2014-15 WWE MVP

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A few months ago, I ran a series of WWE MVP threads from years gone past. Now as we are removed from WrestleMania XXXI, the time is right to do one for the 2014-15 WWE year. This encompasses everything from the night after WrestleMania XXX up to WrestleMania XXXI.

For me the MVP of 14-15 is Seth Rollins. At around the same time two things happened that really sealed this. Rollins winning MITB and Bryan's injury. Bryan IMO, was the MVP of 13-14 and was on his way to 14-15 but injury cut his year short. As a result, Rollins wins MITB and by the end of the summer it was clear that Rollins was the next biggest thing on the roster after Brock. Now Brock had his best year since returning, but his lack of full time work keeps him out of the running for me. I think a case can be made for Cena (and I hope to here them) but for me from Night of Champions forward it became clear that Rollins was elevated past Cena in terms of storyline importance. Rusev is a darkhorse as he held the US Title for most of the year and really dominated. I see his 14-15 as a springboard for the coming year.

Early favorites for 15-16 MVP:

Seth Rollins: My MVP for 14-15 is not the champ and this reign will heavily dictate where he falls for 15-16.

Rusev: It will be interesting to see where he falls after losing to Cena. I expect to see him enter the main event at some point this year.

Bray Wyatt: See Rusev explanation.

Roman Reigns: His first attempt at main event status did not go over well. It will be interesting to see how his re-build is handled. I fear though that it really doesn't matter as most of the fans have made up there mind.

Daniel Bryan: The most over guy in the company. If he puts together a full year he will have to factor into this discussion. Expect to see him back in the main event at some point this year.

 

[SoulTrain4]

If it's from WMXXX to WMXXXI then Seth Rollins is the obvious choice. He has had a fantastic year capped off with winning the title at WM.

 

[CyberPunk]

Seth Rollins has to be the MVP of 2014-15 season (if we consider mania to mania season of WWE). He carried the main event scene spectacularly on his back in late 2014 when most big names were either on shelf or just not present. For me, he was the only tolerable part of the whole Authority. His heel turn was perfect and he had the feud of the year against Dean Ambrose. And now that he has capped the season off with the WWEWHC, he has reached where he should've been, firmly in the main event. With Lesnar's schedule, he was the top heel for most part. While Rusev did solidify himself this past year, and Reigns picked some momentum towards Mania, Seth Rollins continued to kill it as the best heel on the roster.

After all, who wouldn't want to pay to see Seth Rollins getting his ass kicked?

 

[The Mattitude Era]

I think Lesnar was the MVP this year. But Rollins is also a great choice.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Rollins is the obvious choice, a little TOO obvious perhaps but there is no disputing he has had the best all round year. But was he the most valuable?

I think you have to look at some other guys (and girls) ahead of him for most valuable player of the year...cos his impact came at the end of that year, some were making big waves all year and carrying shows.

Bray Wyatt - Another great year from Bray... it looked iffy at first, with the Cena loss and suddenly being solo but he weathered that storm and for much of the year has been a major part of that roster, filling in a gap that Bryan left...not as a top face, but as a reliable guy who could anchor that upper midcard/main event as they needed. Some didn't like the Jericho feud or felt things like the hologram against Ambrose didn't work... perhaps but they were still innovative and kept the character interesting... The proof in the pudding was he managed to build a Wrestlemania match ON HIS OWN where Taker didn't even make a promo, got hurt on the day and still soldiered on to a great if not quite epic encounter... Taker brought what he had and Wyatt more than brought what he had, it's just a shame he wasn't 100% but he will have impressed a lot of people by working hurt, not letting it stop him and will have made him some influential friends in guys like Taker. Like it or not he's in contention.

Rusev and Lana - This is kind of a dual MVP award as one wouldn't have worked without the other, but look at it coldly and you see WWE getting mainstream attention through them with the Putin and Big Show controversies and the Rock promo, giving short "boosts" to several flagging talents like Thwagger, Big Show and Mark Henry and giving the US title some much needed credibility. He lost at Mania to Cena... no problem at all, he had to lose to someone eventually and Cena is as good as anyone...oh and they got more mainstream attention there for his amazeballs entrance... Lana is as important, she is quickly becoming the top Diva without ever wrestling a match (apparently she is VERY good but an injury has curtailed it) is appearing in Hollywood movies (forget the one with Edge, she's in those Pitch Perfect films too) and is indirectly helping the "givedivasachance" stuff by being an interesting character. Where they both go now is iffy... Rusev put in a great shift with Cena and showed he is no flash in the pan, Lana will probably break away now and begin other angles... somehow I see her and Rollins "hooking up" onscreen. But for this year just gone there weren't many duos or singles who got more ink than Rusev and Lana.

But the winner is...

Stephanie McMahon- Has there been a better heel than Steph this past year in all honesty? The Authority is two people but Steph is the one who has really come to the forefront in it since WM30. She's gone from a cheesy villainess to a believable, nasty bitch... This year she's made a feud with The Bella's interesting, made guys like Ryback, Ziggler and Rowan relevant by opposing them and ended the year on a flyer by setting up an angle with the hottest female personality WWE could hope to get in Ronda Rousey.

When Steph has "acted" this year, it's been very good... he reaction to being arrested for attacking Brie or llosing after Survivor Series, the glee when Cena had to bring them back and the sheer attitude shown to Rockda at Mania... but there is another side that has helped WWE a lot, she's come out much more as the public face of WWE outside the ring, particularly since the Connor stuff.

When you see WWE in the news now or on TV it tends to be Steph who speaks, not Vince or Trips, she's settling into that role that Vince and her mom both used to share well. We've known for a while Trips gets the wrestling side, how to mould that part of the business in a post Vince WWE, but we hadn't seen Steph really "step up" till this year. The corporate side seems to be reasonably well covered with her... I'd fully expect anything with Ronda to be her "final hurrah" as an onscreen talent and to move fully backstage after that... At the moment, that perception of Steph is changing that she might just be not only OK but good enough to handle the company after Vince is VERY valuable to WWE, coupled with her onscreen performances this year she is the MVP...

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Seth Rollins and it's not even close.

He had great matches against Evolution as part of the Shield, then turned on the Shield and became the top heel in the WWE. He was a workhouse, who basically carried the company as a heel from week to week. Of the three Shield guys, people seemed to expect the least from him and he has become a true main event level heel that isn't concerned with looking cool and gets actual heat. He won MITB and was booked pretty strongly with it. Had a great series of matches with Ambrose, culminating in the best Cell Match ever to take place at the Hell In A Cell PPV. He then worked with John Cena, the face of the company, for months. He stole the show with Cena and Lesnar at the Rumble. He got some solid mainstream exposure with his angle involving Jon Stewart and the Daily Show. and had a great match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania, with a highlight reel finish. Then he cashed in MITB to become World Champion in the main event.

Not even close.