15 Wrestling Matches You Won't Believe Happened In 2018

2. Ronda Rousey Vs Charlotte Flair (WWE Survivor Series)

Jerry Lawler Joey Ryan
WWE.com

When Ronda Rousey pointed at the WrestleMania sign (once too often) during her Royal Rumble debut, Charlotte Flair stood by watching and waiting with a title over her shoulder.

Their ‘Show Of Shows’ battle would ultimately have to wait, but most assumed it was a lock for 2019’s edition before a SmackDown Live underling escaped from under their shadows to become the biggest star in the industry.

Becky Lynch’s incredible overnight ascent to the summit of the industry (and unexpected injury-based absence) resulted in their incredible Survivor Series effort taking place with just five days’ notice. It was not the result of a Royal Rumble win, nor the historic topliner pencilled in a year prior, but a make-good for the absence of a megastar.

The bout left room for rematches, of course. A non-finish and brutal post-match beatdown from Charlotte to Ronda came out of nowhere and left revenge on the mind of the ‘Baddest Woman On The Planet’ and some renewed respect in the crosshairs of ‘The Queen’, but the second match now will now have the both the acclaim and the anchor of of of the maiden effort’s bruising legacy.

And it wasn’t even the only shocker that week.

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