2013 WrassleGAF End of Year Poll
- Best WWE Performer;
- Daniel Bryan - 149
- Antonio Cesaro - 24
- CM Punk - 14
- Brock Lesnar - 13
- John Cena - 6
A runaway victory for Daniel Bryan, as he earns six times the votes of his nearest rival, in spite of his poor treatment in the second half of 2013.
- Best Non-WWE Performer;
- Shinsuke Nakamura - 63
- Christopher Daniels - 34
- Kazuchika Okada - 31
- Prince Devitt - 31
- Hiroshi Tanahashi - 22
The Non-WWE list is dominated by New Japan personal, with the notable exception of Old Man Daniels, who rises above TNA's stink of mediocrity to place in second. However, the clear winner is Shinsuke Nakamura and, with a number of MOTYC to his name, it's easy enough to see why.
- Best Tag Team;
- The Shield - 123
- The Young Bucks - 32
- Real Americans - 22
- Bad Influence - 16
- Laughter7 - 2
An easy victory for The Shield, in truth. I thought it would be tighter. Clearly we haven't done enough to convince WrassleGAF that The Young Bucks are indeed the greatest tag team in the world. Laughter7 prop up the voting with just two votes to their name, but will have to satisfy themselves with the knowledge that they could legit fuck shit up for any, supposedly superior, tag team on the list.
- Best Female Wrestler;
- AJ Lee - 107
- Emma - 38
- Kana - 34
- Portia Perez - 8
- Cheerleader Melissa - 8
A well deserved win for AJ Lee, but the fact that her only WWE counterpart to make the top five is from NXT shows what a sorry state the division AJ Lee presides over is in. Also, nice to see a bunch of Kana fans here, but shame the SHIMMER World Champion only gained 8 votes.
- Match of the Year - WWE;
- CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar, Summerslam - 82
- Antoni Cesaro vs Sami Zayn, NXT - 55
- John Cena vs Daniel Bryan, Summerslam - 34
- John Cena vs CM Punk, RAW after Rumble - 16
- CM Punk vs The Undertaker, WrestleMania - 8
A fantastic selection of matches here, but there could be only one winner. Punk vs Brock got double the ammount of votes of any main-roster WWE match, with only NXT's Cesaro vs Zayn match-up coming close to the no.1 spot. Perhaps surprisingly, Punk vs Taker only got 8 votes. There have been a few better in-ring matches in WWE this year, but not many that can match up to the storytelling of the Punk vs Taker match.
- Match of the Year - Non-WWE;
- Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi, Invasion Attack - 41
- Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata, G1 Climax Day 4 - 41
- Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi, Wrestle Kingdom 7 - 28
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazushi Sakuraba, Wrestle Kingdom 7 - 28
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito, G1 Climax FINAL - 12
The Non-WWE MotY is absolutely dominated by New Japan this year, and we have a tie break situation. Ishii vs Shibata from Day 4 of the G1 was the sort of no-nonsense, hard-hitting contest that the fans love and, if he wasn't over enough already, it made a real underdog hero out of Ishii. Meanwhile, Okada vs Tanahashi from Invasion Attack was the pinnacle of their rivalry and my personal pick for Match of the Year. However, with another fantastic encounter between the two at King of Pro-Wrestling (and that 30 minute draw from the G1 that everyone seems to have forgotten about), it's clear that the two Okada vs Tana matches canibalised each other's votes.
- Best Promotion of 2013;
- NXT - 80
- NJPW - 76
- WWE - 26
- PWG - 7
- CHIKARA - 1
The developmental territory won :| Sure, NXT is pretty great, at times, and in comparison to the main WWE programming it's easily the best hour of wrestling on television, but that's not saying much. I'm trying to provide non-biased commentary here, but dammnit WrassleGAF, you just made my shit list. Nice to see one WrassleGAF'er keeping the CHIKARA flag flying, though (Bill, is that you?).
- Best on the Mic/Promo;
- Paul Heyman - 96
- CM Punk - 43
- Mark Henry - 26
- Zeb Coulter - 25
- AJ Lee - 8
Unsurprisingly, the field this year is dominated by WWE performers and, really, there could only be one winner. Paul Heyman has been simply masterful every time he's given a live microphone, the man is a veritable genius of promo work and throughout 2013 has manipulated audiences and WWE superstars alike.
- Best New Gimmick;
- Bo Dallas 'The Earnest Babyface' - 68
- The Wyatt Family - 66
- Prince Devitt 'The Real Rock 'n' Rolla' - 35
- Tyler Breeze, Male Model - 17
- Corporate Kane - 16
The Wyatt Family are robbed of the top spot by Bo Dallas, whose gimmick changes over the past few months have seen him go from reviled to revered among some members of WrassleGAF. I'm reminded of the old saying, "you can't polish a turd", which is certainly true, but Bo Dallas is proof that you can at least cover it up.
- Best Angle of 2013;
- Mark Henry's Retirement - 61
- Daniel Bryan's ascension...until Summerslam - 60
- Rhodes Family vs The McMahons - 55
- CM Punk gets inside The Undertaker's head - 25
- CM Punk and Paul Heyman split - 3
A tight one here, as Mark Henry's faux retirement SWERVED WrassleGAF and the WWE Universe at large. Also making the list were The Rhodes Family vs McMahons feud, which proved to be a big fan favourite while it lasted, and the ascension of Daniel Bryan, right up until the point when H's stuck his big nose in and ruined everything.
- Best Face;
- Daniel Bryan - 111
- Sami Zayn - 41
- Hiroshi Tanahashi - 22
- Goldust - 16
- Santino - 12
Daniel Bryan absolutely dominates the voting here, but a good second place bodes well for Sami Zayn's future in the WWE. New Japan's no.1 star Hiroshi Tanahashi makes it in at 3rd place, but with only Goldust & Santino behind him, you have to wonder why it's so hard for WWE to create main event babyfaces that people actually like?
- Best Heel;
- Paul Heyman - 68
- Zeb Coulter - 42
- Bullet Club - 41
- HHH - 32
- Stephanie McMahon - 17
The Bullet Club are beaten into 3rd place by a pair of managers! Paul Heyman took the clear win, with Zeb Colter some twenty or so votes behind.
- Best Pay-Per-View of 2013;
- NJPW G1 Climax - 77
- WWE Summerslam - 65
- WWE Money in the Bank - 28
- NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling - 20
- PWG DDT4 - 8
The G1 Tour is always a big highlight of the New Japan calendar, but for this year the international audience was invited to join in and watch the whole damn thing live! It also helps that this year's G1 was one of the best tournaments in recent memory, with a ton of classic matches throughout the 11 days. Following closely on its heels, however, is WWE's Summerslam, a highly entertaining event capped off by a fantastic Cena vs Bryan encounter. However, with Money in the Bank being the only other WWE PPV to make the top 5, that surely speaks to the uneven year WWE have been having. Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla is the lone entrant from the indies, proping up the list with 8 votes.
- Comeback of the Year;
- Goldust - 186
- Mark Henry - 7
- Christian - 5
- Rob Van Dam - 3
Landslide victory here, as Goldust gets some well deserved recognition for the excellent year he's having. Elsewhere, RVD showed up for a few months and then left. No one much noticed.
- Most Improved in 2013;
- Roman Reigns - 100
- Bo Dallas - 36
- The Usos - 29
- Kazuchika Okada - 22
- Big E Langston - 21
Easy victory for the monster of The Shield here, as he beats out nearest competitor Bo Dallas by a good 60 points or so.
- Worst On-Screen Performer;
- The Miz - 75
- Eva Marie - 46
- The Great Khali - 45
- HHH - 24
- Ryback - 17
A damning acount of Miz's abilities when you consider the dreck that lies beneath him. Eva Marie? Great Khali? H's? Ryback? Ugh.
- Mark-Out Moment of the Year;
- Bryan Beats Cena Clean at Summerslam - 73
- Ziggler Cashes In - 66
- Mark Henry 'Retires' - 43
- Rhodes Family Hug - 16
- CM Punk uses Undertaker's Urn - 7
WrassleGAF's big mark out moment this year was easy enough to predict, but the voting was much closer than I expected. Surprised so many have fond memories of Ziggler's cash in, considering what transpired afterwards.
- Underutilised Performer of the Year;
- Antonio Cesaro - 147
- Dolph Ziggler - 33
- Damien Sandow - 13
- Fandango - 7
- Rob Van Dam - 2
An easy victory for Antonio Cesaro here, as he giant swung his way into the WWE Universe's hearts. Here's hoping 2014 sees WWE give him his due.
- Fall From Grace 2013;
- Dolph Ziggler - 122
- Ryback - 35
- Chris Jericho - 24
- Sting - 13
- Ricardo Rodriguez - 10
A damning indictment of Ziggler's treatment since cashing in the Money in the Bank, few can recall seeing a talent fall so quickly or so far out of favour. Elsewhere, Chris Jericho makes the list as he phoned in another WWE run between Fozzy tours.
- Most Shameful Moment to be a Wrestling Fan;
- Rock puts John Cena over at Mania - 107
- Cena dumping garbage on others - 30
- Divas Musical Chairs - 26
- Hostamania Commercial - 21
- "Funny" Photoshop segments on RAW - 17
There's been a lot to dislike about WWE this year, but the repeated insistance on trying to legitimise John Cena had to be the absolute worst. Go back and watch the moment when Rocky raises Cena's hand - Rock looks so disgusted with himself and that disgust was clearly mirrored on the faces of 107 WrassleGAF'ers.
- Worst Angle of the Year;
- Twice in a Lifetime - 80
- The Authority vs Big Show - 53
- Daniel Bryan post-Summerslam - 35
- Aces & Eights - 32
- CM Punk gets his hands on Paul Heyman - 1
Continuing the theme, Twice in a Lifetime wins Worst Angle of the Year, but faced stiff competiton from the dreadful Authority vs Big Show run, everything D-Brine post-Summerslam, the never-ending monotony of Aces & Eights and a lone vote for Punk getting has hands on Heyman. I don't even remember that.
- Time to Retire in 2014;
- Jerry Lawler - 85
- TNA as a whole - 43
- Great Khali - 32
- The Big Show - 23
- Sting - 21
Overwhelming support for Jerry here, as WrassleGAF collectively implores "retire already, you old bastard". TNA is not far from his heels, however, as many continue to wonder how much longer this joke of a company can last.
- GIF of the Year;
- Vince McMahon's WBF Fantasy - 105
- HHH denies Miz a handshake - 41
- Roman Reigns spears Mysterio off of the apron - 26
- Heyman's look of shock - 22
- Cena's ass jiggle - 15
- "What a Maneuver!" - Best Move of 2013;
- Antonio Cesaro's Giant Swing - 90
- Roman Reigns' Spear - 65
- Shinsuke Nakamura's Boma Ye - 25
- AJ Lee's Widowmaker - 17
- Kazuchika Okada's Rainmaker - 10
Big victory for the most giant of Giant Swings in wrestling, Antonio Cesaro is truly a beast. Elsewhere, a lot of love for Roman Reigns' personal safety-defying spear that just looks so damn great.
- Worst Gimmick of 2013;
- Curtis Axel as Curtis Axel - 65
- CJ Parker, the Hippie - 54
- Bad News Barrett - 43
- Lord Tensai as 'Sweet-T' - 27
- Leo Kruger's makeover - 12
These are all acceptable choices, but Curtis Axel as Curtis Axel is a clear step above the rest in terms of sheer mediocrity.
- Community MVP;
- Stopped counting at 100. Nobody else even comes close. STROBOGO WINS.
Big round of applause for strobogo and his unwavering dedication to reviewing random wrasslin' and providing us all with GLORIOUS, GLORIOUS GIFS!!