The WWE universe loves a sick burn and 2016 was full of entertaining WWE burns. Few things will make fans go, “Ahhh snap!” than hearing a cutting insult that they didn’t see coming. The rule of thumb is: the lower the blow, the better the reaction.
2016 was a year that saw several superstars take it to another level in regards to what they said. Albiet, some don’t have to say anything and they just let their actions do the talking for them.
Whether it was on social media or in front of millions on live television, some superstars seem to have no filter and 2016 had its fair share of WWE burns. The general consensus might be that everything said on WWE television is scripted, but those moments when we can’t tell if it was or not are priceless.
Some say whatever they want because they are confident in their status with WWE, or they just don’t care. There are several more examples of sick WWE burns from last year, but this is a good place to start.
#10 – The Boss Burns Charlotte
Sick burn by #SashaBanks #wwe #raw #charlotte pic.twitter.com/yPGgJPih9e
— Still Real To Us (@stillreal2us) August 2, 2016
When you’re feuding with the Nature Girl, little is off the table in regards to what you can say. In November 2015, Paige went to new depths when she brought up Charlotte’s deceased baby brother. Fact is that WWE loves to get all eyes on a feud however they can, no matter how low they have to go. So why not imply that Charlotte’s mother was a ring rat?
When Raw is live in Atlanta, a city that knows Ric Flair very well everything seems to have more meaning. Therefore when the show started with a stand-off between Sasha Banks and Charlotte, it was time for The Boss to hit hard.
After Charlotte made the comments implying that Sasha’s run with the Women’s championship was so short and meaningless that it was practically a one-night-stand The Boss stood back and poised herself for a comeback. Sasha Banks looked right at Charlotte and said, “sweetheart, you’re the daughter of Ric Flair, if it wasn’t for a one night stand you probably wouldn’t be standing here.” The crowd blew up in a huge pop after the statement.
The likelihood that a female (or five) in the crowd actually took a one night ride on Space Mountain was highly plausible. Therefore, Charlotte had little to say as a comeback due to the realness entrenched in this cutting statement.
#9 – Seth Rollins Sets The Miz Down
On March 11th, Xavier Woods’ ‘UpUpDownDown’ YouTube channel got a taste of realness. Everyone who had participated in the Madden tournament was gathered around to watch the finals between Jack Swagger and Seth Rollins.
The mood was lighthearted and there was a real sense of community in the room. Participants had played hard in the tournament for bragging rights and YouTube glory. The Miz stood passively on the side of the screen while he was still salty from losing in the semi-finals to Jack Swagger.
Just before the final game started, Xavier unveiled a massive trophy that he had bought for the winner. Rollins asked if he had to check it at the airport or if it would fit in the overhead compartment, and Xavier replied that he’s going to have to mail it to himself if he wins it.
The Miz chimed in that he would take the trophy and Rollins immediately replied with an off the cuff comment that shut Miz down. “What, to replace that Intercontinental title that you lost?” The room appropriately erupted in a frenzy and Miz sheepishly had no reply.
This was a refreshing comment in an environment where heels and faces intermingled for video game supremacy. WWE superstars obviously take video games very seriously, but they still care about championship titles.
#8 – Big E Takes A Jab At Creative
On the December 19th episode of Raw, the WWE universe had brand new tag team champions. Sheamus and Cesaro had toppled the New Day one night prior, but Big E and crew weren’t taking the loss without retort.
Kofi said that this loss was just a temporary set back and they would have the titles again soon. He pointed out the fact that even Ric Flair had to lose his title fifteen times in order to become a sixteen time world champion. This is when Big E took the opportunity to go off script.
Mr. Langston quickly quipped, “that’ll be Charlotte in a month,” referring to the fact that WWE had been playing hot potato with the Women’s Championship during the Charlotte vs. Sasha feud. WWE edited the comment out of future broadcasts and social media posts, meaning it wasn’t intended to be said at all.
The comment wasn’t so much directed at Charlotte, but at creative. This might not be the sickest burn on the list, but it was definitely not planned. Fans were left to wonder what kind of reception Big E received from the gorilla position after that verbal bombshell was dropped.
#7 – Shane Shuts Down His Father
On February 22, the wrestling world was shocked to see Shane McMahon reemerge on WWE television. It had been seven years since Shane-O-Mac had danced his way down the ramp and fans were astonished to see him.
Shane made his way to the ring and interrupted the ‘Legacy of Excellence’ award ceremony where his little sister was being honored by his father, Vince. Nobody saw this coming and wondered where it was going. But, Shane’s intentions were soon made very clear when he stepped in the ring.
His father offered a hug and Shane denied him. Then Vince tried for a handshake, but Shane merely pushed his father’s arm down. Shane went on to call out Stephanie and Triple H for the downfall of the current product mentioning stocks, talent injuries, and ratings. He said that they were running the WWE into the ground and the crowd in attendance ate it up.
This segment seemed like it was a mixture of shoot and kayfabe because of the tense environment in the ring. The words Shane spoke might have been cutting and brutal, but it was rejecting his father’s affection that probably cut deepest. After all, refusing your dear old dad a hug and a handshake after you haven’t seen him in that long is quite a statement.
#6 – Stephanie Calls Out CM Punk
Stephanie McMahon shut down those CM Punk chants with authority. #WWE #RAW pic.twitter.com/pq7hrvrKta
— Still Real To Us (@stillreal2us) December 27, 2016
Whenever WWE is in Chicago you can be sure of several things, one of which is the fact that there will be CM Punk chants. But, Stephanie McMahon had a loaded verbal pistol ready for the crowd on December 26th. Fresh with holiday cheer, Stephanie opened the show to cut a promo which was interrupted by the Chicago crowd chanting for the ‘Second City Saint.’ When greeted with CM Punk chants Steph didn’t waste much time before she unloaded her weaponry on the crowd.
“So, if you guys could keep that up for about two minutes and fifteen seconds, you will have lasted one second longer than Punk did”.
She didn’t explicitly mention the UFC, but everyone knew what she was talking about. Even the part of the crowd chanting for Punk had to acknowledge that this was a sick burn.
There is no love loss between Phil Brooks and WWE, and it doesn’t look like the relationship will be repaired anytime soon from the looks of it.
#5 – Just About Everything Enzo Has Said
Enzo Amore is a charismatic character unlike anything the WWE Universe has ever seen. He is a mixture of all things hilarious and entertaining. Throughout the year he has thrown several sick burns at various WWE superstars.
Big Cass and Enzo have the skills to warrant custom microphones at this point which they use to decimate their aggressors. On a weekly basis Enzo proves that he is Smack-talker Skywalker, and he’s got a lightsaber for his haters.
One of the best burns of the year was directed at D-Von Dudley as Enzo said that he’d hit him so hard that “he’ll put that lazy eye to work.” Some hadn’t even noticed D-Von’s lazy eye before this, but they had no choice but to look now. Enzo is indeed a rhetorical magician as he keeps fans on the edge of their seats wondering what he’ll say next.
Enzo Amore has the ability to come at his opponent from any verbal direction, essentially winning the match in the fans’ eyes before the bell rings. The realest guys in the room never won the Tag Team Titles in NXT and WWE gold has alluded them thus far as well. But as long as Enzo keeps up the freestyle beat-downs, championship gold will surely come in time.
#4 – Baron Corbin Scorches Twitter Hater
@TheCesarScorpio it's your girls fault she keeps bringing cookies over late at night
— Baron Corbin (@BaronCorbinWWE) August 3, 2016
Baron Corbin is the Lone Wolf, and you never poke a wolf because they are wild animals and have the ability to bite faces off. He has taken to social media on several occasions to vent his frustrations and put his critics on blast in the process.
Corbin held nothing back from a hater that poked fun at his physique on August 2nd. A fan tweeted a picture of Baron in an unflattering angel with the comment, “your [sic] a professional wrestler. Lift some weights or do a sit up. Good god!”
Baron Corbin immediately tweeted back, “it’s your girls fault she keeps bringing cookies over late at night”.
Ouch, Baron Corbin: 1, Twitter Hater: 0.
#3 – The Miz Shoots On D-Bry
On August 23rd, The Miz gave us a reason to tune in to Talking Smack. During his segment he unleashed a verbal tirade on Daniel Bryan, calling him out for being injured and lying to his fans.
There were plans for Miz to come on the show and start a banter back and forth with Daniel Bryan, but things soon took a drastic turn and many say that it got out of hand. Miz called Daniel a coward for retiring and demeaned D-Bry in the process.
“Let me tell you about a guy who tells his WWE fans, people that he loves that he will be back- he promises them- ‘I promise you, I will be back in one year’s time to claim this title.’ But you didn’t, Daniel, did you? But I’m the coward. I’m the one who doesn’t love his fans”
Miz went on to explain the reason why he works a less than physically demanding move-set by pointing out his longevity in the company, and Daniel had no retort.
This segment was uncomfortable to watch if you knew the conflict that had to have been going on in Bryan Danielson’s mind. Instead of further engaging Miz, the bearded one opted to drop his microphone and simply walk off the set.
Nobody is quite sure what the end game for this might be since Daniel isn’t approved for in-ring competition, but it got everybody talking nonetheless.
#2 – Kevin Owens Owns Twitter
There are a few members of the WWE roster that everyone should be following on Twitter, and Kevin Owens is one of those people. Owens masterfully shoots down his critics on a weekly basis in old-school fashion and he’s a master when it comes to WWE burns.
He has taken on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and countless other fans who decide to throw shade in his general direction on social media. As a result, KO has delivered so many cutting comebacks in response that it could be a list in and of itself.
One shining example of Twitter dominance for Kevin Owens came on January 9th. A fan tweeted at him that he was at the WWE live show in Boisser City, Louisiana with his kids who were “ready to boo KO.” Owens quickly responded in a way that only he could when he tweeted back:
“You’re an awful person, exposing these kids’ stupidity like that. They’re just children. They don’t know any better.”
Those are fighting words to a lot of parents, and Kevin Owens is obviously not afraid to ruffle feathers. It’s nice to see that even a busy man like Kevin Owens can still find the time to connect with the WWE universe.
#1 – The Rock Destroys New Day
The Rock is a global celebrity at this point, and he is a god in Miami. When the Great One took the mic on January 25th to confront the New Day, his hometown crowd blew the roof off of the American Airlines Arena.
The Rock stood passively at first while he let New Day get all of their stuff in before he unleashed fury on the then WWE Tag Team Champions.
He called the New Day’s unicorn horns llama penises, which might have been a reason for their appearance on the clearance section of the WWE Shop shortly after that. (Because who wants to wear something on their head that The Rock has dubbed a ‘llama penis’?) But, the cherry on top was when he said that Big E looks like he is the product of “if the Incredible Hulk banged Urkel.”
The crowd soon broke out a ‘llama penis’ chant directed at New Day that goes down as one of the best things ever chanted during a WWE show. I’ll bet Vince is glad that chant didn’t stick with the New Day after that or else Kevin Dunn would have had an awful time muting the crowd.
Dwayne “The Rock” (and some would say future President) Johnson won’t let anyone forget how good he in on the mic. Because as soon as people start to forget, he will show up out of the blue and prove that he is still the greatest.
Nobody does it like the Rock, no matter what he’s cooking- even if he’s preparing llama penises.
What was your favorite burn of 2016? Sound off in the comments below.
