Coming at you from My Couch, and it’s that special time of year. The time of year when you get to visit with family members that you’ve done your best to avoid all year long. The time of year when your choice is getting drunk with the adults inside or getting high with the kids out back. The time of year when you can watch football in the living room but you have to listen to your uncle complain about Obama or you can graze your favorite foods in the kitchen but are bombarded with “So, when are you getting married?” or “How’s work going?” Tough choices, no wonder suicide rates are so high during the holidays.
But the toughest choice of them all is the Top 20 wrestlers of the year! I’ve sat down and calculated, using the most advanced metrics and algorithms, the World’s Greatest Power Rankings: Top 20 for 2014.
Additionally, I took my list to Fred “The Oracle” to see if he agreed on this week’s BEARcast - WrestleCast (www.worldofbear.com and subscribe on iTunes). Check it out and let us know your thoughts. Maybe you agree, maybe you disagree; either way, let me know by posting a comment or tweeting me @wkbear on Twitter.
Before we get to the rankings, I want to thank everyone who’s read this blog all year and to our 10’s of loyal listeners of the podcast. It’s been a lot of fun and I appreciate everyone’s support throughout the year. I love hearing from you all. 2015 is going to be a great year and we’re going to grow and grow, so look out for even more content next year. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
So with that, let’s get to the Top 20 Power Rankings of 2014...
- Paul Heyman – I shouldn’t have to justify my list but I can feel some of you nodding in agreement and others head’s exploding at the thought of Paul Heyman being number one. I’m sure the biggest criticism is that he’s not a wrestler. Fine, but let’s list the other ways he’s contributed to the WWE in 2014. His partnership and feud with CM Punk. He made Ryback and Curtis Axel a viable thing. He became the first Advocate of wrestling. He was the mouthpiece for Brock Lesnar, who would become the World Heavyweight Champion. And lastly, most importantly, Paul Heyman gave the best promos out of any performer in the WWE. His work was so good that when I went back to review the various promos he gave, be it his CM Punk-style pipe bomb to Brock Lesnar’s post WM victory lap to his pre-cog warning to John Cena as if it were a soon-to-be murder in Minority Report, Paul Heyman was flawless. It would have been unthinkable to have the WHC be a part time wrestler but with the help of Paul Heyman, it worked (well, it’s worked as best it can, one can debate the success of putting the WHC on Lesnar another time). Bottomline, the show is always better when you hear, “Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman…”
- Seth Rollins ( ) – When it was clear that the Shield was going to break up, the one member that I was most concerned for was Rollins. He wasn’t the prototypical WWE superstar that Reigns is. He didn’t have the “it” factor and fan support that Ambrose has. He’d shown tremendous in-ring ability but that doesn’t always transfer to a great singles career. I was worried he’d be another Sheldon Benjamin or worse, Charlie Haas. But as it turns out, Rollins can do it all. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not The Rock or Stone Cold at the peak of their powers. He’s only been in singles mode and getting the WWE push for less than a year but he’s won the Money in the Bank case and is currently the main event heel for the WWE. With the absence of Lesnar and the WHC, it’s a split between the IC strap and the MitB holder as to who’s everyone is chasing. It doesn’t hurt that every time he wrestles, Rollins has a “How the fuck did he do that?!” moment.
- Dolph Ziggler – Finally, after over two years, Ziggler finally crawled out of the WWE dog house and is getting the push many of us hardcore fans have been asking for. He’s dialed back his in-ring intensity on a per week basis and learned that it is best to save your 100% for the big matches, like the Survivor Series main event. As well as being a unique breath of fresh air on social media and other outlets, Ziggler is more than just your 9-to-5 wrestler.
- Brock Lesnar – 1) He’s the WHC, 2) He demolished John Cena like no one has ever done before and 3) He broke The Undertaker’s WM streak. Did you hear me, he broke Taker’s streak! ‘Nuff said.
- HHH & Stephanie – Just imagine what the show would look like if HHH and Stephanie weren’t on RAW? They’re the straws that stir the WWE cocktail. A special shoutout to Stephanie McMahon who, other than Heyman, gave the best promos all year.
- CM Punk – “And just like that…he’s gone.” The Keyser Soze of the WWE. He was only around for a few months of 2014 but we’re still talking bout him. Every speculated plot twist and turn always end with some version of CM Punk coming back. Even his recent UFC announced fight has been theorized as a possible game changing “work”. People loose their shit talking about him as if he’s the ghost of Wrestling’s past, present and future. He’s just a man. Granted, a very talented performer but still just a man. A man who still gets the biggest pop week-in and week-out on RAW, so maybe he is more than a man…
- Bray Wyatt – This was Bray’s breakout year. Whether he was wrestling with the Wyatt Family vs The Shield or he was going it alone in some really stellar matches, Bray moved up to the top tier. His entrance is now the best in the business. Don’t try to argue, he currently holds that championship. He’s gone from show stealing tag matches to wrestling Cena and finally headlining TLC with Dean Ambrose. 2015 will be the test. Does he fall back in a sophomore slump or does he continue to push the limits on promos (they don’t all work but I appreciate that he tries), continue putting on great matches, help usher in a faction like The Ascension, will we get some traction on who / what Sister Abigail is all about or does he do something completely different? Not having a clear path can be scary in the WWE but if anyone is going to pull it off, Bray Wyatt will.
- Daniel Bryan – Did anyone have a better first quarter of a year than Daniel Bryan? This should have been his year but injuries stole it from him (and us). At least he got his WrestleMania moment, which no one can ever take away. We’ll always have a ton of “What If’s” for Bryan’s 2014. Let’s just hope he can get well and come back in 2015.
- John Cena – While being at Nine might make you think he had a down year, nothing could be further from the truth. In 2014 you could start chiseling his face on the Mount Rushmore of the WWE. Boo him or cheer for him, he IS the “Face of the WWE’ and no year personified that more than 2014. He’s the only one that the WWE felt could face Brock Lesnar. When ever the show dragged, they threw him at the problem. He put over wrestlers like Bray Wyatt and Dolph Ziggler. No one has had better job security than John Cena. You and I can boo him all day but Cena won. What makes him great, is that he knows it.
- Dean Ambrose – He was the first Shield member to really break out on his own. His style is so different it becomes hard to compare him in and out of the ring to other wrestlers. So what does he do that makes him so special? He entertains! You can never say you’re bored when Ambrose is involved. Like Wyatt, it’s hard to see where he’s going in 2015 but I’m along for the ride.
- Miz and Damien Sandow / Miz-dow – HUGE late push up the 2014 rankings. I’ve always been a champion for Sandow. He’s smart, innovative and willing to turn chicken shit into chicken salad. He’s also been in the second tier group of guys that were constantly getting buried. Even in the beginning of the year when he was doing all sorts of goofy shit week after week, at least he was on TV (which any fan of the BEARcast will tell you, is Fred’s first goal to success in the wrestling). So while he toiled around looking for anything to stick, something unexpected happened. 2010-2011 Miz came back! There was a time, not long ago, that Miz was headlining WrestleMania and winning World Championships. I know, crazy, right! Well, Miz came back and the WWE threw Miz and Sandow together for what was surely just a one or two night gimmick but then something clicked. Now they’re consistently the most entertaining parts of any WWE show. No they’re not the best wrestlers ever or the best gimmick of all time BUT they EN-TER-TAIN!!! The writing is on the wall for them to feud in 2015 and I’ve already predicted that they should be the show opener at WM but until then, I’ll sit back and enjoy every time they’re on.
- Roman Reigns – Don’t let the last few injured months fool you. Reigns will be in main events throughout 2015. Don’t be surprised if they work him into the main event at WM this year. He is the future of this company, like it or not. If Vince could build a wrestler, it would be John Cena but right after that it would be Roman Reigns. It goes to show how great The Shield was if the future Face of the WWE is ranked at #12 and below his fellow Shield members.
- Goldust and Stardust – My personal favorites. Not only has Goldust, who at 45 years old (which is wrestling year is about 136), not only found the fountain of youth but is wrestling better than he ever did in the 1990’s. The biggest surprise and the person most responsible for The Dust Bros greatness is Cody Rhodes. He sold this Stardust character like a motherfucker. This could have gone bad faster than Tensai but Cody sold it. He went all in, joined his brother in great matches and put a twist on every character trait and move so that Startdust was its own thing. Brilliant.
- AJ Lee – The next two slots are proof that female wrestlers can be multidimensional, interesting without a love interest, be attractive and can wrestle their asses off. AJ had to swim an uphill battle for the fact that she’s married to CM Punk and not a match goes by where there isn’t a CM Punk chant, which is tiresome and insulting to the work that AJ Lee as done on her own. She’s been great on the mic (when given the chance) and stellar in-ring.
- Paige – A rookie being on this list? A rookie DIVA? Yep! Paige is all that and a bag of chips. She came out hot and lived up to the high expectations. We haven’t seen her a lot at the end of the year but she’s put on more solid matches on RAW than 90% of her male counterparts. I understand the financial reasons why she’s joining the Total Divas show, for her and the WWE’s sake, but I hope she continues what looks to be a great start to a wonderful career. Many times I was more excited for the Paige / AJ fight than anything else on a given night’s card.
- Randy Orton – Totally misused all year long. There’s no bigger mark for RKO than me but even I had to roll my eyes when his 2014 highlight was yet another battle between him and Cena. I have to retract that, his highlight of 2014 was all the RKO memes and YouTube clips, to which RKO nor the WWE had anything to do with. Thank you internet. RKO is the most gifted wrestler the WWE has and when given the right gimmick / material he can hit home runs. In 2015, we need to see him go up against other talented wrestlers. Throw him against Bray, Ziggler, Kofi, Cesaro, Rollins or god forbid Brock Lesnar and let’s see what happens. Tell me you wouldn’t be excited to see any of the guys I just listed feud with RKO? At the very least you’ll get some great matches.
- The Usos – Slipped a little by at the end of the year. Let’s not forget they started 2014 hot as hell. They got the Tag straps and put on great matches. So what happened? They got a bit stale, and fast. Only until these last few weeks of 2014 have we seen any character development. I understand that they push a lot of merchandise, especially toward the kids, but I’d love to see some shades of grey to their characters. They don’t have to be heels, but they don’t have to be the generic 80’s florescent face painted tag team. At least this mini feud with Miz and Jimmy Uso regarding Naomi’s Hollywood dreams has given us some character development which could lead to a number of possibilities. They’re highlight reels in the ring and always bring their “A” game. Now that they’re established workers, they need to be more. Just look at The Dust Brothers. You may not know if they’re good or bad but they’re interesting. The Usos can easily get to that next level in 2015.
- Luke Harper – This is probably the biggest surprise. I can’t remember a wrestler that has grown this fast with his in-ring abilities. At the start of 2014, he was just a Wyatt Family member. Bray was the start and you put up with Harper and Rowan because they were two big guys who could move a little. In the summer you started to see a little personality come through his Wyatt Family gimmick. It wasn’t a 180 change but just slight moments where Harper started to stand out. Then his portion of the Wyatt matches got really good. If in January of 2014 you would have told me that a Harper / Ziggler Ladder match would have been the match of the night at TLC in December, I’d have you tasered and taken away by the white-coats. Also, when I found out that Harper is two years younger than me, I had to take a long look in the mirror and ponder at what a cruel bastard father time is.
- The Bella Sisters – Once you pull yourself off the floor, let me explain. I HATE Total Divas. In 2012, if the Bellas never showed their faces in the WWE again I wouldn’t have cared less. But in 2014, B-Bella started to put on some good wrestling matches and N-Bella started giving some interesting promos. They’ll always be linked to their significant others (Brie w/ Daniel Brian and Nikki w/ John Cena) but all of the sudden they weren’t just a novelty act because they were twins. Could it have been as simple as a pair of fake boobs for Nikki that split the Bellas personality and forced them to each find their own voice? I’m just as shocked as you but they made it onto this list. Why? Because they mattered, which is more than I can say about the likes of Sheamus, Y2J, RVD, Mark Henry, Titus O’Neil, Kane, etc. All solid performers but who cared about what they were doing in terms of WWE storytelling.
- A New Day – So here’s where I get to cheat and sneak three of my more favorite performers. Yes, I’m excited for what TND could be. Am I worried that all three (Kofi, Big E and Xavier Woods) will be misused and by SummerSlam The New Day will be working security at the B.E.T. awards? Sure. But like Damien Sandow, they’re getting a chance to be on TV each week. Xavier Woods has a lot of promise but we haven’t seen enough of him to really care but Kofi and Big E have been dying to get a push. Both have been former champs. Both have incredible in-ring skills. TND could be a flop or by the end of 2015 we could be looking back at this year’s Shield or Wyatts (probably not, but we can hope).
Honorable Mentions
SAN-TIN-OOOOOOOOOO!!!! – Unfortunately my favorite performer had to retire due to injury. You never want to see a young wrestler go out because the business has beaten his body up. Hopefully the WWE will find ways to keep him involved. He’s been a great soldier for all these years. Besides, if I gave you the choice between Santino or the Anonymous RAW GM Computer, wouldn’t you take Santino every time and twice on PPV’s? Santino for the open Authority slot!
The Undertaker – I couldn’t put someone who had one match on this list. Even if it will go down as the most rememberable match for a 20 year period. The Undertake lost his streak and seems to be all but done with the Wrestling Business. All I can do is tip my cap and say Thank You. He’s in the discussion for GOAT.
Sting – Of the things that I thought I’d never be able to say, “Sting is going to wrestle a match in the WWE” is one of them. Sting is in the WWE and in 2015 he will wrestle. ‘Nuff said.
Cesaro – The one Honorable Mention / performer that didn’t make the cut, that should have made it on the top 20. He’s pound-for-pound the strongest and maybe most talented performer in the WWE. He seemed to be getting a huge push at the beginning of the year but then faded into nothing. I don’t even remember the last match I saw him in. Even Vince made note in his Stone Cold Podcast interview that he didn’t know what to do with Cesaro. My fingers are crossed that they figure it out next year because Cesaro puts on 5-star matches. That’s what he does.
Side note
Again, thank you so much for all your support. I appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to read my posts and listen to our podcasts. I know there’s a million choices that you have and it means so much to me that you spend your time with me. There’s nothing more valuable than time in this world. Thank You.
Please feel free to write or tweet me with questions or comments. I’ll do my best to add them into the blog and on the podcast. If you don’t agree with me, even better. Let me know. I love a good argument.
Lastly, 2015 is going to have a lot of new content. I’m going to work my ass off to do a variety of things not just a weekly wrestling blog and podcast. Keep checking into www.worldofbear.com or any of my blogs for more info.
Have a great holiday! Be safe. Until next time…
WK
@wkbear
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