Underated feuds, matches, angles, gimmicks (of 2014).

[MartialHorror]

2014 has not been a well received year for the WWE, with unfortunate injuries, bad storylines, unwanted burials, unwanted pushes and the bombing of the network. Yet there was some silver lining to be found, particularly in the booking of Daniel Bryan.

But what were some feuds, matches, angles, gimmicks, etc that were poorly or indifferently received, that you happened to like? That you thought was under-appreciated. Did you enjoy Cena's feud with Wyatt? Brie turning heel and aligning with Nikki? Adam Rose's gimmick and his antics involving the bunny?

For me, while it was not necessarily poorly received, I really dug 'Big Show Vs Rusev'. Their matches were entertaining, the story was somewhat ambitious and the build up was somewhat unconventional. It deserved more attention than it got.

I also found myself enjoying parts of the generally maligned 'Bray Vs Ambrose' storyline. I liked some of the ideas, such as Ambrose getting in Brays head (even though it shouldn't have happened in Bray's single push debut) and Bray even got in an effective jump scare. Their matches were shockingly good as well. Yeah, the whole angle of Bray bringing up Ambrose's father never went anywhere, their last PPV finish was stupid and it seemed uninspired compared to the Authority storyline, but I didn't think it was as bad as people made it out to be.

Kane Vs Bryan...although I didn't particularly like it, at least it seemed like they were doing something ambitious with Kane. It was bungled by having Kane lose even in their general confrontations, but they made Kane seem somewhat important...in contrast to 'Ryback Vs Kane" at TLC.

Bo Dallas Vs Swagger had potential, although it ran out of steam quickly. It allowed Swagger to save some face after losing to Rusev, so it didn't seem like he just gave up. Bo continued to evolve his character, although a better pay-off would've had him be squashed by Rusev, not Mark Henry. The problem was that the matches themselves were boring. I don't know why, as Bo isn't a bad worker and Swagger is usually a really good one, but they never clicked. Still, it wasn't a terrible feud.

2014 doesn't need to be the cut-off date. I simply chose that because I only started watching wrestling again late 2013. But what do you think was underrated about 2014?

 

[NotoriousMEAT]

People mostly bitch about Cena/Wyatt because Cena won out in the end, but I thought it was the most thought out story they put together all year, if not the past few years. Wyatt wanting to destroy Cena's image and try to bring out the monster in him was not only relatable but the most creative way of teasing a Cena heel turn. Their RAW moments were usually shocking or interesting and definitely created conversation and more importantly.. every match delivered. Cena winning out didn't hurt Wyatt. The uninspired and poorly promoted Jericho feud that followed did the most damage.

I also hear a lot, mostly from "journalists" and former wrestlers on Twitter, that WWE broke up The Shield too soon. Even though I was a HUGE Shield fan and would have enjoyed a longer run.. they've all thrived. Rollins is becoming the man. Normally someone so talented with the background he has doesn't get boo'd by everyone.. but he's universally hated. And likewise Dean Ambrose can make an argument as THE most popular guy on the show. Reigns may or may not be ready for that big singles run.. but he never woulda been as part of a trio. He's on the right course. In the end WWE didn't have much of a choice. CM Punk left, Batista took off, Daniel Bryan was hurt for the foreseeable future, and they were about to crown a part-time champion. 3 hot rising stars is better than a group with no one to face.

There may be another but that's all I got off the top of my head.

 

[CMZombie]

Rollins and Rusev were the real gold of 2014. Mostly unheralded, they both rose up the rankings and held their own. Rollins is the companies top heel now, and Rusev have proved way more than a one-dimensionional foreign heel and is a genuine mid-card threat now.

Ambrose rose as a tweener, Bryan hung on despite missing so much, 2014 has been ok.

 

[L@RISANO]

As N.Meat above said;
I thought the Cena-Wyatt feud was well done and it kept me interested in it for the most part. Couldn't say the same for Bray's feuds thereafter, which weren't even close to his feud with Cena in terms of storyline quality. Bray's momentum was not lost by being beaten by John Cena at Payback, but by an ill-advised booking move to have the entire Wyatt family squashed by Cena post-SummerSlam.


The Shield break-up was well done, after they had clean-swept Evolution an Payback. The Ambrose-Rollins feud was the best of the year by a mile, even though the 'ending' would have riled many, including myself. Reigns' direction was good until SummerSlam, but they dropped the ball on him thereafter, lMO, in terms of storyline build.

Team Cena vs Team Authority was a well done, feel-good type storyline, but it turned to be nothing more than a vehicle for Sting's debut, which has made sort of irrelevant for everyone involved not named, Sting and Triple H.


I enjoyed all of Rusev's feuds this year, regardless of the opponent, except Swagger-Rusev no.2, which was just filler going into TLC to keep Rusev on TV,lMO.


I thought Big Show should have stayed face, whilst Mark Henry would go heel given his direction of bringing back the Hall of Pain...would have been interesting to see HoP Henry vs Reigns, as Henry does well as a destructive force, whilst Big Show was well-received as the friendly giant and could have been used more effectively elsewhere, lMO.
Had he been fit, Sheamus would have been a great option for the heel turn, lMO, and would have had an awesome feud with Reigns post-TLC.


What spoiled 2014, was some puzzling booking at different points. Not least, the repeat of Cena-Lesnar, when the latter should have defended against Orton, for instance.


Nevertheless, the biggest plus point, has been the rise of new guys as focus points of the show. Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Wyatt have all been earmarked by Vince himself as amongst those grabbing at the brass ring and it is clear the Top Brass is interested in pushing them all, but at different paces. Hopefully, they succeed because the future does look bright at this point.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

John Cena vs. Randy Orton - Cena & Orton's 2014 feud was actually some of their best work together IMO. They had a very underrated match at the Royal Rumble (I'd say it was possibly their best match ever) & then they went on to have an even better HiaC match than their 2009 encounter. They also had a really solid main event match on RAW heading into the Elimination Chamber PPV, met in the chamber match itself & competed in the ladder match for the vacant title at MitB.

Gold & Stardust/Cody Rhodes vs. Rybaxel - These two tag teams put on several very good matches throughout the year including a pre-show match at the EC PPV, a match at Payback & a match at MitB. Rybaxel really came into their own towards the end & even though many may forget, it was multiple loses to Rybaxel that actually turned Cody into the artist we currently know as Stardust.

The Shield vs. Corporate Kane & The New Age Outlaws - Simply the best squash match in history. Sure there wasn't much of a story to this rather short feud & The Shield really deserved more heading into the biggest show of the year but they made the most of the what they were given & capped off perhaps the greatest opening hour of a Wrestlemania in the events history.

Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger/Rob Van Dam - Despite creative never really going anywhere with him, Cesaro had a really good triple threat with both RVD & Swagger at Extreme Rules. & although it took several months for him to follow up on the feuds with both men (particularly Swagger who he should have had a heated feud with coming out of Mania), he would go on to have very good pre-show matches with each man at Summerslam & Survivor Series respectively.

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane - Punk walking out & leaving Kane to have a mini feud with Bryan instead of him, ended up being a blessing in disguise & helped form Bryan's eventual redemption story at WM. The two men also had a very underrated Extreme Rules match at the ER PPV, which ended up being Bryan's sole title defense after his big WM 30 title win.

Rusev w/Lana vs. Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter - First these two met in a classic stare down at the Royal Rumble that was a definite precursor of everything to come, then they had some great matches at Battleground & Summerslam. As well as two great rematches on the RAW & Smackdown following Summerslam, the latter being a submissions match. Then they would eventually meet again in a solid U.S. title bout at TLC since Sheamus was hurt & couldn't compete. Overall they ended having a year long rivalry without even trying.

Seth Rollins vs. Rob Van Dam - They didn't really have much of a singles feud but they were both a part of the amazing MitB ladder match this year which Rollins won & RVD's last two matches with WWE in 2014 were against Rollins on Main Event & Smackdown respectively & they were both excellent.

Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz - These two had a really solid couple month feud that included multiple title changes, an arguably show stealing match at Summerslam & the introduction of the Damien Mizdow character.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro - They had a fantastic 2 out of 3 Falls match at HiaC for the IC Title, as well as a few great TV matches through out the year including the triple threat with Tyson Kidd on Smackdown.

Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro - Behind Seth Rollins & Bray Wyatt, Cesaro was probably Ambrose's next best singles feud of 2014. They had a number of great matches on TV in 2014, including the fantastic Trick or Street Fight match on Halloween.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

Really good thread!
My memory isn't as sharp as most of you guys but here are some wrestlers I liked despite either malaise or outright hatred persists for them.


Cesaro - The whole work with Vinny Mac calling him out. It won't ever propel him but it gives him an angsty angle to work with in the mid-card. A guy like Cesaro is good enough in the ring that he can be a staple of your mid-card for 5+ years. A lot of people complain about bounced around gimmicks and misuse which is a legit complaint...but at the same time these are the guys you waste giving a bunch of different spots and angles because they are VERSATILE and they aren't anything that is EVER going to draw. These types can make or break live cards and mid-card push material.

Barrett - Before his injury the Bad News gimmick was really starting to catch a little steam. I wasn't a fan how HHH and others mocked it on air because believe it or not...IT IS HILARIOUS! But it's also effective and not cartoonish when done by Wade! At worst he's a mid-card IC title guy but I believe he could catch a push some day. He paid his dues over and again and can certainly wrestle. Whatever. I mark out for some bad news lol

Luke Harper - A lot of people are down on breaking up the Wyatt family and I get that. But the thing is. This guy has ridiculous talent. Everyone sees it. Most of us agree it's time to get Big Show and Kane to scale back and maybe even get off TV soon so you need big men who can actually wrestle. IMHO Harper is better than Wyatt. And he's without a doubt better than Rowan. They need a new gimmick for this guy pronto. Wonder what he looks like under that mop and beard.

 

[DontshowfearBunny]

Really good thread!
My memory isn't as sharp as most of you guys but here are some wrestlers I liked despite either malaise or outright hatred persists for them.


Cesaro - The whole work with Vinny Mac calling him out. It won't ever propel him but it gives him an angsty angle to work with in the mid-card. A guy like Cesaro is good enough in the ring that he can be a staple of your mid-card for 5+ years. A lot of people complain about bounced around gimmicks and misuse which is a legit complaint...but at the same time these are the guys you waste giving a bunch of different spots and angles because they are VERSATILE and they aren't anything that is EVER going to draw. These types can make or break live cards and mid-card push material.

Barrett - Before his injury the Bad News gimmick was really starting to catch a little steam. I wasn't a fan how HHH and others mocked it on air because believe it or not...IT IS HILARIOUS! But it's also effective and not cartoonish when done by Wade! At worst he's a mid-card IC title guy but I believe he could catch a push some day. He paid his dues over and again and can certainly wrestle. Whatever. I mark out for some bad news lol

Luke Harper - A lot of people are down on breaking up the Wyatt family and I get that. But the thing is. This guy has ridiculous talent. Everyone sees it. Most of us agree it's time to get Big Show and Kane to scale back and maybe even get off TV soon so you need big men who can actually wrestle. IMHO Harper is better than Wyatt. And he's without a doubt better than Rowan. They need a new gimmick for this guy pronto. Wonder what he looks like under that mop and beard.

Who are you to say Cesaro won't be able to draw someday? I'm sick of people condemning wrestlers like that. "He's good but he will never draw, he should just stay in the mid card", I'm sick of hearing that argument. People said the same thing about Punk and Daniel Bryan when they started in the company. Hell, in WCW people said that Steve Austin would never be able to draw.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

Just one mans opinion.
You show me a wrestler who has gotten over without being able to speak in the modern era and I will retract my stance.

 

[Navi]

Who are you to say Cesaro won't be able to draw someday? I'm sick of people condemning wrestlers like that. "He's good but he will never draw, he should just stay in the mid card", I'm sick of hearing that argument.

I like Cesaro and just wish they would settle down and give him something that sticks. This year he's been a face, won the Andre the Giant Battle Royale. A Real American, a heel, a Paul Heyman guy, teased us with joining the Authority and now he's in a tag team with Kidd.

He's had more changes this year than I've had hot dinners, and it's hard to get behind someone when you have no idea what they'll come out as next week.

I think he's underrated and he should have been pushed a lot more, but the WWE wants Reigns has their top guy so someone had to pay. That person was Cesaro. Oh and by the way there is nothing wrong with being a mid card talent. Not every wrestler can be a main eventer, nor should they.

Now to the topic at hand.

The most underrated guy for me was Dean Ambrose. He lost particularly every feud he was in. From Seth Rollins to Bray Wyatt, he didn't win any. While everyone was talking about Roman Reigns, Ambrose was quietly making a name for himself, and without help from anyone got himself into the number two babyface spot behind Cena. He became the underdog of the year.

Going after his former Shield brother put the heat on Rollins, and got the fans to rally behind Ambrose. He's one hell of a ring worker, brawler, sells like a son of a bitch, and doesn't mind putting people over. In all this he still found time to make a movie for the WWE studios. Not to mention he's one of the best talkers in the ring today. He might be a little nuts, but who cares, he's a breath of fresh air, that this roster needs.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Shield vs Wyatt Family- one of the best tag team feuds of the year and almost nobody talks about it. One of the things I would change is outcome, but WWE seems to think Wyatt is somehow worth of pushing that much and they wanted to strongly build him and even gave him wins over Bryan and Shield, which both were hot faces at the moment.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Wyatt's almost de-push was not based on anything he did wrong... indeed he did EVERYTHING right in the Cena feud and produced some of the most memorable TV they have put out... the kids in the masks? creepy as hell but you'll always remember it.

The problem was that it was still making him face, inspite of all WWE's attempts... and they just don't want him as a face yet... so he suffered a bit for being too good, just as Barrett has in recent weeks. The fans wanted him face on his return, he came out the blocks better than ever... and they made sure to stifle that immediately.

Cesaro is not a WWE draw type guy, Vince is right on that... just not for the reason he tried to espouse... being Swiss is nothing to do with it, the problem is he is a mechanic... and the WWE don't want any more mechanics. Of the two, the real botch was again Thwagger... his Rusev feud was great but he needed the win... all that momentum had erased the drug shame of the past, he was over and was ready, the only missing part was when Zeb was injured putting Hogan in his corner as the "original Real American" and the shock cost Rusev the loss... that was all it needed and both Rusev and Thwagger would have been over big time...