Review for WWE Best of Raw and Smackdown 2013

Raw and Smackdown are WWE's flagship shows that every week highlight the best of wrestling... Wouldn't have thought that from this set though. Over three disks there are just 15 Matches? Now, I am not saying these fifteen matches are not great, for the most part they show some of the best action in the WWE over 2013, but it really makes you realise how little WWE push anyone who isn't in the main event.

There are no US or Intercontinental Matches and surprisingly no Divas matches either? It is very surprising that they would include things like AJ and Kaitlyn's contract signing, but no matches from them or any Divas. In fact that is the only time either is featured? The absence of AJ's 'Pipe Bombshell' against the Total Divas is shocking. When you consider she was one of the hottest and most entertaining characters in the WWE having just one segment and no matches is ridiculous!

The rest of the set is filled with confrontations between The Rock and Punk, The Rock and Cena, Cena and Daniel Bryan, Paul Heyman and Mr McMahon, Mark Henry's Retirement Speech and The debut of The Wyatts. Also included is CM Punk disrespecting the memory of Paul Bearer. This was the most disgusting thing WWE did all year and so why would they put it on 'The Best' of anything? Or even want us to remember that such a thing happened?

Match-wise the fifteen matches are all pretty good, for the most part. Punk vs. Ryback in a TLC match was a waste of a PPV main event, but still a surprisingly great match. John Cena against CM Punk is not as good as most of the matches they have had, but still fine. Curtis Axel against Chris Jericho is a great showing from both, just a shame it wasn't for anything important as it could have been so much better.

Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton is also pretty good and shows (what is seen later in the year) that RVD still has the talent to pull off a great match, even with someone like Orton. The other matches are fine in general, though there was a little too much Alberto Del Rio for my liking and whoever thought it would be good to include a Santino match needs to be fired.

However, one of the best things about this set is the number of tag matches featuring The Shield. Though most are just 'We need to highlight as many main eventers as we can', a tag match is still a tag match to me. Of these the best are obviously them against CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, Kane and Undertaker and Goldust and Cody Rhodes. All of the matches and moments that involved The Shield were great and it was nice to see the progression of them as a unit and as a tag team.

If this is the best that Raw and Smackdown have to offer then you can understand why they haven't had Attitude-level ratings since that time. Most of the time when WWE create a 'Best of' I would complain about all the things they have missed out, I think if I did that this time I would be here all day.

Absence of any Divas matches or any mid-card belts is shocking, though considering how little emphasis WWE put on them I shouldn't be too surprised. The lack of matches over promos, confrontations and vignettes is shocking and maybe if they had cut a few of these we could have seen a bit more of that cursed second W... yes I know it's all about the E, but sometimes a bit more of the W wouldn't go amiss!