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We have reached the end of 2014 and that brings along relooking at some of the most defining moments of the year. As far as the WWE is concerned, 2014 was certainly not their best year with various complaints about the produce from viewers and critics alike.While there were a lot of diverse events that took place over the past year, the ones that really mattered were far less.However, this year wasn’t without its fair share of unique and special moments. Over the years, we have come to expect a lot from the WWE given how much we delve into it beyond mere viewership.With that said, there have been a lot of exciting moments that had us gripped on to the television. This year had such moments while also ones that really tested the composure of the fans. Looking back, let’s examine ten moments that defined this year and ones that will stand for long in our memory.
#10 Stone Cold, The Rock and Hulk Hogan share the same ring
The last time this happened was back in 2002 in a match that is the only instance of Professional Wrestling’s two biggest names squaring off against each other. Wrestlemania 30 was always going to be a grand event and we have to praise the company for opening that special night in an amazing fashion. Hulk Hogan, being the host was always going to come out and cheer up the crowd, but the appearance of Stone Cold was astonishing.
The fans had gathered in large numbers to witness WWE’s spectacle show and the appearance of three of its greatest superstars was always going to be a well-received move. The Rock showed us why he is still regarded as one of the greatest mic workers in the company as he effortlessly cut an amazing promo to warm up the crowd.
A beer can celebration was reminiscent of the old days and it was a great moment to see Stone Cold doing his trademark celebrations after so many years. The congregation of three of the most popular stars in WWE history was a truly one-off moment which we may never get to see again.
#9 Seth Rollins turns destroys the Shield
When you consider the on-screen storyline playing out currently, Seth Rollins betrayal has a major part in it. The most unexpected moment of the year possibly, Seth Rollins turning on his Shield members generated a huge impact in the WWE Universe. Seeing as how he was never touted to be the heel, his turn took everyone by shock and turned him into the most despised figure in the WWE.
And to his credit, he has been performing extraordinarily well in that role and had one of the best feuds of the year with Dean Ambrose. One big asset of Rollins is his in-ring ability which surpasses every other wrestler, given Daniel Bryan is off with an injury.
Having been part of excellent three-man tag matches with the Shield and singles matches since his split, Rollins might well be a candidate for Wrestler of the year. Although the Shield hit their peak for a relatively short time, the split saw them become the most important part of the roster and all the members have gone on to headline Pay-per-views already.
#8 The Streak is over: 21-1 Finally
There could have been better candidates to break the streak, but we’ll never know. Brock Lesnar had a big impact this year despite having just four matches. As Vince said in Steve Austin’s podcast, the decision was entirely his and you could argue that it was a very poorly taken decision. The Build-up to it was far less than what you’d expect and so was the follow-up judging by how much time Lesnar kept off TV.
However, it has taken its place in the history books and will definitely be one of the most treasured memories of any WWE fan. The Streak was an important part of the Undertaker’s character and for some years has been the only reason for him to return.
Now that it’s over, we may well see The Undertaker retire from Wrestling and possibly be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His health has been deteriorating for a while and as we could see, he was barely able to fight at Wrestlemania furthering the cause for him to retire.
#7 The most-awaited arrival of Sting
Trudging towards the end of what is regarded as the best match of 2014, Sting entered the ring. It was a deafening moment seeing as how no one expected this and the entire arena was silenced for a moment. Though there wasn’t much of him, he made a lasting impact on the WWE Universe and we can be sure there will be more of him to come.
Walking down the arena, there was a dead-eyed stare at Triple H as they exchanged glances for over a minute before ultimately bringing down Triple H with a Scorpion Death Drop. The impact was there to see and this moment was an important part of the storyline. It propelled Ziggler’s victory and eventually the departure of the Authority.
Sting had been the one person to defy Vince so long but, at the end, after about 13 years, finally he made his debut in the WWE. Who’s to say he won’t be an important part in the following year? We have to wait and watch.
#6 Eat, Sleep, Suplex, Repeat!
The fact that Brock Lesnar had conquered the Undertaker’s streak made him one of the most protected stars in the business. He was rarely ever made to look weak and that couldn’t have been better shown than his mauling of John Cena at Summerslam.
To quote JBL, “That was the most dominating performance I’ve ever seen in a championship match.” The man who delivered 16 German Suplexes to John Cena took the Wrestling world by storm. Not only was it a much-needed boost to all the Anti-Cena followers, it was a massive indication that the WWE were readying plans for the future.
Cena has been cast an untouchable superstar, even during the ingenious Wrestlemania program with Bray Wyatt. But Lesnar’s destructive performance surely showed us that the WWE were prepared to allow Cena to take a beating and that may well be the order in 2015, judging by the rise of prominent young stars.
It wasn’t even close as Brock Lesnar delivered an extraordinary in-ring performance coupled with perfect storytelling as his portrayal of a beast was as close to perfection as one could get. The moment of the night, however, was one when Lesnar sat up like the Undertaker and started laughing following an attitude adjustment by Cena.
It summed up Lesnar’s year and was an excellent instantaneous response by Lesnar. Although Lesnar winning the WWE World Heavyweight was followed pretty poorly, that match generated a big impact and will be remembered for years to come.
#5 Yes Movement !
This was one of the most inspired performances by a wrestler throughout his storyline and laid a blueprint for the others to emulate. Ever since the Authority turned on him, Bryan had risen in popularity along with his famous ‘Yes’ Chant. However, this shot to unprecedented heights during his program with the Wyatt Family in early January as the crowd really got behind his back.
When Bryan split from the Wyatt Family in an episode of Raw after a steel cage match, there was a magnificent reaction as the entire crown synchronised with Bryan in a ‘Yes’ Chant. Perhaps, this was the most amazing reaction from the crowd since The Rock’s surprise return in 2011.
Added to that, the ‘Hijack Raw’ movement in early March forcing the Authority to grant Bryan his Wrestlemania turned out to be another resounding success. It was a very rare occasion of the WWE Universe forcing the management to change their decision.
The Yes Movement became hugely popular as arenas across the United States resonated with support for Daniel Bryan while it is reported that other sports arenas too witnessed this chant during live events.
#4 The Ultimate Warrior Passes Two days after being inducted into the Hall of Fame
The supposedly long-existing feud between the WWE and The Ultimate Warrior was finally put to rest as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2014. After delivering an inspiring speech and graciously being inducted into the Hall of Fame, he made an appearance the next day on Raw. However, no one were to know that this would be his last ever appearance on television as he tragically passed away two days later.
He had looked alright on the night of Wrestlemania but quite distraught on Raw the next night. But, as they say, the legend of The Ultimate Warrior shall keep on running.
Rest in Peace.
#3 CM Punk leaves for good
In all fronts, this year was greatly affected by CM Punk’s departure from the company and that has been generating a buzz the whole year. Now that he’s officially joined UFC, the air has cleared with regard to speculations about his return.
Walking out the night post Royal Rumble, CM Punk stated that the major reason was the WWE’s lack of concern about his health and that they had massively overworked him. It was a big blow to the WWE as he was one of the most prominent names in the industry.
However, credit to the WWE for playing out this situation without much of trouble openly and carefully handle the rampant Chicago crowd by teasing his appearance and sending out Paul Heyman instead. The ‘Art of Wrestling’ Podcast with Colt Cabana was the first instance of him airing out his troubles and the reasons for leaving.
It created a big impact on the viewers and certain actions by the WWE were quite ill-informed and worthy of disgrace. For all we know, CM Punk would not return to the WWE in the near future and we can expect much less of his controversies going forward.
#2 Daniel Bryan becomes the WWE World Heavyweight Champion
It was the emotional investment of the fans that made this such a big success. Playing off the biggest underdog story, Daniel Bryan had his moment as he became the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania 30 in what was probably the greatest moment of his career.
It had been such an arduous journey for Bryan with so much to fight off and it was redemption for the fans as well. After having had to view many underwhelming storylines, this was a major event that the people could relate to and wanted to encourage.
Winning against Triple H in what was probably a Match of the Year Contender, Bryan defied the odds by prevailing in the Triple Threat Match in the Main Event and went on to celebrate as WWE witnessed one of its greatest crowd receptions. 75000 people at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome unanimously fell into a ‘Yes’ Chant as Bryan proudly held his titles.
The following night, Bryan was the recipient of ‘You deserve it’ chants from an electrifying post-Wrestlemania crowd and he did deserve it, after all. It was a moment to savour for fans across the world and will surely remain in our memories for a long time to come.
#1 The WWE Network Launches
No matter what happened throughout the year, this event eclipses all in terms of importance and the potential impact it may have on the company. It was a brilliant idea of making older content of the Golden period of the WWE available to the present audiences.
The WWE Network launched in February 24 across the USA and August 12 in various other countries. Encompassing all the Pay-per-view and lots of other unique content, the Network was a make or break for the WWE.
For so long, it hasn’t gone as expected with a lesser reception. Although it hasn’t been a hit yet, if it is advertised and promoted properly across the world, it could become a grand success in the fact that it offers so much of entertainment for a relatively cheaper price.
The amount of times we’ve had to listen to Michael Cole rant about this has been a constant pain and WWE should really work on reducing that. But otherwise, once people can absorb the idea of this, it is most likely they would entertain it given how the pay-per-views are offered at a throw-away rate compared to earlier times.
With that said, we conclude our list. 2014 has been an important year to the WWE with regard to the WWE network while we can only wait and see how it progresses. But entertainment-wise, we have often been put to task with having to watch boring storylines such as the Bella’s and anything involving Adam Rose. Let’s hope 2015 offers much more.
