Top 15 Superstars of April
15) Bayley
Kick starting this month's top fifteen superstars of the month is the only NXT diva to enter the list this month, Bayley. This month Bayley has been doing some work with Emma and I've actually really been enjoying it and I can't wait to see where it goes next month. They had a decent match in the month. We have had some good backstage work and been apart of a lot of interviews. She was the stand out in the triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women's championship also.
14) Gail Kim
Up next at number fourteen is the only TNA knockout to enter this months top fifteen of the month, Gail Kim. This month has seen a lot of work from Gail and I have been loving it. You guys know Gail is an all time fave of mine and this month we have seen her work two particular matches that I have loved and they both featured in my top twenty matches of the month. One being against Angelina Love and the other Awesome Kong. She had some great mic work also and it was nice seeing her work some awesome matches with Knockouts she has a huge history with. She was also a stand out in the number one contenders fatal four way last week.
13) Dean Ambrose
This months number thirteen spot is filled by a huge a favourite of mine, Dean Ambrose. I'm so glad that I can finally add Ambrose into my top fifteen superstars of the month. It's been quite a while since the last time I had Dean in both my top fifteen superstars of the month and by top five superstars of the week just simply because he hasn't really done anything to go in the lists. However, this month it has been a whole other story. The booking has been much much stronger for Ambrose this month and things are finally starting to look up for him. This month we saw him feud with Luke Harper as he went on the search for redemption after Harper took him out of the Wrestlemania match by sending him through some ladders and then further attacking him on Smackdown a week after. The feud between the two was nice, short and simple. It wasn't over done and even though there wasn't much going on it was enough to grip everyone and keep us all entertained. I was so glad they got an Extreme Rules match and I loved the stipulation. The match itself was just what I was expecting. I would of liked it to have been longer but Ambrose had such a strong performance and he finally got he's first pay per view win as a singles competitor. This month we have also seen him main event a couple of Smackdown shows and had a particularly awesome tag match witch I really really enjoyed. This past week he had a great one on one match against Sheamus to end the month well.
12) Tyson Kidd and Cesaro
Up next in this months top fifteen superstars of the month is former tag team champions, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Now, you guys will know by now that in the early stages of them being put together I was not a fan at all. I really did hate the idea of them working as a tag team. I didn't see how it was a good idea or how it would work and I did think that they were better working as singles talent rather than a tag team. I also really don't like it when the WWE put two great superstars together and try and make them into a great tag team because it doesn't work and I spent months comparing them to Ryback and Curtis Axel. However, as time went on I really did grow to love these guys. Week after week they proved themselves as a team and got better and better. They just seemed to jel together really well and worked perfectly together. This month their booking has been at it's best. I have mentioned this month on my blog that I have been loving the work from the tag divsion lately and the booking of all the teams have been done so well. Kidd and Cesaro have been in some really great matches this month and have been used so so well. I honestly cannot fault how well they have booked them. As the champs they had dominate, entertaining performances and great matches included a handicap match against Randy Orton and an amazing tag team match the same week on Smackdown against Daniel Bryan and John Cena. They had another great match at Extreme Rules against the new day despite loosing the titles and have had had good singles matches also. They had a great run as the champions although I do wish they held the titles longer. Its been great seeing stories evolve between the three including Natalya and it should be interesting seeing what happens next.
11) Erick Young
Coming in at number eleven this month in my top fifteen superstars of the month is another TNA star of April, Erick Young. I've made it pretty clear over the past year or so both here on twitter on my blog that I'm not the biggest Erick Young fan. I do find him pretty frustrating and unlike-able but even I have to admit that April has seen some really outstanding work from Young. He started the month finishing off he's feud with Bobby Rood and one of the matches was actually featured in my top twenty matches of the month and that will be link bellow so you can go and check that out if you wish to do so. We then saw him move on to work with Kurt Angle. I will admit at first I wasn't for this at all, but as time went on I grew to like the idea. The segments between the two really worked and the storyline's they went on with worked perfectly. Young had come across so well over the past month and has been highlighted as one of the top heel in the company and even I have been surprised by just how entertained I have been by he's work.
10) Seth Rollins
Coming at number six this month in my top fifteen superstars of April is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion himself, Seth Rollins. April might not have been Seth''s strongest month of the year but it has been a good one and good enough to enter the top ten in this months top fifteen. Over the past four weeks I have seen Rollins work some great singles and tag team matches but the centre piece has been he's work with Kane as we all sat back and watched as the champs actions began to separate and create cracks in the Authority. I have actually strangely really been into the growing feud between Kane and Rollins and I have to credit the creative team for actually working it pretty well. At the start of the month we saw Rollins compete in one of the best matches of the month against Adrian Neville. He sent out a huge message after the match and made it clear he was a fighting champion and one not to be messed with or second guessed. We also saw he's feud with Randy Orton continue leading right up until Extreme Rules. The build up saw Rollins cut some great promos and have some really good segments with Orton. He's actual match at Extreme Rules was disappointing but it was good and Seth did leave still the WWE World Heavyweight champion. This month we have seen a lot of work between Rollins and Kane as the tensions between the two really started to grow. I have to admit I have found some of their segments beyond hilarious. I'm really liking the sinister, desperate Seth Rollins that we have seen and where the WWE go next with him and Kane will be very interesting. I do think the WWE need to work on making Rollins look stronger next month but April has been a good decent month for Rollins, great tag team matches and single matches and some good segments and all round mic work.
9) John Cena
John Cena is up next in April's top fifteen superstars of the month. I'll be honest, I can't remember if I have ever had Cena appear in my top fifteen of the month or if I have I don't think he has ever been this high in the list, I could be wrong. Anyway, the past four weeks or so have Cena defiantly on my good side and you would of seen throughout the month that I have actually tried to cut him some slack and speak more highly and positivity about the fifteen time champ. I think my change in attitude came about after I watched he's podcast/ interview with Chris Jericho on the Network at the start of the month. It kind of allowed me to see Cena in a new light and understand him much more. I think in that single interview I gained such a huge amount of respect for him. April has seen Cena take a seat back and stay clear from the top spot. You guys know how happy I was when he became the new United States champion at Extreme Rules. I spoke for weeks on how much I felt that it marked a turning point for the title and some of the underrated superstars on the roster. Since the night after Wrestlemania Cena has been holding open challenges for the United States championship. I honestly think this is such a good idea. It allows superstars in the back who don't always get a shot to get that shot and chance to shine, while at the same time adding unpredictability (witch I love) to the show and adding credibility to the title itself. Every single one of these open challenges have been strong or at least decent. We have seen various superstars step up to the plate and Cena had one a good job putting them over and letting them take the spotlight, while in the meantime looking good himself and ultimately scoring the wins in the end to retain. We have also seen Cena step out of the five moves of doom this month and add some new stuff to he's move set witch was a nice little surprise and gave everyone something to talk about. I also loved how little the build up to he's Extreme Rules match with Rusev was. It was far less thrown in our faces but Cena was still able to cut strong promos and push the feud. At Extreme Rules he had a strong match with Rusev and retained the title. Solid matches, good promos and brining something new has put Cena at number nine this month.
8) Roman Reigns
Up next and at number eight this month is Roman Reigns. I'm always sitting her talking about how much I dislike Roman Reigns. One minuet I'm moaning about he's mic work, the next he's wrestling ability and then it's something else. Then we get to my top five superstars of the week and top fifteen superstars of the month and I cannot say anything but positive things about him and we have that yet again in April. I know your all probably bored of hearing me say the same things over and over again but I'm sorry. This month I have really found myself enjoying the work of Roman Reigns and I have actually found myself start to become a genuine fan of he's. I don't mean I'm going to be buy all he's merch and screaming he's name every Monday night but I am enjoying he's work and I am enjoying seeing him grow. This month he has once again been working with the Big Show but the WWE have some how made it work. During the London show's was when it all started to change. They made it far more interesting and entertaining and I actually ended up wanting to see them go at it on pay per view witch I was not expecting at all. At Extreme Rules when they did go one on one in a last man standing match I was left almost speechless with what Roman Reigns did. I was so so so impressed with he's work and just how much I actually enjoyed the match itself. It was probably one of Reigns best performances to date, up their somewhere in the top five. Also this month we have seen him grow so much more as a character and on the mic and it shows so much. It's as if he has finally found out who Roman Reigns is and what he wants to do with he's character and how he wants to come across. He has picked up huge wins including pinning the WWE World Heavyweight champion. He's competed in strong, entertaining tag team matches and he has been making sure he is leaving everyone talking about him. I don't think it's a good idea to have him in the title picture yet but I'm so proud of how far he has come and how well he has done this month.
7) BDC
This month's number seven spot is filled by my favourite factions around right now, the Beat Down Clan. When I was writing my notes this month for my top fifteen superstars of the month I didn't know what to do about the members of the BDC. For me, there were some this month that stood out more than others but as a whole they all have kept me entertained and I can honestly say I have really enjoyed their work this month. I have always loved the idea of the BDC. I think it's clever, I think it's interesting, entertaining and I think that even though it can be difficult for factions to work in this day and age of pro wrestling, these guys are so good and so strong that it works perfectly. I personally, am a huge faction fan and I always will be, these guys prove why and they prove why factions are timeless. Throughout the whole of April the BDC have been so so strong and have continued their dominance. Every single week they have been on my TV and they have left me wanting more. To my surprise I have been mainly entertained and gripped by Kenny King. I was never a huge fan of Kenny King from the start but over the past couple of months he just very quickly become a favourite and I keep finding myself talking about him and he's work. I have loved the continuous work between the Beat Down Clan and the Rising. I've loved loved loved the addition of Homicide. I think it was such a smart addition and works so well. They have continued to make a huge impact in TNA and I cannot wait to see what happens between the rising and the beat down clan in May. There was no way I could add just one or two members this month to the list, the whole of the BDC had to go in as one at number seven.
6) New Day
In a number six this month is one of my new favourite tag team and the new tag team champions, New Day. I know I know I know, there are a lot of you out there who really are not fans of these guys at all and they have had a pretty tough month when it comes to fan reactions to them but I'm so team new day. You'll probably know, depending on how much you have read of my stuff, that I'm a huge New Day fan and I have been from the get go. When I found out that the WWE were creating a new little factions involving these three superstars I was beyond delighted and so pleased that they were all looking to finally get the push they deserved. However, when they debuted and we saw their work I was so disappointed with their booking and the way the WWE was having them come across. I said from the start that I thought they should of been a heel group and I was really frustrated that they debuted them and used them as baby faces for so long or even in the first place. This month we finally saw them begin to work as heels and now finally, people could see why I wanted them to be heels in the first place. Each week we genuinely saw them grow more and more, working better as a team, coming across better, working better with the crowds an performing to a much higher level. It became clear these guys were born to work together and born to work as heels. They all had such strong tag team matches and singles matches both on RAW and Smackdown and Main Event and superstars also. I loved the way they became the number one contenders. I thought it was a nice clever way but I have to admit I did not see them winning the titles at all. At Extreme Rules they had one of the best matches of the night and I was so surprised to see them leave the pay per view the new tag team champions. They had a strong month and really strong ending. The era of a new day is looking really bright.
5) Dolph Ziggler
Coming in at number five in this months top fifteen superstars of the month is another favourite of mine in Dolph Ziggler. I say favourite, I'm not another Dolph Ziggler mega fan but I defiantly have jumped on the band wagon this month and have been seriously loving Ziggler. There's no denying what so ever Dolph's talent. He's hands down one of the greatest superstars of this generation but he is also one of the most underrated underutilised superstars of all time. If there is one thing Ziggler does have however, is a seriously huge fan base. This month I haven't stopped talking about Ziggler both on twitter and here on my blog and there are so many reasons why. Where do I even begin? The start of the month saw Ziggler work an amazing match with Bryan and then we saw him kick start a new fresh feud with Sheamus after Sheamus returned and attacked Ziggler on RAW. During the UK shows (RAW in London) Ziggler had one of my favourite matches of the month against Adrian Neville witch I wrote more about in my top twenty matches of the month where he had a great showing. He then had some great tag team matches where he teamed with Bryan and Reigns to take on Sheamus, Barrett and The Big show. Loved loved this match also and Ziggler was once again a top performer. He's feud with Sheamus has been on of my favourite feuds of the month and at Extreme Rules they had a great match and a really entertaining ending. I was not expecting Ziggler to win at all but it was a really clever win and clever segment. Ziggler has been keeping everyone talking, he's had great matches this month and a really entertaining feud with Sheamus that I cannot see what happens next.
4) Bad News Barrett
At number four in my top fifteen superstars of the month, April addition we have Bad News Barrett. I actually think this is Barrett's highest entry in the list ever, correct me if I'm wrong. Once again, this has been a really strong, great month for Barrett and it's been great seeing him get so much attention have such strong booking. This month we really saw him prove yet again that he is one of the strongest, best, biggest heels in the company/on the main roster right now. He's been shining and standing out for all the right reasons. The start of the month saw him do a lot of work with Daniel Bryan as it was announced that he would be taking Bryan on at Extreme Rules in he's rematch for the Intercontinental championship. Right from the start of the month he has been playing the bad guy to perfection making sure that he was centre stage and had everyone talking about him. He's alliance with Sheamus this month has also been great to see and has really worked. We've seen the best of him and he's mean guy side and he and Sheamus seemed to just gel and work perfectly together, coming across as genuine "tough guys" out to get rid of the underdogs in the company. The tag team matches involving the two have been so strong and so entertaining. One other thing I have to mention quickly is the commentary work from Barrett. I honestly had no idea he was actually so good on commentary. At the start of the month we saw him commentate various Daniel Bryan matches and he did such a good job, selling himself, the match, the upcoming match between the two and Daniel Bryan. This was just another thing that allowed him to really stand out this month. When the WWE came to the UK, Barrett's home country, he had a great match against John Cena for the United States championship and even though he lost the match he had a great showing. After Bryan was unable to compete at Extreme Rules he had another really really good match against Adrian Neville on the kick off show, another to add to their list. He has had great match after great match this month and to top it all off this week he became the two thousand and fifteen King of the ring winner. He sure has made me a proud Brit and it's been real nice seeing him climb this ladder this month of success and I think it's safe to say he is finally getting closer to the top spot.
3) Naomi
Up next at number three this month is the highest diva entry of the month and it comes from Naomi. It's plain and simple. April and the divas division has been all about Naomi, from the very start right to the very end. The night after Wrestlemania she competed in a strong divas tag team match alongside AJ Lee and Paige and has been on a role ever since. Well, to be honest she was on fire way before Extreme Rules. Very early on in the month Naomi scored two clean pin fall wins over the divas champion Nikki Bella and therefore rightfully earned a shot at the title. However, WWE being WWE through a curve ball and held a divas battle royal to determine the number one contender for the divas championship witch personally I thought was utter bullshit. The battle royal saw Paige obviously win in her home country but after the match was where the action happened. After coming down to the final two with Paige and for the simple fact that she had to compete in the Battle royal in the first place, Naomi had had enough and had a huge heel turn attacking Paige and taking her out of action. The beat down left the anti diva unable to compete a Extreme Rules and therefore Naomi took her place. The heel turn was done so perfectly and timed so right that I can't fault it at all. Naomi came across so aggressive and so convincing that no one could say a bad word about it. She also cut a great promo later in the night witch really opened my eyes up to just how great she is on the mic, I had no idea she could talk that well on the mic! It's safe to say I was very very impressed. Throughout the month before and after her heel turn she competed in strong one on one matches on both RAW and Smackdown scoring win after win defeating both Nikki and Brie Bella on the way. I've been loving her new attitude and I've been so happy seeing her finally get the attention she deserves. I didn't like that she lost her Extreme Rules match but I think her run at the top of the division will continue into May and sooner or later she will be crowned the new divas champion.
2) Sheamus
Coming in at number two and just missing out on this months top spot is a retuning Sheamus. I say returning because it was the night after Wrestlemania that we saw former world champion Sheamus make he's anticipated return to World Wrestling Entertainment after being out of action for several months. Debuting a new image, new theme, and new attitude Sheamus has dominated the month of April and has made he's way right to the top. Almost every single match Sheamus has competed in in he's return month has been borderline outstanding. My favourite match had to be he's one on one match against Daniel Bryan on he's first Smackdown back and you can see in tomorrow's blog post where that came in my top twenty matches of the month. He has competed in great singles and tag team matches and when he has worked tag matches he has been the dominate one of he's team and the one to compete the most. He's booking has been really strong and has fitted he's new character perfectly. Talking of he's new character, Sheamus has clearly worked tremendously hard to get every single part of it right and it really has showed and worked. He's promos have been cut so so well and he's stayed in character with everything he does. From he's entrance to he's promo work to when he's actually competing, he's been completely in character and has really proven to be one of the best heels in the company right now. He's mic work has been executed to the point where you genuinely feel like you hate the guy and he's done such a great job in winding up the fans and getting under everyone's skin, being seriously convincing. He's work with Dolph Ziggler has been really gripping and really entertaining. I have to admit I hated the fact he lost he's Extreme Rules match because I didn't see how it made sense but he was able to really turn it around and leave looking the strongest. All month everyone has been taking about Sheamus. He has been in some of the best matches of the month and he's career in my opinion. He has been a dominate force on the roster, he had a strong build up to he's Extreme Rules match and he has been one of the top stars of April. I predict an even better run in May.
1) Adrian Neville
And finally, April's superstar of the month is the man that gravity forgot, Adrian Neville. It is more than safe to say that this month has been all about Neville. Since coming up to the main roster the former longest reigning NXT champion has been on a role and has proven week after week that he's spot on the main roster is more than deserved. Throughout the month we have seen him compete in outstanding matches both on NXT and the main roster. You would of seen in my top twenty matches of the month and most of my review and reactions posts of the month that Neville name has popped up on several occasions in almost every single week, with always positive things to say. Neville's first big match on the roster was a huge one when he went one on one with the WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins in what was an outstanding match and a really good showing for both superstars. Despite not winning the match itself, he's performance alone was more than enough to keep people talking. From that point onwards Neville was on a role. Competing in some of the best matches of the month, witch included a great match against Hideo Itami on NXT. He's also had amazing matches against both Bad News Barrett and Sheamus, and has competed in great matches against Dolph Ziggler and in some of the best tag team matches also, both on Smackdown and RAW. Neville also competed in the two thousand and fifteen King of the ring tournament where he defeated Luke Harper in one of my personal favourite matches of the month and then Sheamus the following night. At Extreme Rules he picked up a huge strong win on the kick off show against bad news Barrett. In the UK shows in he's homeland he had two great showings and some decent mic work also. Now, Neville may not have one all he's matches this month but every single one of them was so so strong and so entertaining that everyone has been talking about him and he has made a huge impact on the main roster. You can only predict things to go up from this point onwards and I honestly believe there was no one better to take this months top spot after such a strong month.
Comments
Post a Comment