On the edge of 2013 looking to 2014 and beyond, the Last Word on Sports pro wrestling team decided to sit down and discuss the year that was 2013 for pro wrestling in WWE, TNA, ROH and beyond.
Jeff DeHaan (@DeHaanoffate), Adam Contant (@AdamContant) and Aaron Wrotkowski (@AaronWrotkowski) discussed 11 categories for the year. With three very different wrestling minds comes three very different opinions on the subjects at hand. LWOS chooses the best argument for each category while also letting you know what the other writers decided.
Best Male Worker
Best male worker includes everything from wrestler to manager to just a personality. If this were 1989, choices could range from Ric Flair to Jesse Ventura to the whole Bobby Heenan Family.
Jeff DeHaan: This is never an easy category to pick. There are always so many worthy candidates. But looking back on 2013, the best male worker(s) for my money were The Shield. Spending the majority of the year undefeated as a trio, they beat the best of the best: Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, John Cena, Kane, Undertaker, Big Show, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Ryback, you name it. They only faced their first loss as a trio in May via disqualification. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns held the WWE tag team titles for four months, with Dean Ambrose having the United States Championship for seven months and counting. Reigns was only pinned for the first time on TV, on September 23, 2013. As the year comes to a close we are starting to see some dents in their armor, but you can’t deny the successful year they have had. There are bright futures in store for all three members of The Shield.
Other Choices: CM Punk by Adam Contant and Bobby Roode by Aaron Wrotkowski
Best Female Worker
Best female worker includes everything from wrestler to manager to just a personality. If this were 2000, choices could range from Trish Stratus to Francine to every member of Pretty Mean Sisters.
Aaron Wrotkowski: When the discussion of female workers come up, there is always the asterisk that the match was good, “for female wrestling”. Since the late 90s, WWE fed us barely trained female workers and then trained us to consider them bathroom breaks. While the WWE has been slowly trying to change this (colleague Adam Contant chose Sara Del Ray for her work in the WWE Performance Centre with the likes of Emma and Paige) and AJ Lee has been a strong Divas champion, the fact is they are still far behind the men. You however can’t say the same for Gail Kim. When Gail Kim wrestles on a TNA card, which in 2013 has included the likes of Christopher Daniels, Bobby Roode, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy and Austin Aries, you always have to consider her match as a potential match of the night. No asterisk needed. What Gail Kim did against Taryn Terell at Slammiversary XI and on Impact in a ladder match was nothing short of legendary. Gail Kim proved she could carry a wrestler in ways we haven’t seen since Ric Flair was carrying broomsticks to four star matches in the NWA. North Americans have been always left in the dust when it comes to quality women’s wrestling on TV. However, since Gail Kim was the face of the Knockouts when the division launched, she has proven to not only be the best female worker in North America but one of the best workers period.
Other Choices: AJ Lee by Jeff DeHaan and Sara Del Ray by Adam Contant
Match of 2013
Adam Contant: This might have been the easiest category for me to choose this year, and that’s not to say that there were a lack of good matches this year. There were LOTS of classics to choose from, but this was one of those years that I didn’t need to think twice about my favorite match of the year. A match that connected with me and sucked me in on such a level that I got lost lost in its story. It has only happened to me a few times over the last couple of years reviewing matches (John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels in 2007, Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair in 2008, and John Cena vs. CM Punk in 2011) and this year it happened again at Summerslam as I bore witness to CM Punk v. Brock Lesnar. What drama. What emotion. What athleticism. I can’t say a single bad thing about this match. I loved the story they told, I loved the intensity they both brought with them, I love that it had everything you could want in a pro wrestling main event style match. This match is not only hands down my favorite match of the year… but I dare say it may be my favorite match of all time. What else needs to be said?
Also chosen by Jeff DeHaan. Other Choice: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada at WRESTLE KINGDOM 7 by Aaron Wrotkowski
PPV of 2013
Jeff DeHaan: I think overall I enjoyed Summerslam the most. Cena vs. Bryan was fantastic. Props to Cena for competing in that match with a triceps injury. Brock Lesnar and Punk’s match was brilliant. Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian is a very underrated match. Great stuff from both men. For the most part, the undercard from Summerslam was pretty good as well. The only real mediocre match was the Ring of Fire match between Bray Wyatt and Kane. Other than that, it was a great pay-per-view.
Other Choices: WWE Royal Rumble by Adam Contant, NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 7 by Aaron Wrotkowski
Biggest Moment of 2013
Instead of a full show or match, that one moment in 2013 that leaves an impression when someone says the year of wrestling in 2013.
Adam Contant: The most emotional match of the year was The Rhodes Boys with their father Dusty Rhodes in their corner vs. The Shield for the WWE Tag Team Titles and jobs of the Rhodes family. How could you NOT be gripped to the television for something like this. The match was incredible, but the aftermath was even more special. The Rhodes family hugging in the middle of the ring, wearing the gold, tears of joy streaming down their faces while the crowd went absolutely berserk was THE feel good moment of the year in wrestling. It wasn’t just a title win. It was so much more than that. The Rhodes family had been a mess less than a decade ago. Less than five years ago Goldust was a personal mess. This was not just a tale of a tag team winning the belts. It was the story of broken family put back together proving that blood is always thicker than water, it was the story of redemption for a man who proved tht what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and it was the story of a man taking a larger step towards his destiny as one of the greats….All interwoven and displayed in that one beautiful moment.
Other Choices: Daniel Bryan becomes WWE Champion by beating John Cena by Jeff DeHaan, Scott Hall enters DDP’s Accountability Crib by Aaron Wrotkowski
Worst News of 2013
Everything can’t be roses and happiness in a retrospective. The worst news you heard in 2013 in the sport of professional wrestling.
Aaron Wrotkowski: It seems to be forgotten to some but it’s a big part of my childhood gone. I first became a pro wrestling fan after seeing The Undertaker. With his pale skin, black clothes and supernatural abilities, I was immediately hooked into the theatre that is professional wrestling. That might not have happened if it wasn’t for the man who brought him to the ring, so when I heard the news that William Moody, better known as Paul Bearer passed away it was like a small part of my wrestling love vanishing. Moody always looked to be having fun with the Paul Bearer character and proved the importance of managers in wrestling. In 2013, so did Paul Heyman and Zeb Colter, but Bearer’s death should be a ringing reminder that a good manager can complete a package. Rest in Peace, Mr. Moody.
Other Choices: Dolph Ziggler’s concussion by Jeff DeHaan and TNA’s financial cutbacks by Adam Contant
Biggest Mistake of 2013
An armchair booker’s favourite question. What did someone do in wrestling in 2013 that just made you upgrade a basic facepalm to a Von Erich claw in shame?
Jeff DeHaan: One thing has bugged me for a while, and while its been going on for a couple years, 2013 was very evident. And that is the lack of consistency with turns. Triple H turned heel and started the Authority. Yet he spent half his time during promos putting down lower to mid card heels like Heath Slater. The Miz, is he heel? Is he face? Damien Sandow for one night came out acting like a babyface on Smackdown and took on Alberto Del Rio. That’s fine for a live event, but keep television consistent. Maybe I’m showing my age and my love of 80s wrestling, but I sometimes wish things were a little more black and white. Although, I could forgive the others if Triple H had just picked a side. An authority figure usually works best in a heel role. It gives the babyfaces more of an underdog edge and Triple H is a fantastic heel. So why try to get pops out of the crowd when you also want them to boo you?
Other Choices: Face Miz no different than Heel Miz by Adam Contant, TNA attempts to leave Impact Zone and fails by Aaron Wrotkowski
Smartest Move of 2013
Give credit where credit is due!
Adam Contant: Those that fail to prepare, prepare to fail. One of the biggest complaints about WWE in the last few years has been their lack of development for new talents. WWE took some big steps towards correcting that when Triple H took over the developmental program. They took an even bigger step with their new Performance Centre, which by all accounts looks like one of smartest moves they have made in years. This centre is every wrestler’s dream school. It is the Harvard of pro wrestling. Need more proof? Take a look at some of the great talents who have come out of NXT onto the main roster just in the last year or so: The Shield, The Wyatts, and Fandango just to name a few. Hell, just watch an episode of NXT and see the talents they are adopting to the “WWE” style. It’s a gold mine of potential just waiting to be unearthed.
Other Choices: Unifying the WWE championships by Jeff DeHaan, TNA’s cutbacks by Aaron Wrotkowski
What to look forward to in 2014
What’s going well now that you think is going to get really good in 2014?
Aaron Wrotkowski: Looking back at 2013 for Last Word on Sports, there’s an abundance of articles on AJ Styles year in TNA Wrestling. At the end of the year, what was once just a re-hashing of WWE’s angle with CM Punk is now actually looking like that Styles is going to leave the company. For how long? Who knows, but that’s what is going to make 2014 so exciting in following him. He could go anywhere. In my article about him, I hardly considered him for Ring of Honor but if he is, as reported, increasing his TV dates with them that’s extremely interesting. It could be the punch in the arm ROH needs. And with Styles working anywhere in the world, could the WWE change their mind on his value? Or hey, what kind of heroes welcome would he receive being away from TNA all year, only to return in time for Bound for Glory? The possibilities are endless. Maybe 2014 will truly be the Year of the Phenomenal One.
Other Choices: Dolph Ziggler by Jeff DeHaan, Resurgence of the WWE Tag Division by Adam Contant
What we hope 2014 learns from 2013
If you learn nothing from the year before, you’ll be doomed to repeat it in the new year. What is 2014 going to learn from what happened in 2013?
Jeff DeHaan: I hope that WWE learned the value of the other championships besides the World title. Some of the best matches of the year were fought over the Tag Team titles. Cody Rhodes & Goldust have had consistently good matches since winning the tag titles. The Shield’s Rollins & Reigns had great matches, no matter who they were in there with. Dean Ambrose is a fantastic talent, yet the US title has become an afterthought. The championships are supposed to be coveted. Yes, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is “the most prized possession in wrestling” but once upon a time, winning the Intercontinental title meant almost as much. And guys used to make careers out of tag team wrestling. With the world titles being unified, I can only hope that WWE will do the same with the mid card titles, and bring prominence back to ALL of the championships.
Other Choices: Quality over quantity by Adam Contant, Trolling a WWE event with random chants won’t stop WWE from booking what they want by Aaron Wrotkowski
Bold 2014 Prediction
Time to put your money where your mouth is and see just how wrong (or right?) you are 365 days later. A bold prediction for the future!
Adam Contant: Let’s face it, WWE tried this whole PG thing and it failed AM I RIGHT??? It’s time to give it some Attitude. But we’ve seen that right? We need to do something different, and amp it up a little bit. Not just attitude, but BAD attitude! Let’s start with that John Cena guy. First thing we need to do is make him a bad guy so he can start cursing in raps and come off sounding like an over aggro teenager. Randy Orton’s new finishing move will no longer occur inside the ring, but backstage when he will poop in the bag of his opponent on a weekly basis. Great news for Daniel Bryan as he’s going to have a nymphomaniac gimmick (his catchphrase of YES! YES! YES! will take on new meaning) and CM Punk….Well, he’ll pretty much stay the same.
Other Choices: Drew McIntyre leaves 3MB by Jeff DeHaan, New Japan Pro Wrestling gets a U.S. TV deal by Aaron Wrotkowski
2013 has just been eliminated from the Royal Rumble. Now entering… 2014.
Brock Lesnar and Gail Kim photo credit: simononly via photopin cc
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