FanSided WWE 2016 awards

Surprise of the Year

Jack Jorgensen: Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with the easy answer for this one and say that it was Goldberg not just going over Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, but the manner in which he did so. Virtually none of us believed that a near-50-year-old Goldberg –someone we never thought we’d ever see back in the company to begin with– would be the one to end the Brock winning streak. Not many of us particularly like it, but you can’t ignore the fact that it was one of the few times that WWE has made our jaws hit the floor.

Cody Williams: Yes, I know that this story has yet to pay off and that creative may have pulled the trigger on this prematurely to create buzz following the brand split. However, in terms of isolated surprises, nothing is topping this in 2016. Upon Seth Rollins’ return, he looked to once again be in-line for the same authority-fostered heel run that he enjoyed prior to his injury. But Triple H ousting him to, in essence, gift Kevin Owens the belt was something that not many saw coming. Had the timing been better (and the immediate payoff—we’re still waiting) this would have been the overall best moment of the year. As far as surprises go, though, not even Mickie James showing up on NXT can top Haitch’s turn on The Architect.

Rob Wolkenbrod: Over the past few years, we have seen Money in the Bank holders carry the briefcase around for months, nearly a year at a time. So, this made it an even bigger surprise when Dean Ambrose won Money in the Bank and cashed in the night of his win. This got the T-Mobile Arena going wild even after the surprising Seth Rollins pinfall on Roman Reigns. Ambrose got his long-awaited PPV pinfall win over his former Shield brother, and took home the WWE Championship.

Michael Whitlow: How Shane McMahon survived that enormous leap off the cell against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 is beyond me. He probably should be dead. He’s not, and it makes no sense. That’s a surprise in that. Thank god he isn’t because he and Daniel Bryan have taken over SmackDown Live since the draft this year and it’s become a better show than many have expected (including myself). Thanks for surprising us all and staying alive, Shane-O.

Luke Norris: I don’t think there’s too many people out there that wouldn’t say that the biggest surprise in WWE this year had to be Goldberg destroying Brock Lesnar in under 90 seconds at Survivor Series. I mean, Goldberg just stepping foot into a WWE ring after a dozen years was a surprise in itself but the match was one of those moments that just shocked everyone, much like it was when Lesnar snapped The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. I’ve got no problem saying that I wasn’t a fan of how all of this went down, but it sure got everybody talking.