Looking Back At 2016 TJRWrestling Staff Predictions

It’s the end of 2016, so it’s time to look back at the wrestling related predictions that our TJRWrestling staff made way back in the first week of January. If you want to read the whole post you can do that right here.

What I’m going to do here today is look at the five predictions made by each of our members of the team and comment on them briefly to say whether they got it right or were way off. Most predictions are WWE related, but not all of them.

It was an interesting year for WWE in a lot of ways with a big change coming in July when they did the brand split. That meant a lot of bad news for our predictions because I don’t think anybody expected that to happen back in January.

Our 2017 predictions will be posted next Thursday, January 5. It will be a massive column like every year, so be on the lookout for it.

Some of the people on here aren’t contributing for us anymore, but I’ll still include their predictions.

The way I’ll do it is put the writer’s prediction, then add my short comments right under it. Here’s the look back at our 2016 predictions.

Matty J. Douglas

1. Rusev will dance! (Turn into a comedy guy.)

Nope! Not yet.

2. Dean Ambrose will win MITB and turn heel

You got half right because Ambrose did win MITB.

3. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will kickstart their Main Roster Rivalry in the Royal Rumble

Correct. Zayn eliminated Owens from the Rumble and feuded for the first half of the year.

4. Tyler Breeze and The Miz will form a tag team before the year’s end

Nope.

5. 2016 will be a huge year for Black Wrestlers in WWE (though the highest prize will continue to elude)

Yep. The black wrestlers point is true because of New Day’s long reign, Banks as Women’s Champ three times and Swann as cruiserweight champion.

He gets 2.5 out of 5.

Kevin Pinto

1. Undertaker Will Not Lose At WrestleMania 32

Correct. He beat Shane McMahon.

2. Sting Will Work A Match For WWE In 2016

He did not.

3. Big E Will Capture The Money In the Bank Briefcase

Nope. Still a tag team wrestler.

4. Shane McMahon Will Make A Surprise Appearance At WrestleMania 32

Wow that’s a good one. The return was in February, but I’m giving it to him.

5. Kurt Angle Finally Returns To WWE

Not yet. Perhaps in 2017.

He gets 2 out of 5.

Christian Michael

1. Seth Rollins will win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.

Nope. Happened earlier at Money in the Bank.

2. The Usos will split up, feud and get back together before 2016 ends.

No split for the twin brothers.

3. Sami Zayn will win the Intercontinental Championship in 2016.

He should have, but it didn’t happen.

4. Daniel Bryan will return to WWE as a part-time competitor.

Sadly that did not happen.

5. Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar will happen at some point in 2016.

It was a WrestleMania match, so he got it right.

He gets 1 out of 5.

Rey Moralde

1. The Shield will re-form for a short time before Dean Ambrose turns heel

A good thought, but it didn’t happen.

2. Sasha Banks leaves Team BAD and becomes Divas Champion at WrestleMania

She left the team, so I’ll give it a half point since she didn’t win the title at WM.

3. Bayley will debut on RAW after WrestleMania as a fangirl

Since it happened a few months after WM I can’t give it to him.

4. NXT stable debuts on RAW after WrestleMania

Would have been cool, but no.

5. Roman Reigns doesn’t lose the WWE Title at all in 2016

It happened a couple of times, so no to this.

He gets 0.5 out of 5.

Kurt Zamora

1. AJ Styles will appear at least once in NXT

Nope. Didn’t happen.

2. The next big surprise arrival in NXT will be a woman

I think Robert Roode was the first one, so I’m going to give it a no. His writeup did mention Mickie James. Close.

3. Bayley will make her main roster debut on the Raw after WrestleMania

It happened after that, so that’s a no.

4. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan will headline a Takeover event

No main event for them.

5. WarGames will finally debut

Keep waiting!

He gets 0 out of 5. Trust me there are others too!

Jason Solomon

1. Roman Reigns Will Win The 2016 Royal Rumble

Sorry. Young guy Triple H did. (Note: He’s not young.)

2. Daniel Bryan Will Return To The Ring In Time For Wrestlemania

Sadly that didn’t happen.

3. Seth Rollins As The Returning Hero? Not So Fast…

Since Rollins came back as a heel I’ll give it to him.

4. Mark Henry Will Win The Andre Memorial Battle Royal

That didn’t happen.

5. Jeff Hardy and Jay Lethal Under WWE Contract Before Year’s End

A nice thought, but didn’t happen.

He gets 1 out of 5.

Ron Pasceri

1. Roman Reigns Puts An End To The Authority

Since Triple H was off television after WM I’ll give him a point for this.

2. Divas Title Will Be Renamed The Women’s Title After Mania

It happened right at WM, so I’ll give it to him.

3. A Member Of The New Day Will Win A Singles Title

That didn’t happen.

4. Jay Lethal Will Appear In NXT

Nope. Re-signed with ROH recently too.

5. Sasha Banks Will Main Event A PPV

It happened at Hell in a Cell. Good call there.

He gets 3 out of 5.

Jake Draper

1. Sasha Banks will hold the Divas Title for most of the year

Nope. Charlotte did even after the name change of the title.

2. Finn Balor will hold a singles title on the main roster

He won the Universal Title, so that’s correct.

3. The Shield Reunion will NOT happen

Correct.

4. Bray Wyatt will win the WWE Championship

Not yet.

5. Daniel Bryan will return to the ring

Would have been nice, but no.

He gets 2 out of 5.

Mark McAllen

1. Sasha Banks will win the Divas Championship

I’ll give it to him even though the title name was changed.

2. Finn Bálor will get called up to the main roster

Correct.

3. Seth Rollins will become a face

That’s right.

4. Three NXT tag teams will be called up to the main roster

That’s true. It was more than three as well. Thank the brand split.

5. The Undertaker will have his final match at WrestleMania 32 and get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

Nope.

That’s 4 out of 5. Best so far.

Heather Hickey

1. Brock Lesnar will win the Royal Rumble

That didn’t happen.

2. The Undertaker will headline the 2016 Hall of Fame

It didn’t happen this year.

3. The Undertaker will face Kevin Owens at WrestleMania

A nice thought that didn’t happen.

4. Sasha Banks will win the Divas Title at the RAW after WrestleMania

That’s a specific prediction, but it didn’t happen.

5. Cesaro will make his return at the RAW after WrestleMania

Nailed it.

She got 1 out of 5.

Steve Melo

1. Kevin Owens will win the WWE Championship

I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give him half a point for getting the Universal Championship.

2. Finn Balor will debut on RAW

Yep.

3. Mark Henry will actually retire for real this time

Incorrect because the big man is still there.

4. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd will become a tag team again

Sadly that’s a no because Kidd is still out of action.

5. Roman Regins will turn heel

Vince McMahon’s reaction: “Hahahahaha no!”

That’s 1.5 out of 5.

Marc Madison

1. Sister Abigail debuts

No sign of her yet.

2. Sami Zayn debuts on Raw after Wrestlemania, continues feud with Kevin Owens

He returned a few months before that, so I’ll say no to this.

3. Four Horsewomen align on the main roster

That didn’t happen.

4. The Miz and Tyler Breeze form a team, leads to Neville/Breeze feud

No sign of that this year.

5. Power Struggle within The McMahon Family

I’ll give it to him since Shane McMahon returned to push that story.

He gets 1 out of 5.

Robert Kojder

1. Bullet Club will feud with The Wyatt Family

No sign of that.

2. Vince Russo will be a guest on Stone Cold’s podcast on WWE Network

It didn’t happen.

3. Ronda Rousey joins WWE full time

Nope.

4. A Shield Triple Threat match will main event SummerSlam

It probably should have, but they did it at Battleground instead. That’s a no.

5. NXT will replace SmackDown

That didn’t happen with SD Live going strong.

It’s a 0 out of 5 for Rob.

Matt Corton

1. The Authority Just Won’t Go Away

Since Triple H is off TV for much of the year, but Stephanie is still there I’ll give half a point.

2. The Undertaker Will Have His Retirement Match At Wrestlemania

Nope.

3. Seth Rollins Will Regain The WWE Title In His First Return Match

I’ll give it to him since he won it back in his first PPV match at MITB.

4. Big Show Will Have A WWE Title Match In 2016

No. Big Show was a non factor this year.

5. Nobody Will Be WWE World Heavyweight Champion In 2016 Who Hasn’t Been Champion Before

Incorrect because AJ Styles is the champ.

That’s 1.5 out of 5.

Hab Rich

1. Baron Corbin On WWE’s Main Roster

Correct.

2. NXT Tag Team Gold For Jordan/Gable

They won them, so that’s right.

3. Bray Wyatt To Have More PPV Wins Than Losses

I counted 5-1 with the only loss being at Royal Rumble. He missed a lot of PPVs.

4. Dean Ambrose Will Be WWE Champion

It happened.

No WWE Matches From Daniel Bryan this year.

True.

That’s 5 for 5 for Hab Rich. He didn’t pick anything that difficult, but still deserves credit for it.

Hank McAllen

1. Kurt Angle will return to WWE

Nope.

2. Brock vs. Samoa Joe – SummerSlam

Would be nice, but didn’t happen.

3. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan will win the WWE Tag Team Titles

They got them on the last show of the year, so it’s right.

4. The New Day will be broken up

Not yet.

5. Vince McMahon will hand over the reins of the main roster to Triple H

It hasn’t happened yet.

That’s 1 out of 5 for Hank.

Mike Holland

1. The Undertaker Will Not Retire or Be Inducted to the HOF in 2016

Good call.

2. Finn Balor and Bayley Will Remain in NXT in 2016

Nope.

3. The Shield Will Reunite

Not yet although that Survivor Series moment was cool.

4. Sasha Banks Will Hold the Divas Title for the Majority of 2016

Since Charlotte had it for the majority I can’t give it to you.

5. Alberto Del Rio Will Win The World Title

That didn’t happen.

That’s a 1 out of 5.

Brandon Lasher

1. Samoa Joe will Win A Secondary Title on the Main Roster

Still no Joe on the main roster.

2. Bray Wyatt Wins The Money in the Bank

That didn’t happen.

3. Sasha Banks will Defeat Charlotte for the Divas Title at WrestleMania 32

Nope.

4. Daniel Bryan Will Not Wrestle in the WWE in 2016

Got that right.

5. The New Day Will Break Up

Incorrect there.

He got 1 out of 5.

Wayne Tomkins

1. Brand Extension Returns

Good call there. Nice vision of the future!

2. Tyler Breeze & Dolph Ziggler Unite To Claim Tag Team Gold

That didn’t happen.

3. John Cena Will Tie Ric Flair With 16 World Championships

Not yet. Perhaps at the 2017 Royal Rumble.

4. Bray Wyatt Wins MITB and WWE Championship

Nope.

5. The UK Will Host A Secondary Main Roster PPV

They did not, but I think they should.

He got 1 out of 5 with the great call on the brand extension.

Howie Mandella

1. ROH, NJPW and WWE NXT will announce a working agreement this year

A nice thought, but it didn’t happen.

2. There will only be 2 WWE World Heavyweight Champions

It was more than two going from Triple H to Reigns to Rollins to Ambrose to Styles.

3. Finn Balor, Bayley, Carmella, Enzo & Cass will make the main roster this year

All right there.

4. Bullet Club will NOT invade WWE or NXT

Correct.

5. The Divas Title gets replaced for the Women’s Title

Nice call there.

That’s 3 out of 5 for Howie.

John Canton

1. Kevin Owens Will Wrestle Brock Lesnar At WrestleMania

Nope. It should have happened!

2. Bayley Will Win The Divas Title

That didn’t happen or the Women’s Title.

3. There Will Be Four Tag Team Title Changes On Main Roster

This was referring to the titles held by New Day. There was only one change, so that’s wrong.

I’m going to give myself credit for this part: “My hope is that by the end of 2016, the team of Jordan and Gable are the Tag Team Champions on the main roster. They’re too good not to be there.”

At least I got something right!

4. Daniel Bryan Will Wrestle In WWE Again

Nope.

5. The Undertaker’s Last Match Ever Will Be At WrestleMania

He’s probably wrestling again, so this is a no.

That means I went 0 for 5. Nice job! I tried going out on a limb a bit, so that’s why. It happens.

—-

That’s all from me. Congrats to Hab Rich on getting 5 out of 5 with Mark McAllen with the next best at 4 out of 5.

A few of us got 0 out of 5, which shows we are either too optimistic or we can blame WWE for it! Yeah, that’s what we’ll do.

As I mentioned earlier, our 2017 Staff Predictions article will be posted next Thursday, January 5.

Thank you for supporting us here at TJRWrestling. Have a safe and Happy New Year.