2014 Ongoing Match of the Year List

5. Sheamus/Daniel Bryan/ Rey Mysterio v. The Shield WWE 1/28

ER: How can you pick your favorite in a match like this!? Sheamus has been bringing it since his return and here he's killer. Love his trapped arm clothesline, love him punting Reigns in the back, love his shoulderblocks, but I guess I moreso love how The Shield runs into all of those things. I love Ambrose hot tags as he always throws a whole bunch of arms legs and angles into them. He doesn't just come in with a clothesline, he comes in throwing shots to the body, headbutts, elbows, stomps, like a greasy neighbor kid practicing karate on the lawn while having no formal training. Rey of course is ridiculous as well. He and Rollins work really well together (feel kinda bad for Dolph Ziggler as Rollins is just as crazy a bumper as Ziggler but gets to do it in main events) and Rey is a natural fit for the new WWEDG style. I love Rey keeping the Halloween sliding splash bump to the floor alive. Love Rollins leaping knee drop to Rey's face, and his punches right in between Rey's shoulder blade, and taking a header straight into the turnbuckle off a Rey head scissors. Love Bryan kicking Reigns a dozen times, hitting a dive on him and then sprinting back in and across the ring to hit another dive past the turnbuckle. Love Reigns flying recklessly over the top on a bump, and reminding people how cool the Spear can look after they've seen Edge's version the last decade. These kind of matches are just too much fun, impossible to pick a favorite, and I hope it's not just something that's happening to build up to Mania or something. I can't imagine getting sick of this.

PAS: Every week for a year the Shield have been dropping gems, and we get another to end January. It was great to see Rey mixed in her with the Shield and he looked like he shaved off a decade. Whatever he has done to his knees has seemingly brought back his initial burst and prime Rey has one of the fastest first steps in wrestling. Bryan can bring the explosiveness too, and the big difference between Dragons Gate and the WWEDG is that the individual small spots are executed so much better, the punches, the kicks to the stomach all land perfectly and the highspots are being done by huge guys like Reigns, and that finish on Rey looked like he was hit by a crosstown bus. Love televised wrestling


2014 MASTER LIST