7 Most impressive WWE Superstars of 2016
Here we are once again in December, and another year of WWE television has passed us by. 2016 was an odd year for WWE, with many ups and downs taking place since January. While there have been some incredible moments and matches, ratings continue to slip and the booking is still very poor.
However, one aspect of WWE TV that remains constant is the wrestlers or Superstars. No matter how bad the product gets, there are always certain superstars who flourish throughout the year, proving to fans that they are the best thing going in WWE right now.
This list will be based on a superstar’s championship success, match quality, character development and crowd reaction throughout the year, as I attempt to determine who the most impressive WWE superstars were in 2016.
Including a debuting superstar, a veteran and a leader of the women’s revolution, here are the 7 Most Impressive WWE Superstars of 2016.
#7 Seth Rollins
I was considering putting Roman Reigns here, but his character work and crowd reactions have been so poor that Seth Rollins just made the cut.
Although Rollins only won the WWE world title once this year (and his reign lasted less than five minutes), ‘The Man’ has been a constant presence in the main event scene, and he has been one of the top WWE superstars regardless of losses.
He has contested a number of solid matches this year as well, with his bouts against Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Finn Balor all being strong matchups. Although WWE mistakenly brought him back as a heel upon returning, his character development has been great, with a recent babyface turn being a success so far.
He has developed into the babyface many fans yearned for earlier in the year, and his face-offs with heels such as Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho have been a breath of fresh air. However, the crowd reactions Rollins receives are one of the main reasons he is placed here.
Receiving one of the biggest pops of the year when he returned at Extreme Rules and on Raw the next night, Rollins has consistently got one of the loudest reactions from every crowd throughout 2016. He is incredibly over with fans, and the reactions will only get louder when he begins his feud with Triple H.
Although he hasn’t been too successful in championship wins, Rollins has been one of the most impressive superstars of 2016 due to his great matches, strong character (as both heel and face) and his incredible crowd reactions.
Check out Rollins’ return at Extreme Rules: