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2018 has been a pretty eventful year for WWE, filled with massive highs and crushing lows. There has been one constant throughout the year though, the women are still going strong and are just getting better and better. This year will be remembered as one of the most significant years in the continued rise of women's wrestling. It is one of the best things that happened in the company this year.
The WWE's "Divas Revolution" began in 2015, but with no real substance. Meanwhile, NXT was constantly producing classic matches involving the likes of Sasha Banks and Bayley among others. 2016 saw the first steps of change on the main roster, as we were reintroduced to the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 32. Since then, there have been many firsts involving women.
The first female Hell in a Cell match was also the first time a pay-per-view was main evented by a women's match. After many other first time ever stipulation matches including a women's Money in the Bank ladder match, WWE found the perfect mix in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match. And thus, kickstarted this fantastic year for the women of WWE.
Here are five reasons why 2018 was the year of the women:
#5 Royal Rumble
2018's first pay-per-view was the ever exciting Royal Rumble. It became even more exciting once the women got their own Rumble match. It was such a big moment for the WWE as a whole, a celebration of the females in the company, both past and present. However, nothing was guaranteed. It could have all gone so wrong. The pressure further mounted when it was confirmed that the women's Rumble would be going on last.
However, the match could not have gone any better. From the surprise returns to the iron man performance of Sasha Banks, to various runs of dominance throughout the match, the first ever women's Royal Rumble was a massive success. Add in a popular winner in Asuka and the (not so) shocking debut of the Baddest Woman on the Planet, and you have one of the best endings to a pay-per-view in 2018.
The Royal Rumble set the tone for a hugely successful 2018 for the ladies.
#4 Two high-level main events to bookend the year
After the Royal Rumble main event, the next time we saw an all-female main event, aside from the obvious one, would be in the final pay-per-view of the year. Becky Lynch defended her Smackdown Women's Championship in a triple threat TLC match against Charlotte Flair and Asuka. What a match this was. It was every bit as brutal and engaging as a match involving the three best women's wrestlers in the WWE should be. And like the Royal Rumble, it was Asuka who stood victorious at the end.
Also, in another similarity to the January supershow, Ronda Rousey invaded the closing stretch of the show. This time she cost both Becky and Charlotte the match, setting up an extremely intriguing start to 2019 in the women's division. It was the perfect way to end the pay-per-view calendar, with the mighty Asuka on top, just like the way it began. The middle part of the year may have been difficult for the Empress, but she can now take solace in the fact that she finally is the Women's Champion.
Asuka is one of the best wrestlers in the world and she is finally being recognised as such.
#3 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey has taken to professional wrestling like a duck to water. She arrived in the WWE with a lot of buzz and no prior experience. Her first ever wrestling match came at WrestleMania 34 when she teamed with Kurt Angle to face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match. It is fair to say that it stole the show, alongside Charlotte Flair vs Asuka. Since then, Rousey has thrived against multiple opponents including Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Bella.
However, it was her match against Charlotte at Survivor Series that really showed how great she really is. The Rowdy One has been consistent in her performances, wowing the crowd every time they see her in the ring. Rousey is still one of the biggest stars and draws in the company. She has taken women's wrestling to the mainstream, getting more eyes on the product. It is scary to see just how much she has progressed in less than a year. Ronda Rousey has a natural talent for this and will only get better.
A giant 2019 beckons for the Baddest Woman on the Planet.
#2 Becky Lynch
As great as Ronda Rousey has been in the WWE, nobody has taken 2018 by storm more than Becky Lynch. After a frustrating first half of the year, Becky started to gather some momentum heading into SummerSlam. She would lose a triple threat match for the Smackdown Women's Championship, with Charlotte Flair picking up the unpopular victory. However, that was the start of Becky's ultimate rise to glory. She "turned heel" on the Queen and ended up capturing the title at Hell in a Cell.
While her in-ring work is as solid as a stone, Becky thrives most on the microphone. Her promos are getting better and better as she is getting more and more over. There was no way that she could remain a heel, the fans love her so much. The Man is currently the hottest superstar in the entire company and even though she doesn't have her title anymore, she is still on top of her game. After Becky's Survivor Series match with Ronda Rousey had to be cancelled, the confrontation between the two biggest female superstars in the world looks to have become a much bigger deal, at a much bigger place.
2019 will be the year where The Man becomes a legend.
#1 Evolution
As seen earlier, 2018 has been a monumental year for the growth of women in the WWE. They are now the best part of the main roster and could legitimately main event WrestleMania 35. However, if there is only one thing to show that 2018 was the women's' year in WWE, it is Evolution. When the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view was announced in July, many people seemed to have doubts on whether the show would live up to the hype and excitement surrounding it.
Going into the show, at the end of October, there were feelings that the card for Evolution could have been much better. But come game day, the ladies knocked it out of the park. Every single match on the card served a purpose and went from decent to excellent. It was one of the most consistently great WWE pay-per-views in the last few years. The two main matches were Becky Lynch's outstanding Last Woman Standing match against Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey's show-closing title defence against Nikki Bella.
The entire night was a celebration of women's wrestling and how far it has come. No other match or event shows it better than how Evolution showed it. It was one of the best shows of the year and will go down in history, as the first of hopefully many all-women's pay-per-views. All in all, 2018 was a fantastic year for the ladies. Hopefully, 2019 can follow suit and continue the vast progress made this year.
