Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Ben Williams and Bodeen Green will be giving their opinions on the best matches, moments and performers within WWE in 2019.

WWE has had an up and down year, however they are always able to put on matches that will live long in the memory. Considering NXT is a part of WWE, there is always the potential to have a 5 star classic, which only motivates the main roster to beat this. But what was the best match? Who was the best performer?


ALLSOPP: My favourite match of the year hails from NXT, courtesy of Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano. Following Tommaso Ciampa's injury, the NXT Championship was vacated, leaving Cole and Gargano to vie for it at NXT TakeOver: New York, in a hellacious 2 out of 3 falls match. This match had it all, and the fact Cole went up a fall to none was exciting as fans were unsure whether or not Gargano would be able to get the monkey off his back, and finally capture the NXT Championship. Once he evened the scores at a fall apiece, fans began to believe, and after one amazing sequence of moves after another, Gargano was finally able to put Cole away by countering a Last Shot into a cradle for the pinfall victory. Fans everywhere exploded with happiness, with the post match shot of Ciampa and Candice LeRae embracing the new NXT Champion living long in the memory. This match encapsulated everything that makes NXT successful, and in my mind, was the best NXT TakeOver main event ever.

WILLIAMS: There have been a fair few excellent matches in WWE this year, but for me, nothing has topped a match from the very first pay-per-view of 2019. Sasha Banks vs Ronda Rousey at the Royal Rumble was an awesome contest that not only gave Rousey her best in ring performance of her career so far, but also gave fans a reminder of just how good Banks is when WWE allows her to be showcased properly. Considering this was Banks’ first women’s title match on pay-per-view in over a year, you would never know, with both women absolutely tearing the house down and stealing the show on a night of pretty memorable matches.

GREEN: What a year it has been for matches, with so many matches being incredible for different reasons. Whether it was the brutality of the matches between Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks, or babyfaces having the ultimate fight such as Tyler Bate vs WALTER, these matches were incredible. However, to me, one match just stands out above the rest, with that match being Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano from NXT TakeOver: New York. The ultimate babyface effort from Gargano was spectacular, with Cole getting more desperate with every kick out. It was truly a spectacular piece of work from both men.


WILLIAMS: My favourite moment of the year was the crowning of the first ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The match itself was great and was the best showcase most of the women involved had ever had, and the crowd absolutely ate it up. Sasha Banks and Bayley more than deserved the honour of being crowned the first champions, and hearing Beth Phoenix cry on commentary only made the moment that much sweeter.

GREEN: Whilst the aftermath was disappointing, Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 was truly the greatest moment of 2019. A man being rewarded for 10 years of non-stop hard work was incredible to watch. Despite being on the same event where we saw Becky Lynch have her crowning moment, and Seth Rollins beating Brock Lesnar, Kingston still had the greatest moment of the night. The only thing that ruins this moment is the previously mentioned aftermath, as Kingston's title reign felt disappointing, with his loss to Lesnar disappointingly putting him back into the midcard. But as a short moment, it is one of the greatest in WWE history.

ALLSOPP: My favourite moment in 2019 was the arrival of The Fiend at SummerSlam. Bray Wyatt had been teasing the appearance of his dark alter ego for a while, and it was the epic manner in which The Fiend arrived that captured the imagination of fans. The Fiend entered to an altered version of Live In Fear, whilst carrying what appeared to be a decapitated Wyatt head. This combined with the altered lights in his entrance made for a genuinely terrifying experience, and it was the moment I recognised WWE were fully committed to The Fiend character. This was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and I was immediately obsessed with Wyatt and The Fiend.


GREEN: 2019 has been a breakout year for many wrestlers, but no one has broken out more than Adam Cole. From having an amazing trilogy of matches with Johnny Gargano as he won the NXT Championship, to leading the NXT charge on Raw and SmackDown, and finishing off by having yet another brutal WarGames match, Cole has stood out more than other wrestler in 2019. The only wrestler to me who has come close to Cole is Velveteen Dream, who unfortunately doesn't reach Cole's level due to his injury not allowing him to take part in the WarGames match or Survivor Series.

ALLSOPP: I could easily choose Adam Cole as he genuinely has been the best in ring competitor in WWE by a country mile, however, it is actually R-Truth that has been the best WWE performer this year. The 24/7 Championship is admittedly a joke, but the tiniest amount of credibility this title holds is thanks to the work of R-Truth in keeping the title active and entertaining. His skits with Jinder Mahal, Drake Maverick and pretty much anyone else who dared to take the title away from him were highly entertaining and genuinely funny, which is something WWE as a whole has missed this year. R-Truth has worked hard to reinvent himself, and although in terms of in ring ability he is lacking, he has been the best performer overall.

WILLIAMS: Whilst I could very easily give this one to either Sasha Banks or Seth Rollins, both of whom have had some superb showings this year, I’m actually going to tip my hat to Daniel Bryan. Bryan has not only wrestled in some of the best matches of 2019, but he’s managed to do that both as an effective heel and an effective babyface, whilst making guys like Buddy Murphy and Kofi Kingston look like world class stars. Bryan has been one of the all time greats in WWE this decade, and 2019 has been one of his strongest years ever.