The 10 best WWE matches of 2019

2019 in WWE is drawing to a close, and while this year didn't have match quality quite on par with last year, there was still a lot of magic to be found, both in NXT (obviously), and surprisingly, on the main roster, which performed much better in this tally than its weekly quality would suggest.

Choosing a match of the year candidate isn't a straightforward process. Sometimes, a match stands out purely for its action and technical qualities, other times, it's the storytelling that makes the difference. Still other times, a hot crowd can turn something rote into something fantastic. Weighing these balances is what makes for the choice.

No two people would entirely agree on a list of top 10 matches in a company as busy as WWE, but I think most would agree in principle with these selections. Without further ado, let's make the attempt.

Honorable mentions:

1. The Undisputed Era vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and Kevin Owens (NXT TakeOver: War Games III)
2. The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley (Fastlane)
3. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell)
4. Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae (NXT TakeOver: Toronto II)
5. Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle (NXT TakeOver: New York)

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#10 Pete Dunne vs. WALTER (NXT TakeOver: New York)

For 685 days, Pete Dunne reigned as WWE UK Champion. At the start of 2019, we got so used to seeing him with that strap that we would be forgiven for thinking that he would reign forever.

Then, after the first NXT UK TakeOver event, WALTER finally arrived, and the end suddenly appeared to be in sight. The champion wanted to test himself against this formidable challenger.

In New York, Pete Dunne looked for every method he could but ultimately couldn't find any way to beat WALTER, who overpowered and outlasted him in a war of attrition.

Aside from this story, what made this match stand out was how brutally realistic it looked. WALTER and Dunne are both some of the grittiest competitors in the company, so seeing them collide was obviously going to give us some spots that almost made us feel their pain. That's how realistic their fight looked.

#9 Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Phoenix)

Johnny Gargano started his 2019 vowing that he was going to be about "wins and championships." His 2018 had been a brutal affair. He could never win "the big one." Setting his sights on singles gold, he wanted Ricochet's North American Championship. Ricochet was happy to take the challenge and wanted to teach the confused Gargano a lesson.

In Phoenix, the encounter started surprisingly slow, but then evolved into a quick chess match. There were some insane spots on the apron, and none of them ultimately helped Gargano.

As the match went on "Johnny TakeOver" started showing his darker side, exposing the concrete a la Tommaso Ciampa. At first, he opted not to use it, but after he fell short of defeating Ricochet, again and again, he finally gave in to the dark voice within him, slamming Ricochet on the concrete and then, muttering, "I win," put him away in the ring to become North American Champion.

This match stood out both for its wrestling and its storytelling.

#8 Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray, and Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Tegan Nox (NXT TakeOver: War Games III)

I didn't have high hopes for this match, but it turned into something else. It's not every day that a brutal weapons match stands out both for its spots and its story, but this one did. Everyone stepped up here.

There were, of course, those great spots, obviously culminating in Io's moonsault off the cage, but what vaulted this match into the top 10 were two of its storytelling aspects.

The first came with Dakota Kai's heel turn which took everyone by complete surprise. That doesn't happen every day in today's wrestling climate, but it did here, and it was brilliantly executed with her attack on Tegan Nox.

That left Rhea Ripley's team with only two combatants against Shayna's four. Yet, somehow, Rhea overcame those odds. As an aid to Rhea Ripley's incredible rise, this was brilliant and did its job to such perfection that it should be a textbook study in the art of getting over for years to come. Rhea looked like a billion bucks in this match, and she rode that wave to finally dethroning Shayna Baszler only a few weeks later.

#7 Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton in a gauntlet match (SmackDown February, 19th)

This was the start of Kofimania, and it was perfectly executed on all counts.

Taking advantage of the opportunity suddenly opened by an injury to Mustafa Ali, Kofi Kingston showed up in a major way. There was a fantastic technical start to the match with him and Daniel Bryan, with the added thrill of the New Day being thrown out before Rowan.

Somehow, Kofi pinned the then-champion anyway. He then fought tenaciously through Jeff Hardy, and after him, Samoa Joe's bulldozer tactics during and after that part of the match. AJ Styles entreated Kofi to quit, saying: "just stop, it's alright."

Kofi wouldn't quit. He was put down by Styles but was the standout in the match, and suddenly, the crowd realized its appreciation of the 11-year veteran. It would be an important first step on the road to WrestleMania.

#6 War Raiders vs. Aleister Black and Ricochet (NXT TakeOver: New York)

Everyone knew the outcome of this match, but that didn't stop it from being one of the most purely fun encounters you'd see in 2019.

The match started with shows of respect, and then turned into a clash of styles, with the powerhouse champions squaring off against the faster challengers, with Black's strikes and Ricochet's flips.

But the styles were also surprisingly similar. We saw Ricochet show off his pound for pound strength with deadlift slams. We also saw the War Raiders fly around like cruiserweights!

There were some incredibly dives to the outside, with the match barely avoiding a count-out end by half a second.

Then there was a false finish with the Black Mass and shooting star press combination. For a second, it almost appeared as if Black and Ricochet would win.

But this was going to be their NXT swan song, and the universe righted itself after that. Once the match was over, there was another great show of respect between the two teams, with the War Raiders bowing to their opponents and leaving them alone in an NXT ring for the last time to have their moment.

Black and Ricochet gave an emotional goodbye to the crowd before leaving the yellow brand. Little did we know it, but the War Raiders would soon follow them.

This was a perfect sendoff for all four.

#5 Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole (NXT TakeOver: New York)

It all came down to this. Johnny Gargano was going to have another shot at the NXT title, and filling in for the injured Tommaso Ciampa was Adam Cole, who won a fatal five-way match that was itself worthy of the match of the year consideration.

This was a match that combined everything. It was a great technical encounter for the first two falls but showed some high drama in the third fall. Adam Cole channeled Tommaso Ciampa with the Fairy Tale ending on the announce table, which saw Gargano barely making the count of 10.

There was the interference from the Undisputed Era, but even that wasn't enough. Johnny Gargano finally won the "big one" and became NXT Champion. With Ciampa gone, the odds needed to be stacked against him in some other way, and this did it.

Then there was the aftermath with Johnny's family and, in more callback, Ciampa coming out with the copyright on the bottom of the screen, but not to attack Gargano. Instead, the two buried the hatchet and ended their long feud.

As far as substitutes go, you couldn't ask for anything better.

#4 Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole (NXT TakeOver: XXV)

This one had a slower start than its predecessor but gave us better psychology. Both men sold better in this match than the first. The selling of the injured limbs from both men enhanced its realism. Cole sold his arm, Gargano sold his knee. With only one fall to the finish, there was less room for error in this match, and both men wrestled like it.

But there was some great storytelling here too. The referee got taken out during the match, which led to some high drama in its final phases. Adam Cole seemingly tried to use the opportunity to call out the Undisputed Era, but it was all a ruse. They did not appear. It did deceive Johnny Gargano, though.

Adam Cole would take advantage and take control to the end, finishing Gargano off with the Panama Sunrise and Last Shot to emerge as the new NXT Champion.

#3 WALTER vs. Tyler Bate (NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff)

It's a shame that this took place on the same day as AEW's All Out, which led to its being overlooked somewhat. As far as technical matches go, this was the best showing in all of WWE in 2019.

Tyler Bate has long been known as one of the strongest pound-for-pound wrestlers in the company and he showed it off here, trying to use all of that strength to overcome the ~100-pound weight difference between him and the champion.

It didn't work. Bate had his explosive bouts of energy, but WALTER brutalized him each and every time he tried to summon something. One brutal chop or stomp was all it took to turn the scales and return control to WALTER, who makes them look better than anybody else.

That one final clothesline at the end which sucked all the energy out of the crowd summed it all up. Tyler Bate fought like a Spartan at Thermopylae, but eventually, it wasn't enough, and he was ground down by superior resources.

#2 Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton (Elimination Chamber)

The follow up to the epic gauntlet match exceeded even that, building up the story of Kofi Kingston's rise just as it was meant to.

There was some excellent wrestling from all competitors, each of which took advantage of the spots that the Elimination Chamber allowed, but the real highlight was obviously the story between the final two competitors.

Kofi Kingston, hot off his gauntlet match performance, looked like he just might pull off the impossible. Unfortunately for him, Daniel Bryan hit him with a flying knee and ended his hopes at the very last moment.

The aftermath of the match was something else, with the despondent Kofi Kingston being consoled by his New Day brothers. The title looked permanently out of reach at that moment. Houston's heart broke with Kofi's.

But that wasn't going to be the last word.

#1 Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston (WrestleMania 35)

It all came down to this. This might not have been the most technically sound match of the year, though, with Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston in there, it certainly didn't lack. Rather, this was the culmination of a great story in the most magical of all places in WWE, which did everything it could to enhance the moment.

Kofi Kingston's 11-year journey was compelling enough, but it was enhanced even more by callbacks to Bryan's own journey five years earlier. Now, the tables had turned and Bryan was playing the role of antagonist.

There was some high drama in the home stretch, with the SOS being turned into the Lebelle Lock. Kofi Kingston dared Bryan to kick him. The New Day and Rowan's brawls outside added to the atmosphere of urgency.

Finally, after it looked like another LeBell Lock would put Kofi out, he miraculously escaped. He would hit Trouble in Paradise and, after 11 years of wandering and months of heartbreak, became WWE Champion.

The aftermath was just as emotional, with the celebration in the ring including his New Day brothers and his two young sons.

The rise of Kofi Kingston was certainly accidental, but WWE took advantage of the opportunity it gave them. This was a feel-good story that you rarely see in today's WWE, calling back the best of WrestleMania in the 1980s. For its technical soundness and its execution of the climax of this red hot story, this was WWE's best match of 2019.