Best WWE and NXT matches of each year of the decade - Part I

#4 2013 - Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield - Battleground

The Rhodes brothers secured a big win

As is mentioned in Cody Rhodes current theme song, wrestling has more than one Royal Family.

As The Authority began their reign of terror over WWE in 2013, one of their primary targets was the Rhodes family.

Having both been forced to leave the company after suffering defeats to Randy Orton, brothers Cody and Goldust would come together for the first time with a common goal.

Not only were they looking to get their jobs back, but they were also striving to restore honour to their family name.

With their father, the legendary ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes by their side, the Rhodes Brothers strode into Battleground 2013 with one almighty roadblock in their way in the form of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns of The Shield.

As is evident by my selections up until this point, I am drawn in by a match that is filled with emotional attachment. This match had this in spades as the crowd were all in on the Rhodes getting their revenge on The Authority’s hired henchmen.

Combine this with some top-notch in-ring action, then you have a sure-fire sleeper classic. What this match achieved for each competitor is what arguably elevated it to match of the year for me on top of all these other elements.

It showed that, like a fine wine, Goldust just gets better with age. It was also the first time, despite all his talent, that Cody showed shades of the top-level babyface ability he is currently showing to great acclaim in AEW.

Add in an old school biotic elbow by The Dream on Dean Ambrose, then you have a match which ticked all the boxes.