With just a couple of days remaining in the year that was 2016, I have decided to pause for a moment and reflect on the ups and downs, twists and turns, shocks and surprises and everything else in between.
Professional wrestling is a unique form of entertainment. For those of us who have invested much of our lives into the sport, we understand and appreciate the risks involved, the sacrifices made and the hard work that is put forth in order to create the spectacle that we all so dearly love.
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2016 has been quite the year. We've seen the rise of new stars and the demise of stagnant talent. We witnessed the birth of a new era and said ‘so long’ to some unfortunate releases. All-in-all, the year gave fans a lot to remember and a lot we wish we could forget, but the wheels are still turning and the sun keeps rising for new opportunities.
With that said, before we completely bid farewell to 2016, let's hand out a few grades.
2016 Brand-Split Effectiveness
In 2016, we welcomed back the draft and brand-split. With this, the WWE took a huge gamble by splitting the main roster in half, sending half to Smackdown and leaving the others on Raw. There was also several NXT stars called up during the draft, in an effort to keep a level playing field.
Things started out a little rocky and at times confusing, but in the end, all the pieces fit together fairly nice and everything seemed to move forward relatively flawlessly. There was also the question of which brand would carry which Championship, but that issue was resolved by giving both brands their own set.
With all things considered, this year's brand-split seemed to work out just fine. In fact, many would argue that this particular brand-split went off somewhat better than in previous years. At the end of the day, the company has three brands all running effectively in Raw, SmackDown Live and NXT.
GRADE: B+
Monday Night Raw
Raw has always been WWE's flagship program. With the exception of The Rock's big surge and the infamous Smackdown 6, Raw has always been the top programming dog. But, with this year's brand-extension, would that change things? You better believe it did.
While Raw continues to have decent ratings, Smackdown has blown Raw away since the draft, when it comes to overall quality of the show. Raw still has some heavy hitters, like Kevin Owens, and now Braun Strowman has been given the opportunity of a lifetime with his current push.
Raw is also home to The New Day and we all know the epic year that those guys had. Let's not forget the return of The Cruiserweight Division either. Raw has had better runs, but they will survive.
GRADE: C+
SmackDown Live:
What a year it has been for the Blue Brand! At the start of 2016, SmackDown was completely in the gutter. Ratings were suffering, primarily due to two things. One was the total lack of creativity. It seemed as if the company cared very little about their secondary brand at all.
Week after week, Smackdown had become an absolute repeat from the week prior. This caused a lack of interest from the fan base, resulting in poor ratings. The second reason is a simple one. Pre-recorded shows lack the appeal you get from the live experience.
When you get used to the atmosphere that only a live show presents, you understand there’s nothing better.
With the brand extension, there came another change to the Blue Brand; they went live. Not only did the show go live, but the move to the USA Network really enhanced the product. Suddenly, aside from the one hour handicap, Raw and Smackdown were playing on a level playing field.
When you add Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, in a leadership capacity, to the mix it created an even better advantage for the once WWE stepchild program.
SmackDown Live has gotten better by the week. The show now has an identity and with that new found identity, they ran with the opportunity to make the show vital once again. With the sudden sense of purpose, WWE officials have done a knockout job making Smackdown not only better but, as it stands, WWE's best main roster alternative.
GRADE: A-
NXT
When the history books are re-written, they will tell a story of ultimate success. It will be a story of a developmental product that was once all but defunct, until the WWE powers that be, spearheaded by The Game, Triple H, took what was known as Florida Championship Wrestling, wiped the slate clean, moved it from Tampa to Orlando, renamed it and completely overhauled every iota of the product.
In the end, the finished product was something magical, something unlike anything wrestling fans have ever seen or experienced. This is known far and wide as NXT.
NXT is undoubtedly one of the best things and smartest decisions ever made by WWE. While it is officially known as WWE's development brand, it could easily rival many other professional promotions around the world.
Since its inception, NXT has been a movement that has never lost an ounce of its steam. Despite losing many of its top talents in the draft, NXT continues to thrive in bringing fans the very best in sports entertainment. With events such as Takeover drawing crowds in the tens of thousands, it's evident that NXT is a total success story.
GRADE: A+
End of Year Championship Lineup
It has been a long time, a very long time since we have seen this many titles up for grabs. Honestly, this may very well be the most Championships the WWE has ever sanctioned. Nonetheless, they seem to be handling the weight of so much gold just fine.
One complaint I've had with this many titles is the fact that WWE officials have yet to create a true mid-card level on the main roster. This is something that should have been a priority once so many many titles were being introduced, but it seems as if it's of little importance at the moment.
As far as the current parade of WWE Champions, things look very well as it stands. On a personal note, I was pretty disappointed to see The Wyatt Family drop the SmackDown Tag Titles so soon.
But, considering Orton is slated to take a brief hiatus to be with his new baby, plus the fact that despite the loss, they managed to protect Bray Wyatt...I guess I can deal with it. Other than that minor hiccup, the titles have been dealt out pretty well. Heres a look at the current title holders as of now.
WWE Universal Champion- Kevin Owens
WWE Champion- AJ Styles
Raw Tag Team Champions- Cesaro & Sheamus
Smackdown Tag Team Champions- American Alpha
United States Champion- Roman Reigns
Intercontinental Champion- The Miz
Raw Women's Champion- Charlotte Flair
Smackdown Women's Champion- Alexa Bliss
Cruiserweight Champion- Rich Swann
NXT Champion- Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Women's Champion- Asuka
NXT Tag Team Champions- #DIY
GRADE: B+
FINAL GRADE
In spite of what the critics may want you to believe, 2016 has not been all that much of a bad year. In fact, I'd challenge that notion and say this year has been the best year when compared to the past few.
With the year kicking off with the signing of AJ Styles, then major stars developing like Shinsuke Nakamura, as well as the rebirth of SmackDown, life in the WWE is not that bad.
Looking ahead to 2017, there are many possibilities on the horizon. The talent pool is very deep and the prospects waiting in the developmental process are very much capable of one day running with the ball. All things considered, we have a lot to be grateful for, as WWE fans.
Sure, things don't always go as we think they should, but it's easy to coach from the couch, so to speak. The WWE has plenty of well-qualified people to handle the direction of the product. As difficult as it may be sometimes, we must learn to trust the system in place and understand that things are perfectly okay and the future is indeed bright.
Fret not, my fellow wrestling fanatics.
OVERALL/FINAL GRADE: B
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