2014 Ongoing Match of the Year List

6. Wyatt Family vs. Goldust/Cody Rhodes/Rey Mysterio WWE 2/18

ER: Another week, another high end WWEDG trios. Just set aside 11 minutes for any combo of these guys, and then let it fly. This was a nice coming out party for Rowan. He's always looked fine but this was probably his best performance, peaking with his great rag doll bear hug on Rey. Rey was king sized in this, maybe his best performance of the year too, with his awesome sliding splash on Harper and then getting folded sickly in half off a Harper big boot (good lord that was sick). Bray's uppercuts to the neck are so great. Goldust floating and stinging against Rowan was killer. And then the match just kicks up a level on the Goldust hot tag. Goldust's right hands may be the best in a company full of great right hands. He gets to run through all sorts of cool stuff like a top rope crossbody and his awesome powerslam (made to look even more nuts with how large the Wyatts are). Bray runs in and takes a giant bump over the top to the floor, Rey goes for a rana off the apron and Harper swings him hard into the barrier like Matthew McConaughey tossing Woody Harrelson into the back end of a truck, all followed by Cody hitting his out of control springboard onto Harper. Just bananas shit here. Goldust puts a nice exclamation point at the end, getting planted with Sister Abigail and leaving a makeup stain on the mat.

PAS: I watched this with my wife and described the Wyatt family as Reggie LaDoux and his crew cooking meth in the swamp with some dead children in the shack (fuck is True Detective awesome). It is crazy how old Goldust and Rey are for how great they still are.  I love Harper and Rey working together, after years of working the world's worst Rey imitators in Chikara it must be a treat getting to  hang and bang with the original. I love Wyatt's back elbow, it is such a simple spot and it just looks so violent. So great, and it's such a perfect TV wrestling staple to run one of these a show.

ER: I just noticed Phil and I each independently made a True Detective joke. Great minds and all that.


2014 MASTER LIST