2014 has been an eventful year in wrestling with a ton of highs and lows so now it is time for me to run down my personal best and worst moments this year, category by category.

Best Wrestler – Seth Rollins

Holy shit what a year it has been for this young man, starting 2014 he was still the architect of the Shield, putting on incredible matches against the Wyatt Family and Evolution and being arguably the best performer in every single one of these. Then half way through the year, Seth Rollins’ year entered the stratosphere as he betrayed his brothers Ambrose and Reigns and bought into the Authority before winning the Money in the Bank ladder match and confirming his place as a main eventer. An outstanding feud with Dean Ambrose and battles with Cena closed out the year for the former NXT champion and 2015 looks set to be even better for him, his promo skills and in-ring performance have reached A+ levels and his inevitable cash-in set to certainly electrify fans whenever that may be.

Honourable Mentions:

Daniel Bryan – It was meant to be his year but injury devastatingly snatched that from him, maybe he can recreate his amazing early 2014 next year and main event Wrestlemania once again.

Randy Orton – The most consistent performer in-ring this year, shining every time he was called upon; especially in the Money in the Bank, Wrestlemania and Battleground main events.

Dolph Ziggler – The last man standing at Survivor Series this year and a strong Intercontinental Champion, hopefully he can break out of the midcard and fight for the top title next year.

Worst:

The Great Khali – Thank goodness the man has left WWE, it was painful to even watch him stagger to the ring; crazy to think he once pinned the Undertaker clean.

Best Match – The Shield vs The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber)

Writing this up gave me a great excuse to go back and watch this again and the match is still as incredible as it was the first umpteen times. Every competitor gave 100% and put on one of the best 3 v 3 matches of all time; cutting to the chase though, Seth Rollins and Luke Harper in particular smashed it here. Their chemistry was second to none with Rollins performing some incredible stunts such as landing on his feet from a top rope suplex and an awesome insaggurie after flipping off the ropes. The match ends with all of the men involved looking strong, especially the finisher, Bray Wyatt, it’s a shame his train of momentum would be halted at Wrestlemania. That said, this is the best match I watched this year and the live audience bought into it just as much as I did, if you haven’t watched it yet, go and do it, you will not be disappointed.

Honourable Mentions:

Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton (Wrestlemania) – The emotional investment that the fans had in this match, alongside the great show the 3 superstars put on made this a world class match to close out a fantastic event.

Sami Zayn vs. Adrain Neville (NXT [R]Evolution) – Again the emotional investment that could be given to this match made it even better than it was. Zayn and Neville are insanely good performers and hopefully will be uppercard stars on the roster someday.

WeeLC – Who knew one of the best and most extreme matches of the year would be between Hornswoggle and El Torito?! Not me, but this one is here for the sheer fun of the match and is a perfect example of how wrestling doesn’t always have to be taken so seriously to be enjoyable.

Worst:

El Torito vs. Mini Gator (Raw) – Two competitors of one of the best matches of the year also we in the worst. ‘This is stupid’ chants and a chorus of boos cascaded from the crowd during this awful match and segment. Even Cole knew it was a fucking monstrosity.

Best PPV – Wrestlemania XXX

To put it bluntly, this is the best PPV I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching as it happened; being from the UK means staying up until 4am to see the shows but holy shit was this one worth it. Mania 30 had it all. We had the mark out moment of Cesaro winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, (oh what could have been) one of the best title changes in history as Daniel Bryan conquered the main event and the most shocking moment in WWE history as Brock Lesnar defeated the Undertaker’s undefeated streak and becoming the one in 21-1. Wrestlemania this year then left us feeling so many emotions, and ultimately, that’s what makes a PPV and wrestling as a whole so fantastic. Congrats to the WWE for this show, it was fucking great and I hope they somehow top it with Wrestlemania 31.

Honourable Mentions:

NXT [R]Evoltion – Top matches throughout the card and the debut of Kevin Owens made this one the best NXT PPV to date, I for one am very excited to see what NXT has to offer throughout 2015.

I wish I had watched some New Japan before now because surely one of their PPV’s would be listed here, but alas I have only recently invested into it and therefore cannot pick one.

Worst:

TNA Lockdown – Ziggler versus Harper saved WWE’s TLC from this spot so this was the worst show I personally saw last year; the title match where Abyss came through the mat was laughable.

Best ‘Mark Out’ Moment – Sting debuts in the WWE (Survivor Series)

The list for this category is pretty long but this for me topped it. Sting, the biggest star to have never set foot in the company finally appears in WWE; what a historical moment and with the lack of any real competition for WWE it’s unlikely we will ever see a moment like this ever again. I marked out so hard when the Stinger debuted that my housemate had to come and check I was okay. Tie his appearance in to the fact he helped Ziggler to be the lone survivor in the victory for Team Cena over the Authority and you’ve got a moment made in heaven. I fucking loved it and can’t wait to see what the road to Wrestlemania holds for Sting.

Honourable Mentions:

Daniel Bryan winning the WHC (Wrestlemania) – Bryan winning the title at the end of a true showstopper topped Cesaro winning the Andre Battle Royal and is one that will be remembered forever.

Kevin Owens turning on Sami Zayn (NXT [R]Evolution) – They are destined to do this forever; as Owens delivered a powerbomb to the ring apron on Zayn my excitement for what the WWE has to offer in the future reached insane heights.

Most Underwhelming Moment:

Daniel Bryan not being in the rumble (Royal Rumble) – A huge mistake on behalf of the WWE as Batista walked out winner and the overwhelming crowd favourite didn’t even take part. The crowd destroyed the match after Mysterio came out at #30, and rightly so in my opinion.

Most Shocking Moment – Brock Lesnar beating the Undertaker’s Streak

A curtain of silence fell over the biggest show of the year in a moment many of us (including myself) never thought we would see. Lesnar plummeted Taker to the mat with a 3rd F5 and we all waiting for the deadman to kick out and make his comeback, but it never happened, Lesnar got the pin and not one single fan in the arena or at home knew what to do. This moment put you in a state of shock and left a lasting effect on you; it was the most shocking moment in WWE history, not just 2014. Can another moment ever top that? I don’t know, but for now Brock beating the phenom is the one moment in wrestling history that no fan could have prepared for.

Honourable Mentions:

Seth Rollins turning on the Shield (Raw) – Rollins broke the hearts of WWE fans when he turned on his brothers and aligned with the Authority; he would go on to be the best heel in the business, having a great feud with Dean Ambrose throughout the summer period.

Best of the Rest

Most Improved: Rusev – The hero of the Russian federation had a dominant 2014 and is getting better and better all the time. His pairing with Lana gives him a perfect heel mouthpiece and hopefully he will accelerate into the main event scene in 2015.

One to watch in 2015: Insane Championship Wrestling – The British company had a storming year in 2014 and this year holds even more promise for them with Insane Fight Club 2 being shown on the BBC in late January. If you get a chance, watch these guys, the roster is full of entertainment from the brutal brawling of Drew Galloway to the comedic brilliance of Grado.

Best Internet Show: Botchamania – Maffew’s hilarious production featuring mistakes and gaffs by wrestlers from all promotions across the globe narrowly edged out the OSW Review for me, both are more than worth a watch though.

Most Underutilised: Cesaro – After winning the Battle Royale at Wrestlemania Cesaro could have rode the wave of momentum into the main event as a face; but poor booking and a failed partnership with Paul Heyman cost the Swiss Superman who is still floundering in the big business.

Feud of the Year: Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority – So many iconic moments of the last year were born from this rivalry and the universe have a big part to play in that; without our undying support of Bryan we would likely have never seen the yes movement take flight nor see him take on double duty and win both times at Wrestlemania.