Samoa Joe: #8 in the Top 10 Wrestlers of 2016

Image credit: WWE.com.

Last year, Samoa Joe wasn't able to crack even the Top 20 wrestlers of 2016, ending the year in a tie with his perennial rival in the first half of 2016, Finn Balor. But while Finn lost half his year to injury, Samoa Joe put on amazing performances night after night atop the NXT card.

He so dominated the top of the NXT roster that he was the only wrestler in any promotion to fight in the main event of every pay-per-view / special event for the company. His feuds first with Finn Balor and later with Shinsuke Nakamura dominated NXT storytelling for much of the year. While he lost in two title matches at NXT Takeover events, he went completely undefeated on NXT television for the year before his Osaka loss to Shinsuke Nakamura was aired in December.

2016 was easily the Samoan Submission Specialist's best year since the peak of his TNA run in 2008. And he did it while likely wrestling in front of crowds far larger than TNA ever gave him, with crowds ranging up to 15,000 fans for his main event spots at NXT Takeover. He effectively accomplished everything he could on the developmental brand, winning the NXT championship on two occasions, making him the first person to ever hold that belt more than once. He handed Shinsuke Nakamura his first loss as well, even if Nakamura came back to dominate him at the end of the year.

2017 should bring more glory for Samoa Joe as he looks towards a main roster debut. Smart money puts him on Smackdown, perhaps even as soon as the Royal Rumble. A dominating performance there could spell great things for his future with the biggest wrestling company in the world.

Next up, we look toward a long time star that experienced a latter day career renaissance in 2016.

NXT Advent Calendar Day 16: Back to the beginning

As NXT prepares to close out a second year of like Takeover specials, it seemed time to look back at the very first such special, just days after the launch of the WWE Network. Arrival is the only NXT show not to carry the Takeover handle, but it certainly kicked off the brand's penchant for great cards. It did so with an amazing opener that ran over twenty minutes as WWE superstar Cesaro took on a man that was quickly becoming the face of NXT, Sami Zayn.

Cesaro and Zayn already had a couple really stupendous battles on the weeks before the event, but it was at Arrival they pulled out all the stops to put on a match for the ages. Every indie encounter they had seemed to lead up to an amazing moment for both men as Cesaro ended his NXT run and Sami Zayn prepped for his slow rise to the main event.

Check out the full match below.


Antonio Cesaro vs Sami Zayn 27-02-14 by bestwrestlingintheworld
Did I mention that I miss Renee Young calling matches?