Are You Kidding Me?!

[EZMoney20]

Since most of the WWE topics that are discussed on this board tend to lead to intense debates, I figured I'd lighten the mood for a change. In this upcoming thread, I'd like to hear what everyone thinks are some of the most POSITIVE and PLEASANTLY SURPRISING things that have occurred within the WWE over the past few years. To clarify, I'm talking about specific storylines and/or feuds that appeared to be horrible initially and actually became enjoyable, pushes that were sure to fail but turned out great, or sudden rises in popularity by a specific superstar that came from a terrible storyline, lousy feud, or just dumb luck.

The rules are simple:
(1) WWE only
(2) Occurred within the past few years

I don't want to steal too many ideas, as I would like to hear from everybody, so I will just start off with a few that immediately pop into my head.

(1) Daniel Freakin' Bryan - I liked his slow heel turn that resulted from cashing in on a face Big Show at TLC in December of 2011 to claim his first World Heavyweight Championship. Not knowing anything about him before he arrived in the WWE, I saw immediately that he definitely had the in-ring skills but also had a vanilla, generic face character. The heel turn helped, BUT it wasn't until Wrestlemania 28 that everything changed. He got squashed and embarrassed by Sheamus in 12 seconds and lost the World Heavyweight Championship, but the Miami crowd went CRAZY for him. From there, the whole "Yes/No" chant blew up. But here's the kicker...15 months later, it's as loud as ever. Even his initial "anger management" storyline with Kane, that looked destined to fail, took off. Now, he's the hottest superstar in the WWE and will undoubtedly become the WWE Champion very soon. If I had said that losing to Sheamus at Wrestlemania 28 in 12 seconds would have been the best thing in the world for Daniel Bryan, would you have believed me?

(2) Mark Henry's Rebirth - He's been in the WWE for about 624 years now. He's had a few pushes over the course of his career that included The Nation of Dominiation, "Sexual Chocolate", an ECW Title reign, and some scattered World Heavyweight Championship matches. He's even faced The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. But Mark Henry was never truly a main eventer. In fact, most people were puzzled why he still had a job in the WWE. Then, the late summer of 2011 rolls, and a 40 year old Mark Henry gets a MONSTER push. And guess what! It works! He even destroyed Randy Orton clean in multiple pay-per-view matches. After all the time that he's spent in the WWE without ever holding a world championship, never in a million years did I think Mark Henry would win a world title and get a main event push at 40 years old. Of course, injuries have held him back over the past year and a half, but again, he's back with a vengeance! I have always been a fan of Mark Henry due to his impressive strength and seemingly good heart so I am cheering for him to have his best run yet.

(3) The Rock's Return - I know many people were critical of The Rock's overall run this time around, but for my money, he is the greatest entertainer in the history of the WWE. I know things have changed and the era is different, but I was so thrilled to see him back again. I really thought he was done with wrestling. Yes, he had to earn respect in Hollywood and took less than ideal roles to make a name for himself, but he was starting to heat up and move into better and more exciting roles. In fact, I can only remember The Rock appearing once on a pre-recorded segment on Smackdown before Wrestlemania to give his 2 cents on the match between Vince McMahon and Donald Trump. Other than that, he was nowhere to be seen. I know a lot of people weren't surprised by his return, but give me a break! The guy hadn't associated himself with the WWE in 7 years and even distanced himself from "The Rock" nickname, and you're telling me his return wasn't a surprise? I don't buy it. His return that February night was electrifying, we got to see him face the current face of the company in 2 blockbuster Wrestlemania matches (I didn't want to see the 2nd one either, but oh well), and even feuded with the "other" face of the company. In addition, he embraces "The Rock" name again and gave the WWE major publicity. Is his time in the WWE officially over? Who knows? But I wouldn't be surprised if we got "1...more...match" or even a few.

 

[kris8524]

I was going to say the undertakers whole carrer, but then i relized it had to be the last few years. The past few years had some weird things get over. Paul Heyman... now i know he has been very important to wrestling for years, but with todays hulkamania like marketing and fan base i did not expect Heyman to get so widely over with this generation who many may have never saw his work outside of the E, and when they brought him in to be maanager of punk i assumed it was to get Heyman over as much as it was punks heel run. Now he has a stable sort of that will get young stars over and i did not think Heyman would last past a few weeks. I love Heman but it is like the real version of the rattlesnake or Rock in this Era. I JUST DIDNT SEE IT TAKING OFF

 

[Wolvieaero]

My great push was going to be the Nicky to Dolph Ziggler transformation but the change happened more than few years ago, but what about the Nexus? During the storyline, it looked as though Wade Barett and maybe Otunga or Gabriel was going to skyrocket to the top, but as it currently stands, the 8th place in NXT, suspended Daniel Bryan has held the WHC and the Tag Team Championship; The Cornfed Meathead Skip Sheffield was molded into Ryback, who got a WWE title feud with Cena and actually lasted 4 months before being buried, Wade Barrett is a mid carder in waiting, DY is in a no-gold tag team, Gabriel and Slater are jobbers, and Tarver is gone. Meanwhile, Otunga sits in a class of his own with his wife Jennifer Hudson, knowing it doesn't matter what job he has and that he'll be set anyways. What a twist.

 

[sanefan_har]

I would have to say the rise of CM Punk. Granted he was average - over for the initial part of his career, but that Pipebomb of his sky-rocketed him to the Main Event slot for good. His merch sold like crazy. TLC 2011 was a solid card with a solid attendance even without the presence of John Cena. That, in my opinion, truly established Punk as one of the top 2 superstars in the business.

And who thought we would ever see a title reign for more than 300 days in this era of the WWE? Pleasant surprise indeed.

 

[Impaler1984]

The Transition of power From Vince McMahon to Triple.H that we have seen over the past few years . from the time a couple of years ago when triple.h out in the ring and told Vince he was relived of his duties and he would be taking over the day to day operations

 

[jimmyrave]

Of the top of my head, these were the things that make me surprised in a good way

2010 - The NEXUS. They make Raw unpredictable, exciting and interesting. Obviously they came out of nowhere and shocked everyone. They could have been talked about in the same topic as NWO, Horsemen or Evolution. But instead backstage politics ensure they were short lived but memorable.

2011 - The Rock Return 'Home' - This was a pleasant surprise and one of the best promo of that year when he return on Raw. Nobody really had any idea it was happening, which is again rare in this day and age. Granted it brought the borefest that was Cena vs Rock 1 and 2.

2012 - Hell In A Cell Undertaker vs Triple H - I wasn't expecting much from two old guys who had barely wrestled in a year. I remember alot of people bitc*ing about about they didn't want to see this rematch. But WWE delivered the story in a smart way and created a memorable match,

2013
- CM Punk The Wolverine - I just dig the new look somehow, and I believe he could get over better than his last somewhat failed babyface run.
- Mark Henry 'Retirement' Speech - It was just very well done, it's always nice when they blur the line between real and fiction.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I was going to say the undertakers whole carrer, but then i relized it had to be the last few years.

To trim that idea a bit, it doesn't have to be his whole career. Just the fact he felt better after WM29 than he thought he would, and wants to put in a few more wrestling appearances is a huge positive.

After performing all those years and battering his body, he and Vince McMahon probably figured 'Taker's active career had wound down only to an annual appearance at WM.....and even that might be coming to an end. For the past few years, we've speculated that each upcoming WM might be his very last, right?

But now, we're reading about 'Taker possibly wanting to participate in this year's Summerslam and apparently being talked about for WM30. After WM29, he even tangled in the ring twice, which is a huge departure from the vacation he needed in past years from his gargantuan effort at WM.

That he's feeling better is a wonderful occurrence, indicating that even as his body has aged in the past few years, it's also been healing to the point he can give the company more than previously believed.

You want "positive and pleasantly surprising?" This is one of the best developments in a long time.

 

[BigThunder]

Yeah. Seeing Taker work with the Shield was awesome. But the treatment of the Shield in general has worked. They went over against Cena, Ryback, and Shamus, Team Superfriends, the closest thing that there was to a classic unstoppable force. I would never have expected that after the burial of the Nexus. Things really have changed for the better.

The Summer of Punk was a big one. Punk leaving with the title and blowing Vince a kiss while the entire city of Chicago celebrated -- that was something I'd never have expected to see, particularly in the wake of the Montreal Screwjob. But the entire Cena-Punk rivalry has been incredibly well done since that MitB; it really does deserve a place beside Rock-Austin, Flair-Steamboat, Bret-Shawn and Funk-Brisco in pro wrestling's great rivalries. This *must* headline Wrestlemania someday.

Also, let me say (in the spirit of the thread title) that post-heel Michael Cole has been really good on the mic. He's not the best announcer in the history of the business, but his commentary is elevating matches, and his chemistry with JBL is outstanding. This may not be the most popular opinion, but it needs to be said. I'd never have guessed that I'd ever enjoy his work during his heel phase.

 

[Spack]

I know this didn't occur in the last few years, but my all-time favorite ridiculous story that became entertaining (to me anyways) was Naked Mideon's debut. It was one of the few cheesy storylines that had me laughing every single time he came out. To this day I tell my kids about how hilarious it was, especially his match with William Regal where Mideon was required to wear clothes.

 

[JustAnotherJames]

I really like what is happening now, I seriously think the the 13/14 season has well and truly kicked off now. Sadly for me there was a really long period where I stopped watching wrestling because I didn't have the capabilities to watch it at the during the very long absence. I can truly say that I'm excited for the road to Summer Slam.

RVD, Ziggler face turn and the whole CM Punk - Lesner fued.

So I'd say my favourite fueds, in the past few years are still to come.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

i enjoyed the rock coming back granted hes not there often but its not like he has to and at least hes bothering and like him or not hes is one of the most popular and entertaing guys in wwe ever.

also liked lesnars return didnt think that one was actually going to happen.

daniel bryan has really grown on me when i first saw him i thought he was just going to end up another generic kinda guy but hes shown hes seriously fun to watch and the crowd love him.

prob my fave moment was kane returning remasked thought that was awesome it could of been a disaster but his run afterwoods was pretty damn cool too a brief return to the monster days destroying both zack ryder and super cena. i also thought it was hillarious when he pushed ryder off the stage in his wheelchair complete with bandages and cast i dont think it was supposed to be funny but i found it comical to see a giant serial killer looking guy suddenly appear just to wheel a cripple off the stage have a bit of a laugh about it then bugger off again lol

 

[Ellye]

As many people mentioned, I highly enjoyed The Nexus. They were a pleasing surprise.

The rise of CM Punk, even more after his failed "New Nexus" feud with Randy Orton (I consider that feud to be pretty bland), was quite surprising, and really good and refreshing.

Mark Henry, definitely! The OP already said everything I had to say about this, but I must confess that I was guilty of underrating him. He's a much better wrestler and entertainer than I ever imagined he was.

AJ Lee as "crazy chick" was also way more popular than anyone expected, I believe. That girl is really good.

The very idea of Daniel Bryan and Kane as a face, light-comedy, tag team would have sounded so weird some years ago. But it ended up working absurdly well.

The Shield, for reasons similar to The Nexus, with the even more pleasant surprise that they often win their matches clean, and they have a potential to turn face sometime down the line (perhaps as soon as needed for a feud with the Wyatt Family, I and many guess).

 

[HBsam31]

Mark Henry is one that immediately comes to mind. I was watching when Henry came in around 95 or 96 and after the first few years I thought he would never get out of the mid card. All of a sudden the start The Hall of Pain and henry is my favorite guy to watch week in and week out. I loved his run with the World title and everything he did after that. Last week he gave one of the best performances of all time, and I loved the line "I got plenty of gas left in the tank". Henry showed us he can be in the main event and quite entertaining doing it.

Another one is Daniel Bryan. I was a non believer, and not because I didn't think he had the talent. It was more because I never thought Vince would use him right. Now he is one of the most over guys on the roster, and the WWE title is possibly on the horizon. They did more with him than I ever thought they would.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

1. Daniel Bryan's desire

2. CM Punk's 434 Day Title Reign

3. Antonio Cesaro's skill set

4. Seth Rollins' speed

5. The rebirth of competitive wrestling and not overly dramatic superhero battles. (Tries to ignore the rebirth of overly dramatic superhero battles with Cena/Ryback.)

Yes the wrestling industry is currently in a war.. it's the seasoned, very talented WRESTLERS vs the WWE cookie cutter entertainers. WWE has even sent moles over to the other side in the form of Curtis Axel aligning with Paul Heyman.

If it wasn't for the push of better wrestling, I might have been pushed away by main events like John Cena vs The Miz from WM 27. BULLLLSHHHIITTTT.

Everything just kinda comes back to one thing that I've been liking better from the WWE recently, an increased focus on legitimatizing the sport of professional wrestling.

 

[Legendd]

The greatest thing in the last few years is the emergence of the classical and memorizing beauty of ......... you know it........ JOHN CENA.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

Green lighting CM Punk's candid pipe bomb promos and meteoric rise by having him walk out with the belt was the best thing the company has done in at least 13 years.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The Pipebomb and Punk in general are up there... I'd say though for me it was when he came back that first time with "Cult Of Personality" that sealed it, you knew by WWE anteing up for the song rights that they were serious about Punk and it's now so closely associated with him that they can't really change it.

Daniel Bryan is up there, letting a guy just go out there like a goof anf yell Yes while bouncing like a loon was a shock at first but it's the guys exuberance and passion that got people onside...

If anything I think the most postivie thing is letting guys go out there and try - Nexus and Sheamus started it, Shield continued it and now the Wyatts will be next. 3 or so years ago, there was no hope for anyone new short of them being a monster - now a new talent gets good spots off the bat, some leeway to hone their character and a locker room that seems to want to help them learn and succeed rather than fight it out over spots. For the first time in years WWE has nearly a whole rosters worth of new talent that will all get over to certain levels... not all can or will be World champs/carry the company - but right now of the "top 15" pushed gys you have:-

The Shield
Sheamus
Ryback
Bryan
Axel
Sandow
Cesaro (seems to be getting it now)

None of them were in anywhere 3 or 4 years ago and some even 18 months ago...