We are now one week into 2015.  After the re-emergence of the Authority, and Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erik Rowan going on unemployment, I’m still hearing people talk about the joke of a Slammy Award show from last month. Specifically the Superstar of the Year award. I have no problem with Roman Reigns. I believe that he will be a solid mainstay for WWE over the long haul, and one day I’m sure he will earn the Superstar of the Year award. Not for 2014 he didn’t. Not even close. Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and both of his Shield brethren make stronger cases than he does. My money doesn’t go for any of them though.  The one man who deserved Superstar of the Year: Brock Lesnar!

“OH HE’S A LESNAR MARK!”  I’m a wrestler and wrestling fan, and also a fan of wrestlers.  I’ve not hidden my favor for Brock Lesnar as an athlete, wrestler, fighter, and on screen persona. Brock Lesnar is the closest thing to legitimacy that the WWE has. Let’s look at 2014 for the Beast Incarnate. Starting with the Royal Rumble and his dismantling of the Big Show. No one looked stronger. No one looked more like a beast than Brock Lesnar. All respect in the world to Big Show for his part in that match. He disappeared for Elimination Chamber, but the wrestling/sports entertainment world was changed forever at WrestleMania 30. Brock Lesnar has one more thing on his resume that no other worker can ever say and that's “I beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania.” He is the ONE in 21-1. No one could believe it. It was the end to the most heralded and respected streaks in pro wrestling history. The Undertaker’s undefeated streak will never be referenced again. It’s still a dominant record, but just like Jon “Bones” Jones, Taker will always have that ONE blemish, ONE off night, ONE loss. Granted Jones received a much disputed DQ for his loss, but the image remains the same. The Undertaker will never be referenced as undefeated at WrestleMania because of one man. Brock Lesnar. His domination of the year continued at SummerSlam. John Cena getting destroyed in what was seen as, aside from Diesel vs Bob Backlund, the most one-sided championship match in WWE history. The Dead Man and The Poster Child within months of each other were manhandled by a “part-timer.”

That may be the only reason why votes were swayed, if the votes even really count. Lesnar does not have the full time schedule. His appearances are few and far between. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship isn’t even a central focus of programming anymore. I have my own opinions of this, however, the fact that it is someone like him who carries the belt eases my negative concerns. Brock Lesnar is the most legitimate champion that WWE has had in decades. Possibly only in company with Bruno Samartino and Kurt Angle.  Would it make for better programming if he was on more often? Yes and no. The Championship would be visible, but more and more superstars would be getting squashed on a regular basis. Not local talent or NXT stars either. We would be seeing John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler, and more top stars getting pummeled on a weekly basis. That’s no way to build your future. Brock Lesnar is not the future of WWE. He is the catalyst to create the next big thing. Whomever he faces at WrestleMania 31 will be pushed into another level of stardom, should they be victorious. Who will he face? Who will win the Royal Rumble? We’ll touch on that at another time.

To be perfectly clear, Brock Lesnar is, and should have been recognized as, the 2014 WWE Superstar of the Year. Roman Reigns is hot. He’s got a great foundation to build on for the future. He was not the Superstar of the Year. Cases could be made for Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, even Daniel Bryan, but no matter your pick, the facts remain the same. BROCK LESNAR! WWE SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR 2014!