10 Worst WWE Wrestlers Of 2016
WWE's Hall of Shame keeps growing and growing.
2016 has been another year of incredibly high personnel turnover for WWE, and the company's current roster composition is almost unrecognisable to what it was a year ago. Dozens of new faces have risen up to grab the roster spots left behind by those departed, and with close to 30 on-air personalities handed their walking papers this year, opportunities have been plentiful.
AJ Styles has become one of the company's biggest stars since debuting in January, Finn Balor became Universal Champion within a month of his call-up, and 2016 also saw Kevin Owens' first major title reign. The likes of Chris Jericho and The Miz have rebuilt their ailing careers on their respective brands, and Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte have legitimised the Women's Revolution as one of WWE's biggest assets.
Not every wrestler has prospered in the increased spotlight, however. The turnover has forced WWE to push a number of wrestlers into roles that they're just not comfortable with, and whether through age, inexperience, or an underdeveloped skillset, the roster is crammed with struggling grapplers.
Some wrestlers have stood out for all the wrong reasons this year. While not always their fault (WWE Creative have much to answer for), these men and women have done nothing but clog WWE's programming this year. They've had a terrible time of it, and when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st, 2017, they'll be glad to leave the past 12 months behind.
Here are the 10 worst WWE wrestlers of 20016.
10. Kane
Kane’s decline hasn’t been quite as stark as the Big Show’s, but it’s still very noticeable. Once one of the most skilled big men in the business, the 49-year-old’s mystique and menace died a long time ago, and he has become a filler athlete on SmackDown. Age has crippled Kane’s physical capabilities, and years of poor booking and suspect creative decisions have killed his character.
Kane has been with the company for 21 years now, but he’s had a horrendous 2016. He has been involved with The Wyatt Family’s affairs for much of it, but he’s done little to enhance his position or theirs. Kane’s presence opposite The Family has felt particularly tiresome since the Brand Split, when he was injected into the ongoing Randy Orton storyline seemingly without reason, and his Survivor Series win over Luke Harper was completely needless.
He’s never going to become a featured performer at this stage in his career, and aside from playing a role in The Undertaker’s eventual retirement, it’s hard to see what Kane brings to the table anymore. He’s not awful, but he’s completely listless, and his stint as Corporate Kane has obliterated his monstrous presence. Kane’s a future Hall of Famer inductee, but he brought next to nothing to the table in 2016.