Good day fellow wrestling fans, RatedRKO here. Today I am here to present to you the eWrestlingNews.com 2013 WWE Awards. The year hasn’t ended yet and we still have Survivor Series and TLC upon us. But it has been an interesting year in WWE, to say the least, and there is a lot to cover. There was a lot of effort put into this, so I hope you enjoy it. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the award show.
Wrestler of the Year: Daniel Bryan
I don’t even think this one should be disputed. Daniel Bryan has consistently put on great matches, whether for free on RAW, or on pay-per-view. He gets the crowd going with a simple catchphrase and has ascended to become a top face of WWE. He may not be WWE Champion right now, but there is no disputing that anyone has been better at wrestling this past year than Daniel Bryan.
Runners-Up:
CM Punk: After losing to The Rock at the Royal Rumble, I was afraid he wouldn’t have any direction. Then, The Undertaker rolled along and Punk put on the most entertaining match at WrestleMania. He is also the recipient of another award, but you will see that later. Punk is still a top star, and still a top wrestler.
John Cena: I despise this man, but he works harder than anyone in this industry. His WWE title reign lacked luster as he defended it against powerhouses in Ryback and Mark Henry. But he proves the doubters wrong with matches like the one he had with Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam.
Randy Orton: We have all been waiting for a heel turn and we finally got it. People don’t seem too fond of the current WWE Champion, but he has had his share of great matches as well. Let’s just hope he gets put in a more interesting feud.
PPV Match of the Year: CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar (SummerSlam)
This is a true dream match. This bout had intense action and there was not a moment where I wasn’t out of my seat. I would think that Punk would just get dominated through Brock’s sheer strength the entire bout, but he held his own. Great near-falls, and pumping action gets my vote. The right person won in Brock Lesnar however.
Runners-Up:
John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam): John Cena can put on a good match if paired with the right opponent. Daniel Bryan was that opponent, and he proved it. Daniel Bryan’s greatest moment in his wrestling career came here.
The Shield vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust (Battleground): I didn’t think Goldust still had anything left, but this tag-team bout became a match that received well deserved chants of “THIS IS AWESOME!”
SmackDown Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Money In The Bank): This match had so many great spots I can’t name them all. It’s so refreshing to see so many young, great heels duke it out for a great prize. The wrong person won however.
RAW Match of the Year: CM Punk vs. John Cena (#1 Contender’s Match for the WWE Title)
There was just so much drama in this match. We even saw CM Punk use the forbidden pile-driver. Cena used the power-bomb and the hurricanrana. From start-to-finish, this match was truly great. Another Punk/Cena classic.
Runners-Up:
Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan: These two duked it out in the indies and they brought their great talents to RAW. Hopefully these two will feud down the road.
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust (WWE Tag-Team Titles): I didn’t think they could top their match from Battleground, but they did. The most notable spot was Reigns spearing Goldust through the barricade. I would have liked to see more No Disqualification rules in effect, but the match was a good pay-off.
Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho: Just when you thought RVD was too old to give a good match anymore, he proved you wrong. And what better opponent than Chris Jericho? RVD showed fans why he was so popular in the first place in this match right here.
NXT Match of the Year: Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn (2-out-of-3 Falls)
Antonio Cesaro’s full wrestling arsenal was displayed against the athletic Sami Zayn. I just can’t grasp why Cesaro isn’t allowed to show all of this on RAW.
Pay-Per-View of the Year: SummerSlam
John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan was intense and Daniel Bryan beat Cena cleanly. CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar stole the show. Alberto Del Rio and Christian had a four-out-of-five star match. Randy Orton cashed in and finally turned heel. End of story.
Runners-Up:
Extreme Rules: It’s not often you get to see a Last Man Standing match, an I-Quit match, an Extreme Rules match, a Tornado Tag-Team match and a Steel Cage match on the same pay-per-view. Great pay-per-view, which lived up to its’ stipulation name.
Money In The Bank: Two great Money In The Bank ladder matches and the return of Rob Van Dam all made this pay-per-view great. Despite whatever shortcomings were made in the final winners, it wouldn’t matter because the matches itself were all very exciting.
WrestleMania 29: This year’s WrestleMania was very underwhelming, but there were still a few bright spots. CM Punk vs. Undertaker clearly stole the show. Del Rio/Swagger was decent and even though Rock and Cena don’t put on the most technical of matches, there is still a type of intensity sensed when both are in the ring at the same time.
Worst Pay-Per-View of the Year: Battleground
This was WWE’s first Battleground pay-per-view, and hopefully it will be the last. How do you have a WWE title match without a finish? We’re not talking Disqualification here. Literally the match just stopped and the fans were ripped off. That alone gives it this distinction. The other matches were just so boring and/or uninteresting. Del Rio made RVD look weak by taking him out by submission, and Ricardo at the same time. If not for The Shield’s match, I’d hate to predict how bad this pay-per-view could have been.
Runners-Up:
Night Of Champions: The World Heavyweight Championship match ended in a disqualification, the WWE Championship match decision was reversed the following night and the Intercontinental Championship match was just thrown on the card at the last minute. This pay-per-view was just so “meh.”
Hell In A Cell: This card actually had some decent matches. John Cena/Del Rio was fantastic and the triple-threat tag-team bout was the match of the night. It’s the main event that got many people, including myself, really pissed off. Far too predictable. Seriously, when has Shawn Michaels called a match down-the-line fairly? As soon as Triple H came ringside, you knew Daniel Bryan wouldn’t leave as champion.
Payback: The pay-per-view wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t interesting either. Punk/Jericho stole the show as expected, but the rest of the card was either disappointing or just boring. We had a double-turn in Ziggler and Del Rio. The tag-team title bout wasn’t anything to write home about. It wasn’t bad, but it was just average.
Worst Wrestler of the Year: Ryback
Seriously, what does WWE do with this guy anymore? Ryback has done NOTHING. Jack squat. You would think that Ryback would undergo some serious change after he was inserted into the WWE title picture. But he remains the same old boring Rybore. Ahem, excuse me, Ryback. Maybe he should be in another tables match for the WWE title against John Cena and send the crowd home happy.
Runners-Up:
Curtis Axel: The man can go in the ring. It’s just….the man is a snooze-fest. Paul Heyman made the wrong choice in picking him as his apprentice. The man has the charisma of a bowl of fruit. He’s just empty space. Bland. Pathetic.
Big Show: Why is he still here? He has won every major title in WWE history and contributes nothing. Yet we still have to see him to this day. If he’s banned from WWE for life, how does he keep getting in? WWE logic at its highest.
Fandango: This guy needs a gimmick change, or else he’s not going to last long. Chris Jericho must be disappointed.
Alberto Del Rio: This man is a top-five wrestler, but his lack of charisma and his severe lack of gaining any heat/pops overwhelm any upside.
Misused Wrestler of the Year: Damien Sandow
It all started when he was chosen to win Money In The Bank. Actually it started before that because he was still a jobber. But there was hope that winning Money In The Bank would warrant change. But no, it didn’t. He would continue to lose and lose and lose and lose and lose some more until he finally decided to cash-in on John Cena. He made Cena have to rely on one arm to retain his title. But when you saw that there was a commercial break (on a Money In The Bank cash in!) you just knew Sandow wouldn’t win. Sandow needs to have a shape-up in his character.
Runners-Up:
Wade Barrett: The only thing that has been notable about Wade this year is the amount of times he has changed his theme song. Barrett even lost to Sin Cara once. He once led a group of NXT rookies and was in the WWE title picture. Then, he was made into one of the worst Intercontinental Champions of all time. Ho hum.
Dolph Ziggler: Does WWE know what they’re doing with him? Many people had 2013 as the year for Ziggler. But alas, it has been another bad year for Ziggler. His lone title reign this year was ended at the following pay-per-view. He didn’t win any of his matches while he was World Heavyweight Champion. He was knocked out by Jack Swagger. Then he was relegated to the United States title picture and couldn’t beat Dean Ambrose. Maybe 2014 will be different. Psyche!
Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro: These are two great talents that are badly misused. This is more Cesaro than anything because Swagger screwed up any chance of him holding the World Heavyweight Championship again due to a DUI, hence the chants of “Weed The People.” Cesaro had to lose to the likes of Darren Young at one point. And for what? Cesaro is an incredible talent. Did you know this guy was yodeling once? Watch his match against Sami Zayn on NXT and watch him on RAW. See a difference?
Tag-Team of the Year: The Shield
Clearly the tag-team that held the titles the longest this year should win this one. Rollins and Reigns were simply dominant and consistently put on the best matches. But I still see them more as a faction rather than an actual ta-team.
Runners-Up:
Daniel Bryan and Kane: They were entertaining, but after a while it just ran its course and they had to give it up. But it benefited Daniel Bryan the most in the long run.
The Usos: They came out of nowhere with a deep resurgence in 2013 putting on great matches with many tag-teams. Hopefully they will be given a run with the tag-team titles in the future. Emphasis on the word “hopefully.”
Cody Rhodes and Goldust: I am already loving them. They have already put on matches that can compete for match of the year honors, and simply entertain. Loads of respect for Goldust for keeping up with the young guns at this day and age.
RAW Segment of the Year: Mark Henry “Retires”
Give Mark Henry an Emmy. He had everyone convinced. He played it out so well. From the tweet saying that father time is undefeated to the tears in his eyes when he came out, his words were passionate. I was about to cry as well seeing that he would actually retire. And just like that, BOOM! World’s Strongest Slam to John Cena. He had everybody fooled and no one can deny it. Loved it.
Runners-Up:
CM Punk’s Promo on The Rock Before Royal Rumble
Back when CM Punk was a heel, he spoke the harsh truth on why things are the way they are in WWE. He explained why people like John Cena are given chances while workhorses like Tyson Kidd don’t get jack. Typical heel promo from CM Punk, which was made even better when The Rock came and refuted his claim of saying the people don’t matter. Adrenaline-pumping segment.
Triple H Returns and Attacks Brock Lesnar:
I am not a fan of the Triple H/Lesnar feud, but it was just a feel-good moment. Triple H had a new look, and the face he made at the ramp meant that he means business. Lesnar’s face was bloodied in an absolute anti-PG moment. That’s what made it special. A reminder of what the good old days was like.
AJ Lee’s Promo Against Total Divas
AJ Lee, the only Diva in the Divas division absolutely destroyed all the other females by mocking their lifestyles and how she worked hard while the Total Divas just want fame and fortune. An absolute pipe bomb. Dating CM Punk has done wonders for her promo ability.
Daniel Bryan and John Cena Face-To-Face:
This is where Daniel Bryan spoke on behalf of the Internet Wrestling Community. He said John Cena wasn’t even a wrestler and was unworthy of shaking his hand. He called him a parody. Cena slapped him in the face. What a confrontation.
Diva of the Year: AJ Lee
Come on. Who else did you expect here? Kaitlyn? Ha. She is the only Diva even worth watching. That is why I am not even going to bother to put runners-up for this one. If only Eve was still here.
Best Moment of the Year: Daniel Bryan Beats John Cena
Now we all know how John Cena can be defeated. Just use the shining wizard. This was Daniel Bryan’s moment and it was promoting the dawning of a new era. Unfortunately, a certain “Viper” had to rain on his short-lived parade.
Runners-Up:
Rob Van Dam Returns:
Out of nowhere, Rob Van Dam was advertised for Money In The Bank. I couldn’t believe my eyes but then when he walked down the ramp at Money In The Bank, I knew it was too true. I simply marked out.
Randy Orton turns heel:
Now I don’t know how everybody feels about this, but I loved Randy’s cash-in. Not because he won the title, but because he turned heel for the first time since 2010. We were all waiting for it and when it happened, I just gave a sigh of relief.
Dolph Ziggler Cashes-In on Alberto Del Rio:
This had the pop of the year in the greatest crowd of the year. Ziggler cashed in and won his second World Heavyweight Championship. But essentially his reign wasn’t any more productive than his first. But for that particular moment, the roof was taken off the place.
Worst Moment of the Year: John Cena Advertises the Royal Rumble
Why advertise the first pay-per-view on the Road to WrestleMania when you can spend time giving away your XBOX 360 Gamertag to the crowd? I mean it makes so much sense.
Anything with Miz TV:
The Miz has been RKO’d, F-5’d and attacked by The Wyatt Family on his show. To put it frank, no one cares about The Miz anymore because he is no longer relevant. So why give him his very own segment? It’s no Piper’s Pit. It’s not even a Carlito’s Cabana.
The Miz, Wade Barrett, and Chris Jericho:
I don’t think a lot of people remember this segment, but they wouldn’t want to anyway. They were feuding over the Intercontinental title, but you couldn’t tell because they spent too much time promoting movies. Embarrassing.
Feud of the Year: CM Punk vs. The Undertaker
It’s because of the fact that Paul Bearer’s death that played into it that made this feud so real. People may have concerns of it crossing the line, but guess what? It’s edgy TV. And I like it. Besides, Paul’s family was okay with it anyways.
Runners-Up:
John Cena vs. The Rock: Anytime these two are in the ring, there is a certain aurora that surrounds them unlike with any other two Superstars. Really, they just have a natural connection with each other.
Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena: You can never go wrong when two of the top babyfaces in WWE face each other and get in each other’s face. Great feud.
CM Punk vs. Paul Heyman: Punk versus his mentor was just great to start it out. When Punk was held down and Heyman started shouting at him, it felt real. But the feud started to lose some of its luster when Ryback got involved.
Worst Feud of the Year: Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority
We never saw this feud before, right? Just checking. The typical wrestler who has to go against all odds of a higher power to finally win. But this feud just became more about Triple H’s ego rather than the actual title. And on top of that, he lost as well.
Runners-Up:
Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger: Watching them make parodies of each other was sickening. And considering this feud was advertised for WrestleMania made it all the more underwhelming.
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar: This feud should have ended in 2012. It was fine the way it is. But this match had to go through another round at WrestleMania. And again at Extreme Rules. More of Triple H’s ego can be found here.
Randy Orton vs. Big Show: This is where people got annoyed with WWE creative on Randy Orton. People expected Orton to turn on Show or Sheamus at WrestleMania, but Big Show was the one that turned BACK heel three weeks after he just became a face. Ho hum once again.
Well, thank you for reading and stay tuned for my upcoming “VS.” series. Did I miss anything? Comment. Please. Thank you very much, and I will see you next time.
