Here we are once again in December, and another year of WWE television has passed us by. 2016 was an odd year for WWE, with many ups and downs taking place since January. While there have been some incredible moments and matches, ratings continue to slip and the booking is still very poor.
However, one aspect of WWE TV that remains constant is the wrestlers or Superstars. No matter how bad the product gets, there are always certain superstars who flourish throughout the year, proving to fans that they are the best thing going in WWE right now.
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This list will be based on a superstar’s championship success, match quality, character development and crowd reaction throughout the year, as I attempt to determine who the most impressive WWE superstars were in 2016.
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Including a debuting superstar, a veteran and a leader of the women’s revolution, here are the 7 Most Impressive WWE Superstars of 2016.
#7 Seth Rollins
I was considering putting Roman Reigns here, but his character work and crowd reactions have been so poor that Seth Rollins just made the cut.
Although Rollins only won the WWE world title once this year (and his reign lasted less than five minutes), ‘The Man’ has been a constant presence in the main event scene, and he has been one of the top WWE superstars regardless of losses.
He has contested a number of solid matches this year as well, with his bouts against Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Finn Balor all being strong matchups. Although WWE mistakenly brought him back as a heel upon returning, his character development has been great, with a recent babyface turn being a success so far.
He has developed into the babyface many fans yearned for earlier in the year, and his face-offs with heels such as Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho have been a breath of fresh air. However, the crowd reactions Rollins receives are one of the main reasons he is placed here.
Receiving one of the biggest pops of the year when he returned at Extreme Rules and on Raw the next night, Rollins has consistently got one of the loudest reactions from every crowd throughout 2016. He is incredibly over with fans, and the reactions will only get louder when he begins his feud with Triple H.
Although he hasn’t been too successful in championship wins, Rollins has been one of the most impressive superstars of 2016 due to his great matches, strong character (as both heel and face) and his incredible crowd reactions.
Check out Rollins’ return at Extreme Rules:
#6 Kevin Owens
Despite his poor booking as of late, Kevin Owens has still had a strong 2016 overall. Becoming Intercontinental Champion and Universal Champion more recently, Owens has proven why he is held in such high acclaim by a large section of the WWE Universe.
His in-ring work throughout 2016 has remained top-notch, with his matches against Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins stealing the show on PPV.
Although his two championship reigns have been somewhat weak, he has still been the top champion on Raw for the last few months despite the poor booking, carrying the red brand as champion since the Brand Split in July.
His match with Sami Zayn at Battleground was especially incredible, and although Owens lost, he contested a Match of the Year candidate with Zayn, even stealing the show away from the Shield Triple Threat.
Owens’ character has remained one of the most entertaining throughout the year as well, with his segments with Chris Jericho being incredibly enjoyable. Owens consistently receives either loud cheers or loud boos as well, and every fan has an opinion on KO.
Overall, despite being booked poorly as of late, Owens has been one of the most impressive WWE superstars of 2016 due to his championship wins, incredible matches and his highly entertaining character.
#5 Chris Jericho
This may be a personal inclusion on this list due to my admiration for Y2J this year, but there is no denying Jericho’s success in 2016 as a revitalised character. After a couple of lacklustre returns as a babyface, Jericho turned heel on AJ Styles on the road to Wrestlemania 32, and he didn’t look back.
Adding a number of incredible aspects to his character such as the List of Jericho, wearing scarfs, and calling everyone ‘stupid idiots’, Jericho has excelled as one of the most entertaining parts of WWE television throughout 2016.
His segments with ‘best friend’ Kevin Owens have been particularly enjoyable, especially ones involving Tom Phillips.
Although he hasn’t won a single championship this year, and he loses more than he wins, Jericho’s character work has been top-notch, and his matches with AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns throughout the year have all been great as well.
Crowd reactions for Jericho have also been particularly loud this year, with either heavy boos or heavy cheers for the legend. Despite being 46 years of age, Y2J is still excelling as one of the best superstars in WWE, with 2016 being a major success for him.
Overall, Chris Jericho has been one of the most impressive superstars in WWE for 2016, as his incredible character development and his solid matches with top talent have made up for his age and lack of championship wins.
#4 Sasha Banks
Whether you are a fan of the never-ending Charlotte/Banks feud or not, there is no denying that it has made Sasha Banks one of the most impressive Superstars of WWE in 2016.
Leading the women’s revolution with her fellow members of the Four Horsewomen, Banks has been the top babyface on the women’s roster since attacking Charlotte in January at the Royal Rumble.
‘The Boss’ is a three time Women’s champion now and is showing no signs of slowing down, and in terms of her match quality, Banks has had a number of stellar matches with Charlotte. Their three Women’s championship matches on Raw were all great, with two of the three main eventing the show.
Although their Hell in a Cell bout wasn’t too good, Banks and Charlotte nonetheless became the first women in WWE history to main event a PPV, and the first women to wrestle inside Hell in a Cell.
Still, despite the weak Hell in a Cell match, the majority of Banks’ matches this year have been splendid, and she main evented three shows throughout 2016, which is something only Banks and Charlotte can claim.
Even though some fans are clamouring for Banks to turn heel, her crowd reactions this year have always been loud, and she was rarely booed. Receiving big pops from most crowds, ‘The Boss’ has proven to be a fitting top babyface for Raw’s women’s division in 2016.
Her character development has also been fine as a babyface throughout the year, although a heel turn for her would be nice to see heading into 2017. Still, her babyface character was never in doubt for the majority of 2016, and she drew some of the biggest reactions from crowds with her three title wins.
Overall, Banks has been one of the most impressive WWE superstars of 2016 due to her three championship wins, her splendid matches (including three main events), and her big reactions from crowds as a babyface.
#3 The Miz
At the start of 2016, nobody thought we would ever be considering The Miz for one of the most impressive WWE superstars of the year.
However, that is exactly what has happened. Revitalising himself after a couple of years of floundering, the A-Lister has been incredibly successful in 2016 by perfecting his heel persona and performing incredible matches.
Having one of the best Intercontinental title reigns throughout the summer and then recapturing the gold in early November, Miz has successfully revitalised the IC title after a couple of years of insignificance.
His matches with Dolph Ziggler have been incredible as well, with all their bouts for the IC title ranking as the best or second best matches on the show. Miz has successfully proven that he is a much better wrestler than some fans thought, and his match with Ziggler at No Mercy was especially splendid.
Being considered for Match of the Year, Miz and Ziggler tore the house down with one of the best Intercontinental Title matches in recent memory. Still, despite the incredible matches and championship success, Miz has truly excelled with his character development and crowd reactions.
Becoming one of the best heels in the company, Miz draws massive boos from every crowd with his sneaky, arrogant heel character. His promos have been top-notch, with his Talking Smack promo opposing Daniel Bryan being considered as promo of the year by many fans.
He knows exactly how to incorporate his character into matches as well, often mocking Daniel Bryan by copying moves and using the ‘YES!’ taunt, turning the crowd against him even more. Somehow, Miz has established himself as one of the MVPs of WWE in 2016, even after three years of mid card irrelevance.
Turning his career completely around, The Miz is one of the most impressive WWE superstars of 2016 due to his incredible run as Intercontinental champion, as he produced incredible matches and perfected his heel persona in one of the feuds of the year against Dolph Ziggler.
#2 Charlotte
Becoming one of the top heels in the entire WWE (including males), Charlotte has excelled above the rest of the women on the roster, showcasing her ability to lead the women’s revolution as heel champion.
Becoming a three-time Women’s Champion through the course of the year, Charlotte has had enormous success as a heel champion, improving tremendously as a character and as a wrestler.
Her feud with Sasha Banks, while dragging on too long, has produced some incredible matches, and like Banks, Charlotte has main evented three shows, winning her third women’s title in the first ever women’s Hell in a Cell match.
Her ability as a heel has drastically improved as well, with her promos and heel work in the ring being some of the best in the entire company. While her character was initially just Ric Flair’s daughter, Charlotte has evolved significantly into an arrogant, vicious heel who believes she deserves everything.
She never fails to draw boos from a crowd either, with audiences often booing Charlotte more than anyone else on the entire show. Her ability to turn the crowd against her has been the reason for her incredible success as a heel, and it has led to a number of splendid matches against top babyfaces, especially Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks.
While the Hell in a Cell women’s match wasn’t very good (as stated before), Charlotte still undertook the position of being in the first ever women’s Hell in a Cell match, as well as the first ever women’s PPV main event.
Winning the Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania, Summerslam and Hell in a Cell, Charlotte proved why she is the best women’s heel in recent WWE history.
Excelling above every other woman on the entire roster, Charlotte has been one of the most impressive WWE superstars of 2016 due to her status as top women’s heel throughout the year, leading to big championship wins, incredible matches and splendid character development.
#1 AJ Styles
Was there really any other option for the best WWE superstar of 2016? AJ Styles has had arguably the best debut year in the history of the WWE, and his success can be completely attributed to his incredible ability as a performer.
Winning the WWE World Championship only nine months into his run, Styles’ quick rise to the top was due to his ability to steal the show. Wrestling fantastic matches with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Dean Ambrose and more, AJ had some of the best matches of the year and showcased why he is the best wrestler in the world today.
However, his top-notch wrestling wasn’t the only reason for his incredible success. Styles’ wonderful heel persona after turning on John Cena in May has been extremely entertaining, and his matches with Cena at Money in the Bank and Summerslam were instant classics.
His promo ability was always been seen as a weakness, but he has significantly improved on the mic and as a character overall. Receiving some of the biggest pops of the year at Royal Rumble, Summerslam and Backlash, Styles consistently gets the biggest reaction from the audiences, even as a heel.
Whether it is cheers, mixed, or boos, Styles always has the crowd making noise, and he is one of the most polarising superstars in the company despite debuting just 11 months ago. Despite it only being his first year in WWE, Styles has been the most impressive WWE superstar of 2016, and this is due to his incredible ability as a wrestler and character.
Undertaking an incredible heel persona, wrestling some of the best WWE matches of the year and stealing every show he was on, AJ Styles is the MVP of WWE for 2016.
Check out highlights of his match with John Cena at Summerslam:
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