Year End Awards 2014

For the fourth year in a row I’ll kick this bad boy off by saying that wrestling attracts lists. Also for the fourth year in a row I’m presenting lists of my favourite wrestling-related things of 2014. Previous years' awards can be found here (2011), here (2012), and here (2013).

But this year there are a few changes. In previous years I’ve kicked off with the five best characters in wrestling. That won’t be happening this year. There are two reasons for that. First, I didn’t think it was a particularly interesting topic anymore. Second, it’s a slog to write this thing and I felt that if I wasn’t especially interested in the topic it wasn’t worth writing about. For anyone interested Batista and Damien Sandow definitely would have made it onto that list. Tyler Breeze probably would have as well.

That leaves us five categories: top cards, top feuds, top matches, top tag teams, and top individual wrestlers. People with too much time on their hands may notice when reading what follows that the number of ranked cards has expanded from five to ten. I’ve no idea why I’ve only previously done five. It seems a pretty slim amount. Ten’s far more natural so that’s what I’ve done here. On this subject the number of feuds would have been expanded if there were enough interesting feuds on offer. Maybe next year.

As with previous years there are no non-North America based grapplers on any of these lists (except one, but that’s for a match that took place in the States). This isn’t a reflection on the quality of wrestling outside of the United States, it’s simply a case of me not following anything outside of North America enough to feel I can fairly judge and compare it. If English language commentary becomes a regular thing for New Japan, or if I end up signing up to their streaming service, that could very well change by this time next year.

The way I’ve ranked wrestlers takes into account the company they work for, their spot on the card, what is required of them by their employer and how well they’ve performed within their parameters. Different things are expected of Daniel Bryan and Jay Briscoe for example, despite both men being world champions. Even within WWE there are different expectations of wrestlers: more is expected of Seth Rollins than of, say, Jack Swagger.

Last year I noted that TNA had had to make some cutbacks which had resulted in “their product become more unfocused and counterproductive than I think it’s ever been before.” Little did I know that things would become worse this year. As such TNA barely features on these lists at all. What positives the company has aren’t used well enough to make me interested in watching, and if they’re not making me watch they don’t get ranked. EVOLVE fans may be pleased to see them getting a few mentions.

We’ll start, for the first time ever, with the top shows category (because the traditional opener of the top characters has gone). It should be a fairly self-explanatory subject. If you can’t figure it out probably give this post a miss, eh?

Top Ten Shows of the Year

10. ROH Best in the World (22.06.14)

(Full review here.)
This is the show where Michael Elgin finally captured the ROH world championship. Yep, a mere twenty-seven months after he became the hottest star in the company in an unsuccessful challenge against Davey Richards. Was it worth waiting for? Well… it was a good match with the right result but it came over a year too late, and I think the crowd reaction and following reign reflected that. But it’s worth watching, as are the tag title match, Strong v Alexander, Steen v Young, and the no DQ tag bout.

9. ROH 12^th Anniversary Show (21.02.14)

(Full review here.)
At the time it felt like it was existing between bigger events, which is something that often happens with ROH’s anniversary offerings. But reDRagon v Adrenalin RUSH, Hero v Cole, and the show-closing brawl between Kevin Steen and Cliff Compton all have something to offer and make this a show worth revisiting.

8. ROH All Star Extravaganza VI (06.09.14)

(Full review here.)
This show is probably most notable for Elgin’s unceremonial loss of the ROH title to Jay Briscoe, apparently necessitated by Visa issues that were sorted out fairly promptly. While good that match was not the best thing on offer. That accolade went to reDRagon v The Young Bucks. Cole v Styles was a strong effort too, as was Jay Lethal’s TV title defence against Cedric Alexander. It was a show that featured a number of matches we don’t usually see, and benefitted accordingly.

Best ROH TV champion ever? Your call...

7. WWE WrestleMania XXX (06.04.14)
(Full review here.)
Despite being incorrectly referred to as WrestleMania’s thirtieth anniversary (it was the thirtieth edition, there’s a difference) WWE got the important things right with their biggest card of the year. Daniel Bryan got two of the most popular victories of his career and Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista all did their best to make him look good getting them. Cesaro also got the most noteworthy win of his WWE career so far when he won the Andre The Giant Battle Royal (hey, it’s not his fault nothing’s been done with him since). Those matches and performances were strong enough to make the show memorable in spite of a shoddy Undertaker v Lesnar match and a rushed Shield six man.

6. WWE Elimination Chamber (23.02.14)

(Full review here.)
This show is here because of three matches: Titus O’Neil v Darren Young, Cameron v AJ Lee, and Alberto Del Rio v Batista. I’m joking, of course. It’s the Chamber match and the Shield v Wyatts six man collision that are most memorable about this show and they’re two of the reasons I’m ranking it here. The third is the Big E v Jack Swagger opener, which was far better than anyone could have reasonably expected. That nothing was done with Swags and E off the back of that performance is exactly what was wrong with WWE this year.

5. NXT ArRIVAL (27.02.14)

(Full review here.)
Looking back I think this was the show where people realised that NXT was more than just an enjoyable developmental programme. In these two hours the NXT crew put on a show better than the vast majority of RAWs (possibly all RAWs) this year and became “the new ECW” or “the new ROH in its prime” or whatever else you want to label it. Basically, it became better than WWE’s main product with this show. We all just took a while to realise.

4. WWE SummerSlam (17.08.14)

(Full review here.)
Brock Lesnar’s fifteen minute demolition of John Cena is the obvious thing to mention here. It was something different to the average WWE match made all the more powerful because it was the usually untouchable Cena who took the one-sided beating. Supported by Ambrose and Rollins’ wild lumberjack fight, a surprisingly entertaining Stephanie McMahon match, a great Rusev v Swagger match, and what was probably Miz’s best match of the year opposite Dolph Ziggler, this was the best main roster effort from WWE all year.

Sixteen of these bad boys. Sixteen!

3. ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds (17.05.14)
(Full review here.)
ROH and New Japan collaborating to put on some never before seen matches was practically guaranteed to produce a great card so it wasn’t a surprise when it did. In spite of some odd choices (The Decade v Gedo and Jado and Hiroshi Tanahashi being tasked with carrying Michael Bennett) the event was a classic. The three-way main event was very good, an achievement in itself considering how unfamiliar the three were with one another, Jay Lethal and Kushida had a wonderful tussle over the ROH TV strap, and the Bucks and reDRagon had one of their many great matches. The news that the two groups will offer a similar collaboration in 2015 was most welcome.

2. NXT Takeover: R Evolution (11.12.14)

(Full review here.)
It’s probably a bad sign that WWE’s best show of the year was one put on by developmental talent. Because the main roster is clogged up with guys like Big Show, Mark Henry and R-Truth, none of whom are capable of contributing anything constructive, names like Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Finn Bálor and Hideo Itami have to make do with wrestling on Network specials. It’s not how the world’s biggest wrestling promotion should be run.

What’s good is that the stupidity of the company doesn’t seem to get any of the performers down. All of them do amazing work week after week, participating in a well-written, logical show that doesn’t rush anything and gives its characters time to development. The result of that approach is R Evolution. If that’s not a reason to apply that approach to the main roster I don’t know what is.

1. ROH Final Battle (07.12.14)

(Full review here.)
Ring of Honor takes the best show spot with, well, the best show of the year. It was easy to overlook how good Final Battle was as it came just days before NXT’s acclaimed R Evolution event. As much as I enjoyed the NXT spesh Ring of Honor’s year-ender was better. Every match did what it needed to. The majority did far more. The three title matches, the six man bout, and Strong v Page were all cracking efforts, and there was even an amusing swerve turn from Veda Scott. The show could not have done more. If this were the benchmark for ROH they could expand in no time.

Top Five Feuds of the Year

5. reDRagon v The Young Bucks

It wasn’t the most heavily emphasised rivalry in wrestling but the two teams clashed several times during the year: Raising the Bar Part 2, War of the Worlds, All Star Extravaganza VI, and the Super Junior tourney finals show. Every single time they did they produced something very enjoyable, and usually superior to their previous clash.

4. The Shield v Evolution

The two teams only met twice. But both of those matches were excellent and there was a compelling story to the feud: The Shield were tired of being used as mere enforcers by ‘The Game’ and The Authority so they turned babyface. It sounds simple and it was, but there were layers and nuances to it that really made it stand out, such as Triple H becoming obsessed with ending The Shield at any cost and the way the programme was presented as having tinges of the young guys wanting to take the older guys’ spots. Plus, of course, there was the ending. Which we’ll get to in a moment…

Note Batista's stylish red boots.

3. Sami Zayn v Adrian Neville
Friendly rivalries are not something we see all too often in WWE which is a shame as they can be very effective when done right. As was the case with Neville and Zayn’s rivalry. What’s particularly good about it, looking back, is that it actually had the seeds sown for it (intentionally or not) in late 2013 when the pair clashed in a number one contenders match (won by Neville).

They started interacting more frequently in the lead-up to Takeover II, being presented as pals that shared a healthy competitive streak. As things escalated, Neville becoming increasingly antagonistic and Zayn played the troubled babyface, doubting himself as he continued to fail in his quest to capture the NXT gold, the pair participated in a number of exciting matches against one another and shared opponents (such as that young prospect Titus O’Neil), and even had a couple of memorable verbal exchanges. They made everything they did matter.

2. Daniel Bryan v The Authority

It was the rivalry that drove the 2014 WrestleMania Season. And one of the reasons I like that fact is that it wasn’t the original plan. Things had to be rejigged after the CM Punk walkout and the fans’ unwaveringly positive reactions to Daniel Bryan week after week.

It worked because it stuck to probably the most successful formula WWE has ever had: the downtrodden babyface who keeps going no matter what’s thrown at him. Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Batista, Randy Orton ad Kane were all deployed against D-Bry in a wide variety of skits and segments and he kept going, determined to win the WWE championship. His opening match battle with Tripper at WrestleMania XXX was a joy to watch and cleverly saw Bryan gain the retribution he needed to before he went on to have his moment of victory later in the night when he made ‘The Animal’ tap out to the Yes Lock for the title.

1. Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins

When The Shield were split and went their separate ways I was disappointed. Not only did it feel like the lads had plenty left to accomplish together but I wanted to see a member of a faction win the WWE championship without his teammates turning on him. It came across as an act of desperation designed to distract viewers from the absence of Daniel Bryan rather than a well-considered move that would improve WWE programming.

But improve WWE programming it did. Rollins became a bratty, entitled egotist who was handed opportunity after opportunity and cheated to come out on top every time. Ambrose was cast as the deranged vigilante, the one man determined to give Rollins what he deserved. After making us wait nearly three months for a proper match the pair didn’t disappoint: they had a great battle at SummerSlam and followed up with memorable performances on the August 18 RAW and at Hell in a Cell. It was exactly the rivalry WWE needed to make it through the year without their hottest star.

Greatest rivalry of 2014. Fact.

Top Ten Matches of the Year
(There’s no analysis here. If you want to know why these matches are in the top ten just go and watch them…)

10. Big E v Jack Swagger – WWE Elimination Chamber (23.02.14)

9. Sami Zayn v Adrian Neville – NXT R Evolution (11.12.14)

8. Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins – Falls Count Anywhere match, WWE RAW 18.08.14

7. Kushida v Jay Lethal – ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds (17.05.14)

6. reDRagon v Time Splitters – ROH Final Battle (07.12.14)

5. Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins – Lumberjack match, WWE SummerSlam (17.08.14)

4. The Shield v Evolution – No holds barred elimination match, WWE Payback (01.06.14)

3. reDRagon v Young Bucks – ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds (17.05.14)

2. The Shield v The Wyatt Family – WWE Elimination Chamber (23.02.14)

1. Cesaro v Sami Zayn – NXT ArRIVAL (27.02.14)

Top Ten Tag Teams of the Year

10. New Age Outlaws

Because the Outlaws were in the first wrestling match I ever really paid attention to and they're the reason I became a fan. There's no way I'm passing up an opportunity to rank them somewhere in a Year End Awards in what will probably be my only chance. Plus they won the tag belts and had more than competent matches with the Usos and the Rhodes brothers. That’s enough to justify their inclusion.

9. The Vaudevillains

A vaudeville act that enters the arena as part of a silent movie. One is a strong man incapable of working a particularly strong man style. The other is a skinny, pale fella originally introduced as a singer. Written down it sounds a mess. But the pair have done everything possible to set themselves apart on a lively, interesting roster. For that they deserve a tonne of credit.

8. The Usos

Jimmy and Jey had the underwhelming honour of being WWE’s most reliable team, guys who’d always put on a good match and occasionally push themselves to great ones. Their most notable offerings this year were a pair of tag matches against Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan, their tag team title win over the New Age Outlaws in early March, and a six man tag match against The Wyatt Family alongside John Cena, towards the beginning of their lengthy series with Harper and Rowan. The trouble the Usos have is that they’re in WWE, where tag wrestling takes a back seat. That and the fact that they’re not especially interesting characters.

7. The Wolves

TNA’s premier tag team. It’s not much, but it’s something. They did put in good performances against Team 3D and the Hardy Boys in the three-way series, getting the overall victory when they won a Full Metal Mayhem match (on Impact because TNA can’t afford pay-per-view). Outside of that series Eddie and Davey rarely shone, but they did have a handful of decent outings against The BroMans and MVP’s heel unit.

They'd have been better off in ROH.

6. Adrenaline RUSH
ROH were stupid to split ACH and TaDarius Thomas back in April. There was so much more that could have been done with them and a disservice was done to the tag division by not pitting them against The Young Bucks. Imagine how good a Bucks v reDRagon v Adrenaline RUSH match could have been! In less than three months they had numerous exciting matches with reDRagon and even dragged enjoyable showings from various Decade pairings. They were exactly the sort of team that makes ROH worthwhile.

5. The Dust Brothers

The Rhodes boys had competent matches against the New Age Outlaws at the start of the year before doing a whole lot of not much for months on end. They were reinvigorated when Cody became Stardust: he threw himself into the new persona and Goldust subtly reconfigured himself to become the intimidating enforcer of the team. It’s tough for tag teams to stand out in WWE but the Dusts have come about as close as can be reasonably expected.

4. The Bravado Brothers

After sending The Young Bucks packing from EVOLVE (in storyline because of a suspension, in reality because the Bucks cost top dollar) the Bravados went on to become the longest reigning Open the United Gate champions ever. They became the focal point of a thin but talented doubles scene in the company, working a series of matches with The Colony before progressing to The Premier Athlete Brand. Not the flashiest wrestlers but a pair of guys who know their gimmick and make the most of what they do well. Not bad for a pair of guys Ring of Honor (stupidly) cut a year or two back.

3. The Premier Athlete Brand

Technically this entry should about the pairing of Caleb Konley and Anthony Nese, but Trent Barreta tagged with both men on different occasions and all three wrestled some very good trios matches throughout the year. The Brand’s highlights of 2014 were a win in the six man tournament final at Mercury Rising, a loss in a spot-heavy TLC match against Uhaa Nation, AR Fox and Rich Swann, their tag title victory at EVOLVE 35, and their three-way collision with The Colony and the Bravados on the final night of the WWN China tour. Not bad for a group who hadn’t really teamed at the end of 2013.

2. The Young Bucks

They had great but psychology lite matches with everyone. Most notably they tangled several times with reDRagon and always put on a great show. In addition to that they had enjoyable bouts against Daniels and Kazarian, the Briscoes, and the dashed together pairing of ACH and Matt Sydal. This is, of course, without mentioning their stellar New Japan work (for reasons discussed above), although I say that their three-way IWGP junior tag defence against Forever Hooligans and Time Splitters at Global Wars was top notch.

1. reDRagon

Another really strong year for Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, the undisputed team to beat in ROH as well as two of its most well-defined and popular characters. With two ROH tag title reigns to their name, one of which started in 2013 and the other of which started in May and is still going at well over two hundred days, and cracking bouts against The Young Bucks, The Addiction, Adrenalin RUSH and Time Splitters, amongst others, there was no other choice for the number one spot. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly continue to be the benchmark for tag team wrestling.

Two time tag team of the year winners. Prestigious, no?

Top Twenty Wrestlers of the Year

20. Jack Swagger

Even 2010, the year he won the World Heavyweight championship, wasn’t as good a year for Swagger as 2014 was. He was part of an underutilised tag team with Cesaro until they split had some enjoyable matches after WrestleMania. His summer series of matches with Rusev were surprisingly gripping and he made a surprise appearance in the Matches of the Year list alongside Big E.  

19. John Cena

Cena had a pretty unspectacular year all told. He failed to elevate Bray Wyatt in their feud and had numerous unspectacular high profiles matches on RAW and pay-per-view, many of which co-starred 'Mr Charisma' Randy Orton. But he did have two very enjoyable main events against Brock Lesnar and did a good job of making 'The Beast' look unstoppable in both (though particularly the first). He ended the year on a strong note with a decent tables match victory over Seth Rollins at TLC.

18. Rusev

‘The Super Athlete’ has been very good as an emotionless, unstoppable killer. He sells far more than he needs to and he’s had above average matches with everyone from Big E to Jack Swagger to Sheamus. He’s gotten his character over (with an assist from Lana) and been sensibly protected. One of WWE’s few successes.

17. Bad News Barrett

Took a bit part on a YouTube show produced by obnoxious commentators and turned it into one of the most over characters in wrestling. His post-'Mania RAW match opposite Rey Mysterio was a fun demolition and his IC title winning outing against Big E at Extreme Rules exceeded expectations. Had he not had some, ahem, bad news in the form of a separated shoulder Barrett would likely be much higher on this list. I hope his push gets back on track in 2015. The dude deserves it.

And yes, Barrett's half year in WWE was better than anyone's full year in TNA.

16. Luke Harper

Got a borderline-stunning win (via interference, natch) over Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental title late in the year. The rematches they had were amongst the few highlights of the TV shows they were on. This is in addition to the six man matches he worked as part of The Wyatt Family, most notably the ones against Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns, all of which were never less than fun.

He'd have been number one in a Greying Beard category.

15. ACH
ACH retained his status as both ROH’s premier flyer and wrestler least effected by ring psychology. He didn’t get any major wins over any established company names but he did have some electric outings against everyone from Adam Cole to Jay Briscoe to his favoured sparring partner Cedric Alexander. Before Adrenaline RUSH were (prematurely) split they had been a highlight of ROH’s tag division. That they didn’t get more opportunities to steal the show with reDRagon and The Young Bucks is a real shame. But now that he’s been selected for a prominent singles role ACH deserves to be one of ROH’s most heavily pushed guys in 2015.

14. Cesaro

Cesaro seemed poised for big things back in April. After winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal, to a huge pop, he broke away from Real Americans tag partner Jack Swagger and took on Paul Heyman as his manager. But after winning a three-way match against Swagger and Rob Van Dam at Extreme Rules nothing much was done with the Cesaro and Heyman pairing. After they split a few months later Cesaro was mostly used as a guy who’d produce good matches, most notably against Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler on pay-per-view. It’s nice that he’s seen as reliable but so much more could be done with him.

13. Bray Wyatt

Character-wise it was a great year for 'The Eater of Worlds'. He managed to turn every sketchy bit of material sent his way into something worth watching. Unfortunately he was lumbered with a string of less-than-ideal opponents and gimmick matches. John Cena in the spring and early summer for example. His programme with Dean Ambrose has yet to pick up. It might end without doing so. The pointless autumn sabbatical didn't help either. But when he was good (v Daniel Bryan at Royal Rumble, v The Shield at Elimination Chamber, the ladder match at Money in the Bank) he was really good.

12. Roman Reigns

Yeah, Roman Reigns. Surprising, right? He rose to the occasion in the Royal Rumble, making sure he looked like the machine he was booked to be. He participated in great six man tags before The Shield were split, most notably against the Wyatts and Evolution. He again looked like a beast in the WWE championship ladder match at Money in the Bank and did what he could at Battleground a month later. Sadly, things fell apart for him after that, with a drab SummerSlam outing opposite an unmotivated Randy Orton preceding a three month layoff. He's going to struggle as the leading man WWE seem keen to cast him as but he has at least proven he'll give every chance he's given his all, and that he’s trying to improve. 

11. Johnny Gargano

‘The Whole Shebang’s’ epic run as Open the Freedom Gate champ was ended at the hands of Ricochet in a great match at Open the Ultimate Gate in April. Seven months later Gargano regained the title during the WWN tour of China in another belter opposite Ricochet. In between he produced compelling work with Anthony Nese, Matt Sydal, Drew Gulak and Rich Swann and turned babyface again. His burgeoning rivalry with The Premier Athlete Brand should be a highlight of EVOLVE in 2015.

10. Daniel Bryan

This should have been Daniel Bryan's year. The WWE creative hive mind okayed a pushed for him when it became obvious that audiences weren’t willing to accept a Batista v Orton singles main event at WrestleMania. That saw him beat Triple H in the ‘Mania opener before capturing the WWE title in the main event. Had he not needed an extended amount of time off the likelihood is that he’d have held the title until SummerSlam before dropping it to Brock Lesnar. Instead he made a single defence against Kane before vacating the strap and getting surgery. Appearances he’s made since indicate he’s as popular as he was at the start of 2014 so hopefully he can return and get back on track next year.

9. Jay Briscoe

He got a surprise second reign as ROH champion when visa issues necessitated a quick change from Michael Elgin. He then got a surprise extension of that reign when Adam Cole's Final Battle win was scrapped because of injury concerns. It wasn't just luck that got him placed here though. Briscoe had enjoyable matches at the ROH 12^th Anniversary Show, Glory by Honor XIII, and Final Battle, and tag outings alongside his brother at War of the Worlds, Survival of the Fittest Night Two, and Champions Versus All-Stars. At this point he is out doubtlessly ROH's 'Mr Reliable'.

Headliners of the show of the year.

8. Tyler Breeze
'The Gorgeous One' arguably has the most rounded act in all of NXT. He has a unique look. He can talk. And he can wrestle a very good match. Obviously his performances at the NXT specials were all particularly good, but his less noteworthy matches, such as the three-way against Zayn and Kidd, his match with Kalisto, his unsuccessful challenge for Neville’s title on episode 111, and his tag match alongside Tyson Kidd against Hideo Itami and Finn Bálor, were worth a look too. If Neville and Zayn make the leap to the main roster next year then ‘The Gorgeous One’ could finally get his hands on the NXT championship.

7. Adam Cole

For the first half of the year he was the ROH world champion and during that time he produced great defences against Chris Hero, Kevin Steen, Jushin Liger, ACH, and Jay Briscoe in a hard-hitting Ladder War at the Anniversary Show. He dropped the strap to the not-as-hot-as-he-was-in-2013 Michael Elgin in a solid headliner at Best in the World and then focused on establishing his Kingdom faction with Michael Bennett and Maria Kanellis (and later Matt Taven). The second half of the year saw him work some “dream matches” against the likes of Matt Sydal and AJ Styles before failing to regain the title from Briscoe in a wild Fight Without Honor. With or without the world title Cole was ROH's top in-ring performer.

6. Dean Ambrose

Seemingly surpassed Roman Reigns in popularity after the split of The Shield thanks to his Feud of the Year opposite Seth Rollins. Their matches never failed to disappoint. They even managed to do something interesting with the usually tedious lumberjack gimmick. While they were doomed to fail their attempts to match Mick Foley’s death-defying bumps inside Hell in a Cell were appreciated. Before that split the Shield lads showed themselves to be the best three man unit WWE's ever had with their performance opposite the Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber and Evolution at both Extreme Rules and Payback. It’s just a shame that he ended the year on low note in a dreary programme with Bray Wyatt.

5. Adrian Neville

'The Man That Gravity Forgot' was one of the many consistent highlights of NXT. His ladder match with Bo Dallas at the inaugural NXT special was ace, as were his defences against Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd, as well as the four-way match at Takeover II. Neville is a reliably crisp hand who can do incredible things in and around a wrestling ring. And his verbal work has been good too. Considering how wooden he's been in the past I think that deserves particular credit.

4. Dolph Ziggler

Floated about for the first half of the year before finally being given something meaningful to do in the second. With his three Intercontinental title reigns he desperately tried to make the championship mean something again. He didn't manage it trading the belt with The Miz but he fared better opposite Luke Harper. The handful of matches he had with Seth Rollins were excellent and I wish there’d been more. Survivor Series saw ‘The Show Off’ presented as a top guy, outlasting three heels to come back and win, sending The Authority packing.

He ended the PPV by having the match of the night at TLC. I hope the renewed interest in him carries over into 2015. Ziggler is a guy that fans want to see. WWE should be embracing that.

Solid back half. Not like that...

3. Ricochet
‘The Future of Flight’ became EVOLVE’s top star this year after defeating Johnny Gargano for the Open the Freedom Gate title and getting first dibs on choice opponents. His performances against Chris Hero, Trent Barreta, Matt Sydal, and Uhaa Nation were all first rate, as were his two title exchanges with Gargano. Outside of WWN Ricochet won a great Battle of Los Angeles tournament in PWG, became the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the Open the Dream gate championship, and defeated Kushida to win New Japan’s Best of the Super Junior tourney.

Surely he should be ‘The Present of Flight’ by now?

2. Sami Zayn

The former El Generico (I’m smashing kayfabe there, right?) stood out as the most naturally likeable man in all of wrestling this year. His ongoing quest for the NXT title was one of the plots that made NXT such an enjoyable watch during the year, punctuated with charismatic promos and attention-grabbing matches. Highlights of his year in the ring were matches against Corey Graves, Tyler Breeze (Takeover), Adrian Neville (R Evolution), Tyson Kidd, and, of course, his match of the year showing opposite Cesaro at the original NXT special. His upcoming programme with old rival Kevin Owens should be a highlight of NXT next year.

1. Seth Rollins

For the first half of the year Rollins was part of the incredibly popular Shield trio. That saw him participant in lively six man tag matches against The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber and Evolution at Extreme Rules and Payback, in addition to entertaining singles outings against Batista and Dolph Ziggler and a memorable performance from the number two spot in the Royal Rumble.

His heel turn on June 2 provided him the opportunity to change his act up for a prominent singles role, which he seized. It also provided the launching pad for his Feud of the Year opposite Dean Ambrose. The second half of the year saw Rollins enter a dynamic, and winning, performance in the Money in the Bank ladder match, wrestle the most enjoyable WWE lumberjack match in years, headline a pay-per-view in prime gimmick bout Hell in a Cell, and rub shoulders with top lad John Cena on TV and PPV.

Rollins made 2014 a breakout year for himself by seizing every opportunity WWE sent his way. If only everyone in WWE were given things to work with.

The best wrestler of 2014.

WrestleMania 31: The Long Game

WrestleMania 31 is still over six months away. There are no matches announced for it yet, obviously, but it's already looking like a show on which WWE could enhance a number stars. And if WrestleMania's not a show which can enhance stars then frankly no WWE show is.

Payback 2015 headliner? Stay tuned!

Let's start at the top. Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE world heavyweight championship is clearly very likely. Pretty much everyone thinks that's going to happen, and with good reason. By ending The Streak and easily taking the title from John Cena, Lesnar has established as an unstoppable force. In the world of wrestling an unstoppable force will always be stopped, and the WWE hive mind seems to have its act together enough at the moment to realise that a rising star would benefit most from doing the stopping.

Reigns beating 'The Beast' for the title in the WrestleMania main event would make him. There's a chance that the audience could turn on him in that situation because he'd be seen as a golden boy, a man hand-picked by management rather than fans, and because Lesnar, as the dominant heel, would likely be getting cheered at WrestleMania. But it's a risk worth taking. And WWE should be expecting the possibility of hostility for Reigns too, which might help them curb it (though I doubt that). But no matter the possible backlash it’s worth trying because it would get Reigns over in such emphatic style.

The other two star-making opportunities I foresee ever far further into the realms of fantasy booking than Reigns and Lesnar. The first is Rusev v Cena. It's clearly going to happen at some point and the natural place, in my mind, is WrestleMania 31. By that point Rusev will have had a year-long push and should be one of the most hated men on the roster. He won't be undefeated, because he's already suffered DQ losses, but he could still boast unpinned and unsubmitted. A foreign menace with a fearsome submission hold is the prototypical Cena foe (somewhat surprising as he’s face very few people who match that description in meaningful matches). After facing Wyatt this year I'm hopeful that the new approach with him at 'Mania's is working with rising names in grudge matches with no titles involved.

The trouble with this scenario is obvious to anybody who knows their WWE. Basically, Cena doesn't lose matches like this. He goes in there, does his version of selling for a bit, gets put in the heel's submission hold and powers out or kicks out of their finisher, and AAs them into oblivion. I'd hoped that the Wyatt match at WM30 would see a change to that routine, but no. If Cena v Rusev gets saved until WrestleMania there's a very real possibility Rusev will suffer his first main roster televised pinfall or submission loss. Because John Cena is the man that saves America from villainous Russians.

It's less about Cena overcoming Rusev and more about Rusev overcoming Cena.

If we think positively this match could do wonders for the upper reaches of the WWE roster. A win over Cena would turn Rusev into a made man. He'd be the man who overcame everything, not entirely dissimilar to another Lesnar (not really an issue as there's no guarantee Lesnar will stick around for the remainder of 2015 and even if he does he'll appear infrequently). In other words Rusev would be ideally placed as a challenger to a babyface WWE champion.

Rusev versus Reigns in a post-'Mania programme may not sound electrifying now but if both men were coming off career-making wins it would be a different story. That, however, is not the feud I'd like to see. It could be easily held off until SummerSlam 2015. I think a better and more likely programme would be Reigns versus Rollins. It's a more desirable feud that has a natural starting: Rollins cashes in his Money in the Bank 'tract on Reigns either at WrestleMania or in the closing moments of the following evening's RAW, stealing his title, his spotlight and his moment all at once. Reigns could chase Rollins for the gold for a couple of months before regaining it in time to deal Rusev his first loss at SummerSlam. If Reigns found himself booed for being the chosen one in the rivalry with Rollins his follow-up tussle with 'The Super Athlete' would get fans back on side. Nothing gets WWE fans riled like a foreigner being proud of where they’re from.  

The other star-maker WWE have at their disposal is Triple H. Is he the best wrestler ever? No. But he is a significant name in WWE and a victory over him, particularly a clean one, is still a pretty big deal. Anybody who's over could be elevated by a 'Mania programme and win over 'The King of Kings' and I'm sure there'd be a strong argument for putting Dean Ambrose in the spot. The thing there is that Ambrose he already massively over. He'd benefit from the match but not as much as others. If WWE keeps giving him the same level of creative freedom as they have been and taking the same booking approach he'll remain massively popular.

Cesaro would probably be a favourite for most too, but I think a better choice would be Bray Wyatt. At time of writing Wyatt's stock has fallen. His matches with Chris Jericho have struggled to rise to average and he was booked to face (and lose to) Cena in a meaningless TV main event on the August 25 RAW. This isn't about his character not working or losing popularity. I don't think either of those statements is true. It's about WWE having a performer who four months ago felt like he was going to become something huge and doing nothing with him.

Why has Wyatt been allowed to simmer?

Getting Wyatt back on track with a face turn and a programme with The Authority would put him back at the top and make it clear WWE sees him as a major name. Which is exactly what they should see him as. With Corporate Kane, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton all linked to 'The Game' and Luke Harper and Erick Rowan linked to ‘The Eater of Worlds’ there would be no shortage of build-up matches. In fact the issue could start out as a feud between Wyatt and Rollins or Orton. Hey, if Batista came back they could do Evolution versus The Wyatt Family. If there's one thing we've learnt about WWE over the last eighteen months it's that they know how to put together a six man tag when the mood takes them.

Wyatt beating Triple H would be big. By the it happened he'd probably already be one of the company's top faces, that match would just confirm to everyone that he was staying on top. 'The Man of a Thousand Truths’ could even be put into a post-'Mania programme with Rusev. A loss there wouldn't hurt, he'd be over enough to take it and it would further enhance Rusev in preparation for his SummerSlam showdown with Reigns.

To sum up: make Reigns with Lesnar, Rollins with Reigns (and the magical golden briefcase), Rusev with Cena, and Wyatt with Triple H. That would give WWE four new main event calibre performers to mix with Cena, Orton and Daniel Bryan (who'll presumably be healthy by then). Five including Ambrose, who, as I've already said, could become a top guy just by continuing to do what he's doing around main event names. Then they could start work on establishing another batch of guys, headed by Cesaro.

Ohhhh, the possibilities for WrestleMania 32...

That RAW Recap 09.06.14

So we now know why Seth Rollins turned on his buddies. He felt that, as The Shield’s so-called architect (a term first applied by Michael Cole several months ago, not one Rollins had actually mentioned himself), he had taken it as far as it could realistically go. They'd beaten everyone and become one of the most dominant units ever. Rollins felt that Triple H had a point with his adapt to survive natter and decided to jump ship to Evolution. There was nothing, he reasoned, left for them to do as a trio.

Does this hold up? Is it suitable as the explanation for the end of one of WWE's most popular acts? I'd offer a tentative yes to the first question and a far heartier yes to the second.

Check out the duds on Seth.

Scrutinising any wrestler's reason for switching between heel and face (whichever way they're going) is a tricky business. Particularly, as is the case here, if it's a swerve turn. Rollins going bad was designed less to make sense and more to set up a fresh dynamic, matches and storylines. You can question his claim about creating The Shield, being inspired by 'The Game's' Darwinist lite speeches, and having run dry on objectives, but they're not going to make complete sense because they were comments made to retroactively explain an inexplicable change of heart.

We're on safer ground when looking at this as the reason The Shield (or at least the original configuration) had to go away. The group was always going to split at some point and the most natural way, practically the only way, to do it was to have one member turn on the others (or two turn on one, which amounts to the same thing). A better job could have been done creating a reason for the turn, seeding it and teasing it over a period of weeks or months, but ultimately it was always going to come down to this. It's predictable but fine. It’s the climax we expected for Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose.

Rollins was dressed in a natty black suit when he gave his explanation. It was left to his former teammates Reigns and Ambrose to represent the SWAT attire. They did that in their three segments, the first of which saw them job out 3MB and then give a very good promo about the defection of Mr Rollins. ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ noted, as Rollins would later in the evening, that the group had dominated the company and would be remembered as one of the greatest ever. He branded Rollins a suck-up and assured him that he’d rearrange his face in their inevitable match before referring to him as Triple H’s puppet. His delivery was spot-on.

Reigns was more succinct. He called Seth “the scum of the Earth” before saying he was targeting Randy Orton and Triple H and making a Game of Thrones gag. The audience responded well to the entire thing. While it was a pity that the Shield split came so soon, and from nowhere, at least fans are empathising with The Shield and wanting to see Rollins get his.

Ambrose and Reigns were back out again to rumble with Seth after he’d made his big Reason I Turned announcement. They briefly got their hands on him before the lights went out and they found themselves confronted by the Wyatt Family (Bray’s first appearance in a ring since Payback eight days before, fact fans!). John Cena made the save, setting up the six man tag main event.

They're still winners, y'know.

Said main event was a good match, but it didn’t hit the heights of previous Shield-Wyatts encounters.The main reason for that was obviously Cena. I’ve defended his wrestling ability in the past and stand by my statements but a six man tag match is not an environment he’s cut out for. That’s mostly because he’s not used to the pacing differences to his regular singles matches. But even if Cena had been a superworker like Daniel Bryan this match would have jarred. The trios as they were knew each other and so knew how to play to the opposition’s strengths to have a damned fine match. A newcomer’s involvement threw that off.

The only other items of relevance all occurred in the opening segment. A statement from Dr Joseph Maroon was played in which it was revealed WWE champion Daniel Bryan would not be cleared to wrestle until July at the earliest. The Authority then announced that D-Bry had been stripped of the WWE world title. Curiously Stephanie claimed they’d been trying to get hold of Bryan all day to tell him the news seconds before revealing the championship belts hanging over the ring. How did that come about, eh?

Because of that the Money in the Bank match at Money in the Bank was changed to a multi-man ladder match for the vacant championship. It was referred to throughout the show as a Money in the Bank ladder match, even though the Money in the Bank briefcase won’t be on the line. Sheamus and Cesaro joined the already qualified Alberto Del Rio in the match by defeating Wade Barrett and Robert Van Dam respectively. Randy Orton was slotted into the bout simply for being Randy Orton. I’m not being facetious. That was the reason Triple H gave when announcing ‘The Viper’s’ involvement.

It’s disheartening that Bryan has been stripped of the title. Since winning it at WrestleMania he’s defended it once. Against Kane. That’s hardly a memorable run, and it’s a shame because WWE had done a good job of telling the story of Bryan regaining the title. Fans wanted to see him as champion and Bryan deserved a lengthy reign.

It’s understandable though. The title couldn’t be kept on him indefinitely and with MITB WWE has the ideal way to crown a new champ. Bryan works better as a challenger than a champion so another storyline quest for the gold should work well enough. In fact, another stretch chasing the champion will probably work out pretty well for Bryan in the long run.

The Mysterious Plan A

Last Monday’s RAW saw Seth Rollins turn on his Shield brethren and side with Triple H and Randy Orton. It was a shocking climax to an otherwise humdrum show that freshened up the top of the WWE card. The reason or reasons Seth, the so-called architect of The Shield, defected have yet to be revealed. Was it money? Was it a promise that he’d become a singles star if he joined up with ‘The Game’? Was it, to quote good ol’ JR, a setup all along, Seth having been loyal to Trips since his days as nought but a developmental prospect?

Chances are we won’t know why Rollins did the dirty for a while yet. We may never know. While this is easily WWE’s most pressing question (which speaks to the rather drab state of storylines at present) it’s not the only one raised on RAW. There was a second.

Look back at the show and you’ll see what I mean. RAW began with Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista in the ring. Triple H announced that The Shield would be ended by the end of the night. Before he could elaborate Big Dave interrupted him with demands for an immediate title match, a resignation and some comedy waving. That Tripper was left spluttering as ‘The Animal’ walked backstage indicated that all three members of Evolution had been a part of his initial plan to end ‘The Hounds of Justice’. Why else would the loss of Batista throw him so?

No, Seth! No!

The main event segment was advertised throughout the show as a singles match between Randall Orton and Roman Reigns. That match didn’t happen. Instead we got the Rollins heel turn and a three-on-one chair assisted beating. Rollins could have smacked Reigns and Ambrose with a chair even if Batista had stuck around but that clearly wasn’t ‘The Cerebral Assassin’s’ initial scheme because he referred to Seth turning as Plan B.

And that’s the second question. What was Plan A?

Another six man tag team match? Another umpteen-on-three handicap predicament for The Shield, followed by a mugging by the Evo boys? A series of Evolution v Shield singles matches inexplicably given away on TV instead of being saved for pay-per-view? A pink slip on a pole match pitting the Shield members against one another in an effort to drive a wedge between them? Kevin Nash? We don’t know and we never will, because we were expected to forget everything about the situation the moment Seth Rollins “shocked the world” and turned heel.

That RAW Recap 02.06.14

As with so many RAWs of recent times the June 2 episode seems destined to be remembered for only a handful of things. Nobody will look back at El Torito wearing an afro wig, the Bo Dallas v Kofi Kingston or Adam Rose v Jack Swagger matches, Rusev’s medal presentation, Damien Sandow pretending to be a basketball player, or the latest match between 3MB and Los Matadores as anything special. Even the story beats for the Goldust and Cody Rhodes split and Alberto Del Rio qualifying for this year’s Money in the Bank match won’t be remembered a  month from now.

This RAW will be looked back on for its opening segment, its closing segment, and a meeting about Daniel Bryan that fell towards the middle. It’s important to emphasise that it was about Bryan and that it didn’t feature him. Bryan was not on the show. He’s still injured and will presumably be absent from television until Money in the Bank. There he will either defend the title against Kane in a stretcher match or be forced to vacate it so a new champion can be crowned in the MITB ladder battle.

The meeting (not that it was billed as that) was between Stephanie McMahon and John Cena. Steph had gone to the ring to run down Daniel Bryan (again) and his recently fired wife-slash-martyr for the Yes Movement Brie. She did that for a couple of minutes before John Cena joined her to stand up for Bryan. He did that by reminding the world of the clean victory Bryan had handed him at SummerSlam and describing him as a great wrestler.

Then Cena revealed his latest problem with The Authority. He believes that Stephanie and Triple H have allowed their dislike of Daniel Bryan to influence their decision making. That was hardly a revelation: the entire point of The Authority, who’ve been around as a heel faction for nine months now, is that they pursue their own interests and ideals under the guise of doing “what’s best for business.” They are corrupt bosses. That’s their gimmick. To have Cena addressing that as some sort of revelation after so long just made him look thick. It also didn’t do D-Bry any favours: it looked as though he wasn’t able to show up and defend himself so Cena had to do it for him. That wasn’t helped by Cena being naturally better at these sorts of confrontational promos than Bryan.

The exchange between Cena and Steph wasn’t bad. It was, in fact, rather good in places. But it gave us nothing we hadn’t seen or heard before. It felt like WWE treading water with a storyline they know will get a reaction instead of trying something new, which is what the absence of a top star should prompt.

Batista' quit. Deal with it.

The opening segment was my personal favourite of the programme. At first it seemed like a standard issue Evolution promo (aside from Batista randomly taking his jacket off as he walked down the aisle). ‘The Game’ talked about the gang’s feud with The Shield not being over and how he never loses, even though he’d been pinned the night before and Evolution had been the losers in both their encounters with ‘The Hounds of Justice’. Basically it was exactly the approach that would have been taken if a third Shield versus Evolution bout had been coming.

But that was the point. The writing team played on their predictability. The swerve came when Batista plucked the microphone from Triple H’s hand, mid-speech, and said he was tired of tangling with The Shield and wanted the one-on-one WWE championship match he’d been promised. H3 said there was a plan in place but Big Dave said he didn’t care. Triple H busted out a pep talk and said Batista would get everything he’d been promised once The Shield were beaten and dissolved.

Batista said he understood. The he quit. With a sarcastic, Royal Family-esque wave that demonstrated why he’s so good at the role he’s been in.

This was WWE’s way of writing ‘The Animal’ off television for a while. It gives them the option of bringing him back as a babyface to face Triple H or Randy Orton but that would be a foolish move. The last six months should have taught WWE that nobody is interested in cheering for Batista. The appeal of watching him is booing him and seeing how badly and unprofessionally he reacts to it. He’ll return at some point, and when he does it will be as a heel. I still think there’s appeal in a Batista v Bryan title match, so if Bryan has the title when Big dave returns that’s an encounter I’d like to see.

Then there was the closing segment. It’s the one that will be remembered the longest because it featured (or seemed to, see two paragraphs down) the dissolution of The Shield. Having been such a prominent part of WWE for the last eighteen months that was always going to be a big deal. Which is a good thing because taken on its own merits the sequence we saw close RAW was a tad underwhelming.

Why, Seth? Why?!

Triple H stood in the aisle with fellow Evolution members Randy Orton and The Sledgehammer. He announced that beating The Shield in an elimination match had been Plan A. Plan B was revealed to be Seth Rollins smashing Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a chair. Reigns was targeted first, leaving Deano to do some of his best surprised acting, which was so hammy that I briefly thought he was going to be switching sides too (and let’s face it, he was the one most people thought would be going heel when the Shield split came). Rollins then left the ring and handed the chair to ‘The Viper’ so that he could go in and take a turn walloping the two good guys.

Perhaps it’s wishful thinking but I’m not convinced Rollins’s heel turn will be permanent. It was interesting to note that he gave Ambrose many more chair shots than Roman Reigns. That could have been under orders to set up an Ambrose v Rollins singles match, leaving Reigns for Orton. It could have been Rollins being a professional and knowing that Reigns’s back was covered in bruises from the caning he’d taken the night before and not wanting to harm him more than necessary. Or it could have been done with the bruise excuse in mind with a plan to revealing that storyline Seth took it easy on his buddy at a later date. When he reveals himself as a double agent, basically.

It could have had no meaning whatsoever too, of course.

I know the double agent idea is unlikely. It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part but I’d like it to turn out that The Shield were in on the turn the whole time as part of a “trick” on Triple H. The thing there is that it wouldn’t actually get them anything.

I wasn’t ready for The Shield to be split yet. They had things they could still do together and I wanted them to hit their two year mark as a group, for no other reason than two years is a good amount of time for a multi-man act to stay together in WWE. The group had a special kind of energy to it and could have gone further together. In fact I remain convinced that Reigns could have captured the WWE championship sometime in the next year without the group being split.

The split feels like a slightly desperate attempt to inject some freshness into the top of the card. That’s something that’s needed because top face Daniel Bryan is injured and little thought has been given to helping other young acts flourish over the last three months. But it’s a short term solution. No new names have been made with the move, and that’s ultimately what’s needed. Instead what WWE have done is break up their most popular group in years and destroy their second most popular act while their most popular is injured.

It was a setup all along!

It’s too early to say turning Rollins was a wrong decision. There are things that could be done to make it interesting, such as having Rollins reveal he’s been a “Triple H guy” for years. There’s a shot of Triple H raising Rollins’s hand the night he won the NXT championship that could be thrown up on the Titantron as proof of that. Plus Rollins versus Ambrose, Rollins versus Reigns, and the tag matches we could get all stand a high chance of being very good. So I’ll reserve judgement. But it’ll take a lot to make me wish The Shield weren’t still together.

Payback 2014 review

With two rematches heading things up, not much going on on the undercard and no WWE championship match Payback did not look like a strong show. Could WWE pull off a minor wrestling miracle and fashion the second ever Payback event into something worthwhile? Read on and see.

The show started with a video package. The focus was on the top two feuds between Wyatt and Cena and Evolution and The Shield. It was not WWE's greatest effort. There have been far more interesting video packages, but it did at least do what it was supposed to and was well put together.

Michael Cole welcomed us the "the historic" All Stare Arena as United States champion Sheamus bounded out to the ring for the opener. The reaction to him was mostly positive although I'm sure I heard some boos. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking on my part. Clips were shown of his recent interactions with Cesaro and the problems they've had following the Code of Honor.

Cesaro's entrance was preceded by a Paul Heyman promo. He told the audience CM Punk was watching the Blackhawks get their streak broken (cheap heat there)... just like Brock Lesnar had done to The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Even that couldn't turn the crowd fully against Heyman. His accomplishments in wrestling are too easy to respect.

Sheamus is taken for a Big Swing.

Cesaro and Sheamus started tearing into each other immediately and had a match filled with hoss sweat and hoss adrenalin. Shaymo gained an early advantage and heard a smattering boos. The longer the match went the more prominent they became. 'Great White' showed signs of going full-on heel when he dropped three knees on 'The King of Swing', a sequence which was accompanied by an amusing sneer. A "Sheamus sucks!" chant kicked up when he survived a Swiss death pop up uppercut. Boos rained down on him as he signalled for the Brogue kick. Cesaro absorbed a White Noise and a cloverleaf before coming back with a Cesaro Swing. When he tried to pulls Sheamus up for a Neutralizer he got caught with a small package to end a good, lively opener.

The hour that followed that was tough going. It began with a match pitting Goldust and Cody Rhodes against RybAxel. It was irritatingly clear that it was taking place just to further the split between the brothers. It was no better than a standard TV match, something not helped by the fact that the audience took a while to warm up to it. The mighty Ryback got the pin after catching a Disaster kick and turning it into a Shellshock. Afterwards Cody told 'The Bizarre One' that he should get a better tag partner then walked out.

Lana came out to remind us that Vladimir Putin exists and then tottered to the ring behind Rusev. He was waving a flag like a madman just as he had a few days earlier at NXT Takeover. Big E came out with a US flag. At this point I was hoping they'd agree to an impromptu flag match. It wasn't to be.

The two found it tough to win the crowd over, suffering through a "We want Ziggler!" chant and, perhaps worse, indifference. Things picked up when E did his ever impressive spear through the ropes. From there it was still the basic power exchange you'd expect but the audience was making more noise. They didn't get long. Rusev slapped on the Accolade fairly quickly and Big E tapped out. 'The Bulgarian Brute' celebrated by shaking the flag like a lunatic again.

A second random filler match between Kofi Kingston and 'The Inspirational' Bo Dallas didn't take place. After Bo had done his Bruce Forsyth pose and given the fans a pep talk Kane walked to the ring. Kingston attacked 'The Big Red Machine' as he got into the ring, making him a heel in my book. Kane defended himself with a choke slam and a Tombstone then wandered off. Bo got back into the ring and told Kofi he'd back on his feet in no time if he Bo-lieved. The entire sequence was pointless, although WWE deserves credit for getting Dallas onto the show in some form.

Rob Van Dam's challenge for the Intercontinental championship was next. Defending champ Bad News Barrett got another mostly positive reaction. His bad news for the night was that RVD wouldn't be winning the title. It was a little unimaginative but his delivery was spot on. In a nice touch there are now three lions on Bad News's trunks. That's a football reference, in case you don't know.

Van Dam's not the only one who can kick.

The audience was split on who to cheer for in the opening moments, the air being filled with duelling chants. The match was fine but didn't feel like anything special. Nor did it feel as though it was as good as it could have been. RVD did his usual spots and Bad News did some kicks to the gut. The, ahem, good news for Barrett was that his Winds of Change and Bullhammer moves were both greeted warmly by the crowd. Van Dam went down to the elbow after a failed split legged moonsault.

A video reminded us of what's been happening with Daniel Bryan recently. The short version is that after winning the WWE title at WrestleMania he got a neck injury and Stephanie McMahon wanted him to vacate the title, having threatened to sac his wife Brie if he failed to do so. Ms McHelmsley made the video pointless when she recapped the same stuff live in the ring.

D-Bry said Stephanie had a chance to change people's perception of her. She said, in response to a Punk chant, the people wanted him to quit like Punk. Brie called Steph a bitch. That got a huge pop and a yes chant. Steph demanded the championship. Bryan went to hand it over but Brie stopped him and quit. Steph's response was to laugh which earned her a slap. That sent her running to the back as the Bryans led a yes chant in the ring. A replay aired during which Michael Cole called it "the slap heard round the world." I bet he doesn't even know what that's a reference to. Anyway, the upshot was that Bryan kept the WWE championship and the fans were happy. This presumably means he'll be back in action either at Money in the Bank or Battleground.

Bray Wyatt spent a minute or so interacting with fans at ringside after he'd walked to the ring for the Last Man Standing match. That included him staring at Jerry 'The King' Lawler (who WWE seem convinced every fan sees as a cuddly old gentleman instead of a cliché-spouting embarrassment) and laughing. Cena went through his usual pre-match routine while JBL surprised me by referencing his LSM match opposite Umaga from Royal Rumble 2007. That still stands as one of the greatest matches of Cena's career.

This was not he end of John Cena.

Before the Wyatt Family could gang up on Cena the Usos dashed to the ring to provide some backup. Rowan and Harper backed off and the four settled in at ringside. Wyatt controlled the early stretch of the encounter as Cena absorbed punishment to make his later comebacks appear that little bit more impressive. After an AA to 'The Eater of Worlds' Erick Rowan involved himself in the match, prompting the Usos to leap into the ring. A brawl erupted between the seconds that saw Harper do a dive and an Uso jump off the top rope (after which they all disappeared to the back). This caused a distraction that allowed Bray to grab a chair to whack Cena with. That put Cena down for a six count before he grabbed the chair for himself and delicately tapped Wyatt on the back with it. Amazingly Michael Cole bothered to reference the internal conflict Cena had experienced over using weapons at WrestleMania. I hadn't expected that. It was rationalised that at 'Mania Cena was in a regular match where weapon shots were illegal. There were no such restrictions here.

Cena introduced a table. That backfired on him when Wyatt suplexed him through it. Cena was back on his feet by eight but was met with a set of steel steps to the head. Cena naturally made it back to his feet and gave Wyatt a steps shot of his own. Wyatt rolled to the outside of the ring and stood dazed at ringside, perfectly placed for Cena to lob the steps right at his head in the match's most impressive moment.

Wyatt was back up at seven and walloped Cena with a Sister Abigail into the crowd barrier. Wyatt was back dropped onto another set of steel steps. Moments later he leapt off them and landed a senton drop on Cena. 'The Franchise' blocked a chair shot and blasted Wyatt with an AA. At this point Harper and Rowan returned, double teaming Cena and helping Wyatt back to his feet to save him from losing. Jimmy and Jey were back out seconds later, saving Cena before getting wiped out by Harper and Rowan. The Wyatt boys then set up a pair of tables and then had a brawl with the recovered tag champs. Rowan was eliminated with a body block through a table while Harper took himself and Jimmy out with a suplex from the top rope through the tables at ringside.

Cena and Wyatt resumed their battle outside, Cena ducking a clothesline before getting body blocked through the crowd barrier. Both men were back up at seven. They brawled over to the tech area where Wyatt threw Cena into a stack of machinery, triggering a pyro explosion in the entranceway that nobody except the announcers reacted to. He came back from that immediately and back dropped Wyatt into a suspiciously empty box. He placed another box on top and stood on it, ensuring 'The Necessary Evil' couldn't return to his feet and earning himself a victory in the match of the night.

Cole talked about the performance as though it were a feud ender. I hope it was. I can't imagine it being bettered. Having the rivalry end here would allow it to end on a high with the match it's needed from the beginning.

The awkward job of following Cena v Wyatt went to Alicia Fox and Paige. They had a good match. The audience appeared to disagree, amusing themselves by singing Adam Rose's entrance music instead of getting into the action. The champion retained with the Scorpion cross lock, which is now being called the PTO, which stands for Paige's Tap Out.

A brief chat between Booker T and Alex Riley preceded the main event. They said nothing of consequence but it was nice to see Booker. Batista was rocking some new bright blue gear when Evolution entered (#Bluetista would trend on Twitter a few minutes into the match). I'd been hoping for a new weird outfit from him for a while. The blue garb hit the spot. Also, an Instagram picture was shown that illustrated Triple H has continued to stay in shape instead of going back to the Stan Hansen physique he was sporting in 2011.

'Bluetista' takes a boot but still manages to look good. What a pro.

After starting off with everyone pairing up and touring the arena the match settled down into a traditional six man tag match. There was a no disqualification stipulation so they didn't technically need to tag in and out. I suppose they opted for it so as to better pace the bout. As was the case at Extreme Rules the first half was a little slow, eschewing overly flashy sequences in favour of a methodical pace that didn't burn the crowd out and told the story of Evolution being well prepared for 'The Hounds of Justice'.

Things picked up at around the fifteen minute mark when Triple H smashed a monitor into Rollins's head after they'd brawls into the crowd again. Back at ringside Reigns found himself triple power bombed through the Spanish announce desk. Up in the entranceway Rollins took more punishment with a Pedigree on to a chair. Back in the ring all three Evolution members took it in turns to hold Reigns down over a set of steel steps (the steps certainly earned their keep on this show) as the other members caned him. Back up at the entranceway Orton hit a draping DDT on Ambrose before Rollins leapt off the entrance structure on to Tripper, Orty and 'Bootista'.

I wonder if Triple H believes in The Shield yet...

Batista was the first man to fall to elimination, getting pinned after a spear from Reigns. Rollins was saved from an RKO by Reigns, who was in turn saved from a draping DDT by Ambrose. He then eliminated 'The Viper' with the Dirty Deeds headlock driver onto a chair. That left Triple H alone with The Shield. He tried for a Pedigree on 'The Lunatic Fringe' but Reigns made the save with a Superman punch. Batista, who'd stayed hanging about at ringside, then slipped into the ring and flattened him with a spear. Orton, who also hadn't left, retrieved 'The Game's' sledgehammer from under the ring and passed it to his teammate. Ambrose got smashed with it before Rollins stunned H3 with a springboard knee, setting him up for a spear from Reigns to end a solid match. The show ended with The Shield doing their fist bump pose over Triple H.

So was Payback worthwhile? Well Cena versus Wyatt and The Shield versus Evolution certainly were. Sheamus and Cesaro’s US title battle was a surprisingly satisfying offering. The rest of the show was nothing special. Nothing was especially bad but, three previously mentioned matches aside, nothing was especially good. The show seemed designed to fill a gap in the WWE schedule before the more important Money in the Bank. Hopefully that will get WWE’s pay-per-view offerings back on track. Because Payback never really stood a chance.