Top 10 WWE Superstars 2013

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It’s the end of another year for WWE fans and as always December brings a lot of analysis on the wrestlers that were most affected in the year. Though the year wasn’t very well for the company in business terms, the WWE still managed to make their noise heard around the world with some interesting showdowns.

This year we saw many of the stars from development make a name for themselves in the main roster while some of the Indie darlings rose to unprecedented heights and outclassed many of the “traditional stars”. The semi active stars came and went giving us some matches to enjoy and some of the established ones left the business to concentrate elsewhere.

To sum up the WWE Universe saw a kaleidoscope of performance from the stars with some living upto to the expectation when others fell due to bad booking. So here is a look at the best performers of the year who has stolen the show and set the tone for next year.

10- Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes

Rhodes was one of those wrestlers who had the talent but never clicked in the main event scene. But things were different this year as he found a twist in the career as Goldust returned to action.

Before that, Rhodes was seen teaming with Damien Sandow and wandering around with no direction to speak about. But the whole “Getting fired” angle really took him to the limelight and finally gave him a platform to showcase his talents.

Ever since, Cody has been giving solid matches on a consistent basis and he and his brother was voted as the Tag team of the year, which again called out their success in the division which they rule now.

9- John Cena

John Cena

Another year passes with Cena as a Face. Though he got a lot of criticizing for the same old boring gimmick, Cena had another solid year in the company and showed everyone why he is considered as a top asset.

Cena had feud with Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry, Ryback and various other stars and also had another go at The Rock in WrestleMania, a match which eventually won the Match of the year Slammy award.

He still remains as a hot star among the young fans and is on the main event scene again with the title unification on charts. To sum up, it’s another typical year for Cena but he deserves a spot in the list for his heart and soul which rest with the business.

8- Randy Orton

Randy Orton

This year saw the much anticipated heel turn of Randy Orton, and the turn once again proved that he is more effective as a bad guy than being the fan favorite.

Orton spend a huge chunk of the year in a feud with The Shield before his eventual turn and the whole Authority angle added a bit more spice to the proceedings. He then became the “Face of the company” and knocked Daniel Bryan out of the title picture.

Being one of those established stars in the company, Orton just had one of those ordinary years which had many highs and lows. But he stuck around the main event scene and produced many solid performances which make his one of the best performers of the year.

7- AJ Lee

AJ Lee

It’s no secret that the Diva’s division is built around AJ. She is arguably the best in-ring performer in the division at the moment and holds equal charisma in the microphone also.

She was seen in feuds with Daniel Bryan, the joining hands with Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston before turning her attention completely to the women. Her performance was capped off with a title win which has been around her waist for almost 6 months now.

The lack of a good opponent has been a problem for her, but still she managed to produce excellent matches in the year with the resources at her disposal. In a division that is on its way to death, she’s the only one who could give the guys a run for the money when it comes to stirring emotions among the fans.

6- Antonio Cesaro

Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro is one of those wrestlers who came into the WWE from the indy scene. He started off his year as the United States champion but later found himself part of The Real Americans alongside Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter.

For starters, he adds a lot of depth to the tag team division at the moment and as a heel, if he gets the cheers of fans purely for his in-ring skills, then it clear that he is a star for the future.

Cesaro’s giant swing and European uppercut is up there among the hottest moves in the company and his impressive mic skills also add to a great resume. He also showed great chemistry in the ring with top stars like John Cena and Daniel Bryan which could propel him into the main event scene soon.

5- Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt

If there is a superstar after the Undertaker who captivated the fans with the sheer brilliance of creepiness, it has to be Bray.

He and his two equally creepy partners have been terrorizing the fans ever since their debut in Raw. And the ring of fire match with Kane was the epitome of the push he got. He then was involved with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan which showed how much he is backed by the writers.

Injuries are the only thing that’s standing in front of his “Big Push” and it won’t be too far before we see Bray as the top heel in the company.

4- The Shield

The Shield

The heel trio has had only a year’s experience to boast about, but in that year they did things that many of the stars couldn’t do in decades.

Before the arrival of the Wyatt Family, Shield used to be the top heel trio in the business attacking every top star in the company. The attacks then led to titles as they won the Tag team titles and the United States championship.

They even got the Slammy for Faction of the year and won the Rookies of the year. Without much doubt one can say that Shield was one of the best teams in the company this year. And at the brink of a break-up also, the trio still manages to make headlines as the year comes to an end.

3- CM Punk

CM Punk

Punk spent the best part of his year feuding with Paul Heyman and his guys. From Brock Lesnar to Ryback, Punk saw them all off and finally got his hand on Heyman. And the image of the former ECW owner being smacked by kendo stick on top of a cell still resounds on the minds of WWE fans.

Punk also had an epic showdown with The Undertaker in his own background and latter teamed with Daniel Bryan for a short time.

His WrestleMania moment with the Phenom remains as the highest point of the year, and it’s safe to say that he’s one of those stars that were consistent throughout the year.

2- Goldust

Goldust

It’s been one of those fairytales in the Wrestling business. at the start of the year no one would have imagined that a beaten out old veteran like Goldust would return and main event for some of the shows.

Just when we thought we’ve seen everything from him, he rose from the ashes like a phoenix bird and gave us one of the best angles of 2013. The Rhodes family getting fired, regaining their job and their run as the Tag team champions were highlighted by none other than the 44-year old who still remains more consistent than most of the so called main eventers.

1- Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan

Bryan’s rise to the top of the mountain was substantiated by the number of Slammy awards that he took home. Oh wait it wasn’t, his rise to the top was substantiated by the Yes! Yes! Yes! from the fans.

The Flying goat bought a new intensity into the ring and raised the bar for others like Randy Orton and John Cena. But the saddest part about Bryan is that the booking he has been receiving. Despite having the fans on his back, he didn’t have a good run with a major title which showed the lack of faith from the creative on him.

He still remains as the best contender for the title that is going to be unified at TLC but as said earlier he is been wasted with feuds elsewhere. Hopefully 2014 would be a much better year for Daniel Bryan though he is the top star of 2013.