Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches: #63 Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro (2/3 Falls, WWE NXT, August 21, 2013)

When the crowd are chanting ‘Match of the Year,, you know you’re watching something special (even if it is the rowdy NXT crowd). When that match is Sami Zayn vs Cesaro in a 2 out of 3 Falls match, you know the crowd aren’t likely to be lying. That match was stunning, but this one is even better. There’s nothing on the line, just pride and bragging rights. It’s two men trying to outperform each other, and it’s brilliant to watch!

The two had great chemistry in the ring, without a doubt. It starts off fiery, with Zayn hitting a tope on Cesaro, throwing him into the ring and hitting the Helluva Kick for the first fall. Unlike a few other 2/3 Falls matches on the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches…List, this is merely an extended match, rather than three matches in one. The first fall, like I said, comes in the first few seconds of the match. The entire match itself is about twenty-five minutes long. But quantity doesn’t always equal quality, and Zayn and Cesaro put quality first.

The match is a highlight reel of each wrestler’s best offence. Cesaro plays the cool, controlling heel with ease, but never bores with his offence. He always does something a little different to keep things interesting, such as a Fallaway Slam into a pin! There’s his ever-impressive deadlift suplex from the apron, which always brings the house down. When a wrestler uses a sleeper hold to win a pinfall convincingly, you know he’s good! Zayn is not one to be overshadowed, and from his initial tope to start the match, his offence is always fast and innovative. Take his spinning DDT through the bottom ropes, for example. Simply spellbinding! The final sequence is a thriller!

“I’m not gonna say these two men are the best, but I don’t know many better,” says one of the commentators towards the end of the match. He’s not wrong! The ‘Match of the Year’ accolade is well-deserved. Of course, there were other contenders, but this is one of NXT’s greatest matches. Watch Cesaro and Zayn give you an awesome wrestling match!

VERDICT: 9/10. Cesaro and Zayn gave us a Match of the Year contender in 2014 at the beginning of the year. Everything you want from a wrestling match, and more!

Does this match belong in the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die? Leave your comments below!

Click here for my review of #64 John Cena vs CM Punk (No.1 Contender Match, WWE Raw 25.2.2013)

Click here to view my list of reviews of the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die

(This also happens to be on ‘Inside The Ropes’ ‘100 Greatest Matches of The Decade 2011-2021 at Number 17. Click here for the full list)