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So many elements go in the makings a great wrestling match. A great wrestling match doesn't merely mean an in-ring performance or the crowd reacting to a particular move/spot but rather a combination of both and so much more. The backstory, the build-up to the match are integral to hype the crowd up for a match.
But sometimes, a match fails to live up to the hype and falls flat due to some reason or another. The biggest example of that in recent memory was the much-hyped dream match between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34. Despite the enormous hype and the history between the duo, their match fell flat. Nakamura and Styles are considered to be two of the business and they had everything going for them but their match (and the entire feud as a whole) was a gigantic disappointment.
On the other hand, there have been instances where fans aren't very into a particular match but they are pleasantly surprised by the final product.
Here are five WWE matches from 2019 that completely overdelivered:
#5 Roman Reigns vs Buddy Murphy (SmackDown August 13, 2019)
One of the best WWE TV matches of the year happened to be Buddy Murphy's debut match on SmackDown. The Australian-native had built quite the resume during his time on NXT and 205 Live. Murphy is a former NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Wesley Blake and has also held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. During his time in Cruiserweight division, Murphy became renowned for being one of the best in-ring talents in the company. His matches against the likes of Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa left a permanent mark on the WWE Universe. Fans were very excited when Murphy was moved up to SmackDown during the 2019 Superstar Shakeup.
But, the Wildcard Rule and Superstars performing on both brand led to the former Cruiserweight Champion having to wait for over three months to make his TV debut. Murphy was a part of the Roman Reigns Mystery Attacker storyline. Reigns and Murphy had a scuffle in locker room weeks before the match where Murphy revealed that it was Rowan who was behind the forklift incident. A match between the duo was set for the post-Summerslam episode of SmackDown.
Murphy vs Reigns was an absolute barnburner that featured a star-making performance from the Aussie. Murphy was able to go toe-to-toe with Reigns in a highly competitive match which saw a couple of near falls and false finishes. The match ended with Reigns pinning Murphy with a Spear. The Best Kept Secret was finally out in the open and even Reigns had to acknowledge that.
#4 The Miz vs Shane McMahon (WrestleMania 35)
One of the best heels in the business over the past, The Miz is a perfect example of how far dedication and hard work can take you. The man who was once mocked for being a reality star has now become one of the most well-rounded performers in the company. The A-Lister Partnership with Shane McMahon was something totally out of the blue. The duo joined forces after weeks and weeks of persuasion by The Miz.
The duo won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship from The Bar in a hotly contested bout at the 2019 Royal Rumble. They would hold the titles for 21 days before dropping it to The Usos at Elimination Chamber. McMahon and Miz failed to regain the titles in a rematch at Fastlane following which Shane turned on The A-Lister. A ' Falls Count Anywhere' was set between the duo for WrestleMania 35.
While The Miz had improved vastly as an in-ring performer, fans didn't expect him to carry McMahon to a classic. Shane was more of a high-spot brawler than a wrestler anyways which meant that the fans kept their expectations in check when it came to this match.
This match was a car-crash in the best possible way. The Miz once again proved why he is such a valuable asset to the company. There were plenty of crazy high-spots in the match with McMahon and Miz throughout MetLife Stadium. The finish saw The Miz suplex Shane from a 15-foot camera stage to a lower platform with Shane landing on top of The A-Lister. The referee counted to three which gave McMahon the win in this match.
The one moment that the fans will forget when it comes to this match is when The Miz's father, George Mizanin, got in the ring to square off against Shane McMahon.
#3 Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns and The Undertaker (Extreme Rules 2019)
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the addition of The Undertaker in the Shane McMahon- Roman Reigns feud was something no one had excepted. Reigns against The Authority storyline had run its course and fans just weren't interested in seeing McMahon and Reigns go at it one more than. The addition of Taker and the match being contested under ' No Holds Barred' Rules did add a bit of intrigue. Fans knew that Taker being inserted into this feud was the company's way of erasing the memories of The Deadman's match against Goldberg from Saudi Arabia a month ago.
Fans had their trepidation regarding Taker's condition following his match against Goldberg. But, what we ended up getting was one of the best Undertaker matches in recent memory. Taker and Reigns worked perfectly as a team. The match was filled with dangerous spots and OMG moments which kept the fans at the edge of their seats.
The sight of Drew McIntyre lurking behind The Deadman, setting up the Claymore Kick, before getting bludgeoned by a spear from Reigns is something fans will remember for years to come.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs Finn Balor (Royal Rumble 2019)
Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to defend the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman at the 2019 Royal Rumble. But two weeks before the event, Strowman was pulled from the match and a Fatal-4 way match for a new number one contender was held, which Finn Balor ended up winning. Balor vs Lesnar was a match that many have been wanting to see for a long time but the match had almost little to no build-up. Fans were naturally excited about the match but there was also the fear of this being another Brock Lesnar match.
The Beast has drawn the ire of wrestling fans for a variety of reasons with one of them being him just going through the motions. Most of Lesnar's matches follow a set pattern and many believed this too would go a similar way. Everyone more or less knew that Lesnar was going to retain, which meant that the excitement level was a bit low when it came to this match. To be honest, we expected Lesnar to completely dominate Balor but we were completely taken aback by what we saw during their match.
Balor vs Lesnar was as perfect of a big guy-small guy wrestling match as one could imagine. Balor targeting the gut of Lesnar throughout the match with the commentator pointing out Lesnar's history with diverticulitis was attention to detail we don't often see in wrestling today. Not only did Balor go toe-to-toe with Lesnar, but he was also in control for the majority of the bout. The Beast made Balor's offense look as deadly as possible. The match ended when Lesnar caught Balor with a Kimura lock and won the match via submission.
#1 Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar (SummerSlam 2019)
Seth Rollins has become one of the polarizing figures in the business. The Architect's social media outbursts coupled with his perception of being a company guy (a total no-no for the hardcore fans) led to fans turning on him big time. Rollins lost the Universal Championship to Lesnar after The Beast cashed-in his MITB Contract on Rollins at Extreme Rules. The build-up to this match saw Lesnar batter Rollins every single week.
Despite Lesnar's vicious beatdown of Rollins, many felt that the rematch between the duo didn't warrant the main-event spot at SummerSlam and the general mood around this match wasn't overly positive.
Despite the lack of hype and the overall negativity surrounding Rollins, the match ended up being one of the best of 2019. Rollins and Lesnar put on a classic with both of them playing their role to perfection. The Beast made Rollins look like a million bucks throughout the match. But what made this match even more special was the way Rollins got the crowd back in his favor.
The BeastSlayer was showered with boos as he made his entrance and by the time he pinned Lesnar after a third Curb Stomp, the crowd in Toronto erupted with joy. Rollins had finally earned the nickname of being 'The BeastSlayer' and in the process, became one of the very few Superstars of this generation to have beaten The Beast clean inside the squared circle.
