Power Ranking WWE's Best Booking Decisions of 2015
To say that WWE's year was defined by inconsistent booking and questionable decision-making from a creative standpoint would be an understatement the size of Brock Lesnar's massive neck. As much as the company did wrong in 2015, though, the handful of successes may forever encapsulate the last 12 months.
The rise of Roman Reigns, the success of the U.S. Open Challenge, the discovery of The New Day and the shocking conclusion to WrestleMania XXXI left wrestling fans buzzing about the product at different points throughout 2015.
Then there was the emphasis on women's wrestling in NXT and the teasing of a monumental tag match that put female performers front and center, shifting the way that fans perceive the importance of women in the sport.
With young talent at WWE's disposal, it was two legendary stars whose rivalry helped carry the company through a tumultuous fall period.
2015 was a year of more mediocrity and bad than good, but when WWE Creative was on, it was awesome.
Without further ado, these are the seven greatest booking decisions from WWE over the last year.
7. The Rock and Ronda Rousey Confront the Authority
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WrestleMania XXXI featured a showdown that was unadvertised but stole the spotlight from any other match on the card in the wake of the event, leading fans to believe that an epic tag team encounter may be on for the following year's Showcase of the Immortals.
The Rock took exception to The Authority claiming ownership over any and everyone in the WWE Universe and confronted Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in the center of the ring. When Stephanie made a good observation that The Great One almost certainly would not touch a woman, Rock looked to ringside and found someone who would have no problem doing just that.
He invited UFC champion Ronda Rousey into the ring and then watched as she grabbed hold of Stephanie's arm and forced her into submission without ever actually applying her vaunted armbar.
The moment appeared to set the stage for a tag team match pitting Rock and Rousey against The Authority—presumably for Dallas and a WrestleMania XXXII show WWE has high hopes for in terms of setting a new attendance record.
It remains to be seen if that match will ever happen, but Monday's announcement that the Hollywood A-lister will return to the grandest stage in sports entertainment suggests it is, at the very least, a possibility.
Long-term booking is always a good idea, especially if it sets in motion a series of events that could shape the biggest match of the year for the most prestigious card in the sport.
6. The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
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At WrestleMania XXX, Brock Lesnar did the unthinkable when he ended The Undertaker's legendary undefeated streak at 21, dealing him his first loss on the grandest stage in the industry.
When The Phenom returned a year later to engage Bray Wyatt in a rivalry leading into the same event, many wondered why nothing was made of the unfinished business he would logically have with Lesnar.
At Battleground in July, WWE revisited their rivalry as The Undertaker prevented The Beast from regaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins and set in motion the latest chapter of their story.
SummerSlam was home to the first meeting between them since the previous year's Showcase of the Immortals. Using near-falls to build drama and the personalities of each Superstar to hook the audience, they waged a war that ended in controversial fashion when Lesnar had no choice but to tap out while trapped in the vise grip of Undertaker's Hell's Gate finisher.
It would not be the last time they battled in 2015.
At Hell in a Cell, they would bring their feud to its conclusion in the event's namesake match, delivering a brutal brawl of a bout that saw Lesnar put The Phenom away, courtesy of his F-5 finisher on the bare wood of the WWE ring.
At a time when the star power of the company's roster was in doubt, the two Superstars gave fans two legitimate main event matches that were essential to the success of the cards on which they appeared.
5. The Rise of the New Day
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During WrestleMania XXXI's pre-show match for the WWE Tag Team Championships, The New Day entered Levi's Stadium to a chorus of "New Day sucks" chants that, unknown to fans at the time, would forever shape the remainder of their year.
From that moment on, the trio preaching the power of positivity became heels, shoving their many accomplishments and overwhelming good vibes in the audience's collective face. They were obnoxious and only got more so as the year progressed.
From the introduction of Xavier Woods' trombone to the arrival of the unicorn as the group's official mascot of sorts, the over-the-top trio eventually evolved to the most enjoyable act on WWE programming. Their antics helped carry the company through an otherwise creatively bankrupt fall and earned Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E a taste of main event matches, all while carrying the tag team division on their backs.
As 2016 arrives, New Day is in position to build on its breakout year with another 12 months of ridiculously awesome performances and wildly entertaining television.
4. The WrestleMania Main Event
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A determined star, prepared to ascend to his throne as the face of WWE's future.
An unconquerable Beast Incarnate hellbent on continuing his reign of dominance by bowling over the latest challenge to his throne.
The main event of WrestleMania XXXI saw Brock Lesnar demolish Roman Reigns throughout, only for the second-generation star to answer with a smile. Defiant in the face of the worst beating of his career, Reigns absorbed even more punishment before busting his opponent open on the ring post and mounting an improbable comeback.
The upset of the year was averted, though, when the slimy and cerebral Seth Rollins hit the ring and cashed in the Money in the Bank before capitalizing on the Spear from Reigns to Lesnar. He delivered a Curb Stomp to the babyface and stole the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to close out the broadcast.
The entire ordeal was an epic display of layered storytelling by a WWE Creative team that was often criticized for letting fans down in 2015.
From the epic beatdown to the resilient comeback and the unexpected cash-in, the match took fans on an emotional roller coaster and brought the Showcase of the Immortals to a jaw-dropping conclusion.
3. The John Cena U.S. Open Challenge
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When John Cena won the United States Championship from Rusev at WrestleMania XXXI, he vowed to restore the credibility and prestige of the title.
He made good on his word, defending the title every single week on Monday Night Raw.
Often, Cena's defenses were the sole bright spot of the flagship show.
Whether he was battling former NXT standouts like Neville or Sami Zayn, giving an underutilized young star like Zack Ryder one more shot at the spotlight, introducing the world to Kevin Owens or stealing the show with Cesaro, Cena championed the re-establishment of the title as a coveted prize.
The use of the title as the centerpiece of such a significant portion of wrestling's most watched show was one of the best booking decisions of the year, if for no other reason than the fact that it provided fans with so many quality matches.
But did the company flub the payoff by switching the title from Cena to Seth Rollins rather than book a young star to get over by capturing the gold?
2. Women's Wrestling in NXT
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Women's wrestling took center stage in 2015, thanks to the female competitors in NXT.
Triple H repeatedly made it clear to the developmental territory's fanbase that he believed in women's wrestling and was willing to not only develop characters but put those personas in position to headline major events.
Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Bayley and Sasha Banks laid the groundwork for the development of a women's division that was unlike any other on national television. The characters were fleshed out, the storylines had great depth, and the matches went longer than anything WWE's main roster could offer.
Fans invested themselves in the women battling inside the squared circle thanks to the work of NXT Creative to build the stars of its female roster.
The epic rivalry between Bayley and Banks resulted in two high-profile matches—the result of a simplistic program pitting the consummate underdog against the arrogant champion, not unlike the one that proved so successful in the major motion picture Rocky.
The promotion of Charlotte, Banks and Lynch opened up the opportunity for Asuka, Emma, Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie to move into open slots, continuing the legacy of NXT's women's division as the premier source of female sports entertainment and the go-to for role models for an all-new generation of the young women in the WWE Universe.
1. Staying the Course with Roman Reigns
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When the Royal Rumble match ended with Roman Reigns standing tall and the fans in Philadelphia raining down on him with the loudest chorus of boos experienced by any Superstar all year, WWE could have panicked and aborted plans to have the second-generation star headline WrestleMania XXXI against Brock Lesnar, not unlike it did when the grand Batista experiment failed miserably a year earlier.
Instead, the company stayed the course, riding Reigns into the biggest match of the year at the Showcase of the Immortals. While the WWE did not pull the trigger on him at that moment, it continued to keep him positioned at or near the top of the card, not allowing him to become overexposed but never letting fans forget he was to be considered one of the elite stars on the roster.
By year's end, Reigns was at the point where fans were booing him entering matches, rebelling against the system. But by the end of his performances, they were cheering, respecting the work he had put in.
It was clear that fans wanted to cheer Reigns; they just would not do it under the conditions WWE Creative had set.
So the writing staff was forced to change things up, beginning at TLC, where Reigns erupted and became the ferocious ass kicker so many expected him to be. Promos involving tater tots and succotash disappeared, and fans suddenly bought into the explosive babyface.
Best yet, he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in Philadelphia, as those same fans who had booed him out of the building earlier in the year rabidly cheered his victory.
With the most tumultuous year in WWE history in his rearview mirror, Reigns is poised to become the lead hero in Vince McMahon's morality story, thanks to the company's willingness to stay the course when building him into the star it projected him to be.
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