10 WWE Wrestlers Who Grabbed The Brass Ring In 2019
It should have been me!
Grabbing the brass ring in 2019 WWE has reached almost mythical proportions.
Fans may well debate which wrestlers achieved this feat in recent years, pointing to the likes of Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and CM Punk, and yet (according to Vince McMahon) the last person to do so was John Cena.
The thinking behind it is that in grasping that chance you make yourself indispensable to the product via creating your own opportunities. Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the best examples of this; he came along during a period in the industry when personas like his simply didn't exist, carved out his own niche, grabbed the fans' attention and made it impossible for the higher-ups to ignore him.
Arguably, it's also about capitalising on every opportunity WWE gives you... maximise your minutes!
An honourable mention has to go to The Viking Raiders (formerly known as War Raiders) who have had an incredible year in WWE, winning championships on both NXT and Raw despite being saddled with several dreadful name changes.
Walter & Ricochet also deserve nods for their title-winning, headline-grabbing performances in 2019. Regardless, here are ten wrestlers who grabbed WWE's legendary brass ring this year...
10. The Street Profits
Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford as the Street Profits have seen a meteoric rise throughout 2019, culminating in their promotion to the main roster during the WWE Draft, where they most recently challenged for the Raw Tag Team Championships (suffering a narrow defeat to the Viking Raiders) and are entrusted with providing comic relief via backstage skits and interviews.
Personally, as a casual NXT fan, I was completely unaware of the duo until their breakout performance at NXT TakeOver: XXV where they competed in a thrilling Fatal 4-Way Ladder match for the vacant NXT Tag Team Championships alongside The Undisputed Era, The Forgotten Sons, and Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch.
Their entrance had the crowd in raptures and they proceeded to put in a show-stealing showing before capturing tag team gold in a breathtaking conclusion to one of the best ladder matches in recent memory.
A month later they began appearing in segments on Monday Night Raw at the behest of Paul Heyman, with Vince McMahon clearly enamoured by their appeal to younger audiences and effortless charisma. They've barely been off our screens since and big things beckon for them next year.