Choosing the best WWE Male Wrestler for the last year was not difficult, but the other four had to be picked carefully. An amazing WWE year is behind us, and one wrestler had the year of a lifetime after the debut in January. Yes, you are right, it’s AJ Styles.
I…AM…PHENOMENAL! When AJ Styles made his debut in the Royal Rumble, we couldn’t have guessed that he was about to have a phenomenal year. His feuds with Chris Jericho, John Cena, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns will be remembered for a long time, and we had a chance to watch AJ Styles in numerous 4-star matches. AJ Styles managed to do something many wrestlers have been trying to do for so many years. He now holds the WWE Championship and he did it in his first year, which only shows what this guy is capable of.
From the beginning, we knew that AJ Styles was the man who could compete with the best, but we had no clue that he was going to beat everyone and dominate the WWE world. His debut was maybe predictable, but after that, he became a leader. It is not enough to say that this guy had a tremendous year. AJ Styles was flawless.
AJ Styles can be compared to an NBA star, and no, it is not LeBron James. Last year Stephen Curry had an amazing year, and although he didn’t win a championship ring, he was the unanimous MVP, and Steph was one of the players who raised his game to another level. Just like Curry’s domination in the NBA, we can say that AJ Styles dominated the WWE.
Some people even believed that AJ Styles would be just another average wrestler and that it would be hard for him to compete against talented bunch. However, he proved them wrong, and he showed that he was in a class all by himself. He displayed both skill and athleticism, and his matches were so fun to watch. We will see what lies in store in 2017 for AJ Styles.
Although Chris Jericho has been in the WWE for more than 17 years, 2016 was probably one of the best years of his career. Jericho reinventions of the character are outstanding and his “List of Jericho” marked last year. On this list, we can see all the people and things he dislikes, but this is not the only thing why Jericho is on our list. His skills in the ring are admirable, while his ability to get over catchphrases is also fascinating. His influence in 2016 couldn’t be overlooked.
Just like AJ Styles, Kenny Omega also had an excellent year. He became the first gaijin (foreigner) to win the G1-Climax in Japan that has been held for 26 years. Furthermore, we watched Omega in some of the easily best matches of the year, such as his fight with Tetsuya Naito on the penultimate night of the G1. Omega also became the new leader and king of the Bullet Club that now includes Adam Cole and Cody Rhodes.
Roman Reigns is one of those wrestlers who doesn’t get the love from the crowd, but some still look at him as a superhero the WWE wanted him to become. He fought against Kevin Owens in the last pay-per-view match of the season and overall he was the guy with most pay-per-view matches in the WWE last year. After violating the company’s wellness policy, the 30-day suspension ensued, and Reigns only established the role of a guy crowd loves to hate.
Dean Ambrose won the long-anticipated “Shield Triple Threat” match, and he was also the winner of Money in the Bank. Moreover, Dean Ambrose had an awesome no-DQ Intercontinental title match at the Royal Rumble with Kevin Owens, and we will also remember his rivalry versus Chris Jericho when the pet plant and a $10,000 jacket were destroyed. Although he was not the best in the ring, he had a great all-around year.
