Our countdown of the Top 50 Wrestlers of 2013 has reached it's climax. You are about to read about the people YOU voted for as the ten best wrestlers in the world across the previous twelve months. Before you do though, be sure to check out the rest of our countdown using these links: #50-41 - #40-31 - #30-21 - #20-11
 |
| The Best Female Wrestler In The World |
(Highest Placed Female)
The reigning WWE Divas Champion has secured THE highest placed female entry for any TWF50 EVER. She's achieved this lofty position not only because she's the most featured female in the most prominent wrestling promotion in America (which in itself has to be considered a career high), but also because she's just so damned good at every thing she does!
After co-winning The Wrestling Media Nations Breakout Performer Award for 2012, AJ was not only the driving force behind Dolph Zigglers rise up the card, but has also carried the Divas division since the beginning of 2013 - let alone June when she won the Divas Championship. It's probably no coincidence that Zigglers free-fall began shortly after he and AJ split.
9. Dolph Ziggler
WWE try to bury Ziggler time and time again but when it comes down to it, wrestling fans recognize just how talented this man is. He may have spent the majority of the year jobbing to just about everybody, but the way the crowd responded to his Money In The Bank cash-in should have been an indicator to WWE of just how over the Show-Off could be if only they gave him an extended opportunity. Unfortunately for Ziggles he picked up a concussion almost immediately after our "I'm Markin' Out Bro" award winning moment, meaning his World Title reign was pretty much a write-off. Shortly thereafter he and AJ were split apart and that's a crying shame because the trio of AJ Lee, Big E Langston and Ziggler himself was one of the most refreshing up and coming units WWE had seen in quite some time.
 |
| The Swis Superman |
In 2012 Antonio Cesaro was the joint-winner, alongside AJ Lee, of our Breakout Performer Award. In 2013 he's managed to bag himself a top 10 TWF50 spot AND The Zack Ryder Award for Under-Utilized talent!
2013 started out well for the Swiss Superman, with a number of successful United States Championship defenses until April, where his 240 day reign was brought to an end by Kofi Kingston.
Throughout May he'd briefly feud with Sami Zayne on NXT. Cesaro did the job for his former ROH collegue giving the ex-El Generico a win on his NXT debut before the two produced an excellent two out of three falls match.
In June Cesaro became affiliated with Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter, forming The Real Americans tag-team. Across this period Cesaros Giant Swing started to catch on with the crowd, many believe this maneuver and the connotations of aligning a none-American national with the anti-immigrant Swagger and Colter guarantee that Cesaro will turn bebyface and catch fire in 2014...
7. Bully Ray
Our highest placed TNA performer has been THE standout wrestling heel in US wrestling this year. His heel turn on Hulk Hogan, his new wife and the TNA locker-room at Lockdown is probably the most despicable act of villainy in TNA Wrestling history. Bully Ray inside a cage surrounded by the Aces and Eights screaming and Brooke while the fans rained garbage down on him is certainly the best visual TNA have ever created.
The Real Rock'N'Rolla held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship every day of 2013. An impressive feat in itself, but that's not even half the story. You see, 2013 is the year that one of the worlds best in-ring performers found a personality to go alongside the technical ability, and boy is it a good one!
On April 7, after a failed attempt at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag-titles, Prince Devitt turned on his long-time Appollo 55 tag-team partner Taguchi, introduced the world to his new bodyguard and turned into the cockiest heel currently working for any major promotion.
More followed, in early May Devitt and Bad Luck Fale were joined by Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga and the Prince Devitt led Bullet Club had officially arrived in New Japan.
Not one to let a storyline get in the way of the actual wrestling, Devitt would spend a few weeks between May and June winning the annual Best Of The Super Juniors tournament. He'd then go on to have a very telling feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi. Though his matches were punctuated by Bullet Club interference, Tanahashi made sure that Devitt was a legitimate main-event Heavyweight and as a result, the Real Rock'N'Rolla received his first title match which saw him put in a losing effort against Kazuchika Okada on July 20.
In August he pulled a winning record of five wins and four defeats from his G1 Climax block. He spent the majority of the rest of the year in various tag scenarios with members of The Bullet Club.
5. The Shield
We made the allowance of a group for our mid-year mini-rankings and the Wyatts have already made an appearance on our list, so is it any wonder The Shield have made our top five? Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose spent the first half of the year being THE best booked performers in American wrestling. WWE seemed intent to prove the point that when they want to, they can build stars in next to no time, and with The Shield that's exactly what they did. They may have cooled off a little towards the middle of the year but their alignment with "The Authority", feud with the Rhodes family and the subsequent tease of their break-up has kept everybody talking about the hottest new act in wrestling during 2013.
 |
| If you've never seen this man wrestle then you're missing out. |
Hiroshi Tanahashi is THE best in-ring performer in any major promotion anywhere in the world right now. Yes, even better than Daniel Bryan!
2013 may not have been his best year, but it was still pretty impressive. He entered the year as the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion and succesfully defended the title until April, where a Wrestle Kingdom re-match with the man that sits in our number three position saw his shoulders pinned cleanly to the mat.
He held the CMLL World Tag-Team Championship with Captain New Japan between July and September and his mini-feud with Prince Devitt was instrumental in legitimizing the leader of the Bullet Club as a main-event heavyweight.
He was one of the star men of the G1 Climax - his 30 minute draw against Kazuchika Okada was a match of the year contender and his losing performance in the tournament final did for Tetsuya Naito what he'd previously done for Prince Devitt.
September saw Tanahashi win CMLLs Universal Championship - which is an annual single elimination tournament featuring only wrestlers that have held CMLL championships and defended them in Arena Mexico.
Hiroshi Tanahashi entered 2014 almost exactly as he entered 2013... by main eventing Wrestle Kingdom.
 |
| The Rainmaker |
New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2013 belonged to Kazuchika Okada. In the glowing beacon of pro-wrestling greatness that was the best wrestling promotion on the planet, no light shone brighter than the Rainmakers.
The first part of the year told a tale of a failed attempt to be the best, falling down the ladder and then using the New Japan Cup to rebuild his confidence before finally lifting the biggest prize in puroresu for the second time in April.
During the course of 2013 Okadas popularity has continued to rise and he's not only won The Wrestling Media Nations Breakout Performer Award, but he's also cemented himself as the number two top star in New Japan behind Hiroshi Tanahashi. He ranked into the TWF50 one spot higher than Tanahashi by virtue of just one point and can thank "The Man Of The Century" for playing a major part in his success in 2013. The two squared off no less than four times, three with the IWGP Heavyweight title on the line and one 30 minute time limit draw at the G1 Climax. Their Wrestle Kingdom match was The Wrestling Media Nations Match of the Year and their Invasion Attack bout, where Okada took the title from Tanahashi, took second place. Okada successfully defended his title during 2013 against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Minoru Suzuki, Togi Makabe, Prince Devitt, Satoshi Kojima and Karl Anderson. The only notable name missing from that list in Shinsuke Nakamura...
 |
| Not The Best In The World! |
When Punk ranked in fifth for the Mid-Year Mini-Rankings we pointed out that he'd taken time off during that period and that we expected him to be even nearer to the number one spot for the TWF50. How right we were!
It's not that Punks 2013 was exceptional, in fact compared to 2012 it looks pretty average, but an average year for CM Punk is an exceptional year for everyone else and when you factor in our much publicized appreciation of the best promo man in wrestling and it was a certainty that he'd be hovering near the number one spot.
Punk entered 2013 at the tail end of his 434 day run as the WWE Champion and spent the first couple of months making his feud with the Rock as good as it could be. After the Rock, Punk set his sights on The Undertakers Wrestlemania undefeated streak. Again he took something that could have been average and turned it into the most intreaguing match at Wrestlemania 29.
After a brief hiatus Punk returned to accept and repel the challenge of Chris Jericho to prove who really was The Best In The World. After a brief dissension with his associate Paul Heyman Punk found himself feuding with the members of Heymans stable for the next few months with the highlight being his Summerslam match against Brock Lesnar. Punk ended out his year by helping out the man in our number one spot in his feud against the Wyatt Family.
 |
| The Best Wrestler In The World For 2013... you aren't surprised are you? |
The Best Wrestler In The World
YES! YES! YES!
Across the course of 2013, according to YOU, Daniel Bryan was THE best wrestler on the planet. And honestly, it's hard to argue against that point. He is easily THE most over performer in WWE and in truth was for the entire year. He may have started off 2013 weighed down with the baggage of having Kane as his tag-team partner, and WWE may have done their very best to make a mockery of the very thought that Bryan could be the WWE champion (by having Orton cash-in his Money In The Bank briefcase just moments after he won the title for the first time and then having Triple H strip him of the title less than twenty-four hours after winning it for the second time) but the paying fans in attendance just don't care.
After his 245 day tag-title reign with Kane ended, Brian floated from a brief feud with the Shield to being hand picked by John Cena to be the challenger for Cenas title at Summerslam. Bryan won that match, cleanly, in the center of the ring to win his first WWE Championship. Within ten minutes he'd been pedigreed by Triple H (the guest referee for the title bout) and Randy Orton had cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, pinned Bryan and taken the title from him.
After regaining the title at Night of Champions in September Bryan again won the title. This time he got to keep it until Raw the very next day when Triple H stripped him of the title siting a referee fast count as the reason. After another title match at Hell in a Cell was ended by a Shawn Michaels SuperKick to Bryan, the WWE briefly teased a feud between the two that, as of writing, has yet to amount to anything tangible.
Bryan closed his 2013 out by first feuding with and then apparantly joining the Wyatt Family. A far call from the main event status he earned from the fans but typical of the way WWE like to treat potential main event megastars.
No comments:
Post a Comment