Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins and 10 Must-See WWE Feuds in 2015
With 2014 now in the books, the WWE Universe looks forward to another exciting year in 2015.
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority were among the year's most memorable rivalries, but what can we expect as 2015 gets underway?
It has been many years since the main roster had this much young blood. Hungry up-and-comers such as Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Rusev had breakout years in 2014, and 2015 may see the emergence of several new stars as well.
With new talent comes innovative feuds and storylines. Far too often we're relegated to seeing John Cena and Randy Orton face each other or Big Show and Randy Orton compete in the main event. As the depth of the roster grows stronger, we'll start to see fresh faces appear at the top.
The current roster has the potential to evolve into something amazing, so I present to you 10 must-see feuds that we hope to see come to fruition in 2015.
Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins
1 of 10
Only in recent years has WWE begun to realize just how talented and valuable the former stars of Ring of Honor are. It took time for them to see CM Punk's worth to the company, and since then they've made stars out of Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Sami Zayn and others.
Bryan and Rollins have been arguably two of WWE's biggest and brightest stars in the last year. When a severe neck injury sidelined Bryan for the remainder of the year, it forced WWE to split up The Shield and make main eventers out of all three men, most notably Seth Rollins.
Since aligning with The Authority last June, Rollins has undeniably become WWE's greatest heel. There's no one who comes close to touching him right now as he continues to deliver the best work of his career.
Having recently announced his in-ring return in the Royal Rumble match, Bryan is considered a major candidate to win the annual 30-man Battle Royal later this month. There's also a fairly good chance Rollins walks out of that same event with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Although Bryan vs. Rollins is a WrestleMania-caliber match, the money match at 'Mania this year is Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar for the belt. That said, there is no reason why this contest can't happen at another point this year.
As they've shown in the past, Bryan and Rollins are capable of making magic when they're in the ring together. It'd be a great first feud for Bryan if he does in fact walk away from WrestleMania as champion.
Bad News Barrett vs. Cesaro
2 of 10
Bad News Barrett has always made the most of whatever he's been given. Whether it be leading The Corre, knocking Superstars out or delivering bad news, Barrett has always managed to get over with the audience in spite of WWE's lousy booking.
After a six-month layoff due to injury, Barrett returned to in-ring action on the December 29 edition of Raw to a favorable reaction, defeating Cesaro. Although it appeared he was turning babyface, he reverted back to being a heel the very next week when he won back the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler.
Barrett's 2015 isn't off to a strong start, however, as he lost his first match as champ to Sin Cara days later on SmackDown. Cesaro is another Superstar who isn't being used to his full potential at the moment.
Cesaro was on the fast track to superstardom coming out of WrestleMania 30, but it was unfortunately all downhill from there for the Swiss Superman. His alliance with Paul Heyman flopped, and he's been in something of a slump ever since.
As great a tag team as these two would be, a rivalry between them could be even better. Their last encounter, albeit brief, was a small taste of what these two are capable of inside the squared circle.
Now the new intercontinental champion, there's a slew of Superstars who can challenge Barrett for the belt, including Cesaro. A clash between them on the WrestleMania stage has the potential to be exceptional.
Cesaro needs a big feud at the moment to re-establish himself as a credible competitor in the eyes of the fans, and a rivalry with Barrett might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
John Cena vs. Rusev
3 of 10
This may not be a popular opinion, but there's no denying that John Cena and Rusev must collide at one point or another.
Rusev has embarked on a reign of terror since arriving on the WWE scene the night after WrestleMania 30. He's run rampant over the entire roster, dismantling the likes of Big Show, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger and countless others.
On the November 3 edition of Raw, Rusev was successful in defeating Sheamus for the United States Championship. No one has been able to dethrone him in the months since, but could John Cena be the Superstar to hand the Bulgarian Brute his first official loss in WWE?
Although Rusev is currently embroiled in a rivalry with Ryback, it's unknown when those two behemoths will do battle. Ryback's firing" by The Authority on the January 5 Raw has put that storyline on the backburner for the time being.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc) noted several months back that Cena vs. Rusev was slated for WrestleMania 31. Granted, plans are ever-changing when it comes to The Show of Shows, but it was around this time last year that Cena vs. Bray Wyatt was rumored for WrestleMania, and that ultimately came to fruition.
A match with Cena on The Grandest Stage of Them All would obviously be a major promotion for Rusev, but the biggest fear lies in whether he'll actually defeat Cena or fall in line with those who have come before him (Wyatt, Umaga, The Great Khali, Tensai, etc).
Regardless, it'd be Rusev's greatest challenge to date, and the two could tell a stellar story in the ring if Rusev is booked to look strong against the 15-time world champion.
Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan
4 of 10
For nearly 15 months, The Wyatt Family was among the WWE's most dominant and unstoppable forces. They had an aura that was unlike anything members of the WWE Universe had seen before, which made them stand out.
After running into the roadblock that was John Cena last spring, The Wyatts weren't booked as strongly for the remainder of 2014. They feuded with Chris Jericho and contested classic matches against The Usos, but it was too little, too late for the bearded clan.
By the fall of 2014, The Wyatt Family had informally broken up. It was revealed in various vignettes on Raw that Bray Wyatt had set both Luke Harper and Erick Rowan "free" and was now going solo.
The act still had a lot left in the tank, and the decision to break them up was a mind-boggling one. Not only that, but the split was done so poorly that no one benefited from breaking out on his own.
Still, Harper and Rowan have since made names for themselves in singles competition. Rowan stood his ground against Big Show last December, while Harper reigned as intercontinental champion for one month.
Despite having teamed together for well over a year, WWE treated their first match against each other like a complete afterthought. Their second matchup on the January 5 edition of Raw was given similar treatment, ending in fluky fashion after interference from The Authority.
There's still money in a match between Harper and Rowan if done right. They have quite a bit of history together, and their unique personalities would make for an interesting clash.
Harper and Rowan have the potential to go far in WWE, and a feud between them would give them ground to build for the future.
Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns
5 of 10
After a nearly two-year run atop WWE, The Shield imploded on the June 2 edition of Raw when Seth Rollins betrayed Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns and aligned with The Authority. Rollins and Ambrose went on to have the feud of the year for the next four months while Reigns broke off on his own and focused on other endeavors.
All former members of The Shield have since gone their separate ways but recently reunited on the January 9 SmackDown. Reigns and Ambrose teamed up for the first time since last summer to defeat the duo of Rollins and Big Show.
While Ambrose and Reigns have had their respective issues with Rollins, they have always had mutual respect for each other. However, it's only a matter of time before the two finally feud, putting any remnants of The Shield to rest once and for all.
Ambrose has lost all of his high-profile matches over the last several months, coming up short in multiple matches against Rollins and Bray Wyatt. These countless losses could eventually lead to Ambrose reaching his breaking point and turning on Reigns, cementing his heel turn.
The two teased tension for many months while they were still part of The Shield, but nothing ever came of it. However, Reigns and Ambrose could have a great feud now that both have had time to develop their characters and come into their own as singles performers.
Once all ties are severed between the former Shield brethren, maybe we'll see them clash in a Triple Threat match for the ages.
The Miz vs. Damien Sandow
6 of 10
WWE has misused Damien Sandow dating back to his unsuccessful Money in the Bank cash-in against John Cena in November 2013. He struggled to find his own identity in the months that followed but has since settled into the role as The Miz's hilarious stunt double.
When Sandow debuted as Damien Mizdow on the August 25 edition of Raw, fans figured it'd have a short shelf life. Instead, Sandow made the gimmick his own by turning everything he touches into gold, including the WWE Tag Team Championship.
The Miz deserves credit for making the pairing work as well. He's always done his best work when he's in a tag team (look no further than John Morrison and R-Truth) and has perfectly played off the favorable reactions Sandow has been getting.
The two dropped the twin titles to The Usos on the December 29 Raw and have teased tension in the weeks that have followed. There's no better time for the official split to occur than in the Royal Rumble match later this month, when it's every man for himself.
It remains to be seen how Sandow will fare when he's no longer doing comedy, but he's over enough with the audience that he'll have a bright future ahead of him as a singles competitor.
WrestleMania 31, as it currently stands, is in need of a solid undercard match, and a bout pitting Miz and Sandow against each other could be just the trick. If not, it'd make for an enjoyable addition to any pay-per-view card at some point in 2015.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
7 of 10
While his heel turn in 2013 was very much necessary, Randy Orton was greatly marginalized in his time with The Authority. He reigned as world heavyweight champion for close to six months but lost most of his matches during that time to the likes of John Cena, Daniel Bryan and even Kofi Kingston.
He floundered following WrestleMania 30 but saw a resurgence in his career when turning "tweener" during the fall. He severed ties with The Authority in November, but Seth Rollins' vicious attack on him has sidelined him from action ever since.
Whenever Orton returns, which is likely to be in the Royal Rumble match, he'll have a fresh batch of opponents to work with. Of course, he has a ready-made rivalry with Seth Rollins upon his comeback, but there are a number of other fresh faces he can feud with though the end of the year.
Among those up-and-coming names is Bray Wyatt. The two have brief history dating back to early 2011 when Orton punted Wyatt (then known as Husky Harris) straight back to Florida Championship Wrestling, but they have yet to cross paths since Wyatt's return to the main roster.
Their similar psychotic personae would make for an intriguing clash. Both multigenerational wrestlers are practically guaranteed to have a great match, and a win over Orton would re-establish Wyatt as a force to be reckoned with in the main event scene.
Goldust vs. Stardust (Cody Rhodes)
8 of 10
It's crazy to think that fans have been waiting three years (some even longer) for this match to happen, and this year is no exception.
It seems as if there are rumors of Cody Rhodes and Goldust clashing at WrestleMania every year, but for whatever reason it has remained a pipe dream. Goldust heavily petitioned to go one-on-one with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28, but the idea was axed by Vince McMahon.
The following year, they had a brief interaction in the 2013 Royal Rumble match, but it ultimately led nowhere. Goldust's return to the company later that year fueled rumors that the match might finally be going down at WrestleMania 30, but they found themselves as participants in the 30-man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal instead.
The two teased tension last summer but rekindled their relationship after Cody was repackaged as Stardust. They captured the WWE Tag Team Championship for a second time in September before dropping it two months later at Survivor Series.
Goldust and Stardust have been spinning their wheels ever since. It's a shame, because they're both excellent athletes, but they've gone as far as they could go as a team.
It's time to revert Stardust back to Cody Rhodes.
Credit should be given to Cody for being as dedicated as he is to the Stardust character, but he is simply so much better than it. If the summer of 2013 was any indication, he was already over as himself and didn't need any silly face paint to elicit a reaction from the audience.
In a perfect world, I'd have Goldust betray Stardust (who would turn back into Cody in the process), since the focus should be on Cody as an up-and-coming babyface, but as long as they're broken up, that's all that matters.
It's a match that belongs at WrestleMania, but I'd be content if they were to stick together for a little while longer before feuding over the summer.
Ryback vs. Sheamus
9 of 10
Ryback's TV time was greatly curtailed following his heel turn in the spring of 2013, but it wasn't until his return to the ring in October 2014 that he experienced a career resurgence.
Going back to his babyface roots, Ryback has organically gotten over in recent months with his "Feed Me More" chant and has been prominently featured on WWE programming.
Sheamus, on the other hand, has been an afterthought in the last 12 months. He had a hot return in the 2014 Royal Rumble match and won the United States Championship shortly thereafter, but he wasn't involved in much of note for most of the year.
The biggest criticism of Sheamus' character has been that he is much better suited as a heel. While he is currently out with an injury, Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc speculated recently that Sheamus will return as a villainous character, but seeing is believing.
Sheamus and Ryback have seldom crossed paths in their time with WWE, so a feud between them would feel fresh. A match they contested on the February 7 edition of SmackDown was actually quite good, so I'm certain their in-ring encounters would be solid as well.
Aside from Seth Rollins, there aren't many strong heels on the current roster. Kane and Big Show should not be headlining shows in 2015, and Sheamus would fit that vacant spot perfectly.
A match at WrestleMania 31 may be slightly premature, but a clash of the titans later this year would be beneficial for both Sheamus and Ryback.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Triple H
10 of 10
Of the rivalries featured on this list, this is easily the most far-fetched feud of them all, but there's a bigger chance of it happening than you might think.
Going into November's Survivor Series pay-per-view, John Cena was being positioned as the savior of WWE when he was feuding with The Authority. However, he wasn't the one who put them out of power at the event; it was Dolph Ziggler.
Ziggler has been a victim of The Authority's politics and mind games since the very beginning of its reign of terror. They cost him the Intercontinental Championship on two separate occasions, most recently on the January 5 edition of Raw.
Thanks to John Cena's incompetence (and Seth Rollins' manipulation), The Authority is now back to running the day-to-day operations in WWE. Their first act of the new year saw them "fire" Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan, three Superstars who played a major factor in their demise.
Onscreen firings in WWE never last long, so expect to see Ziggler back on Raw sooner rather than later. Also expect to see him take it to the mastermind of it all, Triple H.
Triple H rarely wrestles nowadays, but a match with Ziggler at WrestleMania 31 would be a great way for him to return to the ring. Ziggler is on the cusp of the main event scene, and taking on a 13-time world champion like The Game would launch him into an all-new level of superstardom.
It's been apparent since Survivor Series that Triple H will likely be facing Sting at the event, but if WWE delivers on the dream match of Undertaker vs. Sting, that leaves Triple H available. Triple H vs. Ziggler can happen at any point this year, but it's best to capitalize on their rivalry while it's hot, coming out of Ziggler's storyline departure.
That would be best for business.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website at Next Era Wrestling and like his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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