wrestling / Columns

The 411 Wrestling Year-End Awards: Part Twelve – The Best Wrestler of 2016

January 13, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Image Credit: WWE

Welcome back to the Wrestling Top 5, year-end awards edition! What we are going to is take a topic, and all the writers here on 411 will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, and the end, based on where all of these topics rank on people’s list, we will create an overall Top 5 list. It looks a little like this…

1st – 5
2nd – 4
3rd – 3
4th – 2
5th – 1

It’s similar to how we do the WOTW voting. At the end we tally the scores and get our overall top 5! It’s highly non-official and final, like WWE’s old power rankings. From some of the best and worst, the 411 staff is ready to break down the awards! Thanks for joining us, and lets get down to work.

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(Open to pro wrestlers, for a combination of everything, being both important and influential this year in a positive manner from a business perspective, combining both box office impact as well as strong match quality in worked matches; the wrestler that was the total package.)

Rob Stewart
5. Samoa Joe
4. Kazuchika Okada
3. Tetsuya Naito
2. The Monster, Matanza Cueto

1. AJ Styles – It simply had to be. From the Royal Rumble through TLC, Styles just dominated the WWE landscape for 12 months. Despite being a talent that made his name around the world–and in TNA in particular–Styles was given the keys to the castle and was allowed to defeat John Cena and reign over the Smackdown brand as the WWE World Champion. It was a special year for The Phenomenal One.

Jake Chambers
5. Roman Reigns
4. Johnny Mundo
3. Kazuchika Okada
2. Mil Muertes

1. The Miz – The moment The Miz left the Talking Smack set after his historic tirade against Daniel Bryan on August 23rd there was no doubt in my mind about who is the best wrestler of 2016.

In that moment The Miz was both exhilarating and insulting in a way that few pro-wrestlers have ever historically been able to do. His speech should inspire us all to be the best at what we do but also exposes us as the cowards that we truly are. I hide behind this pseudonym and write about an entertaining hobby that I love because I can’t do it, and I certainly can’t overachieve in life with my own humble career each year like The Miz does, because – yes – I am a coward. Sure, in 2016 AJ Styles can waltz into the WWE and have great matches, I mean, that’s exactly what we expected of him because he’s been a hardworking wrestler his whole career. But to be fair, he’s not doing anything new. In fact, because his first few months in the WWE weren’t “excellent” the critical groupthink was already branding Styles a failure. However, in 2016 The Miz still continues to raise the bar. Of course he’s more than just one fiery promo, as The Miz uses a distinct style in the ring that allows him the freedom to constantly perform, grow and take chances, he worked with a wide range of wrestlers this year, most of whom we consider outside of his league, and he has fine-tuned his onscreen persona in 2016 to do the one thing that was seemingly impossible, make that also-ran Intercontinental Title feel “important again”. Few people on earth can be solid in every objective category of skill of their profession, present a uniquely compelling persona, and continually overachieve at the very peak of their industry, and this year The Miz was the pro-wrestler who, in my opinion, was brave enough to step up and be the very best.

Jack McGee
5. The Miz
4. Kenny Omega
3. Kazuchika Okada
2. AJ Styles

1. Tetsuya Naito – The rise of Tetsuya Naito as an anti-hero, a second level draw for NJPW and a true main event star and certified top merchandise mover as the leader of Los Ingobernables. His IWGP and IC Title wins, along with the number of top tier matches he put on, added into everything else easily makes him a prime candidate for the award.

JUSTIN WATRY
5. The Miz
4. Brock Lesnar
3. John Cena
2. Roman Reigns

1. AJ Styles – Remember when fans thought AJ Styles would never be signed by WWE? Wrong. Remember when he WAS signed and fans thought he would be stuck in NXT with a new name? Wrong. Remember when fans thought he would be BURIED(!!!!!) because of some false belief of WWE executives? Wrong. Remember when fans went bonkers when he lost a few times in early 2016, despite still being in the main event, and assumed he was headed to the mid-card? Wrong. Remember when fans thought he was being sabotaged by turning heel and wrestling John Cena? Wrong. Remember when fans thought he was going to tossed aside on Smackdown LIVE? Wrong. Remember when fans whined and cried during the Summerslam build assuming John Cena would beat him in their rematch? Wrong. Remember fans said he would still never EVER win the WWE Title due to (again) some BS reasons made up by the internet? Wrong. AJ Styles made a lot of people eat crow in 2016 and deserves every bit of success coming his way. From fans who never cease to amaze me with their negativity to his former employers to even some backstage that were not quite believers, he answered the critics with the best 12 months imaginable. The Royal Rumble debut in January was impactful enough, but that was just the beginning. Feud with Chris Jericho, main events against Roman Reigns, title matches, major pay-per-view victories over Cena, and ends the year leading WWE Smackdown LIVE over RAW in the ratings as the reigning WWE Champion. Phenomenal.

Mike Chin
5. Roman Reigns
4. Kevin Owens
3. The Monster Matanza Cueto
2. Matt Hardy

1. AJ Styles – It’s a rare thing for a performer to debut with a promotion (let alone WWE) and in that same year become its most indispensable performer. That’s exactly what Styles did in WWE this year. He was a talented, if vanilla, upper card face for the few months of his run before getting the unlikely chance to challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship. Though he came up short in the rivalry, he nicely progressed from face, to tweener, to heel, where he became a magnificent jerk and ultimately got the best of an excellent feud with John Cena. The Cena feud paved the way for Styles to beat Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship and reign atop the blue brand for the rest of the year, much in the tradition of the old Smackdown Six as a working wrestler’s champion. After so many years on top everywhere but WWE, it was a joy to see Styles not only make it to WWE, but prove himself at the absolute highest level.

Paul Leazar
5. Jay Lethal
4. Marty Scrull
3. Tetsuya Naito
2. Kenny Omega

1. AJ Styles – What didn’t AJ Styles do this year? He wrestled at both Wrestle Kingdom and WrestleMania, he won the WWE World Heavyweight Title in his first year with the company, put on multiple great matches with some of the best and not so best workers in the industry, and between all of that, he somehow found a way to improve his work in between the ropes and on the microphone. His work with John Cena was magnificent, and with that feud, he anchors Smackdown in a way that maybe nobody else but John Cena could have done. There have been a ton of great workers this year, and we may only get to highlight a select few here on 411. However, nobody has achieved more this year than AJ Styles.

Chad Perry
5. Kenny Omega
4. Kevin Owens
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
2. Kazuchika Okada

1. AJ Styles – AJ Styles has been phenomenal since breaking onto the national exposure scene in 2002 with TNA. I am not sure what adjective would be above phenomenal, but whatever that is, that’s what Styles has been the last three years. Since Styles made the life altering decision to leave the comfortable grounds of TNA in December 2013 he has truly hit his stride. Styles had amazing success in NJPW both from a match quality and kayfabe success. That has carried over to his rookie year in WWE. From his memorable debut at the Royal Rumble, to his series of matches with Chris Jericho, onto his feuds with Roman and AJ and finally onto winning the WWE World Title in under 8 months, this has been an amazing year. Add onto that list that AJ was in the MOTY in NJPW with Shinsuke Nakamura in January. AJ Styles is this generation’s Shawn Michaels.

Mike Hammerlock
5. Kenny Omega
4. The Monster Matanza Cueto
3. Broken Matt Hardy
2. Shinsuke Nakamura

1. AJ Styles – What a year he had. Had the Match of the Year (IMO) against Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10 and then had an epic entrance/WWE introduction at the Royal Rumble. He could have taken off the next 11 months and he still would have been in the running for this accolade. Add in his run of matches against Roman Reigns, his SummerSlam classic against John Cena and his run as WWE World Champion and you’ve got a guy who spent the whole year lighting the business on fire. The last time a guy took the WWE by storm this much in his first year, it was Brock Lesnar. Credit to the WWE for giving him the ball and letting him run with it. Best part is he’s barely scratched the surface of the big matches he can have in the industry’s biggest promotion.

Kevin Pantoja
5. Marty Scurll
4. Kazuchika Okada
3. Kevin Owens
2. Tetsuya Naito

1. AJ Styles – This is an easy one. AJ Styles had a year unlike any other I can recall. He co-headlined Wrestle Kingdom and less than a month later, made an impact in a debut at the Royal Rumble. He became the first man to compete at WK and WrestleMania in the same year before becoming one of only a handful of guys to win the WWE Title in his first year with the company. It wasn’t like he was hotshotted there either. Styles earned it with top-notch performance after top-notch performance. He is a big star already, was one of the top picks in the draft and is one of the reasons Smackdown has done so well. The man had several matches that I rated at ****+ with the likes of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Shinsuke Nakamura, John Cena, Sami Zayn and others. However you slice 2016, AJ Styles is at the top. From match quality to drawing power to accolades, Styles did it all. His work has been different in TNA, NJPW and WWE, with all being hugely successful. It’s a controversial opinion, but for my money, AJ Styles is the GOAT.

Larry Csonka
5. Matt Hardy
4. Kenny Omega
3. Kazuchika Okada
2. Tetsuya Naito

1. AJ Styles – AJ Styles co-main evented WrestleKingdom in a MOTY contender, and a short few weeks later made his debut at the WWE Royal Rumble. Styles was booked as a top guy, put on some of WWE’s best matches of the year, BEAT UP JOHN CENA and ruled over Smackdown as the WWE Champion. Styles backed up years of hype that he built up prior to his WWE debut and found success in a company many thought he would never work for. Once again, AJ Styles tops my list as the wrestler of the year.

AND 411’s The Best Wrestlers of 2016 ARE…

T5. The Monster Matanza Cueto8 points

T5. Broken Matt Hardy8 points

4. Kenny Omega10 points

3. Kazuchika Okada17 points

2. Tetsuya Naito19 points

1. AJ Styles44 points


THE 2016 411 WRESTLING AWARDS:
* The Biggest Disappointment of The Year: The WWE Cruiserweight Division – 28 points
* The Best Non-Wrestler: Dario Cueto – 45 points
* The Best Tag Team of The Year: The Revival – 45 points
* The Worst PPV/Major Show of The Year: WrestleMania 32 – 23 points

* The Best Female Wrestler of The Year: Charlotte – 44 points
* The Best PPV/Major Show of The Year: NXT Takeover: Dallas – 27 points
* The Best Promotion of The Year: NJPW – 33 points
* Most Outstanding Performer 2016: Chris Hero – 27 points

* The Best Match of The Year: DIY vs. The Revival (From NXT Takeover Toronto) – 22 points
* Most Overrated Performer 2016: Dean Ambrose – 17 points
* Most Underrated Performer 2016: Rusev – 16 points
* The Best Wrestler of The Year: AJ Styles – 44 points