10 Best Wrestling Storylines Of 2018

6. The New Daniel Bryan

Charlotte Flair Becky Lynch
WWE.com

The New Daniel Bryan is already the greatest ever wrestling gimmick with that prefix, but it's perhaps because every use that came before it tried in vain to recreate something already brilliant. Daniel Bryan had a f*cking piece of sh*t of a year to bounce back from. What was "New" wasn't old, but was thankfully very, very different.

This article is about the best storylines of 2018, and until November one of the greatest real-life comebacks in wrestling history wasn't even going to feature. How did WWE conspire not just to let the air out of that balloon, but deflate a nostalgic one with Kane and burst a fantasy-booked one with The Miz? And that's discounting whatever the f*ck the rivalry with Big Cass was supposed to achieve.

The New Daniel Bryan could probably give you a tight 10-minutes on why, but he's too busy using his wisdom for the greater good. A perniciously pious pr*ck has little time for such trivialities - he's too busy saving the world, saving the WWE Championship, and saving his title.

Best of all; he's everything Vince McMahon seemingly despises about thoroughly modern men. If the cantankerous old Chairman can understand the gimmick, there's a good chance the ultra-talented Bryan can do whatever he likes with it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett