WWE has no off-season—so week after week, month after month, fans get countless hours of TV and Network content seemingly without end. As a result, there is never a shortage of controversial, exciting, or regrettable moments for pro wrestling fans to look back on as each year comes to a close.
It’s fair to say that even by WWE’s own historical standards, 2018 has served up more than its share of significant moments, whether they happened during a show-stopping match, on the mic, or behind the scenes.
With that in mind, M&F has gone back through the year in WWE to bring you, in no particular order, the most jaw-dropping debuts, returns, announcements, and storyline progressions from the last 12 months.
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Courtesy of WWE
The Hulkster Returns to WWE TV Screens
The legend of Hulkamania was tarnished in 2015 when a recording of a racially charged rant made by the former WWE Champion was leaked to the media. This all came about during Hogan’s high-profile lawsuit against Gawker, stemming from his leaked sex tape. While Hogan eventually won the lawsuit, and an estimated final settlement of more than $30 million, many sponsors and publicly traded companies, including WWE, were forced to terminate their contracts with the pro wrestling icon because of his inexcusable remarks.
Three years later, following numerous public apologies by Hogan, he was finally reinstated, and made a rapturous return at the controversial Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. The Hulkster received a thunderous ovation from the crowd, proving that there is still an appetite for Hulkamania.
On the face of it, the 205 Live! concept is a great idea that provides pro wrestling fans with a much-needed change of pace with its cruiserweight action on the WWE Network. In practice, getting people to care about wrestlers that are rarely seen on RAW or SmackDown is a difficult task. Enzo Amore had brought eyeballs to the product with his charismatic promos, but following his release, it seemed that the brand’s days might be numbered—that is until Buddy Murphy made the cut.
The story of NXT Superstar Buddy Murphy training and dieting to make the 205-pound weight limit allowed people to become emotionally invested in his character. That emotion erupted when Buddy finally became the 205 Live! Champion in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia, at Super Show-Down last October. As champ, Buddy has been able to defend his title in some incredible matches against the likes of fellow cruiserweight Mustafa Ali, which helped showcase the division’s talent further.
The legendary Ric Flair had a saying: “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.” Becky Lynch feels that, since his own daughter, Charlotte, couldn’t defeat her at Evolution, this must surely make her “The Man.” And millions of WWE fans agree. Becky’s star has been on the rise since this manly proclamation and T-shirts bearing “The Man” slogan are now ubiquitous at every WWE event around the globe.
In this era of evolution and equality, Becky’s assertion that she is “The Man” has gained her fans from all walks of life. It is a respect well earned after years of hard work on SmackDown and could ultimately lead to the Irish “Lass Kicker” taking part in the first ever all-women main event at WrestleMania 35 next year.
Vince McMahon’s vision of a grittier WWE show airing live in prime-time on Monday evenings has proven to be as revolutionary to the pro wrestling industry as WrestleMania itself. Though Monday Night RAW has faced its fair share of ups and downs, including a monumental war that WWE eventually won against WCW, it remains one of the longest running episodic shows of all time.
Monday Night RAW became the stomping ground for one of the biggest feuds in pro wrestling history when Vinnie Mac butted heads with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, bringing in record ratings in the process. Twenty-five years later, we got to bask in the glory of the show’s success with a special episode in January, where we were treated to some memorable moments, such as some nostalgic hell raising by Austin, who gave the familiar Stone Cold Stunner to both Vince and Shane McMahon.
This has been another standout year for the women of WWE. We witnessed the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble in January, and the debut of the women’s Elimination Chamber matchup in February. Since then, the division has continued to blaze a trail on our TV screens, rounding off with the first-ever live special event dedicated to the females of WWE known as Evolution.
Evolution rocked New York on October 28 with a stacked card that included a brutal Last Woman Standing match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte, and a grudge match between Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella. The event was well received critically and is potentially the start of an annual tradition.
After Brock Lesnar was finally relieved of his Universal Championship at SummerSlam, losing to Roman Reigns, those “in the know” felt that the Beast Incarnate was gone for good, choosing to throw fists in UFC instead of pursue a contract extension with WWE. To compound this, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle assured viewers that Lesnar would not be receiving a rematch for a very long time. Spoiler Alert: It turns out we were all wrong.
During Reigns’s title defence against Braun Strowman in September at Hell in a Cell, Brock returned in shocking fashion. The big man laid waste to both combatants, causing the match to end in a no contest. In the following weeks, Romain Reigns was forced to relinquish his belt for health reasons, setting up a Universal Championship match between Brock and Braun.
And so, at Crown Jewel, Lesnar stunned the world by pinning the Monster Among Men, regaining his domination of the Universal Championship. Seriously, who saw that coming back in August?
In one of the biggest “feel good” stories of 2018, Daniel Bryan was cleared by doctors to resume his in-ring career with WWE just in time for WrestleMania 34. Bryan is a great example of never giving up in the pursuit of a goal, no matter how impossible it might seem.
Since making his successful return in New Orleans, Bryan went on to have stellar matches with the likes of The Miz and AJ Styles, the latter of which he was able to outsmart for the WWE Championship. Bryan now has a new outlook on his career, and has no qualms about using dastardly tactics to pick up a win, but as his match against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series shows, the “Yes Man” is still one of the best sports entertainers in the world today.
This has undoubtably been a year of unexpected returns, but none of those comebacks were bigger than that of the “Heartbreak Kid.” Shawn Michaels had remained a man of his word in the years since losing a retirement match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26, but when a feud involving Triple H and the Brothers of Destruction saw Michaels get dumped through a table at Super Show-Down… all bets were off.
With DX now back together, and Saudi Arabia promising pots of gold, Michaels laced up the boots in November at Crown Jewel. It was a wild match that saw “Mr WrestleMania” bust his own head open after completing a moonsault to the outside of the ring. It was also the match that resulted in Triple H tearing a pectoral muscle. The contest was a worthy trip back to the Attitude Era and proved that HBK is still willing to give fans 100%. With WrestleMania looming, we could get one more hurrah from the “Show-Stopper” before he finally puts the tights away.
The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion officially entered the ranks of WWE back at January’s Royal Rumble and made her in-ring debut before a packed Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans at WrestleMania 34. With the world’s media watching closely, Ronda overachieved in her first outing, putting on a brilliant debut as she teamed with Kurt Angle to face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Ronda’s next significant challenge came against Nia Jax at Money in the Bank, but she was beaten to the belt when Alexa Bliss cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to pin Jax, usurping the former UFC star. Fast forward to SummerSlam and Ronda was finally able to emphatically defeat Bliss to pick up her first RAW Women’s Championship. Ronda has proven herself to be a natural pro wrestling star and we can’t wait to see her develop further in 2019.
The WWE Universe Unites With Love for Roman Reigns
The WWE Universe can be a raucous group at times, and sections of the audience booing the good guys and cheering the bad guys is just one example of how fans express their divided opinions. At times, pro wrestling fans are labeled as being cruel and failing to care about the people behind the WWE characters, but when real life gets in the way, they almost always unite.
A prime example of this happened in October, when Roman Reigns, WWE’s most prominent full-time star, announced that he would need to relinquish his WWE Universal Championship and take time out because of an ongoing battle with leukemia. In response, the WWE faithful erupted with chants of “Thank you Roman” and the well wishes quickly followed on social media. This happened, despite the mixed reaction Roman usually gets from WWE crowds. It was a rare moment of reality in a WWE ring, and it was one that will rank among RAW‘s most memorable moments for decades to come.
Roman Reigns, whose real name is Joe Anoa’i, is not just a talented performer, he is also a husband and a father. Though the lines of reality in WWE are often blurred, we can all agree that the best gift we could ask for in 2019 is the speedy recovery of “The Big Dog”.
