10 Big Moments from the 2014 WWE Year
The WWE cannot always be exciting. There are bound to be (and there are) plenty of boring moments and matches that fall flat on their faces. So, when a rare big moment does happen, it's something special. These moments can be surprise returns, a shocking finish, or literally anything else.
So what makes a moment great? It's hard to say exactly. One, the crowd has to react for it. A dead crowd can kill even the biggest moment. Another rule: the moment has to be a game-changer. That's what separates it from an every-day occurrence. Other than those two rules however, it's hard to define what exactly makes a moment great.
Fortunately for us, there are plenty of examples from the previous year. 2014 was filled with big WWE moments, including the launch of the WWE Network and the Occupy Raw movement (neither of which feature on this list). Let's take a look at the biggest moments of this week.
10. The Miz and Damien Mizdow win the Tag Titles- Damien Sandow first came onto the WWE scene in 2012 with the gimmick of an arrogant intellect. After finding some singles and tag team success, he won the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match in 2013. However, he failed to capitalize on that opportunity and embarked on a downwards spiral. He was the first man eliminated in the Royal Rumble and lost almost all of his matches for many months. On top of that, Sandow came out every week dressed as someone, whether it be LeBron James, Paul Revere, or Sherlock Holmes. It seemed like his career was dead.
Finally, Sandow finally found success as Damien Mizdow, the stunt double to The Miz. Mizdow imitated every move of Miz and became one of the most over superstars in the company as a result. His antics were absolutely hilarious and actually quite brilliant. Mizdow's popularity translated to a tag title win for the duo at Survivor Series. The fact that Mizdow was the one who got the pinfall made the moment even sweeter.
9. Jack Swagger Turns Face- For the entirety of his career, Swagger has been a heel. When he was in ECW, he was a heel. When he was World Heavyweight Champion, he was a heel. As a member of the Real Americans, he was a heel. Finally, last summer, Swagger (and his manager Zeb Colter) turned face. This was something no one ever thought they would see, as Swagger was pegged as a guy who would spend the rest of his career as a midcard heel. Instead, Swagger had an improbable face turn that made him (at least for a little while) very over and one of the top ten faces in the company.
The turn itself was a big surprise and done quite well. Rusev and Lana were bad-mouthing America when Colter and Swagger showed up out of nowhere. By the end of the segment, the fans were cheering very loudly for Swagger. Even though Swagger ended up losing the feud to Rusev, it was still one of his best feuds in the last five years of his career. Swagger has been kind of lost in the midcard shuffle since then, but the face turn can still be called a success.
8. Chris Jericho Returns- Y2J has a lot on his plate now, thanks to his band Fozzy touring and hosting the popular Talk is Jericho. When he does get some free time, he comes back to the WWE, and fans are always happy to see him. It was no different this year, when Jericho returned to Raw in June to the surprise and happiness of the fans.
WWE had announced a multi-media superstar was returning, so everyone assumed Miz would be back. Well, Miz did come back, and Jericho followed minutes later. Jericho didn't get much time to bask in the spotlight however, as he was attacked by Bray Wyatt, setting up one of the big singles feuds up the summer. So not only did Jericho make a great and surprising return, it was immediately used for storyline purposes. Kudos to the creative team on that one.
7. Cesaro wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal- Battle royals are usually not great matches. They can be fun, but often aren't regarded as great matches. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal however, was undoubtedly a great match. Not only did it suitably honor the WWE Hall of Famer (who won hundreds of battle royals), but it was a very entertaining match.
The match was won by Cesaro, who did it by picking up Big Show and throwing him over the top rope. It was an awesome spot and really cemented Cesaro as a rising star. Cesaro holding up a beautiful trophy and a seemingly very bright future ahead of him made for a great WrestleMania moment.
6. Paige Debuts- The Raw after WrestleMania has recently become one of the biggest Raw episodes of the year. In 2012, Brock Lesnar made his return. In 2013, Dolph Ziggler beat Alberto Del Rio to become World Heavyweight Champion. This year, we saw the debut of Paige, who the NXT Women's Champion at the time. Paige had done nothing but impress at NXT, and since she was the champion, no one expected to see her show up in New Orleans.
When she did show up, she challenged AJ Lee, who was fresh off a successful title defense the day before. In an impromptu match, Paige beat AJ to win the Divas Championship and turn the whole Divas division on its head. Many fans had been decrying the Divas division for months, and some were even asking for the Divas title to be gotten rid of altogether. In that one night, Paige breathed new life into the entire division.
5. The Rock and Steve Austin Return at WrestleMania- When Hulk Hogan returned to WWE, it was huge news. Mainstream news outlets like CNN were covering the return. After all, Hogan had not been in a WWE ring for about seven years. The two-time Royal Rumble winner made his return to host the 30th edition of WrestleMania.
However, Hogan was not the only guy to open up 'Mania. In two huge surprise appearances, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock showed up to celebrate with Hogan. It was an amazing sight to witness. Three of the greatest stars in wrestling history (some would argue the three greatest) all in the same ring. It was truly a surreal moment.
4. Seth Rollins Turns on The Shield- The Shield is one of the greatest and most dominant factions in WWE history, no doubt about it. They belong up there with the likes of D-Generation X, the Hart Foundation, and the Nation of Domination. The trio of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns ran roughshod over the rest of the WWE roster, taking out superstars such as John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Ryback, and Triple H. It seemed like the Hounds of Justice would run the yard for years to come.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. The night after Payback, Seth Rollins shockingly turned on his Shield brethren when he took out Ambrose and Rollins with a steel chair. It was absolutely stunning and seemed impossible. How could Rollins, the glue of the group, turn his back on the Hounds? There are plenty of fans out there who still believe breaking up the group was a bad idea, but the break-up was undoubtedly one of the biggest moments of the year.
3. Sting Debuts- Most of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history (such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Terry Funk, Shawn Michaels, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin) have been in a WWE ring at some point in their life. A few, like Abdullah the Butcher, AJ Styles, and New Jack never did. The biggest name on that list is Sting, the man known as The Icon. The first-ever TNA Hall of Famer never signed with WWE, despite fans being desperate to see him there.
Finally, after years and years of waiting, Sting finally appeared in the WWE. He made his debut at Survivor Series, when he took out Scott Armstrong and Triple H and helped Team Cena defeat Team Authority. It was absolutely incredible to see him walk down the ramp and stand in the middle of the ring. Hopefully we get to see him again soon.
2. Daniel Bryan Wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship- When Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship at SummerSlam last year, it was a great moment. This was a guy that didn't fit the typical WWE star image. So when he beat John Cena clean in the middle of the ring, it was a great moment. Unfortunately, Bryan would lose the title only minutes later and it seemed like he would never reach that level again.
However, the fans would not let this be. They forced WWE to give him a title shot at 'Mania, instead of just giving him a standard singles match. Bryan would go on to win the match and capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It was a great sight to see Bryan hold the title belts while confetti fell from the sky and the fans gave him a huge ovation.
1. Brock Lesnar Beats The Streak- There is no bigger record in WWE history than The Streak. For 21 years, The Undertaker had been beating opponents at WrestleMania. Men like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair had all fallen to the Deadman. So, when Brock Lesnar was announced as the newest challenger to the Streak, fans assumed that he would also fall to The Phenom. The Beast Incarnate however, had other plans.
In one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, Lesnar hit an F5 on 'Taker and picked up the pinfall. What followed was a moment of pure shock as the fans in attendance tried to comprehend what they had just seen. The arena was completely quiet as fans just looked on in disbelief. The impossible had just happened.
Thanks for reading this article. Comment with what your favorite moment of the year was and be sure to check back on this site for more articles recapping 2014, including the first-ever Wrestling Examiner awards.
So what makes a moment great? It's hard to say exactly. One, the crowd has to react for it. A dead crowd can kill even the biggest moment. Another rule: the moment has to be a game-changer. That's what separates it from an every-day occurrence. Other than those two rules however, it's hard to define what exactly makes a moment great.
Fortunately for us, there are plenty of examples from the previous year. 2014 was filled with big WWE moments, including the launch of the WWE Network and the Occupy Raw movement (neither of which feature on this list). Let's take a look at the biggest moments of this week.
10. The Miz and Damien Mizdow win the Tag Titles- Damien Sandow first came onto the WWE scene in 2012 with the gimmick of an arrogant intellect. After finding some singles and tag team success, he won the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match in 2013. However, he failed to capitalize on that opportunity and embarked on a downwards spiral. He was the first man eliminated in the Royal Rumble and lost almost all of his matches for many months. On top of that, Sandow came out every week dressed as someone, whether it be LeBron James, Paul Revere, or Sherlock Holmes. It seemed like his career was dead.
Finally, Sandow finally found success as Damien Mizdow, the stunt double to The Miz. Mizdow imitated every move of Miz and became one of the most over superstars in the company as a result. His antics were absolutely hilarious and actually quite brilliant. Mizdow's popularity translated to a tag title win for the duo at Survivor Series. The fact that Mizdow was the one who got the pinfall made the moment even sweeter.
9. Jack Swagger Turns Face- For the entirety of his career, Swagger has been a heel. When he was in ECW, he was a heel. When he was World Heavyweight Champion, he was a heel. As a member of the Real Americans, he was a heel. Finally, last summer, Swagger (and his manager Zeb Colter) turned face. This was something no one ever thought they would see, as Swagger was pegged as a guy who would spend the rest of his career as a midcard heel. Instead, Swagger had an improbable face turn that made him (at least for a little while) very over and one of the top ten faces in the company.
The turn itself was a big surprise and done quite well. Rusev and Lana were bad-mouthing America when Colter and Swagger showed up out of nowhere. By the end of the segment, the fans were cheering very loudly for Swagger. Even though Swagger ended up losing the feud to Rusev, it was still one of his best feuds in the last five years of his career. Swagger has been kind of lost in the midcard shuffle since then, but the face turn can still be called a success.
8. Chris Jericho Returns- Y2J has a lot on his plate now, thanks to his band Fozzy touring and hosting the popular Talk is Jericho. When he does get some free time, he comes back to the WWE, and fans are always happy to see him. It was no different this year, when Jericho returned to Raw in June to the surprise and happiness of the fans.
WWE had announced a multi-media superstar was returning, so everyone assumed Miz would be back. Well, Miz did come back, and Jericho followed minutes later. Jericho didn't get much time to bask in the spotlight however, as he was attacked by Bray Wyatt, setting up one of the big singles feuds up the summer. So not only did Jericho make a great and surprising return, it was immediately used for storyline purposes. Kudos to the creative team on that one.
7. Cesaro wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal- Battle royals are usually not great matches. They can be fun, but often aren't regarded as great matches. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal however, was undoubtedly a great match. Not only did it suitably honor the WWE Hall of Famer (who won hundreds of battle royals), but it was a very entertaining match.
The match was won by Cesaro, who did it by picking up Big Show and throwing him over the top rope. It was an awesome spot and really cemented Cesaro as a rising star. Cesaro holding up a beautiful trophy and a seemingly very bright future ahead of him made for a great WrestleMania moment.
6. Paige Debuts- The Raw after WrestleMania has recently become one of the biggest Raw episodes of the year. In 2012, Brock Lesnar made his return. In 2013, Dolph Ziggler beat Alberto Del Rio to become World Heavyweight Champion. This year, we saw the debut of Paige, who the NXT Women's Champion at the time. Paige had done nothing but impress at NXT, and since she was the champion, no one expected to see her show up in New Orleans.
When she did show up, she challenged AJ Lee, who was fresh off a successful title defense the day before. In an impromptu match, Paige beat AJ to win the Divas Championship and turn the whole Divas division on its head. Many fans had been decrying the Divas division for months, and some were even asking for the Divas title to be gotten rid of altogether. In that one night, Paige breathed new life into the entire division.
5. The Rock and Steve Austin Return at WrestleMania- When Hulk Hogan returned to WWE, it was huge news. Mainstream news outlets like CNN were covering the return. After all, Hogan had not been in a WWE ring for about seven years. The two-time Royal Rumble winner made his return to host the 30th edition of WrestleMania.
However, Hogan was not the only guy to open up 'Mania. In two huge surprise appearances, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock showed up to celebrate with Hogan. It was an amazing sight to witness. Three of the greatest stars in wrestling history (some would argue the three greatest) all in the same ring. It was truly a surreal moment.
4. Seth Rollins Turns on The Shield- The Shield is one of the greatest and most dominant factions in WWE history, no doubt about it. They belong up there with the likes of D-Generation X, the Hart Foundation, and the Nation of Domination. The trio of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns ran roughshod over the rest of the WWE roster, taking out superstars such as John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Ryback, and Triple H. It seemed like the Hounds of Justice would run the yard for years to come.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. The night after Payback, Seth Rollins shockingly turned on his Shield brethren when he took out Ambrose and Rollins with a steel chair. It was absolutely stunning and seemed impossible. How could Rollins, the glue of the group, turn his back on the Hounds? There are plenty of fans out there who still believe breaking up the group was a bad idea, but the break-up was undoubtedly one of the biggest moments of the year.
3. Sting Debuts- Most of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history (such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Terry Funk, Shawn Michaels, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin) have been in a WWE ring at some point in their life. A few, like Abdullah the Butcher, AJ Styles, and New Jack never did. The biggest name on that list is Sting, the man known as The Icon. The first-ever TNA Hall of Famer never signed with WWE, despite fans being desperate to see him there.
Finally, after years and years of waiting, Sting finally appeared in the WWE. He made his debut at Survivor Series, when he took out Scott Armstrong and Triple H and helped Team Cena defeat Team Authority. It was absolutely incredible to see him walk down the ramp and stand in the middle of the ring. Hopefully we get to see him again soon.
2. Daniel Bryan Wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship- When Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship at SummerSlam last year, it was a great moment. This was a guy that didn't fit the typical WWE star image. So when he beat John Cena clean in the middle of the ring, it was a great moment. Unfortunately, Bryan would lose the title only minutes later and it seemed like he would never reach that level again.
However, the fans would not let this be. They forced WWE to give him a title shot at 'Mania, instead of just giving him a standard singles match. Bryan would go on to win the match and capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It was a great sight to see Bryan hold the title belts while confetti fell from the sky and the fans gave him a huge ovation.
1. Brock Lesnar Beats The Streak- There is no bigger record in WWE history than The Streak. For 21 years, The Undertaker had been beating opponents at WrestleMania. Men like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair had all fallen to the Deadman. So, when Brock Lesnar was announced as the newest challenger to the Streak, fans assumed that he would also fall to The Phenom. The Beast Incarnate however, had other plans.
In one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, Lesnar hit an F5 on 'Taker and picked up the pinfall. What followed was a moment of pure shock as the fans in attendance tried to comprehend what they had just seen. The arena was completely quiet as fans just looked on in disbelief. The impossible had just happened.
Thanks for reading this article. Comment with what your favorite moment of the year was and be sure to check back on this site for more articles recapping 2014, including the first-ever Wrestling Examiner awards.
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