8 things in 2019 which WWE fans wouldn't have imagined a year ago

The world of pro-wrestling is one where you can expect the unexpected! Twelve months is enough time for an industry to get shaken up, and 2019 proved that. If someone who last watched WWE in December of 2018 tunes in today, the changes over the past year would be shocking.

In all honesty, the year 2019 has seen the arrival of a new era and the fans can't be more excited to see what the company has in store next. But before that, let's take a look at eight things in 2019 that WWE fans wouldn't have imagined a year ago.

Take yourself twelve months back and let me know how many of these you would have predicted. The comments section is all yours, dear reader.

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#8 CM Punk returning to WWE

Let's start with the most obvious and probably the biggest one! CM Punk left the company in January 2014, more than five years ago, but fans never stopped expressing their love for the Straight Edge Superstar. Random chants of CM Punk breaking out among the WWE Universe during RAW, SmackDown, or any other event was a regular occurrence.

But just when fans were starting to lose hope, the former WWE Champion made his surprising return to the company, albeit as an analyst on WWE Backstage. This was followed by many current Superstars calling Punk out for a match, especially Seth Rollins.

Whether or not he does make his in-ring comeback is a question yet to be answered, but for once we are closer to it than ever before. Maybe we'll get an answer in another twelve months.

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#7 24/7 Championship

The Hardcore Championship was one of the most bizarre concepts which WWE introduced during the Attitude Era, becoming a huge hit. After nearly 17 years, 2019 saw the company bring back a slightly toned-down version of the title as Mick Foley announced the 24/7 Championship on an episode of RAW in May.

The rules are similar, as the Superstars have chased the 24/7 Champion all over the arena, on a golf course, on an airplane, etc. Superstars like R-Truth, Drake Maverick, Carmella and others gave us many memorable and hilarious moments involving the title. Which one was your favorite?

#6 Dean Ambrose leaving the company to join AEW

Just to give you a perspective of how different the pro-wrestling world was a year ago, the promotion which is being considered as the biggest rival to WWE in the last few years, All Elite Wrestling, wasn't even officially announced yet.

Even when it got announced, who would have imagined one of WWE's biggest stars leaving the company to join AEW? Yes, we are talking about Dean Ambrose.

Even after WWE announced that the former Shield member would be leaving the company, many expected it to be a storyline. However, the Lunatic Fringe's appearance at AEW's Double or Nothing shocked everyone. Exit Dean Ambrose, enter Jon Moxley!

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#5 The Undertaker not showing up at WrestleMania

WrestleMania is undoubtedly the grandest pro-wrestling show of the year, and the one man who has played a huge part in establishing the rich history of the Show of Shows is none other than The Undertaker.

His once undefeated streak of 21-0 at WrestleMania remains one of the biggest ever feats achieved by a Superstar. Even after that, the Dead Man continued appearing on the show each year until WrestleMania 35.

Fans kept on waiting for the iconic gong to echo around the arena, but the Phenom failed to show up at the Grandest Stage, missing it for the first time since 2000. He did appear on the following RAW, but a 'Mania without 'Taker seemed somewhat incomplete.

#4 The rise of Kofimania

No one has ever questioned the wrestling abilities of Kofi Kingston, but hardly anyone wanted to see him become the WWE Champion so badly until we saw his performance in the Gauntlet match before Elimination Chamber. That was the rise of KofiMania, becoming one of the biggest stories heading into WrestleMania 35.

Against all odds, the New Day member went on to have his WrestleMania moment by dethroning Daniel Bryan at the Show of Shows to become the first-ever African-born WWE Champion in history.

He then held the title for nearly six months before dropping it to Brock Lesnar. If I would have told you last year that Kofi would walk out of 'Mania as the WWE Champion, would you have believed me? I wouldn't have believed myself, to be honest.

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#3 Finn Balor returning to NXT

The year 2019 saw NXT finally become the proper third brand of the company, as a lot of mainstream attention was given to it. More on that in the next point!

One of the biggest moments for the so-called developmental brand saw the former NXT Champion Finn Balor make his return and embrace his darker side, turning heel. This took place after Balor lost to The Fiend at SummerSlam and took a break for his wedding.

With Balor back on NXT full time, the brand would be keen to properly utilize his star-power. Will we see another NXT title reign from the Prince?

#2 RAW vs SmackDown vs NXT at Survivor Series

Not boasting about my prediction superpowers, but while most of the WWE Universe didn't expect to see NXT being involved at Survivor Series, I wrote a fantasy booking article for a three-way showdown between all the brands of WWE earlier this year. Who knows, someone from the company may have read it and gotten the inspiration?

Jokes aside, it was indeed a welcoming surprise to see NXT finally getting the attention it deserves. The build-up to this year's Survivor Series saw multiple Superstars from NXT invade the main roster shows alongside their godfather and mentor, Triple H.

This made the casual fans aware of how immensely talented the NXT Superstars are. The appearance of stars like AJ Styles and Becky Lynch on NXT during the build-up also hyped things properly for the PPV.

However, the biggest surprise was reserved for the day of Survivor Series, as NXT not only emerged as the overall winners but dominated RAW and SmackDown, ending the event with a scorecard of 4-2-1 (NXT-SmackDown-RAW).

Whether or not this becomes a yearly trend going forward is yet to be seen, but this performance from NXT did put all the limelight on the brand, which was reflected in the rise in the show's ratings after the PPV.

#1 Bray Wyatt's new character and becoming the Universal Champion

Hands down, this has to top this list! Bray Wyatt has been a creative genius for so long, but somehow his gimmick as the leader of the Wyatt Family failed to make a big impact, as he struggled to establish himself as a top Superstar. However, 2019 was his year to shine and dominate!

The RAW after WrestleMania aired a spooky vignette, which became the start of something huge. A few weeks later, Wyatt made his return with a completely new and bizarre gimmick of a fun-loving guy inside his Firefly Funhouse with his puppet friends.

The WWE Universe quickly fell in love with the hidden & terrifying layers of the character, as the smiling new Wyatt gave hints of a deep and dark secret inside of him.

What he revealed was a demonic creature, straight out of a horror movie, which we all know now as The Fiend. Wyatt, through his utter brilliance, quickly turned this initially-questionable gimmick into the hottest act in all of pro-wrestling.

The eerie atmosphere The Fiend managed to create with his SummerSlam entrance was the icing on the cake. Wyatt finally transformed into the new face of fear, one which he previously claimed to be.

At Crown Jewel, WWE showed their complete faith in the character, as The Fiend dethroned Seth Rollins to become the Universal Champion, starting Wyatt's second World Title reign.

Not long ago, it seemed Wyatt was done, but he's made a stunning comeback! However, the best part is that he's just started, as there's so much more to explore with this gimmick, and it'll be exciting to see what Wyatt has in store during the coming year!