2014 Awards: Most Improved
This one is always up for some debate.
We’ll start by just listing off some contenders.
First up is the suddenly dominant Lashley. This was what WWE should have done with him for years: find the guy a mouthpiece and let him just hurt people. He’s a genetic freak that can wrestle on the mat, so let him do that instead of trying to make him a superhero. I never got why WWE wanted him to be a face when he has the personality of a turnip, but ever since he became a monster heel, he was one of the highlights of show.
Ethan Carter III is the same thing but as an intellectual heel instead of a monster. The guy went from being nothing in WWE to one of the best acts in TNA, very much in the same vein as Rick Rude back in 1991. Carter is going to be a player in TNA going forward and I could easily see him winning the World Title in the coming year.
The Dusts have gone from eh to one of the top teams in the company, though that’s not really saying much.
Seth Rollins started the year as the forgotten member of the Shield and became a strong contender for Wrestler of the Year. You couple that with more than holding his own on the mic and it’s hard to argue that he’s shot through the roof this year.
Tyson Kidd….the more I think about this one the less I buy into it. It’s not so much that he got better but more along the lines of his got pushed. He’s basically the same wrestler but with facts and cats. I like what I’m seeing out of him, but it’s not like he’s gotten insanely good overnight or anything.
We’ll give the Divas a shot and include Charlotte. She went from a borderline disaster to the woman who can actually look down on the rest of the NXT girls. I have no idea where this came from but suddenly her title defenses are one of the highlights of the big NXT shows, which I don’t think anyone was expecting. That’s definitely worth a nomination.
Finally, you have to mention Tyler Breeze. The guy went from a goon to tearing the house down every time he was in a big match. That match he had against Zayn at Takeover was outstanding and he’s nailed so much of the character all year long. This is one of the best surprises all year and he’s gone through the roof.
At the end of the day though, I have to go with Rollins. I would have bet on him being Kofi Kingston but he’s looking more like a Randy Orton every day. He’s always had talent, but there are a dozen guys on the roster who have untapped skills. To go from the potential he had to realizing that potential is a huge improvement and worthy of the award.
I do actually. He was indeed great, but he has perhaps the most overrated feud I’ve ever seen and had so many title reigns due to the double titles that I stopped caring a long time ago.
That’s silly to give a shit about title reigns. I’m talking about as a performer, he was really second to none among his generation, sorely overlooked.
He’s very good as a performer. I just don’t care for all the piling up titles, especially with one coming hours after another.
Which feud are you referring to?
Cena vs. Edge. It’s good but you hear it talked among the best of all time.
I would rather compare Seth Rollins to Edge. His mannerisms, his heel tactics remind me a lot of Edge back when he was Smackdown’s top heel from 2007-2010.
I can get that but I’d prefer to have him as a bigger star than Edge.
Edge was underrated as hell.
I’d have to think about that one. The title reigns cripple him for me.
What didn’t he have? He had the look, the talent, the charisma, the mic skills. Absolute total package. Who cares about fake title reigns?
“At the end of the day though, I have to go with Rollins. I would have bet on him being Kofi Kingston but he’s looking more like a Randy Orton every day.”
In a couple of years that’s going to look like an insult to Rollins, this guy could very well win this award next year too at this rate.
Bad News Barrett?
Not active enough for me.