Part 1 of the EC’s 2016 Wrestling Awards.
Moment of the Year –Goldberg beats Brock Lesnar one minute and 26 seconds at Survivor Series.
Yes, this was a planned moment. But it seemed like the complete opposite of what every wrestling fan was expecting. It was a surprising and welcome twist.
Runners-Up
“Thank you Daniel Bryan” – Daniel Bryan retires
Sexy Star becomes wins Lucha Underground Championship
Feud of the Year – Charlotte vs Sasha Banks
Easily the best feud of the year. While not every promo between them worked, the animosity was believable. Every single match they had was entertaining, and each woman got in convincing wins. Most importantly, they pushed each other each time in the ring.
Runners-Up
Samoa Joe vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Comeback of the Year – Chris Jericho
In 2015, Y2J was jobbing to mid-level and up and coming talent. His matches were okay, but it seemed that age had caught up with him. Then, in 2016 he turned heel, invented the “List of Jericho”, became best friends with Kevin Owens and became more popular than he’s been in years. He’s now one of the main draws of RAW. And while he definitely had some duds in 2016, his in-ring work seemed to come back as well. He’s wasn’t as sluggish in 2016 as in 2015, and wrestling as a bad guy made him more creative.
Runners-Up
The Miz
Most Improved Wrestler of the Year –Kenny Omega
Omega was already a very good wrestler at the start of 2016. But by the end of 2016 he had become a great wrestler. One who was a top-notch in-ring performer and quite possibly the most entertaining wrestler in the world. He went from a borderline headliner to someone you could build a whole promotion around.
Runners – Up
The Miz
Tetsuya Naito