'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With 2019 coming to an end, wrestling fans can take a look back at the year that was and recall some of the greatest moments that happened in WWE. WrestleMania 35 springs to mind, with KofiMania running wild and the first-ever women's main event in 'Mania history. There was the rise of The Fiend along with a litany of excellent matches featuring the likes of Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and even King Corbin.
However, with all the good in 2019, some WWE Superstars did not have a great year. Whether it was due to bad luck with injuries or stop-start booking, among other things, 2019 was not good to them. These Superstars are by no means bad performers, they just happened to fall short of what they would have hoped for over the year. Luckily for them though, the only way in 2020 is up.
Here are five WWE Superstars who had a disappointing 2019. Hopefully, they can turn their fortunes around soon.
#5 Aleister Black
The year started off fine for Aleister Black, who was still challenging for the NXT Championship, but in February he was abruptly called up to the main roster alongside Ricochet, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano.
Black was paired with Ricochet and the two challenged every Tag Team Champion throughout WrestleMania week, but it was after WrestleMania when things became a little weird. Separated from Ricochet, Black did not wrestle for months. Instead, he sat in a dark room waiting for somebody to pick a fight with him.
It was frustrating to see the same thing repeated for months on end. Aside from a match against Cesaro at Extreme Rules, the former NXT Champion was largely confined to that dark room. Only recently has he begun venturing out and wrestling matches on a regular basis. Black is now currently scheduled to face Buddy Murphy at TLC in a match that could possibly steal the show.
Hopefully, this concludes a difficult first leg of Aleister Black's main roster career and he can sink his teeth into a storyline as we head into 2020.
#4 Bayley
You may be confused seeing Bayley on this list. After all, she won quite a lot in 2019. Bayley teamed with Sasha Banks to become the first-ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, before earning some singles success.
She won Money in the Bank, as well as two SmackDown Women's Championships. Bayley also underwent a drastic character change, en route to winning her second World Title of the year.
However, after all that, she still doesn't feel like a major star on the level of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, or even Sasha Banks. Her 'Hugger' gimmick had been stale for quite some time and while the initial moments of her appearance change were exciting, Bayley has not been that impressive as the top female star on Friday Night SmackDown, both in the ring and on the microphone.
The first-ever female Grand Slam Champion main evented Survivor Series against Shayna Baszler and Becky Lynch, but the match was a huge disappointment.
Her in-ring work is decent at best and her new character has failed to connect with the WWE Universe in the way everyone had hoped. Bayley is still one killer promo away from making her character interesting, but at the moment, it just isn't and that's a shame.
#3 Drew McIntyre
At the start of 2019, Drew McIntyre was tipped to have a grand year. Most of 2018 was spent in protecting him and seemingly grooming him for the top spot on RAW, but this year has derailed his momentum.
McIntyre was constantly part of a group, whether it was alongside Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley or Shane McMahon. 'The Scottish Terminator' is the perfect guy to play a 'Lone Wolf' character in WWE, but that fact seems lost on Creative.
In between those ill-advised alliances, McIntyre had a WrestleMania program against Roman Reigns. He looked like an absolute monster in the build-up and while putting Roman over was an acceptable outcome, the aftermath did not help him at all.
McIntyre allied himself with the aforementioned Shane McMahon, as he went on his 'Best in the World' tyranny that plagued WWE programming from April through August.
'The Scottish Psychopath' lost to Reigns again, before going in a separate direction from Shane O'Mac. Things have improved since McIntyre returned from a lingering injury, with a decent showing in the 15-man Elimination Match at Survivor Series.
Hopefully, McIntyre can now gather some momentum and pick up the United States Championship, if nothing else, for the time being. He should still absolutely be a World Champion in WWE one day, if and when that day comes.
#2 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman suffered a gradual fall from grace. Before 2019, he had already endured a lot. From multiple defeats to Brock Lesnar, to winning the Tag Team Titles with a child, to failing to successfully cash in Money in the Bank, 'The Monster Among Men' started the year in much worse shape than in 2018.
This year was not as bad as the previous one for Strowman, but it was still pretty disappointing nevertheless.
His Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble was canceled, possibly due to a budding lack of faith. From there, Strowman won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania, after feuding with Colin Jost and Michael Che of Saturday Night Live.
His underwhelming year continued as he did a whole lot of nothing until an explosive feud with Bobby Lashley, which reinvigorated interest in him. However, Strowman's momentum did not translate to much. He received a Universal title match against Seth Rollins at Clash of Champions, but a defeat did not help his cause.
The former Wyatt Family member even faced another celebrity in a stadium show, losing to Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel. As unfortunate as it sounds right now, Braun Strowman has probably never been as uninteresting as he is now. Hopefully that changes in 2020.
#1 The Miz
Oh, The Miz. Over the years he became one of the top heels in WWE and carried the Intercontinental Championship with pride. This year, the company decided to experiment by turning him face.
After winning, and then losing, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship alongside Shane McMahon, the then-authority figure turned heel on 'The A-Lister' and set up a Falls Count Anywhere Match at WrestleMania.
Surely, The Miz would win and get his retribution, right? Wrong. Shane McMahon won via a fluke and after that, the damage was done. Miz looked like a chump at every opportunity, losing continuously to the 'Best in the World'.
Even his MizTV segments have grown stale for the large part. He is just too obnoxious to be a good guy, even though he is a real-life babyface. It just doesn't translate, for some reason.
Luckily, The Miz has improved recently when he became a part of the highly compelling storyline between 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan. Miz is now the first target of 'Firefly Fun House' Bray Wyatt and will face the demented soul at TLC.
Wyatt should use his 'Hurt' glove to catalyze a heel turn for The Miz. He is so much better in that role. Hopefully, 2020 spark better things for 'The Awesome One' because his 2019 has been anything but awesome.
