United States Championship

Ladders

Undertaker (DJ) vs. Dusty Rhodes (Kasey)

European Championship

Ladders

Sgt. Slaughter (DJ) vs. Hulk Hogan (Kasey)

Special Exhibition Match

Tables. Ladders. Chairs.

Uncle Sam (DJ) vs. Abe Lincoln (Kasey)

Because you deserve it. Because you asked for it. Because we needed it.

Because. America.

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.

I’ll make my case by listing all legitimate teams currently getting air-time on RAW and Smackdown and there is no better place to start than the champions.

– The Rhodes Brothers

The winners of the best match at the recent Battleground PPV surprisingly stayed together as a team and won the titles a week later. I was only surprised that they stayed together as Goldust was essentially retired as a wrestler and working backstage until about a month ago. I didn’t think he’d stay active after the PPV but I’m so glad he did. He looks in great shape and is the epitome of a veteran with all the skills that comes with such experience. Teaming him with the young and talented Cody is a great combination and I hope they stick around for the foreseeable future.

– The Shield

The ex-champions had a respectable reign (and rollins… ahem) and lost in a fashion that still makes them a threat. I like the two as a coupling. Reigns is big and strong while Rollins is more fast and technical. Opposites attract in the tag division as far as I’m concerned. Their only downside is that they get used so much as a trio in different stories that it effects their tag standings.

– The Usos

They’re supposed to be the current #1 Contenders but they kind of got forgotten about during the Rhodes return. They’ve been around the WWE for a number of years now but I get a sneaky feeling they’re still seen as green by the guys in the back and have never been trusted with a true push. Their lack of mic skills might be what’s holding them back.

– Prime Time Players

Everybody knows how much I love this team. They’re the Dolph Zigglers of the tag division. Completely under-appreciated despite their endless potential with a growing (and vocal) fan base. Something is holding them back with those in influence backstage and we may never know what it is, but they deserve a push and I worry that it may never come. I’ll keep barking along with Titus O’Neill regardless.

– Tons of Funk

In another time period, another generation, this duo would be huge. Admittedly, they’re huge in size now, but not on the show. Two guys as imposing as Brodus Clay and Tensai/Albert/Sweet T should be steam-rolling the competition. Maybe they’re wasted as a “face” team. You couldn’t keep the dancing gimmick if you changed them to heels though. So maybe they’re left in limbo until someone figures out what to do with them. I feel like it would be a waste to leave them as they are now.

– The Real Americans

With thanks to Zeb Colter on the mic and some more than impressive ring work from Antonio Cesaro, The Real Americans are well on their way to becoming one of the great tag teams of our time. Sure, the xenophobia angle and the questionable fan reactions are reasons to give pause, but it’s wrestling, redneck-theatre was always a little unnerving to modern thinking. I expect big things from these guys in the future.

– The Wyatt Family

These guys were the tag team champions in NXT before coming to the main WWE roster. They are massive men, dwarfing a lot of their competition in size. They have a strong gimmick and a confident mouth piece in Bray Wyatt but something is just not clicking with the fans quite yet. One good feud could turn all that around, though, so don’t write this faction off quite yet.

– Los Matadores

Awwww jeez… I like Primo and Epico. I think they got a rough deal when they were taken away for redevelopment. I think they got an even rougher deal when they were brought back with these new identities. But they have the in-ring skill that I hope will help them rise above it all and I have to admit, this bull they have with them knows how to move so who knows? Maybe things will turn out OK.

– 3MB

… alright, maybe it’s not all so great.

————————————————————-

Do you think I’m leaving out any significant team? Shout at me in the comments below.

Butt Championship.

Fatal 4-Way.

Tables/Ladders/Chairs.

DJ as Goldust because DJ maintains that he is the greatest wrestler of all time.

Kasey as CM Punk because Kasey is totally gay for CM Punk.

Joey as Eddie Guerrero to represent the memory of Latin Heat with honor.

Mike as Ken Shamrock because its one of the only wrestler names he recognized.
DJ and Kasey are jerkbutts.