What a wild year 2019 turned out to be!
In spite of all the criticism that it gets, WWE sometimes hits the bullseye with some of its booking decisions. It leads to some unforgettable moments, some wildly exciting, and some downright emotionally satisfying.
We were treated with an insane Elimination Chamber match, which kickstarted KofiMania, and culminated with a wonderful match, Kofi vs Bryan for the WWE Championship at the Grandest Stage Of Them All, WrestleMania.
We also had a tremendous Men’s Ladder match at the Money in the Bank PPV, albeit the finish, which was commonly disappointing for all. All the seven Superstars shone in this match. It included some spectacular spots which forced the crowds to chant "This is Awesome!"
A series of Rey Mysterio vs Andrade matches were a joy to watch and got better with each passing match (including that hellacious Canadian Destroyer which proved that Rey wasn’t just a banged-up veteran used to push new and upcoming Superstars)
NXT continued its reputation of giving us stellar five-star matches. Johnny Takeover is the heart and soul of Black and Gold brand for a reason. He had a mind-blowing match against Ricochet at the start of the year as well.
Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano, every mark’s dream, happened this year, and they gave us three absolute masterpieces, each match giving us reasons to just sit back and appreciate the art of pro-wrestling, and these two maestros!
WALTER showed us that big men can put on clinical matches too. He dethroned Pete Dunne as the NXT UK Champion at NXT TakeOver: New York, and capped off the year with a five-star match (as rated by Dave Meltzer) with Tyler Bate.
The future certainly looks bright for WWE in terms of match quality (if not storyline-wise), and here’s a list of eight potential dream matches we could be feasting upon in 2020.
#1 AJ Styles vs Johnny Gargano
Aren't you salivating at just the idea of this match!
Gargano had a great 2019. He captured the NXT North American Title, the NXT Title and had several stellar matches that were praised and critically acclaimed by fans and analysts alike.
Styles, on the other hand, put on a couple of great matches with Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins. But aside from that, it seemed a pretty ordinary 2019 for him.
2020 may be the year when Johnny Wrestling finally enters the main roster and what better way to introduce him to the casual fans than letting him face The Phenomenal One.Their offense will complement each other's style, and some mind-numbing counters could be on the cards!
With only a few years of wrestling left in Styles, (as he told Mark Henry on the 'Busted Open' podcast) a match like this should happen as soon as possible.
A match worthy to main event WrestleMania, certainly a five-star bout in terms of match quality and storytelling, and two tactical masterminds of offense and innovation at work; could you ask for any more?
#2 Asuka vs Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler winning the Women's Royal Rumble this year seemed inevitable so that she continues her rivalry with The Man, Becky Lynch, with a match for the RAW Women's title at WrestleMania.
But even though Charlotte won this year's Royal Rumble, the rivalry between The Man and The Queen of Spades is still on the cards, and the championship match at WrestleMania still seems a genuine possibility.
But who's next in line for Shayna Baszler on the Main Roster?
Steps forth, the Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka.
Asuka has been floundering on the main roster ever since Charlotte shockingly handed her first loss in WWE in WrestleMania 34. But if this match happens, and it delivers, she will certainly be back as one of the top women's division and would certainly get further title shots and possibly, another run with it.
As far as Baszler is concerned, this match can be a great showcase of her skills to the fans who haven't seen her ply her trade in NXT. The Queen Of Spades has been dominating NXT for a while now, producing great matches against the likes of Kairi Sane, Candice LeRae and Rhea Ripley, just to name a few, and now the time is right for her to do the same on the main roster.
Two of the most dominant NXT Women Champions in the history of the brand facing off can just be the contender for Match of the Year.
#3 John Morrison vs Ricochet
When you think of a match between these two, what do you expect?
A high quality match at a frantic pace and insane spots which only would seem harder and harder to believe as it progresses.
Ricochet has been a star on Monday Nights, but he hasn't had matches of quality equivalent to the ones he had in NXT. He is billed as WWE's Resident Superhero, and is relied upon for performing the moves which creates a pop from the crowd. But those are pretty much the only things Ricochet seems to be limited to.
Perhaps, Morrison could be the ideal dance partner for him.
Ever since leaving WWE, the Shaman Of Sexy has charted the waters of Impact Wrestling, Lucha Underground and the Indies and has definitely come back stronger and much improved with the addition of a number of insane moves in his arsenal.
Give them 20 minutes of a match without outside interference or shenanigans, and you might be looking at a jaw-dropping match which would be the match of the night of any event it is a part of.
#4 OC (with Finn Balor) vs Undisputed Era
Remember this wild and iconic moment from NXT?
Balor has been on fire ever since returning to NXT. People who have been following him since his NJPW days see it as the return of Prince Dewitt, one of the most charismatic characters and the leader of the Bullet Club. He is back to doing what he does best, and the decision of turning heel has benefited him.
Everything seemed perfect for Balor on NXT. What could have been even better than this?
The above picture gives you an exact answer to that! The reunion of The Club! A group of unbelievably awesome Superstars trying to run roughshod on the main roster?Yes, please!
What could be the implications of The Club reuniting?
A dream match! Balor teaming up with his old friends Styles, Anderson and Gallows to take on the wildly popular and insanely charismatic Adam Cole's Undisputed Era. A battle of Egos of two of the greatest factions of WWE. Winner takes the bragging rights.
#5 Andrade vs Daniel Bryan
People who have followed Andrade through his NXT days will certainly remember a potential Match of the decade versus Johnny Gargano, and they would certainly know what potential his match against Bryan may hold.
For people who have only seen Andrade on the main roster; Brace yourselves, if this match happens, you are certainly gonna see the best of Andrade.
It is to be noted here that these two have had a few matches in the past, but those matches were meant to further The Miz vs Bryan rivalry.
This time around, it should be different. If they are allowed to have a full-fledged feud, culminating in a series of matches, we could well be looking at back to back candidates for Match of the Year. WWE can book this in the same way as they booked El Idolo's matches with Gargano. This battle should be for a title. This series of matches with Bryan could push Andrade to the stratosphere.
#6 The Four Horsewomen face off-MMA vs WWE
Becky Lynch has been on a roll and defeated Asuka at Royal Rumble to continue her fine run. The Man will face The Empress Of Tomorrow next week but everyone wants her to lock horns with Shayna Baszler at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Assuming Baszler challenges Becky for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania. They have a hard fought match,and then Shafir and Duke interfere, costing The Man her title.
Rousey returns to challenge Bayley/Banks for the Championship and wins it before Survivor Series.
The MMA Horsewomen can brag about ruling the women's roster, with both the top titles captured by them, and being the most dominant force in all of WWE.
That is when the WWE Horsewomen put their differences aside, and we get a match at Survivor Series.
This may be a match that may not have as much quality as the rest of the rivalries mentioned in the list, but the story WWE may tell with this one can be better than any other.
It would be an interesting match, with always a potential heel turn looming around in the WWE Horsewomen's corner.
If done right, this will main event Survivor Series, and would be a huge push for the WWE and would bring in casual fans too!
#7 Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar
2020 will be Drew McIntyre's year!
2019 looked set to be McIntyre's year and it seemed he would get a massive push given his physique and stature. But that wasn't the case and McIntyre found himself stuck in the mid-card in meaningless feuds with The Shield or Dolph Ziggler, and never really had a chance to compete for a title.
But that doesn't seem to be the case this time around. It all changed at the Royal Rumble, and how!
In a booking done with absolute perfection, Brock Lesnar cleared out half the competitors in the Rumble with enviable ease. Just when the question as to who would stop The Beast Incarnate started to grow in our minds, in came McIntyre.
In a moment that made him look worth a million bucks, McIntyre Claymored Lesnar out of the Rumble, and locked eyes with him for a while, even after that!
The cherry on the cake was his final elimination of Roman Reigns, winning the Rumble, and having his destined WWE Championship match in the main event at WrestleMania. He confirmed he will go after Lesnar and his title at The Grandest Stage Of Them All this week on RAW.
The Chosen One can have his WrestleMania moment by dethroning The Beast Incarnate and sitting at the peak of sports entertainment.
#8 Undisputed Era vs Rollins' Faction
You have to love Buddy Murphy's addition to Rollins' new faction. As if the brute force of AOP was not enough, Murphy adds a whole new dimension to the said faction. With a Superstar in Rollins as their leader, it is pretty much possible that the faction runs roughshod on RAW. A lot of makeshift teams will face them in the meanwhile, but perhaps none of them would be strong enough to stop the Messiah and his cohorts.
So supposedly, in a post-Wrestlemania RAW, Rollins starts to brag about his unstoppable team and calls it the greatest ever faction the WWE has ever had.
Maybe a group of people might take offense who indeed seem to be on the path to be the Greatest faction of all time, The Undisputed Era.
The Undisputed Era make their main roster debut, a fight ensues, and we have a mouth-watering prospect on our hands; A match between The Undisputed Era and Rollins' faction.
Just imagine the matches that could lead up to it!
A tag match between AOP and Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, a one-on-one between Roderick Strong and Buddy Murphy and the battle of the leaders between Rollins and Cole.