5 WWE Superstars who started and ended 2019 as champions

Over the past year, there has not been much of a change in WWE. Its surroundings have upgraded massively, with the birth of All Elite Wrestling and the improving landscape of the wrestling industry.

As we entered into a new year, and a new decade, things seem pretty much the same. The product is fine, but not overly spectacular. There are some differences like Becky Lynch going from chaser to champion among a few others.

However, the majority of WWE is pretty much the same as it was one year ago. This includes some of the champions, both on the main roster and NXT. While they entered last year with gold and quickly lost it in 2019, these five Superstars respectively regrouped and earned a title later in the year, a different one in most cases.

They have now entered the 2020s as champions in WWE, as they did one year ago. Here are five WWE Superstars who started and ended 2019 with a title.

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#5. Kyle O'Reilly

NXT's tag team king.

Ever since he debuted at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 3, Kyle O'Reilly has entered every new year as one half of the NXT Tag Team Champions. Last year, he held the titles with Roderick Strong before losing them in January to The War Raiders. As part of Undisputed Era's quest for every championship, O'Reilly found his way back to the top of the NXT Tag Team Division.

After months of coming up short, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish finally regained the NXT Tag Team Titles from The Street Profits a few weeks before NXT debuted on USA. They are still champions to this day. This victory has made O'Reilly a 3-time NXT Tag Team Champion, the most decorated tag champ in the history of the Black and Yellow Brand.

#4. Roderick Strong

A year of Undisputed dominance.

As mentioned previously, Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly were NXT Tag Team Champions at the start of 2019. After losing the titles, Strong moved away from tandem action and Bobby Fish was slotted back into his role. Strong quietly became one of the top singles heels in NXT, despite being second-in-charge of the Undisputed Era after Adam Cole.

'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' entered the NXT North American Championship scene and eventually captured the title in a fantastic match against Velveteen Dream, on NXT's first episode on USA. This fulfilled the prophecy of Undisputed Era holding all the gold at Full Sail.

Since then, Strong has had a solid reign and defended the belt in a number of contests, including a Triple Threat Match against Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic. Speaking of Triple Threats, the North American Champion earned the biggest win of his WWE career, by defeating AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at Survivor Series. Roddy is still going Strong (Ha!) as the leader of NXT's mid-card in 2020.

#3. Rhea Ripley

Before her immense ascent.

Rhea Ripley has had an awesome few months to end the year, but she did start the year on top as well. After defeating Toni Storm in the tournament final, Ripley became the first-ever NXT UK Women's Champion. However, she quickly lost the title to Toni Storm at NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool.

The Australian never received a rematch for the NXT UK Women's Championship, but she moved on and sought a bigger prize. Ripley stepped up to challenge Shayna Baszler as no other babyface had done before. After an enduring feud, which included a War Games Match, Ripley defeated Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship in mid-December.

She came and conquered one of the most dominant females in WWE history, showcasing her brutality perfectly. Just like how she started 2019 on top of NXT UK and ended the year on top of NXT, we could feasibly see Rhea Ripley end 2020 as a major player on RAW or SmackDown.

#2. Brock Lesnar

It's him again.

Here we are again. For the fourth time since his 2012 return, and the third year in a row, Brock Lesnar is the top champion of RAW on New Year's Day. It has been a trope as tiring as a 60-minute Iron Man Match, even if the end usually justifies the means. Lesnar began 2019 in the same way he began 2018, with the Universal Championship on his shoulder.

He lost the title to Seth Rollins, won it back, and eventually lost it to 'The Architect' again. Soon after, it was the WWE Championship's turn to get the part-time treatment again. After ending Kofi Kingston in merely seconds, 'The Beast' took part in a compelling program against Rey Mysterio, as well as Cain Velasquez.

As we head into Royal Rumble season and eventually the Road to WrestleMania, this should ideally be Brock Lesnar's final title reign and whoever ends it should get the rub of a lifetime. Whether it is Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, or anyone else, hopefully, the cycle will end come 2021.

#1. Asuka

Hopefully, she has a more consistent 2020.

Asuka had an incredibly frustrating 2019. She began the year as the SmackDown Women's Champion, fresh off defeating Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat TLC Match. 'The Empress of Tomorrow' got her year off to an excellent start, as she made 'The Man' tap out clean, at Royal Rumble.

However, WWE failed to capitalize on Asuka's massive surge in momentum and ended up compromising her reign to make the main event of WrestleMania even bigger, by having two titles on the line. Asuka ended up joining the Women's Tag Team Division alongside Kairi Sane, with Paige as their manager.

After half a year of absolutely nothing, the newly-turned Kabuki Warriors won the Women's Tag Team Championships from Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Now, the two are a featured part of the Monday Night RAW Women's Division and even won the final pay-per-view match of the decade, against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

So Asuka's year ended the same way it began, as a champion. The similarities will continue, as she is set to face Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship at Royal Rumble 2020. After what should be another fantastic match, hopefully, Asuka (and Kairi as well) have a much more consistent year this time around.