10 Huge Stories That Changed Wrestling In 2016

When you think of wrestling's biggest, most-transformative periods, a number of different years come to mind. 2001, for example, saw Vince McMahon forever kill competition in wrestling by buying both WCW and ECW, then embarking on the biggest missed opportunity in the sport's history: the Invasion angle.

The sport is still reeling from 2001's aftershocks, and it sits alongside 1985 (WrestleMania's birth and WWE's crossover into pop culture) and 1996 (Hall & Nash jump to WCW, kick-starting the Monday Night Wars) as wrestling's most newsworthy years. Wrestling is a lightning road for chaos, and these are the years that exemplify this the most.

While not quite as monumental as those years, 2016 has had way more than its fair share of ups and downs. The widescale social, political, and cultural upheaval taking place around the world as a whole has been reflected in the wrestling business, and with only a few days remaining, it's safe to mark 2016 as the most turbulent year in the sport's recent history.

Whether you've enjoyed 2016 or not, there's no denying wrestling's eventful 12 months. Barely a week has passed without a major story breaking, and whether good or bad, 2016's biggest stories have changed the landscape forever. Business isn't exactly booming, viewing figures are down, and competition is scarce, but this year was a throwback to wrestling's craziest carnival days.

Here are 10 huge stories that changed wrestling in 2016.

Wrestling’s busy year of news kicked-off with a major story just five days into the calendar. It was announced shortly after NJPW’s signature Wrestle Kingdom event that four of the company’s biggest stars had given their notice: they were on their way out of the company, and WWE were the most likely destination.

AJ Styles was hot off a career-best year, and had put on a barn-burning performance against Shinsuke Nakamura in the Tokyo Dome. Both were among the company’s biggest stars, and while fellow departures Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows weren’t on the same level of stardom, they were stalwarts not only in the heavyweight tag division, but in the popular Bullet Club stable.

Their respective WWE signings were eventually announced over the coming weeks, and NJPW looked to be in major trouble. They’d just lost four of their most important pieces (along with Kota Ibushi, who transitioned to a freelance role), and faced a major rebuilding job. WWE, meanwhile, were set to benefit from the presence of two of the absolute best wrestlers in the planet, and another reliable tag team to bolster their thin division.

How did it pan out? Gallows & Anderson haven’t had the best run, but Nakamura debuted with a MOTY-worthy performance with Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, and has since become a two-time NXT Champion. AJ Styles, meanwhile, is the current WWE Champion, and one of the most important performers in the company. As for NJPW and their big disaster? They’ve rebounded in spectacular fashion, business hasn’t fallen at all, and the reshuffle has allowed wrestlers like Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega to ascend to main event level.