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As the year 2019 draws to a close, wrestling fans and pundits alike can look back upon this year as one of the most tumultuous, exciting, and unpredictable times in all of sports-entertainment history.
2019 saw the formation of the first serious competition (sorry Impact and ROH) to WWE in the form of All Elite Wrestling. While WWE remains the globally dominant brand, the sudden appearance of a new challenger on the scene caused them to shake up the way they do business, and for the most part, the fans have approved.
This year saw the slow evolution of pro wrestling away from muscular titans toward smaller, quicker, and more athletic performers. It also saw the Women of WWE stepping up into the limelight, and killing it with stellar performances, including the first-ever all-female main event in WrestleMania history.
With so much amazing action and storylines, it can be hard to whittle the list down to a chosen few. But that's just what we have done. Here are ten moments from 2019 than WWE fans just can't forget.
Disclaimer: The views of the author do not necessarily represent that of Sportskeeda
#10 The WrestleMania main event glass ceiling is shattered
Women's wrestling has often been treated as an afterthought in sports entertainment, and at one time the WWE was one of the worst offenders.
During the Attitude Era, and even into the Ruthless Aggression era, women's wrestling often consisted of such cringe-worthy spectacles as swimsuit matches.
But thanks to the Women's Evolution, this is no longer the case. Women's pro wrestling was no longer treated as a side-show attraction by the WWE, but a legitimate division with high stakes and compelling characters. But one milestone remained frustratingly out of reach; no woman had ever been in the main event of a WrestleMania before.
This finally happened at WrestleMania 35, when Ronda Rousey defended the RAW Women's Championship against Becky Lynch and Charlotte. While fans argue over whether it was a main event caliber match, there's no arguing that it contained main event caliber talent.
The glass ceiling preventing women from joining the upper echelons of sports entertainment stardom was shattered, once and for all, much to the delight of the fans. WWE chose to start the year 2019 off the right way with this angle and the resulting WrestleMania main event.
By having arguably their biggest rising star, Becky Lynch, be involved in the main event picture of WrestleMania 35, WWE hedged their bets to ensure that the match would be highly anticipated by fans from all eras.
The build-up to the match involved a heated Twitter war between Lynch and Rousey, where Rousey dropped Lynch's real name to make the angle look more like a shoot than scripted drama.
The ploy worked and the WrestleMania 35 Main Event turned out to be a crowd-pleaser, proving that 'go woke, go broke' is just a silly mantra for terrified people stuck in the last century.
#9 It's Kushida time
Yujiro Kushida once had a wildly different dream than competing in the squared circle; he wanted to fight in a cage as a Mixed Martial Artist.
Kushida began to hear the siren's call of pro wrestling in 2006. He could make more money and perform more often than he could in MMA. He soon became one of the standout light heavyweights in Japan and formed a popular tag team with Alex Shelley - The Time Splitters.
Rumors began to circulate that Kushida was looking to wrestle for an American promotion. Would he choose Ring of Honor, the fledgling AEW, or would he go to the largest pro wrestling promotion in the world, WWE? Most pundits and fans seemed to think that he would join AEW.
But he chose WWE, and fans rejoiced as he made his glorious NXT debut, without being watered down or changed from his original character. Kushida was victorious right out of the gate, defeating legend Kassius Ohno and igniting the crowd at Full Sail University.
Now that Kushida's former time Splitter Alex Shelley has been announced as his partner for the Dusty Rhodes Classic, fans are more excited than ever about Kushida in the WWE.
#8 A Joyous Return for Roman Reigns
One of the biggest stories of 2018 was Roman Reigns' shocking announcement he would be stepping away from the WWE indefinitely, which also forced him to relinquish the Universal Title he had fought so hard to gain from Brock Lesnar.
The reason he had to leave was a heart-breaking one; leukemia, which he had overcome as a child, had once again rampaged through his system.
In a display of class, the normally derisive WWE Universe threw their full support behind Roman and his recovery. When he returned from successful treatment to the WWE, he was greeted with wall-to-wall cheers.
While we're certain that Roman does not consider getting cancer again a good thing, the entire ordeal has done for him what years of superman booking failed to do; Gotten him over as a pure babyface who the fans adore.
Roman's easy pops from the crowd just prove that fans prefer their heroes with some vulnerability. Not everyone wanted to cheer for Reigns when he was booked as an unstoppable superman. But the health scare humanized him, and reminded fans that he's not just a comic book character, he's a real human being — which is why they cheer him so loudly now.
Roman's return was not only one of the most unforgettable WWE moments of 2019, but it was also the most uplifting.
#7 Asuka strikes Paige with the Legendary Green Mist
When Asuka made her debut in WWE, many were critical of the promotion's decision to hire her. Not because Asuka was a poor performer — far from it — but because the concerns were that she would not be used to the best of her ability.
Indeed, she was renamed Asuka rather than using her original designation of Kana. But then Asuka went on one of the most legendary — and competitive — winning streaks in pro wrestling history. Unlike other streaks, such as Goldberg's long run, Asuka didn't face droves of enhancement talent. Rather, she faced top of the tier competition and performed in the WWE's first-ever Last Woman Standing match against Nikki Cross.
But when Asuka made the transition to the main roster, she seemed to lose a bit of her mystique. After losing her first match in WWE to Charlotte, her career kind of stalled out, until she formed a tag team with Kairi Sane. Asuka seemed to be reinvigorated, and then the team started flirting with a heel turn — which Asuka completed by spraying Paige with the deadly green mist.
Other Japanese superstars, such as The Great Muta and Tajiri, also used the green mist to great effect. Asuka reviving the tradition was seen as a return to her darker Japanese wrestling scene roots, to the joy of many.
When Asuka spat the deadly green venom into the winsome, fan-favorite Paige's face, she wasn't just debuting a new gimmick. Asuka was making a statement and a bold one at that.
No longer would she be the smiling babyface who shook hands with fans and posed for pictures. From now on, she would be a heartless assassin who only cares about victory and hurting her opponents. Asuka's new edginess has gone over well, and it was definitely one of 2019's most memorable moments.
#6 The Firefly Funhouse debuts
There's a major concern among second and third-generation pro wrestlers that they will never be able to escape their famous father's shadow.
To that end, we've seen many different Superstars attempt to distance themselves from their heritage. Goldust is the biggest and most blatant example, as the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, he sought to completely alter his image and head in a different direction.
One second-generation star that has no problems distinguishing himself from his patriarch is Bray Wyatt. Though he is the son of Mike Rotunda, a former WWE tag team champion, Wyatt has blazed his own trail to the top. His Wyatt Family gimmick seemed to have run its course, so he came up with something fresh and new that still paid homage to what had come before; the Firefly Funhouse.
Words cannot adequately describe the comical yet disturbing mayhem that occurs on The Firefly Funhouse, which is one of the reasons it's so compelling.
My wife — not a wrestling fan — who happened to come across the Firefly Funhouse said, "this is why you don't mix LSD and PCP." It's true that the Funhouse is wild and crazy, but it's also true that it's revitalized Wyatt's career and made him a no-questions-asked main event star.
Perhaps the true brilliance in the Firefly Fun House is in the way it seamlessly breaks the fourth wall without being completely silly about it. Vincent McMahon's puppet has devil horns, a clear reference to his online reputation. And many people are convinced that Ramblin' Rabbit is meant to be a send-up of Wyatt's real-life friend, Seth Rollins.
Whatever the case, fans can't get enough of the new Bray Wyatt and his Fiend alter ego. This proves the debut of the Firefly Fun House was one of the most memorable moments of 2019.
Come on, sing it with us: We're so glad, that you're our friend...
#5 Brock Lesnar's Worst Nightmare Invades WWE
A long time ago, Brock Lesnar announced that he was going to enter the world of Mixed Martial Arts. His declaration was met with reactions that ranged from dubiousness to out-and-out scorn.
But Lesnar performed exceptionally well, despite a few missteps early on. He humbled and humiliated Heath Herring, overcame the challenge of MMA veteran Randy Couture, and became the UFC's Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Lesnar would eventually meet his match, however, in Cain Velasquez. Not only did Cain defeat Brock for his title belt, he also left a nasty gash on Lesnar's face that left a prominent scar. There are few people in the world who could dish out a beating like that to the Beast Incarnate, putting Cain in elite company indeed.
Brock Lesnar has been built up in the WWE to be a nigh-unstoppable tyrant, a bullying monster heel who fears no man. But with some brilliant booking, WWE brought in Cain Velasquez, the nightmare from Brock's past.
While some feel the moment fell flat because many WWE fans did not immediately recognize Cain, it was a brilliant stroke to have the proudly Latino Velasquez come out to help defend Rey Mysterio's family honor.
Cain immediately took the Beast Incarnate down upon hitting the ring, showering him with punches. No one manhandles Lesnar like that, not in his current incarnation, and the fans were thrilled once they got over the initial shock of seeing Cain in a WWE ring.
So when Cain made his WWE debut to help Rey Mysterio and his family against the Beast Incarnate, it was legitimately one of the most astounding and unforgettable moments of 2019.
#4 Batista assaults the Nature Boy Ric Flair
When Batista announced that he wanted to have one more match in the WWE before official retirement, fans had a mixed reaction. On one hand, Batista is a former world champion and huge movie star. On the other, they feared Batista would take attention away from full-time Superstars, as he once did with Daniel Bryan.
But then Batista announced he would be taking on Triple H, the one man who had never beat him. In order to up the ante and get himself over as a no questions asked heel, Batista did the unthinkable. He assaulted his former mentor and Evolution stable-mate — not to mention co-holder of the WWE Tag Team championships — the Nature Boy Ric Flair, a senior citizen who had recently endured a health scare.
What really made the assault heinous was that it was supposed to be Ric Flair's birthday celebration. All through the night, fans had been treated to the Nature Boy's wild and enthusiastic antics, so seeing him downed, especially at his age and the state of his health wasn't just memorable, it was downright chilling.
The real-life pathos of seeing the living legend downed by his former student struck a chord with the WWE Universe, and livened up a feud between two aging former top tier stars that had originally been met with indifference. Now it's a moment that we can't forget from 2019.
#3 Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano — NXT Takeover New York
Originally, NXT was meant to bridge the gap between a developmental brand and a reality television show.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case. NXT morphed from being a sort of an afterthought to the developmental brand of WWE, transitioning from Florida Championship Wrestling.
NXT quickly established a reputation for hard-hitting, indie scene style technical wrestling matches that the typical WWE fan had been starving for. Sports entertainment and crazy storylines are well and good, but there's just something special about watching two masters of the craft face off for a title belt.
Two such master craftsmen are Mr. Wrestling Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole. Their best two out of three falls match at NXT Takeover New York lived up to all expectations, and then exceeded them.
Adam Cole has been said to be able to work a great match with a broom. The same has been said of Johnny Wrestling. When the two get in the ring together, it's pure magic. Not only did Cole and Gargano put on a blisteringly brutal display of technical wrestling at Takeover they also told a masterful story as well.
If you're not a fan of NXT, you will be after you see their rubber match for the ages at Takeover.
It was proof that WWE is still fertile ground for barn burning non stop technical wrestling action, and also one of the most unforgettable moments of 2019.
#2 Kofi Kingston finally wins the Big One
The man who is known to millions of fans around the world as Kofi Kingston was born in Africa under the name Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah. He immigrated to the USA at an early age, and it was at this time that he witnesses his first pro wrestling match.
He joined the short-lived revival of the ECW brand before its demise and turned a lot of heads with his aerial artistry. Kofi won mid-card titles, tag team titles, and is responsible for the most creative ways to avoid a Royal Rumble elimination in history. But he never seemed to be able to make it to the big leagues.
Then, fate intervened. An injury to Ali created an opportunity for Kingston. In just one night, he defeated three other Superstars in a gauntlet match. While this was hasty booking, it also turned out to be just the right master-stroke. The fans were wildly behind Kofi, cheering him as loudly as Hogan was during the 1980s.
It's been said that Kofi was put through the gauntlet just so that he would 'earn' his spot in the Elimination Chamber match, and he was never actually intended to be a full-time main eventer. But serendipitously, the WWE struck gold while they were digging for worms. Kofimania took off like a rocket ship, and the fans all but demanded that he be given the championship.
Fans love it when a long-tenured, often overlooked wrestler gets the main event nod, resulting in one of 2019's unforgettable moments.
#1 The Fiend vs. Seth Rollins: Hell in a Cell
Without a shadow of a doubt, the most unforgettable moment of 2019 is probably one that WWE wishes everyone would forget; the crazy, confusing, and controversial ending to the Bray Wyatt aka The Fiend versus Seth Rollins Match for the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell 2019's main event.
Hell in a Cell has always been intended as the 'exclamation mark' on a feud between two WWE Superstars. It's an environment where there are no rules, save one; Win, no matter what the cost in physical or emotional turmoil.
That's probably why the ending to the Bray Wyatt/Seth Rollins Hell in a Cell main event match stirred up so much controversy. The referee called for the bell, declaring the match a no-contest after Seth Rollins refused to stop attacking the Fiend with a sledge-hammer. The ending confused and infuriated fans, who felt that it watered down the significance of the no holds barred Hell in a Cell match and made the Fiend look weak.
Not to mention it had no clear outcome, which is another frustration for viewers. The ending had fans chanting 'refund' and — probably worst of all in Vince McMahon's eyes — 'AEW'.
Remember, the Hell in a Cell was always intended to be the end of a long grudge, so not only did the WWE break the 'rules' of the Chamber by stopping the match, but they also hindered one of their longest-running and most popular gimmick matches by proxy.
Was it controversial? Yes. Was it unforgettable? Also yes.
There you have it; The ten most unforgettable moments from WWE in 2019. What moments from the past year did you find utterly unforgettable? Please comment and let us know and as always thanks for reading!
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