A lot has happened in the past year in the world of WWE. Some big stars made a comeback, others retired, and we got to witness a whole new revolution within the ring thanks to the 2016 draft and division to Raw and Smackdown. We’ve seen some amazing matches, unexpected twists and a whole lot of drama. The female segment of the sport got a lot stronger, the NXT promotion gave us some new stars for the main roster, and got new ones to fill their places. Goldberg, Shane McMahon and even the Undertaker returned, along with the beloved character-maker Mick Foley. Let’s take a look at some of the best WWE videos in 2016.
The Top Trending WWE Videos of 2016
Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar
First up is the amazing match between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. We knew that Goldberg would have to make a big bang upon his return after 12 years of absence, but we never expected him to put down one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. During the 30th annual Survivor Series, he confronted Brock Lesnar and defeated him with just a couple of forceful hits to the stomach. The match lasted only a couple of minutes, but left the crowd ultimately stunned. Goldberg used the opportunity to announce his intention of becoming a champion one last time. He’s still got it.
AJ Styles’ Springboard 450
If you were to name one person who marked 2016 in pro wrestling, it could really be AJ Styles. In his first year in WWE he performed some amazing stunts and made some notable upsets (one of them appearing later in our list). Among his most interesting moves in the past year is certainly his Springboard 450 to Dean Ambrose lying on a table. It is one of the most memorable moments of the past year and it’s easy to see why it made it onto our list. It simply showed just how great of an athlete AJ is.
The Undertaker’s Return
There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about the Undertaker’s possible return. When he disappeared back in 2014, people didn’t know if he retired or not. Afterwards he made some appearances, but he truly came back in 2016 with a couple of matches. These signified his departure from the Wrestlemania events he became known for. In November 2016, he made an appearance in Edge’s show called Cutting Edge, and announced his true return. The Undertaker is back and we have 2016 to thank for this. We expect to see a lot more of him in the year before us.
Charlotte Disowns Ric Flair
When it comes to girls (or rather women) of WWE, no one rose higher and faster than Ric Flair’s own Charlotte. However, the most talked about event weren’t just her matches, but her attitude towards her estranged father. In an unexpected turns of events, after retaining her WWE Women’s Title, Charlotte grabbed the mic and started lashing out at her seemingly helpless old man, Ric. In an emotional rant that left this old school wrestling star in tears, Charlotte disowned her father Ric and forced him out of the ring.
Shane McMahon’s Jump
The year behind us also gave us one more comeback that the fans simply adored – the surprising return of Shane McMahon in February. He received one of the greatest ovations in the ring, and he felt that he should return the favor in his matches. One of the most memorable moments of 2016 includes Shane’s mind-blowing jump off the cell. As if Hell in a Cell match against the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 wasn’t enough, Shane had to raise the bar by performing this amazing jump from the top of the cell onto the announcing table. That is why people love Shane so much.
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 32
We’ve mentioned how the female division of the sport grew stronger in the past year, and nothing shows it better than this fantastic match between three of the finest girl wrestlers in WWE, Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. The ultimate prize in this triple threat match was the newly created WWE Women’s Title. With Ric Flair’s helping hand, Charlotte put them both down and became the first champion with that title name. It was a significant event for female wrestling overall.
Steve Austin, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels Reunite
We’ve talked about various comebacks in 2016, but a true blast from the past was seeing three of the wrestling’s most significant figures: Attitude Era-initiator Steve Austin, a man of many faces Mick Foley, and D-Generation X leader, Shawn Michaels. The three of them came back for a segment during the Wrestlemania 32 to show that they’ve still got what it takes to make a great show. The nostalgia was in the air as the crowd cheered on for these old legends of the ring.
AJ Styles Defeats John Cena
Finally, we promised we’d include AJ Styles one more time on our list so here he is. One of the greatest upsets in recent wrestling history has to be a match between AJ Styles and John Cena, where Styles proved that he’s the next big WWE star. During a SummerSlam match that many consider the match of the year, Styles managed to overcome the mighty John Cena and take his title away. AJ Styles is basically now the new John Cena.
Those are 8 videos we feel marked WWE in 2016. What do you think?
