With 2016 just hours away, Throwback Thursday on WrestlingDVDNetwork.com looks back at the year that was, with 10 of the year’s best matches and a special look at some of the best programming aired throughout the year, as seen, of course, on the WWE Network.
MATCHES
— WWE World Heavyweight Championship – “Triple Threat Match” (WATCH)
John Cena vs. Seth Rollins(Mr. Money in the Bank) w/Joey Mercury & Jamie Noble vs. Brock Lesnar(c) w/Paul Heyman WWE Royal Rumble 2015 • January 25, 2015
2015 started out much like 2014 with fans rebelling against the “chosen one”. And while the 2015 Royal Rumble was more miss than hit, the main event delivered an early candidate for “match of the year”, giving fans a flicker of hope that 2015 would turn out to be something special.
— WWE Intercontinental Championship – “7-Man Ladder Match” (WATCH)
Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Stardust vs. Luke Harper vs. R-Truth vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Bad News Barrett(c) WWE WrestleMania XXXI • March 29, 2015
After headliningWrestleMania XXX, Daniel Bryan, like Eddie Guerrero a decade before, opened the next year’s event. This match was anything but a demotion, however. In an instant classic and “MOTY” candidate, Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental title for the first time. Injuries halted the run, however, and on May 11th Bryan relinquished the title (1:25:18) on RAW.
— WWE World Heavyweight Championship (WATCH)
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar(c) w/Paul Heyman WWE WrestleMania XXXI • March 29, 2015
Roman Reigns’ journey to WrestleMania was a rocky one. Until Lesnar’s re-signing announcement on ESPN on March 24th no one doubted Reigns would win the title. Lesnar’s contract news, however, created a buzz of uncertainty around the WWE Championship match that hadn’t existed in years. After a compelling back-and-forth match, a bit of blood, and the birth of “Suplex City”, Reigns’ dream was dashed by a timely “Money in the Bank” cash-in by Seth Rollins, shocking the fans and creating a truly remarkable “WrestleMania Moment”.
— “Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match” (WATCH)
Kevin Owens(NXT Champion) vs. John Cena(WWE United States Champion) WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 • May 31, 2015
2015 may go down as the year of Kevin Owens. After debuting on the May 18, 2015 edition of RAW(1:19:43) Owens and Cena embarked on a legendary run of matches. While the re-matches at Money in the Bank and Battleground were both epic battles it was their first match, at Elimination Chamber, that remains the greatest of the three. From the false finishes to the brilliant psychology this match stole the show and left fans begging for a rematch.
— NXT Championship (WATCH)
Finn Bálor vs. Kevin Owens(c) WWE Beast in the East • July 4, 2015
Kevin Owens arrival on the main roster meant that KO’s days as NXT Champion were numbered. Everyone expected the eventual Balor/Owens match to be an epic war but few expected the switch to happen in Japan on an early morning Brock Lesnar-themed Network special. In another “MOTY” candidate Owens and Balor stole the show and showed yet again why NXT, in the summer of 2015, was the hottest thing going in wrestling.
— WWE United States Championship – “U.S. Open Challenge Match” (WATCH)
Cesaro vs.John Cena(c) WWE Monday Night RAW #1154 • July 6, 2015
With its debut on the March 30th edition of RAW, John Cena’s “U.S. Open Challenge” became a vital part of RAW, providing surprise moments (Sami Zayn) and incredible matches, none better than this instant classic from July 6th. Cesaro has faced an uphill climb in the WWE, seemingly over with the fans but meeting stiff opposition in the offices of WWE. This match proved to the world that Cesaro was ready for bigger and better things and showed once and for all that the “Swiss Superman” was over in a big way.
— NXT Women’s Championship (WATCH)
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks(c) NXT #287 • July 15, 2015
The main event of the July 15th edition of NXT may well go down as one of the greatest women’s wrestling matches in NXT history. With all the feel of a PPV showdown, Sasha Banks and Charlotte delivered a classic encounter that had the Full Sail crowd on their feet, half expecting a title change. This is the kind of match that has become the standard for the NXT Women’s division.
— NXT Women’s Championship – “Iron Man Match” (WATCH)
Sasha Banks vs. Bayley(c) NXT TakeOver: Respect • October 7, 2015
While their encounter at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn was epic, this match raised the bar to an entirely different level. In the first-ever women’s “Iron Man Match” Sasha and Bayley proved that the women in WWE can do anything the men can do, and sometimes, as seen on this night, a whole lot better. Hands down the best Women’s/Diva’s match of the year.
— “Hell in a Cell Match” (WATCH)
The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 • October 25, 2015
After 13 years and 9 matches, the end of “The Streak” and gallons of blood, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar put an end to their war in one of the greatest “Hell in a Cell” matches of the PG-Era. Between the blood and psychology, the physicality and emotion, this match delivered an end that was as satisfying as it was bitter sweet.
— NXT Championship (WATCH – 1:36:47)
Samoa Joe vs.Finn Bálor(c) NXT TakeOver: London • December 16, 2015
After winning the “Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic” Samoa Joe, hungry for an NXT title shot, turned on Finn Bálor. Expectations were high for this match and they exceeded them all. Easily a “MOTY” candidate this match was more New Japan than WWE and proved that pro wrestling in WWE was still alive and well.
NETWORK PROGRAMMING, 2015
2015 was an epic year for WWE Network programming, with the debut of several new shows:
For the wrestling purist 2015 started out rather slow, what with most of the Black History Month content being removed. But as the year progressed so too did the variety and frequency of archive uploads. The “Attitude Era” was the first to get its time in the sun followed by a massive upload of ECW Hardcore TV content in late summer; 1997 WCW Monday NITROs shortly thereafter; and the Survivor Series-themed 25 Years of The Undertaker collection. Now, as the year draws to a close, we’ve seen late-’70s Stampede Wrestling, the oldest non-WWF content on the Network (later removed after a rights dispute with Bret Hart); early-’80s Mid-South Wrestling; mid-’80s WCCW; mid-’80s era NWA World Championship Wrestling; mid-to-late-’80s AWA, including ESPN shows; early ’90s USWA; mid-’90s Smoky Mountain Wrestling; as well as hours of Monday Night RAWs highlighting the rise of Triple H and the Invasion angle.
Final Thoughts
2015 was a banner year for the WWE Network. At a time when WWE seemed to be lagging the Network continued to impress. With the new additions of WCCW, SMW, Mid-South/UWF, NWA World Championship Wrestling, USWA, and more – not to mention the bevvy of tremendous Original content – the future is indeed bright for the WWE Network leading into 2016.
That’s a wrap on this year’s final TBT— thanks for reading! Are you a WWE Network subscriber? If so, check out the matches, maybe some of the content, and let us know what you think.
From all of us here at WDN we wish you and yours a happy and safe New Year’s holiday!
Until next year, see ya at ringside!
Check out all of the 2015 content and everything coming up in the New Year on the WWE Network for only $9.99 per month. Your first month is FREE! Click here to sign up for the WWE Network.
Check out more posts here on WrestlingDVDNetwork.com:
Cena vs Rollins vs Lesnar – Great start for the list. Has to be one of the best matches in Cena’s career. Lesnar was Lesnar. Rollins was Rollins. And that’s good for both guys. Cena, I’m usually not a fan of his matches but know he puts a hell of an effort in his matches and he really stepped that effort up here. What about that amazing top rope splash from Rollins?!!!
IC Title Ladder Match – As you pointed out, Eddie Guererro who closed out WM20 (with Benoit) opened up the following WM against Mysterio. Bryan did the same thing. He closed out WM30 and opened WM31. As usual in a ladder match, lots of spots. Ambrose took a big nasty one from Harper.As great as the spotfest was, I would have preferred a one on one wrestling match pitting Bryan vs Ziggler for the IC Title. On the other hand, having the ladder match allowed for other talent who didn’t have anything else going on leading up to the show to be on the show.
Reigns vs Lesnar – The match was what I expected it to be. But Rollins’ cash-in ended a great WM on a great note.
Owens vs Cena – Despite not getting the Breakout Star of The Year slammy award, fact is Kevin Owens IS the Breakout Star of 2015. His rivalry with Cena, this match in particular is one reason why and his matches with Cesaro, Sami Zayn, NXT and IC Title runs are other reasons why. I feel Neville winning that award is setting up a feud between him and Owens.
Balor vs Owens – Finn Balor as The Demon won the NXT Title here in a great match and has put on a match of the year candidate in every Title defense at a Take Over event. My favorite to date is the Balor/Owens Ladder match from Take Over Brooklyn.
Cesaro vs Cena – Out of all of Cena’s US Title Open Challenges, this is my favorite which is not easy to say as I’ve enjoyed them all.
Charlotte vs Sasha Banks – Charlotte was great as always here. As was Sasha Banks. I enjoyed this match.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley – Iron Man match – Oh man. This along with their Take Over Brooklyn match has to be the best Women’s matches of the year and there’s been a lot of those, especially at NXT. As one user said, this was better in terms of wrestling. But their match from Brooklyn was better emotionally. Emotions got stronger when they hugged after the match. But what topped that hug was the Four Horsewomen Curtain Call when Charlotte and Becky Lynch joined Bayley and Sasha Banks and the four of them hugged in the ring.
Taler vs Lesnar – HIAC – I enjoyed their Summerslam match more. I’m a little biased because I was at Summerslam and because it was the first and as of now the only PPV win Taker got over Lesnar. Yes i know it’s controversial. But a win’s a win and the record books will say Summerslam 2015, Taker defeated Lesnar. IMO their final encounter should’ve ended here with a clean decisive Taker victory. If WWE really wanted Taker to be in another HIAC match at 50 years old, then they could’ve had that BOD vs Wyatt tag team match at SSeries be a HIAC match.
Balor vs Joe – Loved Balor’s Demon entrance here though his Carnage look from his first Demon entrance at the Take Over where he teamed with the former KENTA against The Ascension is my all time favorite so far. Joe provided a great challenge. So great that I actually thought he’d win the NXT Title here so Balor can move up to the main roster. But Balor’s doing so great at NXT, I’m in no hurry for him to move to the main roster. WWE treat their NXT talent better anyways.
Breaking Ground – Great show! Really enjoyed the behind the scenes, exposing the business aspect.
Honorable mentions…..
Bayley vs Sasha Banks: Take Over Brooklyn
Taler vs Lesnar – SSlam
Cesaro vs Kevin Owens – SSlam – From a live experience aspect, one of the matches of the night.
Cena vs Rollins – SSlam – Cena was great. Rollins was the performer he’s always been. Jon Stewart interference aside, this was a great match that Rollins could have won without help.
Rollins vs Cena and Sting – Night of Champions – Kudos to Rollins to working back to back matches with multi-champions and future HOF’ers. He lost to Cena, but he defeated Sting. And all the credit in the world goes to Sting as far as I’m concerned. Like the man or not, he deserves respect here. He did his part well in carrying the build. His return after SSlam was one of the highlights of the post-SSlam RAW. He integrated a little bit of “Joker” Sting when he trashed Rollins’ statue. Despite his injuries, he still finished the match too.
Sting vs HHH – WM31 – A lo of people feel Sting should’ve won. I do too. But when it comes to WWE vs WCW which is the direction this build went to, WWE will not put WCW over. Sting will always be WCW. He is to WCW what Taker will always be to WWE, a loyalist. Despite losing, Sting had a great showing and a great entrance. Had the build not went in the direction it went, Sting I guess probably would have won.
Taker vs Bray Wyatt – WM31 – Taker was in the best shape of his career and put on a great performance as did Wyatt with the Spider Walk and sit-up being a highlight of the match as are their entrances for what is a very underrated match. The only thing that took away from their entrances is the placement of the match. If they were in an arena, the could always darken the arena by turning out the lights, no problem. In an outdoor venue which WM has been taking place in every year lately, Taker and Wyatt’s matches, if they want the entrances to be perfect, must be placed at a point and time where it’s nighttime. After years of seeing Taker’s entrances in darkness till he raises the lights, I’m not accustomed and I doub I ever will be to seeing a Taker entrance in broad daylight. Of course I’m speaking about his Deadman entrances.
Stone Cold PODCAST – I liked Jericho’s podcast and wish they continued on The Network. But Austin’s podcasts on The Network, I’ve loved them all. They all had one or more hightlights for me.
Vince McMahon – The story centering on the end of Taker’s Streak.
HHH – Many highlights here. The name association, talking a bit about Kane who rarely if ever gets spoken of, HHH wanting RAW to go back to hrs, etc. Of all the podcast that have aired so far, this has to be my overall favorite as of right now.
Paige – Her story and her wanting to bring back to Women’s Title.
Paul Heyman – The Brock Lesnar challenge for WM32 and Austin going into Stone Cold promo mode.
Edge & Christian – The kazoo, Edge talking about be ready to retire when he was forced to, the validation of his career at WM24 against Taker……
Haven’t seen the ones with Brock Lesnar and wHBK yet.
Legends with JBL – I have throughly enjoyed these interviews. The one with Austin, HHH and HBK during Undertaker Week were the best episodes as it held nothing back and addressed many rumored stories over the many years on the internet centering on Taker and even put some of those rumors to rest. They covered BSK and many other Taker topics.
Hello again, @Anan! Happy New Year! Many of the honorable mentions (a gimmick I ALMOST used for this one) made the short list early when I was just starting to flush this topic out. HHH/Sting did not make any of the lists, however, as I personally felt the match delivered something quite different from the actual storyline going in. I look at it like a person wearing two different colored shoes. HHH/Sting went in wearing one color but worked the match wearing another. The one match that I found the hardest to cut was the 3-team ladder match from TLC. One of the best tag team ladder matches in years, for sure, but Balor/Joe was that much better. And I will agree 1000% that a daylight Taker entrance is just not good. WM 8 and 9 proved that, though they made the daylight work from them at 9. And this was just an incredible year of original programming on the Network. Besides BG and the SCPCs I rather enjoyed the new Rivalries episodes.
Thanks for reading, @Anan, and taking the time to leave a comment. Here’s to a bright and happy new year! Take care!
The original WWE Network stuff is what’s keeping me as a subscriber and I’ve been one since Day 1. I enjoy the shows you and I mentioned by name. I would like to see new WM Rewind’s, but WWE has for some reason opted not to provide any. There’s no shortage of material as there’s many matches that have yet to be covered. Summerslam, WCW, etc all deserve a Rewind series of their own as well. I figured they’d have new episodes of that last year during WM Season, but was surprised to find nothing new.
Rivalries is a great series. But When it started, they were putting out new episodes more often then they are now like WM Rewind. And like WM Rewind, there’s no shortage of material as many rivalries have yet to be covered. With Sting now in WWE, would’ve been the perfect time to cover his rivalries with Flair, Hogan, Mick Foley, HHH. Kane and Taker surprisingly to me have not gotten an episode on one of their rivalries nor has Jericho.
I couldn’t agree more, Anan. I thought a WCW Rewind or ECW Rewind would be a fantastic addition to the Network and a way to invite people who wouldn’t ordinarily watch the vault content or know where to start a good crash course in either promotion. There are so many feuds and wars from WCW, ECW, and WrestleMania to keep the series running for a very long time. Separating the the rewind concept form WrestleMania is a good idea, if you ask me. Royal Rumble Rewinds, SummerSlam rewinds, Starrcade Rewinds, etc, would all make great shows. Ten episodes a season is good by me and they could even include a fan voting gimmick like they did the WWE 24/7 Essential Starrcade. Great idea, Anan! Let’s hope it comes true sooner than later.
Hi. Sorry for not replying to it earlier. But wanted to throw my thoughts on 2015 and I’d like to know what you think of what I had to say.
Slammy Awards was for me one of the better RAW’s of the year, especially in the recent ratings plunge weeks of RAW. I think the Awards should be a WWE Network show, not taking up an episode of RAW though. As for this year awards, I’m not gonna concern myself with should’ve’s, could’ve’s, etc. but I will say that this is who the winners would be for just some of the awards if I was in charge:
Breakout Star – Kevin Owens. Neville’s great. But 2015 was Owens’ year. It seems like Neville winning is leading to a pointless Neville/Owens feud. Pointless because both are feuding over a slammy, not a championship like they’re capable of holding.
Woman of the Year (Divas is a old outdated term and doesn’t fit the current portrayal of women in WWE) – This one’s tough. I’m a big fan of Paige, have been since before she even got to WWE. Charlotte’s a Flair and we know what that family’s all about. Sasha Banks is rightfully in high demand. Becky Lynch is a great, but an underutilized talent. I’d have either Paige or Banks win, maybe even a tie which would lead to them hugging and forming a friendship or bond over winning that award at the same time. Wasn’t a fan of Nikki winning. But I give her a hell of amount of credit and commend as well as respect what I thought was the best promo she’s done in WWE, an acceptance speech that came off very organically. Imagine how greater promos would be if they came off as unscripted as that speech came off?
Match of the Year – Taker vs Lesnar, the right one won. I’m glad Taker and Lesnar didn’t accept. Wouldn’t feel right in terms of their characters.
Superstar of the Year – Again, right man won in Rollins.
Tag Team of the Year – New Day. Like Owens, New Day got the shaft here. I love The Usos. But they spent a big portion of 2015 not as a team as one of them were injured while they other was on commentary. Meanwhile New Day has emerged as WWE’s best act and giving the “WWE Universe” a “New Day” every night they’ve been out there.
Surprise Return of the Year – I was going to go with Taker returning at Battleground because he hasn’t really worked non-top PPV’s so that came off unexpected. But Sting’s return was more surprising because people expected Taker to return sooner or later, but no one expected Sting to return when he did. I do wish he accepted the award though.
On your point(s) regarding 2015 as the Year of the Women in WWE…..I agree. Is it perfect? No. Can it be improved? Yes. But it’s far better now than it was. NXT in so many ways is better than the main roster. They have women main eventing, women out for themselves. On the main roster, aside from the Charlotte/Paige contract signing, they haven’t main evented, are put into stables, etc. The Divas Title and name must go and be replaced with the women’s division and women’s title. And the teams need to be broken up, not all of a sudden, but with a slow burn build leading to say WM32.
Becky, Ziggler, Cesaro must be better utilized. I agree with JR on Ziggler. He should take a sabbatical and return fresh. Maybe while he’s gone, WWE will realize what they had and will better utilize him when he returns. I just hope he comes back to WWE. He’s too good for TNA.
Hello, Anan. I enjoyed reading your thoughts, thanks for sharing.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Slammy’s this year as I think the concept is simply played out. I think the show had some high points but it just wasn’t my cup of tea, as they say. I thought the best RAW of the year was the one right after TLC. A vintage RAW to say the least. Great matches, epic moments, historic stories.
I agree with you list of best of 2015. It was Owens’ year no doubt; the ladies are a hard choice indeed; Rollins was The Man this year; and yes, Sting’s return shocked even me, a fan of over 30 years. Taker/Lesnar HIAC was surely the match of the year with Cena/Cesaro a close second in my book. And New Day for sure. They have single-handedly revived the tag team division.
I’m always careful on who I would say should be utilized more because I am just one fan. For whatever reason, I’m not that high on Becky Lynch. For me WWE it all about the stories. Like a movie (Nicolas Cage as Superman? Thank God that one didn’t get made), casting matters. I don’t really care, in the long run, who gets a push or who goes over so long as the story is right and the story feels “real” (in the moment, that is). Slap the name Brock Lesnar on somebody else and the stories don’t work. Put the name Brodus Clay on Lesnar and try making him a star. Look at Wyatt starting out as Husky Harris. So while I think WWE is awash in terrific, historically gifted talent I just want the storytelling to improve regardless of who gets pushed. Ziggler needs a break, yes, and Cesaro is for real, but that’s like saying the Seahawks are the best tream in football. 11 other cities would call you a liar. Anyways, that’s just how I feel about it. Thanks again for commenting. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. Take care.
It’s really hard for me to choose between the two Sasha vs Bayley TakeOver matches. Both matches were instant classics. But choosing which one was better is tough. For me the Iron Woman match was better technically, but the Brooklyn match was better emotionally. So it’s really a toss up, depending on personal preference. Maybe because I was in the crowd in Brooklyn that night, perhaps my view is a little slanted. I don’t know. But both matches deserve equal praise in my opinion. As always, a great article. Happy new year to Brock, the rest of the WrestlingDVDNetwork crew and all the commenters here. Even the ones I get into arguments with. 😉
Indeed, @Ruthless.Attitude.Eras.4Life, it would be one boring place. Happy New Years to you as well! Thanks for taking the time to read TBT on WDN and taking the time to comment.
Hello again,@LP1, and a happy New Year to you as well. I agree 1000%. I actually thought the Brooklyn match between Sasha and Bayley was perhaps the single greatest women’s match in WWE history but the “Iron Man Match” was just too important not to include.
In the future I think 2015 will be looked upon as the year of the Woman in WWE, not the Diva. There have been more classic women’s matches this year than at any other time in WWF/E history. The ones on this list, of course, but also the 4-way from TO: Rivals, both of the Paige/Charlotte matches, and a handful of the matches from RAW just in the last 90 days or so. What a year for the ladies. The one thing TNA had going for it for some time was their Knockouts division, but WWE has seen their action and raised the bar to absolutely new heights. While the men’s division hasn’t changed all that much save the faces/names this new crop of women have finally done for Ladies Wrestling what Moolah, Mae Young, Mildred Burke, and countless other ladies wrestlers of yesteryear gave their lives, bodies, and souls to legitimize. The women’s matches were the toughest to narrow down. I hope in the coming months/year that “Divas” and “Knockouts” will go back to being women. The men’s division, after all, isn’t called the “Beefcake” division or the “Hottie” division. Just a random peeve of mine.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read TBT on WDN and taking the time to comment. Again, Happy New Years!! And, to all the Motorheadbangers out there, Lemmy is gone but he will never be forgotten. My 5-yr old was doing her own style of moshing to Overkill today. The future is indeed bright!! Hahaha!!
@Vincenzzzzzo, the WWE only had rights to it for a certain time. I would guess there will be a DVD or album, you never know. But it was removed due to rights issues, not anything personal. A version of the show can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF97frKazX0
It’s not all that great, but at least it’s something. Have yourself a Happy New Year, @Vincenzzzzzo! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Always hard to pick a specific number out of many..but, this year – excactly like 2014 – had only a dozent epic battles, that I would rank from great to neo-classiscs.
I can only agree with your 10 picks + adding the Undertaker vs. Lesnar match at Summerslam and the Brooklyn match between Banks and Bailey.
Also, I really loved the atmosphere at the Takeover London event.. I really don’t care that a personality like J.R. critized the crowd for the reaction..it was electrified like I never experienced since ECW ONS 2006. And it makes so much more exciting to watch, when the crowd is truly with it.
Happy New year and a welcoming 2016 to yet again great reviews and discussions on Blurays/DVDs and Network content.. “right here, in WDN country, north from Truth and Consequences, West from Paths Unknown.” 😉
I agree, @Ruthless.Attitude.Eras.4Life, in respect to the London show. I was thinking the very same thing as I watched it in terms of an ECW crowd. In all honesty I was torn for a day or two on whether to include the tag title ladder match from TLC over the Joe/Balor London match. The true gems of the year were between WM and SummerSlam. Then things went a bit awry. But I think, as a fan, any year you have at least 10 or 12 truly great matches it’s a great year. I’m not one who wants classic matches all the time. That would quickly kill the joy of wrestling for me. As a boxing fan I can say I enjoy not knowing which matches will surprise and which will disappoint. The yearning to see the next great classic keeps the business fun for me even after all these years. That’s just me, though. At heart I’m still just a fan.
Anyways, as I said earlier, Happy New Year @Ruthless.Attitude.Eras.4Life.
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GR8 LIST!
Cena vs Rollins vs Lesnar – Great start for the list. Has to be one of the best matches in Cena’s career. Lesnar was Lesnar. Rollins was Rollins. And that’s good for both guys. Cena, I’m usually not a fan of his matches but know he puts a hell of an effort in his matches and he really stepped that effort up here. What about that amazing top rope splash from Rollins?!!!
IC Title Ladder Match – As you pointed out, Eddie Guererro who closed out WM20 (with Benoit) opened up the following WM against Mysterio. Bryan did the same thing. He closed out WM30 and opened WM31. As usual in a ladder match, lots of spots. Ambrose took a big nasty one from Harper.As great as the spotfest was, I would have preferred a one on one wrestling match pitting Bryan vs Ziggler for the IC Title. On the other hand, having the ladder match allowed for other talent who didn’t have anything else going on leading up to the show to be on the show.
Reigns vs Lesnar – The match was what I expected it to be. But Rollins’ cash-in ended a great WM on a great note.
Owens vs Cena – Despite not getting the Breakout Star of The Year slammy award, fact is Kevin Owens IS the Breakout Star of 2015. His rivalry with Cena, this match in particular is one reason why and his matches with Cesaro, Sami Zayn, NXT and IC Title runs are other reasons why. I feel Neville winning that award is setting up a feud between him and Owens.
Balor vs Owens – Finn Balor as The Demon won the NXT Title here in a great match and has put on a match of the year candidate in every Title defense at a Take Over event. My favorite to date is the Balor/Owens Ladder match from Take Over Brooklyn.
Cesaro vs Cena – Out of all of Cena’s US Title Open Challenges, this is my favorite which is not easy to say as I’ve enjoyed them all.
Charlotte vs Sasha Banks – Charlotte was great as always here. As was Sasha Banks. I enjoyed this match.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley – Iron Man match – Oh man. This along with their Take Over Brooklyn match has to be the best Women’s matches of the year and there’s been a lot of those, especially at NXT. As one user said, this was better in terms of wrestling. But their match from Brooklyn was better emotionally. Emotions got stronger when they hugged after the match. But what topped that hug was the Four Horsewomen Curtain Call when Charlotte and Becky Lynch joined Bayley and Sasha Banks and the four of them hugged in the ring.
Taler vs Lesnar – HIAC – I enjoyed their Summerslam match more. I’m a little biased because I was at Summerslam and because it was the first and as of now the only PPV win Taker got over Lesnar. Yes i know it’s controversial. But a win’s a win and the record books will say Summerslam 2015, Taker defeated Lesnar. IMO their final encounter should’ve ended here with a clean decisive Taker victory. If WWE really wanted Taker to be in another HIAC match at 50 years old, then they could’ve had that BOD vs Wyatt tag team match at SSeries be a HIAC match.
Balor vs Joe – Loved Balor’s Demon entrance here though his Carnage look from his first Demon entrance at the Take Over where he teamed with the former KENTA against The Ascension is my all time favorite so far. Joe provided a great challenge. So great that I actually thought he’d win the NXT Title here so Balor can move up to the main roster. But Balor’s doing so great at NXT, I’m in no hurry for him to move to the main roster. WWE treat their NXT talent better anyways.
Breaking Ground – Great show! Really enjoyed the behind the scenes, exposing the business aspect.
Honorable mentions…..
Bayley vs Sasha Banks: Take Over Brooklyn
Taler vs Lesnar – SSlam
Cesaro vs Kevin Owens – SSlam – From a live experience aspect, one of the matches of the night.
Cena vs Rollins – SSlam – Cena was great. Rollins was the performer he’s always been. Jon Stewart interference aside, this was a great match that Rollins could have won without help.
Rollins vs Cena and Sting – Night of Champions – Kudos to Rollins to working back to back matches with multi-champions and future HOF’ers. He lost to Cena, but he defeated Sting. And all the credit in the world goes to Sting as far as I’m concerned. Like the man or not, he deserves respect here. He did his part well in carrying the build. His return after SSlam was one of the highlights of the post-SSlam RAW. He integrated a little bit of “Joker” Sting when he trashed Rollins’ statue. Despite his injuries, he still finished the match too.
Sting vs HHH – WM31 – A lo of people feel Sting should’ve won. I do too. But when it comes to WWE vs WCW which is the direction this build went to, WWE will not put WCW over. Sting will always be WCW. He is to WCW what Taker will always be to WWE, a loyalist. Despite losing, Sting had a great showing and a great entrance. Had the build not went in the direction it went, Sting I guess probably would have won.
Taker vs Bray Wyatt – WM31 – Taker was in the best shape of his career and put on a great performance as did Wyatt with the Spider Walk and sit-up being a highlight of the match as are their entrances for what is a very underrated match. The only thing that took away from their entrances is the placement of the match. If they were in an arena, the could always darken the arena by turning out the lights, no problem. In an outdoor venue which WM has been taking place in every year lately, Taker and Wyatt’s matches, if they want the entrances to be perfect, must be placed at a point and time where it’s nighttime. After years of seeing Taker’s entrances in darkness till he raises the lights, I’m not accustomed and I doub I ever will be to seeing a Taker entrance in broad daylight. Of course I’m speaking about his Deadman entrances.
Stone Cold PODCAST – I liked Jericho’s podcast and wish they continued on The Network. But Austin’s podcasts on The Network, I’ve loved them all. They all had one or more hightlights for me.
Vince McMahon – The story centering on the end of Taker’s Streak.
HHH – Many highlights here. The name association, talking a bit about Kane who rarely if ever gets spoken of, HHH wanting RAW to go back to hrs, etc. Of all the podcast that have aired so far, this has to be my overall favorite as of right now.
Paige – Her story and her wanting to bring back to Women’s Title.
Paul Heyman – The Brock Lesnar challenge for WM32 and Austin going into Stone Cold promo mode.
Edge & Christian – The kazoo, Edge talking about be ready to retire when he was forced to, the validation of his career at WM24 against Taker……
Haven’t seen the ones with Brock Lesnar and wHBK yet.
Legends with JBL – I have throughly enjoyed these interviews. The one with Austin, HHH and HBK during Undertaker Week were the best episodes as it held nothing back and addressed many rumored stories over the many years on the internet centering on Taker and even put some of those rumors to rest. They covered BSK and many other Taker topics.
Hello again, @Anan! Happy New Year! Many of the honorable mentions (a gimmick I ALMOST used for this one) made the short list early when I was just starting to flush this topic out. HHH/Sting did not make any of the lists, however, as I personally felt the match delivered something quite different from the actual storyline going in. I look at it like a person wearing two different colored shoes. HHH/Sting went in wearing one color but worked the match wearing another. The one match that I found the hardest to cut was the 3-team ladder match from TLC. One of the best tag team ladder matches in years, for sure, but Balor/Joe was that much better. And I will agree 1000% that a daylight Taker entrance is just not good. WM 8 and 9 proved that, though they made the daylight work from them at 9. And this was just an incredible year of original programming on the Network. Besides BG and the SCPCs I rather enjoyed the new Rivalries episodes.
Thanks for reading, @Anan, and taking the time to leave a comment. Here’s to a bright and happy new year! Take care!
The original WWE Network stuff is what’s keeping me as a subscriber and I’ve been one since Day 1. I enjoy the shows you and I mentioned by name. I would like to see new WM Rewind’s, but WWE has for some reason opted not to provide any. There’s no shortage of material as there’s many matches that have yet to be covered. Summerslam, WCW, etc all deserve a Rewind series of their own as well. I figured they’d have new episodes of that last year during WM Season, but was surprised to find nothing new.
Rivalries is a great series. But When it started, they were putting out new episodes more often then they are now like WM Rewind. And like WM Rewind, there’s no shortage of material as many rivalries have yet to be covered. With Sting now in WWE, would’ve been the perfect time to cover his rivalries with Flair, Hogan, Mick Foley, HHH. Kane and Taker surprisingly to me have not gotten an episode on one of their rivalries nor has Jericho.
Happy New Year to you and everyone on this site 🙂
I couldn’t agree more, Anan. I thought a WCW Rewind or ECW Rewind would be a fantastic addition to the Network and a way to invite people who wouldn’t ordinarily watch the vault content or know where to start a good crash course in either promotion. There are so many feuds and wars from WCW, ECW, and WrestleMania to keep the series running for a very long time. Separating the the rewind concept form WrestleMania is a good idea, if you ask me. Royal Rumble Rewinds, SummerSlam rewinds, Starrcade Rewinds, etc, would all make great shows. Ten episodes a season is good by me and they could even include a fan voting gimmick like they did the WWE 24/7 Essential Starrcade. Great idea, Anan! Let’s hope it comes true sooner than later.
@Brock Allen:
Hi. Sorry for not replying to it earlier. But wanted to throw my thoughts on 2015 and I’d like to know what you think of what I had to say.
Slammy Awards was for me one of the better RAW’s of the year, especially in the recent ratings plunge weeks of RAW. I think the Awards should be a WWE Network show, not taking up an episode of RAW though. As for this year awards, I’m not gonna concern myself with should’ve’s, could’ve’s, etc. but I will say that this is who the winners would be for just some of the awards if I was in charge:
Breakout Star – Kevin Owens. Neville’s great. But 2015 was Owens’ year. It seems like Neville winning is leading to a pointless Neville/Owens feud. Pointless because both are feuding over a slammy, not a championship like they’re capable of holding.
Woman of the Year (Divas is a old outdated term and doesn’t fit the current portrayal of women in WWE) – This one’s tough. I’m a big fan of Paige, have been since before she even got to WWE. Charlotte’s a Flair and we know what that family’s all about. Sasha Banks is rightfully in high demand. Becky Lynch is a great, but an underutilized talent. I’d have either Paige or Banks win, maybe even a tie which would lead to them hugging and forming a friendship or bond over winning that award at the same time. Wasn’t a fan of Nikki winning. But I give her a hell of amount of credit and commend as well as respect what I thought was the best promo she’s done in WWE, an acceptance speech that came off very organically. Imagine how greater promos would be if they came off as unscripted as that speech came off?
Match of the Year – Taker vs Lesnar, the right one won. I’m glad Taker and Lesnar didn’t accept. Wouldn’t feel right in terms of their characters.
Superstar of the Year – Again, right man won in Rollins.
Tag Team of the Year – New Day. Like Owens, New Day got the shaft here. I love The Usos. But they spent a big portion of 2015 not as a team as one of them were injured while they other was on commentary. Meanwhile New Day has emerged as WWE’s best act and giving the “WWE Universe” a “New Day” every night they’ve been out there.
Surprise Return of the Year – I was going to go with Taker returning at Battleground because he hasn’t really worked non-top PPV’s so that came off unexpected. But Sting’s return was more surprising because people expected Taker to return sooner or later, but no one expected Sting to return when he did. I do wish he accepted the award though.
On your point(s) regarding 2015 as the Year of the Women in WWE…..I agree. Is it perfect? No. Can it be improved? Yes. But it’s far better now than it was. NXT in so many ways is better than the main roster. They have women main eventing, women out for themselves. On the main roster, aside from the Charlotte/Paige contract signing, they haven’t main evented, are put into stables, etc. The Divas Title and name must go and be replaced with the women’s division and women’s title. And the teams need to be broken up, not all of a sudden, but with a slow burn build leading to say WM32.
Becky, Ziggler, Cesaro must be better utilized. I agree with JR on Ziggler. He should take a sabbatical and return fresh. Maybe while he’s gone, WWE will realize what they had and will better utilize him when he returns. I just hope he comes back to WWE. He’s too good for TNA.
Hello, Anan. I enjoyed reading your thoughts, thanks for sharing.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Slammy’s this year as I think the concept is simply played out. I think the show had some high points but it just wasn’t my cup of tea, as they say. I thought the best RAW of the year was the one right after TLC. A vintage RAW to say the least. Great matches, epic moments, historic stories.
I agree with you list of best of 2015. It was Owens’ year no doubt; the ladies are a hard choice indeed; Rollins was The Man this year; and yes, Sting’s return shocked even me, a fan of over 30 years. Taker/Lesnar HIAC was surely the match of the year with Cena/Cesaro a close second in my book. And New Day for sure. They have single-handedly revived the tag team division.
I’m always careful on who I would say should be utilized more because I am just one fan. For whatever reason, I’m not that high on Becky Lynch. For me WWE it all about the stories. Like a movie (Nicolas Cage as Superman? Thank God that one didn’t get made), casting matters. I don’t really care, in the long run, who gets a push or who goes over so long as the story is right and the story feels “real” (in the moment, that is). Slap the name Brock Lesnar on somebody else and the stories don’t work. Put the name Brodus Clay on Lesnar and try making him a star. Look at Wyatt starting out as Husky Harris. So while I think WWE is awash in terrific, historically gifted talent I just want the storytelling to improve regardless of who gets pushed. Ziggler needs a break, yes, and Cesaro is for real, but that’s like saying the Seahawks are the best tream in football. 11 other cities would call you a liar. Anyways, that’s just how I feel about it. Thanks again for commenting. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. Take care.
It’s really hard for me to choose between the two Sasha vs Bayley TakeOver matches. Both matches were instant classics. But choosing which one was better is tough. For me the Iron Woman match was better technically, but the Brooklyn match was better emotionally. So it’s really a toss up, depending on personal preference. Maybe because I was in the crowd in Brooklyn that night, perhaps my view is a little slanted. I don’t know. But both matches deserve equal praise in my opinion. As always, a great article. Happy new year to Brock, the rest of the WrestlingDVDNetwork crew and all the commenters here. Even the ones I get into arguments with. 😉
Life would be a hell of a boring place to be in, if there was no one to argument with. As long as it’s not Total Divas reality-style, I say.. 😉
Happy New Year to you too..and everyone else.. 🙂
Indeed, @Ruthless.Attitude.Eras.4Life, it would be one boring place. Happy New Years to you as well! Thanks for taking the time to read TBT on WDN and taking the time to comment.
Hello again,@LP1, and a happy New Year to you as well. I agree 1000%. I actually thought the Brooklyn match between Sasha and Bayley was perhaps the single greatest women’s match in WWE history but the “Iron Man Match” was just too important not to include.
In the future I think 2015 will be looked upon as the year of the Woman in WWE, not the Diva. There have been more classic women’s matches this year than at any other time in WWF/E history. The ones on this list, of course, but also the 4-way from TO: Rivals, both of the Paige/Charlotte matches, and a handful of the matches from RAW just in the last 90 days or so. What a year for the ladies. The one thing TNA had going for it for some time was their Knockouts division, but WWE has seen their action and raised the bar to absolutely new heights. While the men’s division hasn’t changed all that much save the faces/names this new crop of women have finally done for Ladies Wrestling what Moolah, Mae Young, Mildred Burke, and countless other ladies wrestlers of yesteryear gave their lives, bodies, and souls to legitimize. The women’s matches were the toughest to narrow down. I hope in the coming months/year that “Divas” and “Knockouts” will go back to being women. The men’s division, after all, isn’t called the “Beefcake” division or the “Hottie” division. Just a random peeve of mine.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read TBT on WDN and taking the time to comment. Again, Happy New Years!! And, to all the Motorheadbangers out there, Lemmy is gone but he will never be forgotten. My 5-yr old was doing her own style of moshing to Overkill today. The future is indeed bright!! Hahaha!!
Anyone know why they took the Mick Foley Cheap Pops comedy show off WWE Network? I just noticed it was gone a few days ago.
@Vincenzzzzzo, the WWE only had rights to it for a certain time. I would guess there will be a DVD or album, you never know. But it was removed due to rights issues, not anything personal. A version of the show can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF97frKazX0
It’s not all that great, but at least it’s something. Have yourself a Happy New Year, @Vincenzzzzzo! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Thanks Brock. Happy New Year to you as well.
Always hard to pick a specific number out of many..but, this year – excactly like 2014 – had only a dozent epic battles, that I would rank from great to neo-classiscs.
I can only agree with your 10 picks + adding the Undertaker vs. Lesnar match at Summerslam and the Brooklyn match between Banks and Bailey.
Also, I really loved the atmosphere at the Takeover London event.. I really don’t care that a personality like J.R. critized the crowd for the reaction..it was electrified like I never experienced since ECW ONS 2006. And it makes so much more exciting to watch, when the crowd is truly with it.
Happy New year and a welcoming 2016 to yet again great reviews and discussions on Blurays/DVDs and Network content.. “right here, in WDN country, north from Truth and Consequences, West from Paths Unknown.” 😉
I agree, @Ruthless.Attitude.Eras.4Life, in respect to the London show. I was thinking the very same thing as I watched it in terms of an ECW crowd. In all honesty I was torn for a day or two on whether to include the tag title ladder match from TLC over the Joe/Balor London match. The true gems of the year were between WM and SummerSlam. Then things went a bit awry. But I think, as a fan, any year you have at least 10 or 12 truly great matches it’s a great year. I’m not one who wants classic matches all the time. That would quickly kill the joy of wrestling for me. As a boxing fan I can say I enjoy not knowing which matches will surprise and which will disappoint. The yearning to see the next great classic keeps the business fun for me even after all these years. That’s just me, though. At heart I’m still just a fan.
Anyways, as I said earlier, Happy New Year @Ruthless.Attitude.Eras.4Life.