The new wave of wrestling talent is here. These are the top 10 WWE wrestlers to watch in 2019.
WrestleMania has come and gone meaning WWE’s calendar year is about to start fresh! Last year was an important one for the business.
WWE acquired free agents like Matt Riddle and EC3 while WWE staple Roman
Reigns overcame cancer and made a triumphant in-ring return.
So how is it possible that WWE can top last year? With some incredible talent, of course.
Here are our picks for the top 10 WWE wrestlers to watch this coming year.
1. Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt hasn’t had the best luck in the WWE. Once an eerie, backwoods cult leader, Wyatt’s character quickly devolved into something more sad than sinister.
Sure, Wyatt still delivered fiery promos and had some great feuds with the likes of Randy Orton (House of Horrors match, anyone?), but there was a simple and frustrating formula to Bray’s feuds:
- Delivery weird, ominous promo.
- Interfere in his enemy’s match.
- Lose at a pay-per-view.
- Rinse and repeat with a new superstar.
Bray deserves better. And, in 2019, it looks like he may finally become the creepy weirdo we once knew and loved.
Why are we so optimistic? Well, WWE seems to be teasing his return via a puppet, some creepy music, and laughter. It’s bizarre, but that’s what makes Bray Wyatt so much fun to watch.
Here’s hoping creative knows how to let Bray be Bray and lets him fully embrace his character again.
2. Stokely Hathaway
For those who don’t follow the independent wrestling scene, Stokely Hathaway may be a relative unknown.
But rest assured, he won’t stay that way for long.
Hathaway made his rounds in Evolve, Beyond Wrestling, and Major League Wrestling. Though he’s a trained wrestler, Hathaway’s strength is as a mouthpiece.
There’s a good chance he’ll end up in a similar role as Lio Rush — managing instead of wrestling. But unlike Rush whose in-ring skills are, quite frankly, underutilized,
Stokely may be the best talker in the company at this moment.
You may not know his name now, but within a promo or two he’ll win you over.
3. Chad Gable
Time certainly flies. It’s tough to believe that Gable has spent almost half a decade traveling around the world with WWE at this point.
Yet in his five years with the company, Gable has proven to be one of the company’s most versatile workers.
He’s a fantastic in-ring competitor thanks in part to his amateur wrestling background. He’s great on the mic. And best of all, he makes whoever he works with look great.
His current program as Bobby Roode’s protege is a fantastic example. Gable’s mini-Roode routine steals the scene every time the two are on camera together.
It appears as though WWE is teasing a Bobby Roode heel turn, so expect Gable to get a solo run later this year.
4. Bianca Belair
After a fantastic showing at NXT TakeOver: New York, it seems as though NXT’s hair-flipping heroine is about to make her way up to the main roster.
And, given the strength of WWE’s current women’s division, now seems like a great time to introduce her to a larger audience.
Belair’s talent is irrefutable and her character works well as both a heel and a babyface.
What WWE will do with her on the main roster is anyone’s guess, but pairing her with someone like Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, or Ronda Rousey could be a great way to get her over.
5. Kushida
As a former staple of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Junior Division, Kushida has a ton of hype behind him already and for good reason.
The man has put on some incredible matches with the likes of Zack Sabre Jr., Kenny Omega, and Hiromu Tanahashi. But we’re most excited to see a rematch between Kushida and Undisputed Era member Kyle O’Reilly.
It’s unclear when Kushida will debut, but we expect he’ll get an NXT title push from the get-go.
6. Ricochet
After spending over a decade on the independent scene, Ricochet is finally getting the attention he deserves. And 2019 is only going to catapult the high-flyer to greater heights.
Though his main roster call-up seemed to come out of nowhere, WWE’s creative team is doing some wonderful work with him thus far, teaming him with fellow NXT alumni Aleister Black.
Ricochet could really go anywhere in the company. He’d be a great fit for WWE’s cruiserweight showcase “205 Live,” but he’d also make great fodder for guys like Finn Balor, Mustafa Ali, or Lio Rush.
The One and Only could very easily become WWE’s breakout star this year.
7. Elias
Elias isn’t WWE’s first attempt at a music-oriented character. How can anyone forget The Honky Tonk Man or Jimmy Hart, for instance?
But neither superstar captured the audience’s attention quite as quickly as Elias has. Despite Elias’ heel-like behavior, the audience seems to love him.
It would appear that someone on the creative team has noticed. Recently, Elias started receiving more airtime, even going one-on-one with The Undertaker the night after WrestleMania.
Elias’ push is only getting started, so we hope you’re ready to walk with Elias.
8. Kofi Kingston
This year’s WrestleMania was full of wonderful stories. From the triumphant return of Hulk Hogan fresh off the opening of another Hogan’s beach shop to the first-ever female-headlined WrestleMania main event, it was a year of firsts.
Yet no match stood out as much as the match between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan.
After 11 years without so much as a title shot, Kingston defeated Bryan to capture the WWE Championship in one of the most triumphant moments in WrestleMania history.
With his buddies in The New Day firmly behind him, we hope 2019 will be a great year for Kofi.
9. Chelsea Green
Better known as Laurel Van Ness from Impact Wrestling, Chelsea Green may be the dark horse of the NXT women’s division.
Green is athletically capable and comedically gifted. In fact, she once competed in a match against herself.
If she isn’t in this year’s Mae Young Classic, we suspect that Green may become one of NXT’s breakout stars.
10. Matt Riddle
If you’re sleeping on the King of Bros, it’s time to wake up. Riddle is still finding his footing in NXT, but we don’t see him there for long.
We wouldn’t be surprised if his recent match against Velveteen Dream was Riddle’s developmental curtain call.
Soon enough, Riddle may main event with Kofi Kingston or Seth Rollins!
The Top 10 WWE Wrestlers to Watch in 2019
There you have it, our picks for the top 10 WWE wrestlers to keep an eye out for this year. Get ready, because we have a feeling it’s going to be a great year for wrestling.
What do you think? Were our picks off or are we spot on? Get in touch and let us know.
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