tholzerman

The best example I can think of two guys possibly calling an audible and working with the crowd are Rock and Hogan at Mania X-8 (I say possibly, because fans seemed to have wanted to cheer Hogan from start, so perhaps that was the plan going in?). Cena's also wonderful at gauging a crowd and knowing when to work rudo situationally. Having a story you want to tell going into a match is well and good, and sometimes, that story is going to work the crowd into the desired reaction. I agree above that nothing [REDACTED] and Malenko were going to do was going to win over that crowd since it was full of people who may have cared about wrestling in a passing fashion at the very most. But there were crowds that would have eaten that up and did eat it up in the past. But calling audibles and working with what the crowd is giving you instead of vice versa is what can elevate a wrestler from good to great, even if it's not necessary.

there's a whole crop of dream matches if you consider NJPW vs. WWE. John Cena vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi would be a spectacle, to say the least

I'll say this about Bray Wyatt. He's been on the main roster for less than a year, and yet I cannot imagine WWE without him. Absolutely magnetic on the stick, and he's sneaky good in the ring. HE didn't get a whole lot of a chance to show his wares in 2013, but this year he's been really good, both in singles and trios matches.

Same here, except sub out Jim Ross for Vince McMahon.

Now THAT match was excellent. It's actually my favorite Streak match ever. It was a perfect capstone to the Attitude Era. Had all the tropes and the overbooking, but they made it work.

Does NXT count? If not, then my vote goes to Wrestling Is Fun! It's Chikara on a budget. Super kid-friendly (which is key for me since I'll have two kids to indoctrinate into wrestling fandom), tickets cheaper, and all the masks and regulars compete there.

?, Italy is my favorite city abroad. Scenic in the winter. Anyway, did Bruiser Brody/Hulk Hogan ever happen?

I haven't watched it since I saw the show live, but the Three Stages of Hell match between Austin and Trips from No Way Out '01 which got nearly universal praise when it happened is just dreadfully boring to me. That might change if I watch it again. Also, the Taker/Trips match from Mania XXVII is awful for the first two thirds of it. The final segment of the match was good, but it wasn't earned. At all.

I agree with the Daniel Bryan love for last year. 2013 was an exceptional year, the best ever maybe for WWE in the ring. Bryan and Antonio Cesaro would rate. I would also argue The Shield deserves a lot of praise for their year last year. A lot of the shows ran through them in trios matches, and they basically defined an entire match style within WWE. To do that in a company that's 50 years old is insane to comprehend.

Name's TH. I curate The Wrestling Blog. I became a wrestling fan at a young age, but my first vivid, cemented wrestling fan memory was WrestleMania VII when Macho Man reunited with Miss Elizabeth. I've been off and on over the years, with my strongest years of fandom coming in the early '90s, the Stone Cold/Attitude Era through 2002, and actually right now. My favorite promotions ever are Chikara and the original ECW, and I was a WWF/E kid growing up. My favorite wrestlers all time are Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, ACH, Rachel Summerlyn, Sara del Rey, and of course, Steve Austin. Outside of wrestling, I like American football, unhealthy food, corgis, Doge, and various iterations of White People Music (rock 'n roll). Pleased to be here. I promise I won't be too awful.