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2018 has been a great year for professional wrestling. While the year started with a bang with New Japan's WrestleKingdom 12, the year ended with the WWE put on one of the best PPV's of the year in TLC. The year will be the remembered for the rise of independent wrestling and the WWE witnessing one of its most quieter years in terms of TV ratings and live event attendance. The company was also in hot soup over their 'Crown Jewel' event in Saudia Arabia and their partnership with the Saudi Kingdom. Vince McMahon faced a lot of bad press for their Saudi shows and was heavily criticized by the media for the same.
On the other hand, 2018 also saw the rise of the hottest star in the WWE today, Becky Lynch. Women's wrestling was one of the biggest talking points in 2018 with WWE's first ever all women's pay-per-view ' Evolution' being a huge success. Elsewhere, IMPACT wrestling under the leadership of Scott D'More and Don Callis went through a resurgence. 2018 also saw the wrestling debut of one of the biggest female athletes in combat sports, Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34. 2018 has been a great year for professional wrestling and 2019 promises to be even bigger.
As the year comes to a close, here are our picks for the five biggest wrestling news stories in 2018:
#5 G1 Supercard
The Worlds most famous arena, the mecca of combat sport and once the home of WWE isn't their home anymore. While over the past four-five decades, every major wrestling promotion has been trying to get inside Madison Square Garden but have failed. A big reason for this was the WWE's relationship with the Garden. MSG has been a second home to the WWE with Vince McMahon Sr. holding an event or two in the Garden during his time. Bruno Sammartino was one of the biggest attraction during that the time and it is believed that he sold out the Garden a record 187 times. Although WWE doesn't hold weekly TV or. Pay-per-views in the Garden due to high production costs, WWE's MSG Live event is one of the advertised live events of the entire year, with the company booking multiple marquee matches for the event.
The entire wrestling community was stunned when ROH announced that they will be running a show at the Garden in conjunction with New Japan on April 6, 2019, a day before WrestleMania 35. This was no mean feat as even the mighty WCW wasn't able to run a show in the Garden during their heyday as the MSG authorities shared a very good rapport with Vince McMahon and weren't keen on having non-WWE wrestling shows in the venue. But, all of that finally seems to have changed as the MSG is hosting its very first-WWE wrestling show.
This development is a clear indication that the days of WWE's monopoly over the wrestling business are over. Although the promotion remains the biggest and most-profitable wrestling organization in the world, it is facing stiff competition from the independent wrestling scene, which has seen a tremendous rise in popularity over the past few years. Officials from various big arenas are recognizing this fact and are welcoming promotions like New Japan and Ring of Honor with open arms. WWE moving its Takeover event to Friday the 5th of April, 2019 so as to avoid going head-to-head with the G1 Supercard is another indication of how much the business has changed in the last one year. The G1 Supercard is going to be a monumental event and will undoubtedly be the most talked-about show during WrestleMania weekend next year.
#4 Roman Reigns Leukemia announcement
Roman Reigns has had to face the wrath of the wrestling community for the past few years. In spite of being presented as a babyface, the Big Dog has always been booed as the fans were tired of seeing Reigns as the top star of the company. The October 22nd, 2018 edition of RAW was no different. As the show opened with Reigns in regular cloth, fans starting booing him. But as Roman took the mic and started speaking, the anger turned into sadness as the Big Dog revealed that he has been battling Leukemia for 12 years and that he was relinquishing the Universal Championship and stepping away from the ring to the focus. The crowd which chated ' Roman Sucks' at the start of the show, started chanting ' Thank You, Roman'.
Reigns had been the focal point of the WWE programming for the past three years. He has pushed to the zenith during this time, much to the ire of the fans but knowing that the guy was dealing with a life-threatening disease all this while was truly a heartbreaking moment. But, it was really heartwarming to see the entire wrestling community get behind Reigns and wish him a speedy recovery.
Reign's sudden announcement has left a huge void in the main event scene of RAW. Lesnar winning back the Universal Championship at ' Crown Jewel' indicated that the company had little faith in Strowman as the top star on the red brand. The record TV rating suggests despite being one of the polarising figures in the company, Reigns was undoubtedly their biggest draw. His abrupt hiatus has been a big bane for the company. The Reigns Leukemia announcement was one of the most tear-jerking segments in Monday Night RAW and is something that the fans will remember for years to come.
#3 The rise of Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch has the been the most talked-about WWE Superstar of 2018. The Irish Lasskicker has gone from being an afterthought to a main-event player in just a few months time. While fans never doubted Becky as a performer, she wasn't offered the opportunities that he deserves. She wasn't given a title match in almost two years and had to contend with having short TV matches or being relegated to the pre-show of a pay-per-view. It seemed like that despite being one of the popular female superstars on the main roster and a great in-ring performer, Becky would never be able to grab the brass ring in the worlds biggest wrestling promotion.
But the Man proved all of us wrong and how. Not only has Lynch undergone a complete makeover, character-wise, but she has also been able to connect with the crowd, despite being positioned as a heel for a brief period of time. Lynch has shined as the main eventer putting great matches and cutting fiery promos. Another accept of Lynch that has grabbed fan attention is her ability to use Social Media as a medium to take potshots at anybody and everybody. From Lars Sullivan to Ronda Rousey to Seth Rollins to even Chris Jericho have had to face the wrath of The Man on social media. Her Social media game is on another level right now and she hasn't spared everyone who has tried to spite her on the medium.
2019 is going to be the biggest year in Lynch's professional career as she looks to solidify her position as the top female star in the company. The Man is currently one of the favourites to win the Women's, Royal Rumble. She will most likely be in the main event of WrestleMania 35 facing off against Ronda Rousey. From being in the pre-show of WrestleMania 34 to the main event of WrestleMania 35 is a humungous accomplishment. Lynch's rise from being the most underlooked performer to one of the biggest stars in the company has been one of the biggest news stories of 2018.
#2 Okada Vs Omega IV
Some are calling the best match they have ever seen, while others are comparing to the Steamboat Vs Flair, widely considered by many to be the greatest series of matches in the history of professional wrestling. But all the comparison aside, Omega Vs Okada IV will without a doubt be remembered as one of the greatest matches in wrestling history. The fourth instalment of the epic feud ie, ' Omega Vs Okada' was a masterclass in storytelling and in-ring psychology. The hour-long 2-out-of-3 falls match between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada was an exciting affair from start to finish.
From Omega being on the backfoot after being rolled up for a pin, going 1-0 to him overcoming all the odds to end one of the greatest title reigns in New Japan history, this match didn't have a single dull moment. Both the competitors were exhausted during the match, even filling to hit their finishers with Okada collapsing while trying to hit his patented 'Rainmaker' finisher. The finish of the match saw Omega hit Okada with the One-winged Angel and win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
The match received enormous praise from fans and critics with Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter giving it an unprecedented 7-star rating. Omega was finally able to defeat Okada to end the latter's two-year reign as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and becoming the first Canadian to ever hold the prestigious title. Omega's win also signalled the start of a new era of the company's global expansion under the leadership of the promotion's CEO Harold Meij, with Omega as its faces.
#1 ALL IN and AEW
The biggest newsmakers of 2018 have to be 'The Elite'. The group comprising of Cody, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, Marty Scrull and Kenny Omega have made the headlines throughout the year and are currently the hottest stable in all of wrestling. ALL IN has been the most talked about wrestling event of the year selling out a 10,000 seater arena in less than half an hour. The credit for the event's success has to go to Cody and The Bucks, who took a huge financial risk by holding the biggest independent wrestling show ever. They have been the biggest trailblazers in the independent scene. The success of ALL IN has surely pumped up Cody and The Bucks as they are about to play the biggest gamble of their professional careers.
By now, it has become quite clear that The Elite are embarking on a new journey in 2019 that will see them joining hands with the Khan Family to open their own wrestling promotion, called ' All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The Bucks, Cody and Hangman Page's have refused to sign with ROH and have reportedly decline big-money deals from the WWE. AEW seems to be the brainchild of Cody and The Bucks and is reportedly going to start in late 2019. Multiple trademarks were filled by the promotion including 'Tuesday Night Dynamite', which will most likely be their weekly TV programme, ' ALL OUT' ' Double or Nothing' and so on. The trademarks filled we're traced to the TIAA Bank Field Arena, which is the home ground of Jacksonville Jaguars, confirming the Khan family's involvement with the promotion.
The Elite are excepted to make a formal announcement about the promotion, possibly on January 1, 2019. While challenging the WWE on their home turf, ie, North America is no mean task, if anyone could it, it's AEW. AEW has all the components in place to be WWE's biggest competitor since WCW. If all goes as per plan, we are in for a treat in 2019.
