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2018 is in the history books, and for fans of professional wrestling, it has been an amazing, surprising, and controversial year.
The expansion of New Japan Pro Wrestling into the North American Market introduced a lot of people to the 'Best Bout Machine' Kenny Omega. The WWE courted controversy by having shows in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while their NXT brand kept making wrestling headlines. Ring of Honor lost major stars, but has done a great job of signing new talent like Jeff Cobb.
And the women of wrestling have continued to prove that they are not only just as capable as the men, they might even be a notch or two better. Names like Tessa Blanchard, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch have dominated the wrestling talk even as Asuka finally found redemption on the main roster.
It was an exhausting yet rewarding year for wrestling fans. Here are ten of the biggest moments from pro wrestling in 2018.
#10 Velveteen Dream's Flying Elbow from above the clouds
The Time: April 7, 2018
The Place: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans Louisiana USA
The Match: NXT six-man ladder match for the North American title.
The truth is, one could create an entire list of just moments from this pulse pounding title match, which featured six red hot NXT superstars plying their craft in an amazing display of brutality, daredevil flying, and sheer determination to determine the first ever NXT North American champion.
NXT had long been lacking a 'midcard' belt, a title lesser than "Goldy" but still of great significance. In order to make sure there would be no controversy as to the worth of the man holding it, NXT put in six of their best.
While there were many heart stopping moments in this highlight reel of a match, the one that stands out the most is when Velveteen Dream ascended to the absolute top of a fifteen foot ladder and dropped the biggest flying elbow in history on Lars Sullivan.
#9 Titus O'Neil's baseball slide under the apron
The Time: April 27, 2018
The Place: King Abdullah International Stadium, Jeddah Saudi Arabia
The Match: The Greatest Royal Rumble match
While initially some fans were confused about this match--the WWE had already had its annual Royal Rumble event--the Greatest Royal Rumble is considered in retrospect to be a huge success. Not only was it the first major wrestling event in the tightly cloistered nation, it also raised the stakes by proving that legends such as Undertaker were not quite done in the squared circle.
While Braun Strowman would go on to win the event, it was not his victory that counts as the defining moment. Rather, that moment is one of the most hilarious and spoofed incidents of the entire year, when Titus O'Neil tripped on the way to the ring and wound up sliding all the way under the apron.
#8 An Empress falls
The Time: April 8, 2018
The Place: Wrestlemania 34, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
The Match: Charlotte Flair (C) vs. Asuka, Smackdown women's championship match.
Traditionally, Japanese wrestlers have struggled to ascend past the mid-card in WWE. Names like Yoshi Tatsu and Yoshihiro Tajiri have thrilled audiences but never made it into the main event picture.
So when Japanese women's wrestling megastar Kana signed with the company, few held out much hope her fate would be any different. They could not have been more wrong. Asuka would go undefeated in the WWE for two years, six months, and two days, racking up an insane 276 victory streak--surpassing Goldberg by a good measure.
She was never defeated for the NXT title, and fans expected her to run roughshod over the main roster as well, which she did--until she ran into a brick wall named Charlotte Flair. In one of 2018's most shocking and talked about moments, Asuka tapped out to Flair's Figure 8 leg lock on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania.
#7 All In becomes the most successful independent wrestling show in history
The Time: September 1, 2018
The Place: Sears Center, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
The Event: All In
It was the wrestling event that began as a social media dare. When longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer was asked whether or not a small independent organization like Ring of Honor would be able to sell out a ten thousand seat arena, his response was "not anytime soon."
One man disagreed with the much ballyhooed Meltzer, however; Cody Rhodes. He tweeted back "I'll take that bet, Dave!" Initially, All In was going to be an official ROH sanctioned event, but due to rising costs, the promotion backed out. Fortunately, Cody and the Young Bucks pooled their resources and managed to not only sell out the venue but make history in the process.
#6 Roman Reigns abdicates Universal title, prepares for health fight
The Time: October 22, 2018
The Place: WWE Raw, the Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence Rhode Island
The Event: Roman Reigns abdicating the Universal championship.
Roman Reigns' nearly year-long quest to capture the WWE Universal championship - the RAW brand's 'big belt' - was finally successful, and it seemed like the Big Dog was finally going to become the new face of RAW, replacing Brock Lesnar.
However, fate had different plans for the polarizing Samoan wrestler. Reigns appeared on the October 22 edition of Raw to sadly announce he was stepping down as Universal champion. While many champions have had to abdicate because of injury--Edge is a very obvious example--Roman's reason was far more shocking, and compelling; He had a recurrence of Leukemia, which he had overcome some ten years earlier.
While Roman Reigns has his share of haters, he had nothing but respect and admiration from the live crowd. Fans are all fervent in their wish for a speedy recovery for the Big Dog, making this one of the saddest, yet most memorable, moments from 2018.
#5 Ultimate Deletion stuns everyone, even Vince McMahon
The Time: March 19, 2018
The Place: WWE Raw, American Airlines Center, Dallas Texas.
The Match: Bray Wyatt vs. Woken Matt Hardy in an Ultimate Deletion match.
There was a time in the past when Matt Hardy was thought of in less than flattering terms. To some people, he was 'over the hill' and washed up, an aging veteran rapidly losing relevance in sports entertainment's ever-changing landscape.
To others, he was the still bitter WWE alumni who was eking out a meager existence on the independent circuit with sporadic appearances for ROH and TNA. And to some people, he was the 'lesser' Hardy brother, forever in the shadow of his daredevil brother the Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy.
But Matt Hardy reinvented not only himself, but the way that wrestling is produced, consumed, and reacted to when he created the Ultimate Deletion match. Held at the Hardy compound, bereft of a cheering audience or arena, battles were wild, unpredictable, and ultimately entertaining affairs. Matt Hardy's ideas saved his career, and made him for the first time ever the 'better' Hardy.
When he faced Bray Wyatt in an Ultimate Deletion match on Raw, many were skeptical. After all, WWE had already tried the same formula in the much maligned House of Horrors match. Even Vince McMahon was quite wary, but he went ahead and had faith in Matt Hardy. It would up being the highest rated segment of Raw for the entire year, and fans are still talking about it today, even with Matt Hardy nursing an injury and Bray Wyatt seemingly about to unveil a new character.
#4 Chris Jericho holds the first ever Rock N Wrestling Rager at Sea
The Time: October 27-31, 2018
The Place: The Norweigan Jade cruise ship.
The Event: Chris Jericho's Rock N Wrestling rager at sea.
Cody and the Young Bucks were not the only ones producing independent wrestling shows in 2018. Thirty year ring general Chris Jericho also produced his own wrestling show, but he upped the ante by having his entire event take place on a cruise ship.
There have been wrestling themed cruises before--WCW had the Bruise Cruise for years--but actual wrestling was often an afterthought of such events, and the main attraction was rubbing elbows with wrestling stars.
On the R/W rager, however, wrestling was placed front and center. From the much ballyhooed Alpha Club vs. Bullet Club match, to Ring of Honor holding the Sea of Honor tournament featuring many of their top stars, wrestling fans were given a rare treat on the most unique pro wrestling venue ever. Given its success, we can only imagine Jericho is already planning another cruise.
#3 WWE Evolution proves that Women's wrestling is more than just a sideshow
The Time: October 28, 2018
The Place: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, East Garden City, NY
The Event: WWE Evolution
If you go back less than a decade in WWE's history, and you check out women's wrestling matches, you might be shocked at what you find. Rather than the pulse pounding, supremely athletic contests fans enjoy today, you might see throw away bra and panties matches, or hog slop matches, or 'fulfill your fantasy' battle royals where the women wear skimpy outfits fit only for titillation. There was even once a pillow fight match!
Thank goodness...or perhaps, thank Triple H for making the NXT women's division such a hit--things have changed. WWE presented its Evolution event as its first ever all female wrestling pay per view, and the fans and critics all agree it was a smashing success. From the rise of Becky Lynch to the undeniable star power of Ronda Rousey, the event was nothing short of spectacular.
#9 The low blow heard around the world
The Time: April 8, 2018
The Place: WWE Wrestlemania 34, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
The Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles (C) for the WWE Smackdown Live World championship.
Shinsuke Nakamura was easily one of the most popular and crowd-pleasing pro wrestlers on the WWE roster. So the fans were shocked when he was cleanly pinned by AJ Styles at the Wrestlemania 34 co-main event.
They were even more shocked a moment later, when instead of congratulating his long time friend and rival, Shinsuke Nakamura hit AJ Styles with a low blow, turning heel in the process. When a beloved babyface turns to the dark side, it's always a shocking moment, but it seemed particularly painful to see fan favorite Nakamura succumb to his demons and jealousy.
#1 Kenny Omega wins the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
The Time: June 9, 2018
The Place: NJPW's Dominion 6.9, Osaka-jō Hall, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
The Match: Kazuchika Okada (C) vs. Kenny Omega in a 2 out of 3 falls bout for the IWGP World Heavyweight championship.
Kenny Omega is the self-proclaimed 'best bout machine' in the world of sports entertainment, and the critics agree with him wholeheartedly. The respected Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the match seven stars--which is more impressive when you consider that he uses a scale of 1 to 5!
The match went on for over an hour, with both well conditioned athletes gradually turning up the heat from a scientific bout to a no holds barred slugfest to a high flying, high spot masterpiece that is the current gold standard for pro wrestling match quality. If you call yourself a pro wrestling fan, whether die hard or casual, you owe it to yourself to see the match that everyone was talking about in 2018.
There you have it; Ten of the most memorable moments from pro wrestling in 2018. Did your favorite moment make the list? Please be sure to comment and let us know, and as always thanks for reading!
