14 WWE and NXT Superstars Who Were Fantastic in 2014
Being a WWE superstar is not an easy job. They have to put their bodies on the line multiple times a week in order to entertain a very fickle crowd. So, when a superstar manages to make an impression on the WWE Universe, it is very impressive. That's how you know they were doing something right. Kudos to all fourteen of these superstars, as they truly excelled this year and set the bar high for others in their profession. Let's look at 14 of the top WWE and NXT superstars of the year. Hopefully, all of them will be on the list next year.
14. Sasha Banks- The Boss of NXT has certainly made a name for herself this year. She started a year as one of the BFFs, but she has emerged from the shadow of fellow BFFs Summer Rae and Charlotte. It started at WrestleMania 30, when she appeared during Tripe H's entrance. But Banks's stock really skyrocketed in September at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way, when she began feuding with Charlotte, the NXT Women's Champion.
Banks became the #1 Contender to the title and aligned herself with Becky Lynch. At the next NXT special, NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, Banks and Charlotte met with the title on the line. In their 12 minute match, both of these Divas excelled and put on a great match. Banks was extremely impressive, showing off an arsenal of moves most other Divas would be jealous of. It's obvious that Banks will be a big star in NXT (and possibly WWE) this year.
13. Rusev & Lana- Rusev first made himself known to WWE fans when he made a surprise entry in the Rumble match. He then joined the main roster a few months later, with the Ravishing Russian at his side. The two have worked pure magic together and have the potential to be one of the best manager/wrestler duos ever.
Their formula is very simple. Lana demolishes Rusev's opponent and America on the mic while Rusev then demolishes him in the ring. Among the superstars Rusev has crushed this year: Big E, Xavier Woods, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Sin Cara, Mark Henry, and Dolph Ziggler. Look for that list to grow next year.
12. Stardust- At the beginning of the year, Stardust was Cody Rhodes and one-half of the tag champs along with his brother Goldust. However, they lost the titles at the Royal Rumble and then fell into a bit of a slump. The duo only won one PPV match until Rhodes transformed into the bizarre and red-eyed Stardust.
Rhodes did a superb job as Stardust. Not only did he completely immerse himself in the character for backstage promos and segments, he also adopted a completely new move-set for the new character. Many character transformations fail completely, but Rhodes did a fantastic job here.
11. Adrian Neville- Neville was one of the biggest stars NXT had this year. Not only did he have a great reign as NXT Champion, but he was in some of the best matches of the year, including against Tyson Kidd at NXT TakeOver, a Fatal 4-Way match at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4 Way, and against Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.
Furthermore, Neville also showed impressive mic skills throughout the year, especially during his feud against Zayn. He also showed that he could be more than a face, as he acted the part of a heel for a good part of that feud (and did it quite well) for that matter. Whenever Neville gets called up to the main roster, he should make quite the impact.
10. Damien Mizdow- At the beginning of the year, it looked like the career of Damien Sandow was in free-fall mode. He was the first man eliminated in the Royal Rumble, was given the gimmick of impersonating other people, and lost constantly. Like, constantly. Fans were even worried that he would soon be released from his contract.
Fortunately, Sandow adopted the gimmick of becoming Miz's stunt-double and became Damien Mizdow. Since then, he's been one of the most popular stars on the roster. His antics as he imitated Miz's every move were laugh-out-loud hilarious and endeared him to the fans. More importantly, he impressed the WWE brass enough to get a stint with the tag titles.
9. Charlotte- The daughter of legendary wrestler Ric Flair (one of the greatest professional wrestlers in American history), Charlotte has shown that she is the potential to go down as one of the greatest women professional wrestlers in WWE history. What is the basis for that? Her work down in NXT this year.
It started with her match against Natalya for the vacant NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver. That match is regarded as one of the 25 best matches of the year, one of the 100 best matches of all-time, and arguably the greatest women's wrestling match of all-time. Yeah, it was that good. Charlotte proved that match wasn't a fluke when she successfully defended her title in a great match against Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution. A call-up to the main roster seems imminent.
8. Paige- Charlotte may have had a fantastic year, but Paige may have had a better year. She started out as NXT Women's Champion and had a great match against Emma at NXT Arrival. Then, after the Raw after WrestleMania, she made a surprise debut and beat AJ Lee for the Divas title. She would later capture the title for a second time when she beat AJ for the title at SummerSlam.
At the beginning of the year, many fans were totally apathetic towards the Divas division. Paige was one of the Divas who breathed new life into it. Not only did she win two titles, but she had some very good matches, including against Naomi at Money in the Bank and against Nikki Bella and AJ at Night of Champions.
7. The Usos- Jimmy and Jey Uso first debuted on the main roster in 2010. Though they never captured the titles (at least until 2014), they still managed to connect with fans and wowed them with their high-paced, aerial offense. By the end of 2013, they were looking like the future of tag team wrestling.
In March, the Usos beat the New Age Outlaws to capture the tag titles. They held the titles for more than 200 days (the sixth-longest reign of all-time) and had some classic matches along the way, including a successful defense against the Wyatt Family at Money in the Bank and a Last Man Standing match Jimmy Uso had against Bray Wyatt. To top it off, the Usos won the titles for a second time in December from Miz and Mizdow.
6. Luke Harper- Now that the Undertaker is past his prime, you can make the case that Luke Harper is the best big-man wrestler in the WWE. He proved it time and time again in bouts against the Shield and in singles matches against the likes of John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, and Erick Rowan. He also main-evented two pay-per-views (Royal Rumble and Survivor Series), won the IC title, and competed in multiple matches for the tag titles.
With moves like a sit-out powerbomb, discus clothesline, suicide dive, dropkick, and European uppercut, Harper decimated his opponents and impressed even the most cynical of fans. He was in some great matches this year, including a Ladder Match at TLC against Ziggler and in the Shield vs. Wyatt Family match at Elimination Chamber.
5. Bray Wyatt- Wyatt started the year on a high note, as he was feuding with Daniel Bryan. The two clashed at the Royal Rumble PPV in what was easily one of the best PPV singles matches of the year. From there, Wyatt moved on to a high-profile feud with John Cena that spanned from January to June. The rubber match of the feud was a Last Man Standing match which PWI named as the Match of the Year.
Wyatt also proved exceptionally capable on the mic, as he was undoubtedly one of the best talkers of 2014. Now that he is no longer flanked by the Family, he is in position to breakout as the top singles heel in the WWE.
4. Seth Rollins- You could make a case that 2014 was the year of Seth Rollins. In the Rumble match, he lasted more than 48 minutes and eliminated three superstars. The Shield had three great matches at Elimination Chamber, Extreme Rules, and Payback and decimated Kane and the New Age Outlaws at 'Mania. Then, Rollins turned on the Hounds of Justice, becoming one of the top heels in the business. He went on to capture the Money in the Bank briefcase, beat Dean Ambrose in a Hell in a Cell match, and beat Roman Reigns by forfeit at Night of Champions.
Rollins also was unarguably one of the ten best talkers in the WWE and one of the top five wrestlers in 2014. How can you not look at all of that and be impressed? Rollins was clearly one of WWE's brightest stars in 2014.
3. Sami Zayn- You could make a case that Zayn was the best good-guy performer in all of WWE and NXT in 2014. Fans were always rooting for him and his determined personality shone in matches against stronger, bigger opponents. After a string of high-profile losses, Zayn beat his rival and friend Adrian Neville at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in what WWE.com called the second-best match of the year.
Zayn also had great matches against Cesaro at NXT Arrival, against Tyler Breeze at NXT TakeOver, and Breeze, Neville, and Tyson Kidd at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way. He was easily one of the best wrestlers of 2014.
2. Dolph Ziggler- At the beginning of the year (and up until about October), it seemed like Ziggler would be doomed to spend the rest of his career in the midcard. It didn't matter that he was a fantastic wrestler and fans loved him; it just seemed like the WWE was never going to push him to the top of the card, where he rightfully belonged.
That all changed at Survivor Series, when Ziggler was the sole survivor of the main event and put The Authority out of power. A month later, Ziggler defeated Luke Harper in a Ladder Match to win the Intercontinental Championship. Finally, it seemed like the fans' prayers had been answered. Ziggler was a real star.
1. Dean Ambrose- You can make the argument that no one in WWE or NXT was as fantastic this year as Dean Ambrose was. This whole year was full of nothing but great matches, great mic moments, and great segments from the Lunatic Fringe. It is very hard to be consistent for an entire calendar year, but that's exactly what Ambrose did.
First, he was the unpredictable member of The Shield who seemed like he would turn on his brothers anytime. Then, the whole group turned face and Ambrose became one of the top faces in the business. Ambrose gained even more traction when he became a singles star and arguably the most over star on the roster.
Which superstar was your favorite of 2014? Comment and let me know.
14. Sasha Banks- The Boss of NXT has certainly made a name for herself this year. She started a year as one of the BFFs, but she has emerged from the shadow of fellow BFFs Summer Rae and Charlotte. It started at WrestleMania 30, when she appeared during Tripe H's entrance. But Banks's stock really skyrocketed in September at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way, when she began feuding with Charlotte, the NXT Women's Champion.
Banks became the #1 Contender to the title and aligned herself with Becky Lynch. At the next NXT special, NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, Banks and Charlotte met with the title on the line. In their 12 minute match, both of these Divas excelled and put on a great match. Banks was extremely impressive, showing off an arsenal of moves most other Divas would be jealous of. It's obvious that Banks will be a big star in NXT (and possibly WWE) this year.
13. Rusev & Lana- Rusev first made himself known to WWE fans when he made a surprise entry in the Rumble match. He then joined the main roster a few months later, with the Ravishing Russian at his side. The two have worked pure magic together and have the potential to be one of the best manager/wrestler duos ever.
Their formula is very simple. Lana demolishes Rusev's opponent and America on the mic while Rusev then demolishes him in the ring. Among the superstars Rusev has crushed this year: Big E, Xavier Woods, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Sin Cara, Mark Henry, and Dolph Ziggler. Look for that list to grow next year.
12. Stardust- At the beginning of the year, Stardust was Cody Rhodes and one-half of the tag champs along with his brother Goldust. However, they lost the titles at the Royal Rumble and then fell into a bit of a slump. The duo only won one PPV match until Rhodes transformed into the bizarre and red-eyed Stardust.
Rhodes did a superb job as Stardust. Not only did he completely immerse himself in the character for backstage promos and segments, he also adopted a completely new move-set for the new character. Many character transformations fail completely, but Rhodes did a fantastic job here.
11. Adrian Neville- Neville was one of the biggest stars NXT had this year. Not only did he have a great reign as NXT Champion, but he was in some of the best matches of the year, including against Tyson Kidd at NXT TakeOver, a Fatal 4-Way match at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4 Way, and against Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.
Furthermore, Neville also showed impressive mic skills throughout the year, especially during his feud against Zayn. He also showed that he could be more than a face, as he acted the part of a heel for a good part of that feud (and did it quite well) for that matter. Whenever Neville gets called up to the main roster, he should make quite the impact.
10. Damien Mizdow- At the beginning of the year, it looked like the career of Damien Sandow was in free-fall mode. He was the first man eliminated in the Royal Rumble, was given the gimmick of impersonating other people, and lost constantly. Like, constantly. Fans were even worried that he would soon be released from his contract.
Fortunately, Sandow adopted the gimmick of becoming Miz's stunt-double and became Damien Mizdow. Since then, he's been one of the most popular stars on the roster. His antics as he imitated Miz's every move were laugh-out-loud hilarious and endeared him to the fans. More importantly, he impressed the WWE brass enough to get a stint with the tag titles.
9. Charlotte- The daughter of legendary wrestler Ric Flair (one of the greatest professional wrestlers in American history), Charlotte has shown that she is the potential to go down as one of the greatest women professional wrestlers in WWE history. What is the basis for that? Her work down in NXT this year.
It started with her match against Natalya for the vacant NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver. That match is regarded as one of the 25 best matches of the year, one of the 100 best matches of all-time, and arguably the greatest women's wrestling match of all-time. Yeah, it was that good. Charlotte proved that match wasn't a fluke when she successfully defended her title in a great match against Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution. A call-up to the main roster seems imminent.
8. Paige- Charlotte may have had a fantastic year, but Paige may have had a better year. She started out as NXT Women's Champion and had a great match against Emma at NXT Arrival. Then, after the Raw after WrestleMania, she made a surprise debut and beat AJ Lee for the Divas title. She would later capture the title for a second time when she beat AJ for the title at SummerSlam.
At the beginning of the year, many fans were totally apathetic towards the Divas division. Paige was one of the Divas who breathed new life into it. Not only did she win two titles, but she had some very good matches, including against Naomi at Money in the Bank and against Nikki Bella and AJ at Night of Champions.
7. The Usos- Jimmy and Jey Uso first debuted on the main roster in 2010. Though they never captured the titles (at least until 2014), they still managed to connect with fans and wowed them with their high-paced, aerial offense. By the end of 2013, they were looking like the future of tag team wrestling.
In March, the Usos beat the New Age Outlaws to capture the tag titles. They held the titles for more than 200 days (the sixth-longest reign of all-time) and had some classic matches along the way, including a successful defense against the Wyatt Family at Money in the Bank and a Last Man Standing match Jimmy Uso had against Bray Wyatt. To top it off, the Usos won the titles for a second time in December from Miz and Mizdow.
6. Luke Harper- Now that the Undertaker is past his prime, you can make the case that Luke Harper is the best big-man wrestler in the WWE. He proved it time and time again in bouts against the Shield and in singles matches against the likes of John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, and Erick Rowan. He also main-evented two pay-per-views (Royal Rumble and Survivor Series), won the IC title, and competed in multiple matches for the tag titles.
With moves like a sit-out powerbomb, discus clothesline, suicide dive, dropkick, and European uppercut, Harper decimated his opponents and impressed even the most cynical of fans. He was in some great matches this year, including a Ladder Match at TLC against Ziggler and in the Shield vs. Wyatt Family match at Elimination Chamber.
5. Bray Wyatt- Wyatt started the year on a high note, as he was feuding with Daniel Bryan. The two clashed at the Royal Rumble PPV in what was easily one of the best PPV singles matches of the year. From there, Wyatt moved on to a high-profile feud with John Cena that spanned from January to June. The rubber match of the feud was a Last Man Standing match which PWI named as the Match of the Year.
Wyatt also proved exceptionally capable on the mic, as he was undoubtedly one of the best talkers of 2014. Now that he is no longer flanked by the Family, he is in position to breakout as the top singles heel in the WWE.
4. Seth Rollins- You could make a case that 2014 was the year of Seth Rollins. In the Rumble match, he lasted more than 48 minutes and eliminated three superstars. The Shield had three great matches at Elimination Chamber, Extreme Rules, and Payback and decimated Kane and the New Age Outlaws at 'Mania. Then, Rollins turned on the Hounds of Justice, becoming one of the top heels in the business. He went on to capture the Money in the Bank briefcase, beat Dean Ambrose in a Hell in a Cell match, and beat Roman Reigns by forfeit at Night of Champions.
Rollins also was unarguably one of the ten best talkers in the WWE and one of the top five wrestlers in 2014. How can you not look at all of that and be impressed? Rollins was clearly one of WWE's brightest stars in 2014.
3. Sami Zayn- You could make a case that Zayn was the best good-guy performer in all of WWE and NXT in 2014. Fans were always rooting for him and his determined personality shone in matches against stronger, bigger opponents. After a string of high-profile losses, Zayn beat his rival and friend Adrian Neville at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in what WWE.com called the second-best match of the year.
Zayn also had great matches against Cesaro at NXT Arrival, against Tyler Breeze at NXT TakeOver, and Breeze, Neville, and Tyson Kidd at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way. He was easily one of the best wrestlers of 2014.
2. Dolph Ziggler- At the beginning of the year (and up until about October), it seemed like Ziggler would be doomed to spend the rest of his career in the midcard. It didn't matter that he was a fantastic wrestler and fans loved him; it just seemed like the WWE was never going to push him to the top of the card, where he rightfully belonged.
That all changed at Survivor Series, when Ziggler was the sole survivor of the main event and put The Authority out of power. A month later, Ziggler defeated Luke Harper in a Ladder Match to win the Intercontinental Championship. Finally, it seemed like the fans' prayers had been answered. Ziggler was a real star.
1. Dean Ambrose- You can make the argument that no one in WWE or NXT was as fantastic this year as Dean Ambrose was. This whole year was full of nothing but great matches, great mic moments, and great segments from the Lunatic Fringe. It is very hard to be consistent for an entire calendar year, but that's exactly what Ambrose did.
First, he was the unpredictable member of The Shield who seemed like he would turn on his brothers anytime. Then, the whole group turned face and Ambrose became one of the top faces in the business. Ambrose gained even more traction when he became a singles star and arguably the most over star on the roster.
Which superstar was your favorite of 2014? Comment and let me know.
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