10 Worst WWE Matches Of 2018

4. Braun Strowman Vs Kevin Owens (Extreme Rules)

Shawn Michaels Undertaker Crown Jewel
WWE.com

Kevin Owens was victorious once on pay-per-view in 2018 before a mid-year injury gave his character the escape from television it so desperately needed after years of wilful neglect.

A parody of a nickname it may now be, but 'The Prizefighter' was Universal Champion as recently as February 2017, and won a pay-per-view main event against a McMahon in October of the same year. His 2018 plunge was as figurative as it was literal - even his lone 'win' came as a result of an almighty forgotten fall.

The match was a terrible tale told terribly. Owens got his sh*t in immediately as the bell rang, before getting sh*t on en route to the most pyrrhic victory of the year. Even when he had the advantage, he was disabled by his own stupidity or too embittered to do the one thing required and leave the cage. There'd have been some sympathy for the abuse victim - and that's what Owens was - finally having control over his oppressor if the roles had been correctly assigned. Instead, Braun the babyface ripped away his handcuffs to return to brutalising 'KO' as vindication before the giant match-ending bump.

The mechanisms were knackered. The mechanisms are knackered. Braun Strowman is knackered. Kevin Owens was probably never more relieved to be knackered.

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