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The 411 Wrestling Top 5 1.30.13: Week 205 – Top 5 Wrestlers of 2013
Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions.
So, on to this week’s topic…
OR…WHO THE STAFF THINKS WILL HAVE THE BEST 2013!
Shawn S. Lealos
5. Austin Aries and Bobby Roode – I didn’t want this to be just WWE guys, but TNA is so hard to predict, right now. That is why I am going with Austin Aries and Bobby Roode. These two men should be in the TNA title hunt all year, battling the hero wrestlers and each other. Right now, they are reluctant partners, which is hilarious since they are so egotistical. These two guys are the PERFECT heals and probably two of the most entertaining men in the entire promotion. TNA’s success in 2013 lies directly in the hands of Roode and Aries, and there isn’t anyone better to trust with that task.
4. Antonio Cesaro – The guy has all the talent in the world, and he is doing something even Ryback couldn’t do. Cesaro is beating the BIG men and his finishing move has worked on them every time. He is the arrogant foreign heel, something that always works in professional wrestling. He is what Vince (and Triple H) loves – a big man who can actually wrestle. There is not much that Cesaro can’t do in the WWE.
3. Dolph Ziggler – The big push now is that Dolph Ziggler has all the talent in the world but is scared to make the jump. Now that Alberto Del Rio is champion, I see Ziggler making that jump soon. Once Ziggler gets his hand on the title, the sky is the limit. He has the perfect attitude, a very hot woman by his side and a big bodyguard. People keep comparing him to Mr. Perfect (and I see that), but he could become the next Shawn Michaels. As long as they pull the string back again, this could be the year of Ziggler on the Smackdown brand.
2. CM Punk – Punk is going to lose his WWE Championship this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen against The Rock (which is not set in stone yet, according to rumors). However, his push isn’t going to end. Punk is too good on the mic, and in the ring, not to remain at the top of the card, even without the belt (similar to Roddy Piper). Punk will continue to be in the biggest feuds and might even get The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Hell, beating the Dead Man at WrestleMania could mean more than the entire 400-plus day title reign.
1. John Cena – I hate this. I want to say that I chose men who I think will have the best year in the world of wrestling, even though I may not want it to be so. John Cena has not held a major belt since 2011. CM Punk just finished a spectacular year as champion, where he held his belt through an entire calendar year. Now, Cena just cut a promo where he said he would win the championship again in 2013. I think his days as a full-time main event talent is coming to an end due to his body breaking down, so I think they are going to reward him for his time with a BIG push this year. I would not be surprised to see him win the Royal Rumble, beat The Rock at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship and then hold it for the rest of the year. I’m not looking forward to it, but I think that will happen.
Francisco Ramirez
Note: I decided to look at each promotion individually.
5. Adam Cole (ROH) – Already the PWG World Champion and ROH TV Champion, I think it’s a safe bet to say Adam Cole is positioning himself as the new king of the indys. Now with rumors circulating about a WWE tryout, no matter how you look at it, new king of the indys or new WWE signing, that’s a positive 2013 without a doubt.
4. Diamante Azul (CMLL) – While changing up from Metro to Diamante Azul in 2012 was a big enough leap, I see Diamante Azul having a bigger 2013. The man has been under the tutelage of Atlantis, winning the CMLL World Tag-Team Championship as his partner. 2013 is already here, Diamante Azul has already been booked against the CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, El Terrible. He came up short in the match, but this is just the beginning of the year. CMLL staff seems high on him, and it’s easy to tell that Diamante Azul is going to have a great year.
3. Octagon Jr. (AAA) – Late 2012 the Chicago born indy wrestler Samuray del Sol was handed down the name and mask of lucha legend Octagon. Instant push no matter how you look at it. Octagon is pretty high on the totem pole of AAA legends, and while the name will instantly give Samuray del Sol main event credibility, he has all the talent in the world to back it up, unlike previous Jrs. that did not have the talent to carry the mask, Anibal Jr for example, Octagon Jr. is already positioned higher up on the cards, appearing in the semi-main events. 2013 is already looking good for the AAA star.
2. Christian York (TNA) – While Magnus was also on my mind, I can’t help but feel that good things are in store for Christian York. Obviously, he’s been the best thing to come out of the Gutcheck. The fans have been behind him, and he’s been booked in matches with the likes of RVD and Jeff Hardy, looking strong in both outings. He has a unique look, and at the very least I can see him with the X-Division or the TV Title. If not him then maybe Joey Ryan.
1. Antonio Cesaro (WWE) – This one is a no brainer! The current U.S. Champion has performed like a beast, he’s looked good and impressed in all his matches, made Khali look good, how many can say that, and made himself look like a monster putting Khali in the Neutralizer. He’s delivered in every sense of the word, and while his mic work is not the best, he is far from the worst. Cesaro is headed to bigger things and seeing him win either the World Heavyweight or WWE Championship in, 2013, will not be surprising in the very least.
James Wright
5. Big E. Langston – This guy has the size to make a real impact in the WWE this year, and already the company has put him up against some of the biggest guys in the company, not only that but they have protected him each time (so far), add to that they let him speak already and usually hired muscle would have to wait ages for the privilege, then consider his recent NXT title win and you can see that the company already think rather highly of their newly debuted talent. He might not get a major title this year, but I’d expect Langston to be at least dominating the mid-card as a face after breaking away from Ziggler by this time next year.
4. Dean Ambrose – Speaking of recently debuting talent, Dean Ambrose is something special, and the WWE knows it. I can see this guy having some quality feuds in the latter half of 2013 once the Shield inevitably parts ways. Putting Ambrose up against guys like Randy Orton or John Cena could really push him to Punk level sooner rather than later as already you can see that this is the type of guy who could lose every match and still end up getting over every time, and against some big names those times would always be on a big stage.
3. Daniel Bryan – Surely the epitome of being able to get over even in losing has become this man; Daniel Bryan. Bryan has proven everybody wrong, everybody. He has coped with the WWE’s style, he has silenced critics who said he was a wrestler with no personality, and he has taken every crappy angle and gimmick that the WWE has thrown at him and he has turned it into gold, so much so that even the WWE has had to recognise that he is one of their brightest stars, focusing a hell of a lot of airtime on his and Kane’s antics as Team Hell No, and before that in his relationship with AJ and Punk. If there is room enough for him I could easily see Bryan becoming a two time World champion, or if the stars align even the WWE champion by the end of this year.
2. Dolph Ziggler – Ziggler has to win the World Title in 2013, he just has to, the WWE have already put too much work into him not for it to pay off. Now a lot of people look at Ziggler and point to Swagger and his world title run, but Ziggler is no Swagger. Swagger went from US titles to the World title and far too soon at that, Ziggler on the other hand has actually held the World title before, if only for a few seconds, and has wrestled several times for both the WWE title and the big gold belt, so he is no stranger to championship matches. Ziggler is primed for a lengthy title reign at some point in the year and with Langston and AJ by his side it might happen sooner rather than later.
1. Antonio Cesaro – It is already clear that the WWE have this guy slated for great things in 2013. Cesaro is the best of both worlds for the WWE; he fits in with this new wave of guys who have come in from the indys and are experienced enough to take the ball and run with it when the time comes, saddle them with any gimmick and they will make it work, as seen through C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan, while at the same time he is a well built guy who has an old school feel to him, so all those traditionalists who look at guys like Punk and scoff can look at Cesaro and think ‘Now there’s a real man!’ for whatever reason they need to do that. Cesaro is making waves as the US champion and he could work his way through half the roster before he actually drops the belt to anyone, and once he does I have no doubt that a world title shot would be in his near future, or at least the MitB briefcase.
Ken Hill
5. Austin Aries (TNA) – Can you seriously believe this man contemplated retirement a while ago? Now he’s firmly entrenched in TNA’s main event scene alongside James Storm, Bobby Roode, and Jeff Hardy, and doesn’t look an iota out of place in doing so. His interactions in and out of the ring and on the mic, whether arguing hilariously with Roode, running down the Hogan family or taking Hardy to the limit in a Ladder match, are smooth, sharp, and to the point. A second run with the TNA Heavyweight Championship in 2013 looks inevitable for “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.”
4. CM Punk (WWE) – While it’s looking more and more certain that he won’t keep his WWE Championship past the Royal Rumble or the Elimination Chamber, nothing indicates that Punk will fall from the main event scene anytime soon, as rumors of him facing the Undertaker for the Streak at Wrestlemania are becoming more and more prominent with each week. He’s a master on the mic, can make any feud feel like a big, high profile deal, and can put on a ****+ match in his sleep. Even if (and likely when) he loses the belt to Rock, Punk’s fall from grace certainly won’t be a long one.
3. Christian York (TNA) – He certainly has an unique look to him, he has a strong wrestling background, and looks real good against established main eventers in Bobby Roode, Jeff Hardy, and surprised RVD with a strong showing despite being assaulted previous to his X-Division title opportunity. One of the shining stars to come out of TNA’s Gut Check program, York can only get better as time goes on, and I can certainly see him holding a singles title in the coming months.
2. Antonio Cesaro (WWE) – Cesaro’s had a seemingly quiet, yet remarkable latter half of 2012. He soundly beat Santino for the US Title at Summerslam and has mowed through the mid-card competition, from destroying high-flyers in Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd to making spectacles of super-heavyweights like Brodus Clay and The Great Khali with his Neutralizer, using nothing but pure, raw strength and vicious uppercuts. In recent weeks, we’ve seen him combat the likes of Randy Orton and Sheamus and fit flawlessly into the main event. Expect the stock of the “United States of Antonio” to rise further in 2013.
1. Dolph Ziggler (WWE) – While he hasn’t had the most auspicious of starts to 2013 (who would going up against “Super Mode” Cena), the fact that Dolph’s in match after match with high-profile stars like Orton, Cena, and Sheamus goes to show that WWE is taking a slow, but steady interest in the “Show Off.” Aside from all that, since Cena’s already taken the “historic” notion of being the first MITB loser, he HAS to win the World Title with his cash-in, and could be looking forward to a lengthy title reign with AJ and Langston at his side. Expect Ziggler to take off like a rocket through most of 2013.
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