3 Superstars Who Have Exceeded Fans' Expectations in 2013

Try to think back to when it was New Year's Eve and minutes away from 2013.

At that moment as a wrestling fan, there were expectations you had for the year in terms of events and performers. I know at that time the big expectation and question I had was about The Rock, who was about to face CM Punk at the Royal Rumble. There was also, of course, the mystery of who would face The Undertaker.

It's safe to say The Rock, CM Punk, The Undertaker and John Cena have all been up to par thus far in 2013.

But who are some guys who exceeded 2013 expectations—guys we probably had no high hopes for?

Curtis Axel

There is nobody who exceeded more expectations for 2013 than Curtis Axel.

If Michael McGillicutty would have gotten a win on television in 2013, that probably would have exceeded expectations. To be aligned with Paul Heyman and get a gimmick makeover is something the wildest message board fantasy booker would have had to come up with. You might disagree with me now, but think back to how irrelevant and vacant McGillicutty was at the end of 2012.

This is why I liked Axel winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Yes, those who have held the title as of late tend to lose a lot of nontitle matches and get stuck in neutral on the midcard. I have hopes that won't be the ultimate outcome for Axel, but even if it is, it's better than never being heard from at all.

Fandango

At the start of 2013, think about what we knew of this guy they're calling Fandango. Do we buy movie tickets off of him? How do we spell his name (they changed from the original spelling)? Is this a Disco Inferno rip-off?

All valid questions that went away after a debut television win at WrestleMania against Chris Jericho.

Then, the next night, Fandango mania launched and his theme music began climbing the iTunes charts. Once again, if that's the best that it gets, expectations were far exceeded for the former Johnny Curtis.

Jack Swagger

Prior to 2013, Jack Swagger's WWE career had been full of highs (no pun intended) and lows.

He was Money in the Bank and WWE World Heavyweight Champion for a run. Then, he was irrelevant if he was even seen at all on television. He bounced back by being the official bodyguard for Michael Cole during his heel run while the announcer was battling Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. After that was done, Swagger again was in the backseat.

He disappeared and returned in 2013 with a new buzz. Being accompanied by Zeb Colter, who was preaching the real American rhetoric, gave new life to the name Jack Swagger.

He had an arrest that was publicized by TMZ while on the road to WrestleMania, where he would be challenging the champion in a match he lost. I still say that if not for the arrest, I think the outcome of the match would have been different.

Since then he's remained prominent on television as Colter added Antonio Cesaro to their camp.

The amount of relevancy for Swagger's 2013 so far is much more than any other year. The potential for a bright future is there for the once-All-American American.

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