10 Best WWE Matches of 2019

Need a reminder of how great WWE can be?

gargano cole
Source: WWE

What a year 2019 was. WWE has seen its fair share of ups and downs, but when you take a second to step back and appreciate just how much incredible wrestling we’ve seen from the mainstream market, you’ve gotta admit it’s been one of the most consistently impressive years of the decade. Both NXT and the main roster have delivered on some fantastic feuds that built to some heated grudge matches, some making it onto pay-per-view and some others being kept tucked away on weekly programming.

We’ve compiled a list of our personal best WWE matches of 2019, there’s been plenty of contenders, but these particular performances stand high above the rest. Ponder on the sheer amount of talent that WWE has at their disposal right now, think about just how rich the landscape of WWE has become and how much it has developed since even the start of the year.

Where we might agree on a few of these entries, make sure you drop your own personal highlights in the comments section below.

 

10. The Revival vs The Undisputed Era – NXT TV

The most recent entry for our best WWE matches of 2019, The Revival’s NXT homecoming party was a roaring success when they stepped in the ring with Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish of The Undisputed Era. Fans of tag wrestling were treated to an instant classic between these two gifted duos, reminding everyone why The Revival were so damn over when they were called up from the black and gold brand.

This match came about as part of the brand warfare between NXT and the main roster asTriple H opened the doors of Full Sail to the superstars of RAW and SmackDown Live and welcomed the former NXT stars with several dream confrontations. Matt Riddle was given an impromptu singles bout with Ricochet, which quickly descended into inter-promotional chaos, and of course The Revival were welcomed by the current NXT Tag Champs Fish & O’Reilly.

It was great that WWE found a way to make this match happen while Dash & Dawson are both still under contract. After losing the SD Tag titles to The New Day a couple of weeks prior, The Revival were taken out of their scheduled match and we were robbed of this potentially perfect pairing. Not only did we get to see the match play out, but it was given an ample amount of time to boot. The two teams destroyed one another for the sake of putting on a great show on the go-home episode.

Dash & Dawson may be dropping out of the title picture, but this should serve as a gentle reminder to those who may have forgotten just how great The Revival are in the ring. Big nod of respect to Fish & O’Reilly as well for bringing their A-game just a few days before their big weekend.

 

9. ‘The Fiend’ vs Finn Balor – SummerSlam

One of the hottest products in all of professional wrestling right now is ‘The Fiend’. Bray Wyatt’s latest incarnation took the world by storm when he debuted his Firefly Funhouse vignettes, building steady anticipation for his eventual comeback. Wyatt was taken out with injury for the majority of 2019, ao getting to see him finally step back into the ring with such a buzz surrounding him was a massive credit to his charisma and creativity.

Technically speaking, the match between Wyatt and Finn Balor has no place being on this list; it was a total squash, after all. However, what does justify this entry was the aura given to ‘The Fiend’ upon his debut. The world was sucked in by the pageantry of his entrance, the horror-like aesthetic and appropriately grungey remix of his entrance theme. Everything about ‘The Fiend’ was intoxicating, and it just goes to show that WWE can still put together a good character or two when they want.

Finn Balor did some big honours in this match, and it’s a shame that he won’t be included elsewhere in this list for his own work, but this night was all about ‘The Fiend’ and setting Wyatt on his path to the Universal title.

 

8. Matt Riddle vs Adam Cole – NXT TV (2/10/19)

NXT’s big move to Fox was not without fanfare. The soft reboot of the developmental brand saw most of its budding stars given a chance to showcase the best of their abilities with the likes of Pete Dunne, Cameron Grimes and Matt Riddle being the stars of the= first few episodes, each picking up convincing wins over their opponents. Where the momentum might have fizzled out slightly for some of those names, it certainly wasn’t the case for Matt Riddle.

‘The Original Bro’ won his grudge match against Killian Dain, earning a shot at the NXT Champion Adam Cole. Both superstars have had experience working together on the independents but never had they locked horns on NXT TV. This truly was Riddle’s coming-out party on the NXT brand, when he and Cole tapped into their natural chemistry to deliver an instant classic.

The Full Sail crowd ate this match up, as did all the fans at home watching on the new network. Matt Riddle proved that he could hang with the best and rightfully deserves to be considered a future NXT Champion. Cole picked up his first title retention on Fox, only that wasn’t the end of Adam Cole’s evening.

As the champ was celebrating his hard-fought victory, he and the entire NXT universe were shocked by the surprise return of Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa. Both legends of the NXT roster set their sights on Adam Cole and his NXT title. This was one heck of a way to get the ball rolling on Fox.

 

7. Pete Dunne vs WALTER – NXT TakeOver: New York

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pof2ZGzRnIg

So this particular TakeOver event is going to be showing up a few times on this list as the token NXT show during WrestleMania weekend delivered on all accounts and then some. Up first is the clash for the United Kingdom Championship between ‘The Bruiserweight’ and ‘The Ring General’ WALTER. This first-time-ever encounter had the BritWres and European wrestling scenes buzzing; all signs seemed to point towards Pete Dunne’s legendary reign coming to an end at the hands of the Austrian brute.

WALTER had some big shoes to follow as the next UK Champion, so this match was crucial to getting things off on the right foot. Naturally, the two had an incredible match, which came as a surprise to no-one. Pete Dunne played the valiant champion perfectly, and the US fans were well and truly behind ‘The Bruiserweight’ to retain his title and start another chapter in his ever-lasting dominance. Things weren’t to be, as the two plummeted from the top rope with WALTER nailing an avalanche powerbomb.

Dunne went on to transition over to US NXT, and WALTER is seeing out the decade as the NXT UK Champion, all seems well in the world. This match will most likely go down as one of the biggest clashes in NXT UK history, so if you’ve still yet to check out the infant brand, here’s where you start.

 

6. War Raiders vs Aleister Black & Ricochet – NXT TakeOver: New York

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CFSsUt5SAg

Rewinding slightly to the opener of the show between the then NXT Tag Champions, War Raiders faced off against the winners of the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic, Aleister Black and Ricochet. Even though both challengers had been making their mark on the main roster, and were set to vie for the SmackDown Tag Titles at WrestleMania the next night, they still put in an incredible effort at TakeOver against Erik and Ivar.

This match was as hard-hitting as it was high-octane, both teams left it all in the ring as part of Black and Ricochet’s send-off. Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined this match going any better than it did, a perfect tag title fight.

It’s a shame that Aleister Black and Ricochet didn’t go on to continue teaming on the main roster, as the makeshift tandem were split up a few weeks later as part of the Superstar Shake-Up. Of course, both men are very capable singles competitors, but over the course of WrestleMania weekend, they truly won the world over as a tag team.

 

5. Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles – Money in the Bank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cILezErrvMY

This match here goes to show that 5-star wrestling matches are totally alien to those on the main roster. The fantasy feud between Seth Rollins and AJ Styles heated up pretty quickly on Monday Night Raw, shortly after AJ was drafted to the red brand as part of the Shake-Up. The new Universal Champion was given a huge test right off the bat and absolutely shined in the process.

As the year comes to an end, most fans are starting to develop a very negative opinion of Seth Rollins, which is a shame when you start to look back on some of the amazing title matches he’s been a part of this year. Rollins does have it in him to go outside of his ‘WWE style’ comfort zone and reclaim his status as one of the best wrestlers in the world. Or perhaps when you’re in the ring with AJ Styles, it just naturally comes to you, who knows.

These two put together an awesome match at Money in the Bank, it’s a shock that we’ve yet to see a rematch between the two top stars. Seth walked away with the win over Styles, which came as a shock to many, despite Rollins coming off of the big win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Either way, this bout delivered on the high expectations and should be a go-to match for anyone looking to remind themselves of when WWE puts together something magical.

 

4. Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks – Hell in a Cell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5bAzkfH8IE

Without a doubt, 2019 was the year of ‘The Man’ in WWE. Becky Lynch took the wrestling world by storm and culminated her popularity as part of the first-ever Women’s WrestleMania main event. Since that epic triple threat with Charlotte and Ronda Rousey, things started to cool off for Lynch after she feuded with Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin, but eventually managed to salvage her fans when heading into Hell in a Cell against former Horsewoman pal ‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks.

Having already done battle in the Hell in a Cell match, Banks came in fired-up, hoping to take back her Raw Women’s Championship from Lynch. That wasn’t on the cards. Becky put together some innovative offence, using the Cell to her advantage to quell The Boss’ onslaught and walk out with the Women’s title still on her shoulder.

This match was a lot more brutal than most Hell in a Cell matches these days, which is something I’m finding myself saying more often than not now — a step in the right direction for WWE. Compared to the incredibly lacklustre Cell main event between ‘The Fiend’ and Seth Rollins, this was an absolute delight to watch.

It also ended up as one of the rare occasions when WWE downplayed the whole ‘women doing things that men usually do’. Regardless, Becky Lynch should be proud knowing that she’s leaving 2019 with some fantastic performances behind her.

 

3. Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan – WrestleMania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3iNQomKf_8

The WrestleMania moment of the year goes to Kofi Kingston and his triumphant victory over Daniel Bryan to capture his first WWE Championship. It seemed like the KofiMania fad crept up on us from out of thin air, there was very little build and it felt more organic than 99% of the usual content pumped out for WrestleMania season. Kingston played the underdog to perfection, despite having so much experience behind him.

The match itself was an emotional rollercoaster for fans of all ages. Even though Daniel Bryan is highly regarded by most fans, Kingston was the true hero of the night and there wasn’t a single person in New York who didn’t want to see The New Day unveil Kofi’s own WWE title.

It’s a shame that this couldn’t have happened a year prior; that atmosphere should have been captured during the show’s main event, leaving a very positive lasting impression in everyone’s minds. But still, I’m just glad it happened and it easily fits into the upper section of our top 10 for not only the wrestling but also the drama. Wrestling is all about these moments. Live in them.

 

2. Tyler Bate vs WALTER – NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GQbGDcH_5A&t=1s

NXT UK has been putting on its fair share of bangers throughout 2019, but unfortunately the majority of them have gone without credit. The brand is still living through its teething period and working its way through the niches to find its die-hard fandom. Despite only making a few ripples in the wider wrestling fandom, the UK fans turned up in droves for the second NXT UK TakeOver event. WALTER headlined the show against Tyler Bate for the UK title, putting together a stellar performance that is going to be hard to top for years to come.

Many considered this a star-making match for Tyler Bate. Even though he’s been hanging around since day 1 of WWE’s expansion into the British wrestling scene, Tyler absolutely deserved this resounding appreciation. The match itself was quite possibly the best wrestling televised from the UK in decades. It was emotionally investing, saw many twists and turns and ultimately put NXT UK on the map for a few more fans.

It’s tough for me to say that this match exceeded even the UK title bout between WALTER and Dunne from TakeOver: New York. Perhaps it was the crowd, perhaps it was Tyler Bate having a more natural chemistry with the bigger competitor. Either way, it all came together to create one of WWE’s best matches of the year.

 

1. Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: New York

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-lLzolimG0

Arguably the greatest series of matches in NXT’s storied history, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano tore the roof off of every arena they stepped into throughout their rivalry for the NXT title earlier this year. It all started in New York, with the NXT Championship vacated after Tommaso Ciampa’s unfortunate injury. The match was considered one of the best WWE have ever put together, achieving high praise from almost every wrestling journalist and fan who had the pleasure of watching two wrestling geniuses work their magic.

Cole and Gargano are undisputed when it comes to being the top two performers on the NXT roster, so getting to see them finally be put together in a singles feud was mouth-watering before we even got to New York. The match delivered on all the hype and was given enough time to develop into an absolute marathon. It’s almost as if NXT went out of their way to make sure people were talking about their main eventers throughout and after WrestleMania weekend.

Gargano in particular has made a habit out of presenting WWE with their most recent 5 star ratings from the Wrestling News Observer, adding this title fight with Adam Cole to his list of highly-credited performances within NXT. Regardless, both men came out looking strong, and it was great to see Johnny Wrestling finally being given the honour of holding the NXT Championship. It was a great moment for all NXT fans, and set up the new season perfectly.

Of course, the two would go on to have an equally incredible rematch at TakeOver XXV, but this one just about nudges the sequel out of contention for being the best match of 2019. If you’re going to watch any WWE content this year, make sure it’s this match.

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