10 Most Underrated Wrestling Matches Of 2019

2019 was a year of massive change in the wrestling industry. The emergence of AEW, the continued international rise of NJPW, NXT being aired every week on the USA network and so on. These changes fundamentally shifted fans' alignments, with more time spent arguing about ratings than seeking out some matches outside their usual purview.

While companies like WWE and NJPW are substantial enough to have die hard fans consuming every scrap of content produced by them, most viewers will have missed something, let alone from promotions that don't get the same amount of coverage by most news sites.

This is not a list that can cover everything, and many of these matches aren't exactly obscure, but all of the ones listed here are matches that are more than worth your time. They come from the midcard of shows you might have forgotten, episodes of television that most didn't watch, tournaments with dozens of other wrestling matches and so much more. If this list can do anything, it's a reminder that there is so much great content out there, easily accessible with a few clicks of a keyboard and mouse. We are lucky to be living in this great time to be wrestling fans.

WrestleMania weekend is an increasingly crowded time to be a wrestling fan. Even if you're in the know, have your FITE account all set up and are watching several shows a day, the sheer amount of content means that certain shows are prioritised over others. An underrated card was from the Chicago based all women's promotion Shimmer, who delivered a top to bottom excellent night of wrestling, with the personal standout being a styles clash between notorious undead warrior Su Yung, and the perpetually underrated Australian grappler Shazza McKenzie.

This was a match built entirely around proving themselves, two women in the middle of a stacked card on a weekend where they will never be the dominant force of conversation, working as hard as they could to stand out and mesmerise the crowd. The intense action is paced perfectly, with no dull moments infecting the quality of the match. The storytelling was simple, based around the endless strength of Yung as McKenzie had to work overtime to inflict any semblance of pain. It's a testament to both women's abilities that they managed to enthrall the crowd in the way that they did, especially going on right in the middle of the card.

There's a reason why Shazza McKenzie is mentioned in the conversation for the women that AEW should sign, if you haven't seen her work a full singles match, this is the perfect introduction point. However, it's maybe an even more critical showcase for Su Yung, whose brilliant character work in IMPACT Wrestling is pushed to the test here with an opponent that knows how to maximise her strengths. It's the kind of contest that makes the winner irrelevant and puts over both women as future main event level talents in any promotion that is lucky to have them.