Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks the Top 10 Top Tens of 2019

(+) Yeah! (+)

As we chug along to the conclusion of the year, it's time to look back at everything that made 2019 the best 2019 since about four thousand years ago. And who better to objectively chronicle all that was wonderful in this arbitrary calendar metric than me, someone who has watched some things and played some games?

No top ten list is complete without ten items, so in the spirit of complete tennishness, I will be ranking the Top Ten lists of 2019 Top Tens:

10) Top 10 Scores and Soundtracks of 2019
9) Top 10 Comic Books of 2019
8) Top 10 Wrestlers of 2019
7) Top 10 Returning TV Shows of 2019
6) Top 10 Returning Characters of 2019
5) Top 10 Video Games of 2019
4) Top 10 New Characters of 2019
3) Top 10 Films of 2019
2) Top 10 New TV Shows of 2019
1) Top 10 Things to Look Forward To in 2020

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Awesome, tag!

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Sounds like fun!

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The Top 10 Scores and Soundtracks of 2019!

#10 - Cadence of Hyrule
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh1hqY2qXO0

In a brilliant mishmash of roguelike, rhythm, and Zelda, Cadence of Hyrule highlighted a blend of Zelda source material with the Crypt of the Necrodancer's tonally memorable style. The result ended up being one of my personal favorite scores of the year. In a game that is designed to be wholly reliant on strong music, right down to the mechanics, Cadence of Hyrule ends up clearing the bar with room to spare. The variety of remixes span genres and instrumentations while still hewing close to the core of the musical themes that have become such a staple to the Zelda franchise, in effect breathing entirely new life into a franchise that has managed to constantly innovate and stay relevant. The ultimate result is toe-tapping, rhythm becoming the main focus of these pieces that are usually written to be melodious and memorable.


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#9 - 1917
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5fQplTA7GE

The movie may not be out yet, but the score has been online for months, and Sam Mendes' latest outing, no matter the quality, is given epic treatment by the Audiomachine score. Regardless of what the actual film will be like, 1917's score captures the theater of war in some beautiful orchestrations. Powerful rhythms and arpeggiations seem to be the order of the day for this beautiful piece of cinematic symphony. The evolution from the Hans Zimmer school of thought in movie scoring is something to behold.

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#8 - Kingdom Hearts III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyPzh1EPVrk

While I may be lukewarm on the game itself, Kingdom Hearts' most recent installation provided one of the more enjoyable scores of the year. A larger budget and better orchestration took the series to the next level of scope in terms of presentation, and it felt as if most, if not all, of the stops were pulled out to make sure the music remained faithful to the first two titles while still evolving forward. There were also a lot of unusual tracks that really subverted my expectations for a KH score, much like the piece posted above. KH3's score is one I've returned to often over the course of the year, and that's impressive given just how much I don't want to return to the game itself.

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#7 - The Handmaid's Tale: Season 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw_9Bw5DGZY

I found this particular season to be a downturn in overall quality, but The Handmaid's Tale consistently churns out some phenomenal, moving tracks thanks to the amazing ear of Adam Taylor. Building both long, sorrowful moments of tragedy as well as tense, frightening moments of stress and terror, HT, especially this year, was especially buttressed by the music taking the reins in big moments and elevating good scenes to memorable ones. That's the job of a great score, and that role is performed admirably on this Hulu original. Tracks like Turning Point have quickly become major points of replay for me, as I can't help but be captivated with the breathless elegance and simplicity of Taylor's work.

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#6 - Anthem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n1Y2pjEw3w

It's such a shame that the bed was so completely shat by BioWare here, because for my money, Anthem has one of the coolest soundtracks of the year. There are some really unusual components to the score, a flavor I don't think I've quite felt elsewhere. The idea of exploration is so wonderfully and beautifully captivated, and a wild, untamed world is embodied by this score. Ultimately, the score here feels like it's own entity, not bound by the conventions of previous BioWare titles in any way. The fact that hardly anyone has HEARD this score makes me very sad. Of course, experiencing it as its meant to be experienced probably means that you have to slog through a terrible game, so I don't blame anyone on not taking me up on that dubious challenge.

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#5 - Alita: Battle Angel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsTTFAtNPVI

A strangely sweet little tale that I found a slight fondness for, Alita is uplifted by Tom Holkenborg's score immeasurably. Regardless of your feelings for the film itself, it can't be ignored that the orchestration of its music ended up being a wonderful hidden gem on the year. The tracks that hit home the hardest contain a sorrowful and angelic quality to them, perfectly embodying the iconography the movie is trying to create with its lead protagonist. Ultimately, a soundtrack worth a listen, even if the movie didn't hit home for you.

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#4 - Borderlands 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueFmUkAazGs

I was floored by the sudden change in musical quality in Borderlands. The surprising addition of Jesper Kyd in a central role to this soundtrack ended up making all the difference in the world for the title. BL3 was always going to have a tough act to follow, and it was known early on that leaving Pandora would be a key component to the progression of the series. Kyd had a tough tightrope to walk: create a score that tied together while giving these new world an entirely different coat of paint, giving them their own musical hues that differed from what came before. I think Kyd succeeded admirably, creating some haunting moments of science fiction brilliance, from the Meridian Outskirts to the swamps of Jakobs Estate.

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#3 - Joker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxRHyRXqkSc

Imagine being assigned the uneviable task of taking on the duties of scoring the world of Gotham City after Hans Zimmer's score defined it for the last decade. The music of this film kept me on my toes, never comfortable, always anticipating what was coming next. The main theme itself is surreal and nightmarish, like a funeral march down a spinning alleyway. It works so wonderfully, painting an image totally in sync with Phoenix's Arthur Fleck. Ultimately, a powerful work by Hildur Gudnadottir, enlivened by excellent, careful selections of preexisting music throughout the film.

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#2 - Game of Thrones: Season 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1frgt0D_f4

While your mileage may CERTAINLY vary with this season based on how much you like Daenerys Targaryen (or Starbucks), one undeniably brilliant aspect of this show was still firing on all cylinders: the music. Ramin Djawadi has been the standard bearer for television music for almost a decade now, carrying the baton passed to him from Michael Giacchino before. The emotionally satisfying conclusion to the series (musically speaking) was the perfect cap to his amazing work, especially through the last few seasons. In one moment, Djawadi takes us to pulse-pounding action, and in the next he reels back and plays sparse with the instrumentation. Somehow, this score is always perfectly positioned to reinforce or subvert expectations. Ultimately, in the darkest moment of the series, Djawadi came through and delivered big time, saving the day completely.

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#1 - Watchmen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmEf3AU1Aww

Reznor and Ross have been top dogs in the world of music, and the world of film music more specifically, for years, but for my money, this is the best work they've ever done. Television has never been given such a phenomenally orchestrated backdrop. Somehow, this score summons up the original bleak 80s deconstructionist tendencies while still evolving for the late 10s and early 20s. The decompressed sound of industrialism paints an undeniably sci-fi soundscape for the series, unflinchingly cold and hard. And let's not forget that it actually, legitimately, kicks ass. Music for TV or film rarely feels like boots kicking in doors and beating the crap out of lesser musical scores. It's a bully of a composition.

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Taggage

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We'll pick up again tomorrow with the the top ten comics.

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I saw Top 10 Scores and immediately thought "Where did The Night King end up"

Watchmen is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum but goddamn it is good

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It really is crazy how far apart those two are, but they are both so brilliant.

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The Top Ten Comic Books of 2019!

#10 - Conan the Barbarian (by Jason Aaron)
https://imgur.com/AF1Su7l

The beauty of this series is how there is a taste of every type of Conan story. From Conan at sea and fighting pirates, to King Conan, to Conan fighting in wars set in the desert, there is a little bit of everything here. The opening issue delivers a gladiatorial battle for those looking for blood-soaked swords and properly sets up the new characters who are plotting against him.

Jason Aaron does a fantastic job establishing Conans legacy, first being born on a battlefield, then becoming king, and then cutting to when he was younger, fighting men for gold and wine. His life is storied and the way this issue is plotted that is made very clear. There are plenty of fight scenes, magic afoot, and a promise by the end that Conan may be facing his most challenging battle yet.

New fans are going to easily get into this book. A lot of blood does flow and heads do get lopped off. Its marked with a parental advisory for a reason. This book delivers on everything that makes Conan great, whether its his strength, his tenacity, or his love of women and wine. This book lives up to the aptly titled barbarian in more ways than one. Opening with two full-page splashes and following that a double page splash, its made clear this is an epic tale that spans time, many deaths, and a heros journey like no other.

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#9 - Books of Magic (by Kat Howard)
https://imgur.com/AYbW1AJ

This feels like a classic Tim Hunter story - no one knows exactly what's going on, there are larger forces at work, and Tim has people who may or may not be allies. I appreciated the artistic and in-text references to the old Books of Magic series (it was awesome to see the Peter Gross art referenced), which made me want to go back and reread all 75 issues of the original series to remember how Tim's character arc progressed there to see if where he is now makes sense. The only thing that was missing for me from this series was Molly (of course! how could you do Books of Magic without Molly?), but I'm perfectly willing to wait and see how things progress. This was a great start.

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Tag!

Very excited to see what the rest of the comics on the list are. I actually got into Books of Magic just last month and it is now one of my favourite books that I'm currently reading. I haven't read any of the new (or old) Sandman Universe stuff, but after reading the first issue of the new Hellblazer and seeing this Tim Hunter character I figured I should probably read the book that he's featured in to see what's going on in this world. Great decision.

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I think Three Houses and Death Stranding both deserve praise for their soundtracks. While I like KH3 more than most, its soundtrack wasn't as good as FFXV's.

Edit: Also curious about comics - House/Age of X?

I haven't played Three Houses and likely never will. I just have never had the inclination to get into Fire Emblem.

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#8 - Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.
https://i.imgur.com/qclojjm.jpg

Despite rumors to the contrary, Mike Mignola seems to be in the business of churning out the hopefully never-ending series of occult weirdness and Lovecraft love letters that have propelled him to unenduring fame. The handful of one-shots that released this year remained at the apex of Mignola's work, and I, of course, highly recommend the franchise so long as Mignola keeps things rolling.

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#7 - Criminal (by Ed Brubaker)
https://imgur.com/CfuCkFm

The crime genre is intriguing. You dont find many crime books these days, its even harder to find one thats not a 1950s snorefest. Brubaker and Phillips are like the Godfathers of the genre. Theyve managed to create the crime universe of Criminal and keep it consistently fresh over numerous books and are continuing to do so with Criminal. I wondered if their last deal with Image would end their tenure there, but thankfully they re-upped their contracts, and the long, storied tale of Teeg Lawless continues. In one of the only hard-boiled tales you can find in comics these days, I highly recommend it to anyone looking to break away from the standard superhero fare.

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#6 - Undiscovered Country (by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule)
https://imgur.com/oI0sdl7

Conceived by the wordy, but clever writing team of Scott Snyder and Charles Soule, this debut delivers a deceptively simple premise, but one that has large-scale ripple effects for the world around said concept. What if the United States, one day in the near-future, suddenly cut itself off from the rest of the world? Standing as a silent, self-contained biome for more than 30 years, the USA has suddenly opened its gates to visitors from an outside world on the brink of collapse. Filled with widescreen panels riddled with lengthy dialogue balloons, Undiscovered Country is just plain big. It has big ideas and big, broadly sketched characters populating the expansive artwork. One part DMZ and one part Tom Clancy, Snyder and Soule together churn out an entirely unique vision of the United States, and one that hopefully will endure for years to come.

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#5 - Lucifer (by Dan Watters)
https://imgur.com/H29RCvR

A love letter to the original series, Lucifer's art is bold and phenomenal, it's writing is timeless and provocative, and the star of the series remains true to his comics core. Lucifer was always the most worthy spin-off of the Sandman universe, and in the new Sandman Universe line, this remains the case. Watters has carved his own niche into the franchise with ease, creating a world bursting with wicked magical wonderment. Amazing.

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#4 - The Immortal Hulk (by Al Ewing)
https://imgur.com/68g4xCO

Since debuting last year, The Immortal Hulk has been a commercial and critical success that has lead to multiple printings of each issue and reports that, in some comic stores, it outsells the likes of Batman comics and The Amazing Spider-Man. A year ago, nobody wouldve guessed a Hulk comic that features very little smashing while it wallows in bleak darkness would be the talk of the industry, but here we are. The Immortal Hulk is one of the best superhero comics being published because its smart, philosophical, scary, and perfectly structured.

When writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennett launched The Immortal Hulk back in 2018, they made it clear right away they were taking the character in a very different direction. The first issue is about a gas station robbery gone wrong. Its about a 12 year-old girl being murdered. The Immortal Hulk featured no supervillains or evil aliens bent on world domination. It was about the sort of evil that people do everyday. It was dark and unforgiving.

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#3 - Die (by Kieron Gillen)
https://imgur.com/IsiqwId

Everyone who has ever played a fantasy role-playing game (or, for that matter, first encountered fantasy literature as an impressionable young child) has wondered what it would be like, if not devoutly wished, to be transported to the setting of that game. Not everyone, however, has put the same degree of thought into it that Gillen has in crafting this very dark vision of what would happen if a game master brought his vision to life for his players with some very real - and deadly - consequences.

As much fun as the book is - and it IS fun, and well worth a read for fantasy fans and gamers in particular (none of whom will be surprised by a certain real-life fantasy lit titan ghosting through the pages of the book) - even more fun is the after matter, in which Gillen painstakingly details not only the creation of his world, but the source material that informed it, and analyzes numerous archetypal characters in order to deconstruct them.

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Immortal Hulk is wild and one of the few comics I'm actively reading as a lapsed reader.

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#2 - Green Lantern (by Grant Morrison)
https://imgur.com/NqjoGyz

Arguably, Morrison and Sharp's take is the most exciting the Green Lantern book has ever been outside of Geoff Johns' run, following Jordan on his strange, deep-space cop adventures as the Green Lantern goes undercover and navigates various alien cultures. In many ways, The Green Lantern recaptures the era of experimental storytelling last seen in the 1970s, back when the superhero genre was bending into previously unimaginable shapes; Morrison's wild ideas and Sharp's stunning art not only allow the reader to escape their life but feel like they're actually experiencing the final frontier.

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#1 - Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (by Matt Fraction)
https://imgur.com/OXgQfIP

Matt Fraction and Steve Liebers bizarre continuation of the wacky status quo they set up in the Leviathan Rising special takes that storys strengths and doubles down on them. Beginning with a prelude in the pre-Metropolis colonial days, it shows that apparently theres been an epic feud between the Luthors and Olsens dating back to when the first Luthor in America murdered the first Olsen and now Lex is still feuding with Jimmys filthy rich, corrupt relative (brother?) Julian. Julian is none too fond of Jimmy and the issue sets up a hilarious new status quo for Supermans pal as hes become a viral video superstar, experimenting on himself for clicks and making dreams come true. The first major action segment of the issue has him transforming himself into a turtle-Kaiju and jumping out of a plane, having to be rescued by Superman and demolishing a beloved Metropolis statue.

This is all from issue #1.

Jimmy Olsen is often written off as a joke with modern comic readers, so it should surprise everyone that his original series lasted 170 issues and featured nothing less than the debut of Darkseid and the New Gods by its end. Somehow, the butt of Superman jokes is currently the star of the best, wildest, most ridiculously good series in comics.

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And now the first taste of the Top Ten Wrestlers of 2019!

#10 - Tessa Blanchard
https://imgur.com/C8xoMN6

Star quality is an elusive concept, one that gets bandied about in arguments over which minor league stars have the most potential on a large scale. For me, Tessa Blanchard is that star. Her tough-as-nails attitude and cool, sleek presentation combines the best of the old school and the new school. Even as a heel, you want more of her. Not to win, just to exist. As a talent, I daresay that Tessa is the top tier of American women right now. As Becky begins to rest on her laurels in-ring, and AEW presents a division of horrible fuck-ups, Tessa stands out as someone who grinds away every week, dominating with great in-ring action and consistently improving as a promo. Her look is phenomenal - somehow a mix between Sam the Eagle and Tully Blanchard, Tessa's profile alone is intimidating and memorable.

As long as Tessa remains in Impact, she will be pushing against an immovable ceiling. But as she continues to incubate there, Tessa's platform is strong. I would never subject someone to watching Impact like I do, but if you do, know that there is a talent there ready to break out in the biggest way possible.

I'll post the rest of my top wrestlers for everyone to disagree with tomorrow.

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Very surprised that House/Powers of X didn't make your list!

I both had no interest and had never read an X-men comic prior to it and it instantly hooked me in while also not punishing me for not knowing who 75% of the characters were. I regularly let my pull list stack up a few weeks before reading but these X books were "read as soon as I get home from the store" books.

I found more people talking about it than any book that has been out since I started reading. Most weeks, the talk at my comic store when I'm in there is about anything but comics as I try to steer it to other interests knowing the guy that works there already has to talk about them for hours a day, but we found ourselves spending an hour every Thursday going over the latest issue in this series.

One thing I will say, though, is that I've been pretty disappointed with the follow up and relaunch. Straight from issue 1 of X-men I went back to feeling bad about reading for not understanding the history of these characters, and by only reading the main title I've missed out on most of the actual interesting things that are happening in relation to Krakoa. It's been very disappointing.
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It was very good for an X-Men title. It also was lumped in a year with a lot of great material! It's tough to top Mignola in ANY year, and you had some excellent indie titles out there kicking off.

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scarletspeed7 posted...

#1 - Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (by Matt Fraction)
https://imgur.com/OXgQfIP

Matt Fraction and Steve Liebers bizarre continuation of the wacky status quo they set up in the Leviathan Rising special takes that storys strengths and doubles down on them. Beginning with a prelude in the pre-Metropolis colonial days, it shows that apparently theres been an epic feud between the Luthors and Olsens dating back to when the first Luthor in America murdered the first Olsen and now Lex is still feuding with Jimmys filthy rich, corrupt relative (brother?) Julian. Julian is none too fond of Jimmy and the issue sets up a hilarious new status quo for Supermans pal as hes become a viral video superstar, experimenting on himself for clicks and making dreams come true. The first major action segment of the issue has him transforming himself into a turtle-Kaiju and jumping out of a plane, having to be rescued by Superman and demolishing a beloved Metropolis statue.

This is all from issue #1.

Jimmy Olsen is often written off as a joke with modern comic readers, so it should surprise everyone that his original series lasted 170 issues and featured nothing less than the debut of Darkseid and the New Gods by its end. Somehow, the butt of Superman jokes is currently the star of the best, wildest, most ridiculously good series in comics.

Ok I read the conan book and the green lantern book from your list and thats it so I can't even form an opinion enough to be angry

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My quick and dirty top 10

1. Red Sonja (Russell)
2. Archie (Fraction)
3. Batman (King/Janin/Gerads)
4. Justice League (Snyder)
5. Superman (Bendis)
6. Wonder Twins (Russel/Pugh)
7.The Terrifics (Yang)
8. Fantastic Four (Slott)
9. Red Hood and the Outlaws (Lobdell)
10. Aquaman (Kelly Sue DeConnick)
HM Young Justice

Feels weird doing one of these sans Paper Girls and Saga.

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Very happy to see Lucifer on there! My favorite comic of the year was Absolute Carnage, which I guess shouldn't be too surprising. It's probably one of my favorite symbiote/Carnage related stories ever honestly.

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I was never a big fan of Game of Thrones's scores

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scarletspeed7 posted...

#2 - Green Lantern (by Grant Morrison)
https://imgur.com/NqjoGyz

Arguably, Morrison and Sharp's take is the most exciting the Green Lantern book has ever been outside of Geoff Johns' run, following Jordan on his strange, deep-space cop adventures as the Green Lantern goes undercover and navigates various alien cultures. In many ways, The Green Lantern recaptures the era of experimental storytelling last seen in the 1970s, back when the superhero genre was bending into previously unimaginable shapes; Morrison's wild ideas and Sharp's stunning art not only allow the reader to escape their life but feel like they're actually experiencing the final frontier.

I have to admit I love the deep space feel but with Morrison I very often feel like I need a friggen decoder ring.

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#9 - Fenix

The greatest AAA champion since Jeff Jarrett, Fenix has been an MVP as both a tag team member and as a singles competitor. Few individuals in the wrestling realm come close to his acrobatic prowess, and he capitalizes on raw talent by using a truly amazing since of spatial creativity. I've never in my life seen someone as comfortable and capable on the ropes as Fenix. Whether he's working with Pentagon or running the show down in Mexico as the top champion of his brand, Fenix constantly wows me. Rarely does he end up in a bad match, and the few times it happens, it can easily be chalked up to bad booking. Fenix's run in Impact this year helped elevate LAX to an elite caliber, and his feud with the Young Bucks has been phenomenal.

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Fenix is one of those guys who will likely never come within spitting distance of my top 10 for a year, but who I'd also never begrudge being included in others'.

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Tag!

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#8 - Tomohiro Ishii

There is nothing more enjoyable than your AVERAGE Ishii match. That's purely because an average Ishii match is insanely physical, a story built on a mental toughness that allows a man to endure unimaginable torture at the hands of his opponents. Ishii perseveres at every turn, and he always ropes me into his story. It's impossible not to root for Ishii; he has a great, memorable look and a physical, fast moveset for a man of his size. His brawling skill set still somehow makes him an underdog in big match situations, so his come-from-behind role sucks me in at every turn. Especially after a phenomenal G1, I feel confident in the statement that Ishii is a Top 10 of All Time wrestler for me. Brilliant.

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Sorry, got busy. More soon.

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Promise to get back to this tomorrow. Christmas has been busy!

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Okay, so part of my delay was to catch up on a few shows in case they make my list.

Anyways!

#7 - Private Party
I've fast become a fan of the dynamic tag duo that summons all of the aerial agility I love in wrestling. In a company based entirely around tag team wrestling, Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy stand out to me as the future. As the Bucks have slowly become less aerodynamic, decreasing their pace, I look at Private Party as my go-to eye-popping openers. The rate at which they've improved, even in just a few months, has been staggering as well.

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#6 - Lio Rush

A late entry to this list, Lio Rush languished as a lowcard manager with a mouth that both got him into a starring position and out of it just as quickly. Whatever is plaguing Lio in terms of bad attitude problems appears to be at least pushed to the back burner for now, however. Rush's phenomenal Cruiserweight Title run easily pushed AEW into the second-place spot, resurrecting the pioneering style of wrestling that WCW founded in their own cruiserweight division. Lio recently wrapped a title run featuring some of - scratch that - THE best matches in the WWE Cruiserweight Title's entire existence, culminating in a feud with Angel Garza that finally allowed me to see value in Garza's role in WWE. What a master of the lightweight craft; Rush both nails the cruiserweight style of psychology while crafting some breathtaking, innovative sequences.

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#5 - Io Shirai

The Genius of the Sky has been my hands-down favorite women's competitor this year, summoning a truly frightening and yet ridiculously alluring heel character in NXT and stealing the show in her every match. Sure, we could talk about the slowly-overpushed Rhea Ripley and her innate star quality, but WWE cannot screw up a character in Io the way they're starting to do so with Rhea. Io's strength is in her facial expressions and vicious moveset. It's calculating and at the same time unbound with raw anger. There's something to be said for good acting in a wrestling match, summoning emotion to reinforce a fundamentally sound match, and Io is probably the best women's wrestler in the world.

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#4 - Kento Miyahara

Kento Miyahara probably isn't the best wrestler in the world, or even the most charismatic (though that one's more debatable), but he's near the tippy-top of both of those categories. What other fresh-faced, good-looking Ace of the Company would be out here throwing headbutts? Kento is definitely in the conversation of what talent has single-handedly held up a company the most in this century. Cena, Tanahashi, and now Kento Miyahara - that's an elite group of talent, one that Kento easily lands himself with insane charisma and phenomenal matches. Even when he's dipping his toes into his wicked heelish tendencies, he still has a charm about him. Some of the best knees and kicks in the game, Kento's moveset may not be the most electric, but it's certainly the sort of arsenal you like to see in a top star. All in all, you at least have to respect him, even if you don't like him.

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#3 - Keith Lee

Better than Adam Cole. Better than Johnny Gargano. Better than Ciampa. I'd say Keith Lee is the star with the biggest future in WWE right, now even more than Matt Riddle (Who is my personal favorite on the NXT brand, although he languishes as a second-tier star way too much). Lee has an innate charisma and imposing presence that combine to make him come across with the sort of casual confidence and genial breeziness that made the Rock so great in the late 90s. Lee is also miles better than the Rock in the act of actually wrestling; his series with Dijak floored me to no end, and I can't wait to see what comes next for the big man in 2020.

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