A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: January 13th 2014
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £ 19.99
Blu-ray £ 22.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD (3 Discs)
(Also Available on Blu-ray (2 Discs)
What It’s About:
2013’s
look back at the best pay-per view matches of the year includes over fifteen
full matches whilst the Blu-ray edition includes five extra outings. Whatever
your favourite matches were in 2013, then you’re almost promised to find them
in WWE’s first box set of the year.
Strengths:
C.M
Punk vs The Rock (Royal Rumble, January 27th 2013) for the WWE Championship is
a hit and miss affair. One of the most notable moments during the video package
is how much the Rock did to get The Shield over in the build up to the Royal
Rumble. Rock did a fine sell job for the trio and had he done the same for Miz
and R-Truth before their Survivor Series 2011 match against the Rock and John
Cena, maybe we could have suspended disbelief as to which team was going to
come out victorious; The Rock’s pre-match promo is both electrifying and wholly
wonderful. The Rock exudes more passion here than anyone in the Royal Rumble
match managed to muster and the promo is the most passionate in WWE in more
than a year. WWE could use this as lesson for its development wrestlers in how
to hype the crowd before a big match; C.M Punk enters first which is unusual
for a Champion. This should have told the onlookers that entering the ring
last, cutting such a fine promo, having his mother there who has cancer and
having his face solely on the Royal Rumble poster – this was undeniably the
Rock’s night; JBL is a hundred percent on the money when he says that C.M Punk
has to be considered one of the best in WWE history. Without Punk WWE would
have been in massive trouble during the whole of the 2012 period and the Royal
Rumble pay per view would not have drawn as many buy rates as it did. The Rock
vs a champion who has only had the gold for a month isn’t as emotional as
watching him dethrone a man who has been on top of WWE’s mountain for 434 days;
thankfully, from the beginning to the end, the match had that big fight feel
that many WWE Championship matches lacked in the year previous. I’ll go as far
to say that Rock vs Punk had more of a big fight feel than Cena vs Rock at WrestleMania
28. This big fight feel would have served the pair well had WWE booked this
match and the title change for WrestleMania 29; Punk exudes zeal getting in the
Rock’s face right from the very beginning and does a great job in not looking
like he’s afraid of the Rock. Sadly that image doesn’t last as having Paul
Heyman at ringside and getting involved in the action all adds to the image WWE
were trying to give us that Punk can’t beat the Rock without outside help;
noticeably the Rock has lost a lot of muscle mass since his WrestleMania 28
clash with John Cena, but is still carrying enough that it considerably slows
him down several times during the match and it is noticeable. Listen carefully
and you can audibly hear the Rock panting and breathing heavily. This is down
to the lack of ring time the Rock has had over the past few months. Had WWE
been quicker on the up take then they would have hired the Rock back several
weeks early and had him go through a rigorous wrestling routine to get him ring
ready, including having him fight in tag team matches on Raw and Smackdown. As
it is, the Rock really does look tired halfway through the match; the rest
holds come out pretty early in order to give the Rock time to catch his breath.
They don’t detract from the match any as Punk does a fine job of integrating
them into his routine, much more smoothly than Cena managed to against the Rock
at WrestleMania 28; Michael Cole has to be given rare credit for reminding the
audience of the Rock’s past in WWE and his history at the Royal Rumble. This
was so that the dolts who think the Rock is merely a Hollywood star in a
business he doesn’t know anything about are put right; there is a slow and
sloppy beginning to the match but as the Rock begins to get back into his old routine
and paces himself, the action picks up considerably; there are some really good
counters and the Rock’s sharpshooter looks crisp and properly executed.
Considering Bret Hart was present backstage and watching the match, the Rock
had no choice but to synch it correctly. Punk sold the move as it was designed
to be sold, with pain and real terror that this could be the end of his
wonderful run as Champion; the moment when the table collapses beneath the Rock
and Punk before ‘The Great One’ can hit the Rock Bottom ruins the spot but
quick thinking by the Rock and Punk saves the angle from being a complete write
off and they complete the spot on the floor with a solid Rock Bottom; when the
lights go out and the Shield drop the Rock through the second announcers table
is the moment you begin to believe that Punk will actually retain the WWE
Championship. There is a mixed reaction when Punk pins the Rock for what seems
like the victory but unmistakably, Vince McMahon strutting into the arena to
announce he’s going to strip Punk of the WWE Championship for outside
interference is met with ecstasy from most of the capacity crowd. WWE could
have been clever here and allowed the match to end as it did with Punk pinning
the Rock in the middle of the ring and then booked the rematch for the headline
spot of WrestleMania 29; the Rock plays the valiant, never surrendering
challenger and hero to perfection, when he grabs the microphone and tells Vince
McMahon that he doesn’t take the WWE Championship from Punk, the Rock does. A
role he’s had so much practice at still comes off as a punch the air moment;
admittedly there should have been more back and forth action after the restart
of the match, had the Rock and Punk traded close and nail biting near falls for
five more minutes before the Rock hit Punk with a devastating Rock Bottom from
the middle rope it would have been a more than fitting end to Punk’s conquest
that was his 434 day WWE Championship reign. Sadly it doesn’t. The candle of
Punk’s reign is extinguished with a People’s Elbow. Even though it is a great
feat for Punk to have lasted this long in the political WWE as Champion, his
title reign should have ended with a bang; through all of this, it is good to
see the Rock with the WWE Championship again. The match isn’t the greatest of
either man’s career; they’ve both had and done better than this. But it’s not
as bad John Cena vs the Rock at WrestleMania 28 and for that we can be truly
thankful. Both men deserve a huge pat on the back for their efforts here and even
though it becomes blindly clear that it’s not the same Rock that left WWE in
2002 and 2003, and we never expected it to be, this match is well worth the
watch for both the end of a historic Championship reign and the beginning of
the final end for the Rock.
John
Cena, Ryback and Sheamus vs The Shield (Elimination Chamber, February 17th
2013) is surprisingly capable considering that Cena and Ryback make up two
thirds of The Shield’s opposition. Even Cena and Ryback’s best efforts to ruin
The Shield’s image with their no selling the effects of The Shield’s moves
cannot ruin the match. There’s a good looking triple suplex at the beginning of
the match performed by Cena, Sheamus and Ryback, Roman Reigns looks like a true
star and his spear on Sheamus through the barricade is very good indeed. Just a
point here though; WWE are stripping all the realism of what The Shield are
meant to be away from the trio by giving them entrance music which a renegade
faction invading the company wouldn’t have and the camera trained on the trio,
knowing exactly where they are going to enter from in the crowd should have
been shaky and not kicked in until two thirds of the way through The Shield’s
entrance to make it look like the cameraman didn’t know where they were coming
from. All in all though it’s a good effort by the Shield and surely they’re
bound for WWE’s main event scene. Looking back at the match now though, it’s
clear the seeds for Ryback’s heel turn were sewn here; amusingly WWE shoot
themselves in the foot with the pre-match video package. Showing The Shield run
down John Cena saying; “John Cena, in your world there are no consequences! You
can do or say what you want!” The comment is both spot on and shows how easy
Cena has it in WWE.
C.M
Punk vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 29, April 7th 2013) is a spectacle all on
its own. Despite the disgusting build up revolving around the death of Paul
Bearer – an angle which all involved should have refused to take part it – the
match on the night is purely excellent. Living Colour singing C.M Punk to the
ring with ‘Cult of Personality’ is a stirring moment in WrestleMania history
and is topped only by The Undertaker’s ‘Walking Dead’ homage during his
entrance where shadows of hands, supposedly the souls of those he’d claimed, grasped at ‘The Demon of Death Valley’ as he
appears atop the stage. To cap off Undertaker’s entrance, WWE even furnished
him with his old nameplate being the design which bared his name on old posters
in the 90’s. Through the whole match, Punk played his part to perfection and I
will challenge anyone to spot any flaws with his perfectly pitched performance.
Because most of the build up revolved around Paul Bearer’s passing the
encounter, from beginning to end is an emotional affair which the crowd are divided
down the middle between the pair. Speaking of the capacity crowd, they have to
receive a huge round of applause for their part in the outing. They never
failed to impress and stayed with the match every step of the way. As for the
action, it surprised me that after a year away from the ring Undertaker can
still move like he did in 1996 which serves the back and forth pacing of the
match to perfection. Punk’s Shane McMahon inspired flying elbow to the
unbreakable announcers table is thrilling and Paul Heyman, in Punk’s corner, is
never less than magnificent. People talk about the legend that is Bobby ‘The
Brain’ Heenan being the greatest wrestling manager there ever was and he just
may be. Paul Heyman comes in a very close second. In an age when Undertaker’s
WrestleMania streak is never in jeopardy despite how hard WWE try to hype that
it is, that both men made it look like Punk could end the Streak goes to show
how great both are. Make no mistake about it; Undertaker really did look in
trouble at certain points. If anyone was going to do it then it would have been
C.M Punk. The counters are fine pieces of wrestling psychology. The highlight
of the match though isn’t the superior sequence which leads to Undertaker
putting Punk away with the Tombstone Piledriver, but the moment when C.M Punk
had Undertaker locked in the Anaconda Vice seemingly seconds away from the
greatest feat in modern history and The Undertaker simply sits up with the most
hilarious annoyed look on his face and stares Punk out. Both Undertaker and
Punk’s reactions are a moment which will stand still in WrestleMania’s
chronicle. C.M Punk kicking out of the tombstone almost brought the house down
and added weight to the thought that maybe people do want to see Undertaker’s
streak end. As the match drew to a close, the urn shot to Undertaker is timed
very well in order to illicit maximum heat for Punk and the end sequence of
events which lead to the final, damning tombstone piledriver is a joy to watch.
The Undertaker reclaiming Paul Bearer’s urn after the match is a stand up
moment and his salute to the urn and the man who walked him to the ring for
countless years is richly deserved. The man born Mark Calloway would not have
been a star without William ‘Paul Bearer’ Moody by his side. He owes him a huge
debt of gratitude. The Undertaker vs C.M Punk isn’t as good as Undertaker vs
Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25 and 26) or Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania
27 and 28) but it is a thrilling ride all the same. I suddenly realised why WWE
went down the path it had with Paul Bearer’s passing in the lead up. Triple H
and Shawn Michaels both had too much respect to end Undertaker’s twenty one
year unbeaten streak at WrestleMania in previous years. The thinking in the
office of Titan Towers was that if they could portray Punk as someone who had
no respect for Undertaker or those who had passed maybe we would believe Punk
would be the man to end it all. Whilst no one agrees with the way WWE went
about Bearer’s death, Vince McMahon very nearly accomplished what he set out to
achieve.
The
Rock vs John Cena (WrestleMania 29, April 7th 2013) for WWE Championship is a
surprise package at WrestleMania 29. Whilst the match wasn’t the main event
calibre showdown it should have been, it was a huge improvement on the year
before’s marathon of rest holds and Cena smirks – which thankfully Cena locked
away for the night. Despite what some fans say this is a worthy entry. At the
beginning of this match John Cena shows his unlimited heel potential as he
begins to bait the crowd without shame about throwing his cap back at him.
Speaking of entrances, it regressed your Wrestling God back 12 years or more to
see The Rock enter WrestleMania as WWE Champion and hold the Championship aloft
on the middle rope on the grandest stage of them all. What a feeling it is for
members of ‘Team Bring It’. For those who love the Rock as I do then savour the
moment, because something tells me we won’t be seeing it ever again. The
audience are on form once again after their lull in the Triple H vs Brock
Lesnar bout which they were as good as nonexistent. The reaction both the Rock
and John Cena received throughout this match is the reaction which Triple H and
Brock Lesnar hoped they would get for their brawl. There is a laughable moment
when JBL on commentary suggest that John Cena in 2013 is better than he was in
2004 and last year. Let’s just call it WWE’s way of trying to cheer us up and
lighten the mood which had become overtly serious by this point. Before we
delve into the match itself, something which irked your Wrestling God a great
deal was that JBL, under orders from Vince McMahon in his earpiece, continued
to state – as did the promos earlier in the show – that a place in history was
a stake for the winner of the match. It was a ridiculous comment because The
Rock and John Cena have both cemented their place in wrestling history, one
more than the other, and a loss or win for either would not have damaged the
others reputation or standing in the company when we come to look back on this
in 20 years time. After this little outburst JBL then states that if the Rock
defeats John Cena then he may be considered the best of the modern era.
Seriously? If he beats John Cena? Let’s just clear something up. The Rock will
always be remembered as one of the greatest wrestlers and performers in
wrestling history let alone the modern era – regardless of the fact that the
night was only ever going to end with John Cena crowned new WWE Champion. And
now we can move on: inside the ring, the action is more solid and flowing than
last year’s forgettable effort. The rest holds are kept to a minimum and thanks
to the fact that the Rock fought at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, he
came into WrestleMania 29 ring ready and didn’t need to take half as many
breaks as last year in order to get his breath back. As usual, John Cena’s
shortcomings are on display when he fails to sell Rock’s sharpshooter with any
conviction, instead opting to look like he’s taking a rather difficult dump and
the leader of the ‘Cenation’s’ counter to a Rock Bottom is as comical as the
STF submission he applies to the Rock. Kevin Dunn in the production truck needs
lessons on how to build tension in a match because as Cena had the Rock trapped
in the STF – despite his hands, as usual, being so far away from Rock’s throat
‘The Great One’ could have put a jumper on in the space between his throat and
Cena’s arms – Dunn ordered the camera to cut away from the action and hit a
wide shot of the ring and arena in which neither man could be seen for at least
five seconds. Maybe Kevin has been taking lessons from TNA. It totally ruins a
moment which could have been a turning point regarding the tension of the
match. To his credit, John Cena does take each Rock Bottom with ease and much
more comfortably on the eye than he did last year which allowed fans to
emotionally invest in this years bout. As we sauntered to the end of the bout,
JBL struck again on commentary when he suggested that John Cena needed to find something
new to do to defeat the Rock. John Cena do something new? Now he’s dreaming.
Cena hasn’t changed his ring style in 10 years. Once again, to his credit, John
Cena looks wholly serious as the match winds towards its sudden conclusion.
There isn’t a sly smile or smirk in sight and Cena actually looks like a man
who has been seriously damaged by his loss to the Rock the previous year.
Hoisting Rock up for the Attitude Adjustment, John Cena looked like he was
ready to turn heel any moment – if he can wrestle with this level of
seriousness from now on then maybe people wouldn’t be so hard on him. At least
here he conveyed how much a victory over The Rock would mean. Thankfully, John
Cena’s execution of last years ending is pulled off with aplomb as is Cena’s
Rock Bottom on the Rock which brings about a massive reaction from the crowd
who at this point are on their feet and can smell and ending approaching.
Unlike his usual tatty execution, John Cena nailed the Rock Bottom to
perfection and was impressive. The match boasts some nail biting near falls and
when John Cena stands above the Rock ready to hit Rock’s People’s Elbow the
look in his eye and the one approved smirk had ‘heel’ written all over it. Why
can’t WWE see this? Thankfully the second match in what is almost bound to be
the Rock vs John Cena trilogy is shorter than last years marathon. Yes, the
ending does come out of nowhere but it doesn’t detract from a satisfying
encounter even though for the John Cena character, the best ending would have
been to drill the Rock with the WWE Championship and turn heel. Instead we get
a touching embrace between the pair which is less than welcomed inside the
MetLife Stadium but John Cena does show a tremendous amount of respect to the
Rock by leaving the ring, even though he was the winner, and allowing the Rock
to take his standing ovation which the audience give him without question.
Unlike Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6, John Cena made the conscious decision on
this night to respect his opponent and not take the spotlight. This should be
an action which is applauded by Rock fans and Cena haters alike. It shows
progress for John Cena and just maybe there is hope for him yet. As the Rock
makes his way up the ramp John Cena is waiting with a very respectful and somewhat
touching salute and the pair share a hand in hand arm raise as the show goes
off the air. People can see this match any way they want; in reality it was a
huge passing of the torch moment. The Rock, whilst he will be back at
WrestleMania 30 possibly for his final ever match, has finally stepped down
from the main event scene with dignity and respect. No one can say the Rock
didn’t pass the torch when his time came and in classy fashion. At WrestleMania
29, the Rock stepped down in the right way.
Randy
Orton vs Big Show (Extreme Rules, May 19th 2013) in an Extreme Rules Match is a
wonderfully pleasing anything goes brawl which makes sure the fans in Orton’s
home town go home with a smile on their faces. Randy receives a much deserved
ovation on his homecoming and his interaction with the crowd throughout the
match is enjoyable to watch. For a long time it seemed as if Randy Orton didn’t
enjoy his job but finally he looks to be having a whale of a time. Whilst hopes
weren’t high for this match thanks to Big Show’s performances taking a down
turn in recent months, everyone was pleasantly surprised as the pair put
together a good and logical fight. Big Show bumps brilliantly, as if he was
200lbs lighter and is surprisingly agile for a man of his size. Big Show’s
Vader Bomb through a waiting ladder looks like it really hurt and Orton’s
draping DDT over the top rope gets the fans on their feet. It’s a move Big Show
takes well considering he has further to fall than if the move was executed
from the middle rope as it usually is. Orton’s first RKO garners a killer near
fall, whilst the punt makes a welcome return to action when Orton gets some
impressive shoe leather around Big Show’s cranium in the crowd pleasing finale.
Naturally, Randy Orton’s victory gets the biggest reaction of the night.
Triple
H vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules, May 19th 2013) in a stunningly brilliant
Steel Cage Match. Just a small point though, before we take a look at why the
match was so good. Before the match begins, WWE show us a video package of
Brock Lesnar’s rampage on Triple H’s office in WWE’s Titan Towers headquarters.
Whilst the angle was meant to provide heat for this match, it was an illogical
story for anyone to pen. Lesnar simply wanders into the company’s offices and
trashes Hunter’s office, threatening staff as he goes. Do WWE really expect us
to believe that a Billion Dollar company doesn’t have one security guard on the
door, or that those who were verbally and physically threatened by Lesnar
wouldn’t press charges against Heyman’s main man for his conduct? What’s more,
do WWE believe we’re that stupid that we wouldn’t realise that had Lesnar done
this for real, WWE would have had no choice but to suspend and fine him,
possibly taking legal action? Now that’s said, let’s move onto the matter in
the hand. The match gets off to flying start as Triple H attacks Lesnar on the
aisle, pounding him against the outside of the brand new steel cage design
which fits the modern day WWE perfectly. The beginning of the match is speedy
adding the sense of urgency perfectly. WWE wanted us to believe this was life
or death for both men and thanks to the action and more importantly selling of
both men, there’s not one moment you don’t buy into the story they’re telling.
On the whole, this is much better than their WrestleMania 29 clash and tops
even their SummerSlam 2012 brawl. Triple H sells like a trooper for Lesnar who
looks like the hurting machine that he should always portray and even Triple
H’s comebacks, even though spirited, have a sense of doom about them. From the
outset here you get the feeling that Triple H is always fighting a loosing
battle. The feeling makes this match more exciting than one could ever have
imagined. The real star of the match though is Brock Lesnar. The selling of the
injured knee is as flawless a performance as you will ever see in WWE. Lesnar
sells his injured limb like it’s the end of his career and even more
refreshing, Triple H actually works the injury. I know it’s not a huge turn
around, but in a company where its stars don’t sell injuries like they should
and their opponents don’t exploit those injures, it does fell like a whole new
concept when we get to this. The first F5 results in a brilliant near fall as
does a thunderous pedigree which has the attending audience standing. Triple
H’s sharpshooter on Lesnar will probably get Bret Hart’s ire up and Paul Heyman
at ringside, slowly interjecting himself into the match is once again, nothing
short of a marvel. The end sequence involving all three men is executed well
and Paul Heyman’s role as the dastardly manager takes him up another level as
he first takes a pedigree as well as any WWE Superstar and then delivers the
final, crushing low blow allowing Brock Lesnar to take control for the last
time. As Lesnar stands over Triple H’s fallen body, everything seems to slow to
a near crawl which is just perfect for this match. The finale is hauntingly
slow, wonderfully deliberate and cringingly hard hitting as Lesnar drops Triple
H with the deciding F5. That Triple H is willing to Brock Lesnar over here and
then Curtis Axel the follow night on Raw proves that the once ‘Cerebral
Assassin’ has the company’s best interests at heart. When Triple H leaves the
ring at the end, he looks a beaten man. Though the commentators try to pin the
victory on Heyman’s interjection anyone with eyes can see that Brock Lesnar
deserved this victory and much more for his part in the match. He was truly
excellent.
Wade
Barrett vs Curtis Axel vs The Miz (Payback, June 16th 2013) in a triple threat
match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship couldn’t have been written
better had WWE tried. Whilst trying to convince us that this is Curtis Axel’s
destiny, winning the Intercontinental Championship his father, Mr. Perfect, had
held so triumphantly years before on fathers day, it comes as a shame that the
commentators couldn’t keep up the hype. Instead of really pushing Axel, WWE
seemed to want to inform us that Axel was only in the match because Fandango
had been injured on Smackdown and not because he’s a good wrestler. Axel gets a
good reception on his entrance and the match begins fast which gets the fans
excited for an encounter in which they never dip. Wade Barrett looks convincing
as the defending champion, had he put this much effort into all his matches
then he may be higher up the card by now, levelling Miz and Axel with several
big moves stating his authority. Whilst Miz is in serious danger of being known
as a main roster enhancement talent, he does have some stand out moments in this
match, most notably taking on Axel and Barrett on his own and for the most part
coming out smelling of roses. Miz portrays someone who has heart and someone
who should be at a much higher level. Curtis Axel is dominant but slow. When
its just Axel and Miz in the ring the action screeches to a halt, though Axel’s
offence looks timed and thought out. He needs to speed up his ring work unless
he wants to be seen as Michael McGillicutty with a new attitude. The trio
exchange an excellent series of moves which leads into the ‘Winds of Change’
for Barrett and when Axel uses his father’s ‘Perfect Plex’ to score a brilliant
near fall it nearly brings the house down. After the ‘Perfect Plex’ spot, the
match flies. Every near fall is tense and The Miz’s reversal of ‘Wings of
Change’ into the Figure Four Leg Lock couldn’t have gone smoother. The ending
in which Axel pins Barrett whilst he’s in the Figure Four is a great ending and
one which preserves The Miz’s image as he was so close to taking the gold. The
commentators bleat on about Axel being Henning’s son and don’t let him bask in
the spotlight on his merit but that is a minor gripe. It’s quite eerie how much
Axel looks like his father.
Kaitlyn
vs A.J Lee (Payback, June 16th 2013) for the WWE Divas Championship is the best
Divas match in many years. From beginning to end it has more attitude than most
of the male’s matches on the card and is a standout achievement for WWE and
both of the women involved. From the feisty beginning in which Kaitlyn hurls
A.J over the announcers table which gives us a different indication of how much
better this is going to be compared to previous Divas matches, to A.J’s
perfectly psychotic performance, both women shine at Payback. Every move is
solid and the crowd are fully immersed in the action thanks to a more than
average storyline giving this meaning for once. A.J’s wrap around sleeper hold
is honed to perfection and even though the size difference is visible and
Kaitlyn looks like she could snap A.J in half, the psychotic diva holds her
own. Kaitlyn shows off her power with a wonderful reversal of a crucifix pin
into a standing gut drop. Continuing the reversals, A.J turns the tide of a
swinging sidewalk slam into the ‘Black Widow’ submission hold which looks like
something of someone beyond her years. Every near fall the pair trade gets the
crowd hot and rightly so as you believe that either woman could win the match.
At last, Kaitlyn convinces with her acting and her tears seem genuine, making
you really feel for her, whilst the chants of ‘You tapped out’ by the fans to
Kaitlyn are disrespectful after the show she’s just contributed to. Overall
this match is almost flawless and the best since Trish Stratus vs Lita at
Unforgiven 2006. This was the best match of the pay-per view.
Dolph
Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio (Payback, June 16th 2013) for the World Heavyweight
Championship is an expertly handled mach in the way it turns Alberto Del Rio
heel and Dolph Ziggler face. Reminiscent of Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve
Austin at WrestleMania 13, WWE have every right to be proud of themselves here.
Returning from a concussion which put him out of action for 5 weeks, Dolph
Ziggler gets a thunderous reception which sets the tone of the match in which
most of the audience are on his side. This is because he’s the first wrestler
in quite a few years to come from the bottom to the top. WWE need to take note
of the reaction here. Del Rio’s heel turn is a slow burner as he works over
Dolph Ziggler’s head in moments which are uncomfortable to watch seeing as
Ziggler’s concussion was real and not fabricated. As the work on the head gets
more and more vicious the fans begin to turn on Del Rio for his brutality and
cheer Ziggler, who puts up a hell of a fight. Dolph sells the head like Shawn
Michaels in his prime and whilst a lot of the action is slow and calculated,
again focussed on Ziggler’s head; it is kept intriguing by Del Rio’s heel turn
and Ziggler’s determination to never give up. Undoubtedly, Dolph Ziggler is the
star of this match with his never say die attitude which you don’t expect from
a heel and he comes across as the valiant champion. The match has its quick
succession of reversals in which Ziggler botches a fame-asser. Gladly it
doesn’t ruin the match as the botched move looks like a result of Ziggler’s
injury. Dolph Ziggler makes his star on this night. The harsh kick to Ziggler’s
head to end the match in what is a valiant and gritty ending, seals Del Rio’s
heel turn though he does get a huge ovation when he pins Ziggler, who gets a
well earned ovation from the crowd and rampant chants of his name. WWE has to
send Del Rio back out for post match promo to get his heel character over with
those who didn’t get it first time around.
Dean
Ambrose vs Fandango vs Antonio Cesaro vs Jack Swagger vs Cody Rhodes vs Damien
Sandow vs Wade Barrett in the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money
in the Bank, July 14th 2013) is quite superb. Sadly thanks to time constraints,
Dean Ambrose and Fandango don’t get an entrance and are simply already in the
ring when the pay-per view begins – an oversight by WWE to treat their United
States Champion that way – though Ambrose gets a rousing reception when he’s
announced. Zeb Coulter does his usual Anti-Foreigner spiel which is beyond old
now and the irony of managing Antonio Cesaro – who hails from Switzerland –
whilst preaching about non Americans in the country is seemingly lost on WWE
and Coulter. As for the excellent brawl; Antonio Cesaro gets his fair share of
the spotlight with a sublime ‘Gut-wrench Powerbomb’ on Cody Rhodes onto the
ladder and an exceptional mid-air ‘European Uppercut’ on Wade Barrett as he
falls from the ladder. Fandango is barely relevant in this match and apart from
a few spots on the ladder where he’s visible reaching for the briefcase and the
odd back and forth piece of action with the ladder, his biggest contribution is
an accomplished ‘Slingshot Leg Drop’ onto the ladder and Wade Barrett and an
excellent sunset flip on Wade Barrett from the top of the ladder. Speaking of
the United States Champions, Ambrose is once again one of the stars of the
match and is all over like this like a rash – in the best possible sense. The
third wheel of The Shield executes an outstanding DDT on Jack Swagger off of
the ladder; is the recipient of an
impressive ‘Hangman’ with the ladder which he ably slips out of and gets a
round of applause when he takes a death defying fall from the top of the ladder
into the waiting wrestler brawl outside. Jack Swagger and Damien Sandow are
kept to a minimum in this match which is baffling and Wade Barrett is the
recipient of a huge amount of punishment. Including what has already been
mentioned, Barrett gets a nasty ladder shot to the head as he’s laying on the
outside, though he does display some much needed aggression when he beats
Sandow with a broken part of the ladder. WWE do very well to take the attention
off those selling moves at ringside for longer than they should and keep the
camera focused on those in the moment. Each interception of the briefcase is timed
to perfection and the ladder is used well and not excessively. However, the
stand out star of this match is Cody Rhodes. His aggression and talent comes to
the front line at Money in the Bank and it’s clear that this Cody Rhodes is one
who belongs in the main event. I have never been more impressed with him and
WWE should push him hard when he returns – as he inevitably will – from his
storyline sacking. Just some of his highlights involve breaking up the Swagger
/ Cesaro human ladder attempt and taking each participant out on his own in a
fluid sequence of moves much to the audience’s approval. Rhodes bleeds hardway
when he’s caught by a ladder shot to the head which the camera try their best
to cover up, and the audience, though they give smatterings of applause for
Damien Sandown’s victory are more annoyed than pleased. The truth is, Damien
Sandow isn’t ready for this spot and WWE are to blame. His treatment before and
since the victory has been appalling. Cody Rhodes was the star of this show and
he should have been given that final push.
C.M
Punk vs Brock Lesnar (SummerSlam, August 18th 2013) is a stunning bout which is
by far WWE’s best match of the year so far, surpassing C.M Punk vs The
Undertaker (WrestleMania 29) and Triple H vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2013).
This match, unlike most this year has that big match atmosphere and big fight
feel before it even begins, even more so than Daniel Bryan vs John Cena. The
beginning of the match is hard hitting and totally gripping, the fact that it
never lets the audience go and wrings every last drop of emotion out of the
watching crowd is a credit to both men. Brock Lesnar plays the part of the
monster to perfection, showcasing his sheer power over Punk, by throwing ‘The
Second City Saviour’ around ringside including an impressive haul over the
announce table which Punk almost clears without touching. When Punk finally
gains control, Lesnar once again asserts his dominance with a great looking
shoulder block into the steps and Punk. Punk’s flying clothesline off of the
announce desk is very fine and everything Brock Lesnar does, gets a reaction
from the partisan Punk crowd. What the brawl generates into is a tense and very
believable fight, which Lesnar dominates not just with hardcore strikes but
also some distinguished belly to belly suplex’s – which on the outside of the
ring look immense. I fear that C.M Punk’s selling is getting worse as he almost
leaps up from the belly to belly to pepper Lesnar with kicks and the final F5
isn’t sold for nearly long enough – but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. From
what has been described so far, you may think this is just a hardcore brawl but
you’d be wrong. After the weapons and aggression have taken their toll, to
their credit, Punk and Lesnar turn the match into a high stakes technical brawl
before the final flurry of hardcore action, boasting reversals galore. Lesnar
reverses a running knee into an F5 attempt in a great looking exchange and a
GTS attempt into a seamless Kimura Lock which brings a wholly gripping
submission endeavour. Punk reverses the Kimura Lock into a Triangle Choke hold
or Hell’s Gate if you’re an Undertaker fan, which brings Brock Lesnar’s selling
powers into play as he teases a tap out in one of the best moments of the
entire match. By this time the “This is Awesome” chants the crowd are bestowing
on the pair are richly deserved. At ringside, Paul Heyman is the marvel he
usually is and when he interjects himself in the match it adds another layer of
emotional depth to the affray. Lesnar and Punk sell amicably for each other and
the nail-biting near falls towards the end are simply sublime. The last five
minutes of the match are completely faultless, as Punk reverses an F5 into a
DDT in the best move of the match – and it has a lot of competition – and
Lesnar’s sickening chair shots in the vein of Austin on The Rock at
WrestleMania 17 are a wonderful star builder as they basically tell the
audience that Lesnar could only beat Punk by battering him into a
semi-unconscious state. A first class match which has to be match of the year.
Punk and Lesnar do more for each other here than anyone has done for them in a
very long time.
John
Cena vs Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam, August 18th 2013) is a wonderful surprise for
the WWE Championship Match. Just a short note before we get into the match. I
credit John Cena here for putting on a hell of a show. His selling and
wrestling skills still are iffy but for once, it doesn’t matter. John Cena
knows this is the beginning of something huge for Daniel Bryan and he acts and
wrestles accordingly. For that, John Cena deserves all the credit in the world.
It’s clear by the end of the match that John Cena can do it when he wants to
and this is the Cena we want to see more of in the ring. The leader of the
Cenation hits a lovely and striking bridge hop which is only usually done by
luchadores and his suplex off of the steel steps is top class all the way. The
“You still suck chants” afterwards are very funny. On top of that, Cena nails
Bryan with an accomplished sit down Powerbomb which is faultless. There are no
childish smirks here, it’s all business. Though not all of Cena’s offence is
good, the big moves which matter are done to perfection. Daniel Bryan – the WWE
Champion elect just goes and goes and goes without any sign of tiring. This is
a man WWE want to keep on top; his main event output is simply unmatched. Bryan
is technically brilliant here and you won’t find anything out of place or
executed wrong. Reversing an Attitude Adjustment into a Yes Lock is brilliantly
done and if wrestling moves were chocolate; his spider suplex from the top rope
would melt in the mouth. As both men sell the others offence which is
believable, Cena counters a suicide dive with a shoulder block from the floor
to the apron in another good move and nails his flying leg drop on target. The
only slip Cena has in the match is when he nearly breaks Daniel Bryan’s neck
countering a hurricanrana. When Cena has him held upside down he drops to his
feet from the top and Bryan lands on his head in a cringe worthy moment. This
match is everything it should have been and both men deserve every praise. Cena
fans can be proud of this one. The ending, portraying Cena as the never say die
Champion and Bryan as the determined challenger who had worked his whole life
for this one night is perfectly gotten over. Neither will quit and the audience
recognise that this is something special. The final running knee which finishes
off Cena is perfectly timed and sold by the Champion and the ending is a good
old fashioned, clean finish which furthers Bryan’s career. Yes, you heard it
here first. John Cena actually helped make someone. The handshake at the end of
the match is a nice touch and Randy Orton’s last minute crashing of the party
gets a massive reaction as it looks like the show will end on Daniel Bryan’s
victory. Triple H’s heel turn on Bryan is superbly done and Orton’s WWE
Championship victory garners another approval from the crowd. Excellent.
Cody
Rhodes and Goldust vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns (Battleground, October 6th
2013) in the match to restore The Rhodes Family to WWE’s roster, is a great tag
team encounter in which, for once, everyone on display makes the most of their
allocated time. Thankfully, realising The Shield were going to come out on the
losing end, the commentators were informed to make sure the audience knew The
Shield were responsible for The Undertaker’s absence, thus making them look
like a hell of a hurdle for The Rhodes Brothers to leap. Cody Rhodes shows all
the main event calibre talent needed for WWE to be comfortable in pushing him
up the card when his time comes, with a solid showing including an excellent
moonsault from the top rope which is pitch perfect. Goldust shines in his
limited time in the ring – which was wise by WWE to use him sparingly – and The
Shield selflessly sacrifice themselves to make sure Cody Rhodes gets over in
star making qualities which are beyond their years. In doing so, Reigns and
Rollins look like stars themselves. It’s logical, tense and entertaining mixing
in near falls – a thrilling two and a half count after a thunderous Alabama
Slam – nostalgia spots – where Dusty Rhodes gets involved banishing Dean
Ambrose with a ‘Dusty Elbow’ – and an excellent closing few moments in which
the Crossroads and subsequent victory gets the biggest reaction of anything in
wrestling all year. WWE should have sent this match on last for that feel good
feeling.
Randy
Orton vs Daniel Bryan (Hell in a Cell, October 27th 2013) isn’t the greatest
Hell in a Cell Match in history but it isn’t totally horrible either, thanks to
Orton and Bryan’s enthusiasm. It’s no secret that their pay-per view matches
were somewhat of a let down but we know by now that when two awesome forces
such as these collide, they tend to cancel each other out. It’s a testament to
the audience that they’re still behind Bryan even after all the things that
have been said about him on Raw in the lead up to Hell in a Cell – it just goes
to prove that WWE don’t always have the power to make us believe what they want
– and this match shows that he’s much better than the current stuff he’s been
doing with The Wyatt Family. There are some fine moments to be seen here but
you get the overall impression that everything that could have been done has
been and maybe WWE were correct to move on with the pair and split them until
at least WrestleMania XXX. The match does dip in an out of pace when it should
really stick to a steady incline but Shawn Michaels does help proceedings along
as Special Guest Referee, though remains distant until the end. There’s a
beautiful Sunset Flip from Bryan from the top rope which lives up the bout and
those are followed with the standard counters and reversals which are good, but
don’t stop the feeling that this match goes too long. Towards the end of the
bout HBK comes into his own and the referee bump at the death signals the Shawn
Michaels turn which is done to perfection. So not all great but as I said,
there are moments here which still make you believe.
Weaknesses:
Alberto
Del Rio vs Rob Van Dam (Night of Champions, September 15th 2013) for the World
Heavyweight Championship isn’t the worst match ever but out of the matches
included on this release, it is one of the weakest – one of them has to be. The
match dips in the middle as rest holds are required and deployed in order for
RVD to gain some sort semblance to finish the spots planned but it’s the pacy
beginning and finish which do the bout justice. Van Dam misses a moonsault to
the outside and overshoots Del Rio but the champion oozes heel aura here and
its clear that there’s no way he should have lost the gold to John Cena at Hell
in a Cell. RVD does give the very best main event level performance he can but
anyone watching can see that he belongs in the mid-card position elevating
younger talent. Alberto Del Rio hits a wonderful backstabber and blocks the 5
Star Frog Splash with a reversal into the Cross Arm-breaker which is good but
could have been better. The DQ finish is lousy and even though it was set up so
the pair could do battle again at Battleground, RVD is so popular that Del Rio
could have gone over clean and people would still have accepted RVD back as
challenger the next month. The RVD Coast to Coast after the finish is as good
as it ever was – though a clumsy camera angle in the replay reveals Del Rio
holding the chair in place.
A.J
Lee vs Natalya vs Naomi vs Brie Bella (Night of Champions, September 15th 2013)
for the WWE Divas Championship begins with a baffling opening segment and goes
down hill from there. After her exceptionally good pipe bomb on Raw, A.J should
have been allowed to come out fighting to illustrate that she hates the reality
side of wrestling and is better than everyone in the ring with her. Instead WWE
make her run from her opponents, which makes her look weak. The match is a slow
bore which retreads old ground and adds nothing new to the women in the ring.
After so many great outings in the past, WWE should be ashamed of this. All
four try their best but it’s a total washout. Natalya slams Brie Bella on Naomi
but even though Naomi’s shoulders are down the referee doesn’t bother to make
the count as Natalya stands there like a deer in the headlights. Nothing flows
and this match looks and feels like a filler. Two of the four shouldn’t be
there at all.
Alberto
Del Rio vs John Cena (Hell in a Cell, October 27th 2013) is the usual trawl
through the usual Cena routine. On this night, John Cena seems to be riding his
comeback too much, neglecting to sell anything including the arm which he’d
been out of action with for two months. Judging by this, he should have stayed
away longer. It’s amazing that he still hasn’t bothered to learn anything new.
What did he do with that time? Alberto Del Rio would have been a better
replacement at TLC and would have added an air of authority to his character
had he been picked ahead of Cena to compete in the unification match. Sadly,
Del Rio hardly gets a look in here only to apply some mind numbing arm bars on
Cena which kill any momentum the match actually had. John Cena’s punches look
weak and more ridiculously, Alberto Del Rio has to sell them like they’re
devastating. The most ludicrous moment of the bout though comes when Del Rio
has what should have been the match winning Cross Arm Breaker on Cena, and Cena
– who has just returned from an injury from the very same arm, simply stand up
like nothing has been wrong with the appendage and lifts up Del Rio’s whole
weight. It’s just dumb. It’s clear that WWE don’t care about Alberto Del Rio’s
career and just wanted to get John Cena back on top. Terrible.
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
WWE Extreme Rules 2013
– May 19th 2013
WWE Unites States
Championship Match
Kofi
Kingston vs Dean Ambrose
WWE Payback 2013 – June
16th 2013
Chris
Jericho vs C.M Punk
WWE Money in the Bank
2013 – July 14th 2013
Money in the Bank
Kick-Off Match
WWE Tag Team
Championship Match
The
Shield vs The Usos
WWE SummerSlam 2013 –
August 18th 2013
World Heavyweight
Championship Match
Alberto
Del Rio vs Christian
WWE Hell in a Cell 2013
– October 27th 2013
WWE Tag Team
Championship Match
Cody
Rhodes and Goldust vs The Shield vs The Usos
Conclusion:
From
The Rock’s WWE Championship victory to John Cena’s return at Hell in a Cell
2013, WWE’s Best PPV Matches 2013 packs in some of the greatest pay-per view
matches 2013 gave us - though these two weren't the greatest, don't get me wrong. Undoubtedly this is an impressive collection, though an
argument could be made that almost all of the Blu-ray exclusive matches would
have been better served on the main body of the release as they all qualify for
what the release is trying to emphasise.
As
always, there are some questionable choices. John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio from
Hell in a Cell, Alberto Del Rio vs Rob Van Dam from Night of Champions when
their excellent Battleground Hardcore Rules Match from Battleground 2013 would
have been batter placed on this release and the Fatal Four Way Match for the
WWE Divas Championship at Night of Championship doesn’t deserve a place; whilst
there are some glaring omissions such as Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler
(Money in the Bank), A.J Lee vs Kaitlyn (Money in the Bank), Randy Orton vs
Daniel Bryan (Night of Champions) plus a few more.
On
the whole though, the company have done a sterling job of rounding up the best
matches and even those such as The Rock vs C.M Punk (Royal Rumble 2013) and The
Rock vs John Cena (WrestleMania 29) merit an inclusion on what they meant for
wrestling history, even though The Rock vs C.M Punk at Elimination Chamber was
superior to their Rumble clash. There is something here for everyone. Excellent
technical wrestling galore and you will find it hard to pick the best match of
the bunch though C.M Punk’s matches against The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar as
well as Triple H vs Brock Lesnar are strong contenders.
WWE
could have delayed this release to include matches from Survivor Series and TLC
but then this is how it is every year. Whilst the set is almost must have, it
is wholly pointless for people who own all of 2013’s events. There is nothing extra
to be had but matches. Because of the quality of matches across all three
discs, this is a fine beginning to what promises to be a year of high quality
releases.
Rating: A
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 DVD and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
