While there’s no official date, we’re close enough to WWE’s halfway point for 2018. So in the name of pseudo-journalism, it’s time to weigh and measure who’s enjoyed the most success so far.
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On Wednesday, we broke down the Most Unfortunate Superstars of 2018. However, this is the yin to that yang. Luckily there’s no shortage of Superstars have impressive years but we narrowed it down to a count 11.
So here they are, WWE’s Best Superstars of 2018:
11. Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal gets about as many compliments from wrestling fans as President Trump does from Twitter. However, Mahal’s rampant unpopularity is actually good for WWE.
When Jinder dropped the WWE Championship to AJ Styles last fall he appeared to be handing over more than just a title—it looked like his relevance was confiscated too.
The early part of 2018 looked to manifest Mahal’s decline, but his surprising victory at WrestleMania 34 reversed the trend. Days later he was promoted to Raw. By May he was feuding with Roman Reigns. And as this week, it looks like he’s in for an alteration to his gimmick.
10. Woken Matt Hardy
It’s hard to say, but I think a large chunk of the Woken Warriors were afraid Matt Hardy’s eccentric character would flop on WWE television. But it wasn’t for one very simple reason: He refused to let that happen.
Hardy is so committed to making his alter ego work that WWE bought into the character going as far as letting him DELETE one of their most dependable acts in Bray Wyatt.
Even more, hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, only to become Raw Tag Team Championship with Wyatt two weeks later at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
But the best part? More DELETIONS are coming.
9. Elias
Elias is proof that matches don’t matter.
No matter what the show is, you can bank on Elias getting his own segment. How many WWE Superstars can you actually say that about? While his resume is technically thin, Elias looks like he’ll be a fixture in WWE for quite some time.
But Elias isn’t just about guitar strumming and cheap heat—he’s a convincingly good wrestler, too. His Money in the Bank match with Seth Rollins was probably the best of his career, despite losing. We’re not sure what’s next for artist formally known as The Drifter, but we’ll bet it’s good.
8. Carmella
Carmella got her fair share of flak for carrying her MITB briefcase around for nearly a year. However, she’s doing all of the laughing now after beating not just Charlotte Flair but the formerly white-hot Asuka.
And if things weren’t good enough, her troll has returned!
While her time a SmackDown Women’s Champion may be numbered, she’s had a phenomenal 2018 and has made the case be a permanent player for WWE’s women’s division.
7. Daniel Bryan
Placing Bryan in this little countdown was a slippery task. Given his seemingly miraculous comeback, Bryan could easily be having the best 2018 of all of us. However, since he’s only been competing for a portion of this year, #7 seems fitting enough.
Since his return, fans have been clamoring for WWE Championship run, or at least a dynamite feud with The Miz. But WWE is happy to slow play that and instead decided to bring back Team Hell No, it what will prove to be a savvy choice.
6. Braun Strowman
The Braun Strowman Era is upon us.
Thanks to names like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, Strowman is currently on the outside looking in. However, he’s fogging up that glass case with spirited huffs and puffs because it is almost time for him to take WWE’s throne.
Strowman is likely to cash-in the next time the Universal Championship appears on television. However, the safer bet may be SummerSlam.
While Strowman doesn’t have a seminal pay-per-view victory (other than MITB, of course) he typically holds Raw hostage. His biblical feats of strength have made him one of WWE’s hottest stars and the apparent future of the company.
5. AJ Styles
To be clear, AJ Styles has had an impeccable year so far. He’s 5-0 in WWE Championship defenses, four of which coming against Shinsuke Nakamura.
However, Styles is held to a different standard than other Superstars because we’ve come to expect so much. While his matches with Nakamura were increasingly good, it wasn’t the feud most hoped it would be.
That said, when 2018 closes, AJ Styles could very well be Wrestler of the Year.
4. Alexa Bliss
To be frank, Alexa Bliss wasn’t having a good 2018 as of two weeks ago.
Then she became Ms. Money in the Bank and RAW Women’s Champion in the same 90 minutes. Even more, she’s destined to go one-on-one with Ronda Rousey in the near future.
Things are good for the Goddess of WWE.
3. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar has participated in exactly three matches this year. And despite expectations, he’s still Universal Champion.
On top of his Brock-friendly schedule, Lesnar reportedly locked down a contract that has way more zeros than obligated appearances. Even more, it looks like he’s well on his way to booking yet another blockbuster UFC match.
All from the comfort of home!
2. Ronda Rousey
By now, anyone disparaging Rousey is either attempting to be ironic or has an undiagnosed personality disorder.
Despite an overwhelming amount of people wishing her failure, Rousey has repeatedly shown that she is special. Sure she’s still green, but her matches at WrestleMania and Money in the Bank had us all on our feet. Rousey carries an energy about her that others simply do not have, and the time is coming where we’ll be demanding her to become champion.
In just two matches Rousey has made us feel and electricity comparable to only the icons of the sport. And for that, she’s #2
1. Seth Rollins
Just by getting the Curb Stomp back automatically puts Seth Rollins on this list.
But the Gauntlet match, becoming Intercontinental Champion at ‘Mania (plus the ice blue contacts), Beat The Miz at Backlash, getting people to chant “Burn it Down,” the Open Challenge Matches, Elias as Money in the Bank, his work with Dolph Ziggler, and the undeniable fact that he’s become a babyface in a world where babyface don’t exits makes Seth Rollins’ 2018 better than every other Superstar.
