5 Best WWE Matches from 2018

We live in an age where wrestling is booming all over the globe. New Japan Pro Wrestling has broken Dave Meltzer's star rating scale, and fans are looking at other promotions like PROGRESS, Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground and Evolve to get their fix of pro wrestling, rather than WWE's sports entertainment.

Sportskeeda is the one-stop destination for latest WWE rumors and wrestling news.

Instead of losing more market share, WWE has been actively trying to improve their product in-ring. In that quest, we have seen quite a few slobber-knockers since the turn of 2018. The tremendous workers of WWE have been working harder and harder to deliver instant classics.

Even though we won't find the likes of Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada in WWE, there have already been a fair amount of doozies in 2018. Gone are the times of slow and short matches with no story, as we look at 5 matches that have delivered the goods in 2018.

NOTE: No NXT matches will be featured on the list. The third brand deserves a list all to itself.

---

#5 Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon: WrestleMania 34

A new star was born at WrestleMania 34.

The story heading into this one was that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were trying to use Kurt Angle to humiliate Ronda Rousey as retribution for what she did to the pair at WrestleMania 31. This led to a ferocious Ronda using a clause in her contract to demand a match against the villainous authority pair, alongside the misused Kurt Angle, who told her the truth.

The match saw Angle taking control of HHH at the start, but the heels wrestled control back by using dirty tactics. This was great storytelling, as we could see Ronda getting riled up because of the beating HHH was putting on Angle. After Ronda got the hot tag, she absolutely destroyed Stephanie. Any counters that Stephanie tried would make Ronda angrier and make the beating get just a little worse.

Angle and HHH fought around ringside, which saw the latter beat Angle up before jumping back in the ring. This led to Ronda attacking HHH and eventually make Stephanie tap-out for the win.

This was a true sports entertainment match and was probably the best bout to come out of WrestleMania 34. This was Ronda Rousey's much-awaited WWE debut, and it came with two icons of the industry and the most powerful woman in the history of the industry.

While most people thought that Ronda would not be able to succeed and that Triple H and Kurt Angle would do the heavy lifting, Ronda actually emerged a massive star after this match ended. This was well-paced and beautifully put together.

#4 AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship: Money in the Bank 2018

Nakamura and Style's curtain closer was a barn-burner of a match.

Not the only match from Money in the Bank 2018 to feature on this list, the final match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura was also their best match, as the two put on an absolutely brutal yet clinical Last Man Standing bout.

It was after months of tension between the pair, and how Nakamura keeps DQing himself to get out of tough matches. This eventually led to Nakamura beating Styles to decide the stipulation of their match, which he chose to be a Last Man Standing match.

The match started slow, as both men were distrustful of each other. They moved on from this to have Styles take control, as the action moved outside. the King of Strong Style used his tactics to take control of the match again, which he maintained for a long time. Even though Styles tried his best to reclaim control, Nakamura brought in a table as an equalizer.

In an uncommon move, the man who set up the table (Nakamura) actually put his opponent through it, brutally flinging Styles into the table set up in the corner. Chair shots and low blows eventually followed as Styles finished Nakamura outside the ring with a Phenomenal Forearm through the table.

A brutal and fitting end to this rivalry, Styles and Nakamura finally delivered a quality match in their WWE series. Even though Nakamura should have won, the match was too tremendous for anyone to hold that over this.

Styles and Nakamura went all out to prove the other to be inferior. This match had layers upon layers of story, as both men were determined to beat the other out of their life. Styles succeeded, and he took the fans along with him for this ride.

#3 Men's Money in the Bank Match: Money in the Bank 2018

The field that Braun Strowman destroyed to christen himself

Mr.

Monster in the Bank.

Both brands had prepared their men to enter a war zone for the Money in the Bank briefcase, as 4 members of each brand had sealed spots to participate. Raw saw Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode and Finn Balor come to the ring, while SmackDown had a contingent of Rusev, Samoa Joe, The Miz and one member of the New Day (Kofi Kingston). This still saw the match be every man for himself for the majority of the bout.

The match started with a very clever angle, which saw every single member of the MITB field try and take Strowman out of the equation. Even though Strowman fought back, he eventually was buried under a pile of ladders at the stage. This saw the remaining 7 men fight with each other around ringside.

After Strowman recovered, Samoa Joe, Rusev and KO tried taking him out again, by laying him on a table while KO climbed a ladder. This saw the most memorable spot of the evening, as Strowman got up and climbed the ladder, throwing KO off the 50 feet structure. Strowman ran into the ring, and through a ladder to eventually pick up the briefcase for himself.

This was a very very fun match, and even though you can question the choice of the winner, the action was undoubtedly great. The Miz was a star, as his facial expressions told more about the match than anything else.

Joe was kept a star, and even Balor and Kingston had their moments. The main attraction was Strowman and he emerges out of the match, not only Mr. Monster in the Bank, but one of the greatest threats the WWE has seen off late.

#2 Seth Rollins (c) vs The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship: Backlash 2018

The match that saved WWE from total catastrophe.

The saving grace of one of the worst shows in WWE history, Grand Slam Rollins and The A-Lister delivered the best singles bout of 2018. The Miz had lost his IC strap to Rollins at WrestleMania 34 in a triple-threat also including Finn Balor.

Soon after, he was sent to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup but wanted one last crack at the belt most synonymous with him. He and Rollins collided for the final time at Backlash, as The Miz was set to become a SmackDown superstar.

The match started with Rollins decisively out-wrestling The Miz, but he soon retaliated with a methodical and slow offence, whittling the champion down. The Miz was heel greatness here, as he taunted his fallen foe as he delivered more and more punishment. Rollins worked towards re-tilting the scales in his favour, as he used a high-energy attack to successfully become competitive again.

The match moved to ringside, where Rollins hurt his knee on the ring-post. The Miz attacked that knee like a predator, but Rollins eventually fought out and won by delivering a nasty curb stomp to The Miz.

In a match that told a fantastic story, WWE and the two competitors wonderfully capitalized on the months of hard work they had put in. Rollins continued to show why he is the best wrestler in the WWE right now, and The Miz showed how he is the best heel in the company.

Rollins showed heart and grit like no babyface can, as he kicked out of two Skull Crushing Finales. The match was another great way to end the story between these two, as both have moved on since.

#1 Elimination Chamber Gauntlet Match: Raw, February 19th

This match made history and was epic while doing so.

One of the best matches in Raw history, the gauntlet match which pit all 7 competitors of the Elimination Chamber match against each other was an almost two-hour long affair which saw a star-making performance by the previous entrant, Seth Rollins.

This match featured Rollins, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Elias, The Miz, Finn Balor and Braun Strowman. This was on the go-home show before Elimination Chamber 2018, in which the winner of the chamber match would go on to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 for the WWE Universal Championship.

The match started with Rollins facing off against Shield-brother Roman Reigns. As the crowd rained down chants of 'We Want Ambrose', the match began with both men not holding anything back. It was a slow-paced match which saw Reigns maintain control for most of the bout, but eventually falling to a Rollins high-octane comeback which saw this part of the match ended with a roll-up.

John Cena came out next, as he dominated an injured Rollins for a long stretch of the match. Rollins, who was favouring his knee stuck it out and pinned Cena clean to send him packing. Elias came out next and hit an easy Drift Away to send Rollins back. Balor stormed the ring and had a great mini-match with Elias, as he eliminated the Drifter from the proceedings. The Miz pounced on Balor, using the Miztourage to distract Balor and pin him. The final man was Braun Strowman, who came out to lay waste to The Miz and win the epic.

Even though Strowman saw his hand raised, the true star of this match as Seth Rollins, who fought for over an hour to give one of the longest individual performances in Monday Night Raw history. The match saw so many storylines furthered and generated incredible buzz for the upcoming pay-per-view. The structure of the match was perfect.

Elias and The Miz pounced on weakened opponents, Rollins dispatched off two of the biggest stars in the WWE and Strowman dominated to end the match. This was an epic which may never be recreated within the WWE landscape ever again.

---

Which match did you enjoy the most? Let us know in the comments below!