5 WWE superstars who will have a breakout 2019

2018 was a year that certainly had its downs, but it gave us a memorable list of breakout stars. No one would have expected Ronda Rousey to be as good as she's been. Buddy Murphy had a renaissance year that no one, except perhaps him, saw coming, moving from NXT afterthought to the star of 205 Live. Seth Rollins rode a gauntlet match in February to emerge from tepid babyface stuck in the tag team division to the most beloved star on Raw. Though it came at the expense of the rest of the NXT women's division, Shayna Baszler got the attention of far more people than she did a year ago. Ricochet exploded onto the WWE stage, living up to the hype and then some. Rhea Ripley went from Mae Young Classic semi-finalist to inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion in about a month. And obviously, Becky Lynch had her own breakout year, going from irrelevant to the hottest star in the company.

As eyes now turn to 2019, we wonder who will have breakout years of their own. It's impossible to know for sure - who could have predicted the years that Buddy Murphy and Becky Lynch had? However, given the trajectory some superstars are on late in 2018, a breakout in 2019 is likely.

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#1 Elias

Elias is unlikely to ever become a main event player, but there's far more that he could be doing than the random segments we've gotten used to for the past couple of years. His babyface turn has gone off without a hitch and having proven himself valuable in many roles, it's only a matter of time before he gets featured more prominently.

That time might be coming sooner rather than later. Rumors already have begun to swirl that Elias was set to take the Intercontinental Championship. If Dean Ambrose wins at TLC next week, Elias emerges as a possible contender to take the championship from him.

Either way, he'll be Intercontinental Champion (or US Champion if he moves to SmackDown) at some point in 2019 and become even more popular.

#2 Mandy Rose

Like it or not, Mandy Rose's time is coming and it's coming in 2019. With her look, it was always a matter of when, not if, she would be pushed to the forefront, regardless of any other attributes she may or may not have.

With a SmackDown women's division that's likely to thin out soon, her push is probably coming sooner rather than later. It's feasible indeed that she'll win her first title at some point after WrestleMania 35 and before SummerSlam next year, which is a time when WWE is usually in slump mode and is apt to experiment with acts that fans aren't necessarily behind.

We'll need to see where the build goes with her over the coming months, but a breakout is coming for her in 2019. That's something that you can be certain of. Let's just hope it works out for the best!

#3 Lars Sullivan

With the constant vignettes he's getting, it's obvious that Lars Sullivan is going to be heavily pushed immediately out of the gate, no matter what brand he winds up going to. He may even debut at TLC and cost Braun Strowman his match against Baron Corbin.

Is it likely that Lars Sullivan is going to get over? After watching him on NXT, one has to have a fair share of doubt. He's a sight to behold, but not particularly charismatic. Regardless, for the first few months of 2019 at least, Lars Sullivan is going to be doing more things and featured more prominently than he ever did on NXT.

While it's unlikely that Sullivan is going to capture his first title so quickly (if ever, given the usual trajectory of monster pushes), he's going to be a force to be reckoned with for his first few months on the main roster.

#4 Io Shirai

Though she made it to the finals of the Mae Young Classic, we've yet to see the full extent of what Io Shirai is capable of in a WWE ring. That will change next year. Already, Io Shirai has been put at the forefront of the NXT women's division and it's only a matter of when, not if, she secures the NXT Women's Championship.

It's very possible indeed that Io Shirai will be the one to finally send Shayna Baszler packing from NXT, going by this week's episode and how she was used at the last set of tapings. If not, she'll capture the title before the end of next year.

With her at the helm, the NXT women's division will enter an exciting new phase in 2019. It will probably be the best it's been in years. Shirai was such a massive signing to the company for a reason, after all.

#5 Matt Riddle

Matt Riddle is getting all the focus he is right out of the gate for a reason. At some point in 2019, it's going to be his NXT, and unlike many alumni from the yellow brand, a bright future on the main roster is likely to await him after he graduates from the Performance Center and Full Sail.

He's biding his time with Kassius Ohno for now, but he's surely going to enter NXT Championship contention by the middle of next year. He may well be the one to defeat Tommaso Ciampa, given how much Johnny Gargano has been struggling and the odd turn his character has taken.

Either way, he will almost certainly be NXT Champion by this time next year. He didn't worm himself into the TakeOver: War Games II card for no reason. The NXT brass is super high on him. That is certain.