10 Wrestling Matches Everybody Wanted (But Nobody Watched)
8. NXT Vs. WWE All-Star Matches
Because Vince McMahon could not sanction the idea of the competition he apparently thrives on, he pitted NXT against AEW Dynamite in 2019, and when AEW slaughtered his third brand, he, as everyone predicted, threw main roster acts at the problem instead of recognising and solving the problem at its core.
On the November 18 Raw, Triple H closed the show he and NXT had invaded by inviting anybody from the main roster to retaliate that Wednesday ahead of a three-way brand war at Survivor Series. No match was announced, but on the flagship show, the ideal commercial vehicle for the cable audience, Triple H outright confirmed what was, for a time, the dream fantasy booking scenario of the late 2010s: the battle between pro wrestling and sports entertainment that would revamp WWE at a foundational level and formally usher in the Triple H Era.
It didn't work.
NXT enjoyed a fractional total viewership win over Dynamite for the first time, but that really only meant that a handful of the ageing Raw crowd gave the yellow brand a brief glance. AEW won the demo handily, 0.39 to 0.30, and Rey Fénix Vs. Nick Jackson defeated Becky Lynch Vs. Rhea Ripley in head-to-head.
One of WWE's biggest stars lost a quarter hour to a man accused of killing the business in what was a staggering illustration of how the business had evolved.