8 Ups & 11 Downs For WWE In 2018 (So Far)
3. Five Stars
NXT has never been any worse than "very good" since its inception, but the brand felt like it was going through the motions in 2017. A once electric main event scene was replaced by the tag division as the show's most exciting proposition. Champions Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, and Drew McIntyre were fine, but not the in-ring marvels fans had come to expect from developmental, and a slight malaise took hold.
Fortunately, NXT's in-ring standards have hit new levels in 2018. In Andrade 'Cien' Almas vs. Johnny Gargano, WWE notched their first five-star match in over six years, and they followed it up with two more in New Orleans a few months later. Such scores are objective, of course, but the upturn is noticeable.
The Gargano vs. Ciampa saga remains the most compelling long-term yarn WWE have spun in years, the Undisputed Era have, indeed, shocked the system, and Shayna Baszler has been exceptional as the women's division's alpha bully. The talent pool is stacked from top to bottom, and even though the likes of Almas are gone, there's no reason to believe this won't continue as 2018 progresses.
The likes of Ricochet, Pete Dunne, Velveteen Dream, and Bianca Belair are ready to take the throne. Behind them are the Keith Lees and Io Shirais, who are still to debut, but genuinely stand among the best in the world. From a talent perspective, WWE's future has never looked so bright.