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We are more than halfway through 2018. The WWE have put out seven main roster pay-per-view so far. It is safe to say that the match quality has been subpar with only certain matches being pay-per-view worthy. Maybe because AJ Styles has not been at his best. (He still features in this list though.)
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In fact, other than the top two matches, I had to search really hard to find out a match that could make this list. This is a testimony to the fact that there haven't been any memorable bouts that took place on PPV this year.
#3 Aj Styles(c) vs Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship- Summerslam
This was a match that fans usually look forward to. But expectations were really low for this match because of Aj's disappointing series of matches with Shinsuke Nakamura. However, this match was far better than any of the matches with Nakamura, simply because it had a very good story.
Samoa Joe played the role of a despicable heel brilliantly. He got right into the action of playing mind games with the champion before the start of the match, by addressing AJ's wife. This set the tone for the whole match and made the crowd to really care for the match.
The match was slow in certain parts, but it picked up steam towards the end. Unlike most instances, the DQ finish was done really well, setting things up for a rematch.
#2 Seth Rollins(c) vs The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship -Backlash
This match was the saving grace of an otherwise lacklustre and boring pay-per-view. If not for this match, Backlash would have clearly been the worst PPV of the year. (It still makes a strong case.)
The match told an incredible story of Miz targetting the knee of Rollins, and how the latter survives, withstanding the pain. The near falls had the fans on the edge of their seats.
All of us know that Seth Rollins is no slouch in the ring. But it was The Miz that may have surprised everyone with his performance in this match. He proved his naysayers wrong by putting on a tremendous match.
Of course, being with a ring general like Seth Rollins helped, but it needs two people to put on a good match, and The Miz more than played his part in this match. This was also his final match before moving on to Smackdown Live permanently, and he sure did go out with a bang.
#1 Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs Stephanie McMahon and Triple H -Wrestlemania 34
In the last match, I talked about going out with a bang. In this match, we saw someone coming in with a bang. The stars were aligned for Ronda Rousey during this night. She had the perfect debut anyone could dream about. A marquee spot on the Wrestlemania card, sharing the ring with two of the all-time greats, the opportunity to throw Stephanie McMahon around (which most wanted to see), and a raucous crowd to witness all of this.
The build to this match was all about Ronda Rousey. The others just added star power to this bout to get eyeballs. The history between Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Stephanie McMahon wasn't brought up at all.
The match played out perfectly in the start. Triple H cornering Kurt Angle to prevent Ronda from coming in, Stephanie's cheap shots from behind, all just made the crowd yearn more for Ronda's entry.
When Kurt finally made the tag, the crowd went absolute bananas. The match shifted to the next gear from that moment. Inter-gender showdowns are very rare during this time, all the more reason the crowd ate it all up when Ronda Rousey and Triple H squared off.
It is both funny and sad that the best match on PPV so far has come from a match consisting of 3 part-timers and 1 non-wrestler. Hopefully, things can turn around during the latter half of the year and the wrestlers can put out memorable matches that they are capable of.
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