5 best storylines potentially building up for the year
2019 has been a great year to be a professional wrestling fan. While WWE is still the most valuable player on the scene by a mile, its product isn't the most critically reviewed program by any means. While Vince McMahon's promotion has a galaxy of Superstars - past and present - and five different shows airing per week, many of its storylines haven't set the world on fire recently. With the financials perks attracting the very best to the company, WWE can turn it around, but its two main challengers have their steady set of fans as well.
With AEW's weekly show on TNT just a month away, wrestling fans will have a lot more storylines to sink their teeth in to for the rest of the year. AEW has already made stars out of talent like Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy and Darby Allin while ex-WWE stars like PAC and Jon Moxley are more relevant now than ever and fans can't wait to see all these elements mixing things up in Tony Khan's promotion.
NJPW has undoubtedly been rocked by the departures of Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, but the promotion originally caught the eye due to their brilliant in-ring action and they still have a hell of a roster to continue doing the same - Okada, Tanahashi, Naito and Ibushi are all there with the likes of Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr on the cusps of breaking out.
So among the three companies, which are the storylines that have already started playing out and has the potential to have fans hooked till at least the end of the year? Read on.
5. NXT is Undisputed
NXT has often been cited as the best brand in the WWE - While it is not really fair to compare the developmental show to the rigors of RAW and Smackdown, the storylines developing at Full Sail have the potential to be awesome, especially considering the show's move to USA network.
Women's Champion Shayna Baszler is in the perfect position to put someone over and move on to the main roster whereas Io Shirai's heel turn has turned in to the most engaging storyline in recent times. And then there is the Undisputed Era.
True MVPs of the roster, comprising of the NXT Champion Adam Cole, Tag Champions Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish as well as Roderick Strong, Undisputed Era are the faces of the yellow brand. With Strong rumored to win the North American title at the USA network premiere of the show, it could see the Era hold all the titles in the brand come October.
The rise and the eventual fall of the Era is a compelling storyline and the major arc will involve Cole. Whether it be another classic for the NXT title against Johny Gargano or the crowning of a young pretender like Dream or Riddle, Cole's title run will define NXT for the year.