Leading Candidates in Race for WWE's Superstar of the Year
The fact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose head the list of the top WWE Superstars of the year is a sign that the future is quickly merging with the present.
When compiling a list of who has been the most thrilling star, who has contributed the most high-quality matches and made the biggest impact with WWE in 2014, young guns sit alongside familiar names.
While they are two of the company's centerpieces, Randy Orton and John Cena are not surprisingly on that list.
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The three men that once made up The Shield have made the year their showcase as well, though.
As huge as Brock Lesnar has been atop the card, the fact that he hasn't wrestled on a single edition of Raw or SmackDown—and only a handful of pay-per-views—keeps him out of contention. WWE's MVP has to play every day.
Even with his recent move downward, Bray Wyatt deserves a honorable mention.
His part in The Wyatt Family's feud with The Shield and his own wars with Cena have been vital to the first half of the year. Since then, however, a letdown of a rivalry with Chris Jericho and WWE making him less of a priority have kept him out of the top Superstar discussion.
He's not even on the Night of Champions card as of now.
The following wrestlers have been the most consistent members of the roster, thriving under the spotlight and providing feuds and matches that rank as 2014's best.
(Note: Match totals are from CageMatch.net and are up to date as of Sept. 15. Star ratings are from Dave Meltzer as posted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, via ProFightDB.com.)
Randy Orton
- 2014 Match Total: 106
| Event | Partners | Opponent(s) | Star Rating out of 5 |
| Royal Rumble | John Cena | 3.25 | |
| Elimination Chamber | Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, John Cena, Christian, Sheamus | 3.75 | |
| WrestleMania | Batista, Daniel Bryan | 4.5 | |
| Extreme Rules | Triple H, Batista | The Shield | 4.5 |
| Payback | Triple H, Batista | The Shield | 4 |
| Money in the Bank | John Cena, Kane, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio | 4 | |
| Battleground | Kane, John Cena, Roman Reigns | 3.25 | |
| SummerSlam | Roman Reigns | 4 |
Daniel Bryan was the emotional heart of the WrestleMania XXX main event, but it wasn't as if Orton was dead weight in that matchup.
His vileness and arrogance helped make Bryan's win more satisfying. His slick, aggressive in-ring style made for an excellent match.
He followed that up as a third of Evolution in two thrillers against The Shield. That remains one of the year's best feuds, even though it was short-lived.
Meltzer is surprisingly generous in his rating of the match against Reigns at SummerSlam. It was slow and offered little in terms of big moments or narrative turns.
One does have to give The Viper much of the credit for the bout's quality, regardless if you agree with the rating. He was the clear ring general in that clash, as he was in their rematch on Sept. 8.
Orton's contributions to WWE's TV shows force him into consideration for 2014's best Superstar as well. His dismantling of Rob Van Dam on Aug. 22 and brutal ambush of Reigns on July 28 were two of the most unsettling attacks on WWE programming this year.
Against Ambrose, he flourished. Their battle in July captivated.
After he is done with Chris Jericho at Night of Champions, it's unclear where Orton is headed next. Ambrose and Rollins are sure to collide with each other, continuing the most electric rivalry of 2014.
Orton is going to need a high-quality enemy to contend with in order to compete with those two stars.
Roman Reigns
- 2014 Match Total: 138
| Event | Partners | Opponent(s) | Star Rating out of 5 |
| Royal Rumble | Royal Rumble field | 3.25 | |
| Elimination Chamber | The Shield | The Wyatt Family | 4.25 |
| WrestleMania | The Shield | New Age Outlaws, Kane | 2 |
| Extreme Rules | The Shield | Evolution | 4.5 |
| Payback | The Shield | Evolution | 4 |
| Money in the Bank | Kane, Randy Orton, John Cena, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt | 4 | |
| Battleground | Randy Orton, Kane and John Cena | 3.25 | |
| SummerSlam | Randy Orton | 4 |
Feuds with The Wyatt Family and Evolution had Reigns and his former stablemates deliver a plethora of excellence.
Sharing that glory with Rollins and Ambrose does lessen how much those bouts contribute to his Superstar of the Year campaign, but he was a key part to all of them. His explosiveness and high energy helped make all those battles mighty fun.
Since the implosion of The Shield, he has ventured out on his own and had a solid Last Man Standing match against Kane on Aug. 4.
He also provided big moments when he brawled with Kane back in July and interrupted Rollins' "eulogy" for Ambrose.
He doesn't have nearly as many standout singles matches as his peers, though. His match total points to a surprising workload, but many of those were tag matches or ones involving multiple wrestlers. Orton, Cena, Rollins and Ambrose have better one-on-one resumes.
Reigns has Rollins next on his docket for Night of Champions and perhaps a meeting with Triple H. Should he and The Game compose a classic as part of a major feud to close the year, Reigns can slide closer to his Shield brethren.
John Cena
- 2014 Match Total: 119
| Event | Opponent(s) | Star Rating out of 5 |
| Royal Rumble | Randy Orton | 3.25 |
| Elimination Chamber | Randy Orton, Cesaro, Christian, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus | 3.75 |
| WrestleMania | Bray Wyatt | 3.5 |
| Extreme Rules | Bray Wyatt | 1.75 |
| Payback | Bray Wyatt | 4.5 |
| Money in the Bank | Kane, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt | 4 |
| Battleground | Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Kane | 3.25 |
| SummerSlam | Brock Lesnar | 4.25 |
Night of Champions offers a chance for Cena to charge toward being the year's top Superstar.
He and Lesnar have great matches each time they lock horns. Cena's search for revenge for the pounding he got from Lesnar at SummerSlam has instant classic written all over it.
That would add to a 2014 resume that includes his spectacular Last Man Standing match with Wyatt at Payback and his contributions to both the world title Ladder match at Money in the Bank and the Elimination Chamber match.
In terms of what he did on TV, Cena had an entertaining collision with Rollins on July 7, a memorable outing against Cesaro a few weeks later and an absolute thriller against Cesaro back in February.
In addition to being a consistent in-ring producer, he has also engaged through the microphone. His rivalry with Lesnar has brought a welcome, aggressive side of him. He showed that in an effective, straight-ahead promo on Aug. 11.
Whether he was displaying his vulnerability to Michael Cole or serving as a measuring stick for Erick Rowan, Cena has been an invaluable asset, the marquee star he has been for so long now.
Seth Rollins
- 2014 Match Total: 136
| Event | Partners | Opponent(s) | Star Rating out of 5 |
| Royal Rumble | Royal Rumble field | 3.25 | |
| Elimination Chamber | The Shield | The Wyatt Family | 4.25 |
| WrestleMania | The Shield | New Age Outlaws, Kane | 2 |
| Extreme Rules | The Shield | Evolution | 4.5 |
| Payback | The Shield | Evolution | 4 |
| Money in the Bank | Dean Ambrose, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam | 4.5 | |
| SummerSlam | Dean Ambrose | 3.75 |
The debate for match of the year has one bring up Rollins' name up again. Any of his battles against The Wyatt Family or Evolution are good choices for that honor, as is his Falls Count Anywhere classic against Ambrose on Aug. 18.
Rollins was at the center of perhaps 2014's biggest moment, The Shield's breakup.
His transformation into the callous villain he has become has been one of the year's biggest highlights, as well. His aforementioned eulogy for Ambrose and his June interview with Cole exemplify that.
Add the fact that his rivalry with Ambrose has arguably been the year's most compelling and Rollins leads his peers right now with The Lunatic Fringe close behind him.
He can assure himself top Superstar honors with a great match against Reigns and the inevitable magic he and Ambrose will create when they eventually meet again. A brutal masterwork inside the Hell in a Cell is a safe bet.
Dean Ambrose
- 2014 Match Total: 121
| Event | Partners | Opponent(s) | Star Rating out of 5 |
| Royal Rumble | Royal Rumble Field | 3.25 | |
| Elimination Chamber | The Shield | The Wyatt Family | 4.25 |
| WrestleMania | The Shield | New Age Outlaws, Kane | 2 |
| Extreme Rules | The Shield | Evolution | 4.5 |
| Payback | The Shield | Evolution | 4 |
| Money in the Bank | Seth Rollins, Dolph Zigger, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Rob Van Dam | 4.5 | |
| SummerSlam | Seth Rollins | 3.75 |
If Ambrose wasn't out of action to shoot Lockdown, he'd be even closer to Rollins for the right to be called 2014's best.
He was a part of the same great matches and rivalries that Rollins has been. Like his former Shield comrades, he's been a workhorse as well, wrestling in more bouts than Orton and Cena even with his latest hiatus.
His wide-eyed, unhinged energy has been one of the most compelling reasons to tune in to WWE each week. That was especially true when he discussed getting into the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
Whether he was popping out of a present or the trunk of a rental car or pouring soda into the Money in the Bank briefcase, Ambrose has been consistently entertaining. Also consider his TV matches against Orton, good showings against Alberto Del Rio and Cesaro.
That's a lot of highlights coming from a single source.
If he has a hot few months to close 2014, fans could well be dubbing it "The Year of Ambrose." Rollins and Cena stand in his way, though, continually building their cases as the year's No. 1 Superstar.
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