WWE Evolution 2018: Ranking all the matches in the historic PPV

Doubt the WWE's Women's division at your peril. All last week, WWE fans, myself included, expressed their doubts about WWE Evolution, the company's first ever all-female PPV event.

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A lack of blockbuster matches and a weak build were largely to blame, but it turns out the women of WWE forget to get the memo, delivering one of the most exciting PPVs of 2018.

While the show was not without its blips, the event featured some of the best wrestling we have seen on PPV in 2018 and was easily one of the most consistent shows from an in-ring standpoint.

The women of the WWE should be proud of proving everything wrong, and I, for one, can't wait to see more shows like this in the future.

Let's take a look back all of the matches from WWE Evolution and rank them from worst to best.

#7 Battle Royal

As expected, the battle royal was a bit of a mess

As expected, the battle royal match was easily the worst match of the night.

While it was an effective way of getting as many females on the card as possible, the match felt as though it belonged on a pre-show and the in-ring work was incredibly sloppy at times.

Giving Nia Jax the victory also feels like something of a missed opportunity. The former women's champion has been booked so inconsistently over the last six months that fans have lost all interest in her character. Ember Moon or Asuka would have been much better served by a victory here.

#6 Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya Vs The Riott Squad

The Riott Squad gave a good account of themselves

By the time this match rolled around, the night had really begun to get into a rhythm, and while this bout was probably the most inconsequential of the night, it was still a lot of fun.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are two of the most influential women in the history of the women's revolution, and they arguably deserved something better than this on such a historic occasion but they played their roles well here.

The match featured some solid action, and Liv Morgan, in particular, looked excellent for The Riott Squad.

It's a shame that The Riott Squad have become the perennial losers of the women's division, and they probably should have picked up the victory here, but they can still be proud of their performances nonetheless.

#5 Trish Stratus and Lita Vs Alicia Fox and Mickie James

Given all of the changes that happened to this match in the build to the event and the fact that Stratus and Lita have not been active in-ring performers for some time now, this match was much better than it had any right to be.

It was the perfect bout to open the show with as it got the crowd invested and set a nice tone for the rest of the night.

The fans were excited to see the two former champions in the ring, and even more so when Trish Stratus and Mickie James got in together.

The two former rivals have an excellent chemistry in the ring together, and it doesn't look as though they have lost that in the decade since they originally squared off.

The legends winning was a nice feel-good moment to kick the show off, and if they are going to perform like that whenever they return, fans will be more than happy to see more of Trish Stratus and Lita in the future.

#4 Ronda Rousey Vs Nikki Bella

Once again, this was a match that was much better than most fans had anticipated.

The match between Rousey and Bella had a lot of focus heading into the event, but fans were concerned about Bella's ability in the ring, and whether or not Rousey would be capable of carrying her to a good match.

While this match was by no means anything to shout about, both women put in a solid effort in front of a crowd who were red hot for the encounter.

Bella did a good job of gaining heat throughout the match, and Rousey continues to put on performances that are incredibly impressive considering how new she is to the industry.

There is an argument to be made that Nikki Bella got in a little too much offence and that Rousey should be booked to look more dominant but given that Rousey only made her debut six months ago, it makes sense that she is still having to come to grips with things when she comes up against veterans.

The double Samoan drop was one of the night's coolest moments, and having Rousey celebrate on the ramp with all of the female roster post-match was a nice touch and a great way to close the night.

3 Io Shirai Vs Toni Storm

This match was one of the most anticipated of the night from a wrestling standpoint, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

While Shirai and Storm may not be too well know to the wider WWE audience, anybody who watched the show last night will not be forgetting their names in a hurry.

The match was only given 10 minutes but the two women made every single second count, delivering a high-impact, superbly well paced encounter that highlighted everything that has made this year's Mae Young Classic a success.

Like last year's final, it really didn't matter who won this match all that much, as both women are destined to become stars in the WWE, and they made the impression on the WWE Universe last night.

#2 Kairi Sane Vs Shayna Baszler

What started the night as one of the most predictable matches on the card quickly became one of the night's stand out encounters.

Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler have an incredible chemistry in the ring together, and this match was easily just as good as their encounter at Takeover: Brooklyn IV.

The addition of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Safir was a nice surprise and presents some interesting possibilities going forward. NXT has been dominated by factions over the last 12 months, and it looks as though the women's division may finally be getting in on the act.

With Io Shirai, Kairi Sane, and Mia Yim all working together on the house-show circuit, it looks as though we could be seeing a 6 women tag-match at Takeover: WarGames.

Baszler winning was one of the biggest surprises of the night, with many fans, myself included, expecting her to lose the match and head on up to the main roster. She does make an excellent champion though, and fans will be more than happy to see more Baszler Vs Sane encounters in the coming months.

#1 Charlotte Flair Vs Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch kept hold off her Women's Championship

Fans had high hopes for Becky Lynch Vs Charlotte Flair at Evolution, and the two women didn't disappoint.

This was arguably both women's finest encounter on the main-roster and is easily a candidate for the best PPV match of 2018.

These two women went at it hammer and tongs from the opening bell, and for once, the gimmick really felt like a fitting ending to the feud. The two women made excellent use of weapons throughout the match and the bout featured some terrific spots.

Both Lynch and Flair did an excellent job at selling their hatred for one another and the crowd lapped it up from the opening bell to the last. Lynch, in particular, was superb at selling the match's gimmick and her shock at Flair's constant fightbacks.

Lynch retaining was definitely the right choice, and it will be interesting to see where they go with her from here. As for her opponent, Flair really needs a little bit of time to rebuild her relationship with the fanbase before she moves on to inevitably face Ronda Rousey at next year's WrestleMania.