Continuing the process of putting up match of the year lists, we are in the year 2013. The first year I started to keep track of matches on my google spreadsheet. In September I made the initial list that has ballooned out from there.
#10
CM Punk vs John Cena
WWE Raw
February 25
The classic “piledriver” match. I would say Punk is Cena’s best opponent and it’s the best WWE feud of the 2010’s. Another awesome match in that series, and sadly the last.
#9
Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Virus
CMLL
October 6
Two of the best mat workers in the world working a classic lucha title match. Anytime Virus gets the time in these matches they are must watches.
#8
Hirooki Goto vs Katsuyori Shibata
NJPW Dominion
June 22
I feel wrong putting this match on the list, due to what happened to Shibata in 2017. However this is my 2013 list (outside of a small edit later on). These two destroy each other with stiff strikes. Hard to watch in hindsight.
#7
Kota Ibushi vs Shinsuke Nakamura
NJPW G1 Climax
August 4
Shocking to say both of these wrestlers have competed in the WWE. They just have perfect chemistry and work at an extreme pace. Watch out for the kicks!
#6
Cesaro vs William Regal
NXT
November 21
The final match in the great career of Regal as he tried to put the cocky young jerk in his place. Everything you could want in pro-wrestling.
#5
Cesaro vs Sami Zayn
“2 out of 3 Falls”
NXT
August 21
Before NXT was on the WWE Network (and before the WWE Network was a thing) NXT was purely a development territory. However these two didn’t need to develop and they put up an amazing match here.
#4
The Shield vs Cody Rhodes & Goldust
WWE Battleground
October 6
A really underrated match where the Rhodes family had to win to get their jobs back. With an emotional Dusty in their corner, the Rhodes brothers were the perfect babyface southern tag team.
#3
Brock lesnar vs CM Punk
WWE SummerSlam
August 18
CM Punk worked as a spunky underdog babyface against the monster here and it really worked. Punk pulled out all the stops and used his brains to make this match competitive. In the end, Lesnar is still the unslayable monster, but the ending was actually put in doubt.
#2
Daniel Bryan vs John Cena
WWE SummerSlam
August 18
My former #1 match of 2013 is an all-time classic. Cena went out there to make Bryan the star, and this is them doing a WWE main event match. The person possible version of that style!
#1
Dr. Wagner Jr. vs LA Park
TxT
May 11
On the original list I made in 2013, this match was #2, but my love for it has grown over time. This match starts out with LA Park lighting a Wagner shirt on fire that is draped over a chair and while Wagner makes his entrance, Park is flipping him off. It gets better from there. Blood, chairs, beer bottles, this is everything a brawl could possibly be!
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