10 Best Years In WWE History

3. 2015

Steve Austin Vince McMahon Raw 1997
WWE.com

The rise of NXT has considerable bearing on 2015's placing here.

Specifically, the Divas Revolution - the real one, not the diluted RAW abomination approximated and appropriated in dubious taste by Stephanie McMahon - was heartwarming. The real life emotion fused into it radiated from the screen.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn was headlined by two internationally-honed internet darlings in a surefire winner of a gimmick bout. And yet, the show was handily stolen Bayley and Sasha Banks, two female wrestlers who matured within WWE's developmental system, in a winning testament to the Performance Centre's success.

The main roster was certainly not without its own contribution to the overall product - even if the WWE title match on the second biggest show of the year was tainted by a run-in from a celebrity who had absolutely no business being there.

The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar defied all reasonable expectations to produce the SummerSlam thriller many thought, after WrestleMania XXX, they didn't have in them - before bettering that in an all-time Hell In A Cell genre classic.

The emergence of Seth Rollins as a bonafide singles headliner was also rewarding to witness, even if his feud with Kane was somehow even more dispiriting than the payoff.

John Cena even cleanly lost twice in a year which truly telegraphed the exciting New Era.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!