3 of the biggest WWE disappointments in 2018

We're less than a week away from saying goodbye to 2018. The last Monday Night Raw episode of 2018 took place on Christmas eve, and the last SmackDown Live episode of 2018 (taped) is scheduled to take place on Christmas day, which means that another year has passed by in WWE.

2018 had its highs and its lows. Some stars had a wonderful year, whereas some would want to forget 2018 as quickly as possible.Likewise in 2018, WWE hit the jackpot at few events, but completely dropped the ball elsewhere.

However, fans cannot fully blame WWE's booking for 2018's biggest disappointments and let-downs, as many stars failed to live up to expectations this year.

Having said that, lets look at 3 of the biggest disappointments of 2018.

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#3 Samoa Joe's WWE Championship pursuit

Samoa Joe had a disappointing year

Samoa Joe is without a doubt one of WWE's most talented performers right now, if not of all time. He can put on instant classics, and cut promos better than WWE's best talkers. He has repeatedly shown the WWE Universe just how good he really is, and the Universe acknowledges Joe's efforts.

However, for some reason, the WWE management is unwilling to fully invest in Joe as a top-notch main-event player. Nowhere was this more evident than in his lengthy feud with AJ Styles over the summer for the WWE Championship.

Joe deserved to win the title from Styles, but he failed to capture gold every time he stepped foot in the ring with Styles. What's even more disappointing is the fact that Joe made his feud with Styles one of the most memorable and personal we've ever seen.

His fiery promos set the world on fire, his personal assaults on Styles and his family were despicable, and he had all the potential in the world to become WWE's top villain, but it wasn't meant to be.

Joe has been on the main roster for two years, and as quoted by Jeff Hardy, he hasn't won a single championship yet.

Joe's booking has damaged his aura to the point that he is no longer taken seriously by the WWE Universe.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura won the US title, but barely defended it

Shinsuke Nakamura is a solid in-ring worker, and has undeniable charisma. He is a talented individual who has dominated every sport he has entered, and he is rightly called 'The King of Strong Style', however his main roster run has reduced him to nothing more than just an 'Artist'. He has had an abysmal run on the main roster, and 2018 wasn't Nakamura's greatest year.

Nakamura won the Royal Rumble this year to set up a dream showdown with AJ Styles at WrestleMania. Many expected Nakamura to win the title, but Nakamura came up short in what was an underwhelming match.

He turned heel after the match, and repeatedly hit AJ Styles with a low blow over the next few weeks. He resorted to low-blows every time he was in a high stakes match, but he still couldn't win the title from Styles. This is the same guy who could knock you out with any one of his strikes.

In July, he won the US title with the help of a low blow. This signaled a change of fortunes, but he was reduced to a paper champion, as he was seldom used on television, and played second fiddle to the blue brand's top stars.

Low blows have tarnished his aura, his US title reign was forgettable, and Nakamura is now just another guy in the WWE locker room.

#1 Crown Jewel

The best in the world?

In September, riding off the heels of the mildly successful Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, WWE announced another special event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The first match announced was a Triple Threat Match in which Roman Reigns would defend his Universal title against Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. However, Reigns' leukemia announcement changed the match to Strowman vs Lesnar for the vacant Universal title.

A WWE World Cup was also announced, along with a mega dream match between DX and The Brothers of Destruction. AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE title was also announced.

Unfortunately, political issues surrounding Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance forced fans and superstars to turn against the event, but WWE ignored all petitions and decided to continue with the event as scheduled.

But the real disaster took place when the event started.

The WWE World Cup was won by Shane McMahon who replaced The Miz in the final to defeat Dolph Ziggler.

Brock Lesnar won the Universal title in dominant fashion, seemingly burying The Monster in the process.

Finally, DX and Brothers of Destruction put on an atrocious and plodding affair, boring the WWE Universe to the point of sorrow.