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The Ten Count 12.27.13: The Top 10 WWE Matches of 2013

December 27, 2013 | Posted by Evan Daniels

Welcome back to the Ten Count. As always, thank you for reading last week’s column. And here we go…

THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CHI-TOWN RUMBLE:
SDELFIN says: I really love the first match of the Flair/Steamboat 1989 PPV trilogy. What was great about that match in Chicago was how little back story it had or needed. Of the three, that match is the most self contained which is its strength and weakness, since the other two build on it and call back to it. I understand why it’s not on the list, even though I think it’s better than some of what is here. A list full of Flair/Steamboat doesn’t make for the most interesting reading. I agree that the other two from 1989 were even better. The second match from the Clash is amazing. I’ve watched that one a bunch of times in the last couple of years. It never gets old and it makes 54 minutes fly by.

GO2SLEEP says: Chi-Town Rumble is about as good as a 20-minute championship match can be. It’s a ***** classic, but gets under-rated because the two matches that follow it in the series are even better.

AMERICANWOLVES02 says: Crazy as it sounds I think Chi-Town Rumble might be the most underrated “classic match” of all time.

MY THOUGHT: I understand that many people believe the match should have been on the list and believe me I thought about it. It is not that I forgot it, but I decided to leave it off. The match is great and is probably undervalued in my mind because of the other 2 matches in 1989. That is not a good reason, but it is mine. Great, great match nonetheless.

YOUR THOUGHTS (IF WE WANT TO CALL THEM THAT)
The Spring Stampede Rematch: Re: Flair/Steamboat from 1994, I thought their WCW Saturday Night match was better than the Spring Stampede one.

MY THOUGHT: Small story here, back in 1994 I was in high school and went to a Heights Singers concert (my high school’s show choir) on the night of this match. I had to record it and watch it when I got home. It is amazing how you remember things.

Let’s Think About Steamboat pre-1983: I think it would be more accurate to call this column Top Ten Ricky Steamboat Post 1983. Simple fact is (and scary when you think about it) most of his best work started happening between 1977 and 1981 that was never televised or even recorded. You hear people talk about him as a tag wrestler from that time and his matches being completely off the hook. Then you factor in his feuds with Dick Slater, Greg Valentine, Tully Blanchard, Ivan Koloff, Bob Orton, Roddy Piper and a dozen other when he was in Georgia and Mid-Atlantic…there’s no way to do a true definitive best of list.

MY THOUGHT: If only there was TV cameras during a lot of these matches. If there were, maybe we will see some of these matches on the new WWE Network.

Ricky In His Prime Today in WWE: I don’t think Fact was questioning the way Steamboat was booked, I think he was pointing out that Steamboat was fine wrestling for 2nd tier belts and in tag matches(and he did them damn well) and that, outside of his matches with Flair, he was never really in the world title picture in either the WWF or NWA/WCW during the mid 80’s/early 90’s and yet people didn’t seem to care. Honestly, if Steamboat were in his prime today and was only competing for the US or IC title, and was not in the world title picture, you don’t think people would be complaining?

MY THOUGHT: I think people didn’t care because you didn’t have social media and you didn’t see him on TV wrestling top talent every week. If Steamboat was around now he’d be Benoit or Punk or Bryan of the internet generation. People would be complaining like crazy but with no internet and other territories to go to there just wasn’t the same fan involvement so there wasn’t any complaining.

Somebody Knows His History: This……and versus Flair in AJPW 1982…and his match with Tully Blanchard at Starrcade 84…and versus Greg Valentine at MSG in June 85…and against Don Muraco in the fall of 85 at MSG…and the pre-Mania match with Bret Hart in Boston Garden 1986…and his match with Jimmy Snuka in AJPW 1981…and versus Genichiro Tenryu in 1984 and versus Muta and Misawa in NJPW 1989. All these are readily available on Youtube.

I don’t think I could disagree more with this list.

MY THOUGHT: Now there is someone who knows much more than me. I will have to look all of those up. Thanks for mentioning them.

Interesting Thought: I have a suggestion for a list. Top 10 Technical Muscleheads. Guys that look like bodybuilders but could work inside the ring.

MY THOUGHT: Yikes, that seems like a tough list. Give me some ideas, anyone?

CORRECTIONS AND ERRORS:
So I Didn’t Remember This Buildup As Well: In the 1986 TV match where Savage hurt Steamboat’s throat, Savage didn’t attack him BEFORE the match. They had a great match that during it, Savage hurt Steamboat’s throat. Steamboat lost the match by count out.

MY THOUGHT: Keep the corrections coming.

ALSO, HOW ABOUT THOSE CLEVELAND BROWNS? :
The music is still the same, another week and another loss. The Browns now sit at 4-11 and in 5th position for the draft next year. They play the Steelers this week, will probably lose, and end up 4-12 for another year. What a disappointing season this has been! The high points are Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron. They will be superstars in this league and once the Browns have a decent QB they will be even better. As always, Joe Thomas is a superstar and probably a future Hall of Famer. Anyways, the big review is next week and it will be brutal to type.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE REST OF THE NFL (IN BULLETS) :

  • Can’t believe Tony Romo might be starting this week. That is just insane and is such a short sighted thing to do. He needs to sit this week, end of discussion.
  • I do believe that Aaron Rodgers is starting against the Bears. He seems healthy and it is a winner take all game.
  • Speaking of those games, any chance of flexing DAL/PHI out and GB/CHI in on Sunday night.
  • I wouldn’t want to face either the Panthers or Ravens in the playoffs (if either of them make it)
  • Is there any coach worse than Jim Schwartz? That team has so much talent, it’s so sad.
  • Can the Redskins look any worse in this Shanahan/RG3 mess? That 2012 trade just looks horrible.
  • Very excited for Week 17, RedZone should be awesome!

    HOW ABOUT A QUICK MOMENT ABOUT CURRENT WRESTLING:
    Batista is on his way back to the WWE. I really hope he doesn’t get the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. There are too many people (CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, even John Cena) that deserve that spot so much more than Batista. Having Batista in the mix does affect the mix for WrestleMania as I think that he belongs in a match with Undertaker, Lesnar, or Cena. I still think the mix will be Bryan/Orton, Punk/HHH, and then you have 4 others (Lesnar, Cena, Taker, and Batista). I just have a feeling it will be Lesnar/Batista and Cena/Taker which I think might be the worst pairing of them all. I hope Batista will be a big time bad guy and face Cena at Mania. That would leave Lesnar/Undertaker which is the best match to look at. The only variable is CM Punk and Brock Lesnar still have unfinished business so they might face each other. There are so many things to figure out but I just don’t want Cena or Batista in the World Title match.

     photo TenCount_zps6b46e6e2.png

    Here are the Ground Rules:

  • This week is pretty simple; the match had to take place in a WWE ring during 2013.

    Without any further ado…

    AND NOW *The Top 10 WWE Matches of 2013 *

    #10. {Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Contract; Money in the Bank – July 14, 2013}

    Why This Match is On the List: This was probably the better of the 2 MiTB matches this year. It really was the Cody Rhodes show as the fans were really behind him in this match. Personally, I thought it was much more about Dean Ambrose and his ascension towards the top of the midcard as a singles wrestler. I still don’t think Sandow was the right guy to win the briefcase and since he didn’t win the championship after winning it made even less sense. I understand the reasoning since they wanted to give Cody something to chase but the execution just didn’t make sense. It doesn’t take anything away from the match but to see such a good match is for naught was rough.

    #9. {Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro; Monday Night Raw – July 22, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: On this night on Raw, Daniel Bryan was running the gauntlet. That usually means 3 quick matches that no one will remember by 11:20pm that night. This gauntlet was different as his first 2 matches were against the Real Americans. His match with Jack Swagger was not bad at all. It was a perfectly passable match for a Monday Night Raw. Then came his match with Antonio Cesaro and the night became memorable. Cesaro knew that this was his one really big shot at a main event guy and he made sure it was a great match. Daniel Bryan was having great matches all the time to make sure he was a main event guy. These 2 had a great wrestling match and should…SHOULD….lead to more matches between these 2.

    #8.{Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton in a Street Fight; Monday Night Raw – June 24, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: This is the best match that Bryan and Orton had together this year. The match itself was right after Team Hell No split up for good. Daniel Bryan was considered the weak link of the team so he wanted to prove he was strong. To do this, he challenged the Apex Predator to a Street Fight this night on Monday Night Raw. The intensity was off the charts and they didn’t care about what they were doing to each other. It showed a vicious, tough streak in Daniel Bryan which is exactly what he needed as he continued to the main event. You can be a great wrestler and a good entertainment but if people don’t believe you are tough you have nothing.

    #7. {Shield 6-Man Tag Team Matches – Various Dates and Shows}


    Why This Match is On the List: This is a total copout and I am well aware of that but there could have been so many Shield 6-Man Matches on this list. There is a specific one later on this list but these guys had a ton of great matches. From Team Hell No, to the Usos, to the Rhodes Brothers, and whoever else was with these guys were very often the highlight of the show it was on. The matches had an old NWA 6-Man feel to them. The faces would get a really hot start, the heels would come back and beat up the weak link, hot tag, clean house, then the numbers would get to the good guys since the bad teams were working as a true unit, and the bad guys win. It is a formula that never gets old or tired as long as the 6 guys can bring it. The Shield made everyone around them look great and that says a lot since they have only been on the main roster for 1 year.

    #6. {CM Punk vs. The Undertaker; WrestleMania 29 – April 7, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: 3 Words. In Living Colour. Well that’s not the reason why but having them there was absolutely awesome. While this match is probably the worst Undertaker match at WrestleMania since his 2007 encounter with Batista it was still an awesome match. You can’t do as many false finishes with CM Punk as some other wrestlers but CM Punk can bring out the best in his opponent. The Undertaker always brings it at WrestleMania so we knew he would be at the top of his game. Paul Heyman and his overall douchebaggery added so much more to the match. Too bad this match didn’t save the event no matter how many Slammy’s Rock vs. Cena can win.

    #5. {The Undertaker, Kane, and Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield; Monday Night Raw – April 22, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: I know earlier I mentioned that all the Shield 6-Man matches were great but this one is the best. This was a very, very special match as it was the 1st time that The Undertaker was on Raw in 3 years. Also, the fact that they were in London always makes the crowds even better than the average crowd in the US. Team Hell No and The Shield were really hitting their stride in matches against each other and the inclusion of The Undertaker was awesome. The Shield were still undefeated as they entered this match and they came out still undefeated. Think about this, a group of guys that were in the WWE for under 6 months beat Undertaker, Kane, and Daniel Bryan, amazing. You know The Undertaker had to see something in these guys to wrestle them and be a part of the losing team. Very impressive win an

    #4. {Goldust and Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for the Careers of the Rhodes Family; Background – October 14, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: That’s right, more Shield on this list. This time it a traditional tag team match with Rollins and Reigns. In the weeks leading up to the match HHH and The Shield made the Rhodes Family’s life a living hell. This match was for the careers of the entire family and with Dusty Rhodes and Dean Ambrose at ringside it made this match so much better. Once again, The Shield brought everything they had to the match and the Rhodes Brothers stayed with them the entire time. This was the most motivated I have ever seen Goldust and he was able to hang with guys 15 years younger than him. If Goldust was this motivated in 1998 he might have been one of the big players in the Attitude Era of WWE. In the end, Dusty hit the bionic elbow and Cody hit Cross Rhodes for the win.

    #3. {CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar in a Street Fight; SummerSlam – August 18, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: I know that WWE put this match at the top of their list of the Top 25 matches but I think there are 2 matches that were just barely better. This match was brutal, just brutal. I know that I have said this before but it needs to be said, people who are friends usually have the best matches with each other. Lesnar, Punk, and Heyman wanted to steal a show with Cena and Bryan as the main event. They used as much brutality as you are allowed to in this era but mixed in the needed psychology to being this match up to the legendary level it is at. Heyman was the deciding factor in the match and it left the door open for the big rematch maybe at next year’s WrestleMania? Who knows, but I would love to see it again.

    #2. {CM Punk vs. John Cena in a #1 Contenders Match for the WWE Championship; Monday Night Raw – February 25, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: The final match between these 2 for a good amount of time was their best since Money in the Bank 2011. These 2 men did everything they possibly could to defeat each other. There were all the false finishes and the reverses out of the submission moves were just scintillating but the piledriver was the highlight of the match for me. It was just a special move you never see anymore and was used at the perfect time. It is why I think that a once a year chair shot to the head is okay as long as it is done as safely as it can be. Anyways, the match and the crowd (I should have been there as it was in Dallas) was just electric it is just too bad the follow up match at WrestleMania with The Rock and Cena wasn’t as good as this match.

    #1. {Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship – SummerSlam – August 18, 2013}


    Why This Match is On the List: This match had to follow the #3 match on this list so it had to be something special and my goodness was it special. I mentioned that people who are friends usually have the best matches together and something tells me that a couple really good looking Bella Twins “inspired” their men to go out and have the best match they could possibly have. The crowd was so behind Daniel Bryan it was scary and they were so primed for him to win this match. I have also said that Cena with the right opponent can have a great wrestling match as the crowd is always into it. As a testament to John Cena he did all of this with a torn tricep knowing that he needed surgery. Daniel Bryan cemented himself in the main event even though he lost the title 5 minutes later. We will always have the moment Bryan won the match as a great memory and the ending of the greatest match in 2013.

    So there you have it, the Top 10 WWE Matches of 2013! What is your opinion?

    Tweet Me: @EvanDaniels411
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    SO EVAN, WHAT IS THE TOPIC OF NEXT WEEK’S COLUMN:
    We are heading into the end of the year so how about some year-end columns. Keep in mind; I am not Larry or the others on this site so I don’t watch many of the wrestling companies so they will be WWE-centric lists. Next week, I will take a look at the Top Ten WWE Superstars of 2013.

    Until then, remember it’s all entertainment and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. And I’m out.

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