It is that time of year again where we look back on the year that is coming to an end, while also looking forward to the future. Much like we did last year, we will be answering a few questions regarding one of the best years in wrestling history, if you don't count WWE TV shows. In the coming weeks, we will also have our end of year lists and a full review of the first major show of 2019, Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Firstly, we will get the most burning question out of the way. Who has been your favourite wrestler of 2018?
Mac: The most consistently good and reliable performer has to be Johnny Gargano. He hasn't put a foot wrong this year, so for that fact he gets my nod as wrestler of the year.
Leah: Becky Lynch. Who the hell saw this coming? Beck Lynch seemed about as likely to have a breakout 2018 as Curt Hawkins. She was going nowhere, trapped firmly in the midcard quicksand with the same tired babyface schtick she'd had for years. And then. AND THEN. A heel turn, which quickly snowballed into an Austin-style antihero run. Lynch has been astonishing. Her matches are routinely incredible, her character work is outstanding, her mic work is even better and she carries herself as the biggest star on the planet. 2018 will always be remembered as the year that The Man came around. Honourable mentions - Tommaso Ciampa and Kenny Omega.
Marshall: It's WALTER. Nobody in the wrestling world has great matches with as wide a variety of wrestlers this year as the big Austrian. From his brutal matches against stablemate Timothy Thatcher, to his amazing feud with Jordan Devlin in OTT, to his runs as PWG/PROGRESS/OTT champion, WALTER has been outstanding this year. I have no idea where he will go in the future following his signing by WWE but his 2018 run is one for the ages.
Right, no fucking about, what is your match of the year?
Mac: I should really pick one of the Gargano vs Ciampa matches, and if feud of the year was one of these questions it would be that, but I love tag wrestling and it pisses me right off how they use tag teams so match of the year for me is Undisputed Era vs Moustache Mountain from NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV. I think it's a marvellous match, and one I rated 5/5.
Leah: Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa from NXT Takeover New Orleans. This was a throwback. For that brief spell of time wrestling was simple again. Faces were good guys, heels were bad guys, and the entire crowd just wanted to see the heel get his shit kicked in. That was the beauty of the #DIY storyline (at the time). It helped that the match itself was astonishing. No moment was wasted, and that powerbomb Ciampa took on the concrete looked... Ouch! It looked ouch. I know wrestling is a work and it looked ouch. Flawless storytelling, flawless match. 10 Mojos out of 10. Honourable mentions - Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Dominion) and Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Asuka (WWE TLC).
Marshall: This year has more future classics than any year I can remember. I'm going to be boring, though, and go with the Omega vs Okada match from Dominion. It was a masterclass of how to structure a long match without dropping the interest at all. It had an incredible amount of hype to live up to but it still managed to deliver. Brilliant.
That was a single match but what about an entire card. What is your show of the year?
Mac: A couple need a mention. NXT Takeover WarGames was awesome, and Evolution was better than any other main roster WWE show this year. However, my nod goes to the excellent NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV. The worst match, EC3 vs Velveteen Dream, was still good, and the rest were excellent. NXT does very little wrong in my eyes.
Leah: All In. Listen, All In was a great show. Properly good. Okada vs Scurll had one of the best closing stretches of all time, Omega vs Penta was jaw-dropping, Cody vs Aldis was good fun with a bit of a surprising result, and Janela vs Page... Janela vs Page had a procession of dick druids. Wrestling is ridiculous. What's more important though is the achievement that All In represented. A 10,000 capacity immediate sellout. It was the biggest independent wrestling show of all time and proved that there really is life outside of WWE. Superb show. Honourable mentions - NJPW Dominion and WWE Royal Rumble.
Marshall: I am a big fan of a show that gets all of its individual parts right and the show that did that the best this year was NXT Takeover New Orleans. The opener was a wild ladder match that got the crowd on board immediately, and from there the card kept up the quality. The women's title match was great, the tag title match set the table for a stronger Undisputed Era, Black won the NXT Title in another banger and then there was the incredible unsanctioned main event. This show was everything you could want from wrestling.
Right, that's enough of the good stuff. Who has been pissing you off in 2018?
Mac: Soooo many people. The human atmosphere sponge that is Randy Orton, R-Truth, the chinless pervert James Ellsworth, Alberto Del Rio, Enzo and Big Cass, I could go on. The winner, or loser, is undoubtedly Bobby Lashley though. He annoys me for wasting what is obviously natural talent. He is built like a fucking tank, but that is it. Everything else winds me up. His voice, his moves, that stupid fucking sweatband, everything. The only match I stuck around for with him in it was the Survivor Series match, and that pissed me right off. I now David Otunga him. Prick. NOTE: To David Otunga someone is to get so annoyed by them that you blank them out of your existence.
Leah: Shane McMahon. This almost got a different answer as calling 'Shane O'Mac' a wrestler is a bit of a stretch. But that's the entire fucking point. McMahon isn't even a wrestler, yet here he is in the workrate and raw talent dominated year of Lord, 2018, being presented as better than actual world class wrestlers. It's not even like it's heel work, it's just X-Pac heat. Fuck off. Dishonourable mentions - Enzo Amore and Bobby Lashley.
Marshall: As much as I want to go with something different here, I have to agree with Leah and go with 'the best wrestler in the world' Shane McMahon. When he made his return a few years ago, I popped. If I had known then what I know now, I would have snuck into Mania 32 early and removed the crash mat from underneath the announce table. He has the worst looking strikes I've ever seen, even though some of them actually connect, and is somehow pissing me off more than Baron Corbin. I have no idea what is going on with him and Miz at the moment, but it's wank. I'm done with it.
Let's look ahead to 2019. Who will be the breakout star of next year?
Mac: With Black, Ciampa, Gargano, Dunne, and the rest all already stars, I'll go with a recent addition to NXT TV, Dominik Dijakovic. I think he will be fast-tracked, to Raw probably, but I think he will be huge. I should also mention that Undisputed Era will continue to be the best stable in wrestling, and will get bigger and bigger. Adam Cole came close to my wrestler of the year.
Leah: Adam Cole. I'm classing Cole as having not truly broken out yet as he is 'only' a star on NXT. We can all see the mixed record of that brand's stars on the main roster. Bo Dallas was NXT Champion for crying out loud. I worry a little about his size, he's 'only' six feet tall, but he is a great wrestler, he's over as hell, he has The Catchphrase, and he leads a stable that I think is close to a certainty for main roster stardom. 2019 belongs to Undisputed Era, and especially Adam Cole. Honourable mentions - Shayna Baszler and Matt Riddle.
Marshall: Last year I went for Marcel Barthel and he hasn't really made any steps towards the main NXT roster, though with the upcoming NXT Germany he may be saved for that. This year I'll go for someone that is already working their way up the NXT hierarchy, Bianca Belair. She has great athleticism and charisma, and at some point in the near future NXT is going to need new female headliners. She fits the bill nicely.
Leah: Adam Cole. I'm classing Cole as having not truly broken out yet as he is 'only' a star on NXT. We can all see the mixed record of that brand's stars on the main roster. Bo Dallas was NXT Champion for crying out loud. I worry a little about his size, he's 'only' six feet tall, but he is a great wrestler, he's over as hell, he has The Catchphrase, and he leads a stable that I think is close to a certainty for main roster stardom. 2019 belongs to Undisputed Era, and especially Adam Cole. Honourable mentions - Shayna Baszler and Matt Riddle.
Marshall: Last year I went for Marcel Barthel and he hasn't really made any steps towards the main NXT roster, though with the upcoming NXT Germany he may be saved for that. This year I'll go for someone that is already working their way up the NXT hierarchy, Bianca Belair. She has great athleticism and charisma, and at some point in the near future NXT is going to need new female headliners. She fits the bill nicely.
Okay, let's wrap this up. Who will win the Royal Rumble matches?
Mac: Seth Rollins. I put in my fantasy booking WrestleMania article, it's time to let Rollins be the man. Raw needs him right now. The male division on Raw needs him as without a champion that is around every week, Raw will continue to slip and to get anywhere to the level of Smackdown they need a workhorse champion that can turn it on in the ring with anyone. Rollins is the only choice.
Leah: Women's - Becky Lynch, Men's - Seth Rollins.
Marshall: Last year I said that Nakamura would win so I'm looking to follow up on that. I think that Becky Lynch should definitely win the women's Rumble as nobody else will come even close to getting the pop that she will for winning, and it would be the best way to get to Lynch vs Rousey at Mania. As far as the men's Rumble goes, I would really like to see Miz win it and have a proper Mania title match moment that isn't overshadowed by Cena and The Rock. I'm not sure that is the most likely outcome though and I think that Drew McIntyre may well pick up the victory.
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