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The year 2013 will not be remembered as a great year for professional wrestling. While there have been a few awesome, once-in-a-lifetime moments, many of them are already forgotten. They were shiny speaks in the dung heap of bad decisions that continued to be delivered all year round.
But there are a few people who will be going into 2014 with their heads held high. Let’s take a look at the guys who managed to salvage gold from the wreckage.
John Cena – This one should have been obvious. Cena explained Vince McMahon’s logic in the Summer of 2011. For the second year in a row, Cena had been booked in the WrestleMania main event 12 months in advance. Therefore, it was in McMahon’s interests to keep Cena looking strong. Fearing that Cena will retire soon, McMahon tried to make as much money as possible from Cena. McMahon had planned for Cena to retain the WWE Championship until WrestleMania XXX (that’s right, for a whole year after CM Punk’s 14-month reign). Cena was pushed to the moon until he needed an urgent surgery. But he returned to another major title match, without earning it in any way. Cena is VERY close to breaking the record for most major world championship wins. Even though Cena has been a poor draw and is hated by the majority of WWE audiences (the biggest cheer he had was when he announced that he would be taking time off from the WWE), it is very clear that McMahon still has high faith in Cena.
Antonio Cesaro – For years, veterans in the wrestling industry have given the same advice to younger talent. Younger wrestlers were supposed to take every idea pitched to them, and run with it, no matter how bad the idea may be. Cesaro is living proof that working hard works. Cesaro battled back from bad gimmicks, jobbing and poor booking. Fans may never see the greatest matches of this year, because Cesaro was having them at un-televised events. Do I even need to mention how popular the Cesaro Swing became? Cesaro has proven that he has no weak points.
Daniel Bryan – Bryan had been kept out of the WWE for years due to Triple H’s influence. When he finally got inside, Triple H made sure that Daniel Bryan had a very hard climb. One thing you need to understand about Triple H, if he thinks you can’t make it big in the WWE, he has the power to make sure you don’t. However, Bryan was too good and too popular to stay down. At one point, Vince had planned to have a short feud between Bryan and Cena because he thought that Bryan would be the person most likely to give him a series of 5-star matches (that could have been the whole argument right there). But then Bryan made a believer out of Triple H… by getting in Triple H’s face. Bryan is one of the politest and most respectful people in the industry. But Bryan committed career suicide by seeking out Triple H during an episode of Raw, and losing his temper with his boss in front of other wrestlers. The act won Triple H’s respect. Granted, Bryan will go down as one of the worst WWE Champions of all time (his 2 title reigns lasted less than 1 whole day combined). But he solidified himself as an important part of WWE’s future.
Roman Reigns – When Roman Reigns lost a match this year, it was usually because Dean Ambrose or Seth Rollins interfered or took the fall. It is no secret that Triple H and the McMahons have been very keen on him. He has the look, the size and the intensity that they want to push. They have been looking for a new Samoan star, and Reigns could be it. Especially if Reigns can convince The Rock to come back for future matches (as they are cousins). His in-ring and microphone skills have greatly improved and he is very strong. Did you see him powerbomb Big Show unaided? There are already plans for Reigns to have a solo match at WrestleMania XXX.
Goldust – Goldust is 44 and had not wrestled full-time for years. But he is one of the best performers on the roster right now. His tag team with Cody Rhodes regularly steal the show, even at pay-per-view level. Chances are, this is Goldust’s final run and it will end with WrestleMania XXX. Either way, Goldust has more than proven himself. If he does retire in April, he can finally do so with his head held high.
Cody Rhodes – Despite spending all year in tag teams (with Damian Sandow and Goldust), Cody Rhodes finally broke through. He was once only added to the roster simply because his father helped him get into the WWE. Rhodes has become one of the best-rounded performers on the roster, and a future World Champion. Rhodes and Goldust’s first victory over the Sheild may be the match of the year.
Randy Orton – While Bryan, Reigns, Cesaro and the Rhodes’ have proved the value of hard-work, Orton demonstrated the opposite. Orton is a terrible employee. He changes scripted match segments, swears on live television (and pay-per-view), is clumsy and prone to intentionally hurting opponents he doesn’t like. His short-temper causes him to lash out at colleagues and fans alike. He criticises his employers over Twitter, and doesn’t actually look at the script before segments. And the new ‘Redemption Program’ was devised as an excuse to keep Orton (who has 5, maybe 6, out of 3 Wellness Policy violations). For some reason, his punishments involve being given title runs and pushes. The company realises that Orton is a liability, but they really do not want him to go anywhere else. If the WWE is willing to keep rewarding his bad behaviour, he is in a pretty powerful position.
Nikki Bella – You may notice that Brie Bella did not make this list. Since returning to the WWE, Brie Bella has worked very hard to become a better WWE Diva. Nikki has not put in the same effort (despite rumours that Cena was now helping with her training). However, her natural charisma has helped carry the Total Divas reality show, and much of their publicity. And it wasn’t Nikki who had the unfortunate nip-slip on an episode of Raw. It is clear that WWE management prefers Nikki over the other Total Divas. The fact that she is dating John Cena also helps her position.
Magnus – It is not secret that TNA President Dixie Carter is very keen on Magnus. While he is still pretty poor in the ring and has not improved much, he still received a massive push this year. He was in the newly reformed Main Event Mafia, nearly won the Bound For Glory series, defeated almost every former TNA Champion at least once each, and became TNA World Champion. People who were interviewed were all instructed to say that Magnus would be a breakout star. While every other employee was being asked to take major pay-cuts (as cost cutting measures), he was the only guy to sign a contract with a pay rise.
Tiffany Tyrrell – It is no secret that TNA only hired Tiffany because of her connections to Playboy magazine. Despite taking her training seriously in the WWE, she never really seemed to learn much. And the professional actress and nude model had trouble being on camera. However, she silenced all critics with THAT match with Gail Kim. You know the one that I am talking about. What no-one knew at the time, not even Tiffany herself, was that she did the hard-hitting match while pregnant. Thankfully, her child was born healthy and unharmed.
A.J. Styles – By the time you read this, Styles may be on his way out of TNA Wrestling. Either way, Styles managed to turn the year of hell into his biggest year yet. Hulk Hogan had planned to keep Styles off shows for an entire year. But Styles used his influence to get Dixie Carter to bring him back. He was destined to be in the bottom 3 of the Bound For Glory series, but he came back very late to win it. He then beat Bully Ray for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Even though Styles and TNA could not come to an agreement about his salary, Styles proved that he was still one of the most influential and in demand wrestlers in the industry right now. Styles is currently charging, and getting, $2,000 per indy show appearance.
Bully Ray – Do I really need to explain this one? He finally broke through and became the top heel in TNA Wrestling, and held his first major championship for much of this year.
A.J. Lee – CM Punk’s little protégé did really well this year. She finally escaped the purgatory of eternal girlfriend/valet roles. She won the Divas Championship and held it for the most of this year. With every Diva who wasn’t involved with Total Divas getting steamrolled into the undercard, A.J. somehow managed to stay above them all. Don’t forget, it was Miss Lee who dropped the only real pipe-bomb of 2013.
Undertaker – For the last several years, many have suggested that it was finally time for Undertaker to call it a day. Undertaker keeps on coming back for one match at WrestleMania, and spends most of the next year recovering from it. But something was different this time. No one honestly expected Undertaker to lose this year. He pulled off an epic match, and then returned to put Dean Ambrose and the Shield over. Undertaker was already one of the most respected men in the industry, and he reminded the world of why.
Chris Jericho – Jericho has been annoying fans with his half-year runs with the company. He returns in January, and then gets fired in the summer. Granted, he does work full-time when he is on the active roster. As he got older, he became more sluggish and his in-ring and microphone skills diminished. Just like Undertaker, this year was different. Jericho had rediscovered his inner venom and was cutting better promos. More importantly, most of his matches were truly memorable for good reasons.
Mark Henry - Henry’s size and weight made him inflexible and prone to injury. While he was strong and intimidating, he struggled to put on good matches. He did have a decent run as World Champion recently, feuding with Big Show in the best matches of his career. Henry seemingly blew all chances of becoming a main eventer again by walking out in April. Henry wanted to rest a minor injury instead of working through it. When Henry returned, he cut a rather obvious fake retirement promo. The promo would be the finest piece of microphone work that Henry ever produced. He convinced fans, and management, that he was capable of being a top tier performer once more. Even though he had another badly timed injury, Henry still seems to have a newfound invincibility. Also, Henry’s charity work outside of the WWE has also gotten him a lot of recognition.
Fandango - Everything about this gimmick was wrong. Fandango was too inexperienced to be on the main roster just yet. His dancer was a student, and was not able to tour with the WWE. He was originally introduced as Fandangoo. His character is limited in how many believable feuds he can have with other characters. His debut was delayed too long, and should not have happened at WrestleMania. But yet, it all worked. Some may argue that his success was based on his theme tune alone, but there is no denying that Fandango got over. He was even promoted by TNA’s Bully Ray, who repeatedly called him EntertAining.
Brock Lesnar - Even now, Lesnar has too few years of active experience to be as big as he is. He works too little to deserve the money that he is being paid. He did not deserve to be in 3 pay-per-view main events. Most of his promos and interviews were pre-recorded because he was just so poor at speaking. But those 3 matches were really good. Arguably, they were the 3 best matches of Lesnar's career. Lesnar definitely silenced his critics after his SummerSlam match with CM Punk.
Every single Ring Of Honor employee
If you are not aware of how much Ring Of Honor has grown in the past year, that is perfectly fine. By this time next year, you will be more aware of the ROH product. The company came under new management in 2012, and has thrived since. They have been bringing in more big names while growing new talent. On top of that, the talent finally feel appreciated by their employers. Some of them are actively choosing to turn down try-outs with TNA in order to remain with ROH. Not to mention that CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Kassius Ohno, Daniel Byran, A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, Antonio Cesaro, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards are all ROH alumni. Who is going to be called up next?
But there are a few people who will be going into 2014 with their heads held high. Let’s take a look at the guys who managed to salvage gold from the wreckage.
John Cena – This one should have been obvious. Cena explained Vince McMahon’s logic in the Summer of 2011. For the second year in a row, Cena had been booked in the WrestleMania main event 12 months in advance. Therefore, it was in McMahon’s interests to keep Cena looking strong. Fearing that Cena will retire soon, McMahon tried to make as much money as possible from Cena. McMahon had planned for Cena to retain the WWE Championship until WrestleMania XXX (that’s right, for a whole year after CM Punk’s 14-month reign). Cena was pushed to the moon until he needed an urgent surgery. But he returned to another major title match, without earning it in any way. Cena is VERY close to breaking the record for most major world championship wins. Even though Cena has been a poor draw and is hated by the majority of WWE audiences (the biggest cheer he had was when he announced that he would be taking time off from the WWE), it is very clear that McMahon still has high faith in Cena.
Antonio Cesaro – For years, veterans in the wrestling industry have given the same advice to younger talent. Younger wrestlers were supposed to take every idea pitched to them, and run with it, no matter how bad the idea may be. Cesaro is living proof that working hard works. Cesaro battled back from bad gimmicks, jobbing and poor booking. Fans may never see the greatest matches of this year, because Cesaro was having them at un-televised events. Do I even need to mention how popular the Cesaro Swing became? Cesaro has proven that he has no weak points.
Daniel Bryan – Bryan had been kept out of the WWE for years due to Triple H’s influence. When he finally got inside, Triple H made sure that Daniel Bryan had a very hard climb. One thing you need to understand about Triple H, if he thinks you can’t make it big in the WWE, he has the power to make sure you don’t. However, Bryan was too good and too popular to stay down. At one point, Vince had planned to have a short feud between Bryan and Cena because he thought that Bryan would be the person most likely to give him a series of 5-star matches (that could have been the whole argument right there). But then Bryan made a believer out of Triple H… by getting in Triple H’s face. Bryan is one of the politest and most respectful people in the industry. But Bryan committed career suicide by seeking out Triple H during an episode of Raw, and losing his temper with his boss in front of other wrestlers. The act won Triple H’s respect. Granted, Bryan will go down as one of the worst WWE Champions of all time (his 2 title reigns lasted less than 1 whole day combined). But he solidified himself as an important part of WWE’s future.
Roman Reigns – When Roman Reigns lost a match this year, it was usually because Dean Ambrose or Seth Rollins interfered or took the fall. It is no secret that Triple H and the McMahons have been very keen on him. He has the look, the size and the intensity that they want to push. They have been looking for a new Samoan star, and Reigns could be it. Especially if Reigns can convince The Rock to come back for future matches (as they are cousins). His in-ring and microphone skills have greatly improved and he is very strong. Did you see him powerbomb Big Show unaided? There are already plans for Reigns to have a solo match at WrestleMania XXX.
Goldust – Goldust is 44 and had not wrestled full-time for years. But he is one of the best performers on the roster right now. His tag team with Cody Rhodes regularly steal the show, even at pay-per-view level. Chances are, this is Goldust’s final run and it will end with WrestleMania XXX. Either way, Goldust has more than proven himself. If he does retire in April, he can finally do so with his head held high.
Cody Rhodes – Despite spending all year in tag teams (with Damian Sandow and Goldust), Cody Rhodes finally broke through. He was once only added to the roster simply because his father helped him get into the WWE. Rhodes has become one of the best-rounded performers on the roster, and a future World Champion. Rhodes and Goldust’s first victory over the Sheild may be the match of the year.
Randy Orton – While Bryan, Reigns, Cesaro and the Rhodes’ have proved the value of hard-work, Orton demonstrated the opposite. Orton is a terrible employee. He changes scripted match segments, swears on live television (and pay-per-view), is clumsy and prone to intentionally hurting opponents he doesn’t like. His short-temper causes him to lash out at colleagues and fans alike. He criticises his employers over Twitter, and doesn’t actually look at the script before segments. And the new ‘Redemption Program’ was devised as an excuse to keep Orton (who has 5, maybe 6, out of 3 Wellness Policy violations). For some reason, his punishments involve being given title runs and pushes. The company realises that Orton is a liability, but they really do not want him to go anywhere else. If the WWE is willing to keep rewarding his bad behaviour, he is in a pretty powerful position.
Nikki Bella – You may notice that Brie Bella did not make this list. Since returning to the WWE, Brie Bella has worked very hard to become a better WWE Diva. Nikki has not put in the same effort (despite rumours that Cena was now helping with her training). However, her natural charisma has helped carry the Total Divas reality show, and much of their publicity. And it wasn’t Nikki who had the unfortunate nip-slip on an episode of Raw. It is clear that WWE management prefers Nikki over the other Total Divas. The fact that she is dating John Cena also helps her position.
Magnus – It is not secret that TNA President Dixie Carter is very keen on Magnus. While he is still pretty poor in the ring and has not improved much, he still received a massive push this year. He was in the newly reformed Main Event Mafia, nearly won the Bound For Glory series, defeated almost every former TNA Champion at least once each, and became TNA World Champion. People who were interviewed were all instructed to say that Magnus would be a breakout star. While every other employee was being asked to take major pay-cuts (as cost cutting measures), he was the only guy to sign a contract with a pay rise.
Tiffany Tyrrell – It is no secret that TNA only hired Tiffany because of her connections to Playboy magazine. Despite taking her training seriously in the WWE, she never really seemed to learn much. And the professional actress and nude model had trouble being on camera. However, she silenced all critics with THAT match with Gail Kim. You know the one that I am talking about. What no-one knew at the time, not even Tiffany herself, was that she did the hard-hitting match while pregnant. Thankfully, her child was born healthy and unharmed.
A.J. Styles – By the time you read this, Styles may be on his way out of TNA Wrestling. Either way, Styles managed to turn the year of hell into his biggest year yet. Hulk Hogan had planned to keep Styles off shows for an entire year. But Styles used his influence to get Dixie Carter to bring him back. He was destined to be in the bottom 3 of the Bound For Glory series, but he came back very late to win it. He then beat Bully Ray for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Even though Styles and TNA could not come to an agreement about his salary, Styles proved that he was still one of the most influential and in demand wrestlers in the industry right now. Styles is currently charging, and getting, $2,000 per indy show appearance.
Bully Ray – Do I really need to explain this one? He finally broke through and became the top heel in TNA Wrestling, and held his first major championship for much of this year.
A.J. Lee – CM Punk’s little protégé did really well this year. She finally escaped the purgatory of eternal girlfriend/valet roles. She won the Divas Championship and held it for the most of this year. With every Diva who wasn’t involved with Total Divas getting steamrolled into the undercard, A.J. somehow managed to stay above them all. Don’t forget, it was Miss Lee who dropped the only real pipe-bomb of 2013.
Undertaker – For the last several years, many have suggested that it was finally time for Undertaker to call it a day. Undertaker keeps on coming back for one match at WrestleMania, and spends most of the next year recovering from it. But something was different this time. No one honestly expected Undertaker to lose this year. He pulled off an epic match, and then returned to put Dean Ambrose and the Shield over. Undertaker was already one of the most respected men in the industry, and he reminded the world of why.
Chris Jericho – Jericho has been annoying fans with his half-year runs with the company. He returns in January, and then gets fired in the summer. Granted, he does work full-time when he is on the active roster. As he got older, he became more sluggish and his in-ring and microphone skills diminished. Just like Undertaker, this year was different. Jericho had rediscovered his inner venom and was cutting better promos. More importantly, most of his matches were truly memorable for good reasons.
Mark Henry - Henry’s size and weight made him inflexible and prone to injury. While he was strong and intimidating, he struggled to put on good matches. He did have a decent run as World Champion recently, feuding with Big Show in the best matches of his career. Henry seemingly blew all chances of becoming a main eventer again by walking out in April. Henry wanted to rest a minor injury instead of working through it. When Henry returned, he cut a rather obvious fake retirement promo. The promo would be the finest piece of microphone work that Henry ever produced. He convinced fans, and management, that he was capable of being a top tier performer once more. Even though he had another badly timed injury, Henry still seems to have a newfound invincibility. Also, Henry’s charity work outside of the WWE has also gotten him a lot of recognition.
Fandango - Everything about this gimmick was wrong. Fandango was too inexperienced to be on the main roster just yet. His dancer was a student, and was not able to tour with the WWE. He was originally introduced as Fandangoo. His character is limited in how many believable feuds he can have with other characters. His debut was delayed too long, and should not have happened at WrestleMania. But yet, it all worked. Some may argue that his success was based on his theme tune alone, but there is no denying that Fandango got over. He was even promoted by TNA’s Bully Ray, who repeatedly called him EntertAining.
Brock Lesnar - Even now, Lesnar has too few years of active experience to be as big as he is. He works too little to deserve the money that he is being paid. He did not deserve to be in 3 pay-per-view main events. Most of his promos and interviews were pre-recorded because he was just so poor at speaking. But those 3 matches were really good. Arguably, they were the 3 best matches of Lesnar's career. Lesnar definitely silenced his critics after his SummerSlam match with CM Punk.
Every single Ring Of Honor employee
If you are not aware of how much Ring Of Honor has grown in the past year, that is perfectly fine. By this time next year, you will be more aware of the ROH product. The company came under new management in 2012, and has thrived since. They have been bringing in more big names while growing new talent. On top of that, the talent finally feel appreciated by their employers. Some of them are actively choosing to turn down try-outs with TNA in order to remain with ROH. Not to mention that CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Kassius Ohno, Daniel Byran, A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, Antonio Cesaro, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards are all ROH alumni. Who is going to be called up next?
