Ok everyone, I have finally gotten my "Look Back" at the WWE From 2014/2015/2016/early 2017 done, and here it is. I know that it's long, but there was a lot that can happen in 3 1/2 years! I put a lot of effort into making up this "history", so I sincerely hope you all can enjoy this read.
And now for the official kickoff of my Future of the WWE Universe... I present a History of the WWE, 2014-2017.
• Daniel Bryan has become the new Face of the Company, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 30, defeating Randy Orton and Batista in a Triple Threat Match. He lost the title back to Batista a few months later at Money in the Bank, but quickly regained it at SummerSlam in a No Holds Barred Match. He has remained at the top of the company for the last few years, holding the title on three other occasions.
• John Cena remained a top star throughout 2014 and 2015. He lost to Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 32 in an amazing main event, ending what was his final WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign. After that, he slowly drifted into a “Chris Jericho” type role, putting over new main eventers such as Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, and Dean Ambrose. John Cena retired from the full-time roster in December 2016, though he hasn’t ruled out an occasional return.
• Randy Orton followed a similar path as that of John Cena. He toiled in various feuds throughout 2014 and 2015, including a lengthy feud with Antonio Cesaro, which culminated with a Cesaro victory inside the cell at Hell in a Cell 2015. Orton’s final WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign came in the summer of 2015 until losing to Antonio Cesaro at Summerslam. In 2016, Orton also shifted into a role where he began to put over new main event faces such as Roman Reigns and Big E Langston. Randy Orton announced that he would retire if he did not win the 2017 Royal Rumble. In the match, he was able to make it to the final four participants before he was eliminated. Orton retired the following night on Raw, garnering a loud ovation from the fans despite being a heel for the better part of the last three years.
• The Undertaker remained unbeaten at The Showcase of the Immortals, defeating Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30. Immediately after his match, a surprise return by Sting led to a year-long build up and a shockingly great match at Wrestlemania 31. In the end, however, Undertaker was able to prevail. In 2016, Sheamus begged for a shot at Taker, saying that it was his dream match to face him at ‘Mania. Undertaker granted him his wish and defeated him at Wrestlemania 32. After the match, Sheamus shook the hand of the Undertaker and then retired, saying that he had finally scratched the final thing off of his bucket list. In early 2017, Undertaker had returned to the WWE at the ripe age of 52 saying that he had one final match in him to attempt to go 25-0. His brother Kane, who was still plugging away at 50 years old himself, answered the call and asked Undertaker to wrestle him one final time at Wrestlemania, where they could both retire together following the match no matter the result. Undertaker accepted, and the final curtain call for both legendary wrestlers is scheduled for Wrestlemania 33.
• The Shield broke up a few months after Wrestlemania 30, and all three have gone on to have successful solo careers. Roman Reigns has already held the WWE World Heavyweight Title once, and looks to be a lock for the main event for years to come. The same can be said about Dean Ambrose, who has a chance to become Champion for the first time when he faces Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 33. While Seth Rollins hasn’t quite found the same success as the other two, he is still solidly in the upper midcard of the WWE.
• After trying for what seemed like years, the WWE was finally able to sign NJPW star Prince Devitt to a contract in the summer of 2015, and he has not disappointed. He is known for his consistently outstanding matches and high energy in the ring. Upon arrival, he called out Daniel Bryan, saying that the “best wrestler in WWE” had nothing on him, the “best wrestler in the world”. That set off an epic four-month feud in which the two put together a string of Match of the Year caliber matches. Devitt is solidly in the main event scene, although he is yet to win the big one to get WWE gold.
• Another big plus for the WWE has been the meteoric rise of Magnus. He was signed by the WWE after his contract with TNA expired in late 2014, and he has blossomed into a huge star. He won the PWI Most Improved Wrestler award in 2013 and 2014, and continues to get better. At just 30 years old heading into Wrestlemania 33, it seems that he will be neck and neck with Daniel Bryan to be the face of the company.
• Other top faces in the WWE heading into Wrestlemania 33 include Antonio Cesaro, Big E Langston, Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns, and Sami Zayn.
• Other current top heels in the company include Bray Wyatt, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Ryback, and Wade Barrett.
• Titus O’Neil found success very quickly after breaking away from the Primetime Players, eventually winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series in November 2015. However, his career came to an abrupt end when he sustained a career-ending injury at the TLC PPV in December 2015 when he was defending against Damien Sandow.
• 3MB broke up in 2015, and they have seen mixed results. Drew McIntyre returned to his roots and has become a great heel, making his way up the ladder and back into the upper midcard. He has held both the Intercontinental Title and U.S. Title in recent years. Jinder Mahal turned his back on rock n’ roll, taking on a more serious gimmick. After getting off to a rough start as a singles wrestler again, the 30 year old hopes to build momentum going into 2017 and beyond. Unfortunately for Heath Slater, he just can’t seem to let go of his desire to be a rock star, and still finds himself on the losing end of nearly every match.
• Erick Rowan broke away from the Wyatt Family, turning face in early 2016. He has since toiled around in the lower midcard without the guidance of Bray Wyatt. Luke Harper, meanwhile, is still a follower of Bray and has made some noise in the midcard singles scene.
• Wrestlers who have made their way from NXT in recent years have also found homes on the main roster. Sami Zayn is beginning to creep into the main event scene after holding the Intercontinental Title for over a year before dropping it to Alexander Rusev, another outstanding former NXTer. Adrian Neville is one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch on a weekly basis, as is Tyler Breeze. Other former NXT talents rising up in WWE include Colin Cassady, Corey Graves, Bo Dallas, Mason Ryan, Leo Kruger, and Mojo Rawley.
• The lower midcard is a mixture of newly-brought-up NXT talent and aging talent from a few years back. Xavier Woods, Enzo Amore, and Baron Corbin have all made their way to the lower midcard of the WWE, where long-time WWE talents Fandango, Curtis Axel, Sin Cara, and Camacho still find themselves. Joining them are two talents who returned from long layoffs (Alex Riley and Evan Bourne) as well as WWE newcomer and former indy standout Michael Elgin.
• Former NXT wrestlers CJ Parker and Oliver Grey now serve as curtain jerkers on the main roster.
• Zack Ryder is still a jobber, too. No surprise. Woo woo woo.
• The Usos dominated the tag team division early on, holding the titles from Wrestlemania 30 in April 2014 until Summerslam 2015, where they lost to former NXT Tag Team Champions, The Ascension. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) have recently come into the WWE and are looking like a very dangerous team. After a long wait, the Briscoe Brothers also came to the WWE in early 2016. Despite winning the titles in only their third match and holding them for 7 months, they have been very vocal about the management of WWE. Add this to their consistently bad attitudes backstage, and it may end up being a short stay in the WWE for this talented team.
• The Divas division has seen some changes over the past few years as well. Layla, Aksana, and Natalya have retired, with Natalya becoming a trainer at NXT. Nikki Bella was also forced into retirement after suffering a series of knee injuries. Her sister Brie still continues to compete, and Nikki is often in here corner supporting her. Cameron also left the WWE to pursue other opportunities. The new faces at the top of the division to challenge AJ Lee include NXT call-ups Paige, Emma, and Bayley as well as Summer Rae, Naomi, and a vastly improved Eva Marie. Additions to the division include indy standouts Allysin Kay, Jessie McKay, and Mia Yim. Alicia Fox is also still a steady hand in the division.
• NXT has an almost entirely new cast of stars. Former main roster performers Tyson Kidd and Yoshi Tatsu have taken on the role left behind by William Regal, where they not only compete in NXT but also serve as trainers. Adam Cole has been very impressive since his debut in mid-2016. The former ROH World Champion has been embroiled in a fantastic NXT Championship feud with fellow indy notable Johnny Gargano for the past several months. One of the final wrestlers left from the “old days” of NXT that has yet to be called up is Aiden English. However, he is making the most of his new-found top spot in NXT, improving every day. It seems like his main roster call up isn’t too far off. Filling out the NXT roster is a list of newcomers to WWE, all of whom will be detailed at a later date (Credit to Oz70NYC, KingDW, jamesjr317, aboltstar, SirByedato, and MoKEWoN for the original CAWs to put into my NXT roster).
So that is the condensed (if you can call 1,698 words condensed) history of the WWE over the last few years, which brings us to Wrestlemania 33. Hope to have that card up sometime before the end of the week.
Geez, I wish I would put this much effort into my schoolwork.
And now for the official kickoff of my Future of the WWE Universe... I present a History of the WWE, 2014-2017.
• Daniel Bryan has become the new Face of the Company, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 30, defeating Randy Orton and Batista in a Triple Threat Match. He lost the title back to Batista a few months later at Money in the Bank, but quickly regained it at SummerSlam in a No Holds Barred Match. He has remained at the top of the company for the last few years, holding the title on three other occasions.
• John Cena remained a top star throughout 2014 and 2015. He lost to Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 32 in an amazing main event, ending what was his final WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign. After that, he slowly drifted into a “Chris Jericho” type role, putting over new main eventers such as Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, and Dean Ambrose. John Cena retired from the full-time roster in December 2016, though he hasn’t ruled out an occasional return.
• Randy Orton followed a similar path as that of John Cena. He toiled in various feuds throughout 2014 and 2015, including a lengthy feud with Antonio Cesaro, which culminated with a Cesaro victory inside the cell at Hell in a Cell 2015. Orton’s final WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign came in the summer of 2015 until losing to Antonio Cesaro at Summerslam. In 2016, Orton also shifted into a role where he began to put over new main event faces such as Roman Reigns and Big E Langston. Randy Orton announced that he would retire if he did not win the 2017 Royal Rumble. In the match, he was able to make it to the final four participants before he was eliminated. Orton retired the following night on Raw, garnering a loud ovation from the fans despite being a heel for the better part of the last three years.
• The Undertaker remained unbeaten at The Showcase of the Immortals, defeating Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30. Immediately after his match, a surprise return by Sting led to a year-long build up and a shockingly great match at Wrestlemania 31. In the end, however, Undertaker was able to prevail. In 2016, Sheamus begged for a shot at Taker, saying that it was his dream match to face him at ‘Mania. Undertaker granted him his wish and defeated him at Wrestlemania 32. After the match, Sheamus shook the hand of the Undertaker and then retired, saying that he had finally scratched the final thing off of his bucket list. In early 2017, Undertaker had returned to the WWE at the ripe age of 52 saying that he had one final match in him to attempt to go 25-0. His brother Kane, who was still plugging away at 50 years old himself, answered the call and asked Undertaker to wrestle him one final time at Wrestlemania, where they could both retire together following the match no matter the result. Undertaker accepted, and the final curtain call for both legendary wrestlers is scheduled for Wrestlemania 33.
• The Shield broke up a few months after Wrestlemania 30, and all three have gone on to have successful solo careers. Roman Reigns has already held the WWE World Heavyweight Title once, and looks to be a lock for the main event for years to come. The same can be said about Dean Ambrose, who has a chance to become Champion for the first time when he faces Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 33. While Seth Rollins hasn’t quite found the same success as the other two, he is still solidly in the upper midcard of the WWE.
• After trying for what seemed like years, the WWE was finally able to sign NJPW star Prince Devitt to a contract in the summer of 2015, and he has not disappointed. He is known for his consistently outstanding matches and high energy in the ring. Upon arrival, he called out Daniel Bryan, saying that the “best wrestler in WWE” had nothing on him, the “best wrestler in the world”. That set off an epic four-month feud in which the two put together a string of Match of the Year caliber matches. Devitt is solidly in the main event scene, although he is yet to win the big one to get WWE gold.
• Another big plus for the WWE has been the meteoric rise of Magnus. He was signed by the WWE after his contract with TNA expired in late 2014, and he has blossomed into a huge star. He won the PWI Most Improved Wrestler award in 2013 and 2014, and continues to get better. At just 30 years old heading into Wrestlemania 33, it seems that he will be neck and neck with Daniel Bryan to be the face of the company.
• Other top faces in the WWE heading into Wrestlemania 33 include Antonio Cesaro, Big E Langston, Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns, and Sami Zayn.
• Other current top heels in the company include Bray Wyatt, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Ryback, and Wade Barrett.
• Titus O’Neil found success very quickly after breaking away from the Primetime Players, eventually winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series in November 2015. However, his career came to an abrupt end when he sustained a career-ending injury at the TLC PPV in December 2015 when he was defending against Damien Sandow.
• 3MB broke up in 2015, and they have seen mixed results. Drew McIntyre returned to his roots and has become a great heel, making his way up the ladder and back into the upper midcard. He has held both the Intercontinental Title and U.S. Title in recent years. Jinder Mahal turned his back on rock n’ roll, taking on a more serious gimmick. After getting off to a rough start as a singles wrestler again, the 30 year old hopes to build momentum going into 2017 and beyond. Unfortunately for Heath Slater, he just can’t seem to let go of his desire to be a rock star, and still finds himself on the losing end of nearly every match.
• Erick Rowan broke away from the Wyatt Family, turning face in early 2016. He has since toiled around in the lower midcard without the guidance of Bray Wyatt. Luke Harper, meanwhile, is still a follower of Bray and has made some noise in the midcard singles scene.
• Wrestlers who have made their way from NXT in recent years have also found homes on the main roster. Sami Zayn is beginning to creep into the main event scene after holding the Intercontinental Title for over a year before dropping it to Alexander Rusev, another outstanding former NXTer. Adrian Neville is one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch on a weekly basis, as is Tyler Breeze. Other former NXT talents rising up in WWE include Colin Cassady, Corey Graves, Bo Dallas, Mason Ryan, Leo Kruger, and Mojo Rawley.
• The lower midcard is a mixture of newly-brought-up NXT talent and aging talent from a few years back. Xavier Woods, Enzo Amore, and Baron Corbin have all made their way to the lower midcard of the WWE, where long-time WWE talents Fandango, Curtis Axel, Sin Cara, and Camacho still find themselves. Joining them are two talents who returned from long layoffs (Alex Riley and Evan Bourne) as well as WWE newcomer and former indy standout Michael Elgin.
• Former NXT wrestlers CJ Parker and Oliver Grey now serve as curtain jerkers on the main roster.
• Zack Ryder is still a jobber, too. No surprise. Woo woo woo.
• The Usos dominated the tag team division early on, holding the titles from Wrestlemania 30 in April 2014 until Summerslam 2015, where they lost to former NXT Tag Team Champions, The Ascension. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) have recently come into the WWE and are looking like a very dangerous team. After a long wait, the Briscoe Brothers also came to the WWE in early 2016. Despite winning the titles in only their third match and holding them for 7 months, they have been very vocal about the management of WWE. Add this to their consistently bad attitudes backstage, and it may end up being a short stay in the WWE for this talented team.
• The Divas division has seen some changes over the past few years as well. Layla, Aksana, and Natalya have retired, with Natalya becoming a trainer at NXT. Nikki Bella was also forced into retirement after suffering a series of knee injuries. Her sister Brie still continues to compete, and Nikki is often in here corner supporting her. Cameron also left the WWE to pursue other opportunities. The new faces at the top of the division to challenge AJ Lee include NXT call-ups Paige, Emma, and Bayley as well as Summer Rae, Naomi, and a vastly improved Eva Marie. Additions to the division include indy standouts Allysin Kay, Jessie McKay, and Mia Yim. Alicia Fox is also still a steady hand in the division.
• NXT has an almost entirely new cast of stars. Former main roster performers Tyson Kidd and Yoshi Tatsu have taken on the role left behind by William Regal, where they not only compete in NXT but also serve as trainers. Adam Cole has been very impressive since his debut in mid-2016. The former ROH World Champion has been embroiled in a fantastic NXT Championship feud with fellow indy notable Johnny Gargano for the past several months. One of the final wrestlers left from the “old days” of NXT that has yet to be called up is Aiden English. However, he is making the most of his new-found top spot in NXT, improving every day. It seems like his main roster call up isn’t too far off. Filling out the NXT roster is a list of newcomers to WWE, all of whom will be detailed at a later date (Credit to Oz70NYC, KingDW, jamesjr317, aboltstar, SirByedato, and MoKEWoN for the original CAWs to put into my NXT roster).
So that is the condensed (if you can call 1,698 words condensed) history of the WWE over the last few years, which brings us to Wrestlemania 33. Hope to have that card up sometime before the end of the week.
Geez, I wish I would put this much effort into my schoolwork.
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