10 Wrestlers Who Peaked In 2019

2019 was at good as it's ever going to get for some wrestlers.

Becky Lynch Fastlane
WWE.com

Much like anybody in any profession, every wrestler has a moment when they truly hit their peak.

That peak doesn't always have to revolve around conditioning and physicality, of course, for the wrestling world is a truly unique beast. In any other athletic endeavour, that peak would usually come at the time when a talent is in the best physical shape of their life. And while that can be a contributing factor in wrestling, pro wrestling is also about taking your in-ring game to another level, hitting your stride psychologically-wise, making your promos click in the way that they need to, and finally getting yourself seen on a wider, global stage.

Different people can peak at vastly different times, of course. For some, things might click during their early years. For others, it may be towards the tail end of their career that everything suddenly comes together.

Each and every wrestler to have laced up a pair of boots has had their peak at some point. The great debate, of course, comes in thinking of your favourite wrestler and then trying to work out just which year was them at the true peak of their powers.

For some grapplers of today, it's going to be a near-impossible task to be able to top 2019 for a whole number of reasons. And here are ten such superstars whose careers may have peaked out this year.

10. Erick Rowan

Becky Lynch Fastlane
WWE.com

Back in 2018, nobody could have predicted that Erick Rowan would've spent a large chunk of 2019 butting heads with A-list stars such as Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. Surprisingly, that's exactly what happened for the former Wyatt Family member.

Rowan is a talented big man, yet recent years have seen him positioned as the 'unstoppable giant' who an underdog babyface has had to topple on their way to something bigger on the card, or else he's been used in a tag tandem with Luke Harper. After becoming the muscle for Bryan's Planet's Hero character, this multiple-time Tag Team Champion ended up feuding with Reigns before then going up against D-Bry.

In the eyes of WWE management, there isn't a bigger star in the company than Roman Reigns. For Rowan to feud with The Big Dog, and even get some wins over Roman, was huge for this Bludgeon Brother. For a good few months, it appeared as if everything was coming up Rowan. But with the powerhouse's move from SmackDown to Raw, all momentum has been deflated.

With his longtime on/off partner Harper still on the blue brand, and with rivals Reigns and Bryan likewise on SmackDown, Rowan is currently spinning his wheels on Raw with squash match wins over jobbers.

2019 ended with a whimper for Erick Rowan, but the rest of the year saw him hit the sort of heights he'll never again reach as a singles act.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.