2. Daniel Bryan
He came so close to topping this list but just didn't quite make it. He was of a consistently excellent standard but fell short when being placed in the main event role - his match quality seemed to drop and his promos lost their earlier energy. You could blame that on creative, but regardless of who was to blame, Bryan simply did not manage to sustain his earlier high standards. Nevertheless, he remains the most over act in the industry. He is still getting huge reactions and is the most popular face that the WWE has had for years. His work ethic is brilliant, he wrestles nearly every night and it is always very good quality. His Spring time tv matches with Orton, and their bout immediately after TLC, were absolutely fantastic. The biggest moment of his career, beating John Cena clean at Summerslam for the WWE title, was easily in the top five matches of 2013. Daniel Bryan's in-ring ability is electrifying, his movement and timing are top draw. Whether it is in submission, high flying, impact moves or transitions; he very often does it better than anyone else in the company. He started the year with a lengthy tag title run with Kane. This gave us several good matches and segments, Bryan proving his skill with comedic timing and promos. Clashes with The Shield were of a superb standard, particularly wrestling with Seth Rollins. The summer run with Orton and Cena was excellent, before we got a dire run of main events with Orton later in the year. Despite this, Bryan remained fantastic in tv matches. He later moved on to a feud with The Wyatt family that was ok, and is primed to have a second shot at main eventing in 2014. Given his popularity, a more sustained push will come next year that will likely see him finish as the best pro wrestler in the business.
Highlight of the year: Beating John Cena clean for the WWE title at Summerslam