Best and Worst Champions of 2016

Best and Worst Champions of 2016 Dec 29, 2016 1:19:42 GMT -5

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Post by Professor Berch on Dec 29, 2016 1:19:42 GMT -5

BEST Champions

WWE Champion - AJ Styles
AJ Styles has had a great year in WWE, since debuting at the Royal Rumble. AJ’s reign as champion has been great. With successful title defenses against Dean Ambrose, John Cena, and both in a triple threat. James Ellsworth has brought the title reign down some, but not enough to make it worse than any other reign.

Universal Champion - Kevin Owens
With only 2 champions in the history of the title, Kevin Owens becomes the de facto best champion. His reign as champion hasn’t been great, but has done well to edge out Finn Bálor’s day long reign. Kevin Owens has successfully defended against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in his reign, and formed a successful team with Chris Jericho. However, Owens has looked very weak as champion, constantly losing matches on Raw, and not getting clean wins when defending his title.

United States Champion - Rusev
Rusev’s second reign as champion was very good, almost as good as his first. He defeated Kalisto for the title, and had a stellar reign as champion, defending it against Kalisto, Cesaro, Titus O’Neil, Mark Henry, and Roman Reigns, before eventually losing it to Reigns. Rusev was very impressive as champion, and built himself back up to where he was before losing it for the first time. Rusev started the year as the weakest member of the League of Nations, and ends the year as a staple of RAW.

Intercontinental Champion - The Miz
The Miz reinvented himself in 2016 as Intercontinental Champion, and in his two reigns as champion, has proven to be one of the best character’s in WWE today. Miz’s reigns as champion have been great. From the return of Maryse to WWE to help Miz win the title, to a match of the year candidate in a title defense against Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, to going off on Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack. His second reign, still ongoing, hasn’t been as good, but has still been stellar. The Miz’s reinvention makes him perhaps the best champion of 2016, with any title.

Cruiserweight Champion - TJ Perkins
The Cruiserweight Classic marked the return of the Cruiserweights to WWE, and TJ Perkins was the feel good story of the entire tournament. The build to the title win made TJ Perkins look very strong, as well as TJ Perkins’ reign itself. He defended the title against Brian Kendrick, before losing it to him. Perkins did well as champion in 2016.

RAW Women’s Champion - Charlotte Flair
Between Charlotte’s and Sasha’s many reigns on the year, Charlotte is the only one to do anything of substance in any reign. Charlotte is the only one to have a reign where she successfully defended the title, in her first reign, against Natalya. Plus, retiring the Divas Championship and winning the Women’s Championship in the same night at WrestleMania, against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, and defended it against Natalya. Since that reign, she has traded the title back and forth with Sasha Banks.

SmackDown Women’s Champion - Alexa Bliss
Becky Lynch’s reign as champion was a disappointment, with not much of substance happening. Alexa’s reign, despite not being long, currently beats out Becky’s reign in 2016. Alexa has only defended the title against Becky, but the title is helping to legitimize her on the main roster.

RAW Tag Team Champion - The New Day
The New Day’s reign as champion was incredible, dating back to SummerSlam 2015. Just days before losing the titles to Cesaro and Sheamus, they broke the record for longest tag team title reign in WWE history. That milestone alone makes them the best champions of 2016.

SmackDown Tag Team Champion - Heath Slater and Rhyno
Heath Slater and Rhyno winning the tag team titles was the culmination of Heath Slater’s “Free Agent” storyline. That was the storyline that made Heath Slater one of the most popular acts of 2016. Their reign was pretty lackluster, but there haven’t been a good set of SmackDown tag team champions. Other factors need to decide the best champs, and the build to this reign gives it to Rhyno and Slater.

NXT Champion - Samoa Joe
This is almost a dead tie between Joe and Nakamura, but the edge goes to Joe. Joe won the title at a house show, defended it against Finn Bálor, lost it to Shinsuke Nakamura, got it back, and lost it again to Nakamura at another House Show. Joe’s feud against Finn Bálor is what gives him the edge against Nakamura, as he hasn’t had a feud against anyone else, and the Bálor/Joe feud was very good.

NXT Women’s Champion - Asuka
Asuka’s 2016 has been phenomenal. She has yet to lose a match in NXT, and has defeated some big names, such as Bayley to win the title, Nia Jax, Bayley again, and Mickie James. Asuka’s reign as champion has been dominant, and she seems to have no viable challengers left.

NXT Tag Team Champion - The Revival
The Revival have had 2 reigns as NXT Tag Team Champions, and have been the best team in NXT all year. Spending most of the year as champions, as well as having great matches as champions, makes them the top NXT Tag Team Champions of the year.

WORST Champions

SPOILER: Click to show

WWE Champion - Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose’s reign as champion was a huge disappointment. Usually, I’d take a short reign like Seth Rollins’ over Dean Ambrose’s as being the worst. However, what we expected out of Ambrose’s reign was nothing near what we got. Dean Ambrose defended the title against the other members of The Shield, as well as Dolph Ziggler. He then lost the title to AJ Styles. What should have been a great WWE Title reign was disappointing.

Universal Champion - Finn Bálor
The only other champion in the history of the Universal Title, Bálor’s day long reign could have edged out Kevin Owens’ reign had it not been for Owens’ team with Chris Jericho. Bálor won the title at the end of a huge main roster debut, but had to give up the title the next night due to a shoulder injury suffered in the title match against Seth Rollins. The lead up to the title win was great, and the reign only ended due to an injury. The build isn’t enough to overtake the length of the reign and make this better than Kevin Owens’.

United States Champion - Kalisto
It was between Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio for worst champion of 2016, but ultimately it goes to Kalisto. Alberto Del Rio wasn’t champion for much of 2016, but what he did during his time as champion was better than what Kalisto did. Kalisto’s first reign as champion was only a few days, while his second reign as champion was not good. His feud against Ryback was bad, and Rusev beating him for the title was a blessing.

Intercontinental Champion - Zack Ryder
Ryder’s feel good win at WrestleMania was great, but wasn’t enough to overcome his day long reign as champion. Zack Ryder wasn’t even supposed to be in the ladder match for the title, and his win was the most unexpected win of the year. Losing the title the night after WrestleMania, as well as not using his rematch clause right away. Not to mention every other Intercontinental Champion did well for their reign.

Cruiserweight Champion - Rich Swann
With this spot coming down to Brian Kendrick and Rich Swann, it comes down to Swann. Kendrick’s reign, while not long, served its purpose to legitimize the title with a known name, and to put over the next champion in Swann. Swann’s reign, while still going and not long yet, hasn’t done much. That comes down to him recently winning the title, but he becomes the de facto worst champion with Perkins and Kendrick as the other champions.

RAW Women’s Champion - Sasha Banks
Sasha has only ever won the title on episodes of Raw, and lost it at the very next Pay-Per-View. Sasha’s been champion 3 times, and never held the title any more than a month at a time. She has never successfully defended the title, and always lost the title right back to Charlotte.

SmackDown Women’s Champion - Becky Lynch
Becky’s reign was disappointing. She won a Six Pack Challenge to become the champion, only defended against Alexa Bliss, and she lost the title to Bliss. She didn’t do much as champion, and didn’t help to make the title feel special.

RAW Tag Team Champion - Cesaro and Sheamus
Cesaro and Sheamus won the titles within the last couple of weeks, so they’ve had no time to beat out a record breaking reign of The New Day’s. Three weeks total is not enough to beat The New Day’s reign, going almost all of 2016.

SmackDown Tag Team Champion - The Wyatt Family
Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt won the titles at TLC, early December, and still couldn’t keep the titles for the rest of 2016. In a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Tag Team Title Match, Orton and Harper lost the titles to American Alpha. The short length of the title reign makes puts them on the bottom of the list of 2016 champs.

NXT Champion - Finn Bálor
Finn Bálor lands at the bottom of another list of champions for 2016, but this time, its only because Joe and Nakamura were both great champions in 2016. If Bálor’s entire reign was included, and not just 2016, then he’d be under the best reign. With just 2016 to look at, Bálor ends up under Joe and Nakamura.

NXT Women’s Champion - Bayley
Bayley’s entire reign as champion would put her closer to Asuka than she is, but she ends up here because she’s been the only other champion in 2016. Asuka’s reign has just been too good to have Bayley at the top.

NXT Tag Team Champion - American Alpha
American Alpha, while having just won the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, were the worst champions here. They spent a little over 2 months as champions, and lost the tag titles back to The Revival, without doing much as champions.

Post by Professor Berch on Dec 28, 2016 23:02:09 GMT -5

Post by Professor Berch on Dec 29, 2016 1:19:42 GMT -5

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