2014 Pro Wrestling Truth Awards Part 3 - Independent Wrestling & New Japan Year in Review

2014 was another amazing year for Independent Wrestling. The scene continues grow and promotions are drawing some of their biggest numbers yet. With mainstream wrestling not what it once was, many people have turned to independent wrestling (and puroresu/japanese wrestling) for their wrestling needs. I honestly can't say I blame them because ever since I began watching the Indies, I've been hooked.

None the less, this year in Independent Wrestling & Puroresu saw The Young Bucks & ReDragon bring tag team wrestling back to prominence by dominating every major promotion. From ROH to New Japan Pro Wrestling - these two teams had classics across the world against each other and just about any other team they stepped foot in the ring with. Matt & Nick Jackson and Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish were on another level this year.

Meanwhile, Uhaa Nation & Brian Cage continued to revolutionize what it means to be a big man in pro wrestling by showcasing a combination of power & agility that isn't often seen. Nation made waves in Dragon Gate & Evolve and saw his first taste of PWG action while Brian Cage had some setbacks in the form of injuries yet still provided fans with some memorable performances, made his return to TNA, and closed out the year with a huge win in PWG over Uhaa himself, Tomasso Ciampa, & Biff Busick. The days of muscular men solely performing power moves are over.

Speaking of revolutionizing, there are two women on the Independent scene that transcended stereotypes by delivering two equally awe-inspiring performances on the same night. In July, Candice LeRae and Veda Scott took to the ring in two different matches for two different promotions and left EVERYONE talking. Veda Scott (pictured above) went to war with Gregory Iron in a Steel Cage Match for Absolute Intense Wrestling and came out on top despite bearing the proverbial crimson mask.

 

Over on the west coast, Candice endured the same fate as she took everything The Young Bucks had to offer in the form of a piledriver on the floor & a thumbtack filled superkick yet she still came back for more and BEAT them! It was certainly a crazy year for women's wrestling.

2014 Pro Wrestling Truth Awards Part 2 - TNA Impact Wrestling Year In Review

2014 may have been the lowest point in the 12 year history of TNA Impact Wrestling. The guy they had built the company around, AJ Styles, left to New Japan & the Indies. The founder, Jeff Jarrett also made his departure. On top of that, they lost their TV deal near the end of the year although they thankfully would find a new one for 2015.

Despite all these negatives, there were several positives for TNA in 2014. The first being the signing of The American Wolves, Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards. The two had been tearing up the Independent Scene for quite some time and I'm sure everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they arrived in a mainstream company. Signing The Wolves was quite possibly the best decision TNA has made in awhile as they were a part of many of the best matches that took place this year. Most notably, the tag team title tournament with The Hardys & Team 3D which was without a doubt a classic series of bouts. The tag team division definitely shined this year aside from the idiotic decision to have James Storm & Abyss dethrone The Wolves in the latter part of the year. It's something that can be overlooked though because TNA was in a tight situation at the time.

The X Division also saw somewhat of a resurgence in 2014 as the Destination X TV Special on July 25th was one of the best events that TNA put on in the calendar year. It saw the returns of Low Ki, Homicide, & Brian Cage - all of which delivered in their respective matches. Samoa Joe also rose back to X Divsion prominence and reignited his classic rivalry with Low Ki by having several outstanding bouts. The most memorable one came at Bound For Glory where Joe, Ki, and Kaz Hayashi undoubtedly stole the show.

2014 Pro Wrestling Truth Awards Part 1 - WWE Year In Review

2014 WWE Year In Review

2014 was an odd year for WWE. It went nothing like most people expected coming out of 2013. The year started off rocky with the departure of one of their most popular stars, CM Punk which led to a protest from fans when Batista won the Royal Rumble instead of Daniel Bryan.

With this horrible start to the year, WWE changed course and gave Daniel Bryan what he rightfully deserved, his moment in the main event of WrestleMania. From the night after WrestleMania forward, it felt as if WWE had turned over a new leaf and fully recovered from the loss of CM Punk. It looked like Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Paige & Emma would be taking major roles on the roster alongside The Shield. However things would get turned upside down when Daniel Bryan suffered an unexpected career threatening neck injury and he was forced to surrender the WWE Title.

I guess the pressure of what to do after losing yet another top star due to injury caused WWE to totally lose focus on the stars they made at WrestleMania & the night after in the form of Cesaro & Paige as both wandered with little to no creative direction. Despite those two new stars beginning to flounder, The Shield stayed strong and arguably led the company through Bryan's injury as they main evented two PPV's thus being made into stars at the hands of Evolution.

Meanwhile, the guy that WWE can almost always count on, John Cena, took charge in the WWE Title picture only to be stopped by Brock Lesnar in August. Cena suffered two beatings like we've never seen him face before and soon after, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar rode off into the sunset, not to be seen again until December.

In the midst of this, each individual member of The Shield began branching out into their own. We saw Dean Ambrose become the lunatic fringe that all the fan's love while Roman Reigns earned his rep as the superman of the WWE despite suffering a groin injury that kept him out during the final few months of the year. As for Seth Rollins, 2014 was arguably his year moreso than Ambrose & Reigns as he became The Authority's protege, won the MITB briefcase, and ultimately defeated Dean Ambrose to end their feud. Rollins may have resorted to cheap and distasteful tactics, but they almost always led him to victory. Beyond that, Rollins delivered top notch performances throughout the year while Ambrose & Reigns had short periods of time off TV. Regardless of which member of The Shield succeeded most this year, the point is that they all came into their own in 2014.