WWE Tribute to the Troops 2016 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops special is unlike any other event the company produces during the year.

Most of the feuds took a backseat so that WWE could put on a show full of fun moments for all the men and women from the armed services in the crowd.

The first several events took place at locations overseas, but the past few years have seen WWE hold the show at some of America's domestic bases.

Considering this was one of the few times both Raw's and SmackDown's rosters will appear on the same show, it was surprising management didn't book any matches between champions from both brands.

The Miz vs. Roman Reigns, The Wyatt Family vs. The New Day or Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks would have added a lot, but we still got an entertaining two hours of wrestling.

The great thing about these specials is how WWE is willing to do more things like have a quick Shield reunion because it knows that is what most fans want to see.

Let's take a look at everything that happened at the 2016 Tribute to the Troops event.

Introduction

Credit: WWE.com

The show opened with a speech from Shane and Stephanie McMahon, thanking the troops for serving the United States. They talked about Raw and SmackDown putting aside their differences to put on the best show possible.

This was followed by a video package of highlights from past Tribute to the Troops specials held over the years. JBL featured for a moment, which is fitting since it was his idea to do these shows in the first place.

It was nice to see Lilian Garcia brought back to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Her voice has helped kick off these events for years, and it was only appropriate to see her return to honor the troops.

WWE can be criticized for a lot of things, but one thing we all have to admire is how much the company does for noble causes. There is never any pro- or anti-war agenda. The men and women of WWE just do their best to entertain the men and women of the armed forces.

Grade: A+

Mick Foley Pulls a Teddy Long

Roman Reigns gave a special promo in which he thanked the troops before Kevin Owens made his way onto the stage. He said that it was a classy move for Reigns to thank the troops but that he was upset Reigns forgot to thank him.

Mentioning he was from Canada got Owens a lot of flak, which was by design. Starting the show with these two men was smart for multiple reasons.

Owens was able to generate a lot of heat for being both a heel and Canadian, which helped Reigns thrive as the babyface United States champion. On top of that, it helped push the main event storyline heading into Roadblock: End of the Line.

Rusev and Lana came out to produce even more boos from the fans in attendance, so naturally, Big Cass had to come out to even the odds. Mick Foley filled the role of former SmackDown general manager Teddy Long and turned this into a tag team match for the main event.

This is the one night of the year when cheap pops and pandering to the crowd is welcomed, so this segment worked well to get the show going.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• This might be the best reaction Reigns has received since the fans turned on him. You could still hear some boos, but the U.S. champion had more people cheering for him.
• It was smart to bring out a Canadian heel in front of the most pro-America crowd of the year to help Reigns look better.
• Reigns was much more comfortable with the crowd supporting him, which made him more entertaining.

The Club vs. The Shining Stars vs. Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Golden Truth

The first match of the night saw four tag teams from the Raw brand compete for a shot at the Raw Tag Team Championships at Sunday's Roadblock PPV.

Luke Gallows and Sheamus started the bout, but they also had to contend with The Shining Stars and The Golden Truth.

Matches like this can often feel overcrowded, but all eight men shone because they made the most of the time they had.

After several Superstars exchanged finishers, Sheamus Brogue Kicked his way to a win for himself and Cesaro, earning them a shot at The New Day on Sunday.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Cesaro and Sheamus are better when they are on the same page. They have a cool entrance that works for both characters, and their chemistry in the ring has improved quite a bit.
• Does breaking the record for longest title reign make it too obvious The New Day will lose the Raw Tag Team Championships at Roadblock?
• The Shining Stars could be a formidable tag team if they were ever allowed to have a good match with a team of equal skill. They can be exciting when given enough time.

The Miz vs. Apollo Crews

The Miz came out and sounded like he was going to say something nice to the troops, but it quickly turned into a plug for the release of The Marine 5 in early 2017. He then issued an open challenge for a non-title match to the entire roster.

Gabriel Iglesias came out to introduce Apollo Crews, which is the continuation of an angle they set up during a segment on Tuesday's SmackDown.

We have seen The Miz and Crews fight many times—some of them for the Intercontinental Championship—so we all knew what to expect going into this match.

Having Crews get the win was the smart move to keep the fans happy, but it might also be the start of a renewed push for him and a possible run with the IC title.

This could have been longer, but it was never meant to be a show-stealing match. It was just some light entertainment to make people laugh.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• During a pre-match video package, Big Show was shown firing what looked like an AR-15. It looked like a toy in his giant hands.
• It's always great to see Crews getting some TV time. He has been poorly used since he was called up to the main roster in April. Management should have given him more time in NXT to develop his character.

The Wyatt Family vs. Dolph Ziggler and American Alpha

Dolph Ziggler joined Chad Gable and Jason Jordan to battle all three members of The Wyatt Family. The Showoff even wore his American flag tights to match his teammates' attire.

Despite his patriotic opponents, Randy Orton still got a pop from the crowd when he was first tagged in by Luke Harper. That's how good The Viper is.

This was a little better than your average six-man tag match. Everyone had a minute or two in which they were in control, but nobody dominated for too long. It was the level of talent possessed by the six men involved that made this fun.

You would think the team wearing red, white and blue would be a lock to win, but the end saw Bray Wyatt set up Orton for an RKO on Gable to score the victory.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Ziggler would fit well with Gable and Jordan in a stable since they all have amateur wrestling experience. Throw in Jack Swagger for good measure.
• Even the heels throw their shirts to the crowd at shows like this.
• I like the little detail of having Harper hold both tag titles during the team's entrance.
• Orton was surprisingly good in Tuesday's episode of Shooter.
• Gable's German suplex into a bridge on a guy the size of Wyatt was impressive.

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Bayley and Dana Brooke set up a match backstage during a segment with an adorable service dog in training named Charlie.

Brooke and Bayley have been in the ring together many times, so this was nothing new. Having Charlotte Flair at ringside added a little unpredictability but not much.

After Flair interfered, the crowd started chanting for Sasha Banks, but The Hugger handled things on her own by throwing Brooke into Flair before hitting a Bayley-to-Belly suplex for the win.

This was too short to be anything special, but it was good for what it was. The babyface got the win, and a cute dog was featured for a good cause.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Random personal fact—my grandfather had a dog named Bayley, but it might have been spelled "Bailey," and it might have been a boy. I was too young to remember specifics.
• I might have been a little more generous with the grade than usual because I am a dog person.
• Brooke needs to branch out on her own. She is better than most people will give her credit for, and her physique puts her in a unique position to be the powerhouse of the Raw women's division.

6-Man Cruiserweight Tag Team Match

The cruiserweight division was given a six-man tag match to feature as many talents as possible, which would have been a lot harder to swallow if WWE hadn't made so much progress with the division on 205 Live.

TJ Perkins, Jack Gallagher and Rich Swann battled Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and The Brian Kendrick. Other than perhaps adding Cedric Alexander into the mix, it's hard to think of a better selection of talents to represent the division.

Once all six competitors had chances to hit someone with a finisher, Swann got the win for his team with his trademark spin kick.

It would have been nice to see this match have more time, but it was a good few minutes of wrestling.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Gallagher's suicide dive fake-out was hilarious.
• Michael Cole's reference to Gallagher as the "Monopoly man" made me chuckle.
• Nese should be a babyface. His arsenal of moves is too exciting for a guy we are supposed to hate.

A Trio of Trios

A backstage segment before the main event saw The New Day pondering what to do about Sheamus and Cesaro starting to work as a team.

AJ Styles reunited with his brothers from The Club, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, but the trio everyone in the crowd popped for was Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Nothing physical went down, but it was fun to see three prominent groups in the same place at the same time for a quick bit of fan service.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• It's nice to see WWE still portraying Styles, Anderson and Gallows as a stable despite being on different brands.
• Sometimes it's good to indulge in a little nostalgia. WWE has relied on it too much in the past, but this segment worked because all nine people involved are still active performers.
• How great would it be if WWE brokered a deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling to use the Bullet Club name and occasionally feature some additional members from the stable in exchange for a few WWE Superstars performing at NJPW shows?

Big Cass and Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens and Rusev

Enzo Amore returned with a bandage wrapped around his waist for the main event so that he could support his partner and talk some trash at ringside.

Reigns and Big Cass are similar in a lot of ways, so they made a natural fit as one-time partners, but like always, the most entertaining person in the ring was Owens.

The universal champion can keep up with the best on the mic and on the mat, and having someone as versatile as Rusev as a partner made them a formidable duo.

After a fun closing match, Reigns picked up the win for his team with a spear to Rusev.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Did anyone else laugh when Lana took out Amore? You don't often see a valet hurt a Superstar like that.
• This was the most over Reigns will be until WWE decides to turn him heel or reunites The Shield for more than a quick segment.

What did you think of this year's Tribute to the Troops?

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