Brad Piff
The Money & The Miles
10. Enzo and Cass
Never mind them being mired in a go-nowhere beef with Rusev, or that they haven't managed to pry the belts from New Day (after all, no one has). This smack-talking tri-state duo immediately caught on after graduating from NXT, which – as the Ascension, Tyler Breeze, Apollo Crews, Carmella and others can attest – isn't always easy. Their shtick is juvenile and not always clever, and Big Cass is arguably destined for solo glory down the road, but they are manna from merch heaven and essentially double as tag performers and WWE's in-house hype men. Forget how we're doin' – Enzo and Cass look like they're gonna be just fine.
9. Seth Rollins
Dean Ambrose had his time in the sun on SmackDown, and doesn't appear to be going anywhere. And Roman Reigns – critics be damned – has been a fine U.S. champ. But of all three ex-Shield members, Seth Rollins is still the brightest star. He may have spent chunks of 2016 on the shelf and/or without a title, but once the Architect was re-established as a fan favorite, unlocking his full repertoire of in-ring acrobatics, it was if Raw re-deployed a nuclear weapon. The wait for him to claim the Universal Championship will prove long and winding, but worth it when an appreciative arena explodes.
8. The Miz
Just ask Cody Rhodes (or, at present, simply Cody), who's been a vocal advocate for Mike Mizanin's commitment and ability. It didn't take Maryse's return to get him back in the company or viewers' good graces. Bottom line is when he's not filming a Marine sequel or off on some other goodwill mission, the Miz shows up at every taping, boots up, does battle and demonstrates why he's resumed his rightful place as the Intercontinental Championship circuit's steady anchor. With John Cena in absentia, the Miz's confidence carrying a non-wrestling segment is that much more vital, but he continues to step up in lengthy endurance matches, culminating this year in he and Dolph Ziggler's terrific blowoff at TLC. Due respect to Rusev and Lana, but Miz and Maryse are the real power couple onscreen in WWE.
7. Heath Slater
We see what we want to see. It could be that outspoken fans willed Heath Slater up from squash city and into the posh penthouse life of a SmackDown contract and bona fide stint as one half of the tag team champions. Or the whole arc – down to playing on audiences' sympathies – was completely engineered in a writer's room. But before this gets too Westworld-ian, let's agree on this: the one-man band's emancipation from oblivion was overdue, and it's not a novelty. The guy can wrestle, and he's got a gimmick. If Rhyno was recruited to help get the white-trash hokum over in exchange for free airtime to promote his (failed) state-rep bid, no harm done. Made a ton more sense than tasking Slater – who's far more appealing in a 50/50 tandem – as leader of a motley crew. In a post-brand split era, no wrestler need get left behind, especially not one who's got kids.
6. Kevin Owens
There were some growing pains for KO after a breakout 2015. He and Sami Zayne burned off their longstanding feud in a series of matches that plateaued somewhat by mid-spring, before Owens was slotted at number 19 overall (!) in the brand-split draft back in July. But fortunes turned once Finn Bálor's shoulder created a vacuum for the WWE Championship (later redubbed the Universal Championship), and for reasons driving the long-term narrative between Seth Rollins and Triple H, and certainly due to it being earned, Owens got to wear the strap. It's been something of a soft transition into being "The Man" ever since, with team JeriKO helping to mask the obvious lack of a natural adversary till Bálor's return. Owens has made the most of it though, feeding off Chris Jericho's charisma while distinguishing himself as a layered antagonist. And bottom line is, for the better part of this year's second half, he was the man to beat.
Never mind them being mired in a go-nowhere beef with Rusev, or that they haven't managed to pry the belts from New Day (after all, no one has). This smack-talking tri-state duo immediately caught on after graduating from NXT, which – as the Ascension, Tyler Breeze, Apollo Crews, Carmella and others can attest – isn't always easy. Their shtick is juvenile and not always clever, and Big Cass is arguably destined for solo glory down the road, but they are manna from merch heaven and essentially double as tag performers and WWE's in-house hype men. Forget how we're doin' – Enzo and Cass look like they're gonna be just fine.
9. Seth Rollins
Dean Ambrose had his time in the sun on SmackDown, and doesn't appear to be going anywhere. And Roman Reigns – critics be damned – has been a fine U.S. champ. But of all three ex-Shield members, Seth Rollins is still the brightest star. He may have spent chunks of 2016 on the shelf and/or without a title, but once the Architect was re-established as a fan favorite, unlocking his full repertoire of in-ring acrobatics, it was if Raw re-deployed a nuclear weapon. The wait for him to claim the Universal Championship will prove long and winding, but worth it when an appreciative arena explodes.
8. The Miz
Just ask Cody Rhodes (or, at present, simply Cody), who's been a vocal advocate for Mike Mizanin's commitment and ability. It didn't take Maryse's return to get him back in the company or viewers' good graces. Bottom line is when he's not filming a Marine sequel or off on some other goodwill mission, the Miz shows up at every taping, boots up, does battle and demonstrates why he's resumed his rightful place as the Intercontinental Championship circuit's steady anchor. With John Cena in absentia, the Miz's confidence carrying a non-wrestling segment is that much more vital, but he continues to step up in lengthy endurance matches, culminating this year in he and Dolph Ziggler's terrific blowoff at TLC. Due respect to Rusev and Lana, but Miz and Maryse are the real power couple onscreen in WWE.
7. Heath Slater
We see what we want to see. It could be that outspoken fans willed Heath Slater up from squash city and into the posh penthouse life of a SmackDown contract and bona fide stint as one half of the tag team champions. Or the whole arc – down to playing on audiences' sympathies – was completely engineered in a writer's room. But before this gets too Westworld-ian, let's agree on this: the one-man band's emancipation from oblivion was overdue, and it's not a novelty. The guy can wrestle, and he's got a gimmick. If Rhyno was recruited to help get the white-trash hokum over in exchange for free airtime to promote his (failed) state-rep bid, no harm done. Made a ton more sense than tasking Slater – who's far more appealing in a 50/50 tandem – as leader of a motley crew. In a post-brand split era, no wrestler need get left behind, especially not one who's got kids.
6. Kevin Owens
There were some growing pains for KO after a breakout 2015. He and Sami Zayne burned off their longstanding feud in a series of matches that plateaued somewhat by mid-spring, before Owens was slotted at number 19 overall (!) in the brand-split draft back in July. But fortunes turned once Finn Bálor's shoulder created a vacuum for the WWE Championship (later redubbed the Universal Championship), and for reasons driving the long-term narrative between Seth Rollins and Triple H, and certainly due to it being earned, Owens got to wear the strap. It's been something of a soft transition into being "The Man" ever since, with team JeriKO helping to mask the obvious lack of a natural adversary till Bálor's return. Owens has made the most of it though, feeding off Chris Jericho's charisma while distinguishing himself as a layered antagonist. And bottom line is, for the better part of this year's second half, he was the man to beat.
