Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)

2019 in WWE started so well. I have rarely watched a Road to WrestleMania that was better. Even NXT brought its A-game earliest in the year. Stars emerged, and the best in the business got their due. It was a special time.

However, what followed grew progressively more frustrating. That same talent that was elevated was shoved to the side. Old stars emerged as well as celebrities so that WWE could appease Saudi Arabia more than the fans.

WWE told some of its worst stories in recent memory including telling a bad story with Mike and Maria Kanellis then telling it again with Lana and Rusev. This company just could not get out of its way.

Despite all that, there were many great matches and moments that defined this year, and I want to celebrate that rather than dwelling on the bad.

Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)

This week will be the last time I post these Week in Review articles. I will do a Year in Review next week, and then I'm done. I want to step back and handle covering wrestling in a less structured manner going forward.

WWE has been exhausting to watch for long stretches this year, but I have stuck to it through sheer force of will. It is time to let the show rest a bit so that I can enjoy wrestling again.

I have not decided what I will do next. I may turn my focus to covering AEW Wrestling. I may just write articles about wrestling that vary more in scope. I will let 2020 come to decide on that.

Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)

It's the end of 2019, and WWE has now put on its final major show of the year. The company is already starting to look forward to WWE Royal Rumble 2020. It's about time to reflect on what this year was for wrestling.

This was a mixed bag of a year. The brand split wavered wildly leading to so many great stars getting no time to shine. When the brand split returned, control over the show also changed. Monday Night Raw has been bad in unique ways though also had great moment. Friday Night SmackDown has mostly been bad.

The talent in WWE is still always underused or used poorly. The year began with WWE crowning Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston. While The Man kept up her roll, The Beastslayer lost steam fast. Despite a few good matches, he's had potentially his worst fully healthy year in WWE.

Kofi's fall was even more severe. It is great he is more recognized as a star amongst fans, but it feels like everyone has already forgotten he was WWE Champion.

This whole year has been driven by missed opportunities. Even this week was one with plenty of potential that fell so far short. At least NXT has mostly been a success story through it all.

Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)

WWE has gotten to the point that the PPV cards are not even built until the week of. 7 hours of major nationalized television a week are not enough for WWE to build a 3 hour card with a month of time until the vert last week.

Honestly, there are parts of the card that shock me based on what is on the card and what is not. I thought there were certain guaranteed matches that missed the card entirely and others that absolutely did not deserve their spot.

This is a PPV that has often overdelivered, and it has matches like The Kabuki Warriors vs. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a TLC match as well as The New Day vs. The Revival in a ladder match. It's just the build that has disappointed on all fronts.

Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)

It's December, and every WWE fan knows what that means. It's time for WWE to phone it in for a month. The holiday season means most of the talent and writers just want to go home. Even before the very much needed pre-taped holiday shows, no one is in full gear.

Honestly, no one's probably all that interested until Royal Rumble. Then WWE gets serious again. For now, it's time to recycle old stories and put out matches we've all already seen.

I'm not saying I won't be watching regardless, but I know WWE too well to expect anything less than the company's worst with only the often discarded WWE TLC on the plate.