The Scottish View: Best PPV Matches of 2013 Blu Ray Review - Disc 1

Best PPV Matches of 2013 Blu Ray Review - Disc 1



Don't worry the Batista review will come soon. I have five free days to myself so it shouldn't take me that long. I've never bought a 'Best of PPV' DVD before and this one had some great looking matches on it, even if I've already got Mania 29 and Summerslam on DVD. I know that in America there was no Blu Ray release, so here are the matches that are Blu Ray Exclusive and will  be on the second part of my review:

Kofi Kingston vs Dean Ambrose - Extreme Rules
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho - Payback
The Usos vs The Shield - Money in the Bank
Christian vs Alberto Del Rio - Summerslam
Triple Threat Tag Match - Hell in a Cell



So now it's time to look back on the year and see if I overrated or underrated any matches.



The Rock vs CM Punk
From Royal Rumble and the WWE Title is on the line. I always thought that their match at Elimination Chamber was better, but who knows, maybe I was wrong. I originally gave this match ***1/2 which seemed to be a lot lower than what others gave it. I was really tired when I watched this so it could be because of that. This match was pretty huge at the time and was pretty much a dream bout, so big that it came after the Rumble, and it definitely deserved to with a good build up. Punk's amazing 434 day Title reign came to an end here. The ending with the Shield interfering did hurt it a little bit, but this was still a great back and forth match that had that big match feel throughout. Rock hits the People's Elbow to win the Title for the first time in over ten years. I still stand by my original rating as there were a few slow moments. ***1/2



John Cena / Sheamus / Ryback vs The Shield
From Elimination Chamber. I think this was only the Shield's second match in history, and they proved that they didn't need a gimmick match like TLC to have a great match. At the time I was sure that the face team would win since Cena was in the team, but surprisingly the Shield got the win, and they've done so well as a team ever since. One hell of a tag match here, so just the usual from the Shield then. The Shield looked awesome here, and the losing team still looked good. Great work from everyone here. ***1/2



The Undertaker vs CM Punk
From Wrestlemania. Nice to see The Living Colour's performance is kept in. Almost a year later and this is still one of the best matches of 2013. For the past seven years, the Deadman's streak hasn't failed to deliver and this is no exception. Punk looked terrific in defeat as he seemed to take Undertaker to the very limit and even outsmarted him at times, sometimes with help from Paul Heyman. Undertaker looked amazing for a 'broken down old man' as some people seemed to be calling him. An awesome match worth watching again and again. ****1/2



John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania and the WWE Title is on the line. The slammy award winner for Match of the Year. I wouldn't agree with that, but it's a phony award so it doesn't really matter. I've said in the past that I seem to have a guilty pleasure with this and the rematch, and that still holds true: I love this match. People complain about the slow start, but I think it builds well to the finisher fest towards the end. Ok it was quite boring at times to start with, but it did get much better as it went on. Cena hits a third AA to win the Title. Awesome match. ****



Randy Orton vs The Big Show : Extreme Rules Match
From Extreme Rules. I think this may have been an impromptu match but I'm not sure. Weirdly enough it's the only Extreme Rules match on an 'Extreme Rules' PPV. Orton was in his hometown here, and so there is a good crowd reaction. This did seem like a filler match, but it ended up being pretty damn good. It's just a shame they couldn't have a match like this at Survivor Series. The spot with Show landing on a ladder and crushing two chairs was sick. Both guys were motivated and it led to a very good match. Nice to see the punk kick again too. ***1/4




Triple H vs Brock Lesnar : Steel Cage
From Extreme Rules. I really didn't enjoy this feud and it became tiresome, but this is definitely the highlight of the whole debacle. It started off with a bang thanks to HHH attacking Lesnar during his entrance. I can't help but think that this would be better with a bit of blood. I think this took place during the time of Bret Hart bad mouthing HHH, and so HHH locking in the sharpshooter was a fun 'fuck you' moment. The leg work on Lesnar was very well done too. A great way to end a pretty bland feud. ****



The Miz vs Wade Barrett vs Curtis Axel
From Payback and the IC Title is on the line. I'm pretty sure Fandango was meant to be in this. I remember at the time, I said that Axel could have what it takes to make the IC Title prestigious. Pretty damn wrong on that one wasn't I? Anyway this triple threat was exciting all the way through. There was a point in the match where Wade was out of the action for a long time, but that's just a common problem for multi-man matches. Appropriate that Axel won on Father's Day. Good match. ***1/4




AJ Lee vs Kaitlyn
From Payback and the Divas Title is on the line. It's kinda sad watching this match now. At the time it looked like the divas were finally gonna be given more attention, and more time for high quality matches, but we're still stuck in a shitty Total Divas rut. The storyline was a little silly with the secret admirer stuff, but the mic work by AJ was spot on. It has to be said that the cleavage in this match is off the charts. This is still the best divas match of 2013 by far. Great work by both women. ***




Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio
From Payback and the World Title is on the line. This is more commonly known as the night that Del Rio became the most hated guy in the building. I came into this one expecting a good match, but I received even more than that. What we got here was quite simply a storytelling masterpiece. Del Rio was the face, Ziggler the heel, but Del Rio left as the brute doing anything to win the Title, and Ziggler left as the guy who just wouldn't go down without a fight. This was something different than what we're used to, and it was amazing. Del Rio hits a vicious kick to the head to win the Title. ****1/4




Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow vs Dean Ambrose vs Fandango vs Wade Barrett vs Jack Swagger vs Antonio Cesaro
From Money in the Bank. Poor Sandow. Looking back now, he deserved more than to just lose to an injured Cena. I'm sure he'll get their someday. Anyway this match was quite strange as everyone in it was a heel. The fans picked their own favourites like Ambrose and Rhodes. Rhodes was very impressive here and he had his face turn thanks to the finish with Sandow, and that turned out to be a great idea, as he's had a great run as a face. It was impossible to tell who was gonna win this one. I had my money on Ambrose. This reminded me a bit of TLC at Mania 17, where the interference made the match more entertaining. Exciting, fast-paced match showing off the talents of all involved. One of the better MITB matches. ****1/2




An awesome start to this set and I can't wait to start on the second and final disc of the set, which starts off with the two best matches of the year from Summerslam. Stay tuned for the second and final part!