10 Wrestling Matches You Won't Believe Happened In 2014
5. Enzo Amore vs. Sylvester Lefort - Hair vs. Hair Match) (WWE NXT)
In 2014, WWE's developmental territory NXT set new standards insofar as showcasing next-level athleticism in professional wrestling, creating significant levels of intrigue around talents including Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville. However, it's important to also note that NXT also fell back on some VERY classic tropes of old school pro wrestling, too. Enzo Amore is a quick-witted performer under six feet tall and under 180 pounds, who though lacking the athleticism of the aforementioned Zayn and Neville makes up for it with his over-the-top Jersey Shore bro gimmick. As well, there's Sylvester Lefort who has had runs as both a manager and wrestler in the promotion, his feud with Amore heating up around Amore and tag partner Colin Cassady cheating causing his pro-French "Legionnaires" tag-team a few losses. Hair vs. hair as the stipulation between Amore and Lefort for NXT's September "TakeOver: Fatal Four Way" event proved that for as much as NXT can be billed as this place where high-flying and high-impact wrestling takes place, it's also the place where a guy with leopard spots in his hair can wrestle a guy with a thick, luxurious mullet and somehow Marcus Louis (Lefort's tag partner) ends up being the guy who loses his hair.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.