10 Best Wrestlers Of 2019
4. Jon Moxley
Dean Ambrose toiled in nothing matches against EC3 and punishment angles with Nia Jax (!) before disrupting the entire industry following his exit from WWE and rebirth as Jon Moxley.
Moxley, in astonishing contrast, reinvented himself as a badass polymath in NJPW and AEW.
In the east, Moxley got over instantly with Japanese crowds in a gruesome banger opposite Juice Robinson that yielded the best finishing sequence of the year: he sacrificed the Dirty Deeds to put over Juice, and from its ashes rose the phoenix of the Death Rider - a literal elevation of both the finish and his act.
Throughout the G1, Moxley got himself over as an expert strategist by channelling Bret Hart and Stan Hansen throughout the same tournament, where in the west, Moxley inspired moral panic with his terrifying, highly controversial thrill ride opposite Kenny Omega, a match that isn't credited enough for its artful, story-driven approach to the death match.
On the December 4 edition of Dynamite, Moxley's opponent Joey Janela was taunted with chants of 'Moxley's gonna kill you'. In an era of more chants than cheers, this one is still reserved for the true killers - and Moxley fashioned himself as the baddest man in the game in 2019.
Incredibly, he was among the lamest this time last year.