2019 is over and that means that we have done the WWE Power Rankings for a full year. I got a little bit of a late start so there are only 51 weeks, but still that is plenty to decide clear-cut winners in 2019. There have been a lot of changes in the WWE throughout the year and you will see that with this list. I have only ranked the Top 10 for the year and not the 2nd half. If you want to see how thing went down in the 1st half, here is the link. Next year will certainly look different due to the fact that I placed NXT superstars in the weekly rankings starting a couple months ago. Things probably would’ve looked different for the Year-End Rankings if I included NXT, but we’ll save it for 2020. Looking at the compiled list towards the top, I am not shocked with what took place. It was a pretty cut-and-dry year. Along with the yearly Rankings, I am going to tell who was the most improved and most consistent from the halves and I’ll even do a section of superstars that have had diminished spotlight, despite competing in the 2nd half. There were 163 different appearances (most superstars were repeat) and 29 different Number One entries this year. Here we go. It’s going to be an interesting list.

Most Improved Superstar: Bray Wyatt (8 1st Half Appearances; 17 2nd Half Appearances)

Despite not competing in the 1st half of the year, Wyatt was the most talked about superstar heading into the 2nd Half. The Fiend has captured the imagination of all fans and is the most captivating character that the WWE has produced in many years. This was far from a shock heading into the 2nd part of the year.

Mr. Consistency (Two Winners): Seth Rollins (17 Appearances each Half) and Roman Reigns (11 Appearances each Half)

In all honesty, this was the most shocking statistic all year. Rollins and Reigns both had the same amount of appearances in both halves of the years. The stat is shocking, but the fact that these two are consistently at the top isn’t a shock at all. I’d like to think that these two will stay at the top in 2020, if health permits.

Miss Consistency: Bayley (10 1st Half Appearances; 8 2nd Half Appearances)

Through thick and thin, Bayley has stayed consistent throughout 2019 and she get the Miss Consistency award. Not quite as impressive as Roman and Rollins, but snagging a Top 10 appearance for over a third of the year is very impressive.

Where Did You Go? Award: Shane McMahon (7 1st Half Appearances; 1 2nd Half Appearance)

Once SmackDown moved to FOX, it was almost certain that Shane O’ Mac would be seeing less TV time. He competed and was on TV for around 3 months in the 2nd Half and only salvaged 1 Top 10 in that time. His biggest feud was against Kevin Owens and it was the last we heard of him. The stipulation was a career vs. career match, but it honestly may not be the last we see of “The Best in the Woooooooorld”

Just Missed Out: These superstars performed consistently well in the spotlight, but it wasn’t enough to make the Year-End Top 10. The superstars below had at least 10 Appearances in 2019.

14 Appearances: Sasha Banks

13 Appearances: Ronda Rousey

12 Appearances: Brock Lesnar

11 Appearances: Asuka, Randy Orton, Ricochet

10 Appearances: Drew McIntyre, Lacey Evans

Top 10 in 2019

10: Daniel Bryan (14 Total Appearances and 1 Number One)

Daniel Bryan gets the tiebreaker over Sasha Banks in the Top 10 because of the Number One entry and he happened to get that Number One in last week’s rankings. After coming out strong in the 1st half with 12 appearances, he only had 2 to show for in the 2nd half and they happened to be over the last 2 weeks. It literally pushed him into the Top 10 for 2019. He was a candidate for the Where Did You Go? Award, but I feel like he was diminished only because he teamed with Rowan a lot in the 2nd half. Bryan is set to face The Fiend at Royal Rumble and it should be an awesome match. I don’t know what 2020 will look like for Daniel Bryan, but I can say if he is healthy, he will be towards the top.

9: AJ Styles (15 Total Appearances and 1 Number One w/The O.C.)

Most of the Phenomenal One’s appearances came as a singles competitor in the 1st Half, but he maintained his top tier status with the help of his buddies in The O.C. Styles is still one of the best that the WWE has to offer and at any given time, he could be the red brand’s main champ. He is probably the most versatile superstar, and by that I mean, you could put him in any role and he would be very successful. He hasn’t had a main title run in a while, but at any moment, he could jump right back in. 2020 looks like it will be a slow-down and getting younger talent over year for Styles, but I could be wrong.

8: Charlotte Flair (17 Total Appearances)

It isn’t a shock that Charlotte Flair is in the Top 10 by any means, but it is rather shocking that she didn’t receive a Number One spot all year long. She maintained the spotlight, but something wasn’t quite normal for Charlotte in 2019. She played a full antagonist role in 2019, so that could be a main reason why she wasn’t as popular in that sense, nevertheless, her presence was felt all year. She won the SmackDown Women’s Championship three times in 2019 for a combined total of 18 days. 2020 looks to be another year of dominance from the Queen and it is very likely she will have title reigns (emphasis on plurality) in the coming year.

7: Kevin Owens (17 Total Appearances and 4 Number Ones)

Owens was another guy that was consistently good for the entirety of 2019. Owens didn’t wrestle the entire year, but he did for a good 9 or 10 months. 2020 seems like it could be a great year for KO and he currently is one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble match. I feel like Owens doesn’t get enough credit for how good he actually is, but hopefully he earns a little more respect next year. His run this year was mainly as a face, but for a little while he turned on Kofi Kingston. Owens seems poised for another great year and hopefully he has a healthy 2020.

6: Bayley (18 Total Appearances and 2 Number Ones)

The Role Model just missed out on the Top 5 for 2019. She has had a wonderful year and to be honest, her run has been filled with ups and downs. She has clearly been a key player in the women’s division this year and her ability to have a good match with any superstar has kept her at the top. She has had gold for the majority of the year, which is another reason why she has had so many appearances in the Power Rankings. Bayley and Sasha Banks held the Tag titles for a little while and she has been SmackDown Women’s champ for a combined span of 219 days. Despite having the championship twice, I’m not sure what 2020 will be like for Bayley. I could see her continuing to have success, but I could also see her falling back a little bit. I guess we’ll find out.

5: Roman Reigns (22 Total Appearances and 2 Number Ones (1 w/The Shield))

Roman Reigns sneaks in the Top 5, despite not having one single title reign in 2019. WWE’s effort to make him an overwhelming face has been successful for the most part. I see at least one title reign in 2020 for Roman and he has earned the right to be a champ. Roman missed a little over two months earlier in the year, but made a return to wrestling after being uncertain about his future. He came back stronger than ever has had solid feuds with Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan and Rowan, and even his current feud with King Corbin. 2020 will be a huge year for Roman and we will get a peek at a future with him at the helm.

4: Bray Wyatt (25 Total Appearances and 5 Number Ones)

Before looking at the totals, I thought Wyatt surpassed everyone for the number one spot, but it turns out he is in 4th. Wyatt surprisingly snuck into the Top 10 in the 1st half of the year despite not having a match until SummerSlam, which happens to be in the 2nd half. As I mentioned earlier, his Fiend character has revitalized his already great career and there is so much potential moving forward for Wyatt. You have to think that he will hold the Universal title until at least WrestleMania, if not longer. Depending on what they have planned for him in the next few months, I could honestly see him remaining as a champ this time next year. Not saying it will happen, but it is within the realm of possibility.

3: Kofi Kingston (30 Total Appearances and 5 Number Ones (1 w/The New Day))

I find it hard to believe that Kofi Kingston will have a better year than he did 2019. He couldn’t have possibly had a better year. After being stuck in “mid-card hell” for his whole career, He captivated the WWE Universe at the start of 2019 and it led him to have the best match at WrestleMania 35, if not one of the best matches of the decade in WWE. His 2nd half consisted mainly of his feuds with Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and Brock Lesnar. I hated that he lost the title in the fashion that he did, but that is long gone and he is currently SmackDown Tag Team Champion with Big E. If you ever think that your opinion as a fan doesn’t matter, you can always refer back to Kofi Kington to remind you that your opinions do matter.

2: Seth Rollins (34 Total Appearances and 6 Number Ones (1 each w/The Shield, Braun Strowman, and AOP))

The best men’s superstar of 2019 was Seth Rollins without question. Not only because my Power Ranking totals say so, but because it is the absolute truth. No superstar was utilized more and no superstar was nearly this consistent in 2019. Rollins burned it down every time he stepped inside the ring and despite getting the “superstar treatment” from fans, he has remained relevant. Fans love to hate the guy that is getting the push and Rollins was no different, but he was consistently great all year long. His two huge wins over Brock Lesnar solidified his status as a mainstay in the main event picture. 2020 seems like it is going to be more of the same, but it will be interesting to see how things with AOP develop.

1: Becky Lynch (35 Total Appearances and 6 Number Ones)

2019 was the year of The Man and she has locked up the Number One spot for the year. No female wrestler has reached the heights in sports entertainment that Becky Lynch has this year. After appearing in 23 of the first 26 weeks, I knew she was a lock for the Top 5 for the year, but I knew it was going to be difficult to maintain the Number One spot. She did just that and it is a testament to her as a performer. Her match with Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell was one of the best matches of the year in the 2nd half and her feud with Lacey Evans had a lot of criticism, but all-in-all, it was a solid feud. She teamed with her fiancé Seth Rollins for a limited portion, but was mainly in the spotlight defending her RAW Women’s Championship. She has held it since WrestleMania and my assumption is that she will hold it at least until WrestleMania 36. She not only had the best year of her career, but led an historic movement in women’s wrestling. I can see her still being the biggest star in the women’s division in 2020, but I know eventually she will have to drop the title to someone. For now, I am going to enjoy seeing The Man tear up the competition for as long as she can.

Yacs

2019 WWE Power Rankings: Year-End Edition