‘Best of 2018’ season is rolling on and honest to God, I’m having trouble thinking of shit to type in these introductory paragraphs….so, let’s just get to it. That’s the SoBros way – authenticity and transparency. Here’s my list of the top 10 WWE matches in 2018. LFG.
Honorable Mentions
I have a list of 50 matches on this year’s list, so I’ll save you all some time with the ‘honorable mentions’ section. Instead of going into my #11-20 slots, I’ll just present them in a nice clean bulleted list and if you take issue with any of them, feel free to hit me up on Twitter/e-mail.
- Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy (Survivor Series)
- Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (Raw before ‘Mania)
- Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella (Evolution)
- Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 34)
- Hell in a Cell: Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy (Hell in a Cell)
- Extreme Rules: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black (NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia)
- A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe (SummerSlam)
- Pete Dunne vs. Ricochet (NXT)
- Adam Cole vs. Ricochet (NXT: TakeOver: Brooklyn IV)
- The Miz vs. Seth Rollins (Backlash)
Top 10 WWE Matches of 2018
10. 6-man Ladder Match (NXT TakeOver: New Orleans) – Big multi-man matches are hard to pull off. I’m not usually a fan, but this one was so well done and featured a cast of fresh faces all vying for a new title (the NXT North American Championship). Velveteen Dream nearly died for our sins.
9. Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar (Survivor Series) – I thought it was going to be just another shitty Brock Lesnar squash match, but after Bryan showed some signs of life, they really amped things up. It’s one of Lesnar’s best showings in WWE and really got over Bryan’s penchant for punishment.
8. Gauntlet on Raw (2/19) – This was the infamous gauntlet match right before Elimination Chamber that saw Seth Rollins go for over an hour straight, eliminating John Cena and Roman Reigns, before losing to Elias. That performance is the stuff of legends.
7. Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey (Survivor Series) – At this point, no one was surprised to see Rousey have a good match. But, man – for it to get as personal as it did…that just left me shook. Hopefully, we get a rematch sooner rather than later.
6. Intercontinental Championship Iron Man Match: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler (Extreme Rules) – Ah, yes – the infamous countdown/clock fiasco match. Fans may have shat on this one, but I loved it. I also loved seeing the Intercontinental Championship main event a pay-per-view.
5. Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (WrestleMania 34) – I’ll admit it – I was nervous about this match. But, man – it delivered to a level I never would’ve expected. They stole the show in New Orleans and had the match of the night.
4. SmackDown Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (Evolution) – Evolution was obviously a huge event for a number of reasons, but seeing these two lay it all on the line in one of the greatest women’s wrestling matches of all time was quite the spectacle.
3. Chicago Street Fight: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Chicago II) – The violence was amplified in a good old fashion Chicago Street Fight between these two bitter rivals. Ciampa evened the score between the two after a vicious DDT on the exposed wood of the ring.
2. NXT Championship: Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia) – We knew these guys could go, but holy shit – did anyone see what transpired coming? I sure didn’t. There’s an art to suspending disbelief – it’s like a rare zone you enter without even realizing it, and this was one of those matches that commanded it. I felt like I was lost in time watching these guys go.
1. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: New Orleans) – In January, I would’ve sworn up and down that there was no way they were going to top Almas-Gargano. Well, I was wrong – that’s the ultimate jinx, right? Saying there’s “no way” something can happen most definitely ensures that it will happen. I think these two had one of the greatest wrestling rivalries of all time. But, this match in particular was the pinnacle of it. Absolutely flawless execution – torturous wrestling maneuvers, personal heart-wrenching moments. It was the encapsulation of this entire feud in a single match. One of the all time classics as soon as it happened.
Previous Honors
2013 – John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan
2014 – Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn
2015 – Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch
2016 – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn
2017 – Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne
More WWE ‘Best of 2018’
Top 5 Rivalries of 2018
WWE’s Breakout Stars of 2018
Top 10 WWE Matches of 2018
WWE’s Top 10 Tag Teams of 2018
The Top 10 WWE Superstars of 2018
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Subscribe to our Patreon. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube.
