10 Biggest Sacred Cows In Wrestling In 2018

10. Johnny Gargano

In a lot of ways, WrestleMania 34 was WWE's 2018 in a microcosm. Half of the show was a sheer delight; an exploration of the earthly pleasures the company can provide. The other half was at times disastrous, depressing and destructive.

Such was the case with Johnny Gargano's troubled journey at the top of the NXT card. He engaged in sublime matches with Andrade Almas and former partner Tomasso Ciampa on the first two TakeOvers of 2018, and though returns were diminished with his #DIY-destroying ex, Gargano's babyface fire still lit up every show he worked.

It was the dark, brooding version of his character that seemed to to trigger his fervent fanbase when reasoned criticisms came his way. Gargano's performance as he walked across Exposition Bridge outside Full Sail was, for some, utterly cringeworthy. He went on about loving "the dark" to justify his heel attack on Aleister Black, and was immediately pied by his TakeOver: War Games 2 opponent as a fraudulent teenage goth.

Certain fans dared to agree with Black's assessment, and were themselves pilloried by 'Johnny Wrestling's army of followers. The subsequent match undid much of the bickering - Black and Gargano should both stick to doing more talking in the ring than they do on Twitter - but the sooner the heart of NXT's beats through the audience rather than in spite of it again, the better.