* Hey everyone, appreciate the comments. Just want to say my picks are relating to overall success by superatars. For example, in my 1990 blog, I picked Warrior as breakthrough superstar. He did already break through prior to that time, but he really broke the glass ceiling in 1990. Earthquake arguable had the greatest breakthrough, and I have him down as a notable, but compared to Warrior, he never got near those same heights. Rick Rude missed the cut, but he pretty much left in 1990. This blog is mainly about WWF careers, and doesn't take into account Rick Rude being a big heel in his wcw career

This isn't about talent. If it was Warrior he wouldn't be anywhere near 1990's list, but it is about impact.

Hello fellow internet dwellers, my name is Earthquake (or David lol) and I am going to (try) get a little blog published on Breakthrough Superstars of the year from 1990 until present day. So that is 23 years of personal opinion that I don't think most people will be able to argue with but of course if you read this put forward your opinions cause this is a blog and it really feeds on your opinions, otherwise it's just me spouting (obvious) nonsense. I am going to write all of these one after the other so the initial aim is to get 1 published per day but I've gut nothing else to do so hopefully I will get a few out at a time.

The Rules:
Every year I will pick ONE superstar that I feel made the big breakthrough of the year. In the interest of fairness once somebody has won the breakthrough "award" he can never win one of them ever again.

I will pick a runner up, because again in the interest of fairness some people need to get their due. People who are runners up can at one point before, or in the future, receive the breakthrough award themselves, as this represents a significant step in the right direction or a brilliant re-emergence that made the world take notice of them again and solidified their status that may at once have been in doubt.

I will also pick 3 "also-rans", again in the interest of fairness. These 3 can win the award again before or after and again just signified a step in the right direction from the superstar.

Many things can achieve the award. A simple gimmick change that works brilliantly, a solid run in the main event, or the first steps that lead to a run of momentum to the main event scene. Most likely winning a championship for the first time will achieve this but not necessarily that.

There will be some controversial picks, and I'll admit there will probably be some guys I didn't like, people who didn't deserve a push, but in the interest of fairness I can't let personal bias cloud how prevalent they were in the year selected.

I hope you enjoy my blogs. I will enjoy writing them thats for sure.

So without further adieu.

1994
Impacting Superstar of The Year: Diesel



You can't argue with Diesel. Making his WWE debut in 1993 as Shawn Michaels' bodyguard, Big Daddy Cool tore through the WWF in 1994. Being the standout performer in the Royal Rumble (despite elimination) Nash would soon capture the intercontinental title, and was much more than just HBK's intimidating bodyguard. A tag team belt would also be in the destiny along with HBK, until Diesel turned face and shocked everybody at the end of the year when he pinned Bob Backlund in 8 seconds to win the WWF championship. Diesel was a made man and would hold the title until 1995's Survivor Series.

RUNNER UP: Owen Hart



Owen Hart came of age in 1994. Prior to this, he was just a character that happened to be Bret Hart's brother, but at the end end of 93 Hart would show signs of jealousy towards his more successful brother and completed the turn in 94 by beating on him after a failed tag team title victory. On to WrestleMania, a war of the Harts was on the agenda as the two brothers had their first ever showdown. In a shock, the younger brother got a victory in the opening match at WrestleMania X in a 5 star classic. When Bret won the title later on that night, it just made Owen look even better, and of course that was played on by Owen. "The rocket" would go on to have a supreme year, emulating his brothers King of The Ring success and once again having a 5 star match in the main event of Summerslam against his brother, for the title in a steel cage. He became one of the top heels in the company and a rival of Bret's the whole time they were on opposite sides. A real hated heel at the time. RIP to one superstar who ranks with Di Biase, Razor, Perfect and Piper in the worthy of champions list.

Other Notables:

Bob Backlund



Bob Backlund had already reached his peak in the late 70s/early 80's, but this ALSO takes into account how people reinvented themselves and got big again at some point, even if only for the year they are listed, as you will see with the guy below. In late 92, Backlund returned as a guy who just looked like a normal jobber, no music but with a good sportsman gimmick. He was respected by people who remembered him and respected his 6 year reign as WWWF champ, but to kiddo's like me, he was kind of funny looking, standing out from the steroid freaks we'd come to love. In 94, Backlund totally SNAPPED and we were introduced to an absolutely crazy maniac in his place. Backlund went totally psychotic after a losing effort to Bret Hart in a WWE championship match and demolished him. He would spend the next year feuding with the champ, even taking the title off him at Survivor Series before dropping it 3 days later to Diesel in an understandable move. Batshit crazy presidential campaigning Backlund may have been a revelation, but he was no face of the company. Needless to say though, he got very entertaining and reinvented his whole persona.

Krush



Krush got the monster push. He dropped the C from his name and replaced it with K (because K is obviously evil), changed his attire from more colourful to dark and dyed his hair brown. He went on a long feud with fan favourite Randy Savage after he got crushed by Yokozuna. He blamed Savage for what happened to him, and madly aligned himself with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. This led to one of the big matches at WrestleMania X against the Macho Man. He would remain in the same gimmick for the rest of the year before that fizzled out and he became a biker and a Nation of Domination member later in his career. 1994 was a big year though, can't argue that.

Razor Ramon



Razor is here because he does deserve it and there is really no one else who deserves it. 94 was the year that would lead into 95, undoubtedly the darkest year in WWE. The roster was very thin on top talent. Shawn Michaels had an epic year, but he was at the same level in 94 as he was in 93, but Razor got to a new level. The 1994 ladder match with HBK at WrestleMania, the first "official" one, sent his career into orbit as a result of being the winner. Razor was made from then on, no doubt about it. He was main event without being in the main event.