The Best And Worst Of Wrestling In 2016

Best Gimmick: 'Broken' Matt Hardy

Hardy reinvented himself completely this year and redefined what ‘wacky wrestling’ really means

Runners-Up: The New Day, JeriKO

By mid-2016, TNA was haemorrhaging money. Ratings were down, attendance was way down, and bad news permeated the air every time those three words were uttered. Then in the middle of the year, Hardy made transformed into one of the most ludicrous wrestling characters ever seen.

‘Broken’ Matt Hardy is the living manifestation of ‘wacky pro wrestling’. He speaks in a terrible British accent. He has a ridiculous hairdo that makes him look like a cross between Alfred Einstein and Bray Wyatt. He talks in such an enigmatic way and with such over-the-top and ridiculous expressions that you cannot possibly take anything he says or does seriously.

And he’s bloody amazing.

Everything ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy has done since adopting this person has paid off many times over. His ‘Final Deletion’ segment with his brother Jeff was the epitome of wacky wrestling and it got people talking about TNA in a good way for the first time in years.

Fans everywhere have even started chanting ‘Delete’ at other shows, which demonstrates how popular his act has become. He took it one step further with his ‘Total Nonstop Deletion’ show (which we’ll get into later) and managed to make even the most mundane promo unique and funny.

‘Broken’ Matt will go down as the best gimmick of 2016, hands down, and might continue bringing more positive feedback to an otherwise crippled TNA.

Credit should also go to the New Day for managing to keep a year-old gimmick inventive and fresh, as well as JeriKO, for being one of the most hilarious duos in WWE.