10 Ways 2018 Was WWE's Craziest Year EVER

This Is Not A Dril.

John Cena Cannot Act
WWE

It's been a year.

2018 was either WWE's event horizon or latest coming of age, depending on the tint in your 'They Live' glasses. It was the year fans saw the grisly underside of the industry without the aid of Roddy Piper's famous shades. The year you were told to consume, to conform, to yield and to obey, in spite of obvious creative and commercial reasons not to.

But how the f*ck could you look away?!

WWE always trumpeted that "anything can happen", but this year everything actually did.

Raw 25 proffered one of the worst episodes in history, then submitted it for Emmy consideration. SmackDown 1000 utilised an Evolution reunion to tease Triple H Vs Batista for WrestleMania 35. WWE need something big for the New York supercard - they lost their Madison Square Garden hub to New Japan Pro Wrestling after all. They also lost Brock Lesnar...then got him back. The Universal Champion ends 2018 the same way he started it. Unlike new WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett, who can now use the brand to make more money than he ever did signing company cast-offs for TNA. That company's greatest export held WWE's greatest prize for a full year and still never thought to protect his prized assets. Did he even give a sh*t when he saw the billions the company were set to make thanks to the new television deals anyway?

There's no space for any of the above in this particular list. It's been a year.

10. Chris Jericho Breaks The Walls Down

John Cena Cannot Act
njpw1972.com

Though it may seem glib to start a WWE list off with a New Japan Pro Wrestling match, the context and consequences of Chris Jericho's Wrestle Kingdom contest with Kenny Omega can't be ignored upon review of such an eventful annum.

'Y2J' revealed that he'd cleared the shock initial appearances and subsequent encounter with Vince McMahon himself, but the two have since allegedly drifted apart after Jericho dove deeper into worlds far away from WWE.

The cross-promotional appeal of the match married up magnificently with NJPW's gradual global expansion back in January, and as with when he drew 'The Best Bout Machine's blood, Jericho's eyes widened when he realised what he'd opened up. Subscribers to New Japan World were up, Tokyo Dome ticket sales spiked, and the former 'Millennium Man' was suddenly in brand new demand nearly two decades later.

Clocking - as he so often does - the bandwagon that hadn't yet passed him by, Jericho hopped on. He instigated and dominated a feud with Tetsuya Naito to keep his powder dry in Japan, whilst shockingly appearing at ALL IN to announce his continued allegiance with the Elite crew, flog a few boat tickets, and gamble his short-term future with WWE. Few had shown wrestling's established empire so little concern, but expect more to make good on their own terms in the wake of 'Y2J's tremendous tenure.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett