WWE Matches of the Year 2015

These are my personal matches of the year in WWE.  I didn't include NXT in case you were wondering.  It was a pretty down year again, but these bouts (in chronological order) are worth a re-watch or two.  

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, Royal Rumble

Had this match not been on the 2015 Rumble, I'm pretty sure this would be the worst WWE PPV I'd ever seen.  Aside from the worst Rumble match ever, the undercard was a total snooze-fest as everything under delivered.

courtesy: ign.com

The most important aspect of this match was that it showed Rollins could hang with the big boys.  He had his "coming out party" if you will.  The slow-motion replay of his "Shane dive" onto the announce table is nearly breathtaking.  He is such an incredible athlete.  He also busted out the Phoenix Splash which I don't believe his done since entering WWE.  Very entertaining match.

Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns, Fastlane

There was a lot on the line here in this one.  Not just the number contender ship at Wrestlemania, it was the smart fans vs. the casual fans.  Winner take all.  I'm 93% certain that the only reason this match was made was due to the outrage at the Royal Rumble.  (That's two in row, can we make it three?)  Regardless what we got was Reigns best match (in my opinion) and possibly D-Bry's last great match (I hope not, but it's a possibility.)

Bryan wrestled somewhat like the ROH version of himself, which was cool.  He was throwing out all sorts of crazy submission holds that gave the match a unique feel.  Unlike most Reigns matches, you honestly thought Bryan could win.  He made you believe in him, which in the end is all that really matters.  Of course the "golden boy" won, but Bryan showed why he was so great even in defeat.

Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler, Raw March 30th

This was allegedly a match for Wrestlemania.  I really wish it could have happened.  It was really good, but put it on that Mania stage and it really could have been something special.  What could have been?

John Cena vs. Sami Zayn, Raw May 4th

The crowd was chanting "Ole" while Cena was talking.  Bret Hart makes your introduction.  It was truly a dream scenario for Sami Zayn; except for the fact he got hurt.  He definitely dug deep and pulled out one of the great matches of the year, but you can't help but feel like he blew it a tad.  I'm sure he felt that way anyway.  It makes you wonder if Kevin Owens big push would in fact have been Zayn's, had things turned out differently.  Regardless, seeing Zayn kick out of the AA and do the torpedo DDT on the big stage was tremendous.

John Cena vs. Kevin Owens, Elimination Chamber

WWE tried to make it sound like the rematch was the better match (at least initially), and by the time the third rolled around, everyone was burnt out on the feud.  This, however, was the cream of the crop.  This feud was almost magical when it started.  The internet was buzzing and crowd everywhere seemed to enjoy the dynamic between the two.  Owens held his own against Cena in the ring and more importantly on the mic.

Even without the surprise upset, this match would still have been great.  Cena was really rolling by this point (in case you didn't notice) and Owens was a totally fresh opponent; even more so than some of the other US Challenge competitors.  Not only does Owens win, but he does so clean.  The very vocal crowd was in shock- some upset, some in sheer joy.  All were entertained.

John Cena vs. Cesaro, Raw June 28th

This match was more or less the beginning of the Cesaro ascent.  (This isn't the first time though)  These guys have fantastic chemistry.  I remember a match they had back in early '14 that was great, and was excited for this one.  They didn't disappoint.  The crowd really got into it, and Cesaro seemed like he could actually win.  Owens came in causing the d/q, but it didn't damper the match one bit.  Cesaro was off and running again, and we were all happy.  This match is so nice, we just may see it twice.

John Cena vs. Cesaro, Raw July 6th

courtesy: whatculture.com

So here's the rematch.  What a match it was.  Chicago crowd, so naturally it's going to get a boost from that.  Cesaro looks like a made-man during this match.  Back and forth, trading incredible power moves.  This is one of my favorites of the year (among favorites of the year, does that make sense?).  Hopefully this isn't the last time we see these two bulls lock horns.

Cesaro vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens, Raw July 13th

This match kind of came out of nowhere.  Continuing the hot streak for the third streak week we have a kick-ass Cesaro match.  I can honestly say that this is the only Rusev match that I've ever enjoyed. On re-watch, I had forgotten that Owens walks out on the match, which did hurt it a tad, but not enough to damper my spirits.  (In my mind that's all that matters.)

Kevin Owens vs. Neville, Raw November 16th

These guys met earlier in the year on NXT, but it wasn't that memorable for me.  This however was; and in spades.  Nonstop, crazy action from bell-to-bell.  Neville busted out the reverse 'rana for the first time (I think) on Raw and it got a great reaction.  I would definitely enjoy a long-term program between the two.

   

Lucha Dragons vs. New Day vs. Usos, TLC

My burnout of ladder matches had me dreading this show (well that, and another Roman Reigns main event).  I did feel that Kalisto in a ladder match could be pretty good.  And everything New Day has been doing lately had been good, so I thought just maybe...

courtesy: wwe.com

When Kalisto did the Asai DDT off the top of the ladder through the propped up ladder, I did a Joey Styles.  You know, "OH MY GOD!"  That was wild.  Props to whichever Uso that took that bump because that must have been murder on his neck.  Kalisto's ass probably didn't feel too good after it either.  Xavier throwing his trombone at Kalisto to stop him from winning was icing on the cake.  That cracked me up.  Who in the history of wrestling has won a match via trombone?  Awesome.

Well that's all.  Again these were my choices, assuming some of you are seeing some glaring omissions.  John Cena was the MVP of the year, and honestly he deserved it.  I haven't enjoyed him this much in over a decade.  Kevin Owens and Cesaro tied for second, and hopefully can continue the trend this coming year.  

Funny side note: this is the first year ever that I don't have at least one match from Wrestlemania or Summerslam.  Usually I have multiple.  While Wrestlemania over-delivered as a whole, no match stood out to me as a classic.  Summerslam I thought was a big snooze-fest.  It pains me to say that because Summerslam is usually my favorite show of the year.