10 Best Wrestling Pay-Per-Views Of 2018

2. NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

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WWE.com

If WrestleMania X-Seven and Money In The Bank 2011 are one and two on the list of greatest WWE shows ever, of all time, in history - then TakeOver: New Orleans is a big easy third.

The opening six-man ladder match, to crown the inaugural NXT North American Champion, wasn't merely the guaranteed, scintillating spot-fest most expected. The propulsive Ricochet was everywhere all at once. The slimy Adam Cole still evaded him. EC3 is the top 1%, and fittingly, everything seemed to fit in his lap in the opening phase. The Velveteen Dream continued his ironic, suicidal quest for immortality. Killian Dain and "Five Stars Lars" fused brute force and strategy. This wasn't a spot fest. It was an ensemble motion picture.

Shayna Baszler arrived on the night as both NXT Women's Champion and a performer of real, lasting substance. The Authors of Pain Vs. The Undisputed Era Vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunn was a bloody good match - and an even better angle. The NXT Championship match between Aleister Black and Andrade Almas is a candidate for most astute NXT match layout ever, which is some praise, given the brand's famed production crew. Faced with a subdued crowd, Black grabbed them by the scruff of the neck instantly with a moonsault to the outside.

The main event was a cast-iron, all-time WWE classic. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa constructed something very special; pitched as something epic and cinematic, it succeeded on those terms, but was so punishingly brutal that it never once lost sight of its blood feud stakes.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!