#18 - The Rajah Forums Countdown of WWE's Best Matches of 2014

Greetings and salutations, boys and girls, and welcome to the first Rajah main page installment of the most prestigious countdown list of the year, the Rajah Forums Countdown of WWE's Best Matches of 2014!

Now, many of you have never visited the forums that are connected to this wonderful haven of news and features before, and so you might be unfamiliar with this countdown. The idea is that at the end of the year, dozens of Rajah forum members submitted lists of the WWE matches that they thought were the best. After an exhaustive process of averaging and general mathiness, a top 25 list was composed and over the course of the next few weeks, it will be revealed one match at a time.

If you agree or disagree with the matches on this list, or just wish to give your thoughts on them in a rad place full of skateboarding dinosaurs and charming secret agents, then hop on down to the Rajah Forums, make yourself an account and join the party.

Now let's get on with the next installment of the countdown...

The sheer competetive hatred is palpable as Charlotte and Sasha Banks stand across the ring from each other, boasting in their individual fashions while their names are announced post-entrance like should happen in any significant match. And in NXT, a battle for the Women's Championship is always significant. Unlike when she first won the Women's Championship, Charlotte looks like an intimidating veteran here, lighting up Sasha's chest enough to make her scream. Banks is no coward, though, as she takes it right back to Charlotte with spiteful violence. This is not a tale of brutality, however. This is nothing more than a contest of pride, to prove once and for all who is the better wrestler. So plenty of back-and-forth holds and mocking is seen, where we learn that Sasha Banks does a much more satisfying "WOO!" than Natalya. At every turn, these two trade momentum, counters and some new manuevers executed by either lady. They go as far as it takes to be seen on an equal level with the boys, such as Sasha Banks leaping through the ropes for one of the most beautiful crossbody suicide dives I've ever witnessed.

While it has been blissfully apparent that Charlotte is becoming a natural, Sasha's selling and often smooth execution of moves and bumps puts her on a unique level that is deserving of mountains of praise. When the woman makes a failed attempt at her Bank Statement finish look like one of the most devastating bumps of the whole match - second only to her sick plunge face-first into the mat from the top-rope - you know you have the gift. But while this was Sasha's proving ground, it would be neglectful to say this match was all about her, because the champion has been dominating the proving ground for the last few months. Charlotte's offense is stiff and feared in a kayfabe sense, and when she gets going and lands chop after clothesline after whatever randomly awesome move she pulls out next, it's a challenge to deny the feeling in your gut that she may wind up being one of the greatest women in all of WWE. After a well-paced, crowd-charged, and mentally-gripping bout that squashes any match on the main roster, she hammers that "Greatest Woman" point home with a frame-crushing variation of the Natural Selection from the top rope, more than earning another successful defense of her championship. The finish epitomizes Charlotte's creativity and ability to adapt to keep things fresh and exciting, but Charlotte and Sasha Banks both take that extra step to bring legitimacy to the women in WWE. If this match is anything to base an opinion on, the future might be too bright for the main roster to handle.