It has been a long and entertaining year in the WWE. There have been memorable moments and unexpected returns from many superstars and it is important to celebrate their success. I have chosen my top five favorite matches from 2014 that I want everyone to remember before we celebrate the New Year.
5. The Shield vs. Evolution-Payback 2014
The Shield made up of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, took on Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista) in a No Holds Barred Elimination match.
These six superstars represent strength, power, and animosity. Individually they can take on anyone on the roster. But put them together and they can destroy.
I have never seen a group of three men like the superstars in The Shield, take over the WWE as quickly as they had. They made themselves known and became a quick fan favorite because of how ruthless they are when they all come together to wrestle.
When you put The Shield up against three men that have been around as long as the members of Evolution, you could not ask for a better match. There is violence, anger, and none of these superstars will give up.
Going into this match, Evolution was expected to win. They had already beaten down each member of the Shield and they knew they could do it again, and so did the fans. But Rollins dove off the railing onto Triple H and Orton, changing the fate of the match.
This gave Reigns the opportunity to pin Batista giving The Shield the well-deserved win. It is a little upsetting that The Shield is no longer together because they were so strong as a trio. But individually they are equally as impressive and are sure to have some tricks up their sleeves come 2015.
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton – Wrestlemania 30
I wanted to look back at Wrestlemania 30’s match between Daniel Bryan, Batista, and Randy Orton. During Wrestlemania, Bryan was one of the most popular superstars in the WWE. Everyone wanted to see him win and do well. His signature “Yes!” chant created a movement through the WWE universe and fans adored him.
He earned the spot in this match when his match earlier in the night at Wrestlemania with Triple H turned into a number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship. The winner would move onto the main event later that night with Orton and Batista.
When Bryan walked into the Triple Threat match he was already injured. Triple H had done everything he could to make sure Bryan never made it to this match. But Bryan rose up and took on these two amazing superstars. He has more heart than anyone on the roster and that plus his signature “Yes!” lock on Batista, is what won him this match and the World Heavyweight Championship.
3. The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar- Wrestlemania 30
Everyone gets excited for The Undertaker. His unbelievable 21-0 winning streak was one for the record books. He was expected to add on another win to make it 22-0, but something went wrong; The Undertaker lost.
When I heard The Undertaker was going to be wrestling Lesnar at Wrestlemania, I laughed and thought this would be an easy win for him. He had wrestled so many legends, some more than once. But Lesnar was different; he was a legend all in his own and it was all because of this one match.
The odds were in The Undertaker’s favor, but no one saw The Undertaker losing as an option or any kind of possibility. We were all waiting for him to do his signature Tombstone and put Lesnar to sleep. But instead, Lesnar put up a grueling fight and delivered three F-5’s and several submissions. But Lesnar then did the impossible. He beat the streak.
2. Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt -TLC 2014
Ambrose and Wyatt are two of my favorite superstars to watch wrestle one another. Their ongoing feud has been extremely entertaining and truly reminds me of the older wrestling generations because of how down and dirty they have been getting with one another
Their match at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs was exactly what I expected it to be. You can always count on them to jump off of something they shouldn’t.
Wyatt and Ambrose used everything from steel chairs to kendo sticks to wear each other down, trying to top what they had done in previous matches. Once Ambrose grabbed a TV monitor and electrocuted himself, giving Wyatt the opportunity to pin him and win, they definitely topped there past matches and gave it their all.
Even though this match didn’t seem like it solved any of their problems, the fireworks at the end may not have been the finale to this feud.
1. Team Authority vs. Team Cena – Survivor Series 2014
At Survivor Series, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Ryback, and the Big Show took on an impressive fight against Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev, Luke Harper, and Mark Henry in a 5-on-5 Elimination Tag Team Match.
This match was easily the best match of the year because of how crazy and unexpected every hit and kick was throughout this match. Not one thing that I expected to happen happened.
It was expected that Team Cena would be the victorious team and The Authority would no longer be in power. But what wasn’t expected was The Big Show to betray his team and knock out Cena leaving Ziggler the only member of Team Cena left against three members of Team Authority.
Ziggler however, prevailed and was able to eliminate every member except for Rollins. Triple H knew his team was about to lose, so of course, he stepped into the ring to make sure that did not happen.
What Triple H didn’t know was that stepping into the ring would lead to Sting coming out and helping Team Cena get their win.
Sting making his first appearance at WWE raised a lot of questions as to whether or not he would be sticking around for long or if this was a one-time appearance. I feel that the recent absence of The Authority may not last as long as people thought it would, and that may cause for another appearance by Sting.
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