2014 Pro Wrestling Year End Awards

2014 Pro Wrestling Year End Awards

December 31, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

 

Well it's that time again where I give out my choices for what I believe is the best and worst in pro wrestling. I will pick the best and worst in American and Japanese wrestling. To paraphrase Siskel and Ebert, these are the choices that these newsletters would pick if they were as smart as I am. Speaking of Siskel and Ebert, my worst awards will be done with the same rules as they used for worst movie which is I won't pick on obscure, little known wrestlers and companies no matter how bad they are. I'll pick on the big visible companies including national and major independents since they're more likely to be seen by more people and therefore, cause more suffering.

American Wrestling Wrestler of the Year- Bobby Lashley (TNA)- There have been many great wrestlers who put on who put on one phenominal performance after another like Booby Roode, Michael Elgin, and Dean Ambrose to name some. However, Lashley stands above this great group of talent for many reasons. One being the fact that I didn't expect to even see him this year but when I did, I wasn't excited. I knew Lashley is a great athlete and wrestler all the while I kind of liked him. However, for the last decade he's been in and out of wrestling, he never seemed to fill the potential. That changed in 2014 as Lashley became one of wrestling greatest surprises. After a heel turn and an injury which saw Lashley get the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, he tore the house down. Lashley shined in a way we never seen him shine. He knew he had a great character and he sunk his teeth into it. During his run, Lashley had one amazing match after another with Eric Young, Austin Aries, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, and two with Bobby Roode. The matches with Roode should be considered for match of the year by any wrestling publication. From a storyline standpoint, Lashley won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship which made him the first black TNA World Heavyweight Champion and the second overall black World Heavyweight Champion in TNA (Ron Killings was the first as NWA World Heavyweight Champion).

Woman's Wrestler of the Year- Madison Rayne (TNA)- Madison Rayne not only makes my pick for Woman's Wrestler of the Year but also one of the most underrated as well. Despite putting on great work this year, she largely found herself midway through the year in the shadow of AJ Lee, Paige, Gail Kim, Havok, and Taryn Terrell. The first part of the year saw Rayne as a babyface or fan favorite which is one of the first times she's been one despite having been in TNA for five years. Rayne has always been a great personality but she focused more on wrestling as a fan favorite and she put on many great matches and rivalries that rivaled any men's match including his Lockdown match with Gail Kim. For someone who also has played the villain for so long, Rayne never came off awkward as a fan favorite despite not having to play one in five years. While the last half of the year wasn't the best given TNA hastely turned her heel again which she's great at but she's been one for five years. From a storyline standpoint, Rayne captured the TNA Knockout Championship for a fifth time which at the time tied with Angelina Love for most reigns though Love eventually beat her for a sixth reign.

Tag Team of the Year- The Wolves (TNA)- For six years, The Wolves have been one of wrestling's best tag teams but they took to it to the next level in 2014. After entering TNA, The Wolves didn't miss a beat as they were given the ball and not only ran with it but ran 100 yards before scoring a touchdown. As wrestlers, they've had one great feud with the Bro-Mans and followed it up with a classic series with the Hardy Boyz and Team 3D. They also had many good promos as well showing they can talk as good as they can wrestle. The Hardy/3D series was also very important. Feuding with these two legendary teams and given they had a classic three way feud years ago with Edge and Christian, it would've been easy for the Wolves to fall on their face and come out looking like sore thumbs. That wouldn't be the case as they were just as good and had no problem keeping up with the legends. They were never in the shadows and you never thought they were some inferior replacements for Edge and Christian all the while yearning for Edge and Christian. This wasn't like children wanting to play with adults. This was a case of adults playing with adults. From a storyline standpoint, The Wolves dominated the tag team division this year as they won the TNA World Tag Team Championships two times and retain them in the Hardy/3D series. They also main evented their first PPV by as members of MVP's team at Lockdown 2014.

Best Fan Favorite of the Year- Dean Ambrose (WWE)- Ambrose is the obvious choice for Best Fan Favorite with the biggest reason being he was special. Nowadays, the WWE always wants the same thing for their fan favorites and it's usually tall, handsome, muscle men like John Cena or Roman Reigns. They want guys who look like superheroes or badasses. Ambrose isn't like that. His character is kind of like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in that he's not flashly or has the million dollar body or gives it his all to his fans. Instead, he's like a ticking timebomb. A hell raising asskicker who can come out of nowhere and turn the show upside down with his brawls. After a decade of Cena being the squeaky clean choir boy and with Roman Reigns coming as WWE type guy, it's refreshing to see someone who is cool and not someone you see everyday in the WWE.

Best Villain of the Year- Kenny King (TNA)- I know there are a lot of fans out there that believe the best heel or villain of 2014 was someone like EC3 or Seth Rollins to name some. They're good but to me one stood above all of them and that was the "King of the Night" himself: Kenny King. King was a special kind of heel. The kind I don't see much of. A great compliment I'll make is that he reminds me of a modern day Tully Blanchard. During the days of the Four Horsemen, they were all villains but they were mostly cool ones that you liked to hate. Blanchard was the exception in that he wasn't cool, he was a weasel that you pay to watch some other wrestler beat him from pillar to post. The more he bled, the more you loved it While many villains have some cool factor to them where you love to boo them, King is not one of them. Like Blanchard, King comes off as such a prick that there's nothing "cool" about him. He's the guy you hate because he's a jerk. He's the guy you pay money to watch get beat up. Look at his alliance with MVP and Bobby Lashley and look at all the times they would beat someone down and King would stand over them laughing like a deranged hyena. Then there's his feud with Chris Melendez as he's disrespects someone who put his life on the line serving his country and lost his leg doing so. Despite this, he's become someone inspiring as he's fulfilling a dream to be a wrestler only for King to try and humiliate him by pulling his prostetic leg off and mocking him by saluting him. King is someone special in wrestling in 2014. In a time where most people know wrestling is predetermined, King can still get you into the show and still want you to pay to watch him get beat up.

Best Match of the Year- Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, Royal Rumble 2014)- 2014 was a good year for good quality wrestling. Ultimately, I picked this match for many reasons. One, I thought it had great back and forth action. Two, it was well booked as it marked one of the few times in modern day WWE where the villain cleanly won with no BS. Third, it featured some sick moments like the Sister Abigail to the guardrail. Lastly, I thought it was a special match for Bray Wyatt. Going into this match, it was no secret that Bryan was amazing in the ring, with charisma, and on the mic. With Wyatt, we all knew he could talk, he had his gimmick down, and that he had tons of charisma. However, he had yet to show us that great in-ring performance until this match. This match proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Wyatt is a great wrestler and had absolutely no problem keeping up with Bryan and never looked out of the place despite the big gap in experience. Wyatt was giving the ball and scored a touchdown after running 100 yards. While the match might not age too well since the WWE flushed the momentum down the toilet an hour later when Wyatt began his career killing and momentum killing feud with John Cena, it was still a great performance.

Most Improved Wrestler of the Year- EC3 (TNA)- It's amazing what one can do in the span of a year. When EC3 competed in the WWE in 2013 as Derrick Bateman, I thought he was a solid talent that would probably be very good as an Intercontinental Champion but never looked at him as a main eventer. Since his arrival in TNA, my opinion has changed. No matter what category you look at EC3 has made gigantic improvements. As a wrestler, he's put on one great performance after another and never looks out of place when he wrestled legends like Sting and Bully Ray. He's cuts excellent promos and know how to play to the crowd. He's also believable in many roles from the cool heel you love to hate to the bully who picks on people smaller than him. This year, EC3 has made so many improvements that he has a World Title in his future and screams "superstar".

Comeback of the Year- Drew Galloway (EVOLVE)- For over five years, Drew Galloway has been one of the biggest prospects in wrestling. After originally enjoying big success early on in the WWE, the former Drew McIntyre lost his way over the years and was just another case of wasted potential. That all changed this year when Galloway was let go as part of cost cutting. The move had been a great one as Galloway has been making up for lost time. He's since begun competing for independent promotion EVOLVE here in America and has also returned to Europe where he's achieved success and captured gold. Hopefully, as Galloway rebuilds his stock, he'll eventually get hired by a major promotion in 2015.

Best Feud of the Year- Bully Ray vs. Dixie Carter (TNA)- There have been good feuds in 2014 but I would pick this one for a variety of reasons. My first reason is that they did so much out of so little. Bully Ray is a professional wrestler and veteran but Dixie Carter is not a wrestler and she's not even trained to take bumps. This is a feud that could've been a disaster because given Dixie's limitations there's only so much they could do. Despite that, the feud went for four months and had some nice twists and turns along the way. You had moments where Dixie got physical by disguising herself as a photographer and then pushing Bully off a top rope and through a table. From there, we would see Bully go on this quest to put her through a table but along the way, Dixie would keep escaping and depriving Bully of his revenge. During this time, both brought help in as Dixie would throw any hurdle she could at Bully all the while Bully would recruit a lot of old friends to see his mission through. The feud also helped elevate EC3 who not only put Bully through tables on behalf of his "Aunt D" but even scored a win over Bully at Slammiversary. The ending was also one of the most memorable moments of the year in wrestling. After Bully and his team defeat EC3 and his team on the August 7th edition of Impact Wrestling, he vowed to put her through a table on that night. Everything leading up to the ending was perfect as Dixie went on a nervous breakdown, foolishly fired Snitsky and Ezekiel Jackson, and started ranting on the fans all the while coming off as someone who knew she went too far and her time was up. Sure enough it was as Bully, Devon, and Tommy Dreamer came out to fulfill the deed but most of the fan favorites in the TNA locker room would surround the ring to prevent an escape. From there, "it happened" as Bully would come off the second rope and powerbomb her through a table. The moment was big, the crowd reaction was massive, and it was a great ending to the Dixie Carter on-screen character at least for now. What makes this ending even more special is the fact that Dixie Carter was never trained to take bumps, was months away from turning 50, and could've easily backed out of this but she saw it through. How anyone can not give her credit for this, I'll never know.

Debut/Return of the Year- Havok (TNA)- Havok has been a very welcome addition to TNA's knockout division. Since the departure of Awesome Kong back in 2010, TNA has been dying to get another big, monster type but struggled over the years to do so. That all changed in 2014 with the signing of Havok. Despite coming in late in the year (September), Havok has made a huge impact. She comes off perfectly as an intimidating presence in the division, can put on great matches, and has stolen the show multiple times with Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, and Taryn Terrell. Havok has already established herself in short order and she no doubt has much more to offer in 2015.

Most Underrated- Adam Page (ROH)- Sadly, in the world of professional wrestling, there's always plenty of talent out there who don't get to show what they're capable of during a year and Adam Page is one of them. I think I can honestly say that Page was probably the most underrated and underutilized wrestlers in the big three American companies. He's a talented young kid who can wrestle and fly as he's shown good agility. Unfortunately, Ring of Honor would waste a year of his life that he'll never get back by barely using him as a wrestler. After beginning the year with what looked to be a feud with the newly formed Decade which consisted of ROH Veterans Roderick Strong, BJ Whitmer, and Jimmy Jacobs which looked to be a good way to elevate him, he was put with them quickly as their ringboy. This meant that ROH barely wrestled and instead spent his time holding the ropes for them, carrying a water bucket, and standing at ringside while the stale Decade put everyone watching to sleep. It's was so frustrating to watch someone as talented as Page continue to be benched while ROH is more content with pushing stale and boring acts. While Page was finally able to wrestle at the end of the year, he still lost to Strong (who left the Decade by that point). ROH has made a nasty habit of wasting great talent in 2014 and I hope they make it a resolution to give talents like Page a bigger opportunity in 2015.

Best Announcer- Lenny Leonard (FIP/Dragon Gate USA/EVOLVE)- Leonard has been for many years one of wrestling most underrated announcers since his years with ROH. I just started following FIP for the first time in years while trying to get into EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA but it's nice to see he hasn't missed a beat. Leonard has everything going for him. He's very knowledgable about the sport. He knows all the moves and can do play-by-play no problem. He can also be funny and seems to know how to pick his spots. Listening to Leonard, it's a privilege for FIP, DGUSA, and EVOLVE to have his voice as their voice. It's also sad how hacks like Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL are in the WWE while Steve Corino is in ROH while they can't touch Leonard on his worst day.

Best Non-Wrestler- Dixie Carter (TNA)- Dixie Carter has always been looked down upon and not given the respect she deserves from the internet. Sadly, that won't change with her run as an on-screen character but it should. Honestly, Dixie was by far the best non-wrestler in 2014. For a woman who has barely had any time on camera over the years and never been a heel, she came off extremely well. Throughout the year, Carter put on one good performance after another. As her confidence grew, her promos continued to get better. Even during the early part of the year where she just started doing this role, she came off professional on the mic. She never stumbled or tripped over her words nor was she ever boring. As the months went by, she also showed great body langauge and facial expressions. Best examples would be at the Manhatten Center shows. I liked her facial reactions when Team 3D put EC3 through a table. I liked the way she walked to the ring as well as her facial reactions after Snitsky and Ezekiel Jackson came out of nowhere to assist EC3, Rhino, and Spud in defeating Team 3D and Tommy Dreamer. She came off like Hannibal on the A-Team which is someone who loves when a plan comes together. Best of all, Dixie kept her ego under control. Unlike Triple H and Stephanie who let their egos hurt the product or make "their" champion Randy Orton look weak by yelling at him all the time or even attacking him, Dixie treated talent like Magnus or EC3 as equals and not wrestlers who were beneath her. Finally, Dixie was pleasant to watch this year unlike most non-wrestlers. She didn't ramble or cut boring promos that would take forever to get to the point like Triple H. She wasn't nails on the chalkboard and painfully overacts like Stephanie McMahon. She didn't babble and bring nothing to the table like Zeb Colter. Finally, she actually came off as someone who cares unlike Paul Heyman.

Best Gimmick- The Menagerie (TNA, Carnival Freaks)- I know a lot of people probably hated the Menagerie but I enjoyed them this year. The concept of Carnival Freaks as a gimmick in wrestling makes sense and I thought they put on some entertaining segments and moments in 2014 including Crazy Steve trying to make out with Angelina Love and Velvet Sky as well as when Freak and Steve debuted by coming out of a crate. It reminded me of when the Red Triangle Circus gang came out of the big present back in Batman Returns. I also enjoy the gimmick cause I think it added to the participants. Knux and Rob Terry are talented guy but had no gimmicks at the time with Knux coming off the Aces and Eights stable while Terry hadn't had one for a long time. By putting them here, they were able to be more colorful personalities instead of being generic big men. The gimmick of Crazy Steve works and it gives him a way to come in and immediately have direction. Even Rebel looks good and fits in despite learning how to wrestle but she's a good valet for the group. All in all, this was one of the close picks as I was also leaning towards Samuel Shaw's crazy, creepy, stalker like character mostly because that reminded me of James Bond villain Donald "Red" Grant.

Best Promotion- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling- I know this will be on everyone's worst company of the year list and it's a travesity. Granted in years past, I would ocassionally pick TNA as my favorite mostly cause it was the less of the evils like in 2010. However, this year, they truly were the best. I can't give TNA enough credit in 2014. In a year where companies like the WWE or ROH or NJPW were playing it safe and trying nothing different, TNA was the company that took chances. Given how some thought they're future was bleak and they had to renew TV deals this year, TNA could've easily done everything to keep the departing stars. You can argue all you want about why the established names left but nevertheless, TNA could've thrown a blank check Sting's way, given to AJ's monetary demands, resign Daniels and Kazarian, and offer more money to Chris Sabin just to increase their stock when the time came for TV renewals. They didn't. TNA rightfully let them go and looked towards the future. They brought in fresh talent like the Wolves, Havok, Brittany, and Sanada to name some while focusing on veterans who have been lost in the shuffle over the years like James Storm, Bobby Roode, and Samoa Joe. The company also did a great job rebuilding the X Division and Knockout's division all the while going back to basics after they lost they're way while trying to grow. They also began taping shows at the Manhatten Center which have received praise and have been successful and even had they're first non American PPV when they had Bound For Glory in Tokyo. Ultimately, TNA gets a lot of bad treatment from people though I do agree they may have lost their way over the years while trying to take that next step. This year, they were smarter with their expansion while going back to the stuff that made them popular in the first place. It's almost like in years past they were trying to be someone they weren't to please others while now they're being themselves. Best of all, TNA once again did what it does best by once again stuffing crow into internet fans and journalists throats as they once again predicted doom and gloom and once again, they were wrong. 2014 was a rebuilding year for TNA as they wrapped up their nine year run on Spike. If they keep up, they can have an incredible 2015 as the ground work is been established.



Worst Wrestler of the Year- Jay Briscoe (ROH)- With Briscoe having won his second ROH World Title this past summer, I thinks it's only appropriate for Jay to win another award for the second time which is my worst wrestler of the year award. I said it last year and I'll say it again, Briscoe is a living, breathing, walking, talking wrestling stereotype. As a "talent" (which I use loosely cause I don't want to give the impression that he actually has any), none of his offense looks good including his punches and kicks. He shows no psychology as he rarely sells work done on a limb as his leg will get worked on and then he'll walk and run like nothing is wrong. Along with that, he doesn't build to anything. When he does a hardcore match, he throws the kitchen sink at his opponents in less than five minutes. His offense looks like something kids do on a trampoline as it can be mostly just random high flying. His mic skills are nonexistant as he just babbles and speaks incoherent gibberish while throwing some profanity and his "Man Up" quote to create an illusion that he's some intimidating badass. His look is also awful as he looks like a redneck with camo. Obviously, he tries to come off as a badass but looks more like some Deliverance hillbilly. Look at James Storm and the way he pulls the demented redneck character off. That's a badass. When I see this look, I think the lyrics to his theme are wrong. It begins with "Reach of the Sky" but it should be more like "Pull down your pants and squeal".

Worst Woman's Wrestler of the Year- Nikki Bella (WWE)- Congratulations are in order for Nikki Bella as she three peats with this award, wins it a second year in a row, and this time doesn't have to share it with Brie as she gets it all for herself. Honestly, The Bellas are masters at failing miserably in wrestling. As I write this article and choose these awards, I'm shellshocked when it comes to the Bellas. It's amazes me how Nikki has now been in the wrestling business for seven years and has made absolutely no improvement. You would think she would pick something up and show some improvement in wrestling or cutting a promo or showing a personality. As a wrestler, Nikki continued her pathetic streak. She didn't put on one good match this year even when put with good talent like AJ Lee or Paige. She also doesn't even come off as a believable wrestler. Take for example her three way match against AJ and Paige. In that match, AJ and Paige would go out there and wrestle a match. They would come off like any good talent, man or woman. Then Nikki would deliver offense and it was mostly catfight type trash. From a performance standpoint, Nikki wasn't in their league. She came off as a little girl trying to play and interact with women. Her mic skills are non existant. She can't cut a promo and it's embarrassing. She can't be funny or cut something serious that can capture the fans in the palm of her hands. Finally, Nikki was also involved in some of the most embarassing segments of the year including the "Growing up Bella" segments as she whined about all the supposed bad things Brie did to her which came off as soap opera garbage and a confrontation with Brie that featured Jerry Springer.

Worst Tag Team of the Year- War Machine (ROH)- War Machine is a new team that ROH formed in 2014 which consisted of new additions Hanson and Raymond Rowe. The team is ROH's attempt to make a new asskicking, monster tag team that leaves a path of destruction wherever they go like the Road Warriors, Demolition, The Powers of Pain, and Kronik before them. The problem is that the good in War Machine stops in the team name. As wrestlers, neither are really impressive as they mostly focus on punching and kicking with some other moves sprinkled in but they're not entertaining to watch. Even Hanson's high flying is doesn't look anymore impressive than someone like Samoa Joe and he's agility isn't anymore impressive than Knux. As a team, I see no chemistry and they don't have any cool and vicious double team moves. They're look is bad as Rowe looks like some bald biker type while Hanson looks like a highlander with extra long beard. Meanwhile, they don't look badass or have matching attire that you would expect from a team. Their names are also bad. Hanson? Raymond Rowe or Ray Rowe? Not exactly Hawk and Animal or Ax and Smash, is it? Finally, they lack that swagger. Say what you will about the Powers of Pain and Kronik but at least they had that swagger. When they went to ring, they brought an aura in which they were determined to mangle anyone that's in the ring once they get in. In fact, if looks could kill, those teams wouldn't need to make it to the ring as they would kill anyone as they walked down the aisle. I don't get that feeling with War Machine. I don't get that "uh oh" feeling for their victims. All in all, I pick War Machine because they were supposed to be something but failed terribly in every way. They fail as wrestlers and as a tag team given the time ROH has invested in them all the while they lack in moves, wrestling, look, charisma, individual names, and swagger. Meanwhile, the team was quickly getting pushed as a top team despite not being good enough and likely would've won the tag titles had it not been for a motorcycle accident sidelining Rowe.

Worst Match of the Year- Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella (WWE, Summerslam 2014)- Talk about amateur hour. I don't think anyone wanted to see this and sadly, it was a bad as can be expected. My first complaint is that Brie is a terrible wrestler while Stephanie isn't even a wrestler and it showed during this entire match. Along with doing just basic moves, the two stumbled around looking pathetic as they botched one move after another which looked embarrassing. Second complaint is this wretched excuse of a match was given too much time as it went over eleven minutes. If WWE really wanted to do this match, it should've been no more than five minutes which would give them time to get in and get out which is essential given their limitations. The third complaint is it didn't accomplish what it was supposed to do and that can blamed on Stephanie's ego. Going into this match, Brie had wanted to get revenge on Stephanie for way she treated Brie, her husband Daniel Bryan, and her sister Nikki. So given the story, we were supposed to be looking forward to Brie getting her hands on Stephanie and getting her revenge. Instead, Stephanie dominated at least half the match which didn't make any sense. She's not a wrestler and the story calls for Brie to get her hands on her so why was she able to hold her hold much less dominate? When Vince and Shane played villains who would face fan favorites they've wronged, the majority of the matches was them getting beat within an inch of their lives unless it was a hardcore match. Yet here, Stephanie was made to look competitive despite not being a wrestler and not having wrestled a match in ten years which the WWE would admit ad nausem. Another problem was the finish as Stephanie wins after Nikki turns on Brie. First of all, Stephanie is not a wrestler and the feud wasn't continuing so why did Stephanie need to win besides stroking her ego? Second of all, Nikki would later reveal that she blamed Brie for everything that happened to her when Brie briefly quit back in June which resulted in Nikki getting punished but the problem is that Stephanie was the one who would book Nikki in all of these handicap matches. So why is she siding with the person who was making her life hell? No matter how you look at it, this match was insulting. It insulted you that this trainwreck was a featured match on the second biggest show of the year. It insulted your intelligence with it's finish. It insulted you as you watched two novices try and fail to put on a wrestling match. I've heard Brie claim in interviews that it was a dream to feud with and wrestle Stephanie. Whenever I think of that, I'm reminded of Blue Oyster Cult's song "Take Me Away" and specifically the lyrics "My dream may be your nightmare". Apparently Brie's dream is mine and many others nightmare.

Worst Feud of the Year- John Cena vs. The Authority (WWE)- Here's another obvious win. Sadly, calling Cena vs. The Authority the worst feud of the year doesn't do it justice since it's already an odds on favorite for worst feud of the decade. In my seventeen years as a hardcore wrestling fan, I don't think I've seen or read about a feud that's more unbelievable. I hated the Authority stuff especially the feud with Daniel Bryan but I at least believed that it could make sense. When Vince was on TV saying Bryan didn't have it as a main eventer, I would believe that he thinks that in real life. There's nothing to believe here. Cena is the biggest hand picked wrestler in WWE History and is clearly the golden boy. How am I supposed to believe that the Authority has problems with him or he has problems with them? How am I supposed to believe Cena is this rebel against the evil corporate suits given how much he's hyped on WWE Television, has articles written about him on WWE.com regarding his "underrated moves" which can be considered propaganda, has his make-a-wish contributions endlessly documented, and him showing up to WWE red carpets and press conferences while wearing a suit and tie? I know in entertainment you have to suspend belief at times but this is ridiculous. John Cena is the embodiment of everything the WWE specifically Vince McMahon wants. Another problem with this feud is that it brought nothing good. Instead we would get endless handicap matches with Cena and a partner vs. Authority members. The promos between Cena, HHH, and Stephanie were nails on a chalkboard. They were all annoying, boring, and you couldn't wait for them to end. Another big reason this feud is my pick is because it's not the least bit original and not in the way you think. Don't get wrong, the rebel vs. authority figure story is the most tired storyline in wrestling and has been run into the ground for nearly 20 years but it's worse than that which is this is neither the first time HHH and Stephanie or Cena have played these roles. In fact, HHH and Stephanie have already been the whole abusive couple back in 2000 with the McMahon-Helmsley Era which was bad then and it's bad now. Meanwhile, Cena has played the rebel at least three previous times in his career as he feuded with Kurt Angle in 2004 when Angle was Smackdown General Manager then with Eric Bischoff in 2005 when Bischoff was the RAW General Manager and finally with John Laurinaitis in 2012 when he was both RAW and Smackdown general manager. In light of the Authority returning to TV after only six weeks and continuing this awful feud, I now have another reason to award this putrid feud this award. Next time the WWE decides to do another Rebel vs. Authority Figure story, hopefully they'll at least use talent that haven't done it before.

Most Overrated- Brock Lesnar (WWE)- To me, Lesnar is not only the winner of this award but there isn't anyone who comes close. Look, I know Lesnar was a big draw in MMA, has a million dollar look, and is athletic but I never understood why companies like the WWE bend over for him so much. 2014 was just another year for Lesnar as a wrestling company gave him the entire world without him having to earn it and at the same time when he's not moved the needle anywhere and has shown no commitment. This year, Lesnar was given opportunities that 90% of wrestlers would kill to have including being the chosen one to end the Undertaker's 23 year Wrestlemania streak and then squash John Cena to win the WWE Championship at Summerslam. Yet inspite of this, Lesnar continues to show no commitment, wrestles literally three times a year, isn't a draw, and takes a big paycheck in a year where the WWE is trying to cut costs. Few wrestlers have made me more sick than Brock Lesnar. This year was the worst as it both sickens me and breaks my heart seeing someone as uncommited as Lesnar be given the royal treatment despite not having done a thing to earn it all the while wrestlers who bust their ass for nearly 300 days a year don't get a quarter of the achievements Lesnar gets or the big paychecks. It's also disgusting when you also look at how much talent has been cut in 2014 due to budget cuts who have love for wrestling while Lesnar collects big paychecks while being absent for 99% of the year.

Worst Announcer- Steve Corino (ROH)- Corino is something on commentary. In all the years I've been following wrestling, I don't think I've ever heard anyone worse than Corino on commentary. I really don't know where to begin because words really can't describe how awful, how atrocious, and how annoying he is to listen to. The best way for me to describe Corino is that it's one of the few times where being deaf can't be considered a disability but rather a gift. No matter how you look at wrestling commentary, Corino fails everywhere. He's not the play-by-play announcer so he never really calls the action in the ring. Despite being a pro wrestler, he never gives that wrestler's point of view like he should. Worse of all, Corino spends the bulk of his time just telling jokes but they're never funny. Even worse is the fact that one of his common jokes is too outdated. Every time a wrestler gets thrown over the top rope and to the floor, he always says that's a disqualification only for Kevin Kelly to tell him it's not. The problem with this joke besides it not being that funny and the fact Corino has run it into the ground is that wrestling used to have a rule where wrestlers were not allowed to throw opponents over the top rope and to the floor or they would be disqualified. The problem is that rule hasn't been used since 1995 so how many people even know about it and thus know what he's talking about? Another problem is what he says makes no sense. For example, when a wrestler does a high risk move on their opponent usually from the ring to the outside, he'll yell "Crash n' Burn". The problem is that it doesn't make sense as he says it even when the wrestler successfully pulls off the move. If he wants to say that then it should be when wrestlers misses the risky move not when they successfully pull it off. All in all, Corino seems to try way too hard at being funny and he falls on his face repeatedly. Sadly, Corino is a good talker when he's a wrestler. Maybe if he stopped trying to be funny and pick his spots while spending more time as an analyst then he would come off better.

Worst Non-Wrestler- Paul Heyman (WWE)- This will easily be the most controversal pick on this list but I stand by it 100%. Don't get me wrong. In the 80s and early 90s, Heyman was excellent as a manager and personality. Even the early 00s run as himself he was good. However, since his return in 2012, Heyman has brought nothing to the table and his performances have officially hit rock bottom in 2014. Watching Heyman this year leaves no doubt that this is a man who's lost his passion for wrestling. In the book Hardcore History, it was said Heyman lost his love for ECW and possibly wrestling due to the politics in the WWE during the relaunch in ECW. Sadly, we're now eight years later and he still hasn't regained it. When you watch Heyman these days, he's clearly a man who is only back due to paychecks and because his friend Brock Lesnar in back in the company. His promos are so paint by the numbers and pathetically lazy. In almost all his promos, it's the same thing: "Ladies and Gentleman, my name is Paul Heyman", "I'm the one who manages the one in 21-1", to the way he pronounces Brock Lesnar's name, etc. I know WWE a lot of times tells guys and girls what to say but you can tell that's not the case here. Heyman is one of those performers who has more freedom than usual with promos and he just half asses his way from one to the next. His performances as a manager are also so random. In most cases, he'll just stand at ringside, crossing his arms, and show no emotion. Then there are times like when Brock wrestles Cena that he's all over the place and he's amped up. Then there's the biggest reason why Heyman makes this list which occurred at Wrestlemania XXX where Heyman committed the biggest sin a manager could ever pull. That sin was showing shock when his client won. Now make no mistake about it. A lot of people had every right to show surprise when the Undertaker's streak ended but Heyman is the last person that should be surprised. I don't care if WWE told him to or not, Heyman has managed on and off for 30 years and he should know that there are NO circumstance when a manager should be shocked at a client winning a match. When Brock won, Heyman should've came off with his body language as someone telling us "See, I told you so". Instead, by coming off shocked, he came off as someone who didn't have faith or confidence in his client. He gave a "Wow Brock, even I didn't think you had a chance" type body language. There's nothing more amateurish in managing then doing that. With rumors that Brock will be done with the WWE in 2015 and possibly heading back to the UFC, I hope Heyman follows suit. With any luck, Heyman will not only be gone in 2015 but will hopefully stay gone until he regains his passion. To paraphrase the late great legendary film critic Roger Ebert: Heyman has been phoning it in and I like to hang up on it.

Worst Gimmick- Stardust (WWE, Goldust ripoff)- Poor Cody Rhodes. No matter what, he just can't catch a break with gimmicks. Having already gone through the awful "Dashing" gimmick where he gives grooming tips to a wrestler who thinks he scarred and hands out paper bags to being a wrestler with a mustache, he's now got his worse gimmick yet. The Stardust gimmick is not only the worst gimmick of the year but it may well be one of the worst gimmicks of all time. First of all, it's a ripoff of a gimmick that's nineteen years old and has been stale for a decade. I know old gimmicks can work in the future like the Great Muta being based off the Great Kabuki but the Goldust character is no Great Kabuki. Not to mention, Keiji Mutoh had only been in the business for less than five years and had yet to create an idenity. Cody isn't like that. When he was in Priceless and Legacy during his early career and during his IC Title reigns, he made his mark. He showed to not only be a great wrestler but a good talker. He didn't need this gimmick. Another problem is that the gimmick just damages him. His good promos have been replaced with babbling, incoherent nonsense. His wrestling skills also seem to be toned down because of this character. It also doesn't help that he looks embarrassing and you only hope this doesn't kill his career.

Worst Promotion- Ring of Honor- I can honestly say that I may have never seen one company suffer from so much incompetence than Ring of Honor in 2014. No matter how you slice it, ROH failed literally everywhere and did almost nothing right. From a booking department, the promotion spent too much time pushing the wrong talent from stale acts like the Briscoes to the Decade or lousy acts like War Machine. Meanwhile, they waited too long to give Michael Elgin the world title and then had to take it off him because they didn't take care of his visa. Jay Lethal was given the TV Title but then hasn't been given much else since and has been limping along. They broke up a bunch of tag teams including Adrenaline Rush so they can give ACH a singles push he wasn't ready for and C n' C Wrestle Factory so they could push Cedric Alexander only to back off the single push. Prospects like Adam Page and TaDarious Thomas were stuck as sidekicks for the ultra stale and boring Decade stable. Bad Influence (now the Addiction) were quickly brought back, given a tag title shot in their first match back despite not being able to appear on TV to hype it given their contracts, and have done nothing since summer. Rhett Titus is a talented wrestler with a good future but is stuck under a mask with the very stupid Romantic Touch gimmick. Their TV show is extremely boring and an absolute train wreck. They barely use it to hype up PPV matches, main events go too long as it seems every one has to be 20-30 minutes even if the main event features talent that can't pull it off. The intro is very outdated featuring wrestlers who haven't been on the roster in a year. The announce team is one of the worst in the business with Corino being the worst this year. Finally the Final Battle feed reportedly went out for some people during the main event.




Japanese Wrestling
 Best Wrestler- Takao Omori (All Japan)- Omori is not only my choice for wrestler of the year but he may also be my choice for most underappreciated. In 2014, I thought Omori was someone who could do little wrong. He still showed to be a very solid wrestler capable of putting on great matches in both singles and tag teams. The best example was the finals of the 2014 Champion's Carnival on April 27th which saw Omori put on three matches and all were good. First defeating Kendo Kashin in a regular tournament match which tied him with Suwama (Champion's Carnival tournament s are round robin formats for the most part). Then he defeated Suwama to decide who would go to the finals and finally defeated former and future tag partner Jun Akiyama in the finals. Despite wrestling three matches in one night which equaled 32 minutes, each were very good matches and shows Omori can hang with the best. Speaking of that, Omori celebrated his 45th birthday this year and 22nd year in the business. Yet inspite of that, you wouldn't know it based off his performances. He's one of those guys that age is just a number and even if you reach 40, it doesn't mean your career is over. From a storyline standpoint, Omori was hugely successful winning two AJPW Unified Tag Team Championships and the 2014 World's Strongest Tag Determination League. 2014 didn't see his success limited to tag team wrestling as he achieved several first in singles competition including the 2014 Champion's Carnival tournament which is the first of his career and he also captured his first AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship which is All Japan's top championship.

Best Junior Heavyweight Wrestler- Daisuke Harada (NOAH)- Harada has shown to be Japan's best junior heavyweight in 2014. Best of all, he wasn't just a high flying junior heavyweight as he's shown to be a jack of all trades as he can wrestle and brawl as well. As NOAH's junior heavyweight, Harada wrestled wrestlers of different styles including high flyers like Taiji Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge to cheating like wrestlers like Kenou and Hajime Ohara to catch-as-catch can wrestlers like Zack Sabre Jr. and never once looked out of place. He was capable of adjusting to any style. From a storyline standpoint, Harada won NOAH's GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship and held it for around nine months.

Best Gaijin (Foreigner)- Joe Doering (All Japan)- Doering has been All Japan's top foreigner since arriving back in 2007. However, he finally came into his own in 2014. During this year, Doering was given the chance to finally grab the golden ring and he seized it by showing he was capable of keeping up and putting on great matches with All Japan's biggest names like Suwama, Akebono, and Go Shiozaki. In the ring, Doering is a tall and powerful big man but moves around very well for a man who is 6'5 and nearly 300 pounds. By no means is he a slug. Speaking of strength, Doering showed plenty of that during his title defense against Akebono and repeatedly picking the over 400 pounder while being able to successfully deliver power moves. From a storyline standpoint, Doering entered the year as AJPW Unified World Tag Team Champion which he held into June. One month after the title loss, Doering captured his first Triple Crown. Between those two reigns, Doering held at least one title for eleven months out of the year. He also made history when he successfully defended against Rhino in Canada back in October since it marked the first time in the Triple Crown Championship's 25 year history that the championship was defended outside of Japan.

Best Tag Team of the Year- Kenou and Hajime Ohara (NOAH)- Kenou and Ohara are not only my pick for tag team of the year but are a very overlooked team. As members of NOAH's top villain stable Choukibou-gun, Kenou and Ohara play the role of villains very well as they come off as experts in the art of cheating and are sneaky. They do have good chemistry and come off as a well oiled machine. Like any great villain team, they come off as knowing when the other will cheat and it comes off well. I remember one good moment during a match with Ohara grabbed the leg of an opponent to prevent a kick and held it long enough for Kenou to come in and whack it with a kendo stick. They also put on some very good matches over Quiet Storm and Daisuke Harada as well as Atsushi Kotoge and Taiji Ishimori. From a storyline standpoint, the team won NOAH's GHC Junior Tag Team Championship as well as the NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League.



Best Match- Daisuke Harada vs. Taiji Ishimori (NOAH, Great Voyage 2014 in Tokyo)- This match is my pick for match of the year because it was not only a great match but it also very fun and entertaining. This was the type of match that has enough going on to the point that most people can get into. Even if you're not a wrestling fan or know either man, this match is still fun enough for you to enjoy. These two didn't waste any time and cranked it up seconds after the bell rang and wouldn't let go. The match had good wrestling, great counters, and great high flying moves. You got some usual signatures

Comeback of the Year- Ryusuke Taguchi (New Japan)- When 2014 began, it would be the seventh year Ryusuke Taguchi was the top junior heavyweight in New Japan. After losing the junior heavyweight title to Wataru Inoue, Taguchi seemed to be on the outside looking in as he would seem to be in the shadow of tag team partner Prince Devitt. Despite his talent, New Japan didn't seem interested in giving Taguchi another run. That changed this year when after seven years, Taguchi was booked to regain the Junior Heavyweight belt. Even better is that he defeated former top star and partner Prince Devitt right before he left to sign with the WWE. For a long time now, I feel Taguchi didn't get the credit he deserved but that thankfully changed when New Japan booked him at long last to the singles championhip. Now he's no longer playing second fiddle or a junior heavyweight tag team wrestler. Rather, he's getting another opportunity as being the face of the division.

Most Improved- Kento Miyahara (All Japan)- For a couple of year now, Kento Miyahara has been on of Japan's best prospects. After splitting from mentor and trainer Kensuke Sasaki, Miyahara jumped to All Japan in the summer of 2013. After officially signing with them this year, Miyahara has taken that next step. He changed his tights from red to white and he added new moves to his arsenal including the Snake Limit triangle choke and the Break Heart (which is a variation of Triple H's pedigree). When he entered this year, Miyahara was a boy with a world of potential but a boy nevertheless. Now, he comes off as a man who can relistically beat anyone on the roster. Miyahara never looks out of place when facing the big names and is clearly a star on the rise. Just as All Japan lost half their roster in the second half of 2013, they really struck oil with Miyahara and he can be a star for years to come.

Debut/Return of the Year- AJ Styles (New Japan)- After leaving his home of TNA earlier this year, AJ made his debut in New Japan as an official member of the New Japan roster and was quickly pushed as a top star. For at least of 2014, Styles was booked as one of the company's top stars all the while holding the top title the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for half of the year. As a testament to Styles' talent, he was the first wrestler to be booked the IWGP Heavyweight Championship since Brock Lesnar eight years ago. Meanwhile, Styles was also one of the major members of New Japan's villainous stable The Bullet Club throughout the year. During this period, Styles also put on many solid matches against top stars Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada showing he deserves the chances he's receiving.

Most Underrated- Captain New Japan (New Japan)- I think I can honestly say that no wrestler in Japan is treated more poorly than Captain New Japan. After originally wrestling as himself while paying his dues over the year, Mitsuhide Hirasawa showed potential to be a solid wrestler and act for the company. After a brief stint as the crazed Hideo Saito upon his return from a learning exercution years ago, Hirasawa has spent the last few years as the comedic Captain New Japan. The character is based off of iconic superhero Captain America only with the red and yellow New Japan colors and the New Japan lion logo. It's such a waste as Hirasawa is mostly used as preliminary talent all the while not being given many chances at titles or tournaments. Granted, I don't know how far Hirasawa can go but he definitely deserves the chance to either succeed or fail. I don't get why New Japan has saddled him with this gimmick but they keep taking time away from his career. With each passing year he's stuck with this character, New Japan is stealing precious time away that he'll never get back. I definitely hope Hirasawa is allowed to be free of this gimmick next year and maybe be given opportunities to rebuild his career.

Best Promotion- All Japan Pro Wrestling- 2014 was good for Japanese wrestling quality wise but the best company in the land of the rising sun was All Japan. Like last year with the Mutoh exodus, the promotion went through some drama when they went through a corporate restruction in an attempt to win over fans support. Also like last year, All Japan didn't let it get the best of them as they provided great shows and matches along with strong booking. This year, All Japan didn't have a lot but made so much with what they had. They allowed wrestlers to take that next step such as booking Joe Doering the Triple Crown Championship, Go Shiozaki as a wrestler who gets closer and closer to that prize, and Kento Miyahara who is a rising prospect with a world of potential. They also gave veteran Takao Omori some deserved wins in singles competition including his first Champion's Carnival and his first Triple Crown title reign even if it was short. The Junior Heavyweight Division was nicely rebuilt with Atsushi Aoki as the face of the division while the TV Title began gaining prestge after being given the very reliable and talented Kotaro Suzuki. Meanwhile, the company began successfully rebuilding their roster after losing half of it last year due to the Mutoh exodus by signing Kento Miyahara and Yohei Nakajima to contracts and introducing two rookies fresh from the All Japan dojo in Naoya Nomura and Yuma Aoyagi. Meanwhile, the company has also clearly decided on what freelance talent to use by frequently employing Hikaru Sato, the tag team Big Guns (Zeus and The Bodyguard), and the team known as Team Dream Futures (Keisuke Ishii, Takao Soma, and Shigehiro Irie). The last two years have been a struggle for All Japan but if they keep fighting and rebuilding like they have this year, the future will look bright.

Worst Wrestler of the Year- Keiji "The Great Muta" Mutoh (WRESTLE-1)- For 30 years, Keiji Mutoh as himself and under his famous alter-ego The Great Muta has been one of wrestling's most popular and charismatic performers. Unfortunately, those days are long over and even more unfortunate is Mutoh and his company WRESTLE-1 don't seem to know it. Mutoh is my pick for worst wrestler because he continues to be a top star in his company and during his appearances for TNA despite the fact he turned 52 years old in December, has been wrestling for 30 years, and has a well known history of bad knees. In fact, Mutoh hasn't even been a full-time wrestler since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery in 2010. Yet inspite of all this and his performances being no where near as good as they once were, Mutoh was still given a big run in W1 and even big matches in TNA. This year he was given the WRESTLE-1 Championship only a month after top villain and up & comer Masayuki Kono became the first champion and scored wins over the likes of top villain Masayuki Kono and protege Seiya Sanada. Keep in mind, Kono and especially Sanada are guys WRESTLE-1 is banking on for their future. All in all, I put Mutoh on this list because he received so much that was undeserving. At this stage in his career, he's in no position to be a champion or getting booked over future stars who are expected to carry the company in the future. While some have said Mutoh doesn't book W1 despite owning it, I still accuse him of selfishness and ego. Regardless of whether he books the shows, Mutoh can easily turn down title wins and be willing to lose to the future stars. Instead, his ego and selfishness allows him go along with booking that he knows cuts the legs of future stars. The last two months of the year with Mutoh reminded me of his run in 2008 when New Japan and All Japan booked him to win their titles all the while it cut the legs off prospects like Shinsuke Nakamura and Suwama.

Worst Gaijin (Foreigner)- Karl Anderson (New Japan)- Anderson makes my pick for worst but not because he's a bad wrestler. Rather, I pick him cause I think he's given pushes and opportunities he shouldn't. Anderson is a solid talent yet New Japan has made him their top foreigner and leader of the top villain faction the Bullet Club following Prince Devitt's departure. He was also given the Tag Team Championships this year and held them for almost the entire year. He also received main event opportunities and was booked to be high in New Japan's round robin tournaments. This is why I pick him. For someone who gets all of this, you would think he was special but he's not. He's a midcard act no more and no less. He's a decent wrestler but not a great one. He's a decent talker but not a great one. He has a decent look but not a great one. Honestly, there's much better foreign talent out there that New Japan can bring in that would be much better than Anderson.



Worst Tag Team of the Year- Akebono and Yutaka Yoshie (All Japan)- This is a weird pick. While I'm not the biggest fan of this team, I don't think they're bad. This pick is mostly cause I can't think of a bad team for 2014 as there wasn't any obvious picks in my opinion. I guess I pick Akebono and Yoshie cause I was never blown away by any of their performances as a team though I do give them credit for allowing themselves to get tossed around by Big Guns (Zeus & The Bodyguard) despite both being over 300 pounds. Both have their share of limitations given both are in their 40s, Akebono had spent most of the first half of 2014 with health problems, and Yoshie being a 20 year veteran. Once again, I don't look at them like I do with TenCozy last year or War Machine this year in that they neither were given more than they should've or were just bad.



Most Overrated- Shinsuke Nakamura (New Japan)- There was a time years ago where I was a Nakamura fan and enjoyed. However, I've really struggled to get into him in recent times. As a talent, he's regressed and seems to focus more on personality and character over workrate. For example, I've seen matches where he gets a leg worked on and not only does he not sell it but he does moves with it as though nothing is wrong. Overall, I picked Nakamura because he continues to receive praise for his matches and persona but I don't see it. His matches are not that good anymore as I wasn't impressed by any of the matches he did that were heavily praised. I hate his character whatever it's supposed to be as he comes off as an annoying drunk. I hate how New Japan more or less tattooed the Intercontinental Title around his waist as they booked him two title reigns, he held the belt for literally 80% of the year, and was the only one to challenge for the championship when he didn't hold it. In a year where there was Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Tatsuya Naito, among others who deserved a reign, we were stuck with Nakamura having a strangle hold on the belt.

Worst Promotion- New Japan Pro Wrestling- Another controversal pick but I have to stand by it. As is usually the case in pro wrestling, New Japan is the worst company not because of talent but because of booking. I know New Japan was one of the most successful promotions in 2014 business wise and critically wise but it was so pathetically lazy that it was ridiculous. In 2014, New Japan wasn't really a professional wrestling promotion but rather a walking sidewalk that you see in airports. Nobody went up. Nobody went down. Everything was the same all year long. The main event was still the Hiroshi Tanahashi/Kazuchika Okada show as the IWGP Heavyweight Title was around their waists for 3/4 of the year. Shinsuke Nakamura once again held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for 80% of the year and when he didn't hold it, he literally was the only challenger for the belt. The Junior Tag Division is the same three teams for the most part with little to nothing new outside of occasionally appearances from ROH's reDRagon. Toru Yano was wasted in an endless feud with Minoru Suzuki that never ended and dragged all year. Tatsuya Naito's stock has plummented after failing to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the January 4th Tokyo Dome and losing the NEVER Openweight Championship and he's now sort of directionless. He was a guy that looked to be breaking the glass ceiling last year only now to having a big bump on his head for trying. Mitsuhide Hirasawa is painfully wasted with the silly and stupid Captain New Japan gimmick. Hirooki Goto seemed to have no direction for most of the year and did nothing memorable until teaming with Katsuyori Shibata. Meanwhile, the company also came up with the stupidest ideas imaginable. First was to bring Gracie Family members Daniel and Rolles to the company so Daniel can rematch Nakamura who he beat in a MMA contest back in 2002 and the two can feud with Gracie Hunter Kazushi Sakuraba. First problem is that the Gracies aren't wrestlers and looked absolutely awful when trying to wrestle. Second problem was that most of the matches were those ridiculous MMA looking matches that look very fake. Third of all, Gracies vs. Sakuraba? What year is this? 2014 or 2000? Finally, the company also decided to botch the aftermatch of their yearly G1 Climax tournament. While, wrestlers would regularly receive a title shot after winning the tournament, NJPW has decided to make it a Royal Rumble/Money in the Bank type thing with the winner getting a shot at the biggest show of the year which is the following January 4th Tokyo Dome. Problem is that the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania are two months apart. The G1 finals and the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show is five months apart. That's too long. Worse of all, the winner carries around a Money In The Bank briefcase which they defend all the while looking ridiculous. Like WWE and ROH in 2014, we got more of the same with New Japan. I really wish they would get out of their box and take chances to keep the product fresh because if not, then it's a guarentee they'll regret it sooner or later. Maybe sooner than they think.