10 Must-See Matches That ALREADY Make 2018 Wrestling’s Greatest Ever Year

4. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon Vs. Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey (WWE WrestleMania 34)

Johnny Gargano Tomasso Ciampa
WWE.com

Perhaps the best example of what WWE is still the best at in 2018, Ronda Rousey's maiden voyage into pro wrestling's choppy sea was a riotous success and should be a safe selection for the main roster's best of the year when such lists are compiled in December.

Magnificently curated to magnify every single one of the former UFC Champion's intense qualities whilst disguising her multiple weaknesses in these early career stages, the battle was something of a throwback to a simpler (read: better) time when this used to happen for every performer.

Kurt Angle and Stephanie McMahon offered differing novelty values - McMahon for her rare in-ring appearance and Angle for his renewed status as a WrestleMania returnee - but both used their Sports Entertainment pedigree (nyuk nyuk) alongside ring general Triple H to bring heft to a contest that could have easily collapsed.

'The Game' was initially arrogant in the face of the newcomer, until she battered him into near-oblivion with a series of strikes that lifted the crowd almost as high as they did Hunter himself. Stephanie's abject fear of her inevitable comeuppance was sublime, as too was the timing with which every moment of gratification came. Planned to the letter perhaps, but the dictionary definition of a long-held primary objective - don't sell the audience the whole truth, sell them something better.

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