match this year as they crapped out one bad match after another. The matches at times were sloppy with the two botching stuff or Sasha landing badly after taking moves. The offense looked terrible including awful "catfight" like slaps that you would expect from "divas" not women superstars who are on par with their male counterparts or stupid stuff like the two rolling around while tying up which looked ridiculous. Sasha nearly killed herself by doing dives out of the ring like the one at Wrestlemania and Charlotte botched her moonsault press to the outside each and everytime she did it with only her left hand making contact. Their promos were also bad as neither can talk, Sasha also displays bad body language like she's some stereotype, and Charlotte's delivery on promos makes me cringe. I also hate this feud as there are people who act like it's this feud that's changing the way women's wrestling is when there are women who have done what they've done for years in TNA, SHIMMER, SHINE, and WSU only much better. This has also been one of the laziest feuds I've ever seen as it might as well be a "groundhog day" feud because it's the same thing again and again and again. Charlotte wins the women's title, holds onto it for a bit to awhile, Sasha wins it on the main event of a RAW, Charlotte regains it at the next pay-per-view, holds onto it, Sasha wins it on a RAW main event, Charlotte regains it at the next pay-per-view, holds it for awhile, Sasha wins it on a RAW main event, and Charlotte regains it at the next pay-per-view. It's the same thing over and over. There's no changes or anything to this feud as it plays out the same way.

Most Overrated- Gail Kim (TNA), Bayley (WWE), Charlotte (WWE), and Sasha Banks (WWE)- Sadly there were so many overrated names I couldn't pick just one. When it comes to Gail Kim, I respect her as a talent and all she's done. She's been a cornerstone of TNA's Knockouts division while being one of the best ever in wrestling, men and women. However, Gail is also ridiculously stale on top of the Knockouts Division and she still remained there all year long. At this point, Gail would be better used to work with the less experienced knockouts especially given her age and the fact her career looks to be winding down. TNA has Jade and brought in Sienna and Rosemary who deserves opportunities with the title. While all three did win it this year, it felt to me that Jade and Sienna lost momentum after their title losses and the belt was part of Gail's feud with Maria while Rosemary got it after Gail was injured. Gail also never takes breaks away from the title as she's either always champion or always contending for it. In fact, you have to go back to the summer of 2013 during the first feud with Taryn Terrell to find a feud where Gail had nothing to do with the title outside of a few months this year when the Maria feud began. I respect Gail but there's no point of keeping her on top given how stale she is and how many more fresh options there are.

As for the other three, I'll put them together cause all of them more or less have the same problems. For three women who are being hyped by WWE as changing the face of women's wrestling, I don't see it. I've already gone on about Sasha and how bad she is. I have never seen someone so promising deteriorate so bad upon moving up to the main roster as Charlotte. Charlotte just has never impressed me as a wrestler. I gave her the benefit of the doubt when she was feuding with Nikki Bella but she still didn't look amazing when put with talented wrestlers like Paige, Becky Lynch, and Natalya. At times, Charlotte is sloppy in the ring especially during her feud with Sasha and other times just comes off as average. Her showmanship skills are even worse as her facial reaction especially after near falls look like she's either zoned out or a deer in the headlights. She can't cut a promo while her delivery is Stephanie McMahon level bad. While Bayley is a better wrestler, she's still extremely basic as 90% of her offense is stuff a first year rookie could pull off. Her promos are also atrocious as she doesn't seem comfortable and cuts white meat babyface type stuff. Her gimmick is very irritating with the constant smiling and hugging that makes me want to see someone punch her.

Worst Announcer: Steve Corino (ROH)- Corino gets this award again as his commentary is one of those few times where being deaf isn't a disability but a gift. In the 19 years I've been a wrestling fan, I have a hard time finding a worst announcer than Corino. Words can't describe how annoying and ear grating he is. Corino provides almost nothing useful as a commentator and everything I despised about his commentary last year is back this year. Terrible voice, tells awful jokes, and seems more focused on telling jokes or trying to be funny instead of doing what he's paid to do and call the action. What's even worse is Corino tries far too hard to be funny and he doesn't know when to throw a joke out there. A lot of the great commentators knew when to be funny but Corino just seems to throw things on the wall and hopes for something to stick. I also don't get his appeal as there's absolutely nothing funny about yelling "SUPERKICK!" a bunch of times. Thankfully, Corino has since left to be a trainer in WWE and good riddance.

Worst Non Wrestler: Stephanie McMahon (WWE)- There were some bad and useless characters this year like Bob Backlund but nobody comes close to being the worst than the multi-time winner of this award Stephanie McMahon. I know I'm repeating myself but Stephanie is repulsive to watch or listen to as she's not a great promo or witty and she gets the wrong kind of heat as you want to turn the channel instead of watching her. Stephanie is also an egomaniac as she does nothing but belittle or bury talent whenever she's on TV. She never gets any comeuppance and is rarely humilated all the while she slaps everyone and doesn't sell their insults while rarely taking bumps. Stephanie was once quoted as saying one of the things she likes is to be a heel that eventually gets her comeuppance but we never see it. One of the purposes of a heel is to belittle or bully people until they get beat up or humiliated for all the wrong things they've done. Stephanie is also an extremely stale character as she's been on TV regularly for over three years and it's 2000-2003 all over again as her character clearly reaches a conclusion only to come back weeks later. What's make it's worse is that Triple H was with her as part of The Authority but he finally got off TV after Wrestlemania 32 and has made very little appearances since. It's really pathetic when even Triple H can take a hint and get off TV but Stephanie can't. The worst thing about Stephanie is that she doesn't have a clear character. Leading up to the brand split, she was clearly a heel but what is she now? Since the split began in July and even before that, Stephanie has had moments where she sends mixed messages as she'll act like a babyface, sides with Mick Foley, and call out the heels on their garbage one segment only to then act like a heel and belittle the babyfaces the next. She seems to change alignments from segment to segment. Towards the end of 2016 and into 2017, we'll see Stephanie act like a babyface and side with Foley when he calls out or punishes Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho only to then be a heel and talk down to Bayley all in the same show. What is she? Is she a heel or a babyface? Do we boo her or cheer her? I don't know. Part of it seems to come from Stephanie wanting to show her superiority and stroke her ego at everyone's expense while another part seems like the creative team doesn't know what to do with her character because it's so stale.

Worst Gimmick: The Club (WWE)- I know I'm in the minority but I don't like The Bullet Club. They weren't bad when Prince Devitt/Finn Balor was leader but then they became an nWo ripoff. I'm all for paying tribute or being fans but they ripoff everything from the nWo complete with catchphrases and hand gestures. That brings us to The Club which is WWE's lazy, shameless attempt at The Bullet Club. They are what I like to call a ripoff of the ripoff as The Club is The Bullet Club with nothing different besides the logo. The fact they're just called "The Club" should tell you how much work was put into this group. I get the WWE wants a piece of The Bullet Club pie but would it kill them to put some imagination into your version?

Worst Promotion: WWE- WWE was one screw up after another this year. We saw the WWE bring back the split for no reason which has again brought up two watered down brands. We've seen hyper saturation with three hour RAWs, two hour Smackdowns, one hour Main Events, one hour of Superstars, The Cruiserweight Classic, NXT, various specials, and two PPVs a month. WWE has become such a gluttonous blob that the way they keep trying to get bigger reminds me of an obese person eating everything in their path. They want more for themselves and less for others. PPVs are stretched too long as Wrestlemania and Summerslam both went five to six hours counting pre-shows despite WWE struggling to fill three hours thus making shows a chore to get through. WWE isn't hot right now but even if they were at their best, I still wouldn't want shows longer than the unedited Heaven's Gate. The WWE just doesn't understand that sometimes less is more and quality over quanity as everything feels bloated. Their title belts are vanilla and all have the same ugly look. The WWE and Universal Titles have an extremely generic look with that hideous "WW" logo taking up 90% of the main plate while the Universal strap looks like a fruit roll up. The Tag Belts look like dimes which is ironic since they don't look to have ten cents worth of value. The booking is terrible with Universial Champion Kevin Owens coming off as the weakest top champion in WWE history. Feuds go way too long most notably Cena/Styles, Miz/Ziggler, and Charlotte/Sasha. The company still uses washed up legends as a crutch to the point where near 50 year old Goldberg was brought out of the mothballs for an 86 second main event at Survivor Series. The company has also screwed up their developmental territory in NXT by basically turning it into a storage unit that hoards some of the top wrestlers in the world while preventing other companies from using them. Meanwhile, they've desperately tried to make NXT into a third brand when it's only supposed to be a minor league that grooms and trains future talent. This results in wrestlers like Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Eric Young, Bobby Roode, The Revival, and Asuka stuck in developmental and wasting their primes while extremely green talent like Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, both American Alpha, and Braun Strowman to name some being on the main roster far too soon. I've waited 15 years for WWE to get their heads out of their asses but in 2016, they were deeper than ever before.

Japanese Wrestling

Wrestler of the Year: Kento Miyahara (All Japan)- Miyahara is more than deserving of this award. 2016 was an interesting year for Miyahara as it became apparent that All Japan planned for Suwama to pass the torch to him especially after Suwama won the Triple Crown in January but an injury sidelined things and Miyahara ascending to the top ten months early when he won the Triple Crown in February and has been on fire since. Miyahara has definitely showed that All Japan picked right as he's been a shining light for All Japan especially for their future after having a rocky few years as he's more than proved he can be given the ball and score as he's had one great match after another from Zeus to Suwama. Miyahara is great everywhere as he's a great wrestler, can sell, and get the attention of the crowd. Best of all, Miyahara is only 27 so he can only continue to grow in the years to come as he settles into his role as the new ace for All Japan. From a storyline standpoint, Miyahara won the AJPW Triple Crown Championship in February and held it for the rest of the year. By winning it, he became the youngest Triple Crown Champion in All Japan history. He also defeated Suwama at New Explosion on November 27th to become the ace (top star) of All Japan.

Junior Heavyweight Wrestler of the Year: Kotaro Suzuki (Freelance)- Suzuki entered 2017 as a freelancer after leaving All Japan in December 2015 and has been everyway while providing his usual great performances. Suzuki is one of the most exciting juniors to watch as he's fast, great high flying, and excellent balance. He was also highly in demand this year by making trips to Wrestle-1 and ZERO1 where he put on some good matches including his match with Takuya Sugawara in the finals of ZERO1's Tenkaichi Jr. Tournament as well as forming a good tag team with Kaz Hayashi. From a storyline standpoint, Suzuki on the Wrestle-1 Cruiser-Division Championship and the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship while being runner up in ZERO1's Tenkaichi Jr. Heavyweight Tournament.

Best Gaijin (Foreigner): Kenny Omega (New Japan)- Anyone surprised? Omega had a huge 2016 as he took a big step from being a top junior heavyweight to a heavyweight. He replaced AJ Styles as the leader of Bullet Club, formed a successful six man tag team called The Elite with The Young Bucks, and had several critically acclaimed matches including his ladder match against Michael Elgin and the G1 Climax finals against Tetsuya Naito. By the end of 2016, Omega became the top foreigner in Japanese Wrestling. From a storyline standpoint, Omega won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, two NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles, and the 2016 G1 Climax Tournament where he was the first foreigner to the tournament in it's 25 year existence.

Tag Team of the Year: The Big Guns (All Japan/Freelance)- The Big Guns are a cool and bad ass team. Both Zeus and Bodyguard are good power wrestlers who are fun to watch whether it be by putting on competitive matches or then just tossing guys around. However, along with their power and muscle, both are not slugs and move around well in the ring especially Zeus who has a great stinger splash and plancha. The team has also put on many great matches this year including their tag title defense against Kento Miyahara and Jake Lee as well as their series of matches with Strong BJ with the third encounter at New Explosion nearly stealing the show. They also work well and gel as a team along with having a lot of double team moves including the doomsday device, double team chokeslam, and a spear/clothesline combination. From a storyline standpoint, Big Guns entered the year as All Japan World Tag Team Champions and held the titles until June where they lost them to Strong BJ but regained them that November for a second reign.

Best Match of the Year: Kento Miyahara vs. Suwama (All Japan, New Explosion 11/27)- A battle between new blood and old guard for All Japan's top prize. While the route to get here wasn't what All Japan planned, the outcome was. The match had a good atmosphere as it was in front of 8,000 fans in All Japan's return to Sumo Hall in three years. It had good wrestling, good strikes, good selling, and good suplexes. I liked how Suwama even tried some new tricks like the guillotine choke which he doesn't normally do. Miyahara's selling was great as he came off like a puddle from the apron to the floor after being put in a sleeper hold. Shortly after that, still feeling the effects of the sleeper, Miyahara collapsed to the canvas when Suwama tried to irish whip him to the ropes. The result was also right with Miyahara defeating Suwama to officially establish himself as the new ace of All Japan Pro Wrestling and legitimize him. This match is a reason why Miyahara is one of the best today while Suwama continues to show how underrated he is especially to the internet wrestling community.

Comeback of the Year: Yoshitatsu (New Japan)- Like Abyss, this is a no-brainer as Yoshitatsu returned this past April from a seventeen month layoff due to a neck injury. You have to give the guy credit for coming back not only from a neck injury but also after nearly missing two years. While he has yet to regain any promise he had before the injury when he came back to New Japan in 2014, just the fact he came back at all is a good sign.

Most Improved: Masa Kitamiya (NOAH)- Kitamiya has really come a long way throughout 2016. No longer is he some promising rookie or young lion but has taken that next step and is someone in his prime. When you see him wrestle the top names, he's believable and someone who you can believe can beat the top names or win titles. As a testament to his improvement, Kitamiya made his first challenge of NOAH's GHC Heavyweight Championship this year. His participation in the Global League saw him go to the finals while beating names like Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Suguira while his loss to Minoru Suzuki in the finals went 35 minutes. The fact he beat two multiple time GHC Heavyweight Champions and made it to the finals where he wrestled for 35 minutes speaks volumes on his growth if the company has that much confidence. He's sort of become a younger version of Tomohiro Ishii in that he's not the biggest guy as he's around 5'7 range where he's too big to be a junior but too small to be a heavyweight but he's still a strong, tough wrestler who can hold his own against bigger competition.

Debut/Return of the Year: SANADA (New Japan)- SANADA is someone that seems to have come a long way since arriving in New Japan. SANADA always had potential and has done well everywhere he's been but it feels like he's taken that next step in New Japan. No longer is he the clean cut young up and coming kid from All Japan or Wrestle-1 and he's no longer trying to emulate his mentor The Great Muta like he did in TNA but has evolved with a more edgier look. He's also been a great fit for LIJ and a great pick up for New Japan as he can always provide fresh matches and can believably challenge for any championship giving his past success.

Most Underrated: Yoshikazu Yokoyama (ZERO1)- Originally I was going to pick Maybach Taniguchi but things picked for him in the end by winning the GHC Tag Team Championship. Yokoyama is a solid talent but for some reason, he just can't get a break. When he won the United National Title in 2015, I thought he was finally taking that next step but nothing came of it. Then he changed his look and I figured maybe this is what he needed but he still hasn't gone anywhere. I'm not saying Yokoyama will be a future world champion but he has shown to be a good talent who could at least work in tag teams and upper midcard one day. I wouldn't mind seeing him get an opportunity at more titles and participating in tournaments especially since ZERO1 isn't exactly stacked with talent..

Best Promotion: All Japan Pro Wrestling- All Japan didn't begin 2016 on a high note as they lost some talent at the end of 2015, Suwama was sidelined with an injury where he missed most of the first half of the year, and their only foreigner Joe Doering missed the entire year due to a brain tumor. Yet, the company moved onward and continued to rebuild while having a great year. The matches for the most part were great and exciting. Kento Miyahara was properly built up as the new ace of the company. They began a relationship with Big Japan which supplied them Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi) while also bringing in wrestlers from other companies. The company eventually ended the year on a successful return to Sumo Hall after three years. All Japan didn't begin the year on a high note but they ended the year on one.

Worst Wrestler of the Year: Masanobu Fuchi (All Japan)- I like and respect Fuchi but he's been very limited over the years as he is 63 years old. Fuchi tries and he is mostly used for comedy but he can't move as well as he once did, is very limited in the ring, and looks really old as well as out of shape. You look at Fuchi and you know that just about every wrestler should have no problem with him and should be able to defeat him in less than five minutes.

Worst Gaijin (Foreigner) of the Year: Quiet Storm (NOAH)- I don't have a problem with Quiet Storm as he's not "talentless" but there isn't anything special about him. He's competent in the ring and doesn't screw up but everything about him is average. No move is does is amazing and he doesn't have anything in skill or look that grabs your attention. When you compare him to other foreigners like Joe Doering in All Japan, James Raideen or Hartley Jackson in ZERO1, and the guys in New Japan, Storm doesn't have anywhere near the upside that those guys may have. He may enjoy success in the future but I don't think he'll go very far. He's not bad but he makes it here because he sort of is "the worst" when compared to the other foreigners.

Worst Tag Team of the Year: The Young Bucks (New Japan)- Boy, I know this one won't be popular. I know The Young Bucks are talented and excellent athletes so I'm not taking that away from them. However, as wrestlers, they could use more work. The first problem is that The Bucks rely too much on high spots, double teams, and car crash style. Watching a Young Bucks match is fun the first time but after watching the pony do the same trick again and again, it gets old. I know The Bucks give away a lot of size but they can still wrestle and make it work if they try. Their style is also the kind of thing that makes modern wrestling look bad. They personify everything the older generations doesn't like about the current generation. Guys like them give the past generation the impression that the current wrestlers can't work or don't care about psychology. I first saw The Bucks in 2010 and they were great then but six years later, they haven't evolved but devolved badly. Along with the chaotic spots, The Bucks have also been reduced to doing a dozen superkicks every match. I know the "Superkick Party" is popular but it gets old really fast. It doesn't also help they've become obnoxious with their trash talking and 1998 hand gestures. Overall, I believe that The Young Bucks could be more but are squandering their talents.

Most Overrated: Kazuchika Okada (New Japan)- For the most part I like Okada but he became overkill in 2016. Yes, he's a great talent but there was no reason for him to be IWGP Heavyweight Champion for most of the year. When he lost the title in April to Tatsuya Naito, that should've been it as Naito was red hot and more than deserving of the title. Instead, he was booked to get it back two months later after already coming off a long reign. Okada has basically become the golden boy for Bushiroad (the parent company of New Japan). I don't have a problem with Okada but it's ridiculous how he's already a 4 time IWGP Champion despite not even being 30 yet all the while the company can't give the ball to guys like Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Toru Yano, and Tatsuya Naito to name a few. New Japan has a lot of guys who deserve a chance but instead it's the Kazuchika Okada show.

Worst Promotion: Wrestle-1- Granted, I haven't seen much of Wrestle-1 this year but what I saw was good but not nothing spectacular. The company has seemingly lost all the momentum they once had after it was formed following an exodus from All Japan three years ago. Right now, the company seems like it isn't going anywhere and lost in the shuffle with there being so many companies right now. The company screwed up another attempt to establish KAI as it's ace with another title reign that was too short and only one successful title defense. The company also suffered setbacks with the departure of many wrestlers including up and comer Yasufumi Nakaonue, former AJPW Triple Crown Champion Ryota Hama, Minoru Tanaka, Tajiri, and AKIRA but the big blow came in December when KAI left. Wrestle-1 definitely has it's work cut out for it in 2017.