The Week Wrestling Stood Still (and Started Over)
PWTorch Dailycast dropping a 'Best Of' episode covering April 2016 is less a podcast and more a digital archaeological dig into a bizarre, pivotal moment for professional wrestling. Ten years ago, the world was reeling from the shocking news of Prince's passing on April 21st. But for wrestling fans, that already heavy week had delivered an even more gut-wrenching blow just days earlier: the news that Joan Laurer, our beloved Chyna, the Ninth Wonder of the World, was gone.
It’s easy to forget, with the relentless churn of content, just how emotionally whiplash-inducing that stretch was. One minute, you're mourning a legitimate trailblazer whose impact on the industry is still felt today. The next, you're trying to wrap your head around a house show in Lowell, Massachusetts, where Samoa Joe just snagged the NXT Championship from Finn Balor, signaling a whole new chapter for the black and gold brand. It was a chaotic, heartbreaking, and oddly hopeful few days.
The Ninth Wonder, The Forgotten Trailblazer
Chyna's death on April 17, 2016, wasn't just a loss; it was a societal mirror reflecting WWE's often-complicated relationship with its own history. For years, the company that built its empire on larger-than-life characters seemed almost embarrassed by one of its most unique creations. This was the woman who broke every glass ceiling imaginable: Intercontinental Champion, competing in the Royal Rumble, a founding member of D-Generation X alongside Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
She wasn't just a woman who wrestled; she was an unholy force of nature, a legitimate physical threat that elevated every male competitor she stepped into the ring with. Yet, her post-WWE career struggles led to a near-total corporate erasure, a selective memory that only began to truly mend after her passing. It’s a bitter pill to swallow that it often takes tragedy for the powers-that-be to acknowledge the true impact of those they've marginalized. Her induction into the Hall of Fame as part of DX eventually happened, but her individual recognition came only posthumously, a frustrating example of too little, too late.
Joe's Coronation and the Balor Club Buzz
Amidst this heavy cloud, wrestling's relentless march continued, bringing with it a jolt of pure, unadulterated excitement. On April 21, 2016, at a non-televised NXT event, Samoa Joe defeated Finn Balor for the NXT Championship. This wasn't some grand TakeOver spectacle; it was a title change on a house show, a rarity that made it feel even more special and raw. For anyone who'd followed Joe's journey from Ring of Honor and TNA, it was a moment of vindication. Finally, the Samoan Submission Machine, a man who oozed intensity and delivered clinics in the ring, was getting his due on the biggest stage WWE could offer at the time – the red-hot NXT brand.
That era of NXT was special precisely because it felt like an alternative, a place where established indie darlings could thrive without being immediately watered down. Joe's win underscored that promise. And let's not forget the other name buzzing from that period: Finn Balor and the burgeoning 'Balor Club.' The mainstreaming of the Bullet Club aesthetic was a goldmine of potential, a ready-made faction with a cool factor that could have dominated the main roster. While Finn had a strong initial run, the full, destructive potential of a truly formidable Balor Club on Raw or SmackDown never quite materialized, which remains a missed opportunity for WWE.
A Changing of the Guard, Or Just More Raw?
The PWTorch podcast also dives into Raw analysis from that week, and honestly, can you imagine the state of the main roster after WrestleMania 32? Roman Reigns was firmly entrenched as the top guy, a move that still drew polarizing reactions. There was always this underlying tension between the innovative energy of NXT and the sometimes-stagnant predictability of the main show. April 2016 felt like a genuine crossroads, a moment where the old guard was truly giving way, but the new guard's full impact was still TBD.
It's fascinating to look back and see how quickly things changed, and how some narratives that seemed monumental then have faded, while others – like Chyna's undeniable legacy – only grow stronger with time. That week encapsulated everything great and frustrating about professional wrestling: the heartbreak of loss, the thrill of new champions, and the constant, often messy, evolution of a business that never truly sleeps. Podcasts like this aren't just nostalgia trips; they're a vital reminder of the messy, glorious, and sometimes infuriating history that makes us all die-hard fans.
