10 Best Wrestling Storylines Of 2018
5. The Baddest Vs The Bellas
There were no foils greater for revelatory rookie Ronda Rousey in 2018 than the Bella Twins, and brilliantly, WWE knew it.
Returning at SummerSlam to schmooze with the new Raw Women's Champion, Nikki and Brie looked set to turn there and then in the minds of long-standing fans. They were acutely aware of the harm behind the smarm long before the 'Baddest Woman On The Planet'. Unlike virtually every other babyface though, Ronda wasn't made to feel stupid when the sisters actually struck.
Following two successful outings against The Riott Squad, Nikki and Brie battered the Champion, picking their spot in time for the former to earn a title shot and main event slot as the inaugural all-women Evolution pay-per-view emerged.
The feud captured the paradox at play with the Divas division holdovers and their knowingly smug attitude to a Women's Revolution that had a lot less to do with them than they'd like to admit. Hated heels for this unearned entitlement, the pair literally flew the flag for themselves at the expense of the movement on the big night.
In a physical representation of how the game had truly changed, Ronda knocked them both all over the shop in yet another scintillating display of dominance and pro wrestling guille.
Nikki in particular genuinely felt as though her deserved position was in that very ring in that very match. Ronda and the audience didn't totally disagree - but ensured her night ended with her back flat on the canvas.