WWE: 15 Best Matches of 2016
By Tim Sherry
Source: WWE.com
7. AJ Styles vs John Cena – SummerSlam
On paper, this was just a dream feud. A 15-time WWE champion against arguably the best wrestler on the planet for the last decade and a half going toe to toe over the course of three months. Wow, this was something that was unthinkable just 2 years ago. They first did battle on pay per view at Money In The Bank, with Styles emerging victorious, albeit with some help from Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Cena then gained a modicum of revenge defeating the trio in 6-man tag match with Enzo Amore and Big Cass at Battleground. The first match was good, the second one, not so much, but the third at SummerSlam blew the first two away.
SummerSlam, the WWE’s second biggest event of the year has always been seen as “the big stage”. Well Cena and Styles took that idea very seriously and over the course of 23 minutes put on a breath taking display of professional wrestling that stole the show at the Barclays Center in New York. Everything they provided this night was smooth and perfect, like two consummate pros putting on a wrestling clinic. With close to 40 years of experience and over 50 championships between them, that was no surprise.
Say what you want about Cena but the guy can entertain in the ring just as much as outside of it. Look no further than his matches over the years with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Edge. And in putting Styles over at SummerSlam, he sent the Phenomenal One on a path to become WWE Champion, a feat he’d accomplish 3 weeks later at Backlash. Now that’s a productive victory. And with Cena returning to Smackdown before the year’s end, expect a few more classics between these two warriors.