WWE match of the year candidates so far in 2016

Much has been afoot in the WWE in 2016; Superstars have been repeatedly injured, Wrestlemania 32 was a bust and the brand split into Raw and Smackdown has only just come into effect. Storylines haven’t been the best either – wrestlers with potential continue to be ignored and same old routines are repeated.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as parts of the WWE continue to enthrall fans and in that spirit let’s take a look at some of the match of the year candidates from 2016 so far:

(The matches are listed in order of chronology and not ranked)

Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose – Royal Rumble 2016

At WWE Royal Rumble 2016 it was Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match. Once the bell was rung, everything that followed was straight out of the Ambrose Asylum, and who better to face it all than WWE’s angriest superstar, Kevin Owens.

The two men unleashed a world of physical pain on each other, pushed each other to extreme limits just to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Cannonballs and power bombs weren’t enough – the two men tore each other apart with Kendo sticks, chairs and tables. The match ended with Dean Ambrose retaining his title but some might say his win was almost a stroke of luck.

Kevin Owens was climbing to the top rope about to jump on Ambrose who was lying on a pile of chairs, when he was able to get up and push the unsuspecting Owens off the rope and onto a table placed outside the ring. That did the trick.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn – NXT Takeover: Dallas

Nakamura’s arrival at the WWE was very sudden. He had just defended his IWGP Intercontinental Championship against A.J. Styles at Wrestle Kingdom 10 and the next day itself it was rumoured he had handed in his resignation to NJPW and was headed to the WWE.

The rumours were true.

Soon after his departure he headed over to WWE’s developmental programme and debuted at NXT Takeover: Dallas against Sami Zayn.

The match between Nakamura and Zayn was almost the best of the night with neither man ready to give up. High flying moves from Zayn and nasty kicks from the King of Strong Style had the crowd chanting both their names.

Even though it was the newcomer Nakamura who eventually won, the match ended with a display of mutual respect from each other.

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe – NXT Takeover: Dallas

The match between Sami Zayn and Nakamura from Wrestlemania weekend was only eclipsed by the NXT Championship match between Samoa Joe and Finn Balor. The rivalry between the two men had been heating up for some time with the two attacking and ambushing each other quite frequently.

Although NXT Takeover: Dallas was by no means the end to their rivalry, it did make for the best match of the night.

Samoa Joe with his intimidating presence was unable to hold back a motivated defending champion. Balor was at his best that night with a way out for everything that Samoa Joe threw at him. Samoa Joe even started bleeding pretty early on in the match (rumoured to be true) and that doesn’t happen too often in the WWE anymore!

Even though Balor retained his title, it was not the end for them as Joe’s animosity towards him seemed only to have gotten worse after the defeat.

Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch – Wrestlemania 32

The WWE Divas Champion Charlotte was up against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch on the biggest night for the WWE and the ladies did not disappoint. In fact, it was one of the better matches of the night.

It was only recently that these three women were climbing up the ranks in the women’s division of NXT and they were kicking up a storm on the biggest stage in their business.

The triple threat match was a continuous physical onslaught where no one seemed to want to quit. Charlotte proved that she could play the heel as well as her father Ric Flair, and Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were impressive and brought their own styles to the mix.

The match ended when Charlotte was successfully able to put Becky Lynch in a figure-eight for a submission. Charlotte became the winner of the first WWE Women’s Championship – a new belt that was unveiled by WWE Hall of Famer Lita that night.

Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles – Extreme Rules 2016

Reigns’ defence of the WWE World Championship against A.J. Styles at Extreme Rules was a good old bout that kept audiences hooked in for the entire length of the match. As hard as Roman tries to come off as the underdog face who can never catch a break, fans refuse to get behind him.

Instead it was the contender Styles who had everyone cheering for him. And Roman? He was booed and jeered at like usual.

Reigns may not be a very convincing face but the man can fight. His raw physicality and Styles’s quick style of wrestling made for an amazing match where chairs were thrown around, announce tables were broken up and the wrestlers themselves went flying over the barricade on a few occasions.

The match was made even more interesting by the interference of the rest of The Club - Galllows and Anderson and the Usos. Ultimately, it was Roman Reigns who retained his title much to the ire of fans all over the world.

John Cena vs. A.J. Styles – Money in the Bank 2016

John Cena’s much-awaited pay-per-view return finally came in the form of a match against A.J. Styles at Money in the Bank. Even though he had made a cameo appearance at Wrestlemania earlier in the year, he was yet to take part in a match.

The rivalry between the two was precipitated by Styles’s attack on Cena soon after his comeback speech which paved the way for an encounter at the MITB event. With Cena fighting after months, fans couldn’t decide between supporting Cena, the old favourite and Styles – a new addition to the main roster who has taken WWE by storm.

The two men brought a world of pain on each other – the match was a mix of signature and finishing moves that neither man would stay down from. If The Club – Gallows and Anderson had not interfered, who knows how long the match would have continued.

Cena knocked down the referee by mistake which gave The Club the perfect opportunity to come and land the Magic Killer on Cena and give the win to A.J. Styles.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Money in the Bank 2016

The Money in the Bank ladder match never fails to disappoint. After all, the winner is bestowed with a very special prize – a shot at the world title any time he wishes, which always adds a hint of unpredictability to this match. This year the MITB match was between Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Alberto del Rio, Sami Zayn and Cesaro.

Crowd favourites, almost all of them, the fans couldn’t decide who to cheer for in the match. The wrestlers put on a brilliant display – their desire to win for a shot at the world title was there for all to see. An evenly drawn match, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn quickly forgot about the rest of the competitors and sank back into their old rivalry.

Ultimately, it was Dean Ambrose who was able take advantage of the situation and climb the ladder to claim the Money in the Bank contract.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens – Battleground 2016

Video courtesy: Youtube/WWE

There is something unique about the rivalry between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens – perhaps it’s the fact they used to be best friends and now they can’t stand the sight of each other. Their match at Battleground deserves a spot as contender for best match of 2016 because of the passion they put into their fight. These two did not even have a title to fight over – it was simply about getting one over the other.

Their fight was a delight to behold. Their contrasting styles of wrestling made an even fight. Even their in-ring interaction was a bonus to the match. The need to end their feud and finally call it a night was apparent in every move that Owens and Zayn made. Alas, only one could win even though the audience was equally behind both the competitors and it was Zayn who came out as victor for the night.

Although the match was meant to end their rivalry once and for all, both Zayn and Owens have been drafted to Raw and their bitter enmity seems like it will live for some more time.