Top 5 Series: Top 5 matches of 2016

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2016 is coming to an end and it has been an eventful year for the WWE. We saw NJPW dominate WWE this YEAR with A.J.Styles, Finn Balor and The Club being involved in major storylines for most part of the year. We saw Nakamura's dominance in NXT and also witnessed the incredible Cruiserweight Classic. We saw the biggest Wrestlemania in the history of WWE and other memorable events during 2016. Keeping this in mind, I'd like to introduce my "Top 5" series on various categories for the year 2016.

Here, I'm going to list my Top 5 matches for the year 2016. Note these matches have incorporated these elements:
Quality
Build-up
Implications

So let's check out my Top 5 matches of 2016: -

Honourable Mentions - 

• Sasha Banks vs Charlotte (Falls Count Anywhere - WWE Raw Nov. 28, 2016)
• Roman Reigns vs A.J.Styles (WWE Extreme Rules)
• Miz vs Dolph Ziggler (WWE No Mercy)
• Kota Ibushi vs T.J.Perkins (CWC Classic)

Now let's check out the actual list: -

5. Cedric Alexander vs Kota Ibushi (CWC Classic) - When Triple H comes out to acknowledge the players who are not even part of the roster. When tears flow through the crowd's eyes seeing the sad ending. When the loser is not the loser anymore, not by any means, you know that the match has outrun almost any match that has ever taken place. This match drew so much appreciation that it was pivotal in making CWC Classic one of the best WWE Exclusive Tournaments ever. This second-round match between Cedric Alexander vs Kota Ibushi was the best match of the CWC Classic.

Kota Ibushi's presence and charisma was enough to blow us over but seeing the way Cedric Alexander performed, the match had created sensation among WWE fans all over the globe. The match even had great implications. Kota Ibushi went on to perform at the finals of CWC Classic and Cedric Alexander became an overnight superstar. This 4.5 rated match by Dave Meltzer is a modern-day classic. 

4. The Revival vs DIY (NXT Takeover Toronto) - Honestly, this match deserves to be on this list probably as much as The No.1 match. This match had all the ingredients for a Wrestlemania main-event match. Unpredictable outcome, great technical wrestling and crowning of New Tag Champions made this probably the best tag-team match in WWE history ever. The stipulation of 2 out of 3 falls made things even more interesting. You just can't question the quality of this match. Heels trying to keep their championships vs Baby faces wanting to establish their supremacy and how well did they fight! This match is a clear winner quality-wise.

I personally believe that WWE did a great job in pulling this one. It was a sequel and everybody who watches WWE knows sequels don't turn out to be the way they should be. But this was something completely different. A 4.5 rated match by Dave Meltzer, this has to go down as one of the greatest tag team matches ever. 

3. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (Battleground) - If there ever was a match worthy of being on this list, it was this match between 2 former best friends and easily 2 of the best wrestlers in the WWE Roster. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens gave their heart out and made this match an immediate classic. Interestingly, this match lasted more than the much-hyped main event between the members of 'The Shield' and had the crowd engrossed completely. The crowds gave their heart out to see the wrestlers give their best and made this match the best match at "Battleground" ever. 

They kicked out of pretty much every move each wrestler had in his arsenal. It finally took 2 Helluva Kicks and a combination of suplexes for Sami Zayn to get the job done. Even the build-up of the match had been pretty long. This was a continued feud from their encounter at NXT and had a possession angle to it as well. The outcome was nowhere near predictable and remained a mystery almost until the end of the match. The fact that the match did not hurt Kevin Owens as he went on to become WWE Universal Champion shows how good the quality could be for fans to completely forget the outcome. This match has to be one of the best matches of WWE in 2016 and even received a 4.5 rating on Dave Meltzer.  

2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn (NXT Takeover Dallas) - This match had to be on the list. I can even truly say that this match was better than all the matches on Wrestlemania. It was the debut of 'The King of Strong Style' and the last match of 'The Ultimate Underdog' in NXT and what a match it was. We saw Sami Zayn and Nakamura wage war and even got the crowd rolling. Chants of "This is Awesome" and "Fight Forever" filled the arena and it looked absolutely awesome. 

This match did not have much of a build apart from the fact that it was the debut performance for Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE ever. The outcome of the match was also predictable since it was well-known that Sami Zayn had moved to the main roster and it was Nakamura's time to lead the show. Still, the match gave us the chills and brought a delight on the face of every WWE fan. You can just imagine the quality of the match which features 2nd on my list without much build-up and a predictable outcome. 

1. John Cena vs A.J.Styles (Summerslam) - This match is probably the best match I've ever seen. It was a classic and had two warriors giving their heart and soul to emerge victorious. Considering the quality, I think this match was excellent and had all the ingredients to main event any PPV. We saw Styles kick out of Super A.A., John Cena kicking out of Styles Clash and 'The Phenomenal Forearm' and saw moves from both champions that we've never seen before. John Cena delivering drop kicks, Styles performing 450-splash and various other moves that made this match an absolute champion.

The build-up of the match was equally good. Their previous encounter, another classic, was ruined by the interference of "The Club" and had fans pleading to know the true winner. It was even accredited to be the best match of Summerslam 2016. This match even received a rating of 4.5 on Dave Meltzer. This match also had huge implications. It cemented A.J.Styles in WWE and also signalled at John Cena's slow and painful departure from the WWE. This match was indeed the best match of 2016.

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