10 Great Wrestling Matches Hidden On Terrible Pay Per Views

6. Bray Wyatt Vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE Royal Rumble 2014

Bryan Wyatt
WWE.com

The Royal Rumble is a shadow of its former self, ruined as it has been in recent years by WWE's cloth-eared approach to fan relations. The match itself is bulletproof, but its appeal has been mitigated by unwelcome and or predictable winners in recent years. Hopefully, with the introduction of the Universal Title, the field of feasible winners will be expanded at the Alamo Dome in 2017.

The potency of the 2014 opener was punctured on the night by the dismal aftermath, but it handily rewards repeat viewing. Ostensibly a classic David Vs. Goliath offering, that mode is transcended by Wyatt's fittingly supernatural augmentation of the role. Presented at a time when he was booked as an all-action destroyer, he swats Bryan away with a scarily powerful procession of running body blocks. Wyatt is an unbeatable winged behemoth on the night. He has arguably never looked better.

It is such a strong character match that it even excuses Wyatt's inconsistent selling of the knee injury incurred during the opening salvo - he shakes it off to a suitably inhuman degree. The entire 21:29 affair is so good that they even stole Kofi Kingston's spot of the night award when Wyatt countered Bryan's dive into a sickening, guardrail-assisted Sister Abigail.

More than the sum of its parts, it is a retrospective indictment of the cack-handed way in which Wyatt has been booked since.

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!