10 Awesome Wrestling Matches You May Have Missed In 2018

7. Shayna Baszler Vs. Dakota Kai (WWE NXT - 30 May)

Buddy Murphy Mustafa Ali
WWE.com

Though your mileage may vary on Shayna Baszler as NXT's female franchise player, her mid-year mini-feud with Dakota Kai was a low-key NXT highlight this year.

Succeeding in establishing 'The Queen Of Spades' as a dictatorial locker-room bully and Kai as a sympathetic underdog babyface, it saw Baszler pick away at Kai week after week, before the New Zealander finally summoned the courage to stand up to her oppressor. Thus, this match was born.

The match mimicked the storyline. Kai, like any victim of bullying, was shy and timid. This played into Shayna's hands, allowing the former MMA pioneer to impose her brutal will on her opponent, but Dakota summoned a strength beyond even her own expectations. From there, she put up spirited resistance against Baszler, who'd made her life hell since making the NXT women's division her own, though she spent as much time battling against her own trepidation as she did 'The Queen.' A fantastic, subtle story, the likes of which WWE don't always excel at.

They'd wrestle another singles bout on NXT's 5 December episode, but the strength of the narrative puts this one over the top.

Watch: WWE Network (paywall)

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.