Looking back at the year 2016, it might be safe to say that professional wrestling is making a comeback with all the amazing stars we have today. Some of the old fan-favorites returned, others justified their titles as promising young athletes, while some really came out of the blue. Who are the ones that marked the year behind us and made it to our power ranking in the year behind us? Sit back and take a look at the wrestlers we feel defined 2016. Let’s begin.

Who Tops the 2016 WWE Power Rankings?

Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens was one of the most promising young wrestlers who made a name for himself as a tough, uncompromising fighter that made his opponents tremble at the very sight of him. However, in 2016 he softened up a bit. In the summer, he fought a four-way match against Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Big Cass, but only managed to win the title with the help of Triple H. Back in the days, he would have been able to do it himself. That being said, his teaming up with Chris Jericho was certainly one of the highlights of the past year, which is why he’s number 10 on our list with the hope that he’ll be a bit more prominent in 2017.

Finn Balor

NXT’s beast and one of the most recognizable wrestlers nowadays, Finn Balor, comes 9th in our power rankings mainly because he was absent for quite a while, due to his shoulder injury. Still, it is impossible not to recognize Balor’s great achievements in 2016. He pretty much owned the NXT promotion and it was only a matter of time when WWE would listen to their fans and finally sign him with the main roster. When he made his debut in the main promotion in July, it was as if he was there all along. The year 2017 will probably be a good year for him and this time next year, he’ll most likely be higher in our rankings.

The Miz

While the Miz is one of the most disliked wrestlers out there, there is still no doubt that he is one of WWE’s strongest pillars. He does his job professionally and makes an awesome show more often than not. In 2016, the Miz showed just what he can do in those amazing matches against Dolph Ziggler and the title defence against Apollo Crews. WWE probably recognized this as they are carefully setting up his feud with Dean Ambrose, whom the Miz attacked on a personal level just before the year’s end. It is safe to say that we’ll see more of the Miz in the current year.

Shinsuke Nakamura

Of course, with Balor out of the NXT picture, someone had to appear to fill in the gap and that someone was Shinsuke Nakamura. This NJPW champion joined NXT in 2016 and quickly made a name for himself. From the very start, he was an unstoppable force, set upon becoming a champion. His first step to it was Austin Aries, who also had his eye on the prize. After defeating him, Nakamura challenged and beat Balor just before he left for the main roster, in a way, escorting him out. He became a champion after he put down Samoa Joe, then lost the title to him, and then won it again. Quite a rollercoaster and he’s only just started.

Sasha Banks

When it comes to girls, Sasha Banks is certainly one of those former NXT wrestlers who masterfully found their place in the main roster. Banks, who is a cousin of the famous rapper Snoop Dogg, managed to become a leading female figure, thanks to her rivalry with Ric Flair’s Charlotte. The two feuded their way into fans’ hearts and proved just how capable they are, as they won the 2016 WZ Year-End Award for Feud of the Year. The triple match against Charlotte and Bayley, the Hell in a Cell, Survivor series – Banks has been quite busy and we absolutely loved it. We can only presume that, along with the other two, Banks will be prominently featured in 2017, as well.

Charlotte

Now, we’ve already mentioned Charlotte, but she really deserves her own place on our list. Charlotte, the daughter of the almighty Ric Flair, truly lived up to her family name. In 2016, after Women’s Revolution, she made a debut in the main roster and became a champion, performing for the Raw promotion. To be perfectly honest, Charlotte is the one who put women’s wrestling on the map thanks to her agility and wrestling skills. Of course, her father helped out, but now she is a completely independent athlete with a recognizable name and style. She’ll, no doubt, continue to work with her two main opponents in 2017 and we can’t wait.

Chris Jericho

There is no question that one of the biggest true comebacks in 2016 was Chris Jericho’s return to the ring and a number of new feuds. Together with Charlotte, Jericho defeated Enzo Amore and Sasha Banks, trying to take on Big Cass as well. Together with Kevin Owens he defeated Amore again in a normal, and later in a tag team match. Furthermore, feeling annoyed with a number of people in the industry, Chris started what became a popular “List of Jericho” that contained the names of all his enemies and their transgressions. At the age of 46, Jericho is close to the retirement, but in 2016 he showed that he can keep up with the young people and show them a thing or two about making a show.

AJ Styles

Of course, the first place on our list has to go to the man who put down John Cena, right? A.J. Styles made his debut with WWE in late January 2016 and took the promotion by storm early on. Just three months after he joined WWE, he headlined an event and eventually took down everyone’s favorite – John Cena. Not only that, but he also managed to defeat Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose as well, placing him at the very top of the game. Currently in Smackdown, A.J. Styles has no real adversaries there, so it will be interesting to see who else WWE will bring in an effort to challenge his reign.

Do you think that AJ Styles has what it takes to be the new Rock or John Cena? Is he charismatic enough?