Well, 2018 is in the books. It hasn’t been the easiest year for consumers of the WWE product. While NXT had arguably its best year ever, its older brother has languished with nonsensical storytelling and never-ending feuds. Much like Darth Vader though, there is still good in this dark presence. Enough good that it can be itemised and represented in the form of a top ten list. Here are our top ten WWE main roster matches of 2018.
10. Andrade “Cien” Almas Vs. Sin Cara – SmackDown, July 10
A short but sweet one to kick us off here. Almas and Sin Cara had a micro feud that centred on the former forgetting his roots, and the latter trying to remind him what it means to be humble. It was a simple enough set up and the eventual match was dazzling. Both men packed in so much with less than ten minutes to work with. Sin Cara got in a surprising amount of offence and reminded us all that he can still go.
This was a traditional lucha libre contest: athletic, non-stop, fast-paced, and never boring. Here’s hoping that 2019 is kinder to Almas, and let’s see more of what Sin Cara can do, please.
9. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler Vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth
Rollins – Hell in a Cell
Despite the feud that this was a part of being wholly uninteresting, these four were never going to have anything less than a great match. This had everything you could possibly want from a tag title contest. It was fairly even on both sides, each team just inching for whatever ground they could take to score an advantage over the other. Rollins and Ambrose looked to be on course to win as the finish came up, until Drew McIntyre hit the most “outta nowhere” Claymore Kick I’ve ever seen. Trust me, just go back and watch it to see what I’m talking about.
The future’s bright for at least two of the names here. Drew and Seth will almost definitely be holding world title gold next year. As for Dean and Dolph, I wouldn’t expect too much. The company have made their intent on who the top guys are pretty clear, but upper midcard is still a respectable position.
8. The Men’s Royal Rumble – Royal Rumble
After what seemed like a never ending barrage of underwhelming Rumbles, the streak was finally broken. Both battle royals were strong this year, but the women’s Rumble relied a little too heavily on nostalgia, to the point that the winner was fairly obvious as it wore on. The men’s counterpart, however, was an unpredictable field that had plenty of thrills to go with it. We had surprise appearances from Almas, Adam Cole, Rey Mysterio, even the freaking Hurricane!
On top of that, the closing minutes of the match were outstanding. Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and John Cena faced off against Finn Bálor, Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura. Old vs. New, the NXT guys proving that they belong. Add all this up with a feelgood Nakamura win and you’ve got an excellent Rumble match. I’ve got very few complaints with this one, it was just lovely. I’ve elected to ignore the fact that #30 was a disappointing Dolph Ziggler return.
7. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton – Hell in a Cell
This was everything a Cell match should be. In fact, maybe too much so. Jeff and Randy’s feud was a candidate for the best of the year with its relentless intensity. This felt like a fitting conclusion. Both men walloped each other with weaponry, seeing Orton’s leg having a piece of table jammed into it was a disgusting but effective visual. The most horrifying moment, of course, was Orton jamming a screwdriver though the flesh tunnel in Hardy’s earlobe. I honestly had to look away from the screen, it was scarily boundary pushing.
The finish was somewhat abrupt, which prevents the match from being any higher. Hardy just sort of dropped from the ceiling through a table, giving Randy ample time to simply roll out of the way. That aside, it was the perfect way to end a feud that was defined by violence and carnage. I also hope Jeff got his tetanus shots, because that screwdriver definitely wasn’t clean.
6. AJ Styles Vs. Samoa Joe – SummerSlam
AJ Styles’ insane year-long plus WWE Title reign was bogged down a little by repetitive feuds. He faced Shinsuke Nakamura approximately 400 times and then did the same with Samoa Joe. The first is often the best, though, and this was no exception. This felt like nothing short of a fight. Joe’s stellar promo work in the build that saw him taunting AJ’s family made for the perfect environment for chaos. While there were no stipulations, it felt like both men were trying to kill one another.
Joe looked great here, beating down the champ to the point where it looked like WWE were genuinely going to put the belt on him. Despite the fact that it ended in a DQ, it added to the story in a meaningful way. AJ absolutely snapping and wailing on Joe with a chair after he took to the mic and taunted his wife was a moment steeped in passion and rage. While the feud would then play it out in an unsatisfying manner, we can at least look upon their first encounter with fondness.
5. The Miz Vs. Seth Rollins Vs Finn Bálor – WrestleMania 34
This is how you want to open a WrestleMania. Three of your hardest working names for what is known as the workhorse title. The Miz had dominated the IC Title scene since mid-2016, never having more than one person holding the belt between his reigns. It was time for a changing of the guard, and it was excellent. The three men transitioned smoothly into meticulously crafted triple threat sequences. They fully utilised the stipulation and the winner was truly unpredictable.
When the smoke cleared and Seth Rollins hit a badass curb stomp to snuff out Finn Bálor’s hopes of winning gold, we saw “The Architect” then crush The Miz’s skull to pry the title away from him. It was a well-deserved win for the most over good guy in the entire company, and the short but memorable reign that followed was worthy of such a talent.
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar – Survivor Series
It was supposed to be AJ vs. Brock Part II, but Daniel Bryan turned heel and scuppered those plans. What we got instead was in many ways a copy and paste of the AJ match last year, though with the addition of a kick in the balls. Bryan got utterly killed throughout, to the point where it was looking like an extended squash. But fate presented an opportunity in the form of a low blow, and Bryan went all in on the offensive.
Brock spent so much time in the Yes! Lock at on point that part of me genuinely believed we’d see the mountain of muscle tap out. Of course, it was not to be. We got the one hit kill F-5 and that was all she wrote. Bryan still looked good here, though. He’s been doing some of the best work of his career as a self-righteous bad guy and you could tell his heart was 100% in this.
3. Seth Rollins Vs. The Miz – Backlash
Backlash was a bad show. Strike that, it was an awful show. That didn’t stop Miz and Rollins from trying to correct course as they kicked off the night, though. This was Miz’s rematch for the title he lost at Mania, and boy did they make the most of it. This was so captivating that I forgot I was watching it on my phone. The spots were precise and seamless. The false finishes felt appropriate and exact. Rollins managed to survive two Skull Crushing Finales to enrage Miz.
The finish might be my favourite of the entire year. A game of cat and mouse, finisher attempts and roll-ups that ended in a flash with a massive stomp. Rollins retained and Miz was finally vanquished. If you turn off Backlash after this match, it’s a perfect PPV.
2. Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey Vs. Triple H & Stephanie
McMahon – WrestleMania 34
Who in God’s name saw this coming? Ronda Rousey’s debut was all the things we love about wrestling distilled into one insane spectacle. WWE teased intergender grappling at several points, mostly in the form of Ronda Rousey decking Triple H. This was apparently heavily rehearsed but you wouldn’t know. Everyone looked like a pro and the match made up of two part-timers, a newcomer and a non-wrestler almost stole the entire year.
The star here was of course Ronda. She looked as confident and calm as anyone else in the ring. It looked like she’d been doing this her entire life. When she finally wrenched Stephanie McMahon’s arm out of its socket, the catharsis was so satisfying. Ronda’s rookie year has been a rousing success, and it all started here. Seeing Kurt Angle walk to the ring at WrestleMania again was an amazing moment as well.
1. Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair – Evolution
There’s little more I can say about this match that I haven’t already. I heaped praise upon it in my Evolution review and my stance hasn’t changed. These two had an all-out war for the ages. Making full use of the stipulation, there were no punches pulled in the forms of weaponry and tables. Becky looked like the most badass woman walking the planet and Charlotte brought plenty of heat to boot.
Just watch it, because my descriptions cannot do it justice. It was half an hour but was so well-paced that it flew by. This deserves to be in the canon of the all-time great last man standing matches, maybe even at the very top. Becky retaining with the same finish of the match where she first lost the title to Alexa Bliss back in 2016 was just the cherry on top.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
