Ranking the 10 best WWE moments of 2019

WWE has been very up and down in 2019, but despite their struggles to book a consistent week to week program (excluding NXT, that's fantastic), they have still managed some great moments. The quality of wrestling has never been better, and with so many great performers in the promotion, so there should be plenty more memorable moments, but WWE seem intent on playing it safe week after week.

With that being said however, NXT has been a beacon of hope for WWE in 2019, as plenty of our top moments come from there, but after all the shows WWE have put together this year, we have come up with our list. So without further ado, sit back and read along as we look back on the year that was and rank the 10 best WWE moments of the year that was.

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#10 WALTER and Tyler Bate put on a masterclass

This wasn't one single moment, but NXT UK is still a brand that's finding it's footing, so to have a main event for their second Takeover deliver in this way is certainly worthy of being on our list. Despite the obvious size advantage that's in play here, both men put on an incredible and very believable match. Even down to the very end of the 40-minute contest, it still wasn't clear who was going to come out on top.

At the end of the day, it was WALTER who came out victorious in his first Takeover title defense, but not for lack of trying on Bate's part, as they came together to deliver a genuine Match of the Year candidate. NXT UK still has plenty of work to do to be considered in the same breath as NXT, but with matches and feuds like this, it's only a matter of time, as the roster is deep enough and talented enough to deliver on a weekly basis.

#9 Dakota Kai turns her back at War Games

In wrestling, fans often think that predictable means bad, but sometimes, it's just the logical next move in a story. If executed right, fans will eat it up anyway. That's exactly what happened in the Women's War Games match, as the predicted Dakota Kai heel turn came at the expense of Tegan Nox, but it was even better than any of us could have hoped for.

It was vicious, the announce team sold it perfectly, and Dakota looked amazing in her new role (credit to Nox for selling well too). It was one of the biggest moments in a packed weekend of wrestling for WWE. We are yet to see if this latest turn will take Kai to the level of Rhea Ripley and Shayna Baszler, but even if it doesn't, she will now be a key part of NXT going forward, and that's well deserved after the performance she put on in Chicago.

#8 Team Ciampa survive War Games

Since reviving War Games back in 2017, NXT has put on some incredible contests, but the action in this year's match between The Undisputed Era and Team Ciampa may have just topped them all. From great strategy to huge moves and the surprise return of Kevin Owens, this match had it all. The final sequence is one that was tough to watch, as it could have resulted in serious harm.

With everyone incapacitated, Tommaso Ciampa lifted Adam Cole while they were stood on top of the cage, hitting him with an Avalanche Air Raid Crash through 2 tables, and it was enough to seal the win for Ciampa and co. The bar keeps getting raised in NXT's version of War Games, but this was yet another classic match, and although several moments throughout the bout could have made our list, the crescendo to this amazing contest was the biggest of them all.

#7 Johnny Wrestling becomes Johnny Champion

For years now, Johnny Gargano has been the Heart and Soul of NXT (sorry Sami Zayn). Gargano has been consistently putting on the best matches and telling the best stories year-after-year, but this moment in New York topped them all. After a grueling 2-out-of-3 falls match with Adam Cole, Gargano overcame all the odds, including interference from The Undisputed Era, to claim the NXT Championship for the first time, cementing him as NXT's first Triple Crown winner.

As if this wasn't great and tear-jerking enough, Candice LeRae, Johnny's wife, came to celebrate. At the top of the entrance ramp, they were greeted by Tommaso Ciampa, and one couldn't help but feel all the emotions at that very moment. He would go on to have a short reign, losing the title to Cole at the next Takeover event, but given all he's done for NXT, this was a fantastic moment for Johnny Wrestling, and one that was thoroughly deserved.

#6 RAW Women's Championship match closes WrestleMania

For years now, WWE has been building a women's revolution, and in 2019, three incredible female performers made history in an extraordinary way; they were the main event of WrestleMania. Sure, the story was a bit rocky at the beginning, but they ended up building the match well for WWE's biggest show of the year. With the star power involved, they needed the main event, and WWE were happy to give Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair that spot.

The match may not have delivered in the way that other Charlotte or Becky Lynch matches have in the past, and the finish may have not been perfect, but just getting this stage shows how far women in WWE have come. We've not seen Rousey since and the booking of Charlotte and Lynch has been quite odd as of late, so the momentum from this has stalled a bit, but this is something that can never be taken away from these amazing performers.

#5 CM Punk returns (sort of)

For years now, fans have been begging for the return of CM Punk, and while it didn't happen in AEW or WWE proper, the Straightedge Saviour is still back on our screens in a setting that discusses pro wrestling. As the premiere of WWE Backstage on FOX was wrapping up, Renee Young announced a little surprise, and to the shock of Booker T, Paige, and Samoa Joe, out strode the 6-time WWE Champion, who hasn't been seen in wrestling since 2014.

This doesn't get us too much closer to Punk returning to the ring, as he is technically employed by FOX to appear on the show, but seeing him back affiliated with WWE talking wrestling has to have everyone excited. Some may be disappointed that he's not back with WWE properly and may not never wrestle again, but the moment of his shock return was one of WWE's biggest highlights this year.

#4 NXT dominates Survivor Series

When wrestlers were stuck in Saudi Arabia, WWE had to go to plan B, which saw NXT invade SmackDown a couple of weeks before Survivor Series. At this point, it became clear that the black and gold brand was the standout player in the feud. Up until Survivor Series, we saw the likes of Keith Lee, Shayna Baszler, Matt Riddle, Adam Cole and so many more dominate, but no one expected it to go down like this in Chicago.

The "developmental" brand were made to look like stars all night, and it's clear that the likes of Lee, Baszler and Ripley will be stars on the main roster for years to come, because they stood out on this night. Despite the clear booking superiority in NXT, no one expected this result with Vince McMahon in charge, but a result of 4-to-2-to-1 in favour of NXT was the perfect way to go, and made for one of WWE's best shows all year.

#3 Return of The Prince

For a while now, fans have questioned the booking of Finn Balor, so when he returned to NXT on their USA premiere, fans were ecstatic. However, nobody saw what was coming next. Balor had teased on social media that 'my past is my future', and no one quite knew what that meant. It was revealed in a shock moment when he blasted Johnny Gargano with a Pele Kick and one thing became clear; the old Prince Devitt is back.

His heel run since that point has been great, and after pinning Keith Lee on the latest episode of NXT, Balor is ready to challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Championship that he once held dear. We haven't yet seen Johnny Gargano return to challenge the man that laid him out, but when we do, a Match of the Year contender will ensue. For now that moment, for it's pure shock factor, deserves this spot on our list.

#2 Roman returns

Roman Reigns has been a very polarising performer within WWE since the split of The Shield half a decade ago, but all that had to be put aside when he relinquished his Universal Championship in late 2018. Reigns announced that the Leukemia that few people knew about had returned, so the WWE Universe put all their feelings about the character aside and got behind the incredibly strong person that portrays Roman Reigns.

Within a few months, fans got some incredible news as WWE announced The Big Dog would be returning on RAW, and the ovation that he received on that night was very well deserved and sent chills down our spines. No matter your feelings about a character on screen, people within WWE go through struggles just like anyone else, and to see Reigns overcome these odds with such strength is a source of inspiration, and should be a lesson to everyone in the WWE Universe.

#1 KofiMania

As we've said before, WWE recently has seemed to lack the ability to tell a good, long-term story, but when an injury to Mustafa Ali forced him out of the Elimination Chamber, the company reacted incredibly well to the real-life injury and capitalized on the situation. Sure, this may have not been the original plan, but after a show-stealing performance in a SmackDown gauntlet match, Kofi Kingston got the fans behind him in a big way and his ascension to the top became undeniable, similar to Daniel Bryan's rise 5 years earlier.

Ironically, it was that man, Daniel Bryan, that Kofi Kingston would be challenging at WrestleMania. Even though many fans feared that WWE wouldn't pull the trigger, they gave the WWE veteran a spot that he has proven that he deserved for 11 years. His run as WWE Champion wasn't the stuff of legend, but Kofi Kingston once again proved why he is one of WWE's greatest assets, and the celebration with his New Day brethren in the ring at WrestleMania was something few will ever forget.