WWE: 10 best matches of 2016

9. Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H – WWE Roadblock

I’m going to be honest with you here. I really never saw Dean Ambrose as a world champion. Don’t get me wrong; I think he’s a talented individual with a lot of charisma and some decent mic skills but I just didn’t think he had it in him to be in the world title picture like Rollins and Reigns did. But it’s matches like this one that proved me wrong. Of course it helps when you’ve got a great storyteller and in-ring psychologist like Triple H across the ring from you.

What I like about this match is that we knew the outcome going in. Triple H was on a collision course with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania after winning the Royal Rumble to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. They needed a main event for this little filler event and Ambrose, who almost won the Rumble himself, made perfect sense.

This was almost two matches in one as the bout started as more of a technical affair that turned into a brawl at the end. Ambrose started the match by focusing in on HHH’s legs and actually turned a Pedigree into a Figure Four, seemingly scoring a pinfall to win the title, which would have been the shocker of the year, only to have the decision voided when the referee claimed Ambrose’s leg was under the bottom rope. That’s when the brawl really started. Back and forth they went but The Game would eventually get the win after Ambrose crashed through the announce table, allowing the champ to go on and hit the Pedigree for the 1-2-3.

Before this match, Dean Ambrose was a star vying for a top spot and this match solidified that he wasn’t going anywhere. He would finally win his first world title a few months later and this won’t be the last you see of him on this list.