2016 Year-End

[AstroBoy]

So 2016 is finishing up. Who has thought about year-end awards like wrestler of the year, match of the year, etc. . .

 

I'm still thinking on certain topics but rewatching a lot of stuff from earlier in the year, trying to figure out what stuck out to me the most.

 

Where do we think wrestling is headed in 2017?

 

And what has 2016 personally meant for everyone as a wrestling fan -- what did you all do this year? I know for me that my girlfriend and I finally got out to a few shows, met some very nice people including some from this board, and started watching more wrestling more regularly than I ever have.

 

 

[AstroBoy]

After doing some rewatching and thinking I think i would have to say no wrestler has been better this year than AJ Styles. Some will vouch for Hero or Riddle or someone else entirely but I don't think I would take anything over my favorite four AJ matches of the year: the two PPV matches vs. Roman (especially Extreme Rules which I find to be transcendent in the way it turned shitty overbooking into a positive dramatic tool) and also the two PPV matches with Dean for the title. Hero has also been great. So has Riddle. So has Trevor Lee. I feel like I'm totally blanking on other candidates for the best wrestler in the world.

 

Zayn/Nakamura from Takeover was always going to be my match of the year largely because on first viewing it was such a special personal experience that I can't view it without a lot of subjectivity. Of course it holds up as a great mach on its own. Both Revival/DIY matches are fantastic and would probably land in the top 5 of the year for me as well. Roman/AJ from Extreme Rules would be up there. I did enjoy a handful of others that feel like they should be at the very top of a year in review type thing: Heroes Eventually Die vs. Sami Callihan/Zack Sabre Jr. comes to mind. Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett. Canis Lupus vs. Trauma I. Black Terry Jr. vs. Wotan.

 

 

[Grimmas]

Sasha vs Charlotte in a HIAC is a match you didn't list, that is a top 3 match for me this year.

[soup23]

2016 will be a pivotal year for me. It was a year that started out with me in the doldrums about modern wrestling and ended with me consuming and enjoying more wrestling throughout the year that I truly believe 2016 will be remembered as one of those golden years from a quality standpoint. So much amazing content readily available online and the increase in the streaming services and google drive documents have made the consumption even easier.

[WingedEagle]

2016 will be a pivotal year for me. It was a year that started out with me in the doldrums about modern wrestling and ended with me consuming and enjoying more wrestling throughout the year that I truly believe 2016 will be remembered as one of those golden years from a quality standpoint. So much amazing content readily available online and the increase in the streaming services and google drive documents have made the consumption even easier.

 

Couldn't agree more. This year may not have seen any major acts catch fire or terrifically engaging booking, but in retrospect it looks like an incredible year for match quality, both as far as elite, all-time matches and depth. Not looking forward to cutting anything from my MOTY list.

[Dylan Waco]

Was a great year for indie wrestling. I haven't cared this little about the WWE in over a decade, my interest in lucha is down some, and my interest in Japan has sort of leveled off at "I'll watch what is pimped, and an occasional full show" level. But the indies have been red hot. With the exception of AJ, and depending on how you want to view the Revival, I could probably do a top fifteen or twenty workers of the year that is nothing but indie workers and not feel I was slighting anyone.

[Loss]

I find myself kind of where I was in the late 2000s, where my fandom is hanging on by a thread. I need some type of project to rekindle my interest. Soup and I do have something in mind for 2017 that should keep me occupied for a while at least, but I think that's how I'll remember this year -- like 2007-2009 again, only without the bitterness that stemmed from Benoit murdering his family. I remember not really getting it when Dylan talked about closure surrounding GWE when it sort of ended up being that for me too in many ways, so I get that now. That has nothing to do with the quality of wrestling now, because it seems to be at a pretty high level, and much of the stuff I have watched this year I have really enjoyed. I just don't feel any emotional attachment to it, which I don't even blame on the wrestling. I blame it on being too jaded and wanting wrestling to be presented in a smarter way -- no more distraction finishes, unexplained music or cameras, more long-term continuity and a move away from patterned match sequences with a switch toward more variation. Women that if they are going to be presented as athletes have last names and don't wear makeup to the ring for their matches. I want an indy that foolishly tells WWE to go fuck themselves for no other reason than that they are The Man. I'm an idealist, and 2016 wrestling isn't idealistic at all. I'm not bitter, just sort of uninspired by it all. I still love wrestling as a form and still enjoy matches that are good, but it feels like with time, the amount of crap I have to overlook to enjoy the good stuff keeps growing bigger and bigger. And again, I don't put that on anything or anyone in wrestling. Time has just sort of passed me by, and I can accept that.

[Matt D]

I'm pretty tuned out on WWE, but obviously NXT has been fun for most of the year even if not quite at the levels it once was (save for Revival tags). The World Warriors approach of the Cruiserweight Tournament was a lot of fun. I find indies overwhelming to the point of being unpleasant. I have seen quite a few Chris Hero matches this year and find him well worth watching. I need to see more of Callihan. I thought the title matches during the first half of CMLL's year were stronger (and more plentiful) than the second. I love how much TV we have. There were some great indy lucha matches too and some general fun stuff out of places like Crash and Elite. I'm two discs through the PR set and loving it.

 

Really, though, the story of this year was NWAOnDemand putting out unseen and interesting matches from the 70s and 80s every week. It's hard to even cover it all, great stuff from Gino, Lothario, the best Michael Hayes singles match I've ever seen, a Wahoo vs Harley match, Curry vs Valentine, and some beautiful, beautiful Bockwinkel matches I'm very glad we have and so, so much more. I'm not saying it's the only story of the year, but it's pretty much the only one I care about. The most vibrant, vital and exciting matches in 2016 are new matches from thirty and forty years ago.

[Dylan Waco]

One other thing of note - this year has been a great year for "rookies" in the Meltzer since and almost in the literal since. Riddle, Rush, Allin, Nomura, and even Jimmy Lloyd have all had really strong years, and come across as totally different and unique in their respective environments. Riddle and Rush in particular have probably had two of the best rookiesh years in wrestling history.

[Cap]

This is the year I took my fandom to another level. I will always think of it as the year I got into lucha and joshi. I will always remember it as the year I started to really dive into some 80s sets and expose myself to a ton of wrestling I had never really watched before. I rewatched a lot of stuff that I really enjoyed from the past. I more or less rewatched all my favorites from 80s and 90s All Japan as well as ROH and all my favorite WWE and WCW/Crockett matches (and added new favorites in all four). I really found myself going on tears at certain times of the year. I went on dives into wrestlers and time periods. I started documenting more of it in terms of reviews and ratings (more just to keep track than anything else). Most of this was inspired by jumping on the board as the GWE was hitting the homestretch and watching that stuff play out. In all, it was a fantastic wrestling year for me, reminding myself why I like wrestling so much and discovering lots of new (to me) stuff.

 

Oddly though I didn't get to watch a lot of current wrestling outside the wwe products. I watched some indy stuff and a little Japan. I also randomly ran into some recent lucha stuff on youtube, but most of my non-wwe watching was stuff from the past. It isn't even that I love the WWE right now. It is a matter of access and focus. I can sort of turn it on and follow and do work. If I turn on something older I often find myself wanting to focus on it, same goes for indy wrestling (current or past).

 

I guess this how I would have my awards right now and for reasons listed above they are very mainstream American-centric, and sort of off the top of my head.

 

Wrestler of the Year: AJ Styles

- Runner Up 1: Chris Hero

- Runner up 2: Brian Kendrick

 

Women's Wrestler of the Year: Becky Lynch

Runner Up 1: Asuka

Runner Up 2: Sasha Banks

 

Match of the Year: Trauma 1 vs Canis Lupus (9/4)

- Runner up 1: DIY vs The Revival (11/19)

- Runner up 2: Hero vs Gresham (2/28)

- Runner up 3: Zayn vs Nakamura (4/1)

- Runner up 4: Styles vs Nakamura (1/4)

- Runner up 5: Styles vs Reigns (5/22)

- Runner up 6: Owens vs Zayn (7/24)

- Runner up 7: Kendrick vs Ibushi (8/26)

 

Tag Team of the Year: The Revival

- Runner up 1: American Alpha

 

 

Rising Star: Matt Riddle

 

Angle/Feud of the Year: Styles vs Cena

Runner up 1: CWC Opens New Doors

Runner up 2: Samoa Joe vs William Regal

 

*edited to update match of the year list

[soup23]

One other thing of note - this year has been a great year for "rookies" in the Meltzer since and almost in the literal since. Riddle, Rush, Allin, Nomura, and even Jimmy Lloyd have all had really strong years, and come across as totally different and unique in their respective environments. Riddle and Rush in particular have probably had two of the best rookiesh years in wrestling history.

 

Agree with this and would tack on at least Ben-K who I truly feel can break some of the Dragon Gate apprehension based on his look and working style as well as Chihiro Hashimoto who has wrestled a total of 52 matches so far according to cagematch and seems really poised for that many matches under her belt.

[WingedEagle]

 

One other thing of note - this year has been a great year for "rookies" in the Meltzer since and almost in the literal since. Riddle, Rush, Allin, Nomura, and even Jimmy Lloyd have all had really strong years, and come across as totally different and unique in their respective environments. Riddle and Rush in particular have probably had two of the best rookiesh years in wrestling history.

 

Agree with this and would tack on at least Ben-K who I truly feel can break some of the Dragon Gate apprehension based on his look and working style as well as Chihiro Hashimoto who has wrestled a total of 52 matches so far according to cagematch and seems really poised for that many matches under her belt.

 

 

Totally with you on Ben-K. Seems like a lot of potential to stand out from the Dragon Gate stereotype.

 

I definitely need to see more Hashimoto. Only seen 2 matches thus far including the Satomura title match, but she looks very promising. Doesn't overreach and sticks to simple things that look good at her level and capitalize on her power. Which other matches of hers would you recommend?

[soup23]

The 7/30 Sendai Girls tag match is good and showed her with some fired up sequences against Kong. I would also recommend the November Cassandra Miyagi match. Miyagi tries really hard and has some promise herself and a cool looking character, but most of the polish in the match comes from Chihiro. Not a great match or anything but they got the main event slot on a pretty big Korakuen show for Sendai Girls and the moment didn't feel too big for Hashimoto.

[WingedEagle]

Thanks, much appreciated. Will try to get to those over the long weekend.

[Matt D]

(case in point on NWAonDemand: looks like we have a brand new 20 minute Buzz Sawyer vs Chavo Guerrero match from 86 tonight, just like that. It adds up.)

[Tim Evans]

2016 to me is the year I branched out in my wrestling viewing. For years I was just a WWE only fan with an admiration for Lucha. This year, I've become a bigger fan of the indies thanks to in most part, the Highspots network. I got into AAW, PWX, PWG and even WXW. For the first time ever, I traveled out of state to see wrestling in Chattanooga for the SCI and Atlanta for AWE. Became fans of guys I saw there and watched matches from other feds with them. Dylan is correct in saying this was the year of the indies. I'm still a fan of NXT and I watch smackdown but my WWE enjoyment viewing seems to be going farther and farther down the older I get. I've also really got into indie lucha with CMLL and AAA having down years. Big fan of caralucha and the other indies. I have hope for powerbomb.tv and they can bring more indie lucha to the masses. Of course, my first love right now in wrestling is Puerto Rico. WWC had a hell of a year with guys like Rey Jr and Jeff Hardy coming in. The puerto rican indie scene is growing too. I have high hopes for 2017.

[greenmistguy90]

One of the things I think we are heading for is a steaming showdown , simplified to what do the fans want highspots or flowslam

[El-P]

I was about to quit watching wrestling altogether. After 25 years. Seemed okay.

 

Then again, I watched more current stuff than I ever did since the late 90's.

 

WWE sucks ass as a TV product. But they do deliver some legit great matches regularly. Sasha vs Charlotte being the feud of the year. HITC was a legit MOTYC to me. Loved most of the NXT Takeover big matches too.

 

Lucha Underground got me excited about following a current TV show. It's the kind of wrestling I want in 2016. Fuck tradition. I want ridiculousness to the infinite degree. That and a cool aesthetics.

 

Speaking of which, that Total Deletion deal. Head scratching and completely awesome.

 

Finally got to watch old TNA, as a way to cope with… suff. And don't regret it. In the mids of so much crap, there are some great stuff there. AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels are terrific workers. I'm having fun following Raven's last years. This is all new to me and feels fresh. Quickly browsing through the mud gets you some really nice surprises (Abyss as a terrific piece of luggage, AMW the hidden team of the 00's, Ultimate X actually being a terrific gimmick when used right).

 

Watched some NJPW (vade retro satanas), especially the G1, which was kinda mind burning at point. But it made me a fan of Tetsuya Naito, who delivered a bunch of MOTYC and one of the very few ***** match I've ever seen, against Kenny Omega of all people (despite that fact, Omega can still be totally overworking when he's not with the right guy). Loved Marufuji and Tanahashi (bye-bye PWO cred, if I ever had any) and enjoyed a bunch of other people (like Ishii, who's much more than I thought he was).

 

Didn't try my hand at lucha (although I thought about it honestly) or other japanese companies (no real urge) or US indies (no urge at all), but this year was clearly a Revival (pun intended) for me as far as really enjoying both current and new (as in, never seen before) stuff.

 

So, I'd say 2016 was one of the most fun year I had as a pro-wrestling fan in a long, long time.

[JerryvonKramer]

First quarter of 2016 was wrapped up with GWE, something I continue to have mixed feelings about.

 

The rest of the year has largely consisted in getting over it.

 

For me that meant trying to enjoy modern stuff whenever life would give me a chance to watch it, and reconnecting with the things that made me a fan in the first place (which has really been the topic of Letters From Kayfabe).

 

2016 was a really busy year for me both in work and personally (I've just moved home this past week). Wrestling has had to complete with music and politics in what little spare time I've had. I watched Evolve 53 a few months ago and haven't had the chance to watch the next show since... life gets in the way.

 

I have a long sabbatical coming up in which I hope to have the time and space to start watching footage again. I want to finish the 80s sets (including lucha), I want to go through Loss's 90s list, I want to watch Chris Hero matches ... There's a lot I want to do.

 

I hope in 2017 things will be more chill, that people come together, that divisions are mended, that time will heal, that community is celebrated... both in our little bubble and out there in the big wide world.

[WingedEagle]

The 7/30 Sendai Girls tag match is good and showed her with some fired up sequences against Kong. I would also recommend the November Cassandra Miyagi match. Miyagi tries really hard and has some promise herself and a cool looking character, but most of the polish in the match comes from Chihiro. Not a great match or anything but they got the main event slot on a pretty big Korakuen show for Sendai Girls and the moment didn't feel too big for Hashimoto.

 

Very much appreciate the recommendations. Perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions on a limited sample, but she feels like a top tier Rookie of the Year candidate. Super impssed with what she does and even more by what she doesn't do, instead sticking to her strengths and maximizing her mileage there. Any other recent joshi you'd go out of your way to recommend?

[donsem43]

Hopefully sometime in the next week I'm going to try and put together a list of top joshi matches for 2016. Off the top of my head, I would say to check out the following:

 

Meiko Satomura vs. Syuri (Sendai Girls 3/11)

Nakajima/Fujimoto vs. Takahashi/Sakura (Ice Ribbon 5/4)

Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom 5/15)

Nakajima/Fujimoto vs. Takahashi/Yoshiko (JWP 7/24)

Nakajima vs. Yoshiko (SEAdLINNG 10/16)

 

There's threads for each in the Match Discussion Archive with hopefully a working link to the match. If not try a certain well known Google Drive.

[WingedEagle]

Thanks, much appreciated!

[concrete1992]

Someone make a 2016 Yearbook.

 

Even kayfabe it.

[Quentin Skinner]

2016 was the year where I unintentionally gained a reputation as someone who watches "everything" so for year end list stuff it compelled me to do big lists like the Top 50 Wrestlers of the Year that just came out and the Top 100 Matches that'll be getting done sometime in January because I almost feel like I have to shine a light on as much stuff as I can from US indies, European indies, WWE, NJPW, Japanese indies, Lucha, etc so all these incredible things going on in all these scenes don't get overlooked.

[Cox]

I think to me, the story of 2016 is easily AJ Styles. I think when you look at what he's accomplished this year, he's an easy Wrestler of the Year, because what he accomplished this year in WWE had such a high degree of difficulty. I can't remember the last time WWE brought in somebody from outside, and made that guy a top guy from the first day they were in the company, a true main event level star. I think you can make an argument that they haven't done this since Ric Flair in 1991. Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, they spent significant time in the mid card before they got their first real main event runs, whereas Styles debuted in January, was headlining by April, and was carrying Smackdown as the top heel by August. When you look at how WWE is run in 2016, and how even a guy as clearly talented as Bryan Danielson starts in developmental, and to see somebody like Styles not only bypass developmental, but excel on the main roster having never worked WWE style before, that is remarkable to me. It was something I didn't think we'd ever see again in WWE, and something we may never see again, unless they ever get around to bringing in the Young Bucks. Even if WWE were to sign the Bucks, they would not be a top pushed act at the level that AJ Styles was in 2016. I've been cold on Styles as a WON Hall of Fame candidate before this year because he hasn't had anything he could really hang his candidacy on, beyond being a very good to great worker for a number of years, but what he accomplished in 2016 was really impressive and a real resume builder towards establishing a larger candidacy than anything he's done to date.