I found it hard to rate WWE wrestlers in 2019 because it was a real shit year for wrestling.
Everybody with the exception of like twelve WWE superstars went part-time in 2019, so I found it all tough to judge. I like my great wrestlers not just capable of great matches, but of working week after week, night after night, and giving me something compelling stuck in the never-ending loop of content that is modern day WWE. The folks working night after night struggled to even find gold in that though, not necessarily out of lack of talent but lack of doing anything meaningful.
Everyone who’s regularly wrestling has settled into this note-for-note formula that they rarely break from – matches are sometimes great, rarely bad, and never interesting. Not many guys really seemed to advance as workers this year either, and some if anything lost a step – maybe as characters, maybe as wrestlers. They didn’t try anything new enough to tell.
On the other hand, WWE is hoarding the largest, most diverse, and impressive roster of wrestling talent in history – maybe not wrestling stars, but definitely wrestling talent. On occasion, they show it off and it’s really awesome. There are a lot of guys bursting out of a limp creative with quality matches, and I highlight them here – for reference, for discussion, for my own personal kicks.
I broke this year down by wrestlers who are working with a regularity on WWE TV vs. wrestlers who or not (i.e.: NXT, NXT UK, 205 Live), though I used some editorial privilege to choose which list the NXT guys made. After that I break down the offerings of the unrated wrestlers into small, stupid, pithy, dumbass categories.
WWE’s Best Wrestlers in 2019
1. Rey Mysterio
As everybody took a year off, the old gunslingers stood out by translating their greatness to through decades and showing that what they do really is timeless. Rey Mysterio kicked off the year having a series with Andrade that seemed like a mission statement, and though he wasn’t working week-to-week he was still wow’ing everybody anytime he got a go throughout the year. He had a random great match with Baron Corbin, a couple casual classics with Cesaro, and wrapped the year up making a strong play for this spot with a great one-two punch of feuds opposite Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles. Rey Mysterio is still the best, and I’m happy we got the reminder.
Key Performances
– Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade (SmackDown 1/15/19)
– 2/3 Falls: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade (SmackDown 1/22/19)
– Fatal 4-Way Match – WWE U.S. Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe [c] vs. R-Truth vs. Andrade (SmackDown 3/5/19)
– Rey Mysterio vs. Baron Corbin (RAW 4/1/19)
– Triple Threat Match – Universal Title #1 Contender’s Match: Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (RAW 4/22/19)
– Rey Mysterio vs. Cesaro (RAW 5/13/19)
– Rey Mysterio vs. Cesaro (RAW 9/16/19)
– Brock Lesnar Attacks Dominick Mysterio (RAW 9/30/19)
– Rey Mysterio promo on Brock Lesnar (RAW 11/4/19)
– No Holds Barred – WWE Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar [c] (Survivor Series 11/24/19)
– WWE U.S. Title: Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles [c] (RAW 11/25/19)
2. Daniel Bryan
Like Rey, one of the only other guys who seems to have the respect and sway to bring something different to this company. In addition to random quality TV matches with names ranging from Big E to Buddy Murphy to Adam Cole, he also brought the variety: working the mat with AJ Styles, creating a deranged heel persona that led to wrestling’s happiest moment of the year, randomly forming a quality tag team with Erick Rowan, and getting the most out of The Fiend character in the ring. It was all a little all over the place, but no matter the call of duty Bryan got it done.
Key Performances
– WWE Title: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
– Daniel Bryan Introduces the New WWE Title (SmackDown 1/29/19)
– Elimination Chamber – WWE Title: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe (Elimination Chamber 2/17/19)
– Triple Threat Match – WWE Title: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafa Ali (Fastlane 3/10/19)
– WWE Title: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. Kofi Kingston (WrestleMania 35 4/7/19)
– SmackDown Tag Team Title: The Usos vs. Daniel Bryan & Rowan (SmackDown 5/7/19)
– Daniel Bryan Promo on Los Angeles (RAW 6/17/19)
– Daniel Bryan vs. Big E (SmackDown 7/2/19)
– Triple Threat Match – SmackDown Tag Team Title: Daniel Bryan & Rowan [c] vs. Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Heavy Machinery (Extreme Rules 7/14/19)
– Daniel Bryan WWE.com Interview (SmackDown 7/16/19)
– Daniel Bryan vs. Buddy Murphy (SmackDown 8/20/19)
– Tornado Tag Team Match: Daniel Bryan & Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan (Hell in a Cell 10/6/19)
– NXT Title: Daniel Bryan vs. Adam Cole [c] (SmackDown 11/1/19)
– WWE Universal Title: Daniel Bryan vs. The Fiend [c] (Survivor Series 11/24/19)
3. Shayna Baszler
The Champ is Here, an old school straight-up heel dick in 2019 who happens to have fallen under the learning tree of no less than Billy Robinson. Not every Baszler match hits, but do they really even need to? Her best matches are some of the best and most unique big matches WWE offers, basic and to the point with simple layouts and a focus on delivering pain – if only all the other wrestling followed suit. She really came together as a character in 2019 too, and along with The Undisputed Era was the key to NXT delivering on everything asked of it so far this year.
Key Performances
– NXT Women’s Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Kairi Sane (NXT 4/17/19)
– NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Io Shirai (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
– Steel Cage Match – NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Io Shirai (NXT 6/26/19)
– NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Candice LeRae (NXT 10/2/19)
– Shayna Baszler Confronts Becky Lynch (RAW 11/4/19)
– Shayna Baszler vs. Dakota Kai (NXT 11/6/19)
– NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT 12/18/19)
4. Tyler Bate
Being on NXT UK means Tyler Bate in WWE is a pretty under-covered thing, but every time he gets a little time he’ll still deftly show you he’s among the best professional wrestlers in the world, with a raw athletic talent and agility that just puts him in this other league and makes his matches all feel more important.
Key Performances
– NXT UK Tag Team Title: Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake (TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
– Worlds Collide Tournament – Final: Tyler Bate vs. Velveteen Dream (Worlds Collide 2/2/19)
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: Moustache Mountain vs. Street Profits (NXT 3/6/19)
– Tyler Bate vs. Jack Gallagher (NXT UK 3/27/19)
– Tyler Bate vs. Brian Kendrick (Worlds Collide 4/17/19)
– WWE U.K. Title: Tyler Bate vs. WALTER [c] (TakeOver: Cardiff 8/31/19)
– Tyler Bate vs. Cameron Grimes (NXT 10/30/19)
– Tyler Bate vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT UK 11/14/19)
5. Adam Cole
Do I want Adam Cole to be the future of this BIZ-NESS? No. Can I deny he’s good? No. Adam Cole works a lot of big matches and he can do a good big match. He also had a late year ascension into Really Big Deal.
Key Performances
– Adam Cole vs. Ricochet (NXT 2/13/19)
– 2/3 Falls – NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver: New York 4/5/19)
– Adam Cole vs. Matt Riddle (NXT 5/8/19)
– NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano [c] (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
– NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Jordan Myles (NXT 9/4/19)
– NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Matt Riddle (NXT 10/2/19)
– NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Daniel Bryan (SmackDown 11/1/19)
– NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Finn Balor (NXT 12/18/19)
6. Roderick Strong
He is the constant, the under-the-radar guy that can always be relied on to have high quality match in a variety of scenarios: singles, tag, title, midcard, main event – it does not matter.
Key Performances
– NXT Tag Team Title: Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly [c] vs. War Raiders (TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
– Roderick Strong vs. Matt Riddle (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
– Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT 6/12/19)
– Roderick Strong vs. Pete Dunne (NXT 7/31/19)
– Triple Threat Match – NXT North American Title: Roderick Strong [c] vs. Keith Lee vs. Dominik Diakovic (NXT 10/23/19)
– Roderick Strong vs. Keith Lee (NXT 11/13/19)
– NXT North American Title: Roderick Strong [c] vs. Austin Theory (NXT 12/25/19)
7. Asuka
On the odd chance she actually does do something, Asuka is still blatantly an elite level wrestler. The Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair matches are the best stuff Becky and Charlotte do, and The Kabuki Warriors run hasn’t given a ton of matches but what it’s given has been strong.
Key Performances
– SmackDown Women’s Title: Asuka [c] vs. Becky Lynch (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
– SmackDown Women’s Title: Asuka [c] vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown 3/26/19)
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: The Kabuki Warriors vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross [c] (Hell in a Cell 10/6/19)
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: The Kabuki Warriors [c] vs. Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox (NXT 10/30/19)
– Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair (RAW 11/25/19)
– Asuka vs. Deonna Purrazzo (RAW 12/16/19)
8. Ricochet
Ricochet hasn’t had that one high-end performance that’d bump him up this list, but he’s a ring warrior who seemed to be everywhere this year. First he had some great singles matches in NXT, then he moved up to the main roster and formed a fun tag team with Aleister Black, then he had solid feuds with Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, and finally he settled into week-to-week midcard guy having quality but quiet matches on Monday Night RAW.
Key Performances
– NXT North American Title: Ricochet [c] vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
– Ricochet vs. Adam Cole (NXT 2/13/19)
– Ricochet & Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush (RAW 2/18/19)
– Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. The Bar (SmackDown 3/5/19)
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Semi Final: Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. #DIY (NXT 3/13/19)
– Ricochet vs. Jinder Mahal (RAW 3/18/19)
– NXT Tag Team Title: War Raiders [c] vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black (TakeOver: New York 4/5/19)
– Ricochet vs. Baron Corbin (RAW 5/13/19)
– Triple Threat Match – King of the Ring – Semi Final: Ricochet vs. Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin (RAW 9/9/19)
9. Mustafa Ali
There’s not many better stories than Daniel Bryan bursting into the WWE writer’s room and screaming that SmackDown needed a babyface. He was right, and Mustafa Ali is that babyface. The best bumper, the best seller, the best babyface. Even made the comeback and got his first name back.
Key Performances
– Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton (SmackDown 2/5/19)
– Triple Threat Match – WWE Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Daniel Bryan [c] vs. Kevin Owens (Fastlane 3/10/19)
– Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe (SmackDown 4/2/19)
– King of the Ring – Quarter Final: Ali vs. Elias (SmackDown 9/3/19)
– Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton (Hell in a Cell 10/6/19)
– Mustafa Ali & Shorty G vs. The Revival (SmackDown 12/13/19)
10. Becky Lynch
Hands down the most newsworthy and important wrestler on this list in 2019, though she also settled into being a WWE Main Event Wrestler which has its ups and downs. When she was on she was on though, with plenty of great angles and big time matches. The Asuka match at Royal Rumble and Sasha Banks match at Hell in a Cell are as good as anything this year, and I think she might’ve saved Kairi Sane’s career at TLC.
Key Performances
– SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Asuka [c] (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
– Becky Lynch Challenges Ronda Rousey (RAW 1/28/19)
– RAW Women’s Title & SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Charlotte Flair [c] (WrestleMania 35 4/7/19)
– Becky Lynch vs. Bayley (SmackDown 4/30/19)
– Hell in a Cell – RAW Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell 10/6/19)
– Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT 11/20/19)
– TLC Match – WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. The Kabuki Warriors [c] (TLC 12/15/19)
WWE’s Best Emerging Wrestlers in 2019
1. Matt Riddle
The classic WWE developmental guy in 2019, already pretty well developed and here to perfect the little things and occasionally remind you he’s capable of some of the highest end pro wrestling there is, with hits so hard and near falls so dramatic you forget wrestling is fake sometimes.
Key Performances
– Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT 1/2/19)
– Matt Riddle vs. Drew Gulak (NXT 2/6/19)
– NXT North American Title: Matt Riddle vs. Velveteen Dream [c] (TakeOver: New York 4/5/19)
– Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole (NXT 5/8/19)
– Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
– Matt Riddle vs. Arturo Ruas (NXT 7/17/19)
– Street Fight – NXT #1 Contender’s Match: Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain (NXT 9/25/19)
– NXT Title: Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole [c] (NXT 10/2/19)
2. WALTER
WALTER came to WWE in January of 2019 and brought all the good stuff: fun squashes, hard chops, and a pair of epic U.K. Title matches with Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate. He also had quality TV matches with Jordan Devlin, Trent Seven and KUSHIDA that felt like mini-epics. He hasn’t completely clicked in WWE, but but the man himself has lived up to the hype.
Key Performances
– WALTER Debuts (TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
– WALTER vs. Jack Starz (NXT UK 1/30/19)
– WALTER vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT UK 3/27/19)
– WWE U.K. Title: WALTER vs. Pete Dunne [c] (TakeOver: New York 4/5/19)
– WALTER vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK 5/1/19)
– WWE U.K. Title: WALTER [c] vs. Pete Dunne (NXT UK 5/22/19)
– WALTER vs. Trent Seven (NXT UK 7/24/19)
– WWE U.K. Title: WALTER [c] vs. Tyler Bate (TakeOver: Cardiff 8/31/19)
– WALTER vs. KUSHIDA (NXT 10/9/19)
3. Io Shirai
Another NXT wrestler who will go quiet for months at a time, then rise like a phoenix and remind you how good she is. Io had strong squashes with Kairi Sane and matches opposite Shayna Baszler, then went heel and had a quality feud with Candice LeRae.
Key Performances
– Io Shirai & Kairi Sane vs. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke (NXT 1/30/19)
– Io Shirai vs. Sonya Deville (Worlds Collide 4/24/19)
– NXT Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler [c] (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
– Steel Cage Match – NXT Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler [c] (NXT 6/26/19)
– Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim (NXT 10/219)
– Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae (TakeOver: Toronto II 8/10/19)
– Ladder Match for WarGames Advantage: Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim (NXT 11/13/19)
4. Lio Rush
After a bumpy start to his WWE career, Lio Rush settled into the role of lead cruiserweight for the latter half of the year and finally started to deliver on the promise that came with his signing.
Key Performances
– Lio Rush & Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman & Finn Balor (RAW 3/18/19)
– WWE Cruiserweight Title #1 Contender’s Match: Lio Rush vs. Oney Lorcan (NXT 9/18/19)
– WWE Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush vs. Drew Gulak [c] (NXT 10/9/19)
– Lio Rush vs. Raul Mendoza (11/1/19)
– WWE Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush [c] vs. Angel Garza (NXT 11/13/19)
– WWE Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush [c] vs. Akira Tozawa (NXT 11/27/19)
– WWE Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush [c] vs. Angel Garza (NXT 12/11/9)
5. Jordan Devlin
With a pretty regular schedule of United Kingdom independent appearances going, I cowardly only watched Jordan Devlin’s WWE work this year and still got to see a great match or promo every other month or so. This is a guy having a very gradual, organic rise up the ranks and it’s fun to watch play out.
Key Performances
– Jordan Devlin vs. Finn Balor (TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
– Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks (NXT UK 1/23/19)
– Worlds Collide Tournament – Quarter Final: Jordan Devlin vs. Drew Gulak (Worlds Collide 2/2/19)
– Worlds Collide Tournament – Semi Final: Jordan Devlin vs. Velveteen Dream (Worlds Collide 2/2/19)
– Jordan Devlin vs. WALTER (NXT UK 5/1/19)
– Jordan Devlin vs. Alexander Wolfe (NXT UK 7/31/19)
6. Velveteen Dream
Velveteen Dream went down with an injury just as the fall began, but his work before it was the work of a guy on the verge of greatness. His Worlds Collide performance was the Randy Savage at Wrestling Classic of 2019, while his North American Title run brought a lot of quality wrestling.
Key Performances
– Worlds Collide Tournament – Semi Final: Velveteen Dream vs. Jordan Devlin (Worlds Collide 2/2/19)
– Worlds Collide Tournament – Final: Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Bate (Worlds Collide 2/2/19)
– NXT North American Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Johnny Gargano [c] (NXT 2/20/19)
– NXT North American Title: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Matt Riddle (TakeOver: New York 4/5/19)
– NXT North American Title: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Buddy Murphy (NXT 4/17/19)
– NXT North American Title: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Tyler Breeze (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
7. Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne needs to evolve, but he’s got the most fun moveset in wrestling and once in a while reminds you he’s capable of epic work. Just wish his not-so-epic got changed up a bit here and there.
Key Performances
– WWE U.K. Title: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Joe Coffey (TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
– WWE U.K. Title: Pete Dunne [c] vs. WALTER (TakeOver: New York 4/5/19)
– WWE U.K. Title: Pete Dunne vs. WALTER [c] (NXT UK 5/22/19)
– Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong (NXT 7/31/19)
– Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch (NXT 10/2/19)
– Pete Dunne vs. Damian Priest (NXT 11/6/19)
8. Keith Lee
Keith Lee spent the first half of the year having an incredible match with Dominik Dijakovic every couple months, then spent the last half breaking out as a superstar on not just NXT but at WWE’s Survivor Series. It was all awesome to see happen, and the wrestling as good too.
Key Performances
– Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic (NXT 2/27/19)
– Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic (NXT 8/28/19)
– Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic (NXT 9/25/19)
– Keith Lee & Matt Riddle vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish (NXT 10/30/19)
– 5-on-5-on-5 Elimination Match: Team NXT vs. Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown (Survivor Series 11/24/19)
– Keith Lee, Tommaso Ciampa & Dominik Dijakovic vs. Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly (NXT 12/4/19)
9. Kyle O’Reilly
I wish he had more singles output, but Kyle O’Reilly has arrived as an MMA Bobby Eaton and everybody’s better for it. One of the most reliable, quietly fun guys in wrestling.
Key Performances
– NXT Tag Team Title: Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong [c] vs. War Raiders (TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. #DIY (NXT 3/6/19)
– 4-Way Ladder Match – NXT Tag Team Title: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. The Forgotten Sons (TakeOver: XXV 6/1/19)
– Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT 6/12/19)
– NXT Tag Team Title: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish [c] vs. Street Profits (NXT 10/2/19)
– Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. The Revival (NXT 11/20/19)
10. Trent Seven
When he gets the chance to do something, whether an angle or promo or match that relies on him to sell that he is in a tremendous amount of pain, Trent Seven is upper class.
Key Performances
– NXT UK Tag Team Title: Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake (TakeOver: Blackpool 1/12/19)
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: Moustache Mountain vs. Street Profits (NXT 3/6/19)
– Imperium Injures Tyler Bate (NXT UK 7/3/19)
– Trent Seven Promo on Imperium’s Attack (NXT UK 7/10/19)
– Trent Seven vs. WALTER (NXT UK 7/24/19)
– Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar (NXT UK 9/25/19)
– Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar (NXT UK 10/24/19)
WWE’s Best Female Wrestlers in 2019
1. Shayna Baszler
2. Io Shirai
3. Asuka
4. Becky Lynch
5. Kairi Sane
A great talent last year on NXT who continued to be a great talent this year but mostly on the main roster in a tag team called “The Kabuki Warriors.” Like her partner Asuka, there were a lot of flashes of brilliance, including one last run against Shayna Baszler.
Key Performances
– Kairi Sane & Io Shirai vs. Tanea Brooks & Amber Nova (NXT 1/23/19)
– Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair (NXT 4/3/19)
– NXT Women’s Women’s Title: Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler [c] (NXT 4/17/19)
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: The Kabuki Warriors vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross [c] (Hell in a Cell 10/6/19)
– Kairi Sane vs. Becky Lynch (RAW 10/28/19)
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: The Kabuki Warriors [c] vs. Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox (NXT 10/30/19)
6. Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair went from exciting talent with potential to legitimate player on the NXT roster in 2019, with several big matches that delivered and a few squashes that are some of the better squashes anyone has been doing in this business.
Key Performances
– Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross (NXT 1/9/19)
– NXT Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler [c] (TakeOver: Phoenix 1/26/19)
– Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim (NXT 5/29/19)
– Bianca Belair vs. Priscilla Zuniga (NXT 7/3/19)
– Bianca Belair vs. Xia Li (NXT 7/24/19)
– Bianca Belair vs. Kayden Carter (NXT 12/11/19)
7. Candice LeRae
Candice LeRae finally got to do SOMETHING in 2019 and showed why everybody was excited about her coming to NXT in the first place. She had a great series with Io Shirai, and played a great vet opposite Dakota Kai and Taynara Conti.
Key Performances
– Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai (TakeOver: Toronto II 8/10/19)
– NXT Women’s Title: Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler [c] (NXT 10/2/19)
– Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai (NXT 10/30/19)
– Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai (NXT 11/27/19)
– Candice LeRae vs. Taynara Conti (NXT 12/25/19)
8. Sasha Banks
It’s very possible Sasha Banks had a sparring session during her summertime excursion to Japan that was better than anything she did on WWE TV this year, but post-return she still seems like a pretty dynamic performer. That Hell in a Cell performance is one for the ages.
Key Performances
– Winner Faces Ronda Rousey for the RAW Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax (RAW 1/7/19)
– RAW Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Ronda Rousey [c] (Royal Rumble 1/27/19)
– Sasha Banks Returns and Turns Heel (RAW 8/12/19)
– Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair (RAW 9/9/19)
– RAW Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch [c] (Clash of Champions 9/15/19)
– Hell in a Cell – RAW Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch [c] (Hell in a Cell 10/6/19)
9. Mia Yim
I respect all the road warrior ladies on the main roster driving town to town, but I couldn’t in good faith give these last couple spots to any of them. Mia Yim’s NXT Women’s Title match with Shayna Baszler didn’t hit but everything else she did in 2019 moved her from newcomer getting a shot to an established part of the NXT roster. She had three quality matches with Bianca Belair too and went hard towards the end of the year when WarGames started cooking.
Key Performances
– Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT 2/27/19)
– Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair (NXT 5/29/19)
– NXT Women’s Title #1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Match: Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae vs. Bianca Belair vs. Io Shirai (NXT 9/18/19)
– Mia Yim vs. Io Shirai (NXT 10/2/19)
– Ladder Match for WarGames Advantage: Mia Yim vs. Io Shirai (NXT 11/13/19)
10. Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai returned from injury in the fall but made every minute count with a great Tag Titles challenge, a great final match with Shayna Baszler, and a great heel turn.
Key Performances
– Dakota Kai (return) vs. Taynara Conti (NXT 9/25/19)
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox vs. The Kabuki Warriors [c] (NXT 10/30/19)
– Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler w/ Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke (NXT 11/6/19)
– Dakota Kai Turns on Tegan Nox (TakeOver: WarGames 11/23/19)
– Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae (NXT 11/27/19)
Quickly, about last year
Daniel Bryan, Shayna Baszler, Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly were the only names who were in a Top 10 in 2018 and remained in 2019.
2018 Top 10 guys Buddy Murphy and Andrade didn’t have enough output in 2019, while AJ Styles and Roman Reigns were bumped down to guys who were hit-and-miss.
The New Day and The Usos’ tied for #10 in 2018 and didn’t rank in a Top 10 this year, though Big E and Kofi Kingston are admired below for having a good year.
2018’s #2 Seth Rollins, meanwhile, finds himself not ranked and listed as “Fine – Just… Fine.”
2018’s #1 “good stuff, not enough” guy was Rey Mysterio, and he ranks #1 overall this year. All the “good stuff, not enough” wrestlers last year ended up in overall Top 10 lists this year, so either they got more chances to shine or WWE had a lot less good stuff.
Last year’s NXT UK highlights were Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Toni Storm, and Jinny, and while all of British Strong Style were ranked in a Top 10, Toni Storm and Jinny’s appearances dwindled and they din’t rank.
Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai continued to impress, while Shinsuke Nakamura and Bayley continued to disappoint.
You did some great stuff, but there wasn’t enough
Once in a while these five names had a match or two that reminded people they are elite level professional wrestlers.
- Angel Garza
- Andrade
- Chad Gable
- Buddy Murphy
- Aleister Black
Quietly, on occasion but with frequency, you impressed me
None of these names were a priority for the WWE machine, but they proved themselves to be great assets no matter the venue: a tag, a squash, an epic match… all are possible of either one at any time.
- Cesaro
- Raul Mendoza
- Drew Gulak
- Akira Tozawa
- Oney Lorcan
I like you but only like half the time
Here’s a list of guys that I appreciate, but am also frequently bored by. That they are some of the more overexposed guys in WWE probably helps explain it, but while their TV work is all steady their big matches don’t really deliver.
- AJ Styles
- Roman Reigns
- Baron Corbin
- Randy Orton
- Bray Wyatt
Lots of potential – looking forward to next year
I feel bad for Deonna Purrazzo because she’s quietly been around for a while, but these five names made their presence known in a few small spots this year that makes me think they might be real fun in the future. Last Year’s Top 3 all ended up on the lists above: Matt Riddle, Bianca Belair, and Velveteen Dream. The other two were Rhea Ripley and… Deonna Purrazzo.
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Bronson Reed
- KUSHIDA
- Ilja Dragunov
- Damian Priest
Thank you for your 5 appearances
Whether part-time, injured, or seeking their release, these fellas popped up in only a handful of matches but pretty much every one was really good.
- Luke Harper
- Brock Lesnar
- Johnny Gargano
Do better, cause you suck
I’ve got nothing more to say.
- Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Ariya Daivari
- Shane Thorne
- The Forgotten Sons
I want to recognize the productive year you had
These are names who could easily be on any of the above lists. The ring work might not always be high level, but it’s definitely pretty good, and they also made huge strides whether breaking out as WWE acts or cementing themselves as WWE legends.
- Kofi Kingston
- Big E
- Rhea Ripley
- The Street Profits
- The Viking Raiders
I want to recognize that you took a step back
Braun Strowman topped this category last year, and he took another leap this year goofing around with Tyson Fury and New Day and just generally regressing into boring guy who thinks he’s a great worker because he’s protecting his body but he doesn’t get that you can protect your body and still not be such a one-note wrestler. Anyways. 2019 did these folks no favors.
- Braun Strowman
- Bayley
- Mojo Rawley
- Elias
- Shane McMahon
You’re great at Sports Entertainment but the matches aren’t much
I look forward to seeing these guys on my TV, even if I’m not fascinated when the bell rings.
- Rusev
- Tommaso Ciampa
- Kevin Owens
- Drew McIntyre
- R-Truth
You seem pretty good but because this company sucks I’m not so sure
It’s very possible that all these wrestlers rank among the best in the world. They are just on a platform that isn’t showing it, or at least shows it but only once every long while and then quickly tries to re-enforce that what you saw wasn’t real.
- Jack Gallagher
- Kassius Ohno
- The Revival
- Gran Metalik
- Finn Balor
You were fine – just… fine
Just… fine.
- Seth Rollins
- Dolph Ziggler
- Lacey Evans
- Bobby Fish
- Charlotte Flair
