10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2019

6. NXT TakeOver: Phoenix

Dustin Rhodes Cody
WWE.com

Another typically excellent TakeOver offering, Phoenix benefitted from a more diverse complexion than the typical TakeOver offering.

Tommaso Ciampa and Aleister Black's main event didn't feel much like a TakeOver headliner, but was superb in its own right; Black's limb selling was masterful, and Ciampa tore it apart with the precision and graduating drama of an IWGP Heavyweight titan. More of a fight than a melodramatic spectacle, it isn't talked about enough as a classic NXT Championship match.

Ricochet and Johnny Gargano wrestled something more on-brand on the undercard: an electric, content-stuffed back-and-forth banger underpinned by a great tweener performance on the part of the latter. The action was jaw-dropping at points here - a thrilling exhibition of that accelerated melodrama in-house style.

In another, welcome departure from the TakeOver formula, of clinically assured excellence, Bianca Belair failed in her pursuit of Shayna Baszler's Women's Championship. Her slightly unpolished performance got over because it felt like she was fighting with her heart on her sleeve. Matt Riddle and Kassius Ohno maintained the show's theme by assembling a proper lip-purser of a scrap, and the opening tag match, between the War Raiders and the Undisputed ERA, was perfectly-judged in both length and dynamic.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!