I'm going to be reviewing all the matches on this set. There are a number of segments included on this DVD as well. I will list them at the end of this review.
1) CM Punk vs. Ryback - TLC Match for the WWE Championship
This match took place on the first Raw of the year. Although, Punk and Ryback's feud in late 2012 sucked, the closing chapter (this match) was awesome. Who knew a below average feud would end with a match this good. There were some cool spots as well as some dangerous bumps in this match. Some of these include Ryback running through a table, Punk being thrown over the top rope through a table, Punk getting slammed onto the leg of a ladder, and the infamous ending where The Shield slams Ryback through a table onto the steel steps. It was a really good TLC match and the best match in Punk and Ryback's feud.
Match rating - 8/10
2) Alberto Del Rio vs. The Big Show - Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
I had heard that this match was really good so I was looking forward to seeing it for myself. It was actually pretty good. I had high expectations because I had heard good things about it, but that held me back from enjoying this match as much as I could have. It was a good showing for both guys. Several tables used as well as some chairs. The ending was very clever on Del Rio's part. Good match, but not as outstanding as some people make it out to be, in my opinion.
Match rating - 7.5/10
3) John Cena vs. CM Punk - Winner faces The Rock at WrestleMania
And here we have one of the best matches to happen in 2013. Punk and Cena have that special chemistry where whenever they step in a ring against each other, its magic. These guys created yet another classic, very similar to their legendary matches at Money In The Bank 2011 and Night of Champions 2012. They weren't carbon copies of those matches though as they showcased counters and moves we've never seen before such as Punk ducking Cena's shoulder blocks sending him out of the ring, Punk reversing Cena's slam into the Anaconda Vise, and Cena catching Punk in the midst of his springboard moonsault off the ropes into an STF. The most amazing spot in this match however is the piledriver that Punk delivers to Cena. Cole's reaction on commentary says it all "OH MY GOD!". Amazing match.
Match rating - 9.5/10
4) Jack Swagger & Zeb Colter vs. Alberto Del Rio - Raw
I'll be completely honest, this match shouldn't be on here. It was put on here because of what happens afterwards, but that's what should have been on here. They wasted a match slot on this DVD by choosing this one. It's not a terrible match, but it's boring because the crowd isn't into it whatsoever and that hurt it tremendously.
Match rating - 5/10
After the match, Dolph Ziggler cashes in his Money In The Bank contract. This was such an awesome moment, I still get chills watching it to this day. The crowd was chanting "We Want Ziggler" throughout the entire previous match and when they got Ziggler, they exploded. Awesome moment!
Match/moment rating - 10/10
5) Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango - Raw
Another absolutely pointless match here. I have no idea why this was included. I guess to show "Fandango's revolution" or whatever, but I honestly got nothing out of this. The match lasted less than five minutes before Jericho interfered and beat up Fandango. Not a bad segment when I watched it on Raw, but it definitely doesn't belong on a best of DVD like this. DUD.
6) Sheamus & Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry & Big Show - Smackdown
Decent tag team match here with some good action. It wasn't anything special, but it was pretty fun to watch. Don't necessarily agree with it being put on a Best of DVD, but it's a solid match nonetheless.
Match rating - 6.5/10
7) The Undertaker, Kane, and Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield - Raw
I remembered this match quite fondly and it was just as fun watching it this time around as it was the first. Great match as usual when it comes to The Shield and Daniel Bryan. Throw the Brothers of Destruction into the mix and it just adds to the awesomeness. It was quite cool seeing Taker in there with new stars like Bryan and The Shield. Very enjoyable match.
Match rating - 8/10
8) Curtis Axel vs. Chris Jericho - Smackdown
This match was very good. Axel and Jericho work great together, I wish they would have feuded as it would have produced a phenomenal series of matches. This is a basic TV match that went around 15 minutes, but it was an action packed 15 minutes that ends with Paul Heyman showing his brilliance and helping Axel score the victory.
Match rating - 7.5/10
9) Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton - Street Fight - Raw
One of the best TV matches of the year here as Bryan and Orton clash in a weapons-filled street fight. Tables, chairs, and kendo sticks were used in this match and it was very fun to watch. It was fast paced and featured several cool spots. This would be the first of many outstanding matches that Bryan and Orton would deliver on TV in 2013. Bryan uses an interesting variation of the yes lock to get the victory here.
Match rating - 8.5/10
Disc 3:
10) Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton - Smackdown
I don't what it was, but on this night something clicked between Van Dam and Orton, and they produced a really good match that was much better than I expected. This bout was a pleasant surprise on this DVD for me as I didn't watch much Smackdown last year so I hadn't seen this match. What I did see though was the incredible triple threat between RVD, Orton, and Christian the week before this match and needless to say, this was a good follow up to it. I was hoping to see that triple threat on here, but this was a good choice as well. Solid match between two great athletes.
Match rating - 7.75/10
11) Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro - Raw
I remember watching this match on Raw and expecting it to be a squash, but it turned out to be more competitive than I though. Although I wasn't happy with the outcome this was a decent contest. I think the main reason this made it was because it's the match where Cesaro debuts the Giant Swing. Seeing him do that and listening to the crowd's reaction to it makes this match worth watching.
Match rating - 6/10
12) Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, & Goldust vs. The Shield - Raw
As always with six man tag matches involving The Shield, this was really good and very entertaining. The way it ended kind of ruined watching this match again on this DVD though. It features one of Triple H's famous screwjob endings that happened way too often last fall. Other than that, there's some good action in this match that you will enjoy.
Match rating - 7/10
13) Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust - No DQ Match for the Tag Team Championships
Now this is the good shit right here. This match made it into my Best TV Matches of 2013 list last year and after watching this match again, I'm reminded of why it deserves to be there. This one had everything emotion, action, and drama. It featured solid wrestling with a good bit of action throughout, until it broke down near the end and turned it complete chaos with Reigns spearing Goldust through the barricade. The ending to this match was great as well. All around good stuff here, can't say much more. It holds up very well as this is my third time viewing this match.
Match rating - 9/10
14) John Cena, Cody Rhodes, & Goldust vs. Damien Sandow, Antonio Cesaro, & Jack Swagger - Smackdown
Another enjoyable action packed six man tag match here. Every man got their opportunity to showcase their abilities during the match. It featured some impressive teamwork from both sides throughout. The ending sequence between Cena and Cesaro which turned into chaos with everyone hitting big moves/finishers on one another was my favorite part. Great match.
Match rating - 8/10
15) Daniel Bryan & CM Punk vs. The Shield
Great match full of action here. It was the main event on Raw for this particular night and it certainly delivered. This match also featured the first ever face off between The Wyatt Family and The Shield which had the crowd chanting "This is Awesome". Even though the match never ended, it was still very good and that moment made it all the more special.
Match rating - 8/10
Overall thoughts: This features some really good matches and moments, but also has a few pointless matches that could have easily been switched for something more worthy of being on here.
I'll start with the positives. On this three disc set you get some great moments that I enjoyed reliving such as Paul Heyman's job evaluation, Ziggler cashing in his Money In The Bank, Brock Lesnar destroying Triple H's office, Henry's fake retirement speech, and Bryan & Cena's verbal confrontation before SummerSlam. You also get some quality matches such as the match of the year candidate Cena vs. Punk match from Raw in February, Bryan & Orton's street fight, and a surpisingly great bout between RVD & Randy Orton. On top of that, you get multiple matches featuring The Shield which is a huge plus because every match they were involved in were undeniably awesome in 2013.
Now onto the negatives. As I mentioned before there were some pointless matches included that could easily have been replaced for higher quality encounters. For instance, instead of Swagger/Colter-Del Rio and Kofi-Fandango, I would have included Bryan vs Rollins from Raw in June and RVD vs. Jericho from Raw on July 15th. Both of those matches were phenomenal and worthy of being included on a best of set. How they were skipped over, I have no idea. There were also some questionable segment choices on here. Most notably, I don't understand why WWE chose CM Punk and The Rock's promo battle from Smackdown over their absolutely EPIC showdown on the January 4th episode of Raw. It was honestly my favorite promo of the past several years and they decided to put the lackluster confrontation between the two on here, completely dumb in my opinion.
All in all, the good definitely out weighs the bad here. There are only 2-3 matches out of 15 on here that I would consider bad or boring. You also get some memorable segments to go along with those quality matches. You can't go wrong with a Cena/Punk classic and a bunch of Shield matches, plus some memorable Heyman & Lesnar moments and Ziggler cashing in. I recommend.
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