10 Best Wrestling Pay-Per-Views Of 2018

First, some honourable mentions, and a few words on the make-up of the actual list:

The WWE fan already faces an arduous task on Sunday nights, especially those Brits who watch the new model of Network pay-per-views into an ungodly hour of Monday morning. To artificially inflate the success of the Network, all events must exceed the three-hour mark. Inherently, every show, no matter how good, now feels in some way like a slog. You're meant to buzz after a pro wrestling pay-per-view; you're not meant to wish Monday morning into existence.

It is for this reason that the Royal Rumble and Hell In A Cell don't feature here, superb as they were in part. The completely disposable nature of WWE's main roster product has all but ruined the former in retrospect, too. Shinsuke Nakamura won what subjectively was the greatest Royal Rumble (as opposed to Greatest) after a pulsating, manipulative masterclass of a finishing sequence. Asuka won the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble with a performance so superb it elevated the match from the farcical to (belatedly) the fantastic.

Both would-be top-tier titleholders rotted over the summer months. The Rumble used to inspire optimism with its triumph. It hasn't been the same for years, and cruelly, eventually, 2018 followed that dark road.

For inclusion here, any show exceeding three hours must be utterly insane, momentous, or the greatest pro wrestling show of all time...

Both the best and worst of WWE, this marathon, momentous show nonetheless lived up to the 'Ultimate Thrill Ride' moniker a year late. To quote Martin Tyler's iconic call of Manchester City's last-gasp 2011-12 Premier League title win, I swear, you'll never see anything like this ever again.

The opening Triple Threat Intercontinental Title match was perfect for the slot - all action and unpredictable drama, it excited but did not exhaust. In one of several shocks, Charlotte Flair ended Asuka's legendary streak. Even if Asuka was since ruined to an extent that it feels now like that streak never happened, the match was excellent, if slightly flawed in the storytelling department.

The set design was gorgeous, as was the attire on show. The action lived up to the spectacle, at least initially.

Ronda Rousey wrestled the greatest debut match of all time, entering an incandescent performance in a match stunning in its storytelling. The wider in-ring norm of 2018 is dangerous to the point of near-disaster. With Ronda's blitzkrieg offence, and Stephanie McMahon's amazing, terrified selling (!), this masterpiece conveyed danger better than most matches exhibit it.

Jinder Mahal won a singles title. The Usos' first main card 'Mania match, something we've rooted for for years, was forgotten within seconds. A knackered Undertaker squashed a half-drunk John Cena. Improbably and or morbidly entertaining, the show was f*cking nuts. Its remaining three feature bouts were all in some way or another disappointing and worthy, but all subverted 'Mania's old selling point. Shane > Bryan, Shinsuke's testicular destruction, Roman's bloodied carcass...WWE favoured the heat over the party in New Orleans.

It wasn't a show for the kids, and yet, a kid won a belt.

Again: f*cking nuts. Unforgettably nuts.