1. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade w/ Zelina Vega (SmackDown 1/15/19)
Not just wrestling impressive, but human being impressive. Rey Mysterio is still a marvel to watch after all these years. He doesn’t just hit spots, but complicated algorithms that result in graceful headscissors and beautiful dives to the floor. Andrade meanwhile feels like the young guy Rey has desperately both needed and wanted to work with. They brought a serious aura combined with some of the craziest spots on WWE TV ever, and that’s not hyperbole. Corey Graves used the word “outrageous” at one point and that really sums this up.
2. SmackDown Women’s Title: Asuka [c] vs. Becky Lynch (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
This just felt on another level, with brilliant ups and downs that had the crowd enveloped in everything. Everything felt like a struggle, and it doesn’t hurt that Becky Lynch is the most over person in WWE. Asuka threw some of the greatest spin kicks of all time here too.
3. WWE Universal Title: Brock Lesnar [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Finn Balor (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
Tremendous sub-10 minute match that was everything it ever needed to be, with non-stop action centered around Finn throwing everything at Brock to the point where it seemed like he may just do it, only for Brock to keep cutting him off. Finn did three tope con hilo’s in a row here which were perhaps the three most menacing, impactful tope con hilo’s ever done. The finish is perfection too.
4. NXT North American Title: Ricochet [c] vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
A balls out completely insane wrestling match from two of the best going. Johnny TakeOver is real, but Ricochet was the man here, doing like ten things that made me lose my mind. And he din’t just do them, he made them look perfect AND had the time/poise to react to everything and make the most of it. It got a little performative here and there but that’s personal preference – judged on where wrestling is today, this is as good as it gets.
5. 2/3 Falls: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade (SmackDown 1/22/19)
Another bit of magic from these two, and a match that didn’t repeat the last one but built on it. It’s another match that forces you to just sit back and watch in awe of how good these dudes can be. Rey did a baseball slide sunset flip powerbomb into the barricade here. Seriously. And it didn’t look silly at all. It looked like a legitimate offensive maneuver.
6. NXT UK Tag Team Title: Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake (NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
Loads of crazy stuff within the structure of a great 20+ minute tag team wrestling match – you bet your ass Zack Gibson slapped on a few chinlocks, but Moustache Mountain are an elite babyface tag team attraction. Seven sold his ass off and made the middle interesting, while the finish had a bunch of legitimate false finishes as these guys found themselves in a rare case in WWE where it really could go either way and either way is interesting. It also had the TakeOver Opener Atmosphere, which will put any great match over the top.
7. WWE U.K. Title: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Joe Coffey (NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
This thing went 35 minutes and I am so conflicted about it. I think I really liked it. It was a unique match in that it was basically built like a 20ish minute WWE main event match that wasn’t all that good, but then it kept going and going and it transcended the earlier work and became kind of amazing. It was a long match that was a testimonial for matches going long, which is not usually the case. A few kickouts might’ve felt forced but beyond those was a whole lot of compelling action in front of a molten crowd. They blow a pretty big spot here but when it happens it feels less like a blown spot and more like a part of the chaos that happens in an epic match. I still have no idea whether Joe Coffey is any good, but this was a hell of a match.
8. Fatal 4-Way Match – WWE Cruiserweight Title: Buddy Murphy [c] vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
A wonderful wild match that just flipped the crowd out, with a ton of insane stuff hit perfectly and paced well. Murphy, Kalisto and Tozawa all shined doing incredible complex stuff, but even Itami found himself a role and added to the match, making it more than just guys doing crazy spots. There have been a lot of 205 Live multi-man matches, but they rarely feel like they embrace their potential – this one did.
9. WWE Title: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
A strange, beautiful wrestling match in which Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles worked over each other’s limbs for 25 minutes to complete silence, as it took place right after the crowd lost their minds over Becky Lynch entering and winning the Royal Rumble. The work was so transparently good that it really didn’t even matter.
10. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vs. Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel (NXT UK 1/16/19)
This is a great tag match, mostly because of Fabian Aichner who is what you’d call a specimen. Him vs. Andrews is magic, he and Barthel do a great asskicking, and the finish which involves him gets a standing ovation.
11. Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT 1/2/19)
The better Riddle/Ohno match this happened not at TakeOver, but on TV. It went 10 minutes and was basically a bar fight with occasional suplexes and a Bromission. Knock down, drag out, yadda yadda. Good stuff.
12. NXT Tag Team Title: The Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) [c] vs. War Raiders (NXT TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
A TakeOver Opener with the best tag team going and War Raiders, a team comprised of Hanson who casually does spots a man of his size should not be able to do and Rowe who is capable of going on an absolutely elite run of offense. The start of this is kind of eh, but once they get going they really get going.
13. RAW Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Sasha Banks (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
This match had an atmosphere to it, and I can’t say everything worked but it was a hell of a show. The pre-match intensity was glorious, the story was on point, and Sasha Banks got to show that she is very very good and should probably be a heel again. The ability of pro wrestling to make Sasha Banks a complete equal to Ronda Rousey is something I bow down to.
14. Men’s Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
A good Royal Rumble match and a great showcase for some promising young talent like Mustafa Ali, Pete Dunne, Aleister Black, and Johnny Gargano. Dunne’s run was especially awesome. It didn’t have many OH SHIT moments, and I gotta say I love an OH SHIT moment in the Royal Rumble. And the Kofi bit might’ve jumped the shark. But they kept it interesting throughout and threw in more fun wrestling sequences than usual.
15. Women’s Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
Like the Men’s Rumble, a match with less OH SHIT and more showcasing of the future. This one struggled for a bit but delivered in the end with the incredible Becky Lynch angle. Bayley, Kacy Catanzaro, Io Shirai, and Rhea Ripley all had a good night too.
16. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel (NXT 1/23/19)
A short but wild match between four animalistic professional wrestlers. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
17. Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair (NXT 1/9/19)
Nikki Cross’ last match in NXT and it’s a good one, as these two have an amazing chemistry where their collisions feel like an event – they throw bombs, do countout teases, and the crowd is into all of it. There is an awesome moment where Bianca pauses after a Nikki drop-down and is like, “I can handspring backflip out of this situation.”
18. If The Usos Win, They Get a SmackDown Tag Team Title Opportunity: The Usos vs. The Bar (SmackDown 1/9/19)
Just another casual banger from four of the best. It’ll be fun to look back and these matches years down the road and realize every single one was great.
19. Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK 1/23/19)
These two had themselves a fun chaotic brawl through the crowd that morphed into an indy strong style dream match and I was kinda into it. There was crazy shit like a Spanish Fly to the floor, but they also did this strike battle where they wouldn’t let go of each other’s hand and it got all intense and emotional and stuff. Good show.
20. NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Bianca Belair (NXT TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
Shayna Baszler did a spinning armbar in this match and sometimes that’s enough. This ended up a very good match, with fun use of the Belair ponytail gimmick and a whole lot of Belair being the underdog which was more compelling than I ever could have imagined it being.
21. Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (RAW 1/21/19)
This is a good solid TV match with an absolutely freakish last 5 minutes, as these guys just get all their shit in. It is exciting stuff from two hungry young professional athletes.
22. Rey Mysterio & Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe & Andrade “Cien” Almas w/ Zelina Vega (SmackDown 1/9/19)
A wonderful match on paper, a wonderful match in real life. Ali vs. anybody is fun stuff and Rey vs. Almas ends up a preview of what’s to come, including the first appearance of the Mysterio Canadian Destroyer.
23. Winner Joins Fatal 4-Way for the Cruiserweight Title at Royal Rumble: Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak (205 Live 1/2/19)
A wild war of a match, with everything from tight headlocks to a rope-assisted guillotine legdrop. This sucker felt violent.
24. Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
Good match for Riddle, solid if not disappointing match otherwise. Ohno in NXT is a heat vacuum, even if the stomp on Riddle’s bare foot was great. But Riddle does a sleeper suplex and elbows Ohno in the side of the face and neck until he taps out and that’s pretty cool.
25. Winner Faces Ronda Rousey for the RAW Women’s Title: Sasha Banks w/ Bayley vs. Nia Jax w/ Tamina (RAW 1/8/19)
This is more a great Sasha Banks performance than anything, as she bumps all over the place to make this big gal/small gal thing work. It also has the infamous spot where she tries to do a hurricanrana to Nia off the apron and Nia just stays on the apron. I still contend it was Sasha’s call to do it that way. Either way, a wild watch.
26. WWE U.S. Title: Rusev [c] w/ Lana vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
These two work basically old school MSG style, with everything about power and manliness, and it’s very much appreciated as nobody really does it like this anymore. Strong chemistry, strong match.
27. Kairi Sane & Io Shirai vs. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke (NXT 1/30/19)
Tremendous tag squash: Shafir and Duke had to take some offense and provide a 3-minute beatdown, while Kairi and Io brought everything else: the speed, the charisma, the pacing, the double teams, and everything else. The pop-up elbow drop is such a good tag spot.
28. Finn Balor vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
They had a very good match. Lots of cool shit and near falls, all basked in the afterglow of Finn Balor being there. Devlin looked very good in defeat, which is usually how you want this type of thing to go. He also had a very good “DUH – WHAT!?” reaction when Balor’s music hit too. ***1/4
29. Gran Metalik vs. Humberto Carrillo (205 Live 1/22/19)
These two crushed it to no reaction. I couldn’t believe the height they were getting on stuff.
30. Lumberjack Match – RAW Tag Team Title: Bobby Roode & Chad Gable [c] vs. The Revival (RAW 1/8/19)
Fun match with a dumb finish. Chad Gable does that thing where he takes crazy bumps (that fall on his gut on the top rope!) and does crazy things (the Chaos Theory! always!) and Revival does that thing where they tag team wrestle well.
31. Falls Count Anywhere – WWE Intercontinental Title: Dean Ambrose [c] vs. Seth Rollins (RAW 1/8/19)
A fun TV main event with a lot of signature spots and table usage and throwing of punches in the crowd.
32. WALTER (debut) vs. Jack Starz (NXT UK 1/30/19)
A pitch perfect debut for WALTER. Witness how he looks offended when Jack Starz gets a solitary back elbow in.
33. British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) vs. Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang (NXT UK 24 1/9/19)
This is a good match with some great moments. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey is a great pairing and they all peppered in enough stuff around the usual beatdown segments to keep things a good time. British Strong Style are OVER too.
34. Kairi Sane & Io Shirai vs. Tanea Brooks & Amber Nova (NXT 1/23/19)
Kairi and Io make for the best babyface tag team – Kairi brings the spunk and sympathy, Io brings the mesmerizing flying, and then they hug when they win. A very cool debut squash match.
35. Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo (NXT UK 23 1/2/19)
They got 15 minutes here and filled it with arm work, headstands out of headscissors, sweet strikes, and a hot finish. They built things up really well too I thought.
36. John Cena, Seth Rollins & Finn Balor vs. Dean Ambrose, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush (RAW 1/8/19)
A fun 6-man tag with a hot finish… WWE is pretty good at this sort of thing.
37. R-Truth vs. Daniel Bryan (SmackDown 1/9/19)
A fun little TV squash!
38. Fatal 5-Way Match – Winner Faces the WWE Champion at Royal Rumble: AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe (SmackDown 1/1/19)
Lots of STUFF, but it was these five guys doing that stuff. Plus Rey vs. Ali for a bit was awesome.
39. Moustache Mountain vs. Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel (NXT UK 1/30/19)
I need this in an NXT Tag Team Titles TakeOver Opener atmosphere but it was still a bunch of fun wrestlers wrestling. Aichner’s a freak, Bate is trading holds with Barthel, and they do a nice little payoff with Moustache Mountain’s finish.
40. Fatal 4-Way Match – Winner Faces Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at Royal Rumble: John Cena vs. Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin (RAW 1/14/19)
A 4-Way multi-man match designed to put over Finn Balor. I think it worked.
41. Triple Threat Match – Winner Faces Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title at Royal Rumble: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella (SmackDown 1/9/19)
Also lots of STUFF, but three good wrestlers doing that stuff. Yeah I said three. Carmella was on top of her shit here.
42. Triple Threat Match – WWE Intercontinental Title: Dean Ambrose [c] vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley (RAW 1/14/19)
Solid match, awesome finish. Rollins vs. Lashley is a good dynamic.
43. NXT UK Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Toni Storm (NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
A very good match between a very good wrestler and a wrestler still kind of figuring out. They got 15 minutes and Toni sold her ass off which willed the match into being good, while Rhea did admirably but just doesn’t feel complete yet, at least not complete enough to have a great 15 minute match. That she got close is pretty impressive though, and I still dig everything about her that isn’t these high level matches with Toni Storm. A decent match that will be more remembered for the big Toni moment.
44. 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match – Winners Face Shane McMahon & The Miz for the SmackDown Tag Team Title: The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) w/ Xavier Woods vs. The Usos vs. The Bar vs. Heavy Machinery (SmackDown 1/29/19)
A match filled with talent that was more about Heavy Machinery being in the middle all of it, which I kind of dug. Usos of course had a few moments that were awesome too.
45. RAW Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Bayley (RAW 1/28/19)
A solid little match, with Bayley looking credible against Rousey before the inevitable.
46. Buddy Murphy vs. Humberto Carrillo (205 Live 1/15/19)
These guys got a bunch of time and it didn’t all work but it sure was fun to see. The debuting Carrillo looked great.
47. Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal w/ Samir Singh (RAW 1/14/19)
Quick little TV enhancement match for ol’ Finn Balor en route to pinning John Cena later in the show. This was a match that worked.
48. John Cena & Becky Lynch vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas & Zelina Vega (SmackDown 1/1/19)
John Cena was taking heat in this match, and the crowd was chanting WE WANT BECKY.
49. Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe (SmackDown 1/22/19)
Fun TV match that showcased both guys… Ali sold and bumped and flew around while Joe snarled and punched and caught dives.
50. Lince Dorado vs. Lio Rush (205 Live 1/15/19)
These guys went around 15 minutes and did some wild stuff, highlighted by Lio doing a seated springboard off the bottom rope. In a wrestling context I’m not sure any of it quite worked but I enjoyed it all enough while it was happening.
Honorable Mentions: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose (RAW 1/28/19), Akira Tozawa w/ Brian Kendrick vs. Hideo Itami w/ Ariya Daivari (205 Live 1/29/19), Winner Joins Fatal 4-Way for the Cruiserweight Title at Royal Rumble: Kalisto w/ Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado vs. Lio Rush (205 Live 1/2/19), Isla Dawn vs. Xia Brookside (NXT UK 24 1/9/19), Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan vs. Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel (NXT UK 22 1/2/19), Zack Ryder & Tyler Breeze vs. The Revival (NXT 1/2/19), Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel vs. Ricardo Watts & Hector Kunsman (NXT 1/9/19)
