Interestingly, there is only one wrestler who appears in all three lists of 2011, 2012, and now 2013. I’ll let you know who when we get there, but I doubt the answer will surprise you.

1) Antonio Cesaro

Just missed out in making my 2012 cut but got an honourable mention, Cesaro has been working his socks off since arriving on our screens. He’s not great on the mic so his partnership with Swagger and Zeb Colter has been perfect in letting him shine in the ring instead. Oh and how he shined!

Everyone is going to point to The Cesaro Swing as the big move of the year, but don’t forget he already destoryed Miz against the barricades back in February when he was still a singles competitor. That’s the thing, he keeps inovating. Every couple months Cesaro will do something new, like the leapfrog over Swagger to stomp on the chests of his opponents on the ground.

There are no “5 Moves of Doom” to be found here. More like 500.

Also, check out this Swing from the indie circuit in 2009 when he actually swings his opponent a full 100 times. Bonus points for spotting the clean shaven D-Bry counting along.

2) Daniel Bryan

A common theme on these lists over the years has been me talking about how under-utilised Daniel Bryan is. We can’t really say that this year, can we? Pretty much everything worth watching in WWE went through him and he main-evented multiple Pay-Per-Views this winter.

We, as fans, tend to forget sometimes that despite D-Bry not having the title around his waist, he’s still doing well. We all want to see him as the champ because we like him but he is in prime-position in the company and for the wrestlers that’s the important part.

Hopefully next year will be just as good for the goat. He hasn’t gotten an injury yet and long may his luck continue. For a little highlight, let us all remember the moment when Daniel Bryan pinned John Cena clean in the middle of the ring for the WWE title. Pinned. John Cena. Clean.

And, yeah, Bryan is totally the only guy in the FF all three years.

3) The Shield

The Shield have had a hell of a year. They’ve been central to almost everything. All the big story lines have included them at some point or another. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the random interveners or hired enforcers.

I was tempted to just list Roman Reigns on his own as he has been the clear stand-out in the group but I felt it would be unfair to the group as a whole who have helped him create that little spotlight on him.

But because he is so damned beautiful…

4) Big-E Langston

BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E… I kinda just want to write that for a couple paragraphs but I guess I should write something.

Anyone who follows Big-E online knows he’s a very warm, funny, and charming guy. It helps knowing this because his mic-work needs improving (or, more realistically, he needs a gimmick that doesn’t require him to be the tough serious guy). Everyone seems to like him and that doesn’t hurt when added to his already impressive physique.

He’s the current Intercontinental champion and they’ve partnered him up, in true WWE form, with the other big scary black guy because… sure! But despite him punching AJ in the boob earlier this year, next year should see Big-E hit even bigger heights.

5) AJ

She’s been almost single-handedly holding the Diva’s division together. Her and Kaityln had a great feud earlier in the year, then she ran the gamut of Total Divas. She barely got the same amount of air-time as most mid-card guys but she still managed to make one of the stand-out moments of the year with her pipe-bomb in August.

Long may the reign of Queen AJ continue. The WWE would be a lot worse off without her.

AND COMPETING FOR A PLACE…

I feel a little silly not mentioning some of the other great workers in the game right now. Here are some guys who just missed out of my Fave Five.

Cm Punk: I know it’s kinda ridiculous not to have him on the list, apart from D-Bry up there he has been on all previous ones. But his time off with injury and general relegation to the upper-mid card has hurt him in my eyes. Also, I really wasn’t a fan of the long drawn-out feud with Paul Heyman. REALLY.

Cody Rhodes: Cody continuously just misses out on the list, the poor little guy. It must keep him up at night. He’s got the looks, the talent, and the momentum. Hopefully 2014 is his break-out year.

Goldust: It is 2013 and Goldust is on a list of current great wrestlers within the WWE. Let that soak in. Amazing.

Dolph Ziggler: Remember when Dolph cashed in his briefcase and everyone lost their shit? Remember? It was only a couple months ago. Honest. No, really, it was. Sigh.

Wow, what a year. I’m not saying it was great but it was definitely a year. So much has changed in the WWE since I did my Fave Five of 2011 but yet not really at the same time. CM Punk is still champion. John Cena is still over used. Most worrying of all, Khali still gets more air time than Zack Ryder.

The real question is; has my Fave Five changed at all?

1) Daniel Bryan

Without a doubt Goat Face is my top performer of the year. He never has a bad match. Always gets big pops when he arrives. Has done amazing things with terrible material. He’s just so, so good.

Think about it. If I told you at the start of the year that pre-taped counceling sessions with Bryan and Kane would be one of the best things on WWE you’d check to see if I had lost it. And considering that a year ago he was exhiled to Smackdown, it’s hard to believe that he went on to have arguably CM Punk’s best matches this year and is now “the Tag Team Champions”.

Most wrestlers on the roster would kill to be as over as Bryan is right now and yet I still feel like there is so much more to come. Somehow, he still feels under-used. But everything is moving in the right direction so lets hope it stays that way.

2) Dolph Ziggler

Despite having a win/loss ratio in minus figures, it still feels like it has been a good year for the Heel. He won Money In The Bank, finally ditched Swagger and Vickie, got a win at a PPV over John Cena, and got to be the 5th guy to kiss AJ (that girl gets around).

Admittedly he still hasn’t cashed that briefcase in but I’ve kinda enjoyed all the near misses with it. The best thing about those near misses is that the crowd always cheers when he runs out. People are getting behind him and in an age where a lot of venues are deathly silent, that is the most valuable thing in WWE.

Over the last couple months we’ve been hearing more and more Ziggler chants, lots of Ziggler signs in the crowd, and a more vocal fan base. All he needs now is the creative team to get as excited about him as the fans are. If he cashes in that case, hopefully 2013 will see the Zig Zag man follow in D-Bry’s footsteps.

3) AJ

Despite being reduced to a “crazy slut” stereotype at this point, AJ has acheived something that very few WWE “Divas” have in the past and that’s bankability. It’s almost a golden rule now that if AJ is involved in the storyline, something good is going to happen.

For a tiny girl in a business of burly men, that is a very impressive feat indeed. Some could successfully argue that the way she’s being treated is a bit… sexist… kinda, sorta, totally, but I will give her props for managing to navigate her way through all this mess with her head held high and a skip in her step. So to speak.

It’s probably important to note that she has wrestled very few matches throughout the year but I think it’s more accurate to look upon her as that old school kind of manager at ringside than a wrestler now. In much the same way as Paul Heyman = Gold, AJ has managed to become invaluable.

4) CM Punk

(Yes this is the same picture as last year, but he’s still champion so what do you expect?)

The self proclaimed Best In The World has managed to do something I really couldn’t predict, be WWE champion for a complete calender year. It’s not that I didn’t think he was worthy of it, I’m just shocked that the notoriously flaky WWE have kept with the same guy for that long (who isn’t Cena, naturally).

Some of his PPV matches have been majestic and the guy is currently having a ball as the bad guy. He even managed to keep the title despite an injury which is traditionally unheard of in wrestling. WWE are definitely playing the long game and eyeing next year’s Rocky tussle by keeping the strap on his shoulder. Thankfully too, as it is the right move long-term.

I haven’t been thrilled over the last couple months with his rivalries but I think that’s due to the lack of big names on the roster (that he hasn’t already fought a dozen times). But no matter how dull the story-line is, Punk still manages to make it interesting. Even if he has to punch a fan to do it.

5) The Prime Time Players

If any of my picks this year are going to cause a reaction it’s these guys. Darren Young and Titus O’Neill are, in my eyes, the best tag-team that the WWE have by far. And the best tag-team they’ve had for years. These guys should and will be champions. ‘Fro pick and all.

The sad state of affairs is, if the tag division was being taken more seriously they’d have some storylines to work with. However, for some strange reason, Creative don’t really give storylines to tag teams. They just compete, nothing more. Which is a shame as I think they have the charisma and the skills to be a dominant force.

Recently they had PTP do some commentary with Cole and Lawler, it was absolutely hilarious and rambled into the proper uses of “wash rags”, of all things. This sparked a bit of debate about the team as D-Young stayed quiet the whole time and people wondered if there was a problem with the group but I think it just showed the dynamic of the team.

Hopefully things go their way in 2013 and they can finally get those MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

AND COMPETING FOR A PLACE…

Much like last time, there are other wrestlers who have impressed me this year for a number of reasons but I just didn’t like them as much as the above. Something makes me hesitant about them and I’ll divulge those niggles with you now.

Ryback: Clearly, Ryback has gotten a huge push from WWE this year. From a guy in a constant rotation of novelty squash matches to WWE title matches. Brodus Clay must be looking on with tears in his eyes. The problem is, despite his size and strength, nothing really inspires me with him. I think he still needs that one really good rivalry. CM Punk’s injury may have robbed him of that opportunity.

The Shield: If they debuted earlier in the year these guys would have definitely made the list. I am ridiculously excited by the 3 men and the TLC PPV sealed my fandom. Hopefully in 2013 we’ll see a lot more of these rising stars.

Antonio Cesaro: United States champion may have a lame gimmick but the dude has the skills inside the ring. When he is allowed to have a long match, he can really show off. Need to get a little more serious if he’s to be considered more than just a midcarder. Like most guys, his future lies in the hands of the writers.

Kofi Kingston: If you dislike Kofi, you officially have no soul. Fact. He’s the eternal baby face. But the guy needs to get more intense on the mic. It’s his big soft spot. We’ve all seen what he can do in the ring when given the chance (handstand at the Rumble, anyone?).

If I had to credit TNA for doing one thing better than the WWE, it’s their women’s division. Sure they also have a very cringe-worthy title for it but whatever you call them, Knockouts or Divas, TNA’s just get more time to actually wrestle. It’s not perfect but it’s better.

Last night’s lackluster Hell In A Cell PPV didn’t leave me with much to talk about, however it did highlight something for me that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. What does WWE need to do differently so that women’s wrestling can be taken more seriously? And the best I could come up with? They need their own show.

For a long time the Divas match on a Pay-Per-View has been seen as the “go get a beer” match. It’s understandable to a certain level. Rarely has there been much of a build up to these matches and quite often the competitors are of low standards so interest will always struggle.

Last night was a triple threat match with a decent angle. Eve is a sneaky champion defending against the woman she beat to win the title (Layla) and the woman she screwed over to get her title shot (Kaitlyn). You can’t ask for much more than that in a title match! The girls put on a good match too. Kaitlyn is a wrestler I’m continually impressed by and Layla has been a reliable wrestler since her return from injury. And Eve was there too. But the crowd? Couldn’t care less.

This has happened a few times now, especially during Beth Phoenix‘s run. Decent matches at PPVs but no time before or afterwards on TV to work. It’s clear the creative team either has no faith in the girls or feels like nobody cares. But here’s my issue with that last point, they only don’t care because you haven’t made them care. Case in point: AJ Lee.

Without a doubt one of the biggest surprises of the year has been AJ’s rise to the top of the heap. She’s a Diva who actually gets a crowd reaction and has been at the centre of a lot of what WWE has been doing this year. The crowd give a damn and it’s because Creative have given her something to do.

I understand show time is precious. Despite RAW’s now questionable 3 hour length run-time every week there is still not enough time for the likes of Zack Ryder, Tyson Kidd, and other deserving future superstars. How do you make the decision to leave out a Kofi Kingston for a Diva’s match? I get it. Although, with WWE’s Network still(?) on the horizon and a new show on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings, I don’t think it’s too much to ask to give the Divas a one hour show each week. You pay them, why not use them?

Then maybe you can give them more than a 2 minute match on Smackdown. Or actually allow them to use a microphone. Or maybe, just maybe, you might find a new audience of young women who will both enjoy the show and see a role model on the screen rather than a plot device in a man’s storyline. Maybe it could inspire some young girls to someday grow up and want to wrestle themselves. As of right now, WWE isn’t really doing that.

I’d like to leave it on this note: Here is a short video from back in the WWF days of Lita signing copies of her new video. Both men and women sign up for the privilege but one little girl bursts into tears upon meeting her idol. Her emotions and how much it means to her is plain to see. WWE has an opportunity to possitely influence young girls like this all over the world. Take advantage of it.

Oh and who is that little girl in the video? AJ Lee.

The 1000th episode of RAW was aired this past week, and as per usual Vince turned it into equal parts car crash and joyous entertainment. I won’t go into a full break down of the episode but I would like to talk about the moments that stuck out for me. Overall, it was a decent show, nothing more, but it was a “kitchen sink” sort of broadcast with so many crazy parts that it deserves some mention.

As always when reviewing a show like this, if you haven’t seen it yet, there be spoilers a-hoy-hoy:

The DX Reunion

The sad state of Sean Waltman’s physical and psychological appearance aside, I was super happy to see the team back on screen. I have a huge soft spot in my heart for Billy Gunn, he was one of my favourite wrestlers growing up. Road Dogg is a guy who has turned a corner in his life and seems to be on the straight and narrow now, which is wonderful, and appears to still have a lot of skill on the mic even though he didn’t get a huge opportunity to show it off that night.

You could really tell the guys were having a lot of fun. With HHH’s wise-crack about everyone’s hairline to the butt-joke skit afterwards, it was definitely a party atmosphere when they were around. And with X-Pac’s madness aside, you could see how much it meant to the New Age Outlaws to be in a WWE ring again. And damn it, it meant a lot to me too, to see them there.

The Sonic advertisement.

I hope the King was sufficiently embarrassed.

Mae Young’s Hand-son.

Genuinely, I think this was a stroke of comedic genius. And if you’re too young to remember what this is in reference to, then you’re too young for me to explain it. But don’t worry, you don’t want to know. I wish I could forget.

This almost made the therapy worth it. Almost.

Dude Love’s entrance was longer than Brodus Clay’s match

That is all.

I’m really getting tired of squash matches. 

Lita… Wow. Yay APA.

In the words of Farooq “…damn!”. Lita still has it. All of it. And I like it. Yup.

I’ve kind of made a promise to myself not to make misogynistic comments online. So I’ll stop talking about Lita except to say that it’s a shame she is no longer with the WWE as she was a good talent in the ring and could genuinely wrestle.

I got a thrill seeing the APA back on TV too. That clothesline-from-hell still looks as crazy as it always did. God damn, that always looks like it hurts.

The Punk Heel Turn.

You know, there was rumours of Cena doing it which I dismissed off the bat. When the Rock challenged “the champion” to a match at the Royal Rumble, I figured it meant Cena would win the belt that night, which did nothing as a theory but make me sad, however it seemed logical that they would set up a Cena/Rock rematch. I was also convinced that Cena would win this one because to make him the first Money In The Back winner to not became champion, ON TOP OF making Cena lose on this big show… well I’m just shocked that this all happened. So well played WWE, well played.

So if a heel turn means Punk is still the champion… I’ll take it. I look forward to see what he comes up with.

Oh and before I forget…

…I, for one, welcome our new overlord.

Just when I thought I was out… they pulled me back in!

Before the summer began I had grown increasingly frustrated with the WWE, particularly it’s creative department. Their best wrestlers weren’t being utilized and the few that were had some terrible storylines with wrestlers who didn’t deserve the air-time (I’m still looking at you, Khali). I had genuinely decided to quit this column and concentrate on more grown up things, like comic books.

However, recently things have gotten increasingly better. It’s still not great, but there is definite improvement. The recent RAWs have been enjoyable, especially the week Vickie Guerrero was the guest General Manager, and if you can make me enjoy 2 hours with Vickie Guerrero you know it was something special.

CM Punk and D-Bry have been feuding for over a month. They could feud for another 12 months and I’d be happy about that. These guys are pure class.

And WWE have actually been working on their tag-team division. Seriously, I know, right?! These are all great positives.

There has been a lot of injuries and suspensions but the roster has found an equilibrium recently. Besides, the longer Randy Orton stays off my screen the better.

The Divas division is still completely in dissaray but AJ has gotten a chance to do some amazing work this past month or two and she has grabbed the opportunity with her small, crazy hands.

I don’t know if I can pin (roll-up or otherwise) my new found happiness entirely on Big Johnny being gone from our screens, but it has definitely been apart of it. Now if we can just get Cole to shut up…

But on to last night’s Money In The Bank PPV. Warning now, if you haven’t seen it yet do so before reading this because obviously spoilers abound. Although there is only one thing on my mind

… Seriously.

… No peeking.

… Is everyone ready?

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD! THE ZIG ZAG MAN HAS THE BRIEFCASE, SUCKA! CAN YOU DIG THAT?????? *ahem* Sorry. Got a little carried away there. This is what happens after 3 hours of Booker T commentary.

But yes, Dolph Ziggler is Mr Money In The Bank and I could not be more excited. To say that Ziggler has been abused in the WWE might sound a little sensational but the guy has consistently jobbed for every guy the WWE have wanted to push for the past couple of years. And when I say Dolph could wrestle a broom and make it look good, that is no exaggeration. He is exceptional. But they chained him to Vickie G and Jack Swagger while making him lose week in and week out. It was heartbreaking to watch.

The plus side was, he was still young and you had to hope that he was going to get his shot eventually. They love to make you pay your dues in wrestling and Dolph has sold for Zack Ryder AND Santino Marella so he’s paid more than his fair share. Last night, it really felt like it finally paid off. And much like Daniel Bryan winning it last year, hopefully this is the start of him being a headliner for the considerable future.

Hell, the crowd agrees with me. You could hear Dolph chants throughout the match and you could see more signs for him in the crowd than anyone else.

Including John Cena who… I think had a match that night or something.

So yes, in the immortal words of JR; “business has just picked up”.

PS: if there is a certain someone reading this, if you make a “Go Zig Or Go Home” t-shirt, I’ll buy it.