wrestling / Columns
The 411 Wrestling Year-End Awards: Part Eight – The Best Matches of The Year
Welcome back to the Wrestling Top 5, year-end awards edition! What we are going to is take a topic, and all the writers here on 411 will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, and the end, based on where all of these topics rank on people’s list, we will create an overall Top 5 list. It looks a little like this…
1st – 5
2nd – 4
3rd – 3
4th – 2
5th – 1
It’s similar to how we do the WOTW voting. At the end we tally the scores and get our overall top 5! It’s highly non-official and final, like WWE’s old power rankings. From some of the best and worst, the 411 staff is ready to break down the awards! Thanks for joining us, and lets get down to work.
5. Ashley Remington vs. Archibald Peck, Chikara The World is Not Enough
4. Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles, NJPW G1 Climax (Night 1)
3. Daniel Bryan vs. HHH, WrestleMania
2. Shield vs. Evolution, Extreme Rules/b>
1. Shield vs. Wyatts, Elimination Chamber – I find this an impossible category. In any given year you can see dozens of great matches. For instance, I don’t have Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville from R Evolution on here and or any of Cesaro’s awesome matches from early in the year. They easily could be here. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura closing out New Japan’s G1 Climax Tournament gets a lot of love, though I preferred the Okada-AJ, which I thought set the bar for 12 nights of mayhem. I liked the Shield-Evolution Extreme Rules clash better than the Payback match, largely because Seth Rollins did a suicide dive for the ages. Some might prefer Bryan’s victory to close WrestleMania, but I thought his clash with HHH in the opener was just about a perfect wrestling match. I have a soft spot for the Remington-Peck match, which I saw live and it was the Bret vs. Shawn of comedy matches. Ultimately I went with the initial Shield vs. Wyatts encounter. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It really was awesome. Of all the MOTY candidates out there, this is the one that resonated most with me. If I could only see one match from 2014 ever again, I’d pick this one.
5. Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville at R Evolution
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista at WrestleMania 30
3. The Shield vs. Evolution at Extreme Rules
2. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 30
1. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber When it comes to in-ring performance in the WWE in 2014, there was Daniel Bryan, there was The Shield, and there was everyone else. This is a tough category to call, but in my estimation, no match other match in 2014 manifested the unlikely electricity of The Shield taking on The Wyatts at Elimination Chamber, in a match that was technically heels versus heels, but contested between two teams that were massively over with the crowds, and probably when each threesome was most over (though, arguably, The Shield ascended even higher as a unit opposite Evolution in the months to follow). Better yet, the match to follow delivered with a fast-paced, high-impact brawl, that didn’t get bogged down by any of the fuzzy rules of Shield-Evolution (why was everyone tagging in and out when there were no DQs, and why did they abandon the tag structure later on?). This is a rare pairing of two three-man teams, the likes of which we may need to wait quite some time to see again.
5. The Shield vs. The Wyatts – WWE Elimination Chamber
4. Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn – NXT Takeover: R Evolution
3. The Shield vs. Evolution – WWE Extreme Rules
2. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki – Day 7 AJPW G1 Climax
1. Tomoaki Honma vs. Katsuyori Shibata – Day 8 NJPW G1 Climax – This was the year I fell in love with Tomoaki Honma the wrestler. It’s hard to believe that this man is considered pretty much a jobber in New Japan given that he can have amazing matches with a bunch of different guys. He rattled off two ****1/2 matches during the G1 and had about another four matches in the **** range. But it’s not just his ring work, it’s his character and the way he gets the people behind him that really comes through. Never does this shine more than during this match with Katsuyori Shibata. Honma is the lovable loser that no matter how close he comes, just can’t get an elusive win during the tournament. Come Day 8 and we had a sense that this could be the day. These guys beat the crap out of each other the whole match. Hear that sound? That’s Shibata laying in the most insane forearms you’ve ever heard. My favorite little spot is what Honma has his opponents leg and Shibata take the chance to slap around the unprotected Honma who retaliates in kind…
.
As the match builds, so does Honma’s momentum and at about ten minutes he starts to dominate and lays Shibata out, he goes up top for his big diving headbutt but Shibata counters and no matter how hard Honma tries, he can never fully regain control and Shibata kicks him in the head for the win. The crowd is gutted. I have no doubt I will be the only person to make this MOTY. It is already a forgotten gem even though it only happened just over 4 months ago. But the way this match was worked, the effort put in by Honma, Shibata willing to let himself look just weak enough to get the fans believing he was going to get beat and the drama added by the crowd…this match will be a personal favorite for a long time.
5. Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville; NXT TakeOver R Evolution
4. The Shield vs. Evolution; Extreme Rules
3. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro; NXT ArRival
2. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H; WrestleMania XXX
1. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family; Elimination Chamber – This was my favorite rivalry of the year and it produced my favorite match of the year. There was something special about these guys every single time they even stared at each other so when they stepped into the ring, magic happened. They stole the show at Elimination Chamber and this needs to be viewed. What makes this that much more special is the fact that both of these teams have since split and it’s something we may never see again. Their two follow ups on Raw and Main Event were damn good, but not on this level.
5. The Shield vs. The Wyatts at Elimination Chamber
4. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Summerslam
3. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H at WrestleMania XXX
2. Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn at NXT Takeover: R Evolution
1. Team Cena vs. Team Authority – Toughest category by far. Here are just a few: Sami Zayn had a few great bouts, Cesaro had a stellar start to the year, The Shield had seemingly a classic every month, most notably with The Wyatts and Evolution, the WrestleMania XXX main event was awesome, I always enjoy the Royal Rumble no matter what happens, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose has a couple excellent matches, etc. I could go on and on and really feel bad for leaving out so many memorable matches. Love WWE story lines these days or hate them, the in-ring product is as good as it has ever been. For my number on pick, I am going with Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series. Even if the stipulation was added on last minute and felt forced, the atmosphere was everything you love about this business. I am not afraid to say that I got goosebumps towards the end of Survivor Series, as I did with Sami Zayn winning the NXT Champion. What put Survivor Series over the top was Sting FINALLY making his first WWE appearance. It was that extra something special on top of an awesome match with a satisfying finish. Will be remembered forever.
5. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro @ NXT arRival
4. Daniel Bryan vs. HHH @ WWE Wrestlemania XXX
3. The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield @ WWE Elimination Chamber
2. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki @ NJPW G-1 Night 7
1. Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville @ NXT Takeover: [R]Evolution – The culmination of Sami Zayn’s year long journey comes to a head against a man he calls a friend who will do anything to hold onto the championship he has held for most of the year. These two went out there in front of the crowd at Full Sail University and put on a match to remember. The emotion involved in the match was a fever pitch, the moves were stellar, clean, and the two told one heck of a story from bell to bell. For this to come out over the multitude of stellar matches from New Japan’s G-1 Tournament, The SHIELD’s can’t miss ability in six man tags earlier this year, Daniel Bryan’s string of great matches leading to his crowning achievement at Wrestlemania XXX, and other terrific matches that so many other promotions put on this year makes the awesomeness of this match stand out even further.
5. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family – Elimination Chamber
4. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax Day 11
3. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H – Wrestlemania XXX< b>
2. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW G1 Climax Day 7
1. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro – NXT Arrival – There were countless great matches this year, but only one will probably stick with me forever. Sami Zayn and Cesaro put on a hell of a show on NXT. Cesaro’s uppercuts never looked sharper and he drilled Zayn with them! I’m not sure anyone will ever forget Zayn running right into it on the dive attempt. This match had insane action and took its viewers on a roller coaster ride. Cesaro beat Sami Zayn down without mercy, but Sami Zayn kept on getting up. Sami Zayn never stayed down, no matter how bad Cesaro kicked his ass. This was the epitome of pro wrestling. I would actually say some of the other matches on my list are probably more technically proficient, but the story adds so much to this match. Of course, Minozu Suzuki and AJ Styles gave this match a real run for its money. The character of Sami Zayn barely nudged this one ahead. This match was the perfect balance of story-line and awesome action. Both men fought for their pride and that was enough to motivate them into victory. There was no prize, only pride.
5. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro: NXT Arrival
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H: WrestleMania XXX
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles: NJPW G1 Climax (Night 1)
2. Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn: NXT Takeover: R Evolution
1. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family: Elimination Chamber 2014 – Mike Hammerlock is right: this was an impossible task, as 2014 did bring a LOT of amazing professional wrestling matches to the table. NXT, New Japan and ROH all brought the goods at some point. We wrestling fans sometimes take the simplest pleasures of the artform for granted. A slow-burn build, a heated rivalry, the nuances of a character or simple psychology. Then there is anticipation. Once The Wyatt Family came onto the scene in WWE and began to defeat all comers, we knew it was only a matter of time before they would collide with the other dominant trio in The Shield. WWE had been the most reliable and consistent when they crafted 6-man tag team action, so it was virtually a lock that if the promotion gave us The Wyatts vs. The Shield that it would be off the charts. Before the bell had even rung, the crowd were chanting “THIS IS AWESOME!” just because of the anticipation. Once the action started, it was fast and furious with all participants bringing 100% to the table. The only way I could describe this was pure unbridled joy. The match made me feel like a young fan again, and that is all I ask of any wrestling bout.
5. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WWE Wrestlemania XXX)
4. Evolution vs. The Shield (WWE Extreme Rules)
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles (NJPW G1 Climax, Night 1)
2. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomoaki Honma (NJPW G1 Climax, Night 8)
1. Minoru Suzuki vs. AJ Styles (NJPW G1 Climax, Night 7) – As with our consumption of all media, we don’t watch professional wrestling in a vacuum. Our past experiences with the “sport” and our personal biases always will color our interpretations to a certain degree. I think that’s what happened to me here. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki was unquestionably an outstanding match, as evidenced by the fact that it was universally praised when it occurred and the fact that it is on many of my colleague’s ballots. However, I’m one of the few people who I see listing it as match of the year in a year that produced many great bouts, and I believe that has to do with my expectations when I walked into the match. When I saw this one on paper, I suspected that it would be good because both men are excellent performers, but I thought to myself that the vast, vast difference in their wrestling styles would have prevented it from being a match of the year contender. On one side of the ring, you’ve got AJ Styles, the high flying wrestler bred in the American indies who came of age in TNA and had virtually no experience in Japan prior to this year. On the other side of the ring, you’ve got Minoru Suzuki, the 45 year old who has been with NJPW for years and was mostly a product of shoot style promotions that have largely fallen out of favor in the modern era. It would be difficult to find two current professional wrestlers who have less in common. Yet, despite all of that, they managed to put together one of the single greatest matches of this year’s G1 Climax tournament, which by all rights may be the greatest tournament in the history of professional wrestling. It speaks well of Suzuki, who over the last several years has proven time and time again that he’s a master architect of compelling and unique matches when he has talented opponents to work with (e.g. his MOTY against Tanahashi) and it speaks perhaps even more positively of Styles, who has been able to master a completely foreign Style and with Suzuki was working with an even more foreign opponent. This was professional wrestling at its finest.
5. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW G1 Climax Day 4)
4. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW Invasion Attack)
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW G1 Climax Finals)
2. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW G1 Climax Day 7)
1. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW Power Struggle) – This seems totally unfair. New Japan’s in-ring has been of such a high standard that I found myself running this list out to about 10 matches and still not being able to find a match from another promotion that I thought was good enough to crack the top 5. Also, putting these matches in any kind of order was next to impossible so I ended up compiling a top 5 of matches that I’d rated up around ***** and tried to stick them in a list that reflected my enjoyment. I’ve also tried to include matches featuring all of the guys from New Japan that had good years, which is almost everyone. That was not as hard as you’d think. Everyone has performed, everyone has been in at least one great match. Ishii-Goto just about edges it for me, based on the brutality alone but also because of the importance of the bout for both men’s positions on the card. Although if you wanted to make a case for any match on this list (and a couple of others from NJPW) I wouldn’t object.
5. Daniel Bryan vs Triple H, WWE Wrestlemania XXX
4. AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki, NJPW G1 Climax (Night 7)
3. The Wyatt Family vs the Shield, WWE Elimination Chamber
2. Kazuchika Okada vs AJ Styles, NJPW G1 Climax (Night 8)
1. Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville [C], NXT Takeover: “R”Evolution – I think you could make a case that either of the NJPW matches in my top five were better wrestled than Zayn/Neville, and I probably wouldn’t argue, but what really put this match over the top for me was the storyline that it paid off and the incredible expressions from Sami Zayn during the climax of the match. For the first seventeen or so months of his NXT career, Zayn was built up as the guy who couldn’t win the big match to save his life, failing time after time after time any time the stakes were raised in a match. Tired of being seen as not good enough, and starting to believe it himself, Zayn put himself on a road to redemption that ended with the match with Neville, a friend who had shown repeatedly that he was willing to do whatever it took to win and keep his NXT title. Late in what was a physical, back-and-forth match, the official took a bump and Neville introduced the title belt into the match, intending to level Zayn with it. Instead, Zayn, Neville’s machinations completely unknown to him, knocked down the champion and found himself holding the title belt. He readied himself to use it on his friend, but then his better judgment kicked in, leaving him standing in the ring, holding the title that he wanted more than anything, completely conflicted on whether he should use it to ensure the win. Anyone who claimed that El Generico was never going to be successful in the WWE without his mask and gimmick should have been immediately silenced by those few moments of this match, as Zayn’s face told the entire story, the agony of maintaining his principles in the face of what would be an easy win using the title. In the end, Zayn’s nobility ruled the day and he tossed the belt down, only to get rolled up by Neville and nearly lose the match. One Helluva Kick later, though, Zayn picked up the victory, winning the NXT Championship and closing that chapter of his career. Even without the post-match stuff, which opened the next chapter and paid off an entire show’s worth of storytelling, this match was my Match of the Year.
5. Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt (Royal Rumble 2014)
4. Daniel Bryan vs. HHH (WrestleMania XXX)
3. Falls Count Anywhere: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (RAW Aug 18, 2014)
2. NXT Title: Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville (NXT Takeover: “R”Evolution
1. The Shield vs. The Wyatts (Elimination Chamber 2014) From the moment The Wyatts debuted fans were drooling over the prospect of these two factions declaring war on each other. The WWE smartly kept them away from each other and then slowly started to tease things with each group facing off to see who could pick the bones of our heroes. The crowd went crazy the night they had their first standoff, which was a big deal considering they were both heel factions. Finally the WWE pulled the trigger and gave us the match at Elimination Chamber and it more than lived up to the hype. The match was just a blast to watch as you had 6 guys who should be the future of the WWE (along with some others) going out and tearing the house down in front a crowd that is invested 100% in what they are watching. The story was great as well as for the first time The Shield fell victim to the numbers game and took the loss. They had a few rematches later that were also fantastic, but not going to top the first meeting between the 2 groups.
5. From NJPW G1 Tournament (Night Four): Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
4. >From NJPW G1 Tournament (Night One): Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles
3. >From NJPW G1 Tournament (Day Twelve): Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
2. From WWE NXT Takeover: R Evolution – Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
1. From NJPW G1 Tournament (Night Seven): AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki – I have been praising AJ Styles all year for his great performances, and not just as far as the physical wrestling goes, but also due to the fact that he is laying out/calling great matches that make everyone involved look good. Suzuki work of the arm was great, Styles’ show of resilience and counters were not overstated, and worked perfectly. The stuff with Bullet Club and Suzuki-Gun worked as its own layer very well here as it never took away from the beautiful stuff happening in the ring. Much credit to Suzuki here as well, he more than did his part to make this a full boat of awesome, especially with his submission work during the match. The best thing about this, I didn’t need a story going in to appreciate the pure art that this match was. Everything on my list was amazing and I had to cut another 8 or 9 matches that could have easily made the top 5, but this match was the only match I gave the full five stars to in 2014.
5. WWE Wrestlemania: Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton
4. A Wrestling Odyssey: Drew Gulak vs. Timothy Thatcher in a British Rules match
3. WWE Raw, 3rd March: The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family
2. CZW To Infinity!: Drew Gulak vs. Biff Busick
1. WWE Elimination Chamber: The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family -One of the things I really, really enjoyed about pro wrestling in 2014 was following the fortunes of a little band of independent wrestlers whose style, focused, realistic, and less ‘mat based’ than ‘mat obsessed,’ I had become a huge fan of. The likes of Drew Gulak, Biff Busick, Timothy Thatcher and Zack Sabre Jr. had a range of superb matches across a number of different promotions, and I’ve tried to represent that in my list. With that said, I’ve knew from the moment I’d finally disentangled myself from The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family at WWE Elimination Chamber that it would be my runaway match of the year, and nothing that’s occurred in the intervening 10 months has come even remotely close to changing my mind. Everything was right about this match, from the red hot, roaring crowd to the beautifully simple, wildly effective storytelling to the perfectly pitched finishing sequence, which did more to make Roman Reigns an absolute star than any of his frustratingly predictable victories since. You could watch this match 20 times and notice brilliant new things each time, Dean Ambrose wrestling the whole match like he was on a mysterious white Colombian powder, the out of control beauty of Seth Rollins’ over the top topes, Luke Harper’s decapitating kicks. I think watching it live was clearly the best way to experience it though, it was the easiest way to get sucked up in the grand, sweeping narrative, to feel the heart pounding drama of the classic tag formula, and Ambrose coming out of nowhere with a deranged dive over the announce table, and Roman Reigns coming so close to stealing victory from the jaws of defeat. In the end, The Wyatt Family comprehensively beat the Shield at their own game in the most poetic thing that happened in wrestling in 2014, but the sheer momentum created by this match postponed the seemingly inevitable disintegration of the Hounds and underlined their main event credentials, so really everyone here was a winner. Nobody loses when wrestling is this darn perfect.
5. Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles, NJPW G1 Climax (Night 1) – 11 points
4. Daniel Bryan vs. HHH, WrestleMania 30 – 25 points
3. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki, Day 7 NJPW G1 Climax – 29 points
2. Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville, NXT Takeover: R Evolution – 31 points
1. The Shield vs. The Wyatts, WWE Elimination Chamber – 39 points
THE 2014 411 WRESTLING AWARDS:
* The Biggest Disappointments of The Year: Daniel Bryan Achieves His Dream – Then Has to Miss The Rest of The Year – 40 points
* The Best Promo Person of The Year: Paul Heyman – 58 points
* The Best Tag Team of The Year: The Usos – 52 points
* The Worst PPV/Major Show of The Year: WWE TLC – 37 points
* The Best Female of The Year: Charlotte – 32 points
* The Best PPV/Major Show of The Year: WrestleMania 30 – 45 points
* The Best Promotion of The Year: New Japan Pro Wrestling – 54 points
* The Best Match of The Year: The Shield vs. Wyatts, WWE Elimination Chamber – 39 points
* The Best Wrestler of The Year: TO BE DETERMINED (January 15th)
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