2016 in professional wrestling

Professional wrestling-related events during the year of 2016 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2016 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

Quick Facts List of years in professional wrestling ...
List of years in professional wrestling
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List of notable promotions

These promotions held notable events in 2016.

More information Promotion Name, Abbreviation ...
Promotion Name Abbreviation Notes
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre CMLL
DDT Pro-Wrestling DDT
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide AAA The "AAA" abbreviation has been used since the mid-1990s and had previously stood for the promotion's original name Asistencia Asesoría y Administración.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling NJPW
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG
Revolution Pro Wrestling RevPro
Ring of Honor ROH
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling TNA
World Wrestling Council WWC
WWE WWE stands for World Wrestling Entertainment, which is still the legal name, but the company ceased using the full name in April 2011, with the WWE abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism.
In July, WWE reintroduced the brand split, where it divided its main roster into two storyline divisions, Raw and SmackDown, referred to as brands where wrestlers exclusively performed on their respective weekly television programs. NXT served as WWE's developmental territory.
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Calendar of notable shows

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January

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
1 CMLL Sin Piedad Mexico City Negro Casas defeated Super Parka in a two out of three falls hair vs. hair match[1]
4 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 Tokyo Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship[2]
5–7 TNA One Night Only: Rivals Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Mr. Anderson vs. Bram
7–9
30–31
TNA One Night Only: Joker's Wild Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
London, England
Birmingham, England
14-person intergender Joker's Wild gauntlet battle royal
8 TNA One Night Only: Live! Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Eric Young and Bram vs. Beer Money, Inc. (Bobby Roode and James Storm)
9 WWC Euphoria Bayamon, Puerto Rico Mr. 450 Hammett (c) defeated Carlito in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
22 AAA Guerra de Titanes Zapopan El Mesías & El Texano Jr. defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. & Psycho Clown in the semi-final of the AAA Mega Championship tournament[3]
22 CMLL
NJPW
Fantastica Mania
(Tokyo shows)
Tokyo Mephisto & Último Guerrero defeated Místico & Volador Jr. in a tag team match[4]
23 Kazuchika Okada, Mephisto & Último Guerrero defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Místico & Volador Jr. in a 6-man tag match[5]
24 Volador Jr. (c) defeated Mephisto to retain the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship[6]
24 WWE Royal Rumble Orlando, FL Triple H won the 30-man Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Dean Ambrose to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which Roman Reigns, who entered at number one, was defending in the match; Triple H eliminated Reigns before lastly eliminating Ambrose[7] First time one of WWE's world championships was defended in the Royal Rumble match, which traditionally awards the winner a match for a world championship at WrestleMania.
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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February

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
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March

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event
12 WWE Roadblock Toronto Triple H (c) defeated Dean Ambrose to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship[14]
12 NJPW New Japan Cup Final Aomori Tetsuya Naito defeated Hirooki Goto in the tournament final to win the 2016
17 TNA One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown Orlando, Florida Knockouts Gauntlet match to crown the "Queen of the Knockouts"
17–19 TNA One Night Only: Victory Road Orlando, Florida Ethan Carter III vs. Eli Drake
18 CMLL Homenaje a Dos Leyendas Mexico City Volador Jr. defeated Negro Casas in a two out of three falls hair vs. hair match[15]
21 DDT Judgement 2016: DDT 19th Anniversary Tokyo, Japan Harashima defeated Isami Kodaka (c) to win the KO-D Openweight Championship
23 AAA Rey de Reyes San Luis El Texano Jr. defeated El Mesías to win the vacant AAA Mega Championship[16]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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April

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
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May

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
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June

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
3–5 AAA Lucha Libre World Cup Mexico City Johnny Mundo defeated Pentagón Jr. in the final sudden death match to win the 2016 Lucha Libre World Cup for Team Lucha Underground, after the final and first two sudden death matches had ended in time limit draws[25]
8 WWE:
TakeOver: The End Winter Park, FL Samoa Joe (c) defeated Finn Bálor in a Steel Cage match to retain the NXT Championship[26]
12 TNA Slammiversary Orlando, FL Lashley defeated Drew Galloway (c) by submission in a "knock out or tap out" match to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship[27]
13 TNA One Night Only: World Cup Orlando, Florida Ten person intergender elimination tag team match Aired on July 22
19 NJPW Dominion Osaka Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito (c) to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship[28]
19 WWE Money in the Bank Las Vegas, NV Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, then Dean Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Seth Rollins (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship[29] On June 27, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was renamed to WWE Championship
24 ROH Best in the World Concord, NC Jay Lethal (c) defeated Jay Briscoe to retain the ROH World Championship[30]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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July

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
1 CMLL International Gran Prix Mexico City, Mexico Volador Jr. defeated Tama Tonga to win the match for "Team Mexico"

Also in the match: Team Mexico (Diamante Azul, Máximo, La Máscara, Rey Escorpión, Rush, Shocker and Último Guerrero), Team International (Johnny Idol, Kushida, Marco Corleone, Michael Elgin, Okumura, Sam Adonis and Tanga Roa) in a 2016 CMLL International Gran Prix, 16-man Torneo Cibernetico

13–14 TNA One Night Only: X-Travaganza Orlando, Florida 7-man Ladder match to determine the #1 contender for the TNA X Division Championship Aired on August 26
24 WWE Battleground Washington, D.C. Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to retain the WWE Championship[31] Final WWE PPV before the second brand split went into full affect
After the unveiling of the WWE Universal Championship for the Raw brand on July 25, the WWE Championship was renamed to WWE World Championship on July 26
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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August

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
11–14 TNA One Night Only: September Orlando, Florida Eddie Edwards vs. Lashley
14 NJPW G1 Climax Final Tokyo Kenny Omega defeated Hirooki Goto in the final of the 2016 G1 Climax tournament[32]
16–17 TNA One Night Only: Against All Odds Orlando, Florida Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III
19 ROH Death Before Dishonor Las Vegas, NV Adam Cole defeated Jay Lethal (c) to win the ROH World Championship[33]
20 WWE:
TakeOver: Brooklyn II Brooklyn, NY Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Samoa Joe (c) to win the NXT Championship[34]
21 NJPW Super J-Cup Final Tokyo Kushida defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the final of the 2016 Super J-Cup[35]
21 WWE:
SummerSlam Brooklyn, NY Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton by TKO in a singles match[36] First WWE PPV after the second brand split went into full affect.
27 ROH Field of Honor Brooklyn, NY Adam Cole (c) defeated Jay Lethal, Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi in a Four Corner Survival match to retain the ROH World Championship[37]
28 AAA Triplemanía XXIV Mexico City Psycho Clown defeated Pagano in a two-out-of-three falls lucha de apuesta, mask vs. hair match[38]
DDT Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2016 Tokyo, Japan Shuji Ishikawa defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) to win the KO-D Openweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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September

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
1 NJPW Lion's Gate Project 3 Tokyo, Japan Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuyori Shibata, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata defeated Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya and Maybach Taniguchi in a Ten-man tag team match
2 CMLL 83rd Anniversary Show Mexico City Dragon Lee defeated La Máscara in a two-out-of-three falls lucha de apuestas, mask vs. mask match[39]
2–4 PWG Battle of Los Angeles Reseda, CA Marty Scurll defeated Trevor Lee and Will Ospreay in a three-way elimination match to win the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles tournament[40]
11 WWE:
Backlash Richmond, VA AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose (c) to win the WWE World Championship[41] First Backlash event since 2009. First brand-exclusive event since the reintroduction of the brand split, subsequently the first SmackDown-exclusive event under the second brand split.
14 WWE Cruiserweight Classic Finale Winter Park, FL T. J. Perkins defeated Gran Metalik in the tournament final to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship[42] First event to feature the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (new version with a separate lineage from the original).
17 NJPW Destruction Tokyo Bushi defeated Kushida (c) to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship[43]
22 Hiroshima Kenny Omega defeated Yoshi-Hashi to earn the right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 11[44]
25 Kobe Tetsuya Naito defeated Michael Elgin (c) to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship[45]
25 WWE:
Clash of Champions Indianapolis, IN Kevin Owens (c) defeated Seth Rollins to retain the WWE Universal Championship[46] First Raw-exclusive event under the second brand split.
30 ROH All Star Extravaganza Lowell, MA The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeated The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) (c) and The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) in the Ladder War VI to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship[47]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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October

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
2 AAA Héroes Inmortales X Monterrey Johnny Mundo (c) defeated Garza Jr. to retain the AAA Latin American Championship[48]
2 TNA Bound for Glory Orlando, FL Lashley (c) defeated Ethan Carter III in a No Holds Barred match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship[49]
5 TNA One Night Only: December Orlando, Florida Mike Bennett vs. Eddie Edwards Aired on December 12
9 WWE:
No Mercy Sacramento, CA Advertised main event: AJ Styles (c) defeated John Cena and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match to retain the WWE World Championship
Final match: Bray Wyatt defeated Randy Orton in a singles match[50]
The advertised main event was originally the last match on the card, but was changed last minute due to the presidential debate the same night
10 NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling Tokyo Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Naomichi Marufuji to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship[51]
14 ROH Glory By Honor XV Chicago Ridge, IL The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (c) defeated Colt Cabana & Dalton Castle to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship[52]
15 Dearborn, MI
15 WWC WWC Anniversary 43 Bayamón, Puerto Rico Angel Cotto defeated Jaycobs (c), Angel Fashion, Tommy Diablo, Engel and OT Fernandez
30 WWE:
Hell in a Cell Boston, MA Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks (c) in a Hell in a Cell match to win the WWE Raw Women's Championship[53] This was the first-ever women's Hell in a Cell match and the first time that a women's match was the main event of a WWE pay-per-view
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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November

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
3 ROH Survival of the Fittest Arlington, TX Bobby Fish defeated Lio Rush, Punishment Martinez, Jax Dane, Dalton Castle and The Panther in a six-way elimination match to win the 2016 Survival of the Fittest tournament[54]
4 San Antonio, TX
5 NJPW Power Struggle Osaka Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated Jay Lethal to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship[55]
10 NJPW / RevPro Global Wars UK Bethnal Green, United Kingdom Katsuyori Shibata defeated Zack Sabre Jr (c) in a Singles match for the British Heavyweight Championship
11 Global Wars UK Walthamstow, United Kingdom Katsuyori Shibata (c) defeated Chris Hero in a Singles match for the British Heavyweight Championship
19 WWE:
TakeOver: Toronto Toronto Samoa Joe defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (c) to win the NXT Championship[56]
20 WWE:
Survivor Series Toronto Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar in a singles match[57] Goldberg's first match in WWE after 12 years.
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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December

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
2 ROH Final Battle New York City, NY Kyle O'Reilly defeated Adam Cole (c) in the No Disqualification match to win the ROH World Championship[58]
4 WWE:
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Dallas, TX AJ Styles (c) defeated Dean Ambrose in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to retain the WWE World Championship[59] On the following episode of SmackDown Live, the WWE World Championship was renamed to WWE Championship
10 NJPW World Tag League Final Rifu Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) in the final of the 2016 World Tag League tournament[60]
13 WWE:
Tribute to the Troops Washington, D.C. Roman Reigns and Big Cass defeated Kevin Owens and Rusev in a Tag team match
18 WWE:
Roadblock: End of the Line Pittsburgh, PA Kevin Owens (c) defeated Roman Reigns by disqualification to retain the WWE Universal Championship[61]
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)
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Cancelled events

More information Date, Promotion(s) ...
Date Promotion(s) Event Location Main Event Notes
TBA WWE:
WWE Elimination Chamber TBA TBA
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Accomplishments and tournaments

AAA

More information Accomplishment, Winner ...
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Rey de Reyes Pentagón Jr. March 23
Copa Triplemanía Australian Suicide August 28 Last eliminated Daga to win
Copa Antonio Peña Pimpinela Escarlata October 2 Last eliminated El Zorro to win
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JWP

More information Accomplishment, Winner ...
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Tag League the Best 2016 Hanako Nakamori and Makoto February 21
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Ring of Honor

More information Accomplishment, Winner ...
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Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

More information Accomplishment, Winner ...
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WWE

More information Accomplishment, Winner ...
Accomplishment Winner Date won Notes
Royal Rumble Triple H January 24 Unlike the traditional means in which the winner received a world championship match at WrestleMania, this year's match was for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in which Roman Reigns, who entered at number one, defended the title; Triple H eliminated Reigns before lastly eliminating Dean Ambrose to win the title.
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Baron Corbin April 3 Last eliminated Kane to win the André the Giant Memorial Trophy.
WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament The Vaudevillains
(Aiden English and Simon Gotch)
May 1 Faced Enzo Amore and Big Cass in the tournament final, but the match ended in a no contest due to Enzo suffering a legitimate injury. The Vaudevillains were instead awarded the WWE Tag Team Championship match against champions The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods) at Extreme Rules, but were unsuccessful.
Money in the Bank ladder match Dean Ambrose June 19 Defeated Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro to win a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match contract. Immediately following the main event that same night, Ambrose cashed in the contract and won the title from Seth Rollins, who had just won the title from Roman Reigns.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament Heath Slater and Rhyno September 11 Defeated The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) in the tournament final to determine the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Cruiserweight Classic T. J. Perkins September 14 Defeated Gran Metalik in the tournament final to win the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Authors of Pain
(Akam and Rezar)
November 19 Defeated TM-61 (Nick Miller and Shane Thorne) in the tournament final to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Trophy.
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Title changes

Summarize
Perspective

AAA

More information Date, Winner ...
AAA Mega Championship
Incoming champion – Vacant
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 23 El Texano Jr. Rey de Reyes
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More information Date, Winner ...
AAA Latin American Championship
Incoming champion – Psycho Clown
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
July 3 Pentagón Jr. Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
August 28 Johnny Mundo Triplemanía XXIV
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AAA World Mini-Estrella Championship
Incoming champion – Dinastía
No title changes
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship
Incoming champion – El Hijo del Fantasma
No title changes
AAA Reina de Reinas Championship
Incoming champion – Taya
No title changes
More information Date, Winner ...
AAA World Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – Los Güeros del Cielo (Angélico and Jack Evans)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 22 Vacated Guerra de Titanes
Los Hell Brothers
(Averno and Chessman)
July 17 Los Hell Brothers
(Averno and Chessman)
AAA Sin Límite
August 28 Aero Star and Drago Triplemanía XXIV
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More information Date, Winner ...
AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – La Sociedad (Pentagón Jr. and Sexy Star)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 19 Vacated AAA Television Taping
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More information Date, Winner ...
AAA World Trios Championship
Incoming champions – Los Hell Brothers (Averno, Chessman and Cibernético)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 22 Los Xinetez
(Dark Cuervo, Dark Scoria and El Zorro)
Guerra de Titanes
November 4 Los OGT
(Averno, Chessman and Ricky Marvin)
AAA Worldwide
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TNA

More information Date, Winner ...
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Incoming champion – Vacated
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 5 Ethan Carter III Impact Wrestling Carter III defeated Matt Hardy in the finals of the TNA World Title Series to win the vacant title
January 8
(aired January 19)
Matt Hardy Impact Wrestling This was a Last Man Standing match. Had Hardy not won, he would have left TNA.
March 15 Drew Galloway Impact Wrestling Galloway invoked his Feast or Fired title opportunity to challenge Hardy for the championship and win the title
June 12 Lashley Slammiversary This was a Knockout or Tapout Only match.

On July 13, Lashley also won the TNA X Division Championship defeating then-champion Eddie Edwards in a title vs. title steel cage match. On August 11, Lashley also won the TNA King of the Mountain Championship by defeating then-champion James Storm in a title vs. titles match. The following day, Lashley retired the TNA King of the Mountain Championship and vacated the X Division Championship

October 3
(aired October 6)
Eddie Edwards Impact Wrestling
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More information Date, Winner ...
TNA X Division Championship
Incoming champion – Tigre Uno
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 9
(aired February 2)
Trevor Lee Impact Wrestling
June 12 Eddie Edwards Slammiversary This was a four-way match, also involving Andrew Everett and DJ Z
June 14
(aired June 21)
Mike Bennett Impact Wrestling
June 15
(aired July 5)
Eddie Edwards Impact Wrestling Ultimate X match, also involving Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett, DJ Z, Rockstar Spud, Mandrews, and Braxton Sutter.
July 13
(aired July 21)
Lashley Impact Wrestling This was a Winner Takes All Six Sides of Steel match for both Edwards's X Division Championship and Lashley's TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
August 12
(aired August 18)
Vacated Impact Wrestling Lashley unified the TNA King of the Mountain Championship with his TNA World Heavyweight Championship and vacated the X Division Championship.
August 13
(aired September 1)
DJ Z Impact Wrestling Ultimate X match, also involving Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett, Rockstar Spud, Mandrews, and Braxton Sutter.
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More information Date, Winner ...
TNA King of the Mountain Championship
Incoming champion – Bobby Roode
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 6
(aired January 12)
Eric Young Impact Wrestling With this victory, Young became the only wrestler to win this championship under all four (Legends, Global, Television, King of the Mountain) of its incarnations
March 19
(aired April 26)
Bram Sacrifice Falls Count Anywhere match.
April 23
(aired May 31)
Eli Drake Impact Wrestling Drake invoked his Feast or Fired contract after Bram had been attacked by Lashley.
July 14
(aired August 4)
James Storm Impact Wrestling Drake invoked his Feast or Fired contract after Bram had been attacked by Lashley.
August 11 Lashley Impact Wrestling This was a Winner Takes All match, also for Lashley's TNA World Heavyweight Championship and TNA X Division Championship
August 12
(aired August 18)
Retired Impact Wrestling Lashley unified the championship with his TNA World Heavyweight Championship, however at the August 13 tapings of Impact Wrestling, TNA President Billy Corgan announced that the title would be deactivated and retired.
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More information Date, Winner ...
TNA Grand Championship
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
October 2 Aron Rex Bound for Glory Defeated Eddie Edwards in a tournament final by split decision to become the inaugural champion. Edwards was a substitute for Drew Galloway, who was legitimately injured
October 9
(aired December 1)
Moose Impact Wrestling
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More information Date, Winner ...
TNA World Tag Team Championship
Incoming champions – The Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 31
(aired March 8)
Beer Money, Inc.
(Bobby Roode and James Storm)
Impact Wrestling Storm cashed in his Feast or Fired Tag Team Championship contract.
March 19
(aired April 26)
Decay
(Abyss and Crazzy Steve)
Impact Wrestling Valley of Shadows match.
October 2 The Broken Hardys
(Matt Hardy and Brother Nero)
Bound for Glory This was The Great War. The team was previously known as The Hardys, and Brother Nero was previously known as Jeff Hardy.
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More information Date, Winner ...
TNA Knockouts Championship
Incoming champion – Gail Kim
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
March 17
(aired April 5)
Jade Impact Wrestling Three–way match also involving Madison Rayne.
June 12 Sienna Slammiversary Three–way match, also involving Gail Kim
August 12 Allie Turning Point Five–way match, also involving Madison Rayne, Jade, and Marti Belle
August 13
(aired September 1)
Maria Kanellis-Bennett Impact Wrestling
October 2 Gail Kim Bound for Glory
October 9 Vacated Impact Wrestling The title was vacated due to Gail Kim sustaining an injury
October 9
(aired December 1)
Rosemary Impact Wrestling Defeated Jade in a Six Sides of Steel match to win the vacant title.
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NJPW

More information Date, Winner ...
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Shinsuke Nakamura
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 25 Vacated Vacated due to Nakamura leaving NJPW
February 14 Kenny Omega The New Beginning in Niigata Defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the vacant title
June 19 Michael Elgin Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall This was a ladder match
September 25 Tetsuya Naito Destruction in Kobe
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Kenny Omega
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Kushida Wrestle Kingdom 10
September 17 Bushi Destruction in Tokyo
November 5 Kushida Power Struggle
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champions – reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 The Young Bucks
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
Wrestle Kingdom 10
February 11 Matt Sydal and King Ricochet The New Beginning in Osaka This was a three-way match, also involving reDRagon
April 10 Roppongi Vice
(Beretta and Rocky Romero)
Invasion Attack
May 3 Matt Sydal and King Ricochet Wrestling Dontaku
June 19 The Young Bucks
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall This was a four-way elimination match, also involving reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) and Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero)
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Tomohiro Ishii
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Katsuyori Shibata Wrestle Kingdom 10
May 3 Yuji Nagata Wrestling Dontaku
June 19 Katsuyori Shibata Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall
November 5 Evil Power Struggle
November 15 Katsuyori Shibata Wrestling World in Singapore
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champions – N/A
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 4 Chaos
(Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe and Toru Yano)
Wrestle Kingdom 10 Defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi) to become the inaugural champions
February 11 Bullet Club
(Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi)
The New Beginning in Osaka
February 14 Chaos
(Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe and Toru Yano)
The New Beginning in Niigata
February 20 The Elite
(Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
Honor Rising: Japan
April 10 Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin and Yoshitatsu Invasion Attack
May 3 The Elite
(Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
Wrestling Dontaku
July 3 Matt Sydal, Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima Kizuna Road
September 25 Vacated Vacated due to Sydal failing to make a scheduled championship defense because of "travel issues"
September 25 David Finlay, Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima Destruction in Kobe Defeated Bullet Club (Adam Cole, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) to win the vacant title
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ROH

More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Jay Lethal
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
August 19 Adam Cole Death Before Dishonor XIV
December 2 Kyle O'Reilly Final Battle
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Roderick Strong
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 9 Tomohiro Ishii Honor Rising: Japan
May 8 Bobby Fish Global Wars
November 18 Will Ospreay Reach for the Sky Tour
November 20 Marty Scurll Reach for the Sky Tour
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
December 2 The Kingdom
(Matt Taven, T. K. O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia)
Final Battle
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champions – War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
May 9 The Addiction
(Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian)
War of the Worlds
September 30 The Young Bucks
(Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
All Star Extravaganza VIII
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The Crash Lucha Libre

More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Bestia 666[62]
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
2016 Vacated N/A Championship vacated for undocumented reasons[63]
August 13 Flamita The Crash show Defeated El Torito, Fly Warrior, Laredo Kid, Lince Dorado, Septimo Dragon, and Willie Mack to win the vacant title[64][65]
Close
More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Mirage[66]
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 12 Black Boy The Crash show This was a five-way elimination match also involving Jinzo and Proximo and Septimo Dragon[67]
July 24 Black Danger The Crash show [68]
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champions – Tony Casanova and Zarco[69]
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
August 13 Garza Jr. and Último Ninja The Crash show [70]
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
November 26 Sexy Dulce The Crash V Aniversario Dulce defeated Keira to become the first champion[71]
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WWE

 Raw
 SmackDown
 NXT

Raw and SmackDown

Following the reintroduction of the WWE brand extension in July, in which titles became exclusive to a brand and others were established as counterparts to the opposing brand's championships, Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship, a secondary championship, a women's championship, and a male tag team championship. A championship was also established for Raw's cruiserweight wrestlers.

More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Roman Reigns
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 24 Triple H Royal Rumble This was the Royal Rumble match, in which Roman Reigns defended the title. Triple H eliminated Reigns before lastly eliminating Dean Ambrose
April 3 Roman Reigns WrestleMania 32
June 19 Seth Rollins Money in the Bank
Dean Ambrose Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract
The title was renamed to WWE World Championship
The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the Draft in July when Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown and retained the title against Raw draftees Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match at Battleground.
The title was renamed to WWE World Championship after the unveiling of the WWE Universal Championship for the Raw brand in July.
September 11 AJ Styles Backlash
The title was renamed back to WWE Championship
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
August 21 Finn Bálor SummerSlam Defeated Seth Rollins in a pinfall and submission-only match to become the inaugural champion
August 22 Vacated Monday Night Raw Finn Bálor suffered a legitimate shoulder injury in winning the title
August 29 Kevin Owens Monday Night Raw Fatal four-way elimination match for the vacant title, also involving Big Cass, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Dean Ambrose
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
February 15 Kevin Owens Monday Night Raw Fatal five-way match, also involving Tyler Breeze, Stardust, and Dolph Ziggler
April 3 Zack Ryder WrestleMania 32 Seven-way ladder match, also involving Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Stardust, Sin Cara, and The Miz
April 4 The Miz Monday Night Raw
The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the Draft in July when The Miz was drafted to SmackDown and retained the title against Raw draftee Darren Young at Battleground.
October 9 Dolph Ziggler No Mercy Title vs. career match
November 15 The Miz SmackDown Live
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Alberto Del Rio
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
January 11 Kalisto Monday Night Raw
January 12 Alberto Del Rio SmackDown Live
January 24 Kalisto Royal Rumble
May 22 Rusev Extreme Rules
The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the Draft in July when Rusev was drafted to Raw and retained the title against SmackDown draftee Zack Ryder at Battleground.
September 25 Roman Reigns Clash of Champions
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Charlotte
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
April 3 Retired WrestleMania 32 The Divas Championship was retired and replaced by the new WWE Women's Championship
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
April 3 Charlotte WrestleMania 32 Defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match to become the inaugural champion. Charlotte was the Divas Champion going into the match and that title was retired after the unveiling of the new Women's Championship
The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the Draft in July when Charlotte was drafted to Raw.
July 25 Sasha Banks Monday Night Raw
August 21 Charlotte SummerSlam
The title was renamed to Raw Women's Championship on September 5 after the unveiling of the SmackDown Women's Championship
October 3 Sasha Banks Monday Night Raw
October 30 Charlotte Flair Hell in a Cell First women's Hell in a Cell match and first time a women's match was the main event of a WWE pay-per-view. Charlotte's ring name was lengthened to "Charlotte Flair"
November 28 Sasha Banks Monday Night Raw Falls Count Anywhere match
December 18 Charlotte Flair Roadblock: End of the Line 30-minute Iron Man match; Charlotte won 3–2 in sudden death overtime. Sasha Banks could no longer challenge for the title as long as Flair was champion (had Banks won, Flair could not have challenged for the title as long as Banks was champion).
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
September 11 Becky Lynch Backlash Defeated Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi, Natalya, and Nikki Bella in a six-pack elimination challenge to become the inaugural champion
December 4 Alexa Bliss TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Tables match
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champions – The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the Draft in July when The New Day were drafted to Raw.
The title was renamed to Raw Tag Team Championship on September 5 after the unveiling of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
December 18 Cesaro and Sheamus Roadblock: End of the Line Big E and Kofi Kingston represented The New Day.
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
September 11 Heath Slater and Rhyno Backlash Defeated The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) in the tournament final to become the inaugural champions
December 4 The Wyatt Family
(Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Randy Orton)
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Wyatt and Orton won the match, but Harper was also recognized as champion under the Freebird Rule.
December 27 American Alpha
(Chad Gable and Jason Jordan)
SmackDown Live Fatal four-way tag team elimination match, also involving Heath Slater and Rhyno and The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso).
Luke Harper and Randy Orton represented The Wyatt Family.
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More information Date, Winner ...
(Title created)
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
September 14 T. J. Perkins Cruiserweight Classic Defeated Gran Metalik in the tournament final to become the inaugural champion
October 30 The Brian Kendrick Hell in a Cell
November 29 Rich Swann 205 Live
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NXT

More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Finn Bálor
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
April 21 Samoa Joe NXT Live
August 20 Shinsuke Nakamura TakeOver: Brooklyn II
November 19 Samoa Joe TakeOver: Toronto
December 3 Shinsuke Nakamura NXT An edited version of this match aired on the December 7 episode. The full match aired on the December 28 episode
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More information Date, Winner ...
Incoming champion – Bayley
Date Winner Event/Show Note(s)
April 1 Asuka TakeOver: Dallas
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Awards and honors

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AJ Styles was awarded Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestler of the Year and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Wrestler of the Year in 2016

AAA Hall of Fame

More information Inductee ...
Inductee
Art Barr
Joaquín Roldán
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Pro Wrestling Illustrated

TNA Hall of Fame

More information Inductee ...
Inductee
Gail Kim
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Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

More information Inductee ...
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Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

More information Category, Winner ...
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WWE

WWE Hall of Fame

NXT Year-End Awards

More information Poll, Presenter ...
Poll Presenter Winner[72]
Breakout of the Year Nigel McGuinness Billie Kay and Peyton Royce
Match of the Year Charly Caruso The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) in a two-out-of-three falls match for the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT TakeOver: Toronto
Tag Team of the Year Corey Graves The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)
Female Competitor of the Year Nigel McGuinness Asuka
Male Competitor of the Year Nigel McGuinness Shinsuke Nakamura
Overall Competitor of the Year Nigel McGuinness Shinsuke Nakamura
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Debuts

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Hana Kimura
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Takuya Nomura
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Nobuhiro Shimatani

Retirements

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Sting
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Booker T

Deaths

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Hayabusa
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Balls Mahoney
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Chyna
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Mr Fuji
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Blackjack Mulligan

See also

References

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