5 Essential things WWE got right in 2018 so far 

This year in WWE programming the company found many routes to success but they also made many mistakes that hindered the quality of their product. But in this article, let us focus on some of the most important things WWE actually got right in 2018.

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And while your current perception of the product must be negative due to the terrible booking prevalent on the company's flagship show and most of their pay-per-views, there is no denying that some of the decision the company made in this year has proven to be creatively and financially successful.

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#1 A fan favourite finally wins the Royal Rumble match

Nakamura wins the rumble in thrilling fashion.

The 2018 Royal Rumble is considered by many to be the best Royal Rumble match in almost half a decade, and its hard to argue that claim when WWE finally decided to book a Royal Rumble that was well structured, had a decent amount of surprise entrants and had winner fans could finally get behind.

While it might not seem like a big deal to many that Shinsuke Nakamura winning battle royal deserves to be mentioned as something the company got right this year when you considered the poor state of WWE's booking of previous Royal Rumble matches you would understand the significance of this decision.

As this win for a wrestler from a rival promotion winning the marquee match after WWE was the intent of having their veterans and their performance centre Superstars win the match is something that is remarkable.

#2 The decision to not raid NXT

The hottest brand in WWE isn't even a main roster show.

What can you say about NXT, only good things if you a avid follower of WWE's developmental brand, and at this point in the brand's history calling it a developmental brand should be an insult, as Triple H's booking of the yellow brand has seen the show become the best wrestling show in the company.

And that would not be possible if the main roster higher-ups decided to riad NXT of its biggest superstars once again. This year in the Superstar Shakeup only a handful of overdue stars landed on the main roster, and these are stars that have spent a considerable amount of time in NXT.

Andrade "Cien" Almas, Sanity, The Authors of Pain, Ember Moon, Drew McIntyre, No Way Jose and The Iconics were big parts of Triple H's machine, but they made way for a new crop of NXT veterans. And WWE's decision to not completely pluck every single standout star from NXT was the right call, as those megastars are producing exceptional work.

#3 The IC Title becomes prestigious once again

The glory days of the title are ahead.

The IC Title has been considered one of WWE's most prestigious championships of all time, as legends such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat have all had legendary matches, and title runs with the belt.

And that is why many consider it the workhorse title in the WWE, but over the years, WWE's interest in booking this title like the centrepiece of the mid-card has been nonexistent, as poor title reigns by uninterested superstars degraded the value of the title.

But since a few years ago the title has become a priority for the company, and this year the title was treated like the top title on Raw and most believe that is due to the absence of the Universal Title on Raw.

From opening WrestleMania 34 to producing classic match after classic match, the title has become more valuable than ever seen in the two decades. Superstars like Seth Rollins, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler could be accredited with this title ascension, as they each did a part in making the title feel important.

#4 The booking of SmackDown Live

One of the many programmes that are succeeding on Smackdown Live.

Known as the "B Show" of WWE, Smackdown Live was handled in such a poor manner of the last few years; it seems as if the company intentions to sabotage the once thriving 2016 version of the blue brand's product. But ever since the 2018 Superstar Shakeup it has been an unbelievable change of booking from a creative team that had displayed terrible booking efforts back in 2017.

From a newly revamped roster to a newly remastered product, the blue brand has been firing on all cylinders ever since the Superstar Shakeup, as the main event, the mid-card, the tag team division and the women's division has been exceptional. Feuds like Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles has been holding the main event together, while teams like The New Day, The Bludgeon Brothers, and The Bar have been putting on some of the best matches of the year.

And it would be a mistake not to mention the best women's field of the last few years, as Charlotte and Becky Lynch have been tearing the roof of each arena they brawl in. While the brand does have its WTF moments, they are minimal to the point where you can overlook them, but the way WWE has transformed the blue in 2018 must be commended.

#5 Giving Raw a new World Champion

A decision that has benefitted the red brand.

The state of Raw in 2018 is a complete contrast to Smackdown Live, as while the blue brand has been putting out exceptional wrestling with top-notch booking every week, Raw has been scarping the bottom of the creative barrel to fill a three-hour broadcast.

And most of that could be due to the entire Brock Lesnar situation that left Raw without a Universal Champion for over a year, and while it would have been better if WWE put someone else in the number one contender's spot to face Lesnar instead of Roman Reigns every single time, at least the top title is back on its brand.

While Roman Reigns may not be a fan favourite in the eyes of some of the fans in the WWE Universe, at least the man is there every week to tell his narratives. And while many might think that it was an easy decision to put the title on Reigns, at one point WWE was hesitant, as they wanted Lesnar to hold on to the title so that he could give it more marketing exposure when fighting UFC legend Daniel Cormier next year for the UFC Heavyweight Title.

WWE chose to leave that publicity aside do that Raw could get its number one title back on the brand, and while Reigns may not be the everyone's favourite choice, it is the right choice right now.

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