10 Best Wrestling Pay-Per-Views Of 2019 (So Far)

8. WWE Money In The Bank

Cody Dustin Rhodes
WWE.com

Money In The Bank 2019 made stark, and sobering, the gulf in class between WWE's creative system and its talent roster - by cruel design, at one point.

The Universal Championship banger between Seth Rollins and AJ Styles was everything the company at large is not. Where WWE's storytelling is loose in the kindest assessment of it, the precision creative counters in this match were tight as hell, and well worth the viral meme adulation. Where so much of WWE's output feels casual and artificial, the frantic struggle to gain the advantage felt raw and real. In the main event, seven members of WWE's full-time talent roster destroyed their bodies via spectacularly gruesome means to put over not just the risk inherent to the titular attraction, but the luxurious treatment afforded to out-of-nowhere winner Brock Lesnar.

Money In The Bank 2019 reflected the chaos more than the malaise of WWE. This company isn't in total free-fall. This company made a star of Bayley the Broken on the night, following victory in a spirited, nasty Money In The Bank Ladder match and a tremendously-booked cash-in angle that intersected her old babyface honour and new edge.

Much of the Money In The Bank undercard was farcical, but never boring, never not fascinating, proving why even the most jaded fans can't withdraw their interest.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!