Top 15 Superstars of July
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| Brock Lesnar on Monday night RAW |
15) Nikki Bella
Kick starting this months top fifteen superstars of the month is the current WWE Divas Champion, Nikki Bella. I struggled to decide on a number fifteen spot and whether or not to put Nikki Bella in the July list but I looked back at everything that had happened this month and it seemed to make perfect sense to have her kick start the top fifteen this month. So, Nikki has gone another whole month as the Divas champion and has defended the title once. Right at the start of the month Nikki competed in a triple threat match against Tamina and Paige at Beast in the East defending her championship in Japan. It was actually a fairly decent match and Nikki looked great throughout the entirety of it. She had a great title defence and left Japan still the divas champion after pinning Tamina. On Monday night RAW she sent a huge statement to the divas division letting everyone know that Team Bella was in control of the division. However, a week later everything changed as the Diva revolution kick started. Before Sasha Banks, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch made their appearance Nikki cut what was actually a pretty decent promo. It was a great example of how far she has come with her mic work and I know there is a lot of Nikki Bella haters in the world but I liked it. She did't compete for a while after that but she had a great showing on Smackdown a couple of weeks ago in tag team action and picked up a much needed win over Naomi. She may not have defended her championship or wrestled that much this month but when she has done she been on point and has been a great stand out. I do think August is going to be an interesting month for Nikki Bella.
14) The Undertaker
At number fourteen this month is a superstar that has never ever been in my top fifteen of the month ever, the Undertaker. It feels so great to be able to put Taker in the list this month and it's such a nice surprise to be able to do so also. I'll be honest I wasn't really sure who I was going to have at number fourteen. It was between Nikki Bella, Bobby Roode, and Taker and I changed it over many times and finally made a decisions that I stuck with so here it is. Now, the Undertaker may have only appearer on two shows this month but it was two epic appearances and more than enough to have him in this months top fifteen superstars of the month. He first had a surprise appearance at the Battleground pay per view. I did actually mention in a blog post last week that even though I had heard all the rumours it was still a big shock when he came out and I still marked out like a crazy person! Taking out Brock Lesnar is one truly epic way of making a come back. The following night he opened Monday night RAW with an amazing promo, one of my favourites of the month even, and gave me all my childhood feels and flashbacks witch was amazing. The brawl later on in the show was one of my favourite brawls of all time. Taker looked amazing and really it took it to Lesnar. He was the focus around the entire show and it was announced that at Summer Slam it would be Brock Lesnar VS The Undertaker in the main event. A returning Undertaker had to be in this months top fifteen, right?
13) Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is this months number thirteen holder. It's been a while since Bray Wyatt was in my top fifteen superstars of the month blog post. He came close last month but there were a couple of things that stopped him from being in the list. However, this month its a whole different story and I have finally brought him back into the top fifteen. So what has Wyatt been up to this month? Well, throughout July he's feud with Roman Reigns really got going. They didn't have the super strong build up I was hopeing for but Wyatt did deliver and he got me very very excited for the match at Battleground. In the weeks before the pay per view he cut some great haunting promos that pushed the feud amazingly well. He also had a phenomenal interview with Michael Cole witch I hope you guys have seen because it was by far my favourite interview of the entire year so far. It was such a key part in the build up to the match. At Battleground when the two finally went head to head they had an amazing match, one that featured in my top twenty of the month easily. Wyatt was dominate throughout and was one of the top superstars I could not stop talking about come the end of the night. July also saw Wyatt reunite with Luke Harper witch I loved! He also had some outstanding matches against the likes of Dean Ambrose witch was also another favourite of the month.
12) Sheamus
At number twelve this month is Mr Money In The Bank, Sheamus. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Sheamus was at number twelve in my top fifteen superstars of the month last month. There's some kind of pattern here. I am the worlds biggest Sheamus fan and so I have been pretty happy with what we have seen from him this month. I'm going to be saying this phrase a lot in this blog but I was really happy with the booking for Sheamus throughout July. He could have had a stronger month, I'll admit that I'm still a happy little Sheamus fan. Throughout July we saw Sheamus continue to feud with Randy Orton with the two eventually going one on one at the Battleground pay per view. The build up wasn't great if I'm being honest. I moaned about this quiet a bit in my prediction post so won't go over that again. On the sixth of July Sheamus went one on one with Roman Reigns in a fairly decent match. It wasn't as good as their previous one but it was well done and I liked how it ended. The following week he teamed up with the Big Show to take on Randy Orton and Ryback in what was another pretty decent match where Sheamus spent a great deal of time competing and looking dominate and strong. He's match of the month was hands down he's one on one against Randy Orton at Battleground. The two opened the show and put on an amazing match. It was actually one of my favourite matches of the month. Talking of top matches of the month he also had a great match against Dean Ambrose on Smackdown a couple of weeks back. Throughout July Sheamus has been one of my favourite characters. He's had some strong matches and he's character development has been great, working as one of the top heels on the roster.
11) Rusev
Up next and just about missing on going into the top ten this month is Rusev. July has been a very interesting but strong month for Rusev. He's booking has been seriously strong and he has been a superstar I haven't bee able to stop talking about. I've said it before here on my blog and I will say it again, Rusev is one of my favourite current WWE Superstars. In my opinion he has it all. He has a good image, good mic ability, good character and charisma, he can tell a story in the ring, and he is one of the best in ring performers in the whole of the WWE today. You may not like he's character but you cannot deny the fact that he is an amazing wrestler. This month we saw Rusev prove all of the above and more. At the start of the month we saw Rusev make it clear that there was no injury and the attack on Dolph Ziggler was one of my favourite moments of the month. He's booking this month has been really strong. The stand out match of course was the triple threat he competed in against Cesaro and Kevin Owens. An amazing amazing match. One of the best matches of the month and a serious contender for match of the year. Rusev had such a great performance and in the end managed to pick up one of the best wins of he's career so far. He went on to go one on one with John Cena straight after the triple threat and while he may not have had the best performance in the world there was still a couple of great spots in the match. We also saw Rusev compete in a pretty good match against Kevin Owens on Smackdown. Before that he main evented Monday night RAW in a tag team match teaming with Owens and Sheamus to take on Cesaro, Orton, and John Cena. Once again, he may not have won the match but he was a big stand out. This month we have seen some great story development from Rusev and some amazing matches, making him this months number elven holder.
10) John Cena
Kick starting the top ten is the current United States Champion, John Cena. I feel like I always Cena around the number ten mark in the top fifteen like every single month, but it does feel like the right position to put him in this month. I honestly feel like Cena is having one of he's best and strongest years in a long time. For the first time in a long time I have enjoyed several of John matches and feuds. Now, I do think some stupid decisions were made with him in July. I didn't like the fact that he maintained the United States Championship at Battleground against Owens. I think it was a dumb decision and I'm still moaning about it a couple of weeks later. However, he did yet again have another match of the year candidate match when he did go toe to toe with Owens at Battleground. It was easily one of the best matches of the month and of the year. He's worked some amazing matches this month not only against Kevin Owens but against Cesaro. He's one on one match against Cesaro this month was yet another match of the year candidate. We also saw Cena cut some amazing promos and kick start some new work with Seth Rollins. He's also of course main evented RAW in another strong match. It was hard deciding a number ten spot holder but it felt right to have John in the place after having another great month of amazing matches.
9) Drew Galloway
Coming in at number nine this month is another TNA star and this time it's Drew Galloway. I don't need to sit here and tell you just how much I love Drew Galloway. Everyone and their mother knows just how much I love him and so you can imagine how happy I have been with TNA and the way he has been booked this month. Now, there have been a couple of hiccups this past month for Galloway. He was unable to defeat the Beat Down Clan, we saw the end of the Rising and he was blind sided he's partner, but he has remained one of the most talked about TNA stars and he has been standing out every single week. I was really disappointed to see The Rising come to an end. I really liked the little faction and I was banking on them taking down the Beat Down Clan but it turned out working fine in the end. If I was booking it I may have had done things a little differently but it's fine. When The Rising ended Galloway had to compete in a pretty tough match up when he had to take on the Revolution. The match was pretty good and Galloway had a great all round showing. The following week he went one on one with the TNA World Champion, Ethan Carter in the main event. Once again, an amazing match. It was in my top twenty matches of the month so you can go and check that blog post out to see what I thought of it in that post. After that match we saw Eli Drake turn on Galloway witch was a great idea. I didn't see it coming at all and I loved it! One of my favourite moments of the month. Throughout July we have seen some great matches and promos from Galloway. He's booking has been very strong and I haven't been able to stop talking about him all month. I do think August is going to be even stronger for him.
8) Roman Reigns
Up next and coming in at number eight is Roman Reigns. Reigns has had a much quieter month witch has worked in he's favour greatly. Instead of the WWE making it the Roman Reigns show we have seen him take a little seat back but he's booking has remained strong and he has left me very very impressed throughout the month. Throughout July we have seen Reigns continue to feud with Bray Wyatt after their feud kick started at the Money in the bank pay per view when Wyatt cost Reigns the money in the bank ladder match. I do think that Wyatt did a lot of work when it came to pushing the feud at the start and getting everyone excited for it but Reigns held he's own and he had just as much involvement in the feud and build up to the Battleground match. He cut a couple of decent promos. He's getting much much more comfortable on the mic and he's making clear improvements witch not even I can deny. I also want to talk about the interview he did a thew weeks back with Michael Cole. Now, if you haven't seen this interview than I do think that you should go and check it out because I was really impressed with him. He held he's own and was clean and fluent throughout the entire interview. Down to the actual wrestling and like I said he's booking has remained strong all month. At the start of July we saw him team up with Ambrose on a couple of occasions where despite having some distractions from Wyatt he had a dominate showing and good all round performance. The stand out match of he's this month however had to be when he's Battleground match with Bray Wyatt. Wyatt really did push him to he's limits and Reigns had one of he's best performances to date. The match made my top twenty this month and the reason why this match was so key for Reigns is because it showed just how far he has come in the past year when it comes to wrestling ability.
7) Charlotte
At number seven this month is another diva and this time its former NXT Women's champion, Charlotte. July was the month that the WWE Divas division arrived and the Divas Revolution really kick started and Charlotte was one of the top faces in the divas division this month. Throughout July Charlotte was a hot topic and was a stand out on every single show she was on. Going back to the start of the month we saw her team up with former partner and long term rival, current NXT Women's champion Sasha Banks to take Emma and new rival Dana Brookes. Competing a decent tag team match Charlotte took us back to the BFF days and showed us all she was still in charge of the NXT Women's division. The following week, after teaming with Banks she had been given a NXT Women's championship match against Sasha and as the two main evented the show they put on my favourite divas match of the entire month. Charlotte was on fire throughout, dominating and showing a great amount of speed and strength. I had loads to say about this match in my top twenty of the month so go and give that a read to see what I thought of it there. On the thirteenth of July we saw the Diva revolution start and Charlotte arrived on RAW to join Team Paige in the revolution. On her arrival night she got the biggest pop and had everyone talking about her. At the Battleground pay per view she competed in an amazing triple threat against Banks and Brie Bella. She was the stand of the entire match and picked up the win at the end of it. The following night on RAW she defeated former divas champion Brie Bella making her tap out two nights in row. There was no denying the fact that Charlotte has to be in this months top fifteen and I predict and even bigger August for her.
6) Kevin Owens
Up next is Kevin Owens. For the past two months Kevin Owens has been my superstar of the month and he has more than deserved to be so but this month he has taken a little step back in the list but he has still be one of the best performing superstars of the month. He has remained one of the most talked about superstars on the WWE roster and has competed in some of the best matches of the month creating more match of the year candidates. The only reasons he hasn't been number one again is because for one I don't think he has had as much of a good month when it comes to victories and secondly I wanted to change things up a little with the top fifteen. Anyway he has still made the final and here is why. So let's go all the way back to right at the start of the month where we saw Kevin Owens team up with Rhyno to take on Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. I really did enjoy this match. It was one of my favourites of the month. It was great seeing four of the biggest and top stars in NXT compete all at the same time. A couple of nights later we saw him defend the NXT Championship against Finn Balor and not only was this my favourite match of the entire month but one of my favourites of the year so far. It was easily one of the best matches in WWE history and despite not leaving Beast in the east the NXT champion Owens had a phenomenal performance. The month of July also saw Kevin Owens officially become a member of the WWE main roster. He had another two match of the year candidates when he took on John Cena at Battleground, despite not winning he was the one we were all left talking about and I do still think it was the wrong move to make, he also competed in a triple threat against Cesaro and Rusev witch was another match of the year candidate. This month we have seen Owens main event RAW, have outstanding matches, cut some awesome promos and remain the strongest heel in the WWE right now, making him this months number six.
5)Brie Bella
Kick starting the final top five this month is another WWE diva as up next is Brie Bella making her way in at number five in this month's top fifteen superstars of the month. Trust me when I say I'm just as surprised to see Brie Bella this high in my top fifteen but she really does one hundred per cent deserve the place. You would have seen last month that I put both the Bella twins in the top fifteen and they were a little lower in the list but this month it's been Brie that has stood out more than Nikki and I had to have her kick start the top five of this month. If we go back to the start of the month before the diva revolution started Brie was already on a high. With Nikki going over to Japan to compete for Beast in the East, Brie took some of the spotlight for a while when she competed on Smackdown taking on Naomi in one on one action. I did enjoy this match a lot actually. It wasn't a long one but both girls made the time they had work and you could tell they were making the best of every single second they had in the ring. Brie for me really did stand out. She worked the crowd well, she brought a great deal of character to the match and her wrestling was impressive. A couple of day later on Monday night RAW she stood out once again when she went one on one with two time divas champion Paige. Once again they didn't have the longest match in the world but for the time they had they put on a decent match and Brie really held her own and brought so much to the match, good wrestling, good amount of character, and she told a good story. Less than a week into the month and she was standing out for all the right reasons. A week later and of course we saw the start of the diva revolution and it was from here that Brie Bella really started to shine. With tougher competition, longer matches and better booking decisions Brie saw her opportunity and she took it. Out of every other diva that was already on the main roster I was most impressed with Brie Bella when the revolution stated. At the Battleground pay per view she competed in a triple threat match against Sasha Banks and Charlotte. Now, Banks and Charlotte are two of the greatest female wrestlers to ever step foot in the WWE and so Brie was under a lot of pressure but she held her own and showed us some things I have never ever seen her do before. I was genuinely so surprised by the things she pulled out the bag. She took some pretty harsh bumps/falls and competed to an extremely high level. The night after she competed in yet another great match against Charlotte despite not coming up on top and on Smackdown she teamed up with Nikki to take on Sasha Banks and Naomi in one of my favourite diva matches of the month. She spent the most amount of time in the ring in the match and had another good showing. I do think that Brie Bella is taking the most advantage of the diva revolution and has been shining the most. She has had some amazing performances and even if your not a Bella fan you have to be impressed with her.
4) Cesaro
Up next and in at number four this month is Cesaro. It feels so good to have Cesaro back in my top fifteen superstars of the month in the final five. It's been a while, let's be honest. Now, being a Cesaro fan isn't easy. We all know how talented he is in the ring but the WWE have never really got it right with him and with the big shots making it clear they weren't high on him it's always been tough being a Cesaro fan. However, the month of July could not have been better for him and for us. With tag team partner Tyson Kidd out of action due to a serious injury it left Cesaro back competing as a solo but that didn't stop him wearing the Kidd/Cesaro merchandise witch touched my heart, okay. Throughout the month the WWE finally started booking Cesaro strong and getting a great push. If we go back to the early days of the month Cesaro had a rematch against John Cena for the United States Championship. The match came about after Kevin Owens interrupted and caused a DQ ending to their previous match. Now, the history between John Cena and Cesaro is amazing. The two have put on some outstanding matches and they never ever fail to impress and leave us all speechless. They have never been competed against each other and out on a bad match and this one was no different what so ever. I want to start out by saying how amazing it was seeing Cesaro main event a show. He really did deserve it and he and Cena put on the match of the night and one of the best matches of the month and year. Cesaro looked great throughout this entire match, connecting with the fans and showing the entire world just how much of an amazing athlete he is. After the match and RAW had gone off air John Cena had some amazing words to say about Cesaro and if you haven't seen the video I will try and find it and link it bellow. The following week Cesaro competed in yet another match of the year candidate match when he took on Rusev and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match. Once again, Cesaro was a top stand out of the match and the night and he left us all cheering he's name and talking about him. He may not have won the match but he was the one we were all left talking and tweeting about. We have also seen him team up with John Cena and Randy Orton to main event Monday night RAW taking on Kevin Owens, Rusev, and Sheamus where he lived up to the expectations delivering to a high standard yet again and competing at the level of the top superstars on the roster. We also saw him compete in one of my favourite matches of the month on Smackdown a week ago when he went toe to toe with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. This month Cesaro has been on fire. He's been working as one of the best and biggest baby faces on the roster. He's booking has been extremely strong, main eventing both RAW and Smackdown. He's competed and teamed up with some of the biggest names on the roster, had some great segments and had an awesome interview with Cole, making him this months number four.
3) Ethan Carter
At number three this month is the last TNA Star to feature in this month's top fifteen. I did actually change over some names over when it came to number three. It's not been easy creating this months top fifteen and some names where harder to place than others. When I went back to my notes and double checked everything I decided that Ethan Carter was the best person to take the number three spot. To keep it simple, I freaking love Ethan Carter. I have done from the get go. I think I mentioned in last months top fifteen that when he was working in the WWE I wasn't a fan at all but when he came to TNA everything changed. He very quickly grabbed my attention and became one off my favourites. As an EC3 fan I spent a lot of time waiting for him to become the TNA Heavyweight Champion. I spent so much time thinking and predicting when was going to be the right time for him. When was going to be he's magic month. July was Ethan's magic month. Throughout the year we have seen him take on some big names in TNA and compete in some of the best matches of the entire year. He's one on one against Rockstar spud a thew months back was my only TNA match of the month. He has spent the entire year building himself up and waiting for the perfect moment, waiting to finally get the final big push he deserves, and that time was this month. So throughout July we saw him continue to feud with Kurt Angle and eventually he would defeat him to become the new TNA Champion. I literally jumped up and down when he won this match. I could not have been happier. It was one hundred per cent he's time to shine and have a championship reign. He has spend months cementing himself as the top heel in the company and defeating Kurt Angle was the last thin he needed to finally prove that. The character he put into this match and the wrestling ability was great. Since winning he has been the perfect heel champion. He continued to get under the skin of the TNA fans and the roster working as a true champion. He's competed in some great matches including he's main event match against Drew Galloway a couple of weeks back and has been one of the most entertaining TNA stars of the entire month. He's cut great promos and been involved in some good segments. There was no doubt that he was going to be this months number three holder.
2) Sasha Banks
Taking this month's number two spot and just about missing out on being my superstar of the week is WWE diva, Sasha Banks. I said it in my intro that I found it really really difficult to decide between a diva and a former champion who was going to be my superstar of the month but there were a couple of little things that made me finally make my mind up and come to a final decision. To be fair, I didn't make my mind up until the very last minuet and I haven't stopped changing my mind. Anyway, at number two this month is Sasha Banks. I have mentioned it so many times in this blog post already but this month saw the diva revolution and give divas a chance movement really kick start and make an impact in the WWE. The divas division has been at an all time high and for the first time in a long time everyone excited and interested in the division. Sasha Banks has been one of the leading faces in pushing the revolution and getting everyone excited for the change. Every single week I had her noted as my stand out of the week and for every show she was on she was a stand out too. Let's go right back to the start of the month. On the first of July we saw Sasha Banks involved in a backstage segment with Dana Brookes and Emma where the two challenged Sasha to a tag team match the flowing week. Throughout this entire little segment Sasha held her own despite the numbers being against her and she spoke like a true champion and like a true boss. The flowing week Sasha teamed up with former partner and long time rival, Charlotte to take on Emma and Dana Brookes. Before the match began Sasha was in the ring by herself defending herself perfectly and gave both Emma a does of what it's like to be put in your place by the boss. Prepared to fight both girls on her own Banks was getting ready until Charlotte came down to the ring to team up. Both Sasha and Charlotte where dominate throughout the match and Sasha fought like a true champion picking up the victory for her and Charlotte. A week later Sasha defended her NXT Women's championship in an epic main event against Charlotte. It was one of my favourite matches of the month. Both divas put on a great main event and Sasha had one of her best performances to date. In the end she left still the NXT Women's Champion. We then of course had the start of the diva revolution. Going back to the thirteen of July, we saw the NXT divas arrive on the WWE main roster and Sasha Banks was one of those divas. Receiving one of the biggest pops of the segment Sasha officially arrived on the WWE main roster joining Naomi and Tamina to create Team Bad. On her debut night she was a top stand out and spent a great deal of time trending on twitter. On the same week we saw her in various Backstage interviews on WWE.com and Smackdown. In all the interviews she took control of them and even though Naomi is supposed to be the leader, Sasha is a natural born leader and she takes control. At Battleground Sasha had her first WWE Pay Per View match when she competed in a triple threat against Brie Bella and Charlotte. She was a little shaky at times but that was clearly because she was nervous. However, she carried on fighting and was once again the stand out of the match. This month she also got two time divas champion Paige to tap out during tag team action and had an amazing performance on Smackdown last week. To close the month she defeated Paige in an awesome one on one match by making her tap out again. Sasha Banks has had a phenomenal past month.She has been competing like a true champion and has been dominating the main roster. She has made a great transition and I can only predict an even bigger August for the Boss.
1) Brock Lesnar
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| NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks |
damage Lesnar caused to the car and it made him look like a true beast. This month also saw Lesnar give Kane and J&J Security the beating of their lives. At Battleground he dominated he's match against Seth Rollins despite it not being the best match in the world. He looked strong and dominate throughout. We then of course saw him kick start he's feud with the Undertaker as the start of the Summer Slam build up began. The Brawl between the beast and the phenom was one of the best brawls I have ever seen and Lesnar was just on fire. Throughout this month Brock Lesnar has been centre of attention. He has appeared on every single Monday night RAW, he had an amazing showing in the build up to the Battleground match, he kick start a fresh hot feud, and has been the one we all haven't stopped talking about, not to mention the fact that Suplex City has been trending every week. If Brock hasn't been at a show he has remained centre of attention and because of he's outstanding, dominate performances this month and the fact I haven't stopped talking about him makes him this months superstar of the month.
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