It’s the final day of 2014 which means the perfect time to reminisce and discuss the most memorable moments of the year in professional wrestling. It has been an eventful year not just for pro wrestling but also for the Last Word on Sports wrestling department, which has grown to a half dozen writers plus guest writers compared to the triple threat that participated in last years year in review. Returning is Aaron Wrotkowski, Jeff DeHaan and Adam Contant but also joining are Shawn Wilken, Phillipa Hopwood and Ricky Rana.
It was easy last year to just pick the best argument out of three and allow majority to rule in case of two people picking the same choice. This year I’m going with majority rule if it’s three or more choosing it, but any less I go with the best argument.
Best Male Performer
Best male worker includes everything from wrestler to manager to just a personality. If this were 1989, choices could range from Ric Flair to Jesse Ventura to the whole Bobby Heenan Family.
Adam Contant: Some would say my choice of Brock Lesnar as male performer of the year is ludicrous given that Lesnar operated on a part time schedule this year, but no one can argue that Brock Lesnar has created more big moments in 2014 than any pro wrestler this year. He destroyed the Big Show, ended the Undertaker’s undefeated Wrestlemania streak, brutalized John Cena in the most dominant and talked about title match of the year, and had the pro wrestling world hanging on his every action. My choice is one of quality over quantity, and no one male performer gave us more memories per appearance than the one in 21-1.
Other Choices: Kazuchika Okada by Aaron Wrotkowski, Dolph Ziggler by Phillipa Hopwood, Sami Zayn by Shawn Wilken, Seth Rollins by Jeff DeHaan and Ricky Rana
Best Female Performer
Best female worker includes everything from wrestler to manager to just a personality. If this were 2000, choices could range from Trish Stratus to Francine to every member of Pretty Mean Sisters.
Aaron Wrotkowski: As much as I wanted to give it to Taryn Terrell, who is incredibly underrated for the fact she was a WWE Diva Search contestant and got into TNA first as a referee, Taryn is more an example of someone going from 0 potential to one of the top of her division. Charlotte might have been a rookie in 2012 but before she stepped into the ring she had all of the potential in the world to become great. What’s still shocking is how great she became. Charlotte might have a better wrestling package than anyone in the WWE today regardless of gender. Her matches have been consistently great no matter the important or time in the ring (aside from a disaster Raw debut). Fact is, Charlotte had the strongest year out of any female wrestler and with that she just edges Taryn for me.
Other Choices: Paige by Adam Contant and Ricky Rana, The Bella Twins by Jeff DeHaan and AJ Lee by Shawn Wilken and Phillipa Hopwood
Match of 2014
Must have had a bell ring to be a match. Can’t just be two wrestlers fighting backstage.
Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville, NXT R Evolution
Shawn Wilken: At 9:26, after the entrances were over and the bell had rang, I thought to myself, “This match is getting over 20 minutes!” My excitement reached a climax before the two even locked horns, as the NXT crowd took over. Chanting the signature OLÉ chant that Montreal has made infamous, Zayn took a moment to suck it all in. It was a tale of a wrestler possibly entering his last match and the crowd taking his side.
Then the two locked up. For a match that lasted over 23 minutes, there was never a dull moment. A rest stop here and there, the battle was fast-paced and featured pure wrestling ability from two guys that have torn up the indy scene for quite some time before making their way to NXT. This match never needed a stipulation to keep the crowd interested. No weapons, no violence, just wrestling talent at its finest.
A key point in the match was when the referee went down… twice. The first time, Sami distracted himself by checking on the ref, which led to Neville taking advantage and hitting a superkick, followed by a reverse hurricanrana. The chain earned Neville a two-fall, much to the relief of the audience. The second time that the referee was put down, it came after Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on Neville, which partially connected with the ref. Again, as Sami checked on the ref, Neville this time grabbed the NXT Championship, threatening to hit Zayn with it. Zayn, this time, battled the title away from him and then came the moment of truth. Does Zayn ditch his good guy persona and do the dirty deed to win, or does he stick by his morals and win the right way. As the crowd chanted for Zayn to not go through with it, Zayn put down the belt. After a roll-up was unsuccessful, Zayn hit an exploder suplex into the corner, followed by his Helluva Kick. The last three seconds of the match were what the fans had been dying to see.
The match, from start to finish, hit every key point in this story: Zayn over-coming the odds, winning the big one, not doing the dirty job and sticking with his wrestling talent alone to put him over. The result in itself, followed by the crowd reaction, post-match celebration (the IWC, especially Montreal, lost all control during the hug between Owens and Zayn) was some emotional television and it reminded me why I love pro wrestling so much. I think if one match can serve as a reminder to why I watch wrestling weekly, it deserves to be up there for match of the year.
Also chosen by Aaron Wrotkowski and Ricky Rana. Other Choices: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma, Lucha Underground TV on October 29th by Jeff DeHaan, The Shield vs. Evolution, WWE Payback by Phillipa Hopwood and Natalya vs. Charlotte, NXT Takeover: R Evolution by Adam Contant
PPV/Card of 2014
You can either choose a PPV or choose a live event. This allows for an independent wrestling show, NXT supershows or weekly TV shows if desired.
Jeff DeHaan: I get excited for WrestleMania every year; and while it isn’t always a stellar show, it often supplies fans with at least a few great matches. WrestleMania XXX did more than that. Top to bottom it was a fantastic show. John Cena gets a lot of flac, but he and Bray Wyatt had an amazing match. Cesaro showed why he deserves to be in WWE and not one but two amazing matches from Daniel Bryan. Even the Divas match was decent; a bit of a spot fest but with that many bodies in one match, psychology goes out the window. Admittedly, while Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar wasn’t a fantastic match, it can be forgiven since Undertaker was concussed during the match and by the end couldn’t even remember where he was. Regardless of match quality, it had an outcome that has been etched in WWE history. WrestleMania XXX may not be the best WrestleMania in history, but it was certainly the best one to come around in several years.
Also chosen by Adam Contant and Ricky Rana. Other Choices: NXT R Evolution by Shawn Wilken, WWE Extreme Rules by Phillipa Hopwood and NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day 1 by Aaron Wrotkowski
Biggest Moment of 2014
Instead of a full show or match, that one moment in 2014 that leaves an impression when someone says the year of wrestling in 2014.
Phillipa Hopwood: Thinking about this question, I test some of the biggest moments by the reaction of myself and the people around me, I know there have been a lot of shocks in 2014 but for me it was that fateful night of April 6th when Brock Lesnar finally pinned The Undertaker and ended his two decade run of dominance on the grandest stage of them all. The people I watched Wrestlemania with all reacted in the same way, it took us all a while to get our breath back and completely missed the following Divas match because we were all to shocked to comprehend what had happened. It is a moment that will remain in history forever and ensure that Wrestlemania XXX is never forgotten.
Also chosen by Aaron Wrotkowski, Adam Contant, Shawn Wilken and Jeff DeHaan. Other Choice: Sting debuts by Ricky Rana
Worst News of 2014
Everything can’t be roses and happiness in a retrospective. The worst news you heard in 2014 in the sport of professional wrestling.
Ricky Rana: I recall reading this news on Twitter of the death of The Ultimate Warrior and in my head I was praying for this to be a hoax. This all became a reality when a plethora of tributes were given by some of wrestling’s past, present and future stars.
We have to take into consideration that wrestlers do die. Some may go peacefully and others more controversially, but what makes the passing of the Ultimate Warrior the worst news of 2014 is the timing. In January 2014, it was revealed that the Warrior would be inducted into the 2014 Hall of Fame. This was news which fans believed would never happen. Fast forward to WrestleMania XXX and there he is… the Warrior returned home. This ended his hiatus from the WWE and we believed that this was going to be the start of more appearances from the Warrior. If the ending of his recent DVD release and his ‘cryptic’ thank you/farewell speech on Raw after WrestleMania XXX is anything to go by, fate had other plans for the legend that is the Ultimate Warrior.
Also chosen by Jeff DeHaan and Shawn Wilken. Other Choices: Multiple Injuries take stars out of action by Adam Contant, CM Punk quits WWE and then is released by Phillipa Hopwood and WWE Wellness is revealed to be a Joke by Aaron Wrotkowski
Biggest Mistake of 2014
An armchair booker’s favourite question. What did someone do in wrestling in 2014 that just made you upgrade a basic facepalm to a Von Erich claw in shame?
Shawn Wilken: Dixie Carter employing Vince Russo and then thinking she could hide it. Seriously, how dumb do you get? You risked your TV deal with Spike knowing they did not want Russo around and you got caught, ultimately losing your TV spot. Congratulations. For what it’s worth, Russo was writing some quality television for TNA during his run but when the boss wants something from you, you listen.
Other Choices: Wasting Cesaro by Aaron Wrotkowski and Jeff DeHaan, Handling of Divas Division by Phillipa Hopwood, Brock Lesnar ends Undertakers streak by Ricky Rana and WWE’s failure to capitalize on hot angles by Adam Contant
Smartest Move of 2014
Give credit where credit is due!
Aaron Wrotkowski: For many people, TNA moving Impact Wrestling to Destination America is a huge mistake. It has far less reach than SpikeTV and doesn’t even have coverage in Canada. But one of the biggest problems with any wrestling promotion that works with SpikeTV (as far back as when they were TNN) is SpikeTV does a terrible job promoting wrestling. They have no issue having it exist on the network because it brings in audience but when it comes time to actually promote the product? They drop the ball every time. Discovery might be uncharted territory but so far they’ve committed to not just bring Impact Wrestling to the network but add two more TV shows on their channel dedicated to TNA Wrestling. This isn’t a network that’s going to change their mind quick or undermine the company. They are ready and willing to make their channel all about TNA. Not even USA Network has put that much dedication into the WWE. For once, pro wrestling is going to get the respect it deserves as a valuable TV commodity and TNA gets to benefit. Less homes, less money, uncharted territory? It’s worth it when you’re somewhere where you are really wanted instead of somewhere that doesn’t know what to do with you.
Other Choices: Other companies stop trying to be WWE Light by Adam Contant, CM Punk signs with UFC by Ricky Rana, Launch of the WWE Network by Jeff DeHaan, Kevin Owens debut in NXT by Shawn Wilken and Paul Heyman’s Chicago Speech by Phillipa Hopwood
What to look forward to in 2015
What’s going well now that you think is going to get really good in 2015?
Jeff DeHaan: I have been a fan of lucha libre for quite some time, so when I discovered a North American lucha promotion, I was immediately hooked. I haven’t been able to get enough of Lucha Underground. It has finesse, it’s gritty and the smaller venue gives it more of an intimate feel. The talent is there, from masked luchadores like Blue Demon Jr., Prince Puma, and Mil Muertes, to WWE alums like Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Johnny Mundo (John Morrison), and Big Ryck (Ezekiel Jackson). The action is fast-paced with a ton of crazy spots, and it’s called by one of my favourite former WWE commentators, Matt Striker. I honestly can’t say enough good things about Lucha Underground, and I can only hope that they continue on the path they are on through 2015.
Other Choices: Rollins/Ambrose/Reigns by Phillipa Hopwood, Future of NXT by Shawn Wilken and Ricky Rana and WWE Network and NJPW World by Adam Contant and Aaron Wrotkowski
What we hope 2015 learns from 2014
If you learn nothing from the year before, you’ll be doomed to repeat it in the new year. What is 2015 going to learn from what happened in 2014?
Phillipa Hopwood: I hope 2015 learns that last minute decisions are the best decisions. The streak ending was a last minute decision and it was one of the best decisions of the year. It was the biggest shock of the year, even to dirt sheet readers and those “smart” wrestling fans who think they know everything. Wrestling has gained a lot of these over the years and leaks continue to happen for pay-per-views, returns and departures, but it’s good to know that even in a world full of technology and resources WWE still manage to pull it out of the bag when it matters the most.
Other Choices: WWE isn’t the only game in town by Adam Contant and Jeff DeHaan, WWE takes UK fans more seriously by Ricky Rana, Dolph Ziggler is on a tear by Shawn Wilken and Stop running good things into the ground by Aaron Wrotkowski
Bold 2015 Prediction
Time to put your money where your mouth is and see just how wrong (or right?) you are 365 days later. A bold prediction for the future!
Adam Contant: The future of wrestling is on demand. WWE has lead the way and New Japan has followed suit. With a need for fresh programming, WWE Network is going to need to stay ahead of the curve. With all the TV writers on staff, it only makes sense that WWE would begin creating their own versions of popular TV dramas. Law & Order: Kangaroo Court starring David Otunga, Game of Pushes starring Triple H, and the Wrestling Dead starring the Undertaker. Next year, look for the Slammys to include categories for best actor.
Other Choices: WWE wrestlers will attempt a union by Aaron Wrotkowski, Seth Rollins as WWE Champ by Phillipa Hopwood, Sami Zayn makes the main WWE roster by Shawn Wilken, Sami Zayn will wear a mask again by Jeff DeHaan and Roman will Reign in 2015 by Ricky Rana
2014 has just been eliminated from the Royal Rumble. Now entering… 2015. Thanks for reading!
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