10 Things Everybody Got Wrong About WWE In 2016
Guess again!
Every year, fans try to predict what WWE will deliver over the course of the next 12 months, and every year, results are... mixed. When it comes to a scripted sport that has to deliver so many hours of content, there are twists and turns nobody can see coming. When it comes to WWE in particular, there are politics and creative misfires that greatly effect the end product.
In that sense (and that sense alone), the past year wasn't an outlier - there were many developments that seemed so obvious January 1, but due to injuries, stubbornness, or the ripple effects of other surprises, they just never panned out. The pundits and prognosticators - myself among them - are left with egg on their faces as the year draws to a close.
Just a note: 2016 was a particular surprising year, but many of those surprises involved things that nobody could have foreseen. Since this list focuses exclusively on popular (but ultimately unfounded predictions), I'll be leaving off shocking developments such as AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura debuting, Goldberg squashing Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon coming back, and the return of the brand split. It sure was a crazy year, though, wasn't it?
10. American Alpha Did Not Dominate The NXT Tag Team Division
Heading into 2016, Enzo and Big Cass may have been NXT's most popular tandem, but it was clear that American Alpha were the future of the brand's tag team scene. Former amateur standouts Jason Jordan and Chad Gable came together perfectly in a unit that combined finesse, energy, and power, drawing comparisons to The World's Greatest Tag Team and even Kurt Angle.
Early in the year, the pair earned a shot at NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival, and that bout came at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. In one of the hottest show openers in recent history, American Alpha defeated The Revival to finally capture the belts. Not only was it an emotional moment, but it felt like a true coronation.
Fans who thought they were looking at the greatest tag team champions in NXT history, though, were sorely mistaken. A mere two months later at TakeOver: The End, AA were upset by The Revival in a rematch, making Dash and Dawson the top team in the brand.
The worst part is that the reason for taking the titles off of Jordan and Gable so soon was so they could move up to Smackdown, but that's hasn't worked out so well for them thus far.