Top Five Rivalries Of The WWE Reality Era

The Reality Era is often overlooked as an actual era of WWE television. It was so short and did little to change things up that people simply count it as part of the PG era. While it may be no more than a transitional period between the PG Era and the New Era, there are still some gems within it, especially in terms of rivalries.

5. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins

When the Shield was destroyed by the Architect himself, it was only a matter of time before Dean and Roman set out for revenge. While Rollins and Reigns did have their differences, it was Ambrose who battled Rollins in the summer and fall of 2014. Nearly every stipulation we see regularly was used. From perhaps the best lumberjack match in WWE history to a great Hell in a Cell encounter, these two proved their spot as the future of the company. Rollins would go on to cash in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania and then continue to feud with Ambrose for a while once again, this time with the WWE Championship up for grabs. There will certainly be more matches between the f=two in the future, and from their track record I don’t think many will be apposed to it.

4. John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Coming from the later months of the Reality Era, Styles and Cena’s first match happened just before the reemergence of the brand split. The fact that Styles was able to emerge victorious at Money in the bank, as well as Summerslam was truly a sight to behold. After guys like Wyatt and Rusev couldn’t topple Big Match John, it was a relief tosee the Phenomenal One break through. AJ’s subsequent WWE Championship win really kicked off the New Era with a bang, and his matches with Cena helped elevate him to that level. In the future, we may see some more between these two opposites. They really do contrast well and mesh in the ring.

3. The Shield vs. Evolution

Believe it or not, there was a time when Roman Reigns was one of the favorites of the WWE Universe. Alongside his Shield brethren, he entered a war with the newly reformed Evolution (excluding Ric Flair). It was a branch off from the Daniel Bryan vs. Authority storyline, which added a layer of intrigue to their feud. The two matches the factions put on were as near the peak of faction war as we have seen since the Attitude Era. And while the Shield took both victories, one of which was a clean sweep in an elimination match, the members of Evolution never appeared weak. Fittingly enough, the night after, we witnessed the destruction of both stables.

2. Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

After Lesnar snapped the Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak in half, we wondered if Big Evil would attempt some sort of revenge when it was clear he wasn’t done in the ring. While it took a while longer than some might have desired, the feud we were given was a great showcase of the two most powerful entities of the time. The storyline continued depicting the more human side of the Undertaker and the dominance of Lesnar, two things WWE does well at representing. Despite the disappointing finish to their Summerslam encounter, the match was one of the best of the year, and their Hell in a Cell match a few months later would end up being one of the best cell matches in it’s history. The story of Undertaker’s revenge was already laid out, making it easy to get invested. It is regarded as the last great rivalry for both men at the moment.

1. Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority

While this technically began in the PG Era with Triple’s turn on Bryan and Randy Orton cashing in Money in the Bank, it ended with the birth of he Reality Era. Daniel Bryan’s rise was one of the things that put the PG Era to rest. The Authority wasn’t the most well received corporate stable ever, but it did what it needed, especially with Daniel Bryan. The fans had been behind him for years, and with the YES movement in full swing, it was easy to get behind him as he faced the representation of what was keeping him from the main event. This of course capped off with Bryan standing tall at WrestleMania in one of the best moments in it’s history. It isn’t likely we will see something of this magnitude ever again, and that makes it all the more special.