By Graham "GSM" Matthews

R-Truth def. Damien Sandow

While it was a decent match that was given good time, we have seen it so many times in the past that the action failed to excite me. The final few minutes were well done and it is cool to see Sandow's submission maneuver finally named (the Royal Arch), but Truth's victory ruined it for me. How does he have more to offer than Sandow, who took Cena to his limit just last week on Raw? At least Xavier Woods hyped the Royal Rumble match and his participation in it on commentary.


The Bella Twins def. Aksana and Alicia Fox

The pre-match backstage segment was pretty weak, but I applaud their effort to at least give the match some meaning. It would have been nice of the commentators to mention Aksana's two wins over The Bella Twins from a few weeks ago, but no such luck. It was your typical Divas match that was only mere minutes long, which was probably for the better. The Bella Twins picked up the win, but what could they possibly gain from beating Fox and Aksana?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton Interrupted The Authority; Batista Returned

It has been three weeks since we last saw The Authority on Raw, so I didn't mind seeing them in the opening segment. Orton's interruption made sense given his recent issues with them as of late, but it is probably all a ploy to get viewers to think that they are at odds with each other. Batista's return was nicely timed and it was very cool to see three members of the original Evolution in the same ring together. Batista's promo was short and sweet, making it abundantly clear that he is back in WWE to be an undisputed champion. I hope he doesn't end up facing Randy Orton for the millionth time at WrestleMania, but this was at least a nice teaser for it if it does come to fruition. I didn't mind Batista's apparel as much as some other people did, but I do agree that the skinny jeans have to go.


The Shield def. Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston and WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust

On paper, this match didn't make much sense. Sure, Langston and the Rhodes brothers have history with The Shield, but it isn't like they have been involved in a heated rivalry with them in recent weeks. If nothing else, I suspect it was to hype the Royal Rumble match since all six competitors will be participating. Regardless, it was a very good six-man tag team match with an enjoyable final few minutes. I was surprised to see Langston take the pinfall at the hands of Seth Rollins of all people, but it could very well be building to something between them down the line.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The New Age Outlaws def. WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust (Non-title)

The New Age Outlaws continue to impress me in the ring and I surely hope they have an extended stay on the main roster. They worked a good match with the Rhodes brothers, but it felt like it never left first gear before it prematurely ended. The hype for the Royal Rumble match has left a lot to be desired thus far, but they choose to advertise it during a match instead? I understand it provided the Rhodes brothers with an out for losing, but it was weak and poorly executed. I hope the rumored tag team title match at the Royal Rumble is better than this bout.


Big Show Interrupted Paul Heyman

As always, Heyman cut a solid promo that effectively sold viewers on the upcoming match between Big Show and Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. He spoke of nothing new, of course, but you had to expect Heyman to promote the match quite a bit with Lesnar having limited appearances. Show showed good intensity in his promo as well. I am extremely glad that we have been getting the serious side of Show in recent weeks, as this is when he is at his best.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Over the course of 2013, we were provided with a total of 12 WWE pay-per-views, with one airing each month (with the exception of March and October).

While some may argue that less is more, there's no questioning that quite a few of these events were highly enjoyable as well as some of the best shows we've seen in years.

Although there were quite a few duds, such as Battleground and Survivor Series, I believe I got my money's worth from at least half of the shows that I purchased. Even some of the gimmick events were successful, proving that innovative concepts deserve a spot on the pay-per-view schedule.

With all that being said, sit back and relax as I present to you the top five pay-per-views of 2013.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Sting Interrupted Dixie Carter

Dixie is terrible at promos more often than not, and this was one of her times. It was a logical follow-up to what happened in last week's main event, but I couldn't have cared less about anything said in this segment even though both Rockstar Spud and Magnus delivered solid promos. Magnus coming out with both belts was a blatant rip-off of what WWE did only a month ago and looked stupid since they were the same strap. The subsequent brawl between the faces and heels was fine and was a nice tie-in to the 12-man tag team match, but no opening segment on a two hour show should go 30 minutes long, especially when it isn't even any good.


James Storm, Gunner, Joesph Park, Eric Young, Samoa Joe and ODB def. World Tag Team Champions The Bro-Mans, Bad Influence, Zema Ion and Lei'D Tapa

It was a train wreck of a match for the most part with a few highlights. The pace was never consistent, and it was too many people crammed into one match. I could see why it made sense, but the match itself never appealed to me, honestly. Park turning on his partners was lost in the shuffle and confused fans more than anything. It actually took me a minute to remember who even won the match as I was writing this.