Best Of The Month: March 2013

Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi are again set to collide after Okada won the 2013 New Japan Cup.

Here are the highlights from March 2013:

 

Wrestler Of The Month: Bully Ray

Bully Ray has never been the most respectable guy on any roster, but in March 2013 he set the wrestling world on fire when he beat Jeff Hardy for the TNA World Championship at Lockdown.  His actions outside of the ring have been questionable, but no one can deny that he's made Impact Wrestling and to a much larger extent, Aces & Eights, infinitely more watchable since he took the main event scene by storm.  He's now cemented his status as a major player for the company and it now looks as if there will be no stopping him this year. 

Match Of The Month:: NJPW New Japan Cup Finals: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hirooki Goto

Kazuchika Okada had one of the most impressive runs of the entire year with his performance in this year's New Japan Cup.  In the first round, he encountered Suzukigun powerhouse Lance Archer in one of 2013's best matches.  In round two, he defeated Karl Anderson in another very good match.  But it was in the finals that everyone was left in absolute awe.  After making quick work of Toru Yano, he would clash with another man who was fresh off a series of superb matches, Hirooki Goto.  Goto had won the three of the last four tournaments and stands alone as the man with the most victories at the event.  It's safe to say this was his to win.  What's hard to say is if many thought Okada would be able to topple him and with a shot at the IWGP Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi on the line, both men gave absolutely everything they had.  Okada was finally able to defeat Goto after an amazing series of moves and when the dust settled, fans around the world new they witnessed one of the best matches of the year.

Top 10 Wrestlers Pound For Pound

*The number in parenthesis is the wrestler's rank in the last month's list. 

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi (1) IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Even though he was out shined by other champions in the past month, there's still no argument for Tanahashi being the best wrestler in the world today.
2. Bully Ray (-) TNA World Heavyweight Champion: TNA's franchise player revealed himself as the President of Aces & Eights and then told the world how he played everyone in the company for a fool all along in one of the more captivating moments of the year.
3. Kazuchika Okada (10) 2013 New Japan Cup Winner: The new number one contender for Hiroshi Tanahashi's IWGP Championship had one of the year's most noteworthy performances in the 2013 New Japan Cup.
4. Kevin Steen (9) ROH World Champion: Steen was able to secure a victory over Jay Lethal after a very good match at ROH's 11th Anniversary show. 
5. Alberto Del Rio (6) WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Del Rio is set to collide with Jack Swagger at this year's Wrestlemania.  How he ranks next month will depend on his ability to still hold on to the world title despite having any advantage going into the match.
6. CM Punk (8): Punk has gotten under The Undertaker's skin in a way never before and he now looks to end the streak at Wrestlemania by exploiting the deadman's first true signs of weakness.
7. The Shield (4): Even though they are up against arguably, the most impressive trio they've faced since their debut, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose still comprise the most dominant force the WWE has seen in a long time.
8. The Rock (2) WWE Champion: The Great One has caught a lot of flack lately for his lack of appearances and overall promotion of the WWE title, but he's still undefeated since his return & still set to main event the biggest show of the year.
9. Jack Swagger (7) #1 Contender, WWE World Heavyweight Championship: With his new associate Zeb Coulter at his side, Swagger looks primed & ready to take the world title off of Del Rio in his first Wrestlemania main event.
10. John Cena (3) #1 Contender, WWE Championship: Cena is set to face The Rock at Wrestlemania in the biggest rematch of the year.  All eyes are on the leader of the Cenation to see just how far he'll go to win the title.