WWE.com's Top 25 Matches Of 2013

[Mitch Henessey]

The list:

#25 The Miz vs. Wade Barrett - Intercontinental Championship Match (Raw; April 8)
#24 Kofi Kingston vs. Antonio Cesaro - U.S. Championship Match (WWE Main Event; May 1)
#23 The Shield vs. The Usos - WWE Tag Team Championship Match (WWE Money in the Bank 2013 Kickoff)
#22 John Cena vs. Damien Sandow - World Heavyweight Championship Match (Raw; Oct. 28)
#21 CM Punk vs. Dean Ambrose (Raw; Dec. 9)
#20 Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk (Raw; Feb. 4)
#19 Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho (Raw; July 15)
#18 Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton - Street Fight (Raw; June 24)
#17 John Cena vs. Randy Orton - Champion of Champions Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match (WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs)
#16 Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar - No Holds Barred Match (WrestleMania 29)
#15 Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian - World Heavyweight Championship Match (SummerSlam 2013)
#14 The Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose (SmackDown; April 26)
#13 Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee - Divas Championship Match (WWE Payback)
#12 Goldust vs. Randy Orton (Raw; Sept. 9)
#11 Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract (WWE Money in the Bank)
#10 Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. The Usos vs. The Shield - Six Man WWE Tag Team Championship Match (WWE Hell in a Cell)
#9 Team Hell No & Randy Orton vs. The Shield (SmackDown; June 14)
#8 Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio - World Heavyweight Championship Match (WWE Payback)
#7 The Undertaker & Team Hell No vs. The Shield (Raw; April 22)
#6 John Cena vs. CM Punk - No. 1 Contender's Match (Raw; Feb. 25)
#5 Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro (Raw; July 22)
#4 Cody Rhodes & Goldust (w/Dusty Rhodes) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose) (WWE Battleground)
#3 The Undertaker vs. CM Punk (WrestleMania 29)
#2 John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE Championship Match (SummerSlam 2013)
#1 CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar - No Disqualification Match (SummerSlam 2013)

http://www.wwe.com/inside/top-25-matches-of-the-year

I don't agree with Goldust VS Orton receiving the #12 spot. Too high, because I don't think any of us actually believed Goldust had a real shot at beating Orton, so the predictability kills the suspense for the ending. Triple H VS Lesnar in a steel cage from Extreme Rules was better than the Mania match, easily. Also, I'm surprised they didn't include Bryan VS Orton from Raw this past Monday.

Punk VS Lesnar over Bryan VS Punk for the #1 spot is a tough choice, but I would still give the edge to Lesnar VS Punk. A brutal, hard hitting match, with phenomenal story telling. Punk refused to quit after enduring the pounding from Lesnar, but his obsession with Heyman cost him the victory in the end.

Cena VS Orton from TLC feels like a forced pick. They were reaching for something epic, but the match was underwhelming, when you consider the grandiose expectations.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

So, if Punk's match with Lesnar is ranked higher than Hunter's, why didn't the former get nominated for a Slammy?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

So, if Punk's match with Lesnar is ranked higher than Hunter's, why didn't the former get nominated for a Slammy?

Take this with a grain of salt, but I remember reading a report on here somewhere (not 100% sure, but I think it was in KB's question thread) about WWE officials believing Punk/Lesnar was the best match this year, but CM Punk couldn't have the better match with Lesnar, and Punk/Undertaker receiving recognition was necessary. So they intentionally snubbed Lesnar/Punk for Triple H's Extreme Rules match with Lesnar.

But Cena was going to win for Cena/Rock II regardless, you could see that one coming from a mile away. Still, this list has more validity than the Slammys (The Bella Twins actually won an award).

 

[L@RISANO]

Interesting that ALL 3 of the Undertaker's matches in 2013 made the list. Truly is the Phenom, and the main reason the Undertaker gimmick worked is because of how great of a wrestler he has been throughout his career.

 

[JoVilla21]

Surprised CM Punk vs The Rock at the Royal Rumble didn't make the list considering how big of a deal it was made when Rock won the title. "11 years since Rock last held gold." The match was also good especially due to the crowd.

 

[klunderbunker]

So the match of the year doesn't even make the list. That's just amusing.

I have almost no problem with this list as top anything other than maybe 5 lists are as subjective as you can get. The only issue I have is Undertaker vs. Punk, but that's going to be high due to the specifics of the match. I just never thought it was all that great but that's just me. Other than that this is a good example of how awesome the in ring product is right now, which people keep overlooking.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In all honesty, I think it's a pretty damn good list. Personally, I think it's one of the more legitimate lists of any of the various "best" this or "top" that to pop up on WWE.com. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with every choice or all the various placements, but all of these matches were at least notable happenings.

For instance, Taker vs. Ambrose was a good match, but it's kind of hard for a 7 minute match to be viewed as being in the top 25. At the same time, however, it was noteworthy because it was the first time Taker wrestled a singles match in years on free WWE television. That in & of itself, not to mention the following beatdown of Taker by The Shield, made it come off as special.

As for particular favorites of mine, I'm glad to see that Kofi vs. Cesaro from Main Event at least made the top 25. They really worked their asses off in that match. AJ vs. Kaitlyn got pretty high up on the list, maybe a little higher than it should've. At the same time though, it was a really good match and a very pleasant surprise departure from the standard Diva filler. It also MIGHT be looked at in years to come as when the Divas Division turned the corner in WWE. Bryan vs. Cesaro on Raw was flat out awesome and I genuinely think it was among the top 5 WWE matches of the year.

Again, I don't agree with some of the rankings, Goldie & Cody vs. Rollins & Reigns is too high in my eyes, but it's still a really strong list.

 

[Raptor93]

its hard to have a great taker match at this stage in his career. With HHH and micheals their was history and so you could a high emotional response. But the fact is no one has any doubt undertaker will win, so their is really no tension every big move Punk or opponent hits we all know taker will kick out.

While people love to hate on the "Vanilla midgets" as they say, even wwe doesn't deny they put on the best matches only a couple of those top matches dont include a punk/bryan sized competitor

 

[Kris Benwa]

I feel like 22 and 19 are too low and there are several spots they can switch with. I also didnt think Undertaker vs CM Punk was as good as everyone made it out to be but then again I also think Cena vs Rock 2 and HHH vs Brock WM weren't as bad as people make them out to be

 

[BigThunder]

A pretty good list in a damn good year for wrestling. If the storyline quality had been a quarter as good as the in-ring action, 2013 would have been the greatest year for wrestling ever.

That said, my match of the year was Punk vs. Cena on RAW. And I liked the match where the Rhodes' won the belts over Rollins/Reigns better than the Battleground clash. I'll post my Top 10 list sometime before the end of the year; I want to see Cena vs. Rollins on the final Smackdown before I finalize it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Interesting that ALL 3 of the Undertaker's matches in 2013 made the list. Truly is the Phenom, and the main reason the Undertaker gimmick worked is because of how great of a wrestler he has been throughout his career.

He was an atrocious wrestler for the first 6 years of his career and for many other years thereafter. He's got better with age though, definately.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Not a bad list overall & a lot more realistic than any lists for the Slammy's or anything like that but I'd still change around a few things.

Honorable Mention:
- Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton - WWE Championship Match [Battleground]
- Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes [Summerslam]
- John Cena vs. Mark Henry - WWE Championship Match [Money In The Bank]
- The Undertaker & Team Hell No vs. The Shield [RAW: April 22nd]
- The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Sheamus & The Big Show [Wrestlemania 29]


My List:
#25) John Cena vs. Damien Sandow - World Heavyweight Championship Match (RAW: October 28th)
#24) CM Punk vs. Dean Ambrose [RAW: December 9th]
#23) Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam w/Ricardo Rodriguez - Hardcore Rules Match for the World Heavyweight Championship [Battleground]
#22) Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho [RAW: July 15th]
#21) Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee - WWE Championship Match [Hell In A Cell]
#20) Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam - United States Championship Match [Summerslam Kick-Off]
#19) Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro [RAW: July 22nd]
#18) John Cena vs. CM Punk - No. 1 Contender's Match [RAW: Feb. 25th]
#17) Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman - Cage Match [Extreme Rules]
#16) The Rhodes Brothers vs. Rybaxel vs. The Real Americans w/Zeb Colter vs. The Big Show & Rey Mysterio - Four Way Elimination Tag Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships [TLC]
#15) CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Christian - All-Star Money In The Bank Ladder Match [Money In The Bank]
#14) The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) vs. Team Hell No - WWE Tag Team Championship Match - [Extreme Rules]
#13) Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston - United States Championship Match [Extreme Rules]
#12) The Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose [Smackdown: April 26th]
#11) Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian - World Heavyweight Championship Match [Summerslam]
#10) Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane - Elimination Chamber Match [Elimination Chamber]
#9) The Shield vs. John Cena, Sheamus & Ryback [Elimination Chamber]
#8) The Rock vs. CM Punk w/Paul Heyman - WWE Championship Match [Elimination Chamber]
#7) The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) vs. The Usos - WWE Tag Team Championship Match [Money In The Bank Kick-Off]
#6) The Undertaker vs. CM Punk w/Paul Heyman [WrestleMania 29]
#5) The Rhodes Brothers (Cody Rhodes & Goldust) vs. The Usos vs. The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) - WWE Tag Team Championship Match [Hell In A Cell]
#4) Dean Ambrose vs. Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Wade Barrett vs. Fandango vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger - Money In The Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract [Money In The Bank]
#3) The Rhodes Dynasty (Cody Rhodes & Goldust w/Dusty Rhodes) vs. The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns w/Dean Ambrose) [Battleground]
#2) John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan with Triple H as Special Guest Referee - WWE Championship Match [Summerslam]
#1) CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman - No Disqualification Match [Summerslam]

 

[joejoe]

I'm surprised The Shield vs. Team Hell No and Ryback from TLC wasn't on this list. Maybe because it was The Shield's first match in the WWE it gets overlooked but I thought it was great. Huge spots, and the crowd was into it the entire time. I'd actually put that in my top 5 matches of the year.

#5 -Team Hell No & Ryback vs. The Shield - TLC
#4 -CM Punk vs. The Undertaker - Wrestlemania 29
#3-John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan - Summerslam
#2 -John Cena vs. CM Punk - Monday Night Raw
#1 - CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar - Summerslam

Interesting that Lesnar is #1 on the list in a year which he barely wrestled. Also interesting that Lesnar had some great matches against Cena and Punk, then had some shit matches against HHH, yet the WWE tries to put over how great they were.

HHH will always be a guy who needs the right opponent to put on a great match. Hell, I even think most of his matches against the Rock over the years were pretty subpar.

 

[The Eighties]

Obviously we'd all move around some things on a list of this size but overall it's a very good representation of the quality WWE's match output in 2013 and shows how good the TV matches in particular have been. Great to see Cesaro vs Bryan so high as it could have easily gotten overlooked due to being in the middle of a gauntlet match.

My personal top 5:

1. CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar (Summerslam)
2. CM Punk vs John Cena (Raw, February 25th)
3. Daniel Bryan vs Antonio Cesaro (Raw, July 22nd)
4. The Shield vs Team Hell No & Randy Orton (Smackdown, 14th)
5. Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton - Street Fight (Raw, June 24th)