A hard to define year: a look back at 2019 in the world of wrestling
2019 pulled in more revenue for more wrestling talent than probably any other year on record. World Wrestling Entertainment continued its dominance, but New Japan Pro Wrestling was challenged for its #2 spot by the fledgling All Elite Wrestling. With talent pulled from both WWE and NJPW, AEW showed a strong roster and a plethora of future superstars in its mix.
Impact Wrestling rebuilt its brand under a new generation of talent and arguably created a handful of new stars. It also appealed to a new demographic of fans, mixing its old school style with a lot of fresh talents. The former purveyor of fresh new talent from the indies, Ring of Honor instead focused almost completely on talents they knew would stick with them throughout the calendar year, which lead to dwindling returns after filling Madison Square Garden for their biggest show ever (albeit one co-produced with NJPW.)
Meanwhile, the indies grew to more prominence than ever before. Game Changer Wrestling lead the rise of internet pay-per-view as a major marketing strategy, selling out show after show during Mania weekend and continuing strong with multiple events every month after. AAW and AIW followed them into that format.
The Highspots Wrestling Network and IndependentWrestling.TV opened avenues for other promotions…
