7 Major WWE Moments of 2018 

2018 is about to end and the build-up for the first pay-per-view of 2019 (Royal Rumble) has already begun. The wrestling product which WWE offered this year was harshly criticized by the WWE Universe. Some of the major reasons for it being the lack of continuity in story-lines and the poor utilization of countless incredibly talented Superstars. Two episodes of Raw this year even scored an all-time low rating for the show. Thus, a change was implemented this past week and The McMahons have promised to make things right moving forward.

While some fans resorted to other Promotions to get their wrestling fix, others remained hopeful to see an improvement soon. Regardless of the fact that story-lines this year weren't as good as they used to be, WWE still managed to catch the fans off-guard several times. There were some huge moments which will be talked about for a long time.

From surprise returns to shocking twists and turns and monumental achievements, WWE proved once again that they're still at the top of their game. In 2017, we got the return of Hardy Boyz and Kurt Angle, the reunion of The Shield, in addition to several other big moments. So how could 2018 stay behind?

So, here we will list down and discuss 7 major things that happened in WWE in 2018:

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#7 Ronda Rousey Signs with WWE

Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut this year at Royal Rumble 2018.

While it was predicted by many, watching Ronda Rousey march down to the ring during the closing moments of Royal Rumble was a big moment in itself. Rousey was one of the most intimidating mixed martial artists during her time in UFC. Before her two consecutive losses, she dominated the bantamweight division for a number of years. So her arrival in WWE was more or less similar to Brock Lesnar's return in 2012.

Now, unlike Lesnar, Rousey didn't have a professional wrestling background. From cutting effective promos to putting on a believable performance in the ring, she had to learn it all. To be honest, she has been doing quite a good job so far. She has improved a lot since she first arrived back in January. Rousey's star-power also helped greatly in the ticket sales of the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view. In addition to that, Rousey is also the current Raw Women's Champion.

#6 Achievement of Historic Milestones

The Longest Running Weekly Episodic Show turned 25 this past January.

WWE has been around for a long time. Over the years, the product has evolved into something completely different. In spite of that, some things have still remained as they were back in the day. For example, the "Big 4" Pay-per-views, which have been around for over 30 years. In 2012, WWE's flagship show, Raw, completed 1000 episodes and a special episode was held to celebrate this historic feat.

This year, Raw achieved another historic milestone. In January, Raw turned 25 and to celebrate the 25th anniversary, a special edition of Raw aired simultaneously from two different arenas in New York City. The episode was graced with the presence of countless Superstars of the past and present. In addition to that, Smackdown Live also celebrated the completion of 1000 episodes this October. Thus, this year was truly monumental for both Raw and Smackdown Live.

#5 Daniel Bryan gets Cleared for In-ring Return:

After 2 long years, Daniel Bryan was finally cleared to compete.

One of the most emotional moments in the history of WWE was when Daniel Bryan had to announce his retirement in 2016. While retirement speeches are meant to acknowledge a decorated career, Bryan's retirement was forced due to injuries and concussions he tackled over the course of his wrestling career. Many of Bryan's career's big moments were short-lived due to his injuries.

After announcing his retirement, Bryan continued to remain on WWE TV as the General Manager of Smackdown Live. However, he didn't give up on his wrestling dreams and continued his struggle to get cleared to compete again. After countless attempts to convince the WWE doctors and other officials, Bryan was finally cleared to compete in March, this year. It was a huge win, both for Bryan and WWE as they got one of their best performers back. Bryan's first match back was with Shane McMahon against the team of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at Wrestlemania 34. As predicted, it was a crowd-pleasing match and the team of Bryan and Shane emerged victorious.

#4 Shocking Turns

Countless fan-favourite Superstars completed their shocking heel turns.

Heel and Face turns are quite common in Professional Wrestling. In order to keep the characters and story-lines fresh, changes are required constantly. Because of this, several fan-favourite Superstars turn heel. On the other hand, a number of heel Superstars also turn to the good side. This changes the dynamics of various feuds and opens the door to a lot of new possibilities.

This year, however, the heel turns we got were quite shocking. Some of the most shocking heel turns this year were of Becky Lynch, Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan. Lynch was one of the most lovable baby-faces. However having her turn heel, followed by a change in character to make her an anti-hero has really worked well for "The Man". Dean Ambrose, on the other hand, has always worked well as a heel so a turn was definitely needed. Daniel Bryan's heel turn came out of absolutely nowhere. There was no tease, no signs of it and everything happened within a span of two hours. Regardless, it was truly a shocking heel turn that nobody saw coming and Bryan has been playing the heel very effectively so far.

#3 Fallen Records

Braun Strowman broke multiple WWE records this year.

When it comes to breaking records, 2018 has been quite an eventful year. Countless records of various types were broken this year. Among those records, most were broken by none other than the "Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman. This year alone, Strowman has broken the records for the most elimination chamber eliminations (5) and most Royal Rumble eliminations (13). In addition to that, he tied the record for most eliminations in a traditional Survivor Series match (4).

Other prominent records which were broken this year include the Royal Rumble Longevity record and the longest amount of time spent by any Superstar in a match on Raw. The former was broken by Daniel Bryan when he lasted over 75 minutes in the first-ever 50-man Royal Rumble match. The latter was broken by Seth Rollins after he put on a show-stealing performance and lasted 65 minutes in a stellar 7-man gauntlet match. That match became the longest match in the history of Raw.

#2 Shawn Michael makes his In-ring Return after 8 Years

Shawn Michaels made his in-ring return after 8 years.

Until this year, Shawn Michaels was one of those few Superstars who stayed true to their word and didn't come out of retirement after publicly announcing it. Even though the fans kept on chanting "One More Match" whenever The Heartbreak Kid appeared, he didn't feel the need to lace up his boots again. Many dream matches were anticipated after the arrival of Independent Wrestling Sensations such as Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan etc.

This year, however, rumours started to circulate that Shawn Michaels had agreed to return to the ring at an event which would be held in Saudi Arabia in fall (Crown Jewel). Those rumours were true as Triple H, on the October 8th edition of Raw, announced that D-Generation X would be reuniting to take on The Brothers of Destruction. The match, although not stellar, turned out to be just fine and Michaels proved that he could still put on a decent match. Michaels then announced that it was just a one-off. However, fans still expect him to continue performing on special occasions.

#1 Roman Reigns Vacates the Universal Title due to Leukemia

Reigns said he must forfeit his Universal Title.

One of the most heartbreaking moments in the history of Professional Wrestling has got to be when Roman Reigns announced that his Leukemia had returned. Reigns even went on to state that he had already defeated it once, many years ago. However, that win came with a price. Reigns' football career was over and this was the price he had to pay.

Reigns then joined WWE and within 3 years of his main-roster arrival, he came the company's next top Superstar. Reigns won multiple World Titles, became a Grand Slam Champion and broke a number of records. The sudden push led to a majority of the fans turning on him. However, when he made this tragic announcement and relinquished the Universal Championship, he got nothing but respect from the WWE Universe. All Supporters and Haters of Roman Reigns united to support Joe Anoa'i.