2019 WWE Half-Year Report: Best Male Superstar

With July 2019 on the horizon, it is time to take our annual look at how WWE’s Superstars have been performing in the first six months of the year.

There are over 70 men currently assigned to the main roster, with many of them competing on both Raw and SmackDown Live since the introduction of the ‘Wild Card Rule’, and fans have witnessed over 200 matches from the men’s divisions across the two brands so far in 2019, but who stands out as the Best Male Superstar?

Seth Rollins, for example, has spoken like a locker room leader in his recent WWE-related media interviews and social media posts, but have his in-ring performances been strong enough to make him the top guy on the roster?

Over on SmackDown Live, Kofi Kingston has been on an unprecedented winning streak of 21 matches since WrestleMania 35, so has he leapfrogged the likes of Rollins and Roman Reigns as WWE’s best male Superstar?

In this article, we’ve trawled through the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters to decide on our top five male main-roster Superstars of the year from January to June.

Honourable mentions: Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Andrade, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, Finn Balor, Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan.

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#5 Bray Wyatt

If this list was based on in-ring appearances alone, Bray Wyatt would be excluded due to his grand total of zero televised matches in 2019.

Thankfully for the former Wyatt Family leader, we are being extra lenient this year by also looking at the characters behind the in-ring performers in our countdown, which means Wyatt simply cannot be ignored.

During a time when many fans are questioning WWE’s storyline arcs and booking decisions, Wyatt is one of the few people who everybody seems to enjoy watching.

Granted, it remains to be seen whether the ‘Firefly Fun House’ segments will result in better matches and storylines for the one-time WWE champion upon his in-ring return, but the early signs suggest that Wyatt’s creepy new character could be a serious main-event player.

#4 Roman Reigns

The fact that Roman Reigns is even being considered for this list is great news in itself.

Four months ago, the four-time WrestleMania main-eventer had yet to return to in-ring action following his leukemia diagnosis and WWE fans had been given no indication on his condition and if/when he would ever return.

The former Shield member announced in late February that his leukemia was in remission and he quickly made his comeback by competing in a series of matches alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in March and April.

From a storyline perspective, Reigns’ ongoing dramas with Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon feel somewhat underwhelming, but nobody can deny that “The Big Dog” remains one of the top Superstars that WWE has.

That has been proven in recent weeks with WWE turning to Reigns, who is officially a SmackDown Live Superstar, to help improve their ratings on Raw.

#3 R-Truth

Like Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns, R-Truth is another name who very few people would have expected to see on this list at the beginning of 2019.

In recent years, the former United States champion has been nothing more than an occasional comedy character who appears sporadically on WWE programming to get a cheap pop from the crowd (e.g. when he brought a ladder into a Royal Rumble match).

This year, he has followed up on his 2018 Mixed Match Challenge success with Carmella by becoming one of the most must-see Superstars on Raw, SmackDown Live and, perhaps more importantly, YouTube.

At the age of 47, Truth is more relevant now than at any stage of his career in sports entertainment, and it is all thanks to the introduction of the 24/7 Championship – a title he has quickly become synonymous with.

He has already won the title on nine occasions, including on a golf course and at a wedding, and he will no doubt win and lose it many more times over the next few months.

#2 Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins ticks almost every box that WWE is looking for in a modern-day Superstar.

Outside the ring, the Universal champion is fiercely defensive of his fellow Superstars and the WWE product. Inside the ring, he backs up his talk by regularly producing some of the best matches of the week on Raw, SmackDown Live and at pay-per-views.

In 2019, the former Shield member won the men’s Royal Rumble match before going on to defeat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35. Since then, he has retained his title against AJ Styles and Baron Corbin, while his real-life relationship with Becky Lynch has even become part of an on-screen storyline.

The star power of Roman Reigns, John Cena, The Undertaker and Lesnar overshadowed Rollins during his 2015 run as WWE champion. Now, as Universal champion, it genuinely feels like he is cementing his status as WWE’s top guy.

#1 Kofi Kingston

In any other year, Seth Rollins’ accomplishments from January to June would lead to him topping this list. But this is no ordinary year – this is the year of ‘KofiMania’.

Some of the best WWE storylines in recent years have developed organically, either due to fan reactions or due to injuries, and both of those factors played a part in Kofi Kingston’s rise to stardom in 2019.

Ali was initially supposed to participate in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship in February, but he suffered an injury and had to be replaced. Kingston stepped in and suddenly became the biggest fan favourite that WWE had seen since Daniel Bryan’s “Yes Movement” in 2013-14.

The New Day member overcame multiple obstacles to earn his spot at WrestleMania 35, where he defeated Bryan for the WWE Championship, and he has since won 21 matches in a row over the last three months.

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Would you have chosen Kofi Kingston in first place? Let us know in the comment section if you agree or disagree!