10 Fascinating Facts About WWE In 2019
Seth Rollins was NOT happy with WWE boss Vince McMahon in 2019. Not many were!
WWE was stumbling around in the dark desperately trying to find a light switch in 2019. Some have called that 12-month period the company's "worst ever", but there was some good stuff. For every dreadful "Wild Card Rule", there was "KofiMania". Baron Corbin retiring Kurt Angle? Not to worry, because here comes Becky Lynch as 'The Man' to liven things up.
Despite the positives, it was easy to see that Vince McMahon had lost whatever magic he once possessed. 2019 was a year of revolution in the pro wrestling industry, and it was clear WWE had to change or slip further into the creative mire. AEW arrived amidst serious interest. Meanwhile, an unwanted Corbin main event push blighted episodes of Raw.
You might be surprised by just how much you've forgotten about the year that was though. Midcarders got heat behind the curtain for doing as they were told, The Undertaker almost unwittingly helped promote something AEW-centric, and Seth Rollins was ready to burn the whole place down after suffering a booking embarrassment.
It might've veered wildly between mortifying and excellent, but WWE's 2019 was definitely fascinating...
10. Shinsuke Nakamura’s Unwanted History
In 2018, Shinsuke Nakamura became the first ex-NXT Champion to win the Royal Rumble. Fast forward 12 months later to January 2019, and Shin was making history of a different kind. It was unwanted history too, but didn't become much of a hot talking point on social media (for some reason).
Nakamura became the first Rumble winner to get relegated to the pre-show the following year.
He beat Rusev on the 2019 Kickoff to win the United States Title. Shinsuke did go on to compete in the Rumble later that night, but…what a tumble. A royal tumble, if you like. Sorry! OK, that joke was worse than anything WWE might've had in mind for Nakamura as US Champ. Actually, being totally honest, maybe not.
R-Truth beat Shin on the following week's SmackDown to bag the belt. That means Naka spend 48 hours as US Champ before dropping the strap to a walking comedy act. An endearing comedy act, but still a comedy act! Again, what a fall from grace.