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2019 is all but gone. WWE's pay-per-view calendar that began with the 2019 Royal Rumble is about to end with TLC this Sunday. Surpassing previous years, 2019 was as eventful as one could ever hope it to be, especially with the debut of AEW. In this article, however, our focus will be on WWE Superstars and their 2019 accomplishments.
By definition, some Superstars who had a great 2019 won't be included in this list, as it is reserved from those who went from a low point to a high over the course of the calendar year. 'The Man' Becky Lynch, who became the first-ever Double Women's Champion, won't be featured here. Neither will Ronda Rousey, despite main-eventing WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar, who started the year with the Universal Championship and will likely end 2019 with the WWE Championship will also not be included. Each of these Superstars remained steadily high throughout the year, but those featured on this list saw their stock rise exponentially.
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This list only includes WWE wrestlers who began the year in a medicore to subpar position with the company, but saw their careers rise to new heights before the the year came to an end. Without any further ado, let's get to it.
Honorable mention: Everyone in NXT
Until recently (perhaps as recently as November 2019), NXT had been regarded as a developmental territory where prospective Superstars began their WWE run in order to hone their trade before making a move to the main roster (RAW or SmackDown). However, this all changed with the build-up and eventual conclusion of Survivor Series 2019.
WWE presented NXT as a genuine third brand, probably due to some pressure by competition from AEW on Wednesday nights. NXT superstars invaded RAW and SmackDown, looking dominant in the process.The Black & Gold brand even prevailed in the inter-promotional war at Survivor Series and things were never really even close.
Therefore, everyone on the NXT roster gets an honorable mention. At the beginning of the year, they were Superstars in the making, but now everyone on the NXT roster is on equal footing with the stars of RAW and SmackDown. In fact, the concept of 'main roster' now appears to be outdated, as the Black and Gold brand is no longer looking up to anyone.
5. Seth Rollins
Although the recent turn of events has brought him a lot of criticism, Seth Rollins has excelled in 2019. While Rollins began 2019 embroiled in an Intercontinental Championship feud with Dean Ambrose, things ended on a sour note for 'The Architect' when Bobby Lashley ended up with the title. Rollins was not even involved in the decisive finish (Lashley pinned Ambrose in a Triple Threat Match in January 2019 to become IC Champ).
At the time, Rollins looked to be out of the title picture, but it was just the beginning of what would be one of the best year's of his career. Rollins secured his first Royal Rumble victory and went on to slay 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Although Lesnar would later re-claim the Universal Championship by cashing-in his MITB contract, 'The Beastslayer' became the first person to defeat Lesnar at both Wrestlemania and SummerSlam.
2019 saw Rollins become a 3-time Double Champion when he won the RAW Tag Team Championship with partner Braun Strowman. Despite his HITC match against The Fiend and his recent tweets souring his year-end party, it can't be denied that he ran with the ball in 2019.
Oh yes, he also found his perfect woman in Becky Lynch: a great year on both personal and professional fronts.
4. Bayley
Bayley had been in limbo for most of her main roster career. Despite being over with the fans as a beloved babyface, WWE Creative failed her when they could not come up with good storylines for 'The Hugger.'
Then came Elimination Chamber 2019 which saw Bayley and Sasha Banks become the inaugural WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. Despite this being a major accomplishment, a period of dissatisfaction followed when the Boss 'N' Hug Connection were booked to lose the titles at WrestleMania 35.
With Banks gone for quite some time, Bayley appeared to be in limbo yet again, but inevitably bounced back as the Women's MITB briefcase winner. Bayley cashed-in the same night to become SmackDown Women's Champion and also the first-ever WWE Women's Grand Slam winner.
Later, in a completely unexpected sequence of events, Bayley turned heel for the first time by attacking Becky Lynch. With a new look and theme music, Bayley is no longer 'The Hugger' but a complete bad-ass. The transition has worked wonders for her career. It remains to be seen if she will end the year still the SmackDown Women's Champion, but things are certainly looking good for Bayley.
3. Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston is the kind of guy who is always there but never really 'there'. In his 13-year long WWE career, Kingston won multiple championships, but never carried that elusive World Title over his shoulders.
Things were about to change, however, when by sheer chance Kingston entered the Elimination Chamber in 2019 (replacing an injured Mustafa Ali at the last moment). Kingston had a great outing and was the last man eliminated by eventual winner AJ Styles.
This was the moment Kofimania took off and much like they did with Daniel Bryan in 2014, fans rallied behind Kofi Kingston. The momentum carried Kofi Kingston all the way to WrestleMania where he would challenge Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. Kingston made history by becoming the first-ever African-born WWE Champion, 30th Triple Crown, and 20th Grand Slam winner.
He had stellar matches thereafter, including his revenge bout against Randy Orton. Ultimately the high-flyer lost the WWE Championship in rather unceremonious fashion to 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar. However, he immediately bounced back by becoming a 4-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion. Overall, 2019 has been an unforgettable year for Kofi Kingston with fans unlikely to soon forget Kofimania.
2. Bray Wyatt
2019 has been a year of resurrection for the former 'Eater of Worlds.' Despite being completely away from WWE TV for the first quarter of the year, Bray Wyatt returned to television in April 2019 with his bizarre Firefly Fun House segments. Wyatt, now a demented children's show host, sported a brand new look, which included a leaner physique. The segments only became more twisted with every new edition.
In the times of a rating-crisis for WWE, Wyatt's segments remained one of the highlights of the show. However, the first major shockwave came when Wyatt debuted his new persona, The Fiend. The Fiend was evil personified and instantly terrified everyone.
After a short program with Finn Balor and terrifying the WWE roster with his sudden and unpredictable actions, The Fiend wasted no time in challenging Universal Champion Seth Rollins for his title. Although they had a good match with a memorably pathetic end at the HITC PPV, The Fiend was successful in claiming the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. He then gave the Universal Title a terrifying new makeover.
Wyatt looks set to end the year with the strap securely around his waist (or neck) and remains the most intriguing Superstar on the roster. The fact that most of his work is his own brainchild is a testament to his wrestling acumen and intelligence.
1. Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley
Okay, let's address the elephant in the room. Jon Moxley is not a WWE Superstar anymore. However, he ranks #1 on this list because he began 2019 as an active member of the WWE roster. With that stated, the beginning of 2019 saw Moxley, then Dean Ambrose, lose his Intercontinental Championship to Bobby Lashley. The loss was followed by humiliation at the hands of EC3 and Nia Jax, with the latter coming just about the time when Ambrose announced that he was leaving the company.
An emotional Shield reunion soon followed and Moxley bid adieu to WWE and the Dean Ambrose character. His verbal attack on WWE, on the now-infamous Chris Jericho podcast, and the much-talked-about vignettes showed his desperation to break out of the Dean Ambrose character.
Moxley made a surprise appearance at the end of AEW's first PPV Double or Nothing, drawing the loudest reaction of the night. Within a few days, Moxley won the IWGP United States Championship in his debut match with New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion. Although he was stripped of the title under unavoidable circumstances (he could not defend the title due to travel issues caused by Typhoon Hagibis), Moxley will be getting a chance to reclaim the title at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
In AEW, Moxley has already had stellar matches with various wrestlers, including a brutal unsanctioned Lights-Out Match against Kenny Omega at Full Gear. His latest stare downs with AEW Champion Chris Jericho indicate that he might be the next in line to challenge 'Le Champion' for his title. Moxley is all over the wrestling world and has become the unhinged, unpredictable, must-see wrestler of 2019.
