10 Best Wrestlers Of 2018
5. Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano shifted from 'Johnny Wrestling' to 'Johnny TakeOver' in 2018 with a host of celebrated encounters at the supershows championed not just for their qualities as technical masterclasses but - on rare occasions - pieces of god tier performance art.
His uniquely gifted grasp on sympathy ripped out hearts against Andrade 'Cien' Almas at January's TakeOver: Philadelphia before Tomasso Ciampa held the last bleeding beats in his hands in a post-match assault. Their war at New Orleans could objectively and subjectively be considered the greatest NXT match in history - the acclaim came from all corners, including Dave Meltzer following up the aforementioned first WWE-based five star match in seven years against Almas with the second just three months later.
The pair met twice more in Chicago and Brooklyn, each time coming within touching distance of the era-defining excellence on display in the original. An Autumn heel turn triggered a expositional promo that drew as much love as it did hate, but Gargano provided the goods when it counted most.
His TakeOver: War Games stormer with Aleister Black was his first high profile encounter as a villain, but hopefully not his last. The nimble maneuvering of his babyface comebacks into acts of cunning and conniving cynicism against the former NXT Champion spoke to his fantastic physical range and a brave new direction for the gimmick next year.