The 10 best WWE matches of 2019
2019 in WWE is drawing to a close, and while this year didn't have match quality quite on par with last year, there was still a lot of magic to be found, both in NXT (obviously), and surprisingly, on the main roster, which performed much better in this tally than its weekly quality would suggest.
Choosing a match of the year candidate isn't a straightforward process. Sometimes, a match stands out purely for its action and technical qualities, other times, it's the storytelling that makes the difference. Still other times, a hot crowd can turn something rote into something fantastic. Weighing these balances is what makes for the choice.
No two people would entirely agree on a list of top 10 matches in a company as busy as WWE, but I think most would agree in principle with these selections. Without further ado, let's make the attempt.
Honorable mentions:
- The Undisputed Era vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and Kevin Owens (NXT TakeOver: War Games III)
- The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley (Fastlane)
- Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell)
- Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae (NXT TakeOver: Toronto II)
- Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle (NXT TakeOver: New York)
#10 Pete Dunne vs. WALTER (NXT TakeOver: New York)
For 685 days, Pete Dunne reigned as WWE UK Champion. At the start of 2019, we got so used to seeing him with that strap that we would be forgiven for thinking that he would reign forever.
Then, after the first NXT UK TakeOver event, WALTER finally arrived, and the end suddenly appeared to be in sight. The champion wanted to test himself against this formidable challenger.
In New York, Pete Dunne looked for every method he could but ultimately couldn't find any way to beat WALTER, who overpowered and outlasted him in a war of attrition.
Aside from this story, what made this match stand out was how brutally realistic it looked. WALTER and Dunne are both some of the grittiest competitors in the company, so seeing them collide was obviously going to give us some spots that almost made us feel their pain. That's how realistic their fight looked.