WWE Programming's Best Match of the Year 2014

No matter the ups and downs of 2014 for WWE, it's certainly been an outstanding year in terms of in-ring competition. We've seen a noted increase in match quality on television, and pay-per-views and special events have provided us with some bona fide classics.

It's a testament to the strength of the roster at the moment, and it'll be no small feat for 2015 to outdo it. However, there's no sign that the men and women who've contributed so much this year are showing any signs of slowing down.

Here are the best matches that WWE had to offer in 2014.

Honourable Mention: Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville at NXT Takeover: R Evolution

Credit: WWE.com

The young talent of NXT had a tremendous year, one capped off with a bout for the NXT Championship in December that summed up everything that makes the WWE's developmental territory so compelling. Capping off months of interaction between the two men, this was a fitting end to a terrific feud.

While fans new to NXT will likely have been blown away by the main event of R Evolution, it was no doubt most satisfying for longtime viewers who have seen Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville's friendship fractured by the latter's reign as champion. All that history was used to its maximum effect in the bout.

However, even if it had just been an athletic exhibition, this would have been one of the best contests of the year. Neville and Zayn both have the ability to pull off moves you won't see anywhere else, and their familiarity with one another allows them to try some amazing techniques.

It seems strange that WWE's developmental branch should give the main roster such a run for its money in terms of the Match of the Year, but this bout came very close to topping my list for the year—it is certainly the runner-up, regardless.

NXT has established itself as the most exciting product the WWE has to offer in 2014. All signs point toward 2015 continuing that process as new talent steps in, and we will see some favorites head to the main roster. This is a transformative time for WWE, and it is very exciting to watch.

Honourable Mention: Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series

Credit: WWE.com

WWE needed a special Survivor Series main event to cap off the free month of WWE Network it gave to new subscribers in November, and that's exactly what it delivered. The 45-minute epic outshone all expectations, and it wisely put the spotlight on some of the brightest stars on the roster.

A 10-man match can sometimes be too big to be practical; not everyone involved can get his due in terms of time in the ring. However, this match played out with just about every combatant—not to mention a few special guests—spending at least a few moments in the spotlight.

The WWE debut of Sting and his clash with Triple H would perhaps overshadow most other bouts, but here, it simply added to the grand scale of what was playing out in the ring. It was a huge moment, but Sting wasn't the star of the match—that was Dolph Ziggler.

The longtime fan favorite was the sole survivor, notching up three eliminations in the process. It was a huge moment in The Showoff's career, and he's still riding its momentum as we head into 2015. Ziggler now looks like a dark horse to take the Royal Rumble, and his performance at Survivor Series is partially responsible.

Seth Rollins deserves his due for leading Team Authority. We've seen the Architect go from the third member of the Shield to the most engaging villain on the roster this year, and Survivor Series might just be the crowning jewel of that rise. This was a great match all round (even if its stipulation didn't last long).

Honourable Mention: Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble

Credit: WWE.com

Royal Rumble 2014 may have left fans wanting after Batista won the main event and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match disappointed, but this opening bout endures as one of the best contests we saw all year.

Daniel Bryan grabs the crowd as soon as things get started, ramping up the intensity immediately and never letting go. It's a perfect embodiment of the American Dragon, a rowdy underdog who captured the attention of the WWE Universe and wouldn't let it slip through his fingers.

However, this was far from a one-man show. We hadn't seen Bray Wyatt do all that much in terms of high-profile singles matches up until this point, and many had doubts as to whether he could offer much in that spot; this bout put those claims to rest.

The pair went to war at the Rumble, erasing any memories of an uneven build from the live audience and fans at home. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were utilized perfectly as an extra threat to weight against Bryan, but they were smartly ejected partway through to keep the focus on Wyatt and Bryan.

In truth, it's more difficult for a wrestler to look strong in defeat than some would admit, but Bryan did just that here. The following months would present different challenges to both him and Wyatt, but the pair started the year with a compelling match that lingered in fans' memories long after the bell rang.

Honourable Mention: The Wyatt Family vs. the Shield at Elimination Chamber

Credit: WWE.com

Fans were clamoring to see this match for a long time, and the mood in the arena as the bout drew close was near to a frenzy. Fans were calling it "awesome" before the six men even got their hands on each other, and things only got better from there.

The Shield were the masters of trios competition during their time as a faction. A memorable TLC marked their official WWE debut, and their clashes with Evolution over the summer were among the best matches this year. However, their clash with the Wyatts is perhaps their best effort as a group.

High expectations can sometimes hamstring a match, giving its competitors no chance of delivering what the fans desire. However, this group of six driven, young wrestlers managed to come up with a bout worthy of the reputations that both groups had built up.

The Wyatts may have faltered somewhat as a trio afterwards thanks to a lack of three-man competition, but this faceoff was a perfect way for them to assert themselves as a unit. The Shield became dominant because of their strict teamwork; the Wyatts vanquished them thanks to sheer chaos.

These six will likely each have their own success as singles competitors during 2015. Based on this encounter, we can expect some great things from any individual combination of those involved—indeed, expect to see some of those matchups featured heavily in the new year.

Match of the Year 2014: Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H at WrestleMania

Credit: WWE.com

Daniel Bryan's rocky road to last year's WrestleMania was a roller coaster for his many fans, but his match with Triple H that opened the biggest show of the year set the tone for a night that few will soon forget.

Bryan is something of an outlier in recent WWE history in that he forged a connection with crowds through his ring work rather than through an outlandish character. It's not his "Yes!" chant that makes him such a fan favourite—it's the fact that he gives his all between the ropes.

The one-time American Dragon was always deserving of a spot in the night's WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, but his qualifying bout against The Game did exactly what was required in terms of heightening the stakes and adding a sense of unpredictability to the night itself.

While the main event provided the payoff we were all waiting for, it couldn't quite match this bout in terms of sheer in-ring excitement. Bryan and Triple H told a story in the ring, and they did so with such excellent work that it'll likely be a match that fans revisit even years down the line.

Indeed, it'll be a crucial stop on any career retrospective on Triple H. The Game has been producing his best character work in years as the leader of The Authority, but 2014 saw his in-ring offerings at their absolute zenith. His experience undoubtedly does him good, but he also seems to be at his physical best.

From the off, it was clear that this was a meeting of two masters, two men who may have had very different careers but share the same all-important understanding of what makes a pro wrestling contest connect with its audience. All the best matches this year had the crowd rapt, and no bout did that better than this one.

The "old school" of pro wrestling and the recent boom of the independent scene met in this match and fittingly so. We'll look back on 2014 as the year that the old-school WWE style began to merge with that of the recent boom on the independent scene.

While you can see that through many of the top matches of the year, it was never more explicit than in this contest. Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan was, to my mind, the best match of 2014, but it was also a bout that summed up the development of WWE's in-ring style during the year.

These picks all came from special events and pay-per-views, but there was plenty of great matches on television in 2014, too. What was your favorite TV match of the year? And who is your standout talent for 2014? Let me know in the comments section below.