IMG Credit: WWE

Any two wrestlers can go out and have a great match on the right night. Kane and Albert of all people had a heck of a match on a Smackdown in 2001. That being said, it takes something special to string together a bunch of matches in a story and have people coming back. That’s called an angle and it’s not the easiest thing to pull off. There have been a lot of great ones over the last ten years and we’re looking at them today.

Honorable Mention

Zack Ryder’s Rise – I know it didn’t go very far and Ryder was destroyed harder than anyone else in recent memory, but egads this was an awesome time as the fans rallied behind Ryder and got him a title he never would have gotten otherwise.

Women’s Revolution – This is a tricky one but for the sake of simplicity, I’m only going with the night Becky, Charlotte and Sasha debuted on Raw. That was a game changer for Raw and while it went downhill for a bit with the faction warfare, this wound up being the big move that showed things were changing and changing forever. The overall movement is much bigger, but this one night angle was big enough.

KofiMania – I only put this as an honorable mention because really, there were only two great parts to this: the Elimination Chamber and the title change. Everything else in there was rather frustrating at times as they wouldn’t just announce the match, but those two moments are as good as anything WWE has does in years.

Becky Lynch Is The Man

Much like Ryder, there is something so special about the fans rallying behind someone and turning them into a main event star. That’s what happened with Becky, who went out there as herself and talked/fought herself all the way to the main event of Wrestlemania. The fans loved her and wanted her there, which is what took her higher than a female wrestler could ever dream of doing.

Then there was the moment that changed everything. You know the one I’m talking about and it will be the kind of angle that works forever. The image of Becky, with the busted nose, standing at the top of the arena and posing as the queen of the show made her look like the biggest star in years and turned her into a legend in her own time. That’s not being topped for a long time.

US Open Challenge

There is very little that turns Raw, which has been on the air for almost thirty years now, into must see TV. John Cena managed to make it work in the summer of 2015 as he would put his United States Title on the line every single week against a mystery opponent. What followed was one of the best matches the other person ever had almost every time and some of the best rubs you’ll ever see on Raw.

Finding out who was coming through that curtain after Cena said “you want some, come get some” was the most exciting thing to happen on Monday Night Raw in forever. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun watching to see who might be next to face Cena, as there were some actual surprises and it even set up Kevin Owens beating him clean in an awesome match that made him a star. As usual, Cena can do it all and often does.

John Cena vs. CM Punk

Back in the 60s, there was a simple formula: build up a monster, have them beat up everyone in sight, put them on a poster against Bruno, make money. Repeat in the 1980s with Hulk Hogan. That is a little hard to pull off in modern times, but the principle was the same. John Cena was the modern hero and CM Punk threatened to ruin everything WWE held dear. Cena demanded to fight him and Vince McMahon said the magic words: “What if you can’t beat him?”

Those six words planted seeds of doubt into fans minds and made things interesting. The fact that the match was an instant classic and the rematch was almost as good made it even better. What mattered here was you didn’t know what was coming and the match was going to be incredible. That’s what we got, but it was the angle that made us want to see the match.

YES Movement

What else is there to say? You can have your Zack Ryder and your Becky Lynch and they’re great, but nothing captured the fans like Daniel Bryan and his rise against the Authority. HHH and Stephanie McMahon made one of the best heel moves possible: they told you that you didn’t know what was good for you and that they were going to tell you what you really wanted. That meant no Bryan, even though he had beaten John Cena clean in an instant classic at Summerslam 2013.

That set up seven months of near war between Bryan and the Authority, capped off by Bryan defeating HHH, Randy Orton and Batista in one night to FINALLY become the WWE Champion, which he should have been all the way back in August. That’s one of those moments that will be on Wrestlemania highlight reels forever and much like Bryan, it earned every bit of it.

But there was one (ok two) that I liked better. And yes I know I’m in the minority on this.

Sami Zayn/Bayley’s Road To Redemption

I’ve made no secret of how much I love NXT, and there’s a reason for that: they know how to take you on a journey. NXT has mastered the art of setting a goal and building up to it as perfectly as can be done and they did it as well as they ever had with these two stories, which just happen to be nearly identical.

It’s something that has been done before but that doesn’t make it any worse. Both Sami and Bayley fought to become the champion and went through everyone they never could beat before to get there. For Sami it was Tyler Breeze and Neville and for Bayley it was Charlotte and Sasha Banks. That Bayley vs. Sasha match is one of my all time favorites and I got so into both of these stories that they’re on the top of my list.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

This is something where you can probably guess the headliners, but it was a good decade for both trios and tag teams. There might not have been as many great stables, but the group mentality got a nice boost over the decade. Some of the ones on here are among the best the WWE has ever had and that might never be topped. But what was the best of the last ten years?

Honorable Mention

Motor City Machine Guns – Someone mentioned them as a possibility and while I wrote it off at first, the more I think about it, the more they deserve at least a mention. With the influence they have, it’s hard to not at least include them somewhere.

Briscoes – Best modern tag team never in WWE yes?

Undisputed Era – They haven’t been around all that long but they have become one of the best things going in wrestling today. If nothing else, it’s nice to see the smaller guys as a dominant force like this. It isn’t likely to work outside of NXT, but it certainly works there.

Beer Money – What is there to say here? They’re incredible.

Usos

I love these guys. There’s something about a team of actual brothers, especially twins, that you can’t beat and that’s what you have here. It took them some time to get going and find their rhythm but once they got it rolling, they became one of the best tag teams in recent years and are on the list of best WWE tag teams ever. Their feud with New Day was an instant classic as those teams had some outstanding chemistry.

There are things these guys can do that get me every time and the dive over the top with a midair tag is at the top of the list. They make it look so effortless and it’s the reason I’d put them at the top: no team should be able to make something look that smooth and yet they pull it off every single time. I’m glad they’re back as I can always go for more of these two.

Young Bucks

Speaking of brothers, you have one of the most controversial teams ever. Some fans will tell you they’re the best team of all time and others will tell you how they’ve killed tag team wrestling. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle: I don’t like a lot of their stuff, but when you get down to it, these guys are athletic freaks and can do some of the best double team stuff around.

The main question is what kind of Young Bucks match are you getting. If it’s the Superkick Party style, I never need to see it again as they have done it to death and there is little reason to see it again. Then there’s the more Japanese style, where they’re the fast team with some selling and a more down to earth psychology. That’s where I can get into the Young Bucks and they’re very fun to watch. Love them or hate them though, their impact cannot be denied and they have been the biggest regular tag team of the decade.

Bullet Club

Similar to the Young Bucks (appropriately enough), you have to include these guys whether you like them or not. Bullet Club became a sensation for a few years and had a lot to do with the rise of AEW. The team became absolutely huge in Japan and then came over to America to take things global. Armed with a truckload of money from the t-shirt sales, All In resulted and the rest was history (that might be a lose telling of the story but it’s about 4:15 in the morning).

The Bullet Club took a group of wrestlers who were stars in the first place and turned them into superstars, showing that it could be done outside of WWE. That was their big selling card and it worked out very well. This is the beginning of the AEW roster and that is the kind of long term meaning that takes this kind of team to the next level. I wasn’t a fan, but I became one of what they became, which is why they warrant a big spot.

Shield

You knew it would be one of these two. Shield debuted just over seven years ago and even though one of the members is gone, it has been very rare to see one of those members not on top of the company (or at least near the top) since their debut. This isn’t your normal trio and there are very few teams who have ever come close (thinking about it, they really are one of the best ever).

The moment that sums them up as much as anything else is the night of Money in the Bank 2016. On one night, all three of its members were World Champion. Ignoring how having two title changes in about a minute and a half might not be the best idea, that is the kind of accomplishment that is never going to be topped and makes Shield legends in their own time.

Yeah you know who wins.

New Day

This was always going to be all either New Day or Shield but there were two reasons why I went with New Day and both of them tie together. The first reason is pure longevity, as we are coming up on six years of them being together and there is little sign of them slowing down. They’re still funny, they still move merchandise and they’re still successful. Why in the world would you break them up at this point?

The bigger reason though is how they got here. When the Shield debuted, they were instantly in the main event. They were brought in to be a success and that’s what they did. New Day was seemingly thrown together due to a lack of anything better to do with them (If you need proof of how nothing they were at first, their initial name was Speed Force.). They just kept going though and turned into the team they are today. That’s the proof that tyou have something that works and they have been doing it for a long time now. I’m not sure how much longer they can go, but how long have we been saying that now?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

If you’re reading this, odds are you’re a bigger than average wrestling fan. We spend a lot of time talking about this stuff and you get to the point where you can guess quite a bit of what is about to happen on almost any given show. That being said, everyone gets something wrong every now and then and that’s what we’re looking at today. Some of these are outstanding and among the best ever, which is why they’re on such a list.

Honorable Mentions

AEW – I know they had a big fan base, but who in the world would have seen them getting this far this fast? I was surprised and keep being surprised by what they do. Maybe it can’t last, but for now they’re doing incredibly well.

Brock Lesnar Returns (2012) – Ok so it wasn’t exactly shocking as there were a bunch of signs about him in the crowd, but it was hard to imagine it would actually happen. The reaction from the crowd makes this work so much better, but it was impossible to imagine what it would turn into.

Seth Rollins Cashes In Money In The Bank At Wrestlemania – Everyone talks about doing this, but Rollins actually did it. If nothing else, it was surprising to see WWE come up with a way to get themselves out of a corner.

THEY Are Here Again

This is one you might not remember but back in 2010, the big story in TNA was the rise of Immortal, which came together as part of a big conspiracy involving Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Jeff Hardy among others. After THEY arrived and everything was revealed at Bound For Glory, a few weeks later came an episode called THEY Are Here Again.

It turned out that Fourtune, a subgroup of Immortal, turned on Immortal and had been hinting that they would for weeks. This COMPLETELY got me, to the point where I actually left my house and went for a walk around the block because I was so stunned. That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t happen to me very often but sweet goodness they got me on this one and it was a really fun feeling.

Rock Returns – Raw – February 14, 2011

Much like the Lesnar deal, it’s one of those things where you can imagine it happening but it’s still a shock when it actually goes down. Rock had become a huge movie star (and would become a bigger one) and it was a major favor for him to come back to WWE. He doesn’t need the place but wound up getting into one of the biggest feuds of the modern era and even winning the WWE Title again.

It came at a weird time for WWE but what mattered was that it actually happened. Rock is someone who was an actual game changer for WWE when he was just a wrestler so seeing him at this point in his career made it a much bigger deal than it ever could have been during his career. Hearing that music hit was special though, especially when Justin Bieber had been rumored.

AJ Styles In WWE

One of the biggest regrets about TNA…well existing really is seeing how many of the people who had been loyal to it over the years not getting to spend the primes of their careers in WWE. AJ is near the top of that list and while he’s great now as the still amazing veteran, it isn’t the same as what it could have been when he was still the Phenomenal One. I was very pleased when he finally showed up in Orlando for the Royal Rumble and the execution was great.

Well it would have been great had they not had the camera on Roman Reigns because IT MUST BE ABOUT REIGNS. Styles would take a little time to find his footing but as usual, the natural talent a wrestler has will bring them up to the next level. That and one of the finest heads of hair that a wrestler has ever seen.

The Streak….Is Over

I was in the SuperDome for this one and I actually couldn’t speak. After the three count went down, I sat there in silence for a little while, while grown men were crying, with some people leaving and not coming back. This was one of those things that you never thought you would see, but there was something that keeps it from being all the way at the top of the list.

When you think about it, Lesnar beating Undertaker makes sense. By this point, Undertaker was wrestling once a year and was old and broken down. How believable is it that he could beat the Beast? The more I think about it, the more I can almost maybe kind of sort of be the slightest bit ok with it….and then I realize that the Streak is over and it bugs me again. It’s a shocking moment, and rather sad at the same time.

That leaves the winner, with a familiar name.

Brock Lesnar Conquers John Cena

You can guess a lot of things that are going to happen in wrestling. It wasn’t shocking to see Brock Lesnar beat John Cena and win the WWE Championship, but not in the way that he did. Lesnar annihilated Cena, who got in a tiny handful of offense throughout the match as Lesnar suplexed him over and over again. At the end it was Lesnar standing over the fallen superhero and things changed in a hurry.

The moment that got me in this match was right at the beginning when Lesnar hit an F5 in ten seconds. It was a near fall, but I was shouting “NO WAY! NO WAY!” as I was watching the show. You don’t get that kind of emotion these days and I kept waiting for Cena to make some kind of a comeback. That wasn’t happening this time though and it was clear that something had changed in a big way.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

This is more of the big picture idea. Over the last ten years, there have been a lot of things that have changed the way wrestling works. Some of these are changes that will be felt for years to come and that is where things can get interesting. I always find this one more interesting than a lot of the other awards as it’s something completely different than so many others.

Honorable Mention

Everything That Went Wrong For Hulk Hogan – I know that we are literally decades past his time but anything that involves in to this degree is worthy of at least a mention.

Roman Reigns Health Issues – This might not have had the biggest long term implications, but any time that the World Champion announces that he has cancer, it’s a big deal.

Ultimate Warrior’s Death – I was in the arena for his final promo and drove home twelve hours the next day. That night I was ready to sleep for a few days, but then this news broke and I was in such shock that I was awake for hours. I’m still not sure how this happened and it’s almost impossible to fathom.

The WWE Goes Big (FOX TV Deal)

WWE has been the biggest wrestling promotion for a long time now and that means they are allowed to brag about a lot of things. However, one of the biggest things that they accomplished was managing to make it all the way up to network television, which really is something that deserves serious praise.

It’s one thing to be the top of the wrestling world but it’s another to be put into the top level of televised entertainment. WWE is on the same network as the NFL and various other major sporting events. That is the kind of thing that wrestling just does not do and WWE managed to do it. You can argue how well it is going or how much of a success it will be, but the fact that they got there is a new benchmark for wrestling and WWE can be very proud of it.

WWE In Saudi Arabia

Yeah I know these things aren’t all that popular but they are the reason WWE is going to be profitable for years to come no matter how many people are actually watching the regular shows. While all of the controversies around the shows do not help things very much, the money that WWE brings in from them is far too much for them to turn down and they aren’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon.

The shows bring in so much money and they are allowing WWE to do all kinds of things that they weren’t going to be able to do otherwise. This includes bringing back pyro and signing a bunch of people, which makes things a lot more interesting. I’m not entirely comfortable with the shows most of the time, but they are going to be a factor for a long time, like they or not.

CM Punk Walks Out

This is one of those things where it was a big deal at the time and then it got bigger and bigger over time. For years to come, it became a question of whether or not Punk would ever come back and, as far as in the ring goes, that has not been the case. I don’t know if he ever will wrestle again or not, but the way he left was one of the biggest deals in wrestling for a long time to come.

The fallout from Punk leaving though may have been even bigger, with everything from the Art of Wrestling interview (and EVERYTHING that brought with it) to the ensuing lawsuit to the Backstage return and all of the waiting in between. It was a story that spiraled out of control and it still hasn’t quite gotten back under control to this day. I’m not sure if it ever will and that’s quite the ordeal.

Daniel Bryan Retires And Then Unretires

From late 2013 until early 2014, no one was hotter than Daniel Bryan. He caught lightning in a bottle with the YES Movement and everything that came with it. Bryan had one of the greatest moments in the history of Wrestlemania with the Miracle On Bourbon Street, but then it all fell apart and just over a year later, he was out of the ring for good, with his retirement speech being one of the best ever.

But then he was eventually cleared, and no one believed it. After years of fighting to get back in the ring, Bryan managed to make it happen in one of the most unlikely comebacks of all time. The reason this is such a big deal is how many new doors it opens. Couple that with how much it reinforces the idea of Never Say Never and it is one of the stories that shows nothing in wrestling ever truly ends, and that’s a good thing.

Rise of NXT

Who would have seen this coming? Back in 2010, a new competition show called NXT debuted and it….was really not very good. The show replaced ECW and it was all downhill from there, with one bad idea after another and it went on for years. Eventually the show moved to WWE.com and Full Sail University, where names such as Michael McGillicutty and Derrick Bateman were the top stars for a good while.

Over the next several years, NXT evolved into one of the most celebrated and incredible wrestling promotions in the world, regularly showcasing the stars of tomorrow and often stealing the show every time they run a major event. NXT is no longer on a hot streak as they are a full on success, with the end of 2019 seeing them rise up to the same level as Raw and Smackdown. That’s a decades long story and one of the best that you could have seen.

AEW

This one snuck in at the end and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it be at the top of the list ten years from now. Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor were around for the last ten years as well but neither came close to WWE at any point. AEW has come out swinging and while they are far from taking over anything, they have shown that WWE may be mortal in the eyes of the wrestling fans. That is the definition of a game changer and the question now is how far they can go.

What matters here is how much everything could change. We are now in a world where WWE is not the be all end all of major wrestling companies in the United States. That is something that could shake up wrestling in a way we have not seen in twenty years. I’m not sure where it is going to go and that is a very nice feeling I haven’t had in a long time.

The Women’s Revolution

You can’t call this a storyline or an angle because it has become a new way of life. The women’s division went from nothing, with women’s matches being lucky to get seven minutes even on pay per view, to main eventing Wrestlemania. That is one of those things where you would never believe it to be a possibility and then it happened. It was an exciting time and while you might not be a fan of what you’re seeing, it’s a genuinely major deal and something that is very cool to see.

What makes this so important is that it didn’t seem possible. The women’s division was little more than a way to kill some time and throw out some eye candy. The wrestlers had no personalities, no stories, and were mainly there to promote Total Divas. There were some steps forward here and there, but it wasn’t until 2015 (and thanks to NXT) that they were taken seriously. The genie can’t be put back into the bottle and that’s pretty newsworthy.

And now, for something that we have taken for granted for a long time now.

WWE Network

I’ve called this the greatest thing to ever happen to wrestling fans and I stick by that statement. Do you remember what it was like trying to find old wrestling before the Network came into play? You either had to tape it, know a place to find it illegally, or search YouTube for clips before WWE found out about it. Now, every Raw or Smackdown, pay per view, and material from all around the wrestling world is available at your fingertips for a cheap price.

The days of needing to pay $50 for a pay per view are gone and that is not changing back. You can watch Wrestlemania, NXT, Slamboree 1994 or an episode of Texas Championship Wrestling at the click of a button and do it completely legally. The wrestling world has been opened up in a way that has never been done before and it is the best thing to ever happen to wrestling fans.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

There are things that everyone remembers and that is the case for a reason. Some of these are as memorable as you can get and they are going to be that way for a very long time. This is a time where the top of the list is quite good, though there might not be the biggest list of choices. That’s because the best ones are just that awesome, which is the case here.

Honorable Mention

Dance Off – WrestleCon SuperShow Ten Man Tag – YouTube it. YouTube the whole match actually.

Kurt Angle’s Moonsault Off The Cage – Lockdown 2010

Kurt Angle is not a well man. There is something wrong in his head that makes him do some crazy things and this was one of them. He was in the middle of a war with Mr. Anderson (in a near classic cage match) and went on top of the cage in a repeat of his famous spot against Chris Benoit. This one actually connected (albeit mainly on Anderson’s face) and Angle went on to win the thing.

The biggest thing I can take out of this is that Angle is insane. I know that sounds a little over the top but are you really convinced otherwise? Angle is out there on a lot of things and this is just another example, though sweet goodness if that wasn’t a memorable move and one of the best matches TNA has ever had. Check that one out in full, but you’ll remember this part best.

Shane McMahon’s Cell Dive – Wrestlemania XXXII

I was in the stadium for this one and I almost couldn’t watch it. Maybe it’s my fear of heights but sweet goodness this wasn’t something I wanted to see happen. It was actually scary, though once you see the crash pad and hear Cole shout “FOR THE LOVE OF MANKIND” it wasn’t quite as bad. They weren’t quite recreating a classic, but there’s something special when you can feel your heart in your throat for a second.

There’s something special about seeing Shane do something this insane and nearly destroying himself in the process. He knows how to get that kind of a reaction from the fans and a lot of that is due to how much the fans care about him. This was an incredible dive and while we found out that it was a bit safer later on, the moment before he dove was as terrified as I can remember being at a wrestling show, and that has to mean something.

Ricochet Tells Velveteen Dream To Show Him – NXT – May 30, 2018

Sometimes in wrestling, there are moments where all you can do is just look in awe because you don’t know what just happened. Those are the moments where you know what you’re watching is special and that is the case a lot of the time when Ricochet is in the ring. There’s something about him that you can’t take your eyes off of and that was the case with the coolest thing he’s ever done.

Velveteen Dream was saying that he could do anything Ricochet could, so Ricochet got a running start, flipped over the top rope and landed on his feet in front of Dream. It takes a lot to impress Dream and he was STUNNED, giving us an additional moment to make this so special. Ricochet wrestles like a superhero and that’s what we got here, with one of the coolest things I can remember seeing in a long time.

Randy Orton RKOs Evan Bourne Out Of The Air – Raw – July 12, 2010

As luck would have it, I was in the arena for this one too and sweet goodness I don’t know what I saw. It was one of those moments that was as perfectly timed as you could have had, almost to the level of Shawn superkicking Shelton. Evan Bourne ran down to jump Orton after a match and tried the shooting star press, only to have Orton catch him out of the air with an RKO.

The timing, the impact, the selling from Bourne (a huge part) came together to make Orton look like a killer. This is one of those things where you see it happen and still can’t believe what you saw because there should be no way someone can time this so well. It was absolutely perfect and something where you don’t believe it could happen until you see it, and then you still don’t believe it because THAT’S NOT NORMAL.

I think it’s safe to say I watch a lot of wrestling so it takes something to have me jump to my feet. This did it.

Undertaker Kicks Out – Wrestlemania XXVIII

The Streak is something that will never be replicated. How can you tell? Given that you all know exactly what I mean when I say the Streak and probably started a highlight reel in your head, there is no way anything can ever match it. That’s why it was a scary prospect when it felt like it was in danger, and I have never believed it was over more than I did inside the Cell.

After pushing him a little too far, guest referee Shawn Michaels superkicked Undertaker into a Pedigree from HHH, sending Cole into shouts of “STREAK’S OVER! STREAK’S OVER!” I believed it, the fans believed it, the commentators believed it….and it wasn’t over. Undertaker kicked out again because for one night of the year, he’s immortal.

This is greatest near fall I’ve ever seen and it came in a match that would have headlined almost any other Wrestlemania. This was the match of the night and had more than one of the best moments of the year (Undertaker stepping on the sledgehammer is great too), plus the spot of the decade.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Ok this one isn’t going to be the biggest surprise. There isn’t much of a way around it but that’s the way these things go sometimes. Even though there are so many names in wrestling, there are some of them who are just better at some aspects than others. That isn’t always inside the ring, which is what we’re looking at today.

Honorable Mention

Vickie Guerrero: I know she wasn’t around long in the decade and could be annoying, but for someone who was hired as little more than a favor to her deceased husband, Vickie ran with her chance and deserves a mention.

Stephanie McMahon

I don’t like her, you probably don’t like her, she can be one of the most annoying people in all of wrestling, but she can also be REALLY good at what she does. Stephanie comes off as one of the most evil people in WWE and while a lot of people aren’t fans of hers (you might say that is true of me, at least a little bit), she knows exactly how to play her role and get the most out of it.

Stephanie is perfect in her role as the stuck up, untouchable owner of the company and can give one of the most condescending promos in wrestling today. She’s awesome at what she does and it makes the times where she gets what’s coming to her all that much better. Much like a lot of other fans, I want to see someone finally get one up on her. That’s good storytelling and while it isn’t exactly executed right, she can do it very, very well.

Dario Cueto

Roddy Piper had a great line that summed up the problem of being a wrestler breaking into mainstream entertainment: “When I was wrestling they said I was acting but when I was acting, they said I was just a wrestler.” That’s a rather insightful line and it’s why Lucha Underground made a brilliant move when they signed a regular actor to play the company’s boss.

Lucha Underground became a cult hit and Cueto was one of the biggest reasons why. He nailed every aspect of what he did at a level that was only beaten (maybe) by Vince McMahon himself and that is some elite company. There was such great joy in his eyes as he would do something horrible to set up his latest evil idea and his catchphrases worked very well. I loved watching this guy because he was so good at it, though he ruins the same role for almost anyone else because no one else can do it like him.

William Regal

This was the only person I considered for the top spot other than the winner. Regal is an outstanding example of someone who knows how to get things done in a hurry. Maybe it is just due to how well things are written in NXT, but seeing how fast he gets things done is a treat to watch. Regal has all of the respect in the world and it has paid off in spades here.

What makes Regal work is you know he is the law in NXT. He has been in charge for years now and unless he gets a promotion, there is no reason to have him leave. Regal is like the father who can bring good news, but when you push him too far, there is no stopping him no matter who you are. The best example of this you’ll find was at the United Kingdom Title Tournament in 2017 when Pete Dunne tried to make a name for himself by jumping the other competitors in between matches. Regal stormed out and stared Dunne down, sending Dunne running away. That’s power, and Regal has it in spade.

But yeah, who are we kidding?

Paul Heyman

This very well may be the biggest layup of both sets of awards. Heyman is not perfect by any means and has some failures to his name, but when he is on his game, there is no one better at what they do. His work with CM Punk was outstanding and another good example of why wrestlers wanted to be labeled as a Paul Heyman Guy. It’s quite the honor and Heyman has earned the accolade.

Oh yeah and then there’s the whole “he works with Brock Lesnar” deal. I don’t remember the last pairing that was better because Heyman never stops talking but who is going to go after him when he’s hiding behind Brock Lesnar? These promos are always well done and worthy of at least some praise, to the point where even though they are getting repetitive, they are still excellent. Heyman belongs at the top of this list and it was a pretty easy pick.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6