10 WWE Storylines From 2016 That Will Never Be Resolved
What's in the box?!
2016 is in the books, and for WWE, it was a year of highs and lows. On the one hand, the debuts of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura - and their subsequent successes on the main roster and in NXT, respectively - were completely unprecedented and amazing to watch. On the other, the company's insistence on continuing to push Roman Reigns as top babyface and refusing to build new stars led to one of the most disappointing WrestleManias in recent memory.
In short, that was the story of the year. The wrestlers, by and large, delivered everything they needed to. Some, like The Miz, overdelivered, shocking fans with the improvement that they showed. Meanwhile, the creative team was beset by awful ideas and a mandatory fealty to company favorites. Booking was largely terrible.
With that in mind, it's no surprise that there were so many feuds and programs that had unsatisfying endings. In some cases, they didn't even have endings - stories were simply dropped. It wasn't always creative's fault - sometimes injuries forced immediate movement in a different direction - but it was emblematic of 2016 for the company as a whole.
Here are 10 WWE storylines from 2016 that will never be resolved:
10. Hideo Itami Vs. Austin Aries
The past 12 months haven't been very kind to Hideo Itami. In January, news broke that the injured star was nowhere near ready to come back to action, and it wasn't until late June that his shoulder had recovered to the point where he was back in the ring. After some house show bouts, he finally came back to TV.
Itami won a few squash matches, but didn't start a major program until NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, when he attacked Austin Aries after Aries took liberties with No Way Jose. Itami versus Aries was a major dream match that would bring the Japanese star back in a big way.
Before it could happen, though, Itami suffered another injury - this time, he hurt his neck when Riddick Moss botched a powerslam at a house show. Aries soon got hurt as well, suffering a broken orbital bone at the hands (well, knee) of Shinsuke Nakamura.
Most likely, WWE will go in a new direction when the stars return. Aries has been doing commentary on 205 Live and has announced his intention to challenge for the Cruiserweight Title, while there's been no update on when Itami will come back.