WWE.com’s Top 25 matches of 2013
Published on December 20th, Filed in
WWE Articles,
WWE.com
2013 was a very good year for sports-entertainment. And not just in the sense of the spectacle, the pageantry, and the general ballyhoo that WWE brings. Bearing heroic displays of heart, Herculean feats of strength and Olympian conquests of World Championship gold, 2013 was a great 365 days for the actual art of wrestling itself – so much so that we thought it was only appropriate to pick the best bouts out of a year that was bursting with unforgettable action.
Here’s how we did it: A team of WWE.com editors narrowed the year down to our 25 favorites and determined the rankings by scoring the matches, adding up the totals and ordering them appropriately. The process was arduous and often contentious (John Cena vs. Mark Henry, the Broadway Brawl and the Elimination Chamber Match all barely missed the cut), but it was as honest and democratic as it gets. So, without further ado, here are the Top 25 Matches of 2013, as presented by “The Legend of Hercules.”
#13 Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee – Divas Championship Match (WWE Payback)
More than one year after their an emotionally troubled AJ Lee ended her friendship with Kaitlyn with a couple of stinging slaps across the face, the pint-sized powder keg set her sights on her former bestie’s Divas Championship at WWE Payback. Pulling at Kaitlyn’s heart strings with a plot involving messages from a “secret admirer” (SPOILER ALERT: It was AJ all along), the diabolical challenger entered Chicago’s Allstate Arena with a clear psychological advantage over Kaitlyn.
In a show of wince-inducing ferocity — more brutal than any Divas match waged in 2013 — Kaitlyn and AJ held nothing back, with the champion ultimately subduing her embattled ex-BFF with a bone-jarring spear. However, instead of going for a pinfall after leaving AJ prone, Kaitlyn stalled to blow her former friend a kiss, allowing AJ ample time to recover and lock the pretty powerhouse in her signature Black Widow submission hold. – JAMES WORTMAN