WWE Awards: Top Ten Wrestlers of 2014

Wrestler of the Year – Dean Ambrose

“Crazy hard category. Bryan fell to second simply because of his absence. I have no doubt he’d be first if he’d been able to work the rest of the year. Ziggler works harder than anyone, but Ambrose, to quote the illustrious Macho Man, is the cream that rose to the top. The Shield imploded and without his brothers to tame his wild impulses, Ambrose was free to fully unleash the crazy and he’s irresistible. I would watch Ambrose sweep the arena after the ring is packed up. We usually watch three hours of RAW in about thirty minutes, and you can bet every precious second Dean Ambrose graces the screen is included.” – Michele Caruso

“Honestly, this should be a three-way tie. Daniel Bryan owned our hearts and finally achieved what many thought to be impossible. His WrestleMania moment(s) will forever be included in clips of HBK, Stone Cold, Eddie Guererro & REDACTED celebrating their championship culminations on WWE’s grandest stage. Bryan was our Little Engine That Could who proved YES I DID to even the fiercest doubters. His years of dedication and world-class skills rightfully paid off against three of the biggest, toughest names on the roster.

“Bray Wyatt was a guy in NXT who had that IT factor and it was only a matter of time before he made an impact on Monday nights. From the initial vignettes to the carry over of one of the most fitting theme songs a Superstar has ever had, Wyatt and his family kicked down the door and immediately became a force. This was third generation blood adapting to the new millennium of sports entertainment. Facing off against Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble cemented his legitimacy and even a lopsided program with John Cena did little to deter his motivation. This man will be World Champion before you know it and will be a colossus challenge to anyone who believes they can disrupt The Eater of Worlds’ eventual reign as top dog.

“However….there is a man…a lunatic…who HAS been and WILL be untouchable when it comes to pure enjoyment and ability in what he does for a living. Dean Ambrose is my vote for Wrestler of the Year and he deserves it because LOOK AT HIM! LISTEN TO HIM! This Superstar has been painted with comparisons of Brian Pillman, Roddy Piper & Steve Austin, and while it may be somewhat fair, Ambrose is his own man and is proving it each and every week on our televisions. With The Shield, this Michael-J-Fox-meets-Heath-Ledger’s-Joker crept through the camera and captivated viewers naturally with his charisma and knowledge of how wrestling works. Sure, WWE is not the same as the Indy circuit or Japan or ROH, but Ambrose cut his teeth in the trenches of these bingo halls and high school gyms to emerge as a guy who understands that it all boils down to making silly faces, being physical and having FUN. Since the split from Rollins & Reigns, each man has clearly taken a next step – and while ‘The Architect’ may hold a guaranteed title shot and ‘The Juggernaut’ seems to be the heir apparent – it’s ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ who has separated himself from the pack most of all. He’s on a different level and he knows it. You should, too.” – Kyle Caruso

Runner Up: Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan and Dean Ambrose tied for first place with the exact same amount of points given by our all-star panel of ten. A tie breaker (which was decided by the amount of first place votes) stopped Bryan from winning the highest honor we can give for the second consecutive year. For a man who only wrestled for a quarter of the year – that is truly remarkable. – FB

Bronze Medal – Seth Rollins

“Seth Rollins carried the WWE when they needed him to the most. He may has well of been the WWE World Heavyweight Champion with Lesnar spending the majority of his reign hunting and eating Jack Links. Rollins closed out RAW and Smackdown on a weekly basis and made everyone else around him look better. While there may be some room for improvement this is a man who has absolutely no ceiling. I don’t remember who it was, it may have been Jim Ross, but someone said that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will be the Shawn Michaels and HHH of this generation. If the WWE gives continues to use Rollins how they already are and give Ambrose creative freedom, I believe they have the potential to surpass Michaels and Hunter over the next decade.” – Dave Reno

“No one deserves this more than Rollins. He is the new face of the WWE.” – Alex Reno

4th Place – Dolph Ziggler

“Ambrose was pure gold this year, and easily my pick for Superstar of the Year, as he put up consistently great matches and stolen many shows, regardless if he’s the winner or not. I’ve talked about him already, and Bryan would have been #1 if he’d had stayed healthy, but I want to give a lot of props to Dolph Ziggler, who takes my #2 slot. Who else has been given so little and taken so much? Vince says this generation doesn’t want to grab brass rings, but Dolph has grabbed brass rings multiple times. Does anyone remember his gimmick all started with him just shaking hands? Then in his first match he goes against Batista and STEALS THE SHOW. We’re off and running at that point. He gets the BIGGEST crowd reaction OF THE YEAR for his cash-in of his MITB contract the night after Wrestlemania, and what happens? Nothing. Just like every MITB winner their first time around, it’s a bad title run. He gets the IC title, great! Then what happens? Nothing. He was made to be the strongest competitor at Survivor Series, then what? Nothing. He steals the show and puts on the ONLY good match at TLC (and S) and what happens? He loses the next night on Raw. I have said this a lot, but I REALLY hope 2015 is the year they stop this pulling a rug out from under Ziggler, and give him the full push he deserves after all his hard work.” – Chris Langevin

5. Randy Orton

6. Bray Wyatt

7. Brock Lesnar

8. Sami Zayn

9. Adrian Neville

10. Roman Reigns

all images via WWE