The 20 Best PPVs of 2019

What's good folks! In a word: WOW! The year of 2019 may have been the best year on record for legit, quality wrestling.  It didn't matter (for the most part) where you looked.  Exceptional matches were everywhere, and the events that hosted them were simply tremendous. While AEW, NXT, and New Japan were clearly the dominant ones here, Impact, NWA, and MLW came to play as well with great and entertaining events of pure wrestling heads.  Trust me folks, there were plenty other great events that took place this year.  A quick note: these are strictly for PPVs, not events themselves such as PWG's BOLA Tournament or New Japan's HISTORICALLY AWESOME G1 Climax tournament or their Best Of Super Juniors Tournament. Events of the decade are coming very soon. These are several of the best PPVs of this year.  Without further ado, let's kick this list off!

20. Impact Rebellion
4/28/19
Toronto, Canada

Impact had a pretty damn good event in April from Toronto called Rebellion.  Impact was that promotion that you wanted to root for considering all the disasters that the company had endured for several years thanks to mishandlings by Dixie Carter.  nevertheless, the past year or two has seen a steady resurgence in that promotion, and Rebellion was a great example of how far they've come. The match between Tessa Blanchard and Impact legend Gail Kim was a standout, as well as the cage match between Johnny Impact and Brian Cage for the Impact world title.  however, it was the brutality of Lucha Bros and LAX that was the clear standout here.  Although the build for these matches wasn't the absolute best, the in-ring action was overall excellent.  This was  a home run PPV for them and one that fans of Impact can be plenty proud of.

19. AEW Fyter Fest
6/29/19
Daytona Beach, FL

One of AEW's PPvs this summer was Fyter Fest, a relatively strong PPV that was in conjunction with the CEO gaming convention.  Although it's been mentioned as the overall weakest of all the AEW PPVs this year, it was still better than a lot of others in other promotions.  The event was fairly consistent with good matches including CIMA vs. Chris Daniels, Cody vs. Darby Allen (with the tremendous Shawn Spears heel turn at the end), and the awesome six man tag with The Elite vs. Lucha Bros and Laredo Kid.  The clear favorite was the Lights Out match between new AEW signee at the time Jon Moxley and "Bad Boy" Joey Janela, in all it's viciousness.  This was an entertaining event for AEW and helped keep the momentum of AEW through the summer.

18. WWE Survivor Series
11/29/19
Chicago, IL

The annual pre-Thanksgiving PPV from WWE is the Survivor Series.  In this its thirty-second year, the Survivor Series tends to be among the most favored events of WWE fans.  There have been many memorable Survivor Series (of course the '97 edition will forever go down in infamy), and this year's version will be included among them.  For the first time, NXT was included into the mix with Raw and Smackdown and the results were very entertaining and appealing.  Clearly, NXT was out to prove that they were more than just "developmental".  They were a legit brand and could take it to Raw and SD.  For the night, NXT did in fact win over the other "main roster" brands.  Among the standout matches, besides the multi-team elimination matches, was the triple threat match between Bayley, Becky, and Shayna Baszler, plus the damn good match between Pete Dunne and Adam Cole for the NXT Title.  Some have even called this event the best main roster PPV all year besides the Royal Rumble.  With the excellent build of NXT coming for Raw and SD, along with the Daniel Bryan/Fiend story, this event was an overall very good one.

17. NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling '19
10/24/19
Tokyo, Japan

The last big PPV of the calendar schedule for New Japan is King Of Pro Wrestling.  Over the years, KOPW has delivered some very incredible and classic encounters, much like Dominion and Wrestle Kingdom.  This year, although not as memorable as some in the past, was still a very solid show throughout.  Jushin "Thunder" Liger is knocking on his retirement, but he had to settle an issue with the leader of Suzuki-Gun, Minoru Suzuki in a pretty intense match. Big Texan Lance Archer won his first U.S. Title because of Moxley's forfeiture.  Also, the match between Will Ospreay and El Phantasmo was yet another highly impressive showing by Ospreay, but the night belonged to Okada and SANADA, in which they delivered another excellent match that was fitting of the main event.  New Japan has been on fire this year perhaps more than any other year, and this PPV was a great stamp on another historic year for them.

16. AEW Fight For The Fallen
7/13/19
Jacksonville, FL

Another PPV from AEW hit this past summer and this was a bit more personal.  Their event, Fight For The Fallen, was doubled as a charity event with all proceeds going towards Jacksonville and organizations combating violence in the city.  Otherwise, this event was pretty good, but still steps below Double Or Nothing and Full Gear.  Don't let that fool you or deter you if you haven't seen it.  Matches like Luchas vs. SCU, Adam Page vs. Kip Sabien, and especially Omega vs. CIMA were all standout matches that were highly enjoyable to watch.  The main event was the brother team of Dustin and Cody Rhodes against the other brother team there, The Young Bucks in a pretty decent match.  This was the final PPV before All Out, and this was as good or better than Fyter Fest.

15. NWA Into The Fire
12/14/19
Atlanta, GA

The NWA came back into prominence this year thanks to the vision of owner Billy Corgan and the in-ring work ethic of Champion, Nick Aldis.  Earlier this year, the NWA delivered the return of the Crockett Cup to a lot of acclaim, but it was when they announced they would have their own studio show with tapings in Atlanta at the old Center Stage building (home of the old World Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling shows) where excitement was building for those that appreciated old school, gritty, no gimmicks-esque wrestling.  In comes Into The Fire, their first PPV under Billy Corgan.  It was damn fun show.  From the absurdity of The Question Mark to former WWE talent Aron Stephens winning the National Title, the return of ODB, and an excellent main event between Aldis and James Storm (with a surprise appearance from Marty Scurll to confront Aldis), this was a show that was grossly underrated, but those that watched saw the potential to be even better.  For their first PPV under new ownership, this was a promising sign of things to hopefully come.

14. MLW Saturday Night Superfight

11/2/19
Cicero, IL

Major League Wrestling has become perhaps the most underrated mainstream promotion out there.  They have good talent, fairly solid action, and a world of potential all over the place.  They presented their very first PPV in November called Saturday Night Superfight, and this was a pretty excellent affair, albeit very aggressive.  Every match flowed nicely from one to the next.  Not a single moment was missed for the entire card.  Everyone represented their maximum capabilities within the minutes they were given.  This was a mixture of technical, aerial, and definitely violent, especially the Stairway To Hell match involving Mance Warner, Bestias 666 and AEW star Jimmy Havoc, and the excessively bloodfeast that the main event of LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Title.  The sign of a great PPV is if there's something for everyone.  This was definitely that event. Much like AEW with Double Or Nothing or NWA with Into The Fire, SNS showed how great MLW can do on a big stage, and one would expect them to soar even higher in 2020.

13. AEW All Out

8/31/19
Chicago, IL

In 2018, arguably the most fun PPV of the year was All In.  At the time it was just an event promoted by The Young Bucks and Cody as a defiant answer to the question, "Could pro wrestling outside of WWE in North America sell out a ten thousand seated arena?"  There was no promotion or organization running it (although ROH production was used).  It was a smash.  Fast forward a year later, this time we have AEW, and this is the unofficial sequel to All In, called All Out.  Same building. Even more intensity.  Hoping to capitalize off the monster success of Double Or Nothing, they presented All Out.  This event was high energy, a very live crowd, and tremendous play-by-play by Jim Ross, PWG commentator Excaliber, and fellow wrestling broadcasting legend, Tony Schiavone.  Every match on here was excellent in some sort of way.  While matches like Cody vs. Shawn Spears, Omega vs. PAC, and the main event of Jericho becoming the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Adam Page, the show was completely stolen by the CRAZY Ladder Match between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Brothers.  One of the damnedest matches this decade, these two took incredible athletic risks and along with the rest of the night, made All out a can't miss evening of unstoppable action.

12. NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool
1/12/19
Blackpool, England

NXT UK became a thing in 2018 thanks to the brainchild of Paul "Triple H" Levesque and William Regal.  A highly promising brand within WWE, the same hardcore less sports entertainment-more wrestling approach that NXT uses on a weekly basis is applied here as well.  It was announced only a few months after it's arrival that there would be a Takeover for their brand, and it would take place in Blackpool, England.  For their first Takeover, they knocked it out.  We saw the inaugural NXT UK Tag team Champions in Grizzled Young Veterans when they defeated Moustache Mountain in a fantastic match, along with Rhea Ripley become the inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion over Toni Storm.  The main event was champion Pete Dunne facing off against the leader of Gallus, Joe Coffey in a punishing, exhausting affair.  Also, widely known Austrian brute WALTER made his debut appearance there foreshadowing things to come.  This was a home run PPV for them, and showed that Takeovers aren't limited to State-side.

11. NXT Takeover: Toronto II
8/10/19
Toronto, Canada

NXT made its way to Toronto for SummerSlam weekend to present their Takeover event.  After the awesomeness of NXT Takeover XXV and especially the outstanding NXT Takeover: New York, they wanted to keep up the momentum of them in the "T-Dot".  Well the home of Drake witness quite the exciting night of action.  With Candace Lerae and Io Shirai having a very good match worthy of a Takeover, plus the excellent Triple Threat Match between Velveteen Dream, Pete Dunne, and Undisputed Era's Roderick Strong for the North American Title and the Women's title match between Mia Yim and Hayna Baszler providing quite the competitive match, it came down to Gargano/Cole III.  This was virtually a Three Stages Of Hell match.  Although it didn't quite measure up to the standard Austin/HHH and Shawn/HHH accomplished with this same gimmick concept, this was commendable.  They gave it so much in this match and it was enough for Cole to retain the NXT Title.  The Toronto Takeover was a hell of an entree for Summerslam, and in some cases, many were talking more about Takeover than Summerslam, especially the main event.

10. NXT Takeover: Phoenix
1/26/19
Phoenix, AZ

Before the Royal Rumble could take place, it was time for NXT to take over...as in NXT Takeover: Phoenix.  This was a solid Takeover that had two title changes, a hotly competitive Women's title match, and  a fierce main event involving new NXT Champion at the time Tomosso Ciampa and former champion, Aleister Black.  This has to follow the sport's hottest event at the time, Wrestle Kingdom 13, as well as NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool just two weeks before, but the Phoenix Takeover held its own and provided enough excitement non-boredom to satisfy hardcore NXtTfans around the world.  

9. NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff
8/31/19
Cardiff, Wales

The roll of NXT/NXT UK Takeovers continues on with the second UK Takeover, originating this time from Cardiff, Wales.  The first UK Takeover form Blackpool was excellent.  Filled with lots of highlights and tremendous matches to satisfy their core base.  However, they were looking to up the ante with the Cardiff takeover, and they did just that.  From the jump, the UK Takeover debut of Cesaro was met with an explosion as he faced Ijor Dragunov in a hotly contested match that makes you wish Cesaro was on the brand permanently.  With the exception of the Last Man Standing match with big Dave Massa and Eddie Dennis, this event was top notched the entire way through. Then we get to the main event of Tyler bate against WWE UK Champion, WALTER.  Folks, if this isn't on your year end list of best matches, you need to stop wrestling immediately.  This match ranks among the greatest not just in NXT history, but WWE history.  The story along with the grit and heart of the "Big Strong Boy" was that of epic levels against the monster of Austria.  This main event was the perfect go home of what would be an outstanding event for the UK division of NXT.

8. AEW Full Gear

11/9/19
Baltimore, MD

AEW has had a momentous year for its inaugural year.  The widespread acclaim of their PPVs of Double Or Nothing and All Out, along with their new TNT weekly show, Dynamite, have officially brought AEW into mainstream consciousness.  In their first PPV since the TNT era, they present Full Gear from Baltimore.  The event was on fire, and from the opening bell of the Santana/Ortiz vs. Young bucks match, this event was a completely fun ride.  The crowd was raucous and there was no shortage of slowed momentum at all in this event.  Standouts such as the aforementioned Proud & Powerful/Young Bucks match, Adam Page vs. PAC, and the main event of Cody vs. Chris Jericho for the World Title all exemplified how incredible this event was.  However, it was the much-talked about Lights Out match between Kenny omega and Jon Moxley that had the sport talking.  The intensity and shear violence used in this match hasn't been used in mainstream wrestling in many years.  It was almost ECW-esque in terms of its violence.  It still managed to keep us enthralled with their will to win and their ability to sustain the punishment they did.  For their first Full Gear event, AEW delivered complete goods and ended their PPV year on a very high note.

7. NJPW 47th Anniversary Show
6/3/19
Tokyo, Japan

New Japan celebrated their 47th anniversary with quite a show.  The self-professed "King Of Sports" promotion delivered an point event just before Dominion '19 ans before it became time for this year's UNGODLY incredible G1 Climax tournament.  To get us ready, matches like Liger vs. Ishimori and Ropongi 3K vs. LIJ were engaging matches to keep the Tokyo crowd alive.  The main event had then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Jay White, facing NJPW's most exciting performer this year, Will Ospreay in a thrilling encounter that really could've gone either way.  This was an inviting show worthy of being among New Japan's best shows of the year.

6. ROH/NJPW G1 Supershow
4/6/19
New York City, NY

For the first time ever, ROH and New Japan come together not just for a mega PPV, but one that originates from the "Mecca" of entertainment, Madison Square Garden.  This union formed the first ever G1 Supercard.  To show how major this was, the event sold out in under an hour.  Was it worth it? Profoundly yes!  This was star power from both Ring Of Honor and New Japan with stars such as Tanahashi, Jeff Cobb, Zach Sabre Jr, and Will Ospreay bringing exciting action with their respective matches.  Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito tore the house down over the I-C Title, but the event was highlighted by Okada winning his fourth IWGP World Title by defeating Jay White in an awesome encounter, even better than the one they had at Wrestle Kingdom 13.  This event overall met expectations and hopefully we will see another great ROH/NJPW union the caliber of this.

5. NXT Takeover XXV
6/1/19
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Was NXT on a roll or what this year? Practically every Takeover was crazy and had commanded the sport's attention.  Definitely one of the single best ones was NXT Takeover XXV.  This event marked their twenty-fifth Takeover event.  What a memorable one it was.  Top to bottom, this was completely action-packed and was on fire.  Riddle/Strong started the event in GREAT fashion, while the Fatal Four Way for the Tag belts that saw Street Profits win them was quite the competitive follow-up.  However, the event went into another stratosphere with the Gargano/Cole rematch from Takeover: New York.  Folks, this was every bit as unreal as their first encounter.  The near falls and the atmosphere of the crowd matched their initial monstrous match.  In the end, Cole came away with the NXT Title and the era of BAY BAY started.  This goes down as one of the best Takeovers to date.

4. NJPW Dominion '19
6/9/19
Osaka, Japan

New Japan's Dominion is typically regarded as their version of Summerslam.  Pretty much the second most anticipated PPV of the year for that company as a whole.  Some legendary matches have come from this event, especially the prior two with Okada/Omega redefining the landscape of modern wrestling.  This year, this event was every bit as incredible as past Dominion events.  Excellent matches such as Kojima/Takagi and Ishii/Taichi were highlighted in this event.  Although the main event was the highly anticipated "Rainmaker vs. Painmaker" as Okada fought Jericho for the title in a fantastic match, it was clearly Ospreay/Dragon Lee and Naito/Ibushi that had the far and away matches of the night.  Some have argued that this hasn't been as off the page as the prior three Dominions especially, however it would be foolish to disqualify this event based upon that notion.  This was one of the most purely solid PPVs all year and is quite the spectacle for any and all New Japan fans.

3. AEW Double Or Nothing
5/25/19
Las Vegas, NV

Anticipation had been at a monster pitch, and the moment was finally here.  The official inaugural AEW PPV was here.  The event, Double Or Nothing, sold out in less than an hour and the atmosphere was prime for them to officially make their mark in the sport.  Boy did they ever.  These were three of the most entertaining, competitive, hungry, and emotionally charged hours all year in the sport.  From the pre-show Battle Royal to the great main event of Omega vs. Jericho, this had everything you could want in a PPV.  This covered every single basis.  While standouts were many and constant, none gripped the hearts and attention of the fans more than the bloodbath between Dustin Rhodes and his brother Cody, as they put on a true wrestling classic and definitely one of the most gripping matches in recent years. Not to mention the shocking (although not really) appearance of Jon Moxley, as he attacked both Jericho and Omega after their match. This event was exactly what AEW needed to put them on the map, and this was a complete grand slam.

2. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
1/4/19
Tokyo, Japan

The Wrestlemania of New Japan had arrived, and as usual, it dominated the talk of the year in wrestling.  New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 13 was a four-plus hour long event but not a moment was trashed and wasted.  From the unbelievable opener of Ospreay/Ibushi all the way through one of the greatest main events in the history of New Japan of Tanahashi/Omega, this event killed.  There was so much to take away from this enormous event and with other awesome matches like Naito/Jericho and Ishii/Sabre Jr., this could definitely be placed among the greatest Wrestle Kingdom events ever.  This was non-stop solid and exceptional.  It's no reason NJPW is regarded as the best promotion in the world with phenomenal events like this.

1. NXT Takeover: New York
4/5/19
Brooklyn, NY

There have been twenty-five NXT Takeover events.  The majority of them have been simply excellent.  The more they happened, the better they started to be.  This year, Takeover went back to Brooklyn for Takeover: New York, and folks, this one has to get placed among the top two or three of all time.  Much like Wrestle Kingdom, not one moment is wasted or any momentum is derailed with this event.  There was stellar match after stellar match here.  To say the Brooklyn crowd was crazy was quite the understatement as well.  The atmosphere alone was off the charts, as most NXT events are.  This was special.  Maybe because it was Wrestlemania weekend.  Who knows? What we do know is that this was a nearly perfect PPV, no matter your brand.  Not to mention Gargano and Cole put on forty of some of the finest minutes in all of wrestling this year with perhaps the greatest WWE match ever witnessed.  This, ladies and gentlemen, was an event for the ages, previously left off by Takeover: New Orleans as the greatest Takeover.  This was pure wrestling excellence and could be considered among the greatest overall PPVs of all-time.

Honorable Mentions

WWE Wrestlemania 36

WWE Summerslam '19

DDT: Coming To America

Progress Super Strong Style 16

NXT Takeover: War Games III

WWE Royal Rumble '19

GCW Bloodsport
GCW They Said It Couldn't Be Done

RevPro High Stakes '19

Impact Bound For Glory '19

Impact Slammiversary XVII

GCW Janela's Spring Break '19

NJPW Royal Quest

NJPW Southern Showdown

NJPW Destruction In Kagoshima

Evolve 10th Anniversary Show
Stardom x Stardom '19
Dragon Gate Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival

PWG Two Hundred

ROH Final Battle '19
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku '19