Cesaro and the Most Disappointing WWE Superstars of 2014
WWE was a beacon of hope for several rising stars, namely Cesaro.
The Swiss Superman broke out under the tutelage of Zeb Colter. By early April he was on the shortlist of stars to watch coming out of WrestleMania XXX. He escaped from the human quicksand that is the WWE's midcard and took Paul Heyman with him.
It didn't get any better for Cesaro after that.
A handful of WWE Superstars disappointed in 2014. Some stars disappointed based on lofty prior achievements. Others just lost a yearlong battle with their own potential.
WWE Superstars on this list are assessed based on expectations compared to actual result. Disappointment criteria included failing to deliver in the ring, ill-timed injuries and ineffective characters. There is good news, however, for this class of 2014.
2015 is just days away.
Honorable Mention: The Undertaker
1 of 6
2014 Expectations: To extend his unbeaten streak to 22-0 while extending his streak of quality WrestleMania matches to 10.
2014 Disappointments: Undertaker managed to end two streaks in one slow-paced match. Jason Powell of Prowrestling.net reported Undertaker suffered a concussion during the match. His review included phrases from "what the hell was that?" to "this was not a great streak match."
No, Jason. No it wasn't. If this was the last song of Undertaker's wrestling symphony—and it should be—it ended on one sour note. One sour, out-of-tune, long, drawn-out note.
Imagine if The Rolling Stones played their final show at the SuperDome then suddenly Mick Jagger violently collapsed onstage midway through "Satisfaction."
With the Streak seemingly unbeatable, fans sat on their hands. Their enthusiasm lagged worse the match itself. They were just waiting for Undertaker to win; then he lost.
Undertaker's year boiled down to one match, and it was terrible. Since he only did wrestle once in 2014, he can only be considered an (dis)honorable mention. But the disappointment cannot be understated. Just ask this guy. Or this guy. Or this poor fellow.
2015 New Year's Resolution: Stay away from Sting. And Bray Wyatt. And a wrestling ring.
5. Adam Rose
2 of 6
2014 Expectations: To party into the hearts of large crowds just as he did at Full Sail University.
2014 Disappointments: All Adam Rose has to show for a once-entertaining gimmick is a bunny.
His act flopped on the main roster. To make matters worse, fans are stuck with the forced character development of a mascot. When Rose first hit NXT television with an eclectic posse of Rosebuds, fans chanted, "That was awesome!"
Now they won't leave.
Maybe WWE officials got too giddy with his debut. Fans simply aren't interested in matching his energy levels. WWE now has to justify Rose's television time with an ongoing feud against the Bunny. Not that wrestling fans needed any more difficulties explaining to their roommates or spouses what they're watching.
Echoing many others who question NXT call-ups, Will Pruett of Prowrestling.net wrote: "The Adam Rose problem is a major WWE problem." The solution? Leo Kruger, maybe?
2015 New Year's Resolution: Find a non-wrestling niche.
4. Chris Jericho
3 of 6
2014 Expectations: To continue to evolve while losing meaningful matches that elevated younger talent.
2014 Disappointments: Remember when Chris Jericho stayed on the cutting edge? He'd say things like, "My mission was to completely reinvent who Chris Jericho was as a character and what Chris Jericho was as a performer and who Chris Jericho is as a performer," per Between The Ropes (h/t Jason Powell of Prowrestling.net)
During that same interview in 2008, he said, "No more Y2J." What followed was WWE scripture.
But in his latest batch of comebacks in 2014, Jericho was—well—Jericho. The Y2J kind. The kind he publicly dismissed as obsolete. The Jericho he evolved from in order to survive a new era. In 2014, Jericho was a walking Lifetime Achievement Award.
For some reason he returned to his Y2J roots to feud with Bray Wyatt, and it just didn't click.
After their second match at WWE SummerSlam, James Caldwell of PWTorch wrote "there just doesn't seem to be a natural connection in the ring." He went on to note "there isn't a passionate crowd response to their issue."
The issue was Jericho resting on his laurels in a feud against a unique young talent. His wins did little to elevate Wyatt, especially under WWE's spineless even-Steven formula. Jericho could return under a mask with an electric guitar with more intrigue. Just leave the Y2J thing in the WWE Network vault.
2015 New Year's Resolution: Eliminate Daniel Bryan at the 2015 Royal Rumble (before Seth Rollins can) and laugh about it.
3. Bad News Barrett
4 of 6
2014 Expectations: To use his palpable charisma and elite promos to become one of WWE's rare organic babyfaces.
2014 Disappointments: Another year, another ill-timed injury. This time, Barrett suffered a shoulder injury right before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, per PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com). Barrett teased fans with oodles of potential in 2014, cutting a wicked promo at the WWE Hall of Fame.
Shortly after, Barrett became the Intercontinental Champion, injecting the hit-or-miss championship with purpose. Unfortunately, he separated his shoulder at the worst possible time. It was another surgery chapter in the story of his career.
By virtue of Bad News Barrett, the WWE Universe has its very own version of Derrick Rose.
Barrett ranked higher than others because it's easy to picture him as a world champion if he remained healthy. After all, he was scheduled to compete in the Money in the Bank match before going down.
Now healed, Bad News Barrett returned on the final Raw of the year, beating fellow 2014 disappointment Cesaro. It's worth asking: Would the two be better off as a tag team named "Maybe Next Year?"
2015 New Year's Resolution: Bull Hammer everything that moves without getting hurt.
2. Daniel Bryan
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2014 Expectations: To become the bearded face of the WWE on the strength of the Yes Movement.
2014 Disappointments: 2014 was a snakebitten year for Daniel Bryan. One could argue he was the biggest star and the biggest bust all in the same year. Bryan's wrestling career reached its highest and lowest point over the course of months.
He was a feelgood story. An inspirational tale of how people can do anything they set their minds to. But a debilitating injury ended an improbable reign WWE never asked for. Now, the Daniel Bryan story empowers oppressive WWE officials—both on and off camera—with "I told you so."
From here, WWE will be cautious with Bryan in every way imaginable. Safer matches to protect his neck, safer booking scenarios that don't result in fan rebellions—safer everything. Bryan ended 2014 with a fiery promo.
He announced he will be competing in the 2015 Royal Rumble. The announcement will turn Roman Reigns heel if WWE isn't careful. But WWE officials learned their lesson from Batista. They'll have something up their sleeve to make sure Reigns is not another casualty of the Yes Movement.
2015 New Year's Resolution: Recapture lightning in an eco-friendly bottle.
1. Cesaro
6 of 6
2014 Expectations: To rise out of the ashes of the WWE midcard and become 2014's breakout star.
2014 Disappointments: Look at him. Just look at him. Holding his ribs, looking off into the distance. It's as if he's giving serious thought to staying down.
That's what 2014 was for Cesaro. Getting knocked down and staying there. A defeated man in a year filled with promise, Cesaro was supposed to be Randy Savage circa 1987.
Instead, he was Tom Zenk.
"2014 was supposed to be my year," a frustrated Cesaro said Monday on Raw, per Wade Keller of PWTorch. The character had to at least show some self-awareness after even Vince McMahon criticized him on Steve Austin's podcast.
"He's not connecting yet, but we hope he will," growled McMahon when discussing the WrestleMania XXX darling (h/t PWTorch's James Caldwell). The chairman of WWE expressed public disappointment in the 34-year-old strongman whose window is quickly closing. Cesaro tops the list for that very reason. The response came after Austin felt the need to ask why he wasn't catching on.
Nobody has an answer.
After winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Cesaro won zero championships in 2014. That's one less title than Damien Mizdow. And Stardust.
Cesaro's run died the second he awkwardly announced he was a "Paul Heyman guy." It sounded so good on paper. Heyman's name usually does.
The problem is Heyman is the Phil Jackson of WWE managers. He's only effective when paired with big stars, and a big star Cesaro is not. Maybe he's too dependent on his freakish physical strength to care about developing a strong character.
This is a man who tossed Big Show out of a ring like he was El Torito. He can superplex other grown men from the apron. He's Mark Henry without a look that will get him pigeonholed. If only he was as resourceful.
2015 New Year's Resolution: Hire Dog the Bounty Hunter. Then find Zeb Colter.
