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We're nearing the end of another year in WWE and 2019 has been nothing short of spectacular for the global franchise. Vince McMahon and company put together a fun-filled year for the entire WWE Universe. Some would argue that 2019 was perhaps the best year of the entire decade.
In 2019, fans got exactly what they yearned for. There were a few hiccups here and there, but that's to be expected. There were innumerable highlights of the year and the expectations for WWE are high heading into the new year.
Roman Reigns fought through leukemia and after a five-month hiatus, returned to the ring in March, much to the delight of the WWE Universe. Seth Rollins carried Monday Night RAW on his back throughout the year, putting on classic after classic. 11 years of sheer grit, determination, positivity, and dedication paid off as Kofi Kingston climbed to the top of the food chain as WWE Champion. Becky Lynch became the first woman to pin Ronda Rousey, and did so in the main-event of WrestleMania to win both the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt emerged from darkness to strike fear in the hearts of WWE Superstars and dethroned Rollins to become Universal Champion.
Needless to say, WWE made a myriad of rational, well-thought out, and audience-pleasing decisions. Here are a few honorable mentions:
- Becky Lynch wins the Women's Royal Rumble.
- Seth Rollins wins the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35
- Becky Lynch defeats Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main-event of WrestleMania to become the RAW and SmackDown Women's Champion.
With that stated, let's take a look at the four best booking decisions of 2019.
4. Johnny Gargano wins the NXT Championship (NXT TakeOver: New York)
'Johnny Wrestling' is the heart and soul of NXT. However, he didn't have an impressive win-loss record at NXT TakeOver specials heading into 2019. He was adored and revered by fans all around the world, but wasn't able to win the brass ring and the top prize in NXT, always coming up just short.
That would all change at NXT TakeOver: New York when Johnny Gargano bested Adam Cole to win the NXT Championship after a phenomenal match. It was a feel-good moment and there couldn't have been a more emotional ending to the night. Tears of joy flooded the eyes of fans in attendance, as their hero finally won what he had desired for so long and worked so hard to attain.
3. Kevin Owens defeats Shane McMahon in a Ladder Match to oust McMahon from power and terminate his contract (SmackDown Live, October 4, 2019)
Beyond the shadow of all doubt, it can be stated that Shane McMahon was one of the most despised figures in 2019. The ever-boastful 'Best in the World' had received way too much screen time and that weighed heavy on fans who longed for his removal. McMahon produced much heat from the WWE Universe and with such intensity that it can only be described as "Go away heat." The WWE Universe felt that McMahon's push was unwarranted, as it came at the expense of younger full-time talent.
Shane won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships this year, defeated and buried The Miz on two separate occasions, pinned Roman Reigns in the middle of the ring, and was a central figure on WWE programming. His push undermined the rest of the roster and the bold Kevin Owens was having none of it.
Owens lashed out at McMahon and challenged him to a match at SummerSlam with his career on the line. Owens won, but he attacked the special guest referee and McMahon's right-hand man, Elias. Therefore, McMahon fined him.
After the animosity between Owens and Shane reached a boiling point, McMahon fired Owens. Owens threatened to sue Shane and coaxed him into agreeing to a Ladder Match where the loser's WWE contract would be terminated.
The match was scheduled for October 4th, the day when SmackDown moved to FOX. After a brutal and spine-rattling encounter, Owens defeated Shane. The reason why it was such a good booking decision was that the victory established Kevin Owens as a big-time player and moved Shane away from WWE programming. We haven't seen Vince McMahon's son since.
2. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt defeats Seth Rollins to win the Universal Championship (Crown Jewel 2019)
The rivalry between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins was long-awaited. Wyatt's alter-ego had haunted the WWE roster and the demonic star was steadily gaining momentum. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins had run through much of the competition on RAW and WWE was running out of options for the Universal Champion. Enter The Fiend into the title picture. A title match was scheduled for Hell in A Cell.
At Hell in A Cell, WWE made a questionable booking decision when the Universal Championship match was ruled a no-contest. It took place inside the Hell in a Cell structure, where anything goes. The decision didn't make sense and drew the ire of fans. Seth Rollins went berserk and unleashed a ferocious assault on the challenger with ladders, steel chairs, tables, and a tool box. This prompted the referee to stop the match. However, Wyatt wasn't incapacitated for long as he delivered a Sister Abigail to Rollins to close out the show.
Their feud had escalated to great heights, the animosity and hatred between the two was palpable. A rematch was made official for Crown Jewel, this time it would be a Falls Count Anywhere Match that couldn't be stopped at any cost. Rollins burned the Firefly Fun House and was beginning to fall from the good books of the WWE Universe. Wyatt, on the other hand, was gaining popularity.
The match at Crown Jewel was not for the faint-hearted. The two foes battled all over the arena, but Wyatt proved to be too much for the champion. He floored Rollins with a devastating Sister Abigail, followed by a pinfall to become the new Universal Champion.
1.Kofi Kingston defeats Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship (WrestleMania 35)
In February, a six-man Elimination Chamber Match was scheduled for the WWE Championship at the namesake pay-per-view. One of the competitors, Mustafa Ali, fell with an eye injury. This proved to be a blessing in disguise for Kofi Kingston and the WWE Universe.
Kofi Kingston stepped in to fill in the void left by Ali's injury. A Gauntlet Match took place on SmackDown Live to determine the last entrant in the Elimination Chamber match. Kingston put on a courageous effort that saw him battle WWE's best for more than an hour. 'The Dreadlocked Dynamo' had won the hearts of the fans. At Elimination Chamber, Kingston put on another stellar performance, pushing Daniel Bryan to his limit and further silencing his doubters. Alas, he lost after Bryan blasted him with a running knee to retain his title.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Vince McMahon and Bryan would cheat Kingston out of earning a fair WWE Championship match. The high-flyer, with assistance from his New Day brethren, eventually earned his way into a WrestleMania match.
At WrestleMania, Kofi and Bryan went to hell and back. They wrestled for more than 20 minutes and kept fans on the edge of their seats. When Kingston hit Bryan with a Trouble in Paradise and pinned him for the victory, the crowd erupted in adulation and applause. It was a true WrestleMania moment that eclipsed everything Kingston had accomplished up until that point.
