WWE: 15 Best Matches of 2016
By Tim Sherry
WWE.com
13. Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens – Last Man Standing Match – Royal Rumble
About 5 months before Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens were to step into the aforementioned MITB match, they clashed in yet another ultra-violent affair at the The Royal Rumble. Just when you thought that it’s too difficult to have a great Last Man Standing match in the PG era, these two bucked that trend in a major way, this time battling over the Intercontinental title.
Coming off matches against each other at the previous 2 pay per views which saw Dean winning both, including one for the IC title at TLC, the two warriors put the feud to rest in a major way at the Rumble. If you look at the indy resumes of Owens and Ambrose you’ll see that they’re no strangers to savagery and they channeled their youths during this 20 minutes of mayhem. An argument can be made that this was the best last man standing match of all time.
It was paced perfectly and both guys looked like world beaters in this show-stealing performance. The high spots were brutal, no more than the match ending sequence of Owens going through two tables before being counted out. A match like this not only elevates a secondary title but does wonders for the futures of both combatants. Case in point, within 8 months after this match, Ambrose and Owens were both world champions.