12 Ups & 13 Downs For WWE In 2019 (So Far)

WWE find themselves in a tricky position as 2019 trickles into its second half.

While the company's almost limitless pool of resources, insane talent roster, and 18-year market monopoly have created a monster that, theoretically, is too big to fail, the televised product is all over the place. Vince McMahon and his creative team have never been so erratic. Raw veers from borderline unwatchable to decent on a segment-to-segment basis and while SmackDown is a consistent six-out-of-ten every week, the promotion's wild attempts at recovering their lost viewership and restoring their cool factor have had mixed results.

AEW's emergence has them shook. While McMahon is never going out of business, renewed competition in North America has resulted in WWE putting up their walls and going all-out in their attempts at presenting themselves as the "big leagues," and their opponents, by default, the B-tier. Watching this new wrestling war pan out promises to be fascinating, particularly if WWE programming remains as nutty (or nuttier with the arrival of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff) as it was between January and June.

For now, let's take a trip through the many peaks and troughs that have defined WWE's 2019 so far...