10 Best WWE PPV Matches Of 2019 (So Far)

6. Ricochet vs. Samoa Joe (Stomping Grounds)

WWE Stomping Grounds Ricochet Samoa Joe
WWE.com

You'd have to go some to find better back-to-back matches on WWE pay-per-view this year than KO and Zayn vs. The New Day and this one. What seemed another throwaway title match in the mid card going into Stomping Grounds turned into a refreshing championship change and another leg up the ladder for Ricochet.

The high-flyer was made to look like a million bucks by Samoa Joe and WWE's commentary team.

Michael Cole said that Rico offers more than dazzling aerial skills, and that proved true when he gritted his teeth to withstand Joe's bully-boy offensive flurries. Storytelling was key here, and that's even more special considering the match had little build. That's what great performers do. They turn exhibitions into hidden gems.

A pleasing result bodes well for Ricochet's future too. Everyone wins; he moves on to a feud with AJ Styles (that could, in theory, blow everyone's socks off) and Joe gets to mingle in the WWE Title scene again. If you only revisit one US Title bout from 2019's first half, make it this.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.