Ten little things that turned great rivalries into awesome feuds

In today’s WWE, there are many of us who complain so much because of the way stories are panned out at times. While we all get caught up often, in retrospect you can look back on a recent feud and think that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

My intent for this blog was to look back at recent feuds and the little things that made the feud stand out in terms of their story. While sometimes WWE produces head scratching segments, there is more times where they hit a home run.

Of course we may not like the overall outcome of the particular feud, but the silver lining is there. Most of the time, the Superstars did what they could with what they are given. There is room for improvement always, and maybe we are indeed onto better days.

So, what are some of those “little things” that made the storylines and feuds?

WWE took advantage of this dream match

10. The Shield v. Evolution

The Shield was one of the best factions to emerge in recent years. WWE would’ve been crazy not to entertain this idea after Batista had made a brief return in 2014. The feud was brilliantly done during WrestleMania season, having The Shield slowly turn against the Authority and left Triple H with no choice but to rely on Randy Orton and Batista to go after the dominant trio. We got not one, but two amazing matches of the two teams, and saw the passing of the torch with The Shield overcoming Evolution both times.

Reigns called on his cousins when The Club was intent to help out Styles

9. Roman Reigns v. AJ Styles

I put this on the list because I really liked the way the lines were blurred for this feud. They continue to blur the lines with Styles and that isn’t a bad thing at all. With The Club’s debut, fans were just waiting for them to reunite with Styles to continue on their legacy of the Bullet Club in Japan.

It was a slow tease and Styles was left conflicted many times. This also brought Reigns and the Usos together yet again, showing their family unity in keeping The Club at bay while Reigns and Styles dealt with each other.

The two ladies laid it all out on the line in their history making matches

8. Sasha Banks v. Bayley

In this history-making feud in NXT, the two women put forth one of the best women’s matches in WWE history, followed with the 30 minute Ironman match after. Bayley can be looked at as the female equivalent of John Cena; the good girl who doesn’t quit and fights for what’s right.

In the two matches in their stellar feud, each woman gave their all in quest of who wanted the NXT Women’s Championship more. Death defying moves and outsmarting each other was crucial for both women in their quest towards history.

Owens proved he was a force to be reckoned with when he secured a victory over Cena

7. Kevin Owens v. John Cena

Kevin Owens had an outstanding WWE debut, immediately going after John Cena. He answered Cena’s US Championship Open Challenge while still the NXT Champion. Owens would then gain a surprise victory over Cena at the Elimination Chamber PPV.

This feud spoke volumes for NXT; that they were a developmental promotion to be taken seriously and Owens was the best choice to do this with. Owens has been on fire since then, eventually transitioning to the main roster full time and then becoming Intercontinental Champion. Owens certainly has a bright future ahead of him, and fans will remember his strong debut.

Orton waited until the time was right to blindside Rollins after months of build up

6. Seth Rollins v. Randy Orton

This feud was a slow burn, brewing well before WrestleMania season in late 2014. It was obvious Rollins was the golden child while Orton felt some kind of way about his position in the Authority.

The two would try to outdo one another over time. Rollins’ cocky attitude worked on Orton’s nerves and it was a matter of time before the two fell out. Rollins would put Orton out of action for a few months before Orton returned and attacked The Authority. What made this special was Orton bided his time while putting on a front to renew his relationship with The Authority. However, he had other ideas and attacked Rollins when the time was right.

The fans wanted it, and they got it!

5. The Shield v. The Wyatt Family

In another instance for The Shield, fans wanted to see them face off against The Wyatt Family at one point. While one can argue for a better storyline, when the face off did happen in Los Angeles, fans went wild over the intense staredown, followed with Roman Reigns stepping up to Bray Wyatt afterwards. The stables would have three matches on television, with The Wyatts winning two. The Shield won the third and final televised match on Main Event, moving on towards The Authority after.

This summer feud never gets old

4. Seth Rollins v. Dean Ambrose

When Seth Rollins joined The Authority, it devastated Dean Ambrose the worst. Ambrose would cut a very emotional, angry promo the week after Rollins joined the Authority which set the tone for their feud in the summer of 2014.

The two would feud until Hell in a Cell, where they battled it out inside the Cell. Ambrose proved he was definitely a lunatic with some mind games to infuriate his former friend. The next year, Ambrose would play with Rollins once more when he stole his WWE Championship for a few weeks.

Now this year, the tables have tuned as Ambrose is now the WWE Champion and Rollins is chasing him in their third summer feud. Kudos to them and WWE for keeping this feud fresh over time.

Jericho took his dislike of CM Punk a step further

3. Chris Jericho v. CM Punk

What was so great about this feud is that WWE played on the fact that CM Punk was straight edge. Jericho would bring up Punk’s father’s past with alcoholism and took it a step further by pouring alcohol all over Punk during an episode of Raw.

Jericho produced some of his best heel work antagonizing the WWE Champion week after week targeting his family and their flaws. This feud was based on emotion and both men delivered on that during the feud’s course.

Psychology was the driving factor with Cena v. Wyatt in 2014

2. John Cena v. Bray Wyatt

This is perhaps one of the best feuds Wyatt has had. Psychology was the major component of this feud leading into WrestleMania and during the match. One of the best moments for Wyatt was when he had an army of children wearing sheep masks singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” during an episode of Raw. It was a fantastic idea, as Cena is well known for his work with children. Cena sold the shock and disbelief of the moment and made Wyatt look like a menacing monster.

The Authority stopped at nothing to keep Bryan down

1. Daniel Bryan v. The Authority

Call it a Reality Era version of Stone Cold Steve Austin v. Vince McMahon and the Corporation, but the white-hot feud of Daniel Bryan v. The Authority made for a great story and culminated in one of the best WrestleMania moments in history.

The feud combined with backstage rumors heated up the Yes Movement to fever pitch, and led WWE to take notice and make changes after the Royal Rumble in 2014. Bryan was an underdog and it made fans pull for him more. The drive, heart and determination of Bryan are what won many fans over during the course of the feud. The odds were stacked against Bryan and he prevailed through it all.