Memo To
Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Wrestling Observer Newsletter
November
26, 2014
By Ryan
Porzl
Once again, I decided to make a memo where I suggest to
Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
wrestlers, tag teams, events, etc. that should be nominated or
considered for nomination for their year-end awards. The idea comes
from legendary film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert's “Memo to
the Academy” segment.
Wrestler
of the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: John Cena
(WWE), Brock Lesnar (WWE)
Likely
nominees from WON: Hiroshi
Tanahashi (New Japan), Kazuchika Okada (New Japan), Shinsuke Nakamura
(New Japan)
Bobby
Roode (TNA)- Bobby Roode is not
only one of the best wrestlers in the world today, he's one of the
best wrestlers of all time. He's someone that every promotion should
want and TNA no doubts considers themselves very fortunate to have
him. As a wrestler, Roode has few peers as he can have an amazing
match with just about anyone and has this year specifically his
matches with Bobby Lashley. Roode can also cut a great promo and has
the whole package. From a storyline standpoint, Roode regained the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the second time and has been a
main event player for TNA all year long.
Bobby
Lashley (TNA)- I'll admit. When
Lashley came back to wrestling this year, I wasn't very excited. I
know he's a great athlete and wrestler but he's bland and doesn't
have much mic skills. At the same time, he never seemed to reach the
potential he had in either WWE or TNA. That changed this year. While
Lashley was protected by good booking as he had MVP and Kenny King
talking for him, he shined in the ring especially after turning heel
(villain) and becoming a monster. Lashley put on great matches with
Eric Young, Austin Aries, Samoa Joe, and Bobby Roode during his run
as World Champion. As a villainous monster with mouthpieces, Lashley
finally reached his potential and came into his own. I admit to being
wrong about him. From a storyline standpoint, Lashley won the TNA
World Heavyweight Championship for the first time, became the first
black TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and the second black world
champion in TNA history (Ron Killings was the first as NWA World
Heavyweight Champion).
Takao
Omori (All Japan)- Omori has
always been a solid wrestler during his 22 year career but he never
got many opportunities in the main event outside of his run in ZERO1
as he's mostly been a tag team wrestler and mid card singles
competitor. That all changed this year as he was given chances in the
main event and I thought he did well putting on some very good to
great matches. On the last show of the Champion's Carnival, Omori put
on three very good matches in one night. His match with Kendo Kashin
was short but sweet. His decision match with Suwama was a fun match
and his finals match with Jun Akiyama was a great final. Speaking of
Akiyama, his match with Akiyama where he won the Triple Crown was
also great. Perhaps one of the biggest examples of how good he is is
the fact that he's 45 years old and yet doesn't come off like it.
He's still in good shape, can keep up with younger wrestlers, and
doesn't show any sign of being old. From a storyline standpoint,
Omori won his second January 2nd
Korakuen Hall Battle Royal, his first Champion's Carnival, his first
AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and his fifth AJPW
Unified World Tag Team Championship.
Joe
Doering (All Japan)- Doering is
a talented big man who has been All Japan's gaijin (foreign) ace for
years but 2014 saw him take it to the next level. This year, All
Japan booked Doering as the Triple Crown Champion (All Japan's top
title) but as a monster type wrestler and Doering has done very well.
Like all big men, Doering is very strong and can do a lot of power
moves. His most impressive were in his title defense against the 500
pound former sumo champion Akebono as he was able to do moves like a
death valley driver and a piledriver. Along with power, he also moves
around well and is fast for his size. Doering has put on some good
performances this year including title defenses over Akebono and Go
Shiozaki. Like Lashley, he has benefited from good booking as he's
able to come off as a monster that kicks out of finishing moves like
Shiozaki's go flasher but he's still very good and convincing in the
role. From a storyline standpoint, Doering has won the AJPW Triple
Crown Heavyweight Championship and was the AJPW Unified World Tag
Team Champion during the first half of the year. He also became the
first wrestler to defend the Triple Crown outside of Japan when he
made a title defense in Canada.
Masayuki
Kono (WRESTLE-1)- Kono has
always been a very good talent and he's been able to show that this
year. Since the formation of WRESTLE-1 back in September 2013, Kono
has been the company's top villain and leads his own stable called
DESPERADO. Kono is a talented wrestler who is 6'3 and 250 pounds.
He's tall and strong which means he can use moves that involve
strength like chokeslams and falcon arrows. Kono can also go to the
top rope and perform good moves there like diving knee drops. He's
also shown a good personality and shined in his role as the top
villain especially during his feud with Keiji “The Great Muta”
Mutoh like when he does Mutoh's moveset right in front of him as a
way of mockery. From a storyline standpoint, Kono made history when
he became the first WRESTLE-1 Champion and along the way defeated
some of WRESTLE-1's top stars in the tournament to crown the first
champion including Masakatsu Funaki and KAI.
Kohei
Sato (ZERO1)- Sato is one of
those underrated gems in Japan since he's a top star in ZERO1 and
makes appearances in Big Japan which are big independent promotions
so he flies under the radar. Shame too since Sato is a talented
wrestler, someone that's great to have on any roster, and is capable
of putting on as many great matches as any top star from around the
world. Sato is a guy who is a jack of all trade as he can wrestle a
stiff style with stiff forearms and kicks. He's got strength as he's
able to do moves like a falcon arrow and stalling German suplexes. He
also can do mat wrestling and has a good cross armbreaker. Sato has
put on some very good matches this year with the likes of James
Raideen and Masakatsu Funaki. From a storyline standpoint, Sato won
two ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championships which makes him a record
setting four time champion and also won the Big Japan Tag Team
Championship as well. He's also been a big part of the
WRESTLE-1/ZERO1 promotional feud with his series of matches with
Funaki.
Woman of
the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: AJ Lee
(WWE), Paige (WWE), Gail Kim (TNA)
WON
doesn't have this award
Madison
Rayne (TNA)- Rayne is one of
those talents that is very good but probably doesn't get the
recognition she deserves. Granted the TNA Knockout division has a lot
of great talent but she's still deserves recognition especially this
year. Rayne has mostly spent her TNA run as a heel but was a babyface
for most of the year and I thought she did a great job with it. She
came off very likeable and believable in the role. Along with this,
Rayne also had many good matches this year including a very good
steel cage match with Gail Kim at Lockdown and a good match with
Havok at Impact. From a storyline standpoint, Rayne won the Knockouts
Title once and held it for most of the first quarter of 2014. She
also won the Queen of the Knockouts tournament at the Knockout's
Knockdown tournament.
Taryn
Terrell (TNA)- After a great
2013, Terrell would take a leave during the end of 2013 and early
2014 due to pregnancy. Despite that, she came back earlier this year
and has looked very good. Like Brooke before her, Terrell has been a
nice surprise as she was originally a bland WWE diva who was brought
into TNA and has shined ever since. Her matches with Madison Rayne
have been very good while the ones with Gail Kim are as great as they
were last year. From a storyline standpoint, Terrell finally won the
big one when she won her first Knockouts Championship.
Tag Team
of the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: The Usos
(WWE), Gold and Stardust (WWE), The Ascension (WWE/NXT, possibly)
Likely
nominees from WON: Karl
Anderson and Doc Gallows (New Japan), The Usos (WWE), The Ascension
(WWE/NXT), The Young Bucks (New Japan/PWG), reDRagon (ROH)
The
Wolves (TNA)- The Wolves have
already been one of the best tag teams for years but 2014 could
probably be their best year yet. Since arriving in TNA, The Wolves
have looked phenomenal. They've had one great match after another.
Their best of series with the Hardy Boyz and Team 3D were great
especially the blow off Full Metal Mayhem match (TNA's name for TLC).
They also had a very good rivalry earlier in the year with the
Bro-Mans as well. In the ring, they can do it all with great double
team moves to stiff attacks to high flying to submissions. The Wolves
are one of those teams that will go down as one of the greatest tag
teams in wrestling history. From a storyline standpoint, The Wolves
won the TNA World Tag Team Championship two times and main evented
the Lockdown pay-per-view.
Kenou
and Hajime Ohara (NOAH)- Kenou
and Ohara are probably one of the most underrated teams in the world
today. Members of Pro Wrestling NOAH's top villain stable
Cho-kibu-Gun, they're not only one of the more underrated teams but
they're also one of the most fun to watch and work well together.
This year, the newly formed team had several very good matches
including over Taiji Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge along with Daisuke
Harada and Quiet Storm. They have a good combination of teamwork, fun
moveset, and entertaining ways to cheat. From a storyline standpoint,
the team won the GHC (Global Honored Crown) Junior Tag Team
Championship (NOAH's Jr. Tag Titles) and the 2014 NTV G+ Cup Junior
Heavyweight Tag League.
Taiji
Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge (NOAH)-
Ishimori and Kotoge are one of the most exciting teams in 2014. Even
if you're not familiar with them, they're easy to get into thanks to
their exciting high flying style. Both men are two of the best junior
heavyweights in the world and have shined as a tag team with matches
against Yoshinari Ogara and Zack Sabre Jr. along with Kenou and
Hajime Ohara. From a storyline standpoint, the two captured the GHC
Junior Tag Team Championship two times this year.
Most
Popular Wrestler of the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: John Cena
(WWE), Roman Reigns (WWE)
WON
doesn't have this award
Dean
Ambrose (WWE)- Ambrose is
probably the coolest and best fan favorite in wrestling in 2014. He's
a wrestler that's easy to like as he can cut a great promo and
wrestle a great match. The best thing that makes Ambrose so likable
is that he's not you're typical fan favorite or babyface especially
in the WWE. He's not a superhero or squeaky clean fan favorite but
rather a guy who's nuts, kicks ass, and takes names. When you see
him, you know you're in for something exciting. Ambrose has also
become one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE, can liven up any
crowd, and get the loudest cheers of any show.
Samoa
Joe (TNA)- Joe is another
wrestler who comes off very cool. He's smooth on the microphone,
doesn't sweat under pressure, and is an absolute bad ass in the
squared circle. He's another wrestler that's easy to get behind and
like. Whenever Joe is a fan favorite, he never has a hard time
getting the crowds behind and this year was no different. Joe has
become so popular that fans love to serenade his opponents with
“Joe's gonna kill you” chants as he approaches rings and during
the action.
Most
Hated Wrestler of the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: Seth Rollins
(WWE), Bray Wyatt (WWE)
WON
doesn't have this award
EC3
(TNA)- I don't think there was
a better heel in wrestling in 2014 than EC3. He has perfected the
villain craft as he's capable of getting fans to boo him and is
capable of trolling audiences when they chant something he doesn't
like. He's also been shining with his recent feud with a Rockstar
Spud by acting like a bully that you want to see get put in his
place.
Bobby
Lashley (TNA)- After years of
being a generic babyface, Lashley become a heel this year and
excelled at being a monsterous one. He was so believable in his role
as he tore through the locker room beating top star after top star in
matches that would either see him win without breaking a sweat or in
brutal fashion. In a year where WWE was trying to get guys like Brock
or Rusev over, Lashley was head and shoulders as the beast of 2014.
Kenny
King (TNA)- King is like EC3 in
that he plays the role of an arrogant, obnoxious prick to a T. He
just knows how to act like a villain with his actions, his words, and
his swagger. He really came into his own during his feud with
newcomer Chris Melendez where he lost a match to him, only to jump
him from behind and try to rip off his prosthetic leg. All in all,
King does a great job of coming off as someone you want to see get
beat up.
Masayuki
Kono (WRESTLE-1)- Kono is
another good villain in 2014. The best example would be during his
feud with Keiji “The Great Muta” Mutoh. His best moment was in
the finals of the WRESTLE-1 tournament against KAI where he mocks
Mutoh who is at ringside by doing almost all of his signature moves.
He also finished the match and became the first champion by doing
Mutoh's finishing move: The Shining Wizard. I know the matchmakers
tell him to do this but Kono still performed it very well.
Comeback
of the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: Batista
(WWE), Chris Jericho (WWE)
WON
doesn't have this award
Drew
Galloway (EVOLVE)- After being
wasted in the WWE during the first few months of 2014, the former
Drew McIntyre has rebounded in the smaller promotions. Since his WWE
release, Galloway has been a favorite in the United States
independent circuit where he's competed in top indy promotions such
as EVOLVE, Family Wrestling Entertainment, and House of Hardcore.
While in these promotions, he's been booked to wrestle many good
names including legends like Tommy Dreamer to former WWE stars like
Carlito to some of the best wrestlers in the world in Austin Aries.
From a storyline standpoint, Galloway has seen his share of gold as
he won the EVOLVE Championship and returned to his roots when he
regained the Insane Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship
in his native Scotland.
Ryusuke
Taguchi (New Japan)- This one
is more of a storyline comeback then a real life or both. It's been
seven years since Taguchi was a top star in New Japan's Junior
Heavyweight Division. While he held many Jr. Tag Titles over the
years, he was lost in the shuffle in the junior heavyweight
division's singles division until this year. Back in September,
Taguchi became New Japan's IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix)
Junior Heavyweight Champion for the second time. For the first time
in seven years, Taguchi is once again atop of the New Japan Pro
Wrestling Junior Heavyweight mountain.
Low
Ki (TNA)- After leaving New
Japan in January 2013, Low Ki has largely found himself in the
independent wilderness outside of some appearances in Dragon Gate USA
and All Japan. This year, he finally returned to the scene when he
returned to TNA and has made the best of this current run. He's put
on many good matches including his ones with Samoa Joe, the six ways,
and the number one contenders tournament. From a storyline
standpoint, Low Ki won his third TNA X Division Championship which is
his first in eight years.
Most
Underrated
Likely
nominees from WON: Cesaro
(WWE), Tyson Kidd (WWE/NXT), Natalya (WWE), Damien Sandow (WWE), Bray
Wyatt (WWE)
PWI
doesn't have this award
Hirooki
Goto (New Japan)- In November
2007, Hirooki Goto returned from a learning exertion and looked like
a star from the future. Fast forward seven years later and Goto has
yet to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Worse of all, Goto seems
aimless these days. In 2012, He won the Intercontinental Title and
his record setting third New Japan Cup tournament. It seemed like he
was taking that next step yet now in 2014, he's stalled. Sure he gets
title matches, but he's not in the position he should be in at this
point. He should be one of New Japan's top stars not a midcard/upper
card talent. I feel Goto is one of many wrestlers that have great
potential but is wasted by New Japan's direction.
Toru
Yano (New Japan)- Yano is
another guy that seemed to have a lot of potential years ago but has
stalled. Yano is a good wrestler and a very good performer who can be
entertaining but hasn't gotten many chances in recent years. Another
similar thing he has with Goto is that he seemed like he was possibly
going to take that next step but it didn't happen. Despite being one
of New Japan's more entertaining talents, Yano had no title shots in
2014, did poorly in tournaments, and was stuck in a never ending feud
with Minoru Suzuki. While Yano and Suzuki can be very fun to watch
together, the feud went on and on with no end. Yano is another talent
that I hope gets back on track in 2015.
Tatsuya
Naito (New Japan)- Naito was
someone who entered the year on a high note and even challenged for
the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the January 4th
Tokyo Dome. However, he's fallen off the radar since then. Other than
one challenge for the NEVER Openweight Title (which he lost earlier
this year), he's had no other title shots this year. No Heavyweight
Title shots, no Intercontinental Title shots, no NEVER Title shots,
and no Tag Team Title shots. Naito is definitely one of the more
frustrating cases as he seemed to be a star on the rise at the end of
2013 and now finds himself back in the midcard with no direction.
Captain
New Japan (New Japan)- If
nothing else, Captain New Japan is one of the biggest examples of New
Japan's incompetent booking. Mitsuhide Hirasawa is a talented
wrestler that can be a great asset for New Japan. Instead, he's one
of many talented wrestlers that's wasted with no direction in his
career. Even worse is the fact that for three years, he's been
playing Captain New Japan which is a Captain America ripoff with New
Japan's logo and colors on his costume. The character is nothing more
than a comedy gimmick that accomplishes nothing. It's not funny, it
doesn't increase ratings, and it doesn't increase attendance. I'm not
saying that Hirasawa could be a big star but it would be nice to see
him get a chance to show what he's capable of instead of wasting his
prime years looking ridiculous and going nowhere.
The
Bro-Mans (TNA)- While the
Bro-Mans have had a very good 2014, I'm recommending them for
nomination because I feel a lot of internet wrestling fans aren't
into them because they may be goofy. However, the Bro-Mans have shown
to be a solid unit with Robbie E. and Jesse Goddertz have shown to be
a solid tag team with good chemistry in the ring and on the mic.
Meanwhile, DJ Z has shown to be a great third man who also adds to
them and can fill in when one isn't available. Their feud with the
Wolves provided good matches and entertaining skits with them doing
everything they could to avoid defending the titles against the
Wolves like great cowardly villains. While they're not the best team
of all time, they're still a good team.
Adam
Page (ROH)- Page is one of many
ROH up and comers who have been wasted in 2014 or weren't giving the
best opportunity but he was one of the worse treated. Page's year
began well as he was put in a feud with the Decade stable which
consisted of Roderick Strong, Jimmy Jacobs, and BJ Whitmer. It was a
good move to put a young kid with veterans so he can improve his
craft and get some recognition from the fans. However, the feud
quickly ended and Page spent the majority of the year as a sidekick
to the group. It was a waste of a talented young wrestler as he
rarely wrestled and would just accompany the Decade members to the
ring and interfere on their behalf. To see such a prospect play
second fiddle to a bunch of stale, boring, and washed-up wrestlers
like Strong, Jacobs, and Whitmer was frustrating since he was dragged
down and gained nothing from the whole run.
Most
Overrated
Likely
nominees from WON: Batista
(WWE)
PWI
doesn't have this award
Brock
Lesnar (WWE)- This is not only
a suggested nominee but a suggested winner. In 2014, no one got so
much despite being absent for 99% of the year like Lesnar. Lesnar was
the one to end the Undertaker's legendary 23 year Wrestlemania
unbeaten streak and got to squash John Cena for the WWE Championship
at the #2 show of the year Summerslam. When you look at the up and
coming talent WWE has, it's such a waste to give Lesnar these big
moments when he only wrestles four times a year (literally), has
peaked as a wrestler, and isn't a draw. In fact, despite all these
things the WWE has given him, nothing has improved. The ratings for
the RAW after Summerslam went down and some PPV events without him
drew more than the ones with him. Even after being given the WWE
Championship, Lesnar still shows no commitment and sits at home for
months without making title defenses and the belt gathers dust.
Overall, the WWE is doing nothing but wasting time, money, and
opportunities on Brock when they should go to the stars of the future
that are dedicated to wrestling, will make a big difference in the
years to come, and are not just there to cash a check.
John
Cena (WWE)- 2014 makes nine
years of Cena as the top star and it's not getting old but rather
it's ancient. Say what you will about Daniel Bryan getting hurt, it
still doesn't justify pushing Cena back to that position. Cena's run
this year has just been brutal, maybe more so than usual. His feud
with Bray Wyatt killed Wyatt's momentum as it was the usual Cena
fighting back and overcoming the odds while Wyatt only won when the
matches were heavily overbooked to protect Cena. His feud with the
Authority is not the least bit believable and his stuff with Brock
was not good. While Cena was winning his 15th
world title this year and main eventing Summerslam and Survivor
Series, he continued to put on awful matches and cut terrible promos.
It's hard to believe Cena is still the top guy after nine years and
while you know nothing will change anytime soon, you always hope next
year will be the year Vince McMahon takes the WWE to a new direction.
Jay
Briscoe (ROH)- Briscoe is
nothing more than a bad wrestling stereotype. He's the guy that non
wrestling fans view wrestling fans: A hillbilly who speaks gibberish
and wrestles like he's jumping on a trampoline. Briscoe brings
nothing to the table as he's not a good wrestler or talker. Yet, he
was given the ROH World Championship a second time. When you look at
the ROH roster which features guys like Tomasso Ciampa, Adam Cole,
and Jay Lethal who are ready or have been champions before, it's
insulting to pick Briscoe as your champion.
Shinsuke
Nakamura (New Japan)- There was
a time when Nakamura was one of the best wrestlers in the world but
not anymore. To me, Nakamura seems to have regressed in the last few
years. His current gimmick isn't entertaining as he looks drunk. He
overuses knee attacks including his finisher the Boma Ye running
knee. He doesn't show a lot of psychology as he can get his leg
worked over and then use the “injured” knee like nothing was
wrong. Even if for the sake of argument that Nakamura is good, he's
still overrated in the amount of times he's been Intercontinental
Champion. There's no reason for him to have been the IC Champion the
majority of the year and being the only contender when he wasn't the
champion. New Japan has a lot of talent so they don't need to give
Nakamura title reign after title reign.
Best
Promotion of the Year
Likely
nominees from WON: New Japan
Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor
PWI
doesn't have this award
TNA-
I don't expect this to get nominated and it's sad given how good TNA
has been. In 2014, TNA was one of the best companies in the world
with great matches and new stars being made. The company saw a strong
tag team division with the new Bro-Mans tag team entering the year as
champions, The Wolves entering TNA, the Menagerie debuting, the brief
reunion of Team 3D, and the return of the Hardy Boyz. The Knockouts
division was also strengthen up with the returns of Angelina Love and
Taryn Terrell, the debuts of new knockouts including Brittany, Rebel,
& Havok, and tried & true knockouts like Velvet Sky, Madison
Rayne, and Gail Kim still putting on great performances. The X
Division and the main event were also very good this year with many
great performances. Perhaps the biggest reason for TNA to deserve it
is the fact that they were willing to take chances. In a year where
they had to renew their American TV deal, they could've given in to
AJ Styles money demands or kept Sting another year and thrown as much
money to keep Bad Influence and Sabin. Instead, they allowed them to
leave and began pushing new talent. I suppose you could argue on
whether TNA didn't mind them leaving or couldn't prevent them from
leaving but at the end of the day, they took a chance. They could've
taking the easy way out and focus on the talent they had forever but
they allowed them to leave and have been trying to use new and fresh
talent which has breathed new life into the company.
All
Japan- All Japan has had a
rocky year and a half as they saw half their talent leave in the
summer of the 2013 and then went through a corporate restructuring in
July. However, the promotion didn't let this affect their product
on-screen and booking backstage. All Japan has been on the more
underrated promotions as it provides great action and talent but
doesn't seem to get the recognition it deserved. This year, the
promotion did a great job with their rebuilding. Along with the tried
and true Suwama, the promotion also gave Takao Omori and Joe Doering
their first Triple Crown reigns. They slowly started to build up the
TV Title by giving it the reliable Kotaro Suzuki. Go Shiozaki and
Kento Miyahara are future Triple Crown champions in the making. The
company also took some chances this year by attempting to create new
stars by giving Doering the Triple Crown and booking him as the
dominate foreign talent while Kento Miyahara scored upset wins over
the likes of Jun Akiyama. It's refreshing to see All Japan try out
new talent instead of relying on the same three wrestlers like New
Japan Pro Wrestling does. The promotion also provided us with many
great matches and performances this year including the champion's
carnival finals and the match for the vacant Triple Crown with both
matches featuring Omori and Akiyama as well as Suzuki and Miyahara's
All-Asia Tag Title win.
Worst
Promotion of the Year
Likely
nominees from WON: TNA
PWI
doesn't have this award
WWE-
I don't know if 2014 was worse than 2013 but this was still an
atrocious year. This year, the WWE dropped the ball time and time
again. The Diva's Division was awful this year with the departure of
Kaitlyn, The AJ Lee/Paige feud not taking off the way it should've,
and the garbage with the Bellas and Stephanie. The Tag Team Division
is still mostly a few teams here and there but still not strong and
it seems to have the same teams in endless rematches. The midcard
titles still mean nothing and there wasn't any big feuds to make them
prestigious again. The WWE Championship scene suffered a blow with
Bryan's injury and the WWE foolishly putting the belt on Cena and an
uncommitted Brock Lesnar. New stars continued to be buried as Bray
Wyatt saw all his momentum destroyed just so the WWE can continue
pushing the stale John Cena. Seth Rollins became a villain for no
reason and like most Money In The Bank winners, he hasn't had much
direction since winning it. Cesaro won the Andre The Giant battle
royal at Wrestlemania and would do nothing to follow up as he would
mostly be put on TV just to give Paul Heyman something to do while
Brock was on his spring and summer vacation. Worse of all, when
Heyman managed Cesaro, he spent more time talking about Lesnar then
he did Cesaro. The company squandered the Undertaker's 23 year
Wrestlemania streak by allowing Lesnar to break it instead of an up
and coming star. HHH and Stephanie were all over TV despite the fact
most fans don't care to see them and the evil authority figure story
being ridiculously stale. The company was creatively bankrupt with
stupid gimmicks like Rusev being an evil Russian that was overdone
during the Cold War era to Cody Rhodes being made to look like an
absolute idiot as a Goldust rip-off: Stardust. Behind the scenes, the
company was in panic mode as the WWE Network didn't deliver the
numbers the WWE was hoping for, they were under investigation for
potentially lying to investors on the WWE's value, their new TV deal
wasn't as big as they hoped, and the company lost millions of dollars
with Vince losing a third of his fortune.
New
Japan- This will be one of, if
not, my most controversial pick but I think New Japan was one of the
worse companies of 2014. The problems with New Japan is the usual
problems in that it wasn't the talents fault but the booking. The
Heavyweight Title got a new name with AJ Styles but for the most
part, it was the same thing we've been seeing for years as it's
mostly just Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. The
Intercontinental Title was once again around the waist of Shinsuke
Nakamura for 95% of the year. Seriously, New Japan has a lot of great
talent in Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Tatsuya Naito, and Captain New
Japan who can be special but are wasted while New Japan focuses on
the same three guys. Goto wandered aimlessly this year, Yano has been
stuck in a feud with Minoru Suzuki that's going nowhere, Naito lost a
lot of stock after getting his title shot at the yearly January 4th
Tokyo Dome show, and Captain New Japan is stuck with a moronic
gimmick. The company also wasted time by bringing in Daniel and
Rolles Gracie of the legendary Gracie Family into the company despite
neither having any wrestling skills. Worse of all, they put Daniel in
a feud with Nakamura due to Daniel defeating Nakamura in an MMA fight
that little to no one remembers back in 2002. They also feuded with
former Gracie nemesis Kazushi Sakuraba. I'm sorry but Gracies vs.
Sakuraba? Is it 2014 or 2000? Speaking of outdated rivalries,
Tanahashi and Nakamura renewed their never ending one by having three
big matches this year and main evented New Japan's biggest show of
the year back on January 4th.
For those who don't follow Japanese wresting, Tanahashi and Nakamura
may have wrestled more times than the Undertaker and Kane & Hulk
Hogan and Randy Savage combined. The company again decided that the
winner of their yearly G1 Climax would get a title shot at the next
January 4th
Tokyo Dome show. In most cases, this could work and be a great way to
build up to the biggest show of the year. Only problem is that the G1
is in August which is five months away. That's too long to wait for a
title shot. When the WWE has the Royal Rumble winner getting a
championship opportunity at Wrestlemania, those two events are two
months apart which is enough time to build a match but not having to
wait so long.
ROH-
Ring of Honor is the #3 promotion in the United States but you
wouldn't know that watching. In 2014, ROH had so many issues and I
don't know where to begin. I guess the best place to start was the
way the TV shows came off. They would go to a commercial during a
match and when they came back, they would go to a promo featuring a
wrestler that has nothing to do with the main event. It kills the
match badly. The shows will also feature announcers Kevin Kelly and
Steve Corino talking about one wrestler beaten another at a recent
show but we never get any clips to show it. Speaking of announcers,
ROH has the worse in the business. While Kelly isn't bad, Corino is
awful. Words can't describe how putrid Corino is on commentary as he
can make your ears bleed. The company also made mistakes with the
talent they have. They broke two tag teams up including C n' C and
Adrenaline Rush, had Jay Lethal wander aimlessly with the TV Title,
their tag division has no depth, promising talent like TaDarious
Thomas and Adam Page were wasted as sidekicks for the Decade, Rhett
Titus was put under a mask, and Michael Elgin's World Title reign was
botched. At the same time, the company put the stale Roderick Strong,
Jimmy Jacobs, and BJ Whitmer together to form the Decade and gave
them tons of TV time despite being incredibly boring. Jay Briscoe was
given yet another World Title reign and the Briscoes/Kingdom feud
continued to drag all year long. They also created the new team War
Machine as a new monster like team despite the fact that the team
doesn't have anything going for them besides the tag team name as
they aren't very talented, have no look, no cool double teams moves,
and their names were terrible. Seriously, Raymond Rowe and Hanson
aren't exactly Hawk and Animal or Ax and Smash.
Feud of
the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: John Cena
vs. The Authority (WWE), John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (WWE), Dean Ambrose
vs. Seth Rollins (WWE), Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon (WWE)
Likely
nominees from WON: New Japan
vs. Bullet Club (New Japan), Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
(New Japan), Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (WWE)
Bully
Ray vs. Dixie Carter (TNA)- I
can see this being on the worst feud of the year and it's a shame
too. It's surprising but Bully Ray and Dixie Carter had a very fun
feud this year. The story began well with Bully brought into Lockdown
as an insurance policy to ensure her team's victory which would allow
her to run the wrestling operations. After Bully refused to go along
with it and helped MVP's team to victory, Dixie could no longer have
power as far as booking matches. From here, the feud with see Dixie
cost Bully a match against Bobby Roode by shoving him though a table.
For the next few months, Bully would make it his mission to put
Carter through a table only for her to escape time after time until
finally succeeding in New York during the summer. Despite the fact
the feud was between a man wrestler and a woman non wrestler, it
never got boring and TNA did a great job with it. Bully was great as
the everyday guy who wants to get revenge on his boss and would go
through anything to get there. Dixie continued to show improvement
and became a great heel who was capable of angering a crowd as an
obnoxious, southern businesswoman who threw hurdle after hurdle at
Bully. She also proved to be good on the mic as she never tripped or
stumbled over her words and showed good facial reactions as well
especially her last one before going through the table as she came
off as someone who knew she barked up the wrong tree, her time was
up, and she could do nothing about it. As a testament to how great
the feud was, it was about a man putting a woman through a table.
While that can be an uncomfortable thought, both played their roles
so well that at the end, you wanted to see Bully put Dixie through
the table.
Gunner
vs. James Storm (TNA)- This was
a very underrated feud. While it did have some weaknesses including
the fact that it could've went longer and Gunner won all three
matches. However, the performances and story made it great. The
matches were wild & brutal and the interviews & segments were
great. The best segment being James Storm handcuffing Gunner to the
ring ropes and bashing a beer bottle on his father's head while
Gunner could do nothing but watch. Storm did a great job as the
villain who went mad while Gunner is the tough and never say die good
guy who is not afraid of any fight or putting himself through
anything as long as he defeats his opponent.
Kohei
Sato vs. Masakatsu Funaki (ZERO1/WRESTLE-1)-
This feud was apart of the ZERO1 vs. WRESTLE-1 feud that took place
this year but has been a big part of the feud. During the year, the
two feuded for the ZERO1 World Title and traded the title a few times
with Funaki winning the championship from Sato and Sato regaining it.
The two also had some tag matches where they pinned each other.
Overall, they worked very well together and had the same styles of
hard hitting offense and submissions. While the second title match
between them had an abrupt like ending, the matches were really good.
Worst
Feud of the Year
Likely
nominees from WON: Bully Ray
vs. Dixie Carter (TNA)
PWI
doesn't have this award
John
Cena vs. The Authority (WWE)-
Words can't describe how awful this feud has been. It fails on so
many levels that it's not even funny. The first problem is that it's
one of the least believable feuds in recent years. I know wrestling
is like other forms of entertainment in that you have to suspend
disbelief. However, it's too much to believe that the top star for
the past nine years who's Make-a-Wish contributions are constantly
documented, has articles written on WWE.com to back him up and can be
considered propaganda, constantly goes to WWE red carpets and press
conferences in a suit and tie, and announcers constantly talk about
him being the greatest ever is this rebel against the corporate suits
of the WWE. Like the Daniel Bryan/Authority feud or not, at least
there was believability to it. At least when Vince would say Bryan
wasn't a main event player, I believed it. There's no believability
in the golden boy of the WWE vs. The Authority. Second problem with
this feud is that it's the fourth time in a decade that Cena has
feuded with an evil authority figure or group. He feuded with Kurt
Angle when Angle was Smackdown General Manager in 2004. Then he
feuded with Eric Bischoff when Bischoff was the RAW General Manager
in 2005. Then he feuded with John Laurinaitis when he was the General
Manager of both brands in 2012. The whole “rebel vs. authority
figure” is tiresome but it's even more dull with Cena as the rebel.
Finally, Cena, Triple H, and Stephanie aren't good anywhere. They're
not putting on good matches, segments, or great promos. Just a waste
of time.
John
Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (WWE)- If
this isn't the worst feud of the year, it's definitely the most
disappointing. This was a feud that the WWE could have seen big
benefits for their future. Cena is stale and Wyatt was the hottest
act. This could have been a way to take Wyatt to that next level and
made him a main event star. Instead, it was the typical John Cena
feud where Wyatt only wins when the matches are extremely overbooked
to protect Cena while Cena wins by fighting the odds and never giving
up. It's the same feud we've seen from Cena for years and it's
tiresome. To make matters worse, Wyatt's momentum was killed and he
hasn't come close to being as hot as he once was.
Brie
Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon (WWE)-
This feud had disaster written all over it. Brie has never been good
at anything as she can't wrestle, talk, or act. Stephanie is not even
a wrestler and is an awful performer. As a result, fans were
subjected to months of bad acting and bad segments which eventually
culminated with a bad match at Summerslam. Stephanie should never be
on TV because she doesn't bring anything to the table and it's even
uglier when she is in a major program on the show. Finally, if you're
going to use a non wrestler than at least put them with someone who
has talent and can make up for what the non wrestler lacks which Brie
Bella can't.
Brie
Bella vs. Nikki Bella (WWE)-
Brie and Stephanie's feud was bad but the feud between the Bella
Twins may be even worse. Like Brie and Stephanie, this feud features
two women with nothing going for them. Neither are good wrestlers,
neither can cut a promo to save their lives, and neither are
connecting with the crowds. Meanwhile, their matches together have
not been good and their segments are absolutely embarrassing. Their
B-grade level soap opera material is so bad that it either makes you
cringe or laugh at them as you watch them. The feud has also seen
some of the worse segments this year from they're first confrontation
to the horrible “Growing up Bella” segments which had Nikki
whining about stuff from high school to Jerry Springer moderating a
segment.
Best
Commentator of the Year
Likely
nominees from WON: JBL (WWE),
Mike Tenay (TNA)
PWI
doesn't have this award
Lenny
Leonard (FIP/EVOLVE/Dragon Gate USA)-
Leonard has been one of pro wrestling's more underrated commentators
for a decade. He was great in Ring of Honor during his five - six
years there and continues to be a good commentator now. He's very
knowledgeable on wrestling moves and can correctly do great
play-by-play while occasionally being funny. Leonard is as good, if
not better than most of the announcers in the big 3 and deserves to
be recognized as such.
Worst
Commentator of the Year
Likely
nominees from WON: Taz (TNA)
Steve
Corino (ROH)- Like Brock in the
overrated list, I'm not only suggesting a nominee but a winner.
Nobody comes close to sheer awfulness than Steve Corino. Since
becoming ROH's color commentator, Corino has been absolutely
atrocious and nails on a chalkboard. He doesn't bring anything to the
table as he's not a play-by-play announcer and he doesn't offer that
wrestler's point of view during matches. Instead, he spends most of
ROH's broadcasts cracking jokes and to make matters worse, the jokes
aren't funny. As a result, fans have to listen to Corino make a fool
out of himself for an hour every week as he wastes time telling jokes
that aren't funny and offer nothing insightful on commentary. ROH may
be the #3 promotion in the country but they can find someone better.
Match of
the Year
Likely
nominees from PWI: Brock Lesnar
vs. The Undertaker (WWE Wrestlemania XXX, April 6), Brock Lesnar vs.
John Cena (WWE Summerslam, August 17), and Daniel Bryan vs. Bray
Wyatt (WWE Royal Rumble, January 26)
Likely
nominees from WON: Hiroshi
Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata (New Japan Destruction in Kobe,
September 21), Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro Takahashi (New Japan King of
Pro-Wrestling, October 13), and Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (WWE
Summerslam, August 17), Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn (WWE NXT Arrival,
February 27)
Takao
Omori vs. Jun Akiyama (AJPW Champion's Carnival Day 9, April 23)-
Here's an underrated gem for you. This was a very good match and a
great way to close the 2014 All Japan Champion's Carnival. This match
featured some good wrestling, back and forth action, fighting at
ringside, some nice bumps including a DDT on the ramp, and nice
psychology with Akiyama going for the neck. The match showed that
despite both being 44 at the time that Omori and Akiyama are still
great talents who are capable of putting on a good show. The match
never dragged or got boring. The fans were into it.
Bobby
Lashley vs. Bobby Roode (TNA Impact Wrestling, Taped September
18/Aired October 29)- Lashley
and Roode tore the house down in their first match for the TNA World
Heavyweight Championship. This second match was no different. Lashley
had an incredible year while Roode is one of the best wrestler's in
the world and they proved both by having a great match. It had great
wrestling, great athletism, and some craziness with Lashley
constantly going for the spear only for Roode to dodge and Lashley
crashing into everybody at ringside. The finish was also nice with
Roode doing the same pin the British Bulldog did to defeat Bret Hart
at Summerslam 1992. It came out of nowhere instead of a finisher
finishing the match which can be anti-climatic and Roode winning
clean was also great since he defeated the monster and came off as
the better man.
Taiji
Ishimori vs. Daisuke Harada (NOAH Great Voyage 2014 in Tokyo, March
8)- This was an action packed
match that kicked off right out of the gate. This was the type of
match you can show to new wrestling fans or even non wrestling fans
and they would love it. Both men did a great job and was a Junior
Heavyweight match as it was fast paced and saw lots of high flying
moves. Best of all, the match was never boring. It also featured a
big title change with Ishimori's year plus reign coming to an end and
what a way for it to end.
Worst
Match of the Year
Likely
nominees from WON: Magnus vs.
Samoa Joe (TNA Lockdown, March 9)
PWI
doesn't have this award
Brock
Lesnar vs. John Cena (WWE Summerslam 2014, August 17)-
I have two words that best describe this match: German Suplex. Now
say that fifteen more times and you've described 90% of the match.
The idea of the match was to show Lesnar off as a beast. While it did
succeed in that, the match just wasn't entertaining or good. If the
WWE and Lesnar wanted him to come off destructive, he could've done
more moves and different types of suplexes. The German Suplexes
became extremely tiresome and repetitive. There are ways for someone
to look powerful and put on a fun performance but this isn't one of
them.
Brie
Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon (WWE Summerslam 2014, August 17)-
Summerslam 2014 sadly provided many bad matches and this was one of
them. This match failed on so many levels. The first was them
botching moves including arm drags. Another was some of the offense
was weak like the short arm clothesline that Stephanie. Yet another
is the fact that this match was supposed to see Brie get her hands on
Stephanie. Despite this and the fact Stephanie is not a wrestler,
Stephanie dominated parts of the match. This just came off as ego on
Stephanie's part. In the past when Vince and Shane wrestled, they
usually would get beat up a lot or most of the match unless it was
hardcore. Finally, the match just wasn't good. There wasn't a lot of
excitement to it as Brie is not a good wrestler while Stephanie isn't
one. As a result, a lot of the moves were basic and it wasn't
entertaining. This match and it's position as a major match on a
major show like Summerslam was the type of stuff people would
criticize Eric Bischoff of doing when he put himself in big matches
at Starrcade.
Brock
Lesnar vs. The Underaker (WWE Wrestlemania XXX, April 6)-
This match suffered for so many reasons. While the Undertaker's
wrestlemania matches usually get praised, this one proved beyond a
shadow of a doubt that his best days are behind him. He looked old,
beat up, and someone that should be remembered as he was not as he's
become. Lesnar wasn't much better. At this point of time, he's mostly
here for the paychecks and nothing more. Worse of all, Lesnar isn't
the kind of person that can have a great match with a near 50 year
old who is heavily broken down. At times, the match was also a big
joke as the two mostly tried MMA type submission holds with Taker
trying his hell's gate gogoplata and Lesnar trying his kimura but
none of them looked good. It's amazing how Taker can be such a big
MMA fan while Lesnar was once a fighter and yet neither know how to
properly apply holds.
Most
Improved
Likely
nominees from PWI: Roman Reigns
(WWE)
Likely
nominees from WON: Unknown
Kento
Miyahara (All Japan)- Miyahara
has always been a kid with potential. A trainee of the legendary
Kensuke Sasaki, Miyahara left Sasaki's Diamond Ring last year and
went to All Japan. When he came in, he was still a boy with
potential. This year, he's become a man who is reaching his
potential. Throughout 2014, Miyahara shed his “young lion” rank
and came off as one of All Japan's up and comers. He's changed his
attire and added new moves this year which to me shows growth as he
creates his ident He was believable when he defeated legendary
wrestler Jun Akiyama and came off as someone who is rising through
the ranks. Miyahara showed this year that he has the tools to become
a top star in All Japan one day.
EC3
(TNA)- Before going to TNA last
year, I thought EC3 was a solid talent. When he was Derrick Bateman
in the WWE, I thought he could have a good career but he would be a
midcarder at most like Intercontinental Champion. My opinion has
changed. Since his arrival in TNA, EC3 has made big improvement. He's
been given the ball and he ran with it all year with great promos and
great matches. He's clearly showed he's a star of the future. He's
proven he's not out of place when paired with legends like Sting or
main eventers like Bully Ray. If EC3 continues the path he's going,
he'll be a World Champion in the near future.
Best
Gimmick
Likely
nominees from WON: Unknown
PWI
doesn't have this award
The
Menagerie (Carnival Freaks) (TNA)-
I know this gimmick will be in the worst category and I don't think
it should. I find it a fun gimmick that's enjoyable, it gave
characters to talented wrestlers like Knux and Rob Terry, and it
introduced fans to Rebel and Crazy Steeve who have been good
additions to the roster. They have a cool intro with Rebel doing the
split legs and Steeve riding to ringside with a tricycle. Rob Terry
is a talented big man but he now has a gimmick as the masked Freak
while Knux is more colorful as the ring master where he comes to the
ring with a top hat, suit coat, and cane.
Worst
Gimmick
Likely
nominees from WON: The
Menagerie (TNA)
PWI
doesn't have this award
Rusev
and Lana (Bulgarian who is a Russian sympathizer and Bridget Fonda
ripoff from Rocky IV) (WWE)-
Question: what year is this? 2014 or 1985? I can't tell when I see
this gimmick. I know the United States and Russia haven't gotten
along this year but this is so outdated. In fact, anti-American
foreign gimmicks are the most outdated gimmicks in all of wrestling.
This gimmick is also so repetitive. It's basically Lana giving a
paint by numbers anti-American promo then showing a picture of
Vladimir Putin then Rusev wins a match and then a Russian flag is
displayed from the rafters. Same thing all the time and the
characters are too one dimensional. Certain things don't work anymore
and this gimmick is one of them. In all fairness, Rusev and Lana
could be good talents but they're both saddled with outdated
characters. It would be nice to see Rusev with a more modern
character or something like him aspiring to proudly represent
Bulgaria and be the first Bulgarian WWE Champion. As for Lana, it
would be nice if she wasn't stuck with a gimmick based off a
character from a movie that was released 29 years ago.
Stardust
(Goldust ripoff) (WWE)- Poor
Cody Rhodes. I don't what it but I feel frustrated. Since arriving in
WWE seven years ago, he's been one of WWE best talents but continues
to be stuck with one bad gimmick after another. From his lousy
“Dashing” where he gave grooming tips to a guy who thinks he's
scarred and gives out paper bags to fans to a guy who has a mustache.
Sadly, this is the worst by far. The first problem is that the
character is based off of Goldust. Goldust is a good character but
the gimmick is 19 years old. This type of stuff can work as Keiji
Mutoh's Great Muta gimmick is based off of the Great Kabuki. However,
Goldust is no Great Kabuki and when Mutoh did it, he needed an
identity since he was still young in the business, Cody doesn't.
Second problem is that Cody comes off embarrassing himself as he
prances around and gives promos where he's babbling. He looks
ridiculous and needs one of those paper bags he used to give fans.
Third of all, when they started teaming, it was based off Goldust and
Cody Rhodes being brothers. If anyone needed to change gimmicks, it
would be Goldust who could become Dustin Rhodes again. The brothers
part is lost now.
The
Romantic Touch (Masked Lover) (ROH)-
Yet another frustrating gimmick. Rhett Titus has a lot of talent and
can be a great addition to any roster. Unfortunately, ever since
Kenny King left for TNA in 2012, he's had no direction and sometimes
comes off as someone who is getting punished for his partner abruptly
leaving. Sadly, Titus saw his career hit rock bottom this year when
he became the Romantic Touch which saw him put on a mask and act like
some masked lover. The gimmick does nothing for him, it's not
entertaining, it's not funny, you can't take it seriously, and he's
treated like a prelim wrestler who always lose. It's also a shame
when you see him being stuck with this gimmick while ROH pushes bad
or stale talent like The Briscoe Brothers, The Decade, and War
Machine. I can only hope 2015 will be better for Titus.
Best Non
Wrestler
Likely
nominees from WON: Paul Heyman
(WWE), Truth Martini (ROH), Gedo (New Japan), and Zeb Colter (WWE)
PWI
doesn't have this award
Dixie
Carter (TNA)- I know Carter has
little to no chance of getting nominated but she deserves it. For
someone who only became a regular character late last year and never
been a villain before, she did a great job this. Throughout 2014, she
made a lot of improvement as she gave many good promos where she
never stumbled or tripped on her words. She also showed good facial
features and mannerisms especially at the Summer Impact tapings at
the Hammerstein Ballroom. Her best included her reaction to EC3
getting 3Ded through a table by Team 3D and when she came out with
King Mo after EC3, Rockstar Spud, and Rhino defeated Team 3D and
Tommy Dreamer following interference from Snitsky and Ezekiel
Jackson. She also had a good program with Bully Ray that had the big
blowoff where the then 49 year old untrained Carter agreed to go
through a table and it was one of TNA's biggest moments of the year.
I also give Carter credit because she was more impressive then
veterans who have been on camera for years and even decades. She
wasn't boring like Triple H. She didn't overact and look silly like
Stephanie McMahon. She didn't half ass or sleepwalk through promos or
looked shocked when wrestler's she aligned with won like Paul Heyman.
Finally, she didn't mumble like Zeb Colter.
Best
Flying Wrestler
Likely
nominees from WON: Adrian
Neville (WWE/NXT), Ricochet (Dragon Gate/Dragon Gate USA/EVOLVE),
Kota Ibushi (New Japan/DDT), AR Fox (FIP/Dragon Gate USA/EVOLVE/CZW),
and Sami Zayn (WWE/NXT)
PWI
doesn't have this award
I'm
not going into detail with this because all the wrestler's are in the
same category.
Taiji
Ishimori (NOAH)
Atsushi
Kotoge (NOAH)
Manik
(TNA)
Tigre
Uno (TNA)
Kotaro
Suzuki (All Japan)
ACH
(ROH)
Best
Brawler
Likely
nominees from WON: Katsuyori
Shibata (New Japan), Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan), Kevin Steen (ROH),
Bully Ray (TNA)
PWI
doesn't have this award
I'm
not going into detail with this because all the wrestler's are in the
same category.
Maybach
Taniguchi (NOAH)
Takashi
Iizuka (New Japan)
Bram
(TNA)
James
Storm (TNA)
Gunner
(TNA)
Kohei
Sato (ZERO1)
Joe Doering (All Japan)
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